Amazing Baci wrapper

 STEADY....

 STEADY.....

What one thinks of to do when sitting around the table after dinner. Will started it, and then the skill was perfected. Wow, that little piece of foil can hold up a plate! Will, Mr. Schmidt would be proud!

The Gingerbread men

 This has become a holiday tradition for Will and Linnea. They said they started doing this in 2003.

 It was very fun, though, to roll it all out in the new kitchen!

Piles of gingerbread men about to turn in to Harry Potter characters this year!

The tea cozy

 Linnea got a new teapot for Christmas, and she also wanted a tea cozy. I really didn't want to buy one and the knitted directions online looked too complicated for my level of skill, so I looked at the one we have. It was crocheted and I figured I could do pretty much the same thing. I would do a few things differently on the next one.

I chained 35 and double crocheted 25 and alternated rows single/double for the top ten. I crocheted 22 rows catching only the back of the stitch to give it the ribbed look. I made two and then stitched together the top 12 stitches and about 6 on the bottom. That way the handle and the spout have a place to come out. Finally, I did a row of single crochet around the bottom. But this is what I'd do differently. I'd single crochet all of the top 7-8 stitches. Ten made the top part too tall. If I make the top shorter then I could do a row of trim there, too.

I think I'll make some more. It was really fast to make. And fun too. And Linnea is really happy with it, that's best of all!

Particularly for Andrew

We missed you, Andrew, and hope that somehow you can see these little videos and know how much, especially with the fire part!

Christmas Eve 2010

 When we came home from our Dinner out at the Chinese restaurant, we decided to do some more baking. Linnea made the Russian tea cakes and I made the rosettes and the almond bark pretzels.

 While we worked, Will read stories to us. The first one was Christmas at Bullerby, and then he read A Child's Christmas in Wales. Then we listened to that one again read by Dylan Thomas.

 When everything was cleaned up we celebrated the birth of Jesus with our traditional Asti, Martini Rossi. YUM!! Then we watched It's a Wonderful Life.

This morning there were Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus!

Baking and more baking

Yesterday was a baking, relaxing day. Only Dennis left the house to go to work, the rest of us stayed home ALL DAY! But we were productive!

I did two batches of my Swedish Christmas bread. Instead of making them in wreathes this year, I braided them and just put in cardamom, cinnamon and brown sugar. The second batch I drizzled icing and added red cherries to the top after baking.

Then we had a hot chocolate break while Linnea began her recipe of Ginger cake with crystallized ginger.

Ooooo, it was yummy!

Happy Christmas! During all that baking, Andrew called. It was so nice to talk to him. We really miss him, and he said he misses just sitting on the couch in sweats with freezing temps outside and a cozy house inside!

Anniversary Dinner

Well, this is what the old couple looks like now! We had a lovely prime rib dinner with our delightful children, Will and Linnea. Don't they look like twins?