A Place Like This......

Tuesday Through My Winter Window

I'm joining Julie for the winter edition of Tuesday Through My Window.

With the first of advent passing by on Sunday, the wooden stars have been placed in the windows. I love the flicker of soft lights this time of year.

 
The weather has been a mix of very warm and then turning to very cold and then back to warm again. From my kitchen window I see the shirt fluttering in the air to let me know that someone is in his tree house.

 

Ah yes, there they are, the boy and some friends.

 
 To be honest with you, I'm eagerly awaiting snow. Let's hope by next week I will be able to show you "first snow" photos. 

King Arthur's Other Table

For about 12 years the same gathering of family and friends have met together to celebrate Thanksgiving. The adults sit in the dining-room and the kids sit at the "kids table". That was until our children grew up and we now have more adults than children.

 

"Isn't there someway we could all sit at one table?" Susie asked  "I know." she said. "Why don't we move the furniture in your family room and rent long tables and chairs from Campbell's?"

After measuring the room, looking at the table sizes, and realizing that it only costs $6 dollars a table to rent, we decided that Susie's idea was a winner. 

Little "O" and I had a great time setting the table and that's when he proclaimed that we were King Arthur's Other Court, the one with the rectangle table......and hence, let us evermore be known as King Arthur and the Rectangle Table.

 

It was so much fun using a hodge podge of my mother's china and my grandmother's glasses.

 

Since we were sitting at the "Rectangle Table" we placed the food on the dining-room table. I had to take this photo really quickly before the hordes came in for dinner.

 

What does a table with 25 people look like?

 

 

We hope and wish that all of you celebrating Thanksgiving last week had a wonderful time.

 

 

 

 

 P.S. I would like to mention that all of the bottles you see on the table were sparkling juices.  Just didn't want you to think we were giving them a different sort of punch. :)

 

Happy Thanksgiving

 

 

The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go.
The harvest all is gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.

Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain,
So open wide the doorway ---
Thanksgiving comes again!
Old Rhyme.

 I wish all of you in the States a very happy Thanksgiving and for those of you in other places, know that I am thankful for your company and the moments we share. HIghlights of our celebration to come. Be well.

Some Things in my Ear

Yesterday Mimi and I headed to the store to do what's known as the "big shop"; buying everything needed for Thanksgiving dinner. With all of the cooking,crafting, and writing I'm doing lately, I have many things loaded onto my ipod to work by.  Some of them are  very unique items and others are old friends but all serve the purpose of creating an atmosphere while I'm creating.

 

New favorite podcast is Radiolab. This is by far one of the best productions I've heard in awhile. Radiolab is a radio show and podcast weaving stories and science into sound and music-rich documentaries. 
  They have a great sense of humor. For the most part these are family friendly podcasts. There are only a couple that I listen to in the privacy of my own headphones. Have a look.

 

Next on my list might land me on the "So Lame" list by my children but I really like the Outloud audio books. Kathy Goldner has done what every cook and knitter could only dream of and that is to listen to these activities when they're not actually doing them. These are very well produced and inspires me to think up new things to knit and cook. The cooking out loud book has me travelling throughout the Mediterranean cooking up a storm. It isn't like I don't already do that in my real life  but this is my listening life.  You can find Kathy and her great catalog of great listens here or on audible.

Now here comes the music. Some standards on my ipod are Coldplay, Abigail Washburn and one of my favorites Lisa Hannigan.

After the Punch Brother concert I went to in Nashville, I can't get enough of them. Their lead singer Chris Thile of Nickel Creek has formed together this band of brilliant musicians. The concert was an organic experience that had me wanting more. Check out their new album Antifogmatic.

 
One more fave I'm going to share is Regina Spektor and her album Live in London. I've always loved live albums and this one is a gem. I find her voice completely captivatingand has so much depth. Her words capture the imagination and bring things to light from a different perspective. This one is worth a listen but I have to warn you to preview before you let the kids listen. She is graphic at times and some  songs are not appropriate for children.

 
(photo by willy in copenhagen)

And now I leave you with a video of one of my favorites which started my paper cutting craze last year. Last year? I'm still cutting away. Enjoy all of these audibles. Be well friends.

There's No Place Like Home

Last Friday, on a very fogging morning, ....

 
I drove to Nashville to pick up daughter No. 2. A banjo clad Mimi coming home for the Thanksgiving holidays.

 
We arrived back home in the afternoon and spent a wonderful day just hanging out. As dinner time approached we decided to head to Ruby Tuesdays and then onto watch HP7 (Harry Potter 7). We collected all of our things and as I opened the door to leave,there stood "The African Son".  

As I hugged this boy an entire story unfolded as he told me about a doctor's visit which culminated in the diagnoses of extreme stress. So from the doctor's office he drove to the Philadelphia airport and got on the first  plane home. "Auntie, I'm stressed. I just had to come home." So we threw him in the car for dinner and a movie.

 
Obed came to our family with a beautiful story. When Obed was five years old, his father Sam was the best man at our wedding. Many Many years later, Sam wanted Obed to leave Cameroon to get a great education. Obed came to us and studied at Maryville College before heading to Howard University where he graduated with a nursing degree. Lately he's been working as an I.C.U. nurse and studying for his MCAT's. Obed will go to medical school soon. For the last 8 or 9 years this boy Obed has served as a great big brother for the three musketeers.  He is the next generation in the history between our two families.

This weekend held much joy for us as we visited Zaina

 
Were given a very big welcome from Bear as he pummeled us with his bone.

 

 

 

At the end of the weekend everyone felt less stressed, happy to be together, and living happily in the moment.

 

I remember how I use to look forward to heading home for the holidays or a visit with my family. It was a time of complete comfort. Nothing makes me happier than to see my little tribe coming home for the holidays and feeling the comforts of their family, friends, and home.

 

The Firestarter

We had the most amazing storm the other day and aside from losing three shutters off the house, I knew by the chill in the wind that "the question" would start in earnest.

"The question" actually started two and half weeks ago during our indian summer.

With much enthusiasm "O" asked, "Is it cold enough to start a fire?"

"Not when it's 73 degrees outside."

Coming back again he asked,"What if we turned on the air conditioning?"

"Just so we can start a fire?" I said as I looked at my son with sort of a crazy- ish gleam in my eye.

With a look of defeat he ventured off to one of his other projects. I noticed yesterday that the silent treatment started. Not in anger mind you. It starts with an  orange peel being left to dry and then one orange shows up on the counter and then another. Logs start coming into the garage and being stacked for the serious fires of winter.

 

After our blustery day the temperature dipped into the 40's. I knew that our evening firesides were beginning.

"It's very chilly in here. Do you mind if I start a fire?"

And with that firestarter season had begun.

 

 
To make the house smell wonderful, take your orange,tangerine, and clementine peels, hang them or put them on a cookie sheet to air dry. Once dried throw them on the fire. Not only does it make the house smell fantastic but the oil in the peel actually helps the fire to keep going. May you have many wonderful evenings by the fire.

 

Martin Goose

The harvest has been put away and the days of darkness have arrived. We light our handmade lanterns and slowly walk around the garden. Although it is dark outside our lanterns remind us to bring the light and warmth inside during the darkest time of the year.

 

The sunlight fast is dwindling,

My little lamp needs kindling.

Its beam shines far in darkest night,

Dear Lantern, guard me with your light
~ from Autumn, Wynstones Press

Martin Goose is celebrated in Sweden. Though all of Sweden remembers this celebration, it is truly a celebration in Southern Sweden in the province of Skåne. Who is this Martin we are feasting ourselves over?

The Martin we are celebrating is the Bishop Martin of Tour,who before he became bishop was a heathen in the year 300 A.D.  Many countries in Europe as well as the Waldorf School tradition celebrate this holiday as Martimas.

 

The reason we associate geese with Martin is that when the church was trying to elect him as a Bishop he ran away and hid in a goose pen. The startled geese started honking and gave away his where abouts. Martin was so angry that he had all of the geese slaughtered. He couldn't let all of these good geese go to waste, so he held a feast and they ate them. Martin did become Bishop and the patron saint of Tours. 

In southern Sweden they celebrate by cooking a goose and eating the very famous black soup.

Because I was raised by a Swedish family living in the United States, Martin Goose was celebrated with a favorite dessert. It didn't make sense to have two large fowl meals within two weeks, Martin Goose and Thanksgiving,  so we were treated with stuffed apples after our lantern tour.

Stuffed Apples

 

• 6 firm apples
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp butter
• lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F
2. Peel and scoop out the core of the apples. Be sure to soak the apples in cold water with a tbsp or so of lemon juice. This prevents them from turning brown.
3.       Mix together the chopped nuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
4. Melt the butter and add to the nut mixture, stirring well.
5. Drain the apples of water and stuff with the nut mixture.
6. Place in a well greased or pam oven dish.
7. Place in the oven for 1 hour. At the half hour mark, cover the dish with tin foil and bake for a half hour more.

This taste so great with whipped cream on top as well. Enjoy!!

 

 

 

Felt Ball Afternoon

 

Over the weekend the weather turned very cold and we saw our first snow flurries. With it, brought a whole bunch of children up to my house for an afternoon of felt ball making.

Use a variety of colors of roving. Make a bowl of hot soapy water: 3 tbsp of clear dishwashing soap to 4 cups of hot water.

First you take the wool roving and you squish it into a ball. Then start rolling until it is a ball. Start wrapping little bits of roving around your ball, dip it back into the hot soapy water, and keep rolling.

 

 
Keeping rolling and dipping until you have balls that look like these. You can make them any size you want. Once you have your ball felted at your desired size, rinse it under cold water and let it dry.

 

 

These are juggling balls for a special friend. All of this is being done as part of our handmade holiday being hosted by Tonya over at Plain and Joyful Living. Head on over and see what everyone else is up to.


 

 

{This Moment} New Friends

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Have a great weekend.

 

Pumpkin Vegetable Soup

 

Yesterday found me outside placing many leaves in beds before the rains came. I almost got done, but the rain started sooner than I had hoped. Along with the rain the weather turned cold and so the day called for not only a cup of tea, a fire in the fireplace, but a bowl of hot soup to warm my belly.

 

 

It's time for a great harvest soup with pumpkin, ....don't you think? Here's one of my favorites. Know that you can substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock for a complete vegetarian meal.

 

 

 

Pumpkin Vegetable Soup

 

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 1 onion
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves
• 2 carrots peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stick peeled and chopped
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 container of mushrooms
• 1 large leek or two small ones
• 3 cups of pumpkin puree fresh or canned
• 16 oz of half and half
• ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1 ½ salt
• 1 tsp of pepper
• 1 tsp of lemon juice
• 1 to 2 tsp of chopped thyme

 

Preparation:

1. In a large stockpot, melt 1 tbsp of olive oil and butter over medium heat.
2. Once melted, add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery, and cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Add 2 cups of chicken broth and let simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Remove the stockpot from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes.
5. Pour the broth mixture into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Set this aside.
6. In the stockpot you were just using, melt the remaining olive oil and butter.
7. Add the mushrooms and leeks, cooking them for about 6 minutes or until the mushrooms start to brown.
8. Mix the puree, pumpkin, remaining broth, half and half, pepper, red pepper flakes. Let simmer for 15 minutes.
9. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and thyme and let simmer for another 10 minutes.