As I sit in my living room at the onset of the holiday weekend, this is what runs through my head: I'm all for celebrations and patriotic displays and pyrotechnics in general, but I get a little edgy in the summertime when everyone and their brother is lighting Roman candles in the alley all night. Call me crazy, but black powder sounds like gun powder. Dial 911, or no? Sigh.(Good lord, I sound like an old woman - "Crazy kids, get off my lawn" and all that. Oy.)
I rushed home from church to make my contribution, fløtegrøt. If you're not familiar, close your eyes and envision a) white; b) bland; and c) crazily dairy-fat based. That about covers it. The recipe called for heavy cream, whole milk, and flour; from this over a cup of clarified butter lets from the custardy goo. "Seasoning" consists of said butter, sugar and (uff da!) cinnamon.
My moment of koldtbord bravery? Two words - head cheese.
Two more words - never again.
I realize I never documented holiday knitting FO's very well. Oops. Since there's no time like the present to start setting things aright, here are the details for Kidlet's Easter shrug:
pattern: adapted from One Skein Wonder, by Stefanie Japel
yarns: body in Classic Elite Soft Linen (35% linen, 35% wool, 30% baby alpaca), trim in Rowan Kidsilk Haze (70% super kid mohair, 30% silk)
needles: Knit Picks Harmony interchangeables, US5 and US6
cast on: 27 Mar 2009
completed: 11 April 2009
Kidlet and I galhandled 82 eggs in preparation for tomorrow, both candy-filled (for the egg hunt at St. Paul's) and hard-boiled (to help the Easter Bunny). She was very focused and paid great attention to detail. Best of all, there were no dye stains on Nana & Papa's beige carpet - woot!
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"Hear ye! Hear ye!
On Gobbler’s Knob this glorious Groundhog Day,
February 2nd, 2009,
Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers,
Prognosticator of all Prognosticators,
Awoke to the call of President Bill Cooper
And greeted his handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths.
After casting a joyful eye towards thousands of his faithful followers,
Phil proclaimed that his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers were World Champions one more time...
And a bright sky above me
Showed my shadow beside me,
So 6 more weeks of winter it will be."
Dammit.
Holiday on Ice by Alexander Henry Fabrics
(my girly partner fabric to eWAC's burly Heavy Equipment...)
Happy 2009 to one and all!
... may I humbly offer for your considerationBest waste of time:
FacebookBest knitting needles EVER: Knit Picks Harmony interchangeables Best impersonation: Tina Fey as Governor Sarah Palin Best theater seen: Souvenir, at The Jungle Theater Best coffee shop:
Best public transportation: NYC subway Best place to tell Best day for our nation: 4 November 2008
*************** 1. To continue greening my life, and showing Kidlet how to do the same by way of example. 2. Knit down my fingering weight (sock?!?) stash. Good grief, it has its own ZIP code. 3. Hide from entropy. Yeah, right... ***************
And the resolutions?
A happy and safe New Year to you, readers. Come on back for another year of random blogging with me!
I found it. Holiday frenzy bliss, that is: Imagine leaning your head back into a shampoo bowl and receiving a loooong scalp massage while James Taylor is singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" on the Muzak.
Hoo boy. ;-)
Saturday started with a rehearsal for Lessons & Carols, which morphed into a long lunch with the AnderClan. Boy howdy, but the girls were squirrely! Oh well. It's amazing to watch B and Kidlet together - two peas in a pod. After lunch, Kidlet and I baked four dozen cookies, then made homemade pizza for dinner... bath, bedtime stories and songs, and one tired Meema.
Sunday morning was the children's Christmas pageant at St. Paul's 10:00 service. B and Kidlet were both cast as Mary. That's right - our Jesus had two mommies this year. Woo hoo! B struggles a bit with stage fright, but lasted much longer than previous years; Kidlet presented the baby at the end of the story while B looked on from the safety of Caytie and Mark's laps.
I've spoken many times on the love I have for my church choir. A feistier bunch of singers there isn't. Hearty, too, as yesterday would prove; Minneapolis was treated to a delightful winter rain which promptly froze as the temperatures dipped in the afternoon, just in time for our service.
Our annual Service of Nine Lessons and Carols was not as well attended as hoped, but those who braved the elements were enthusiastic and received a heckuva musical experience, IMHO. The choir sang so. freakin'. well. We performed Benjamin Britten's "Hymn to the Virgin", for which the four section leaders sang antiphonally from across the nave. I was blown away with how solid and sensitively the choir sang (YAY ALTOS!!!). Several other transcendent moments took my breath away.The wonderful thing about singing in an Episcopal church is that we know how to put on a spread. Note the lovely traditional English Tea reception:
Following the festive gathering in the undercroft, Richard and Brian annually host a gathering even more festive in their Arts & Crafts bungalow. How festive, you may ask? Feast your peepers...
B and Kidlet learned the magic behind the Christmas decorations.
Maestro Scott finally gets a chance to kick back and relax.
Our genteel hosts, Richard and Brian, a.k.a. Mr. and Mr. Christmas.
And now we return you to your holiday knitting, already in progress...
Four dozen Christmas cookies baked? Check.
Kidlet fed, bathed, and bedded? Check. 
(Sometimes it feels like a major event.)
Panic-driven Meema knitting down her gift list while George Bailey sticks it to Old Man Potter? Checkity check check check.
Please join us for A Festival of Lessons and Carols at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Minneapolis, tomorrow afternoon at 4:00.
Let the holiday season begin!
My own personal mission: NO PLASTIC BAGS this season!!! Try IKEA's big blue shopping totes; yes, they're a bit crinkly and don't collapse into a hackey-sized pouch, but they are amazingly strong, totally cheap (59 cents!), and serve every need from gift/grocery shopping to transporting gifts on The Day. Or hauling firewood. Or stocking your snow fort with an arsenal of snowballs.
Heck, I'll bet you could even drag your dead Christmas tree to the curb on recycling day with it...
The United States has Veterans Day.
No matter your national allegiance or political leanings, you (yes, you) have benefited from the sacrifice of time and lives by the men and women in armed service. Please find a moment today to ponder their effect on your life; the liberties that shape our national identity are an enormous gift.
Despite the conspicuous lack of yellow brick roads in Eagan, Dorothy had a great time on her journey last night: candy and trinkets for her, plenty of coin for the world's less fortunate children.
Hope you all enjoyed your evening as well!
Each October the youth group at St. Paul's hosts a Fall Festival (read: Halloween party) for the younger set. Apparently we have a healthy population of girly-girl princess types. B came as a pretty princess in pink, and Kidlet chose her character based on sparkly red shoes. Much fun was had, including caramel apples, games, and the first go-round of candy.
Forgive me, knitters, for I have sinned: I made Kidlet's wig, but stooped to use Caron One Pound No Dye Lot ACK-crylic yarn.
On a slight tangent, several weeks ago I picked up a Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF collection box for Kidlet, and last weekend introduced the concept to her as we ate dinner. Her box has four simple graphics on the front, representing the organization's aid goals of clean water, medical care, nutrition, and education for the world's children.
I mentioned that, for how easy it is for us to turn on the tap and have a glass of clean water, there are millions of children who have to drink from dirty streams and the like; so this year she could carry the box, in addition to her candy bag, and collect money for children around the world. "You mean I can help them?!?" she asked. "Yes, of course you can, sweetie."
"I don't even need that much candy!"
Say hello to the newest pattern in the Mochimochi Shop: Boo the Bat! This little bat features wraparound wings and feet that can hang from your finger or the nearest tree branch.
The pattern can be purchased as a PDF download for $5
