One of the Seven Wonders of Cookie World

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
(based on the Joy of Cooking's Classic Oatmeal Cookies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Beat until well blended:

~1 cup (two sticks) softened butter

~1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

~1/4 cup white sugar

~2 eggs

~3 teaspoons vanilla

Whisk together:

~1 3/4 cups flour

~3/4 teaspoon baking soda

~3/4 teaspoon baking powder

~1/4 teaspoon salt

~1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

~1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Add dry ingredients to butter/sugar mixture and mix until smooth and homogeneous.

Add to the dough:

~3 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

~1 (generous) cup of dried cranberries

~1 cup white chocolate chips

Mix until the oats, cranberries, and white chocolate chips are evenly distributed. Form dough into two-tablespoon balls (this is where this kind of tool comes in handy). Place the cookies about two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press the balls of dough into 1/2 inch circles. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the just the edges of the cookies are golden; they should still be soft on top. Let the cookies cool and become more firm on the cookie sheet for 2-5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container, and enjoy!

Pictorial Highlights of Christmas Day

We opened stockings first thing in the morning.

(A first for our little family
since we haven't done stockings since we got married.)

We opened and ate presents.
Some (like the lovely oil and vinegar dipping set Benjamin got for me)
were more edible than the one pictured above,
so I'm not crazy to say that we all "ate" presents.

We played with our new toys and tried on our new clothes.

We ate fabulous food thanks to Benjamin

who made a new and tasty variety of stuffed shells

as well as delectable olive bread
which we dipped in the oil an vinegar from my new set.

We relaxed and enjoyed being together as a family.

(As one of my parents' friends said:

"Family wrapped up in each other is better than any wrapped gift.")

Two Brothers

I couldn't resist sharing a few photos of the boys together from the last month or so. I just love watching them interact.

Sharing tummy time.

Little Man wanted to get in on Brother's three-month photo shoot.
The above sweetness was the result.

Little Man requested to "hold little hands" for this photo.

Holiday fun.

Last minute Christmas baking

I was afraid that I wouldn't get any Christmas baking done at all this year. Last year we did without decorations, and this year I thought baking was the tradition that would go by the wayside. I was wrong, though. A few days before Christmas, my internal holiday baking timer went off, and I made some tasty Christmas treats.

First I tried my hand making caramel. I'd never done it before, but the recipe looked attainable. Sure enough, they turned out beautifully (Benjamin loved the result of my experiment). It looked so pretty as it cooked and the cream and sugary syrup swirled together.

We also made traditional gingerbread cookies. I love the colors of cloves, cinnamon, and ginger together. It's almost worth it to make gingerbread just to see that classy combination.

Little Man and I thoroughly enjoyed cutting out the cookies together. We used a variety of untraditional boyish shapes this year like footballs, cars, airplanes, fish, and frogs.

I also made some delectable white chocolate-cranberry cookies (photo and recipe coming soon). I packaged some of them in home made parchment paper bags which Little Man and I delivered. He was excited to meet all of our neighbors' dogs. : )

In addition to the goodies I made, we were given two plates of cookies as well as getting to enjoy my mom's yummy holiday treats. I'm beginning to think that maybe I could have skipped Christmas baking after all. : )

greetings

Highlights

The past two Decembers Benjamin's side of the family has gotten together for an early "Christmas" the first week in December. Since the four siblings all live in different states, it is quite a feat to get everyone together. Last year we all met at his parents' house, and this year, we met in Arizona, where his oldest brother and his wife live. The following are a few snapshots of the highlights of our trip.

[Brother's first airplane ride]

Because of the spread-out way Montana is, Benjamin's sister (pictured above) ended up flying with us even though she lived five-and-a-half hours north of us. It was so nice to have an extra pair of hands as we maneuvered our boys and many cary-ons though security and onto the airplane. Both boys did well on the flight and we arrived with minimal adventures.

[big family meals]

Eating good food and talking over it is a big part of my husband's family culture. We especially enjoyed eating a few of them outdoors in sunny, warm weather while our friends and family in the north were freezing in sub-zero (Fahrenheit) weather.

[catching up]

We stayed in the home of Benjamin's oldest brother, and it was delightful to be able not only catch up but also get to know my brother- and sister-in-law better. The rest of the family stayed in a near-by hotel. We had such delightful times chatting, cooking (and cooking, and cooking), playing games, and playing with the little ones.

[the three brothers]

It is so fascinating (as an only child) to see my husband interact with his two older brothers. They enjoyed their share of catching up too.

[olive mill tour]

We had a big family outing to a nearby olive mill where we took a tour and learned about how olive oil is made, observed olive trees in the "show grove" (the main grove is not open to visitors for safety reasons), and ate a tasty meal prepared by the cafe on the grounds.

[cousins playing peek-a-boo]

Little Man and Cousin (a few months younger than he is) had a delightful time playing together. They were practically inseparable the whole week we were there. They went to the park together, played with toys together, read together, ran together, and even got into mischief together.

[Cousin holding Brother]

Of course everyone was delighted to meet Brother, and he got quite spoiled from being nearly constantly held.

[opening presents]

One day was designated as "Christmas," and we enjoyed eating a special breakfast and opening presents. My niece liked the pink and purple apron I made for her very much even though it's still quite roomy. I was delighted by her response.

[blissful grandparents with all their grandbabies]

It was a relaxed and enjoyable trip (though somehow I came home exhausted). We all enjoyed ourselves immensely.

More baby blankets

There seems to be another wave of babies being born, so I was motivated to finish a few of the flannel baby blankets I love to give as gifts. (Last month was super-productive; no wonder I haven't been getting much blogging done!)

I finished the happy accident quilt by backing it with a cheerful animal print and tying it at the intersections of the squares. I will be giving it to some friends whose little boy is due in early spring (I think?). I love this quilt so much; if Little Man and Brother didn't already have an opulent abundance of quilts and blankets, you'd better believe I'd be keeping it!

This pink and burgundy blanket is much more simple: two layers of flannel sewn together and then top stitched with a pretty pattern of flowers and leaves. I love making baby quilts, but this kind of simple blanket is wonderful if one is pinched for time. The two layers of flannel make a very warm blanket that is not bulky and that is perfect for packing around in our cold Montana winters.

This last one is a little scrappy quilt I made from pieces left over from a couple of other baby quilts. It is for some of Benjamin's college friends who are expecting their first little daughter. When I saw that they registered for mostly green and purple, I was delighted to know this quilt top I had tucked away to finish later would go perfectly with their decor. I love it when everything falls perfectly together like that.

Christmas Calligraphy

This year I decided to make calligraphy gifts for some of our friends. I tried to match the calligraphy styles to the personalities of the people who would be receiving the gifts. The finished calligraphies are dramatically different, yet each is beautiful in its own way.

The following calligraphy is different in style from any that I've done before. I was aiming for a more flowing, free form look that didn't conform too closely to rigid space and rules. The friends who are going to receive this one have delightfully spontaneous personalities. Plus she is a dance teacher, and I thought it would be appropriate to try to capture a sense of freedom and motion.

I started by making a pencil sketch, and then I bulked it up by using a felt-tipped pen, adding bold, black color and additional details. At first I felt like less of an artist because I wasn't using my special, snobby calligraphy pens. After thinking about it for a while and observing the finished project, though, I was happy (and a bit relieved) to know that I can be just as artistic with a felt-tipped pen after all.

This next calligraphy was for the friends whose Christmas photos I showed off in my previous post.

She grew up in California and is especially fond of the sea. They also seem like like rich colors and textures. As I mulled over what to do for them, I decided to do a verse that included the sea, and I found the perfect paper to mount the finished calligraphy on in my collection: a teal-blue and brown old-worldish map, rich in color and detail (click on the photo to see a larger, more detailed version). I was delighted with how it turned out and so were they.

photos

At the beginning of this month, I had the privilege of taking family/Christmas photos for some of our friends. We spent about forty-five minutes together and were able to get some shots we were all pleased with.

First we took some bundled-up outdoor photos in their snowy yard beside their large lilac bush.

Since it was barely over zero degrees Fahrenheit that day, the outdoor scene didn't last long, and we headed inside to try some photos in front of their decorated Christmas tree.

Their little daughter is almost exactly two months older than Brother and is such a delight to photograph. (Isn't she a doll?)

This last photo just might be my favorite of all of them. She was smiling up at her daddy who was standing behind me doing all he could to get her to crack a smile. I think that adoring little look was worth it all.

deck the halls

left: our cute little Christmas tree
(No going out into the hills for a real tree this year;
we stuck to our tiny fake standby
leftover from Benjamin's bachelor days.)

center (top to bottom): to avoid ornament breakage,
I strung lights from our curtain rods
and hung breakable ornaments
higher than little hands can reach.

homemade chai latte
to ward off cold and decorating fatigue.
(Benjamin is the best!)

pretty presents all ready for Christmas morning

right: new coordinating Christmas stockings for all four of us.
(I made them from three different kinds of linen
and various pretty trims.)

Hiatus

i was gone

but now i'm back

i wasn't gone

because i lacked

content

for myriads of posts

rather

i had much

too much

i might attempt

to catch up

but i suspect

it would be better

to begin

by documenting

the now

(Here's hoping that your schedules are just as full of goodness as mine and that you are having a joyous and peaceful holiday season.)