elmo's influence?

so, it seems to have finally happened...esther enlisting a parter in her daily grime. or is momo the ringleader? don't laugh, momo, you'll just encourage her...oops.

creative arts

i never imagined the little suckling born a mere 17 months ago would turn into a fingerpainting godzilla, crushing mere mortals with a glance an a hiccough! and yet, here we are.

the plan was a cute one...get thomas and esther together to paint up some goods. sarah and i would then cleverly transform these artworks into precious chistmas cards for those family members who might fall for those things...(grannies?)

well, i think a carpet cleaner is in order, but the kids are clean and shiny again! and the christmas cards are the store-bought kind after all.

spring clean up

wow, spring is an ugly/beautiful time here in ottawa...daily, rubbish and poo (dog?) are weathered out of the snowbanks, leaving little moraines of ick. ick. but hot damn, the sun feels good, and any wee green sprout looks like a bit of heaven! i think catnip is pushing up in our back garden...miao. a little black and white cat has also chosen to live back there somewhere. he has been eking quite a tough life out in the cold. we leave him bits of kibble now and then, but have lost hope of capturing him and getting him healthy; he is a street cat for sure, very stubborn.

and the sheen of dust i felt was "cosy" just last month just doesn't seem as charming. so it begins, the middling time of season, the great putting -to-rights. if i weren't so energized, it would be darn tiresome.

esther is now three seasons old, funny and curious, and she enjoys the new frequency of outings in the sun. she has a very cute squinty smile outdoors.

i have had two great food making bees with pals...one a pasta making spree, another of jamaican patties (http://www.fooddownunder.com/ recipe#139515) and spinach pies. good for the souls' belly.

sudsy times

it seems as though relatives may think alike, even if they are not twins. my brother, richard, and myself, have independently both decided to make soap for interest and gifting sake, his seemingly more sucessful than mine...i ended up with a sludgy and (expensive) failure. faulty scales and boundless enthusiasm may ahve been my problem. richard and i now live provinces apart, and he is certainly very methodical in his approach to such things....me, i had to restrain a very excited co-soaper from adding the kitchen sink to our mix. very fun, my adventure with fat and lye, what with some red wine and many cooks added to the mix, but sadly, goopy and harsh was the product. talked with him at length about the problems....should be able to clamber over them on next attempt...

christmas travel

our car is an older model bmw. we named it sparkie, years ago...but that sprightly name is becoming less suitable for this venerable snaggletooth. not very sparkie these days; must be the upcoming 8 hour trip to northern ontario. this trip should have commenced about 24 hours ago. the car had other plans. the clutch cylinder which left us in the lurch last saturday, is now repaired and on the creditcard. the breaklight problem, though, is brand new. won't shut off. so sparkie is with his new best friend walter the repair-man for another visit.

to be looking on the right side of things, we are very fortunate that neither of these little issues came up during the trip, we have enough time to remedy them, and a creditcard with some room to spare.

walter is a very lovely german fellow, likely in his early 70's, mindful of a customers' dollar and very fair. he speaks english with a light dusting of his first language, and presents a tally of services written in impeccable european script by his thick-skinned oil-cured hand. he always offers this hand at the end of an exchange. hell. no wonder sparkie likes him.

so when david and sparkie return, we will try once more to hit the highway.

thanks, walter.

spicy gingerbread things

so, i have been through a few recipes in search of the tasty cookie swap winner. in my haste to create during young esther's nap-time, i made a variation of gingerbread house cookies...yes, with mustard. the jar said ginger, in my own handwriting. very convincing. and yet, mustard. i picked most of it out successfully...but still a little spicy. another attempt, with actual ginger, produced a lovely crisp cookie with the seasonal flavour i was seeking...

cream:
1 cup margerine
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 cup molasses

sift and add:
6 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
4 tsp ginger
1 tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves

chill overnight, roll, cut and bake.
350 degrees for 7-10 minutes.

fancy up with royal icing
beat til foamy:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup merangue powder

add cup at a time til you like what it looks like:
up to 4 2/3 cups icing sugar
until stiff peaks form.

cookie time

it is the time of year to exchange cookies, in a very organized way. dolled up to be both social and practical, the cookie-swap parties are a lovely vestige of oldtimey homemaking. in a way, a bit of fakery, the appearance of diligent baking of so many sorts of bisquits....you bake as many dozens of treats as there are guests, pack them up and meet at the location designated. they are to be shared with all those present, but you don't eat them there. no. they are stowed away to be opened up at home later, offered to other friends over the holidays.

i love 'em. the unknown pleasures lure me. i have, this year, accepted two invites to exchange holiday baking...a total of 17 dozen cookies to bake and pack. shall i make all the same kind? shall i challenge myself with new (and possibly substandard) recipes? yikes! and what in return? the mystery, the deliciousness. and the acceptance that yes, i will eat far too many.

i have a feeling that i'll try for three next year.....