O Happy Day

Apparently having decided that perhaps his soul WON'T be sucked into the plumbing along with anything else he might put in the toilet, His Royal Contrariness has deigned to squeeze a tiny poop into his potty chair.

It may not sound like much, but this is major.  The last time I had Willem's diaper off and he needed to go, he screamed and writhed as though he would disintegrate if he couldn't go in his diaper.

Last night at bedtime prayers together, I prayed that God would help him want to use the potty.

This morning he brought up his Raggedy Andy doll.

"Can he use the potty?" 

"Sure."

Next it was Bob the Builder's turn.

"Maybe you should show them how it's done," I suggested casually, and went downstairs to use the computer.

And, sure enough, he did.

Happy, happy day.

This Is What Happens When Your Kids Receive "The New Bible In Pictures For Little Eyes" For Christmas

Willem shows me his latest Lego project:

"I'm making a cross where God dies.  I mean, I'm making a Lego airplane.  These are the wings."

Christmas Program In January

There is at least one event which in real life far outshines its depiction on TV or in movies.  That event, my friends, is the preschool Christmas program.

Watching a kid with a bowl cut digging for gold with half his finger inside his nose goes from "predictable" to "entertaining" when it's unscripted.  One experiences true suspense when the star of Bethlehem almost loses her skirt. And I had to wonder if one little girl's parents were to be commended for their foresight in dressing her in many layers, or if they'd just gotten lucky when she lifted only the top layer of sparkly tulle over her head.

Nels has always had a very theatrical personality (insert wisecrack about his parentage here) and I've always suspected that he'd take to the stage like a fish to water.  He was so excited about the Christmas program and the prospect of being on stage.  So of course I was full of anticipation to see what the experience would be like for him.

When he first came onstage with his class, it was to sing "Feliz Navidad" (or "Feliz Nobby Dob," as he likes to say it.)  He looked around for us with no success for a good long time, puffing out his cheeks like a blowfish all the while.  We've never seen him do that before.  Finally he spotted us, and his face just lit up.

"I want to wish YOU a Merry Christmas," he sang, pointing his finger emphatically, his arm completely outstretched.  I promise you, his eyes twinkled.  The kids sang on for what seemed like forever, chorus after chorus, and each time Nels looked me in the eye and pointed and smiled.

I don't know why this affected me so, but I could feel my face getting all warm and prickly.  It was almost embarrassing to have such a strong emotional reaction.  It's like what I've always imagined when some women describe the feeling of holding their baby in their arms for the first time.  When I first held my boys, I felt no rush of positive emotion.  I felt mad (Nels) and tired (Willem.)  Of course I have always loved my kids tremendously, but it was nice to be whacked over the head with the feeling of "You are my son, and to have you in my life to love is a miracle."

Wow, did Nels love being on stage.  Once or twice he went into opera mode, his mouth open as far as it could go and his eyes rolled back.  He also made several faces, as though he were acting out a scene.

In the photo below, Nels is either starting or wrapping up a grand bow.  No, none of the children were asked to bow.  Yes, after every song he sang, Nels grabbed the hand of the friend next to him and initiated an elaborate bow from the waist to the floor.

I've said it before, and I daresay I'll say it again:

That's my boy.

New Year's Eve

I have many dearest wishes, but one of the few actually within the realm of possibility (as opposed to, say, winning an Academy Award) has been to throw a pull-out-all-the-stops dinner party.

A felicitous confluence of events allowed this to happen.  First, I had a small nest egg of birthday money set aside.  Second, our friends the Hamiltons would be staying with us on that most festive of holidays, New Year's Eve.  This was key to the dinner party's success.  Because they were already spending the night, we were able to put the kids to bed before we started dinner. Also, we could take our time with each course, since no one had to drive home.  We could have a different wine paired with each course, since no one had to drive home.  As an added bonus, these Hamiltons are great cooks and willing sous-chefs.  It was an ideal set-up.

Of course I agonized over the menu, because that is my way.  My way is also a very slow way, so I needed recipes that could be done mostly ahead of time and be finished or reheated just before serving.  I would have loved an outrageous chunk of roast beef, but I was afraid of ruining it.  I pored over magazines and cookbooks and spent many blurry-eyed hours reading recipes online. And now, without further ado, our New Year's Eve dinner:

While Shaun gave himself a last-minute haircut, we enjoyed duck liver and port mousse with cornichons and grainy mustard.  Don't worry, before we dug in we realized that we should remove the layer of gelatin on top.  We are very classy.

Also, lest these provisions seem a little spartan for New Year's Eve, I should mention that we spent all afternoon cooking and snacking on some Saint Andre triple cream cheese, marcona almonds, and spicy Calabrese sausage.  And sparkling wine, of course.

Andrew approves our plans before the serious eating begins.

It was fun to use real napkins for a change, along with my beautiful silver (thank you, Juli!)

First course:  Cauliflower Soup With Seared Scallops, Lemon Oil, and Caviar

served with a white Burgundy

My favorite description of this dish came from Amanda, who described its texture as "pillowy." It was a cream of cauliflower soup (I used half and half instead of the whipping cream it called for) with a seared scallop placed on top of a bit of blanched leeks. I couldn't find the lemon-infused grapeseed oil to drizzle on, so I made some.  It was well worth the small extra effort.  The garnish is caviar (mine is from Iceland, the only thing I could find) and snipped chives.  I plan on making this as a main course in the future, with more scallops and some bread and salad alongside.  

Main course:  Braised Lamb Shanks With Coriander, Fennel, and Star Anise; Citrusy Root Vegetable Puree served with a Chateauneuf-du-Pape

The most exciting thing about this dish was making it:  toasting the spices and then grinding them produced a smell that I have never encountered before. Even if something isn't my favorite, I always appreciate the experience of tasting something entirely new to me.  The meat didn't turn out as tender as I'd hoped, but it was still very good.  Next time I'd put less citrus in the root vegetables, but I thought it was an important element to help cut the richness of the lamb.  A nice thing about this dish is that we made it the night before so we could cool it and scoop the fat off.  The pot of leftovers has formed yet another dandy layer of fat.  Definitely not a low-calorie food.

Probably thanks to my overindulgence earlier in the day, I was feeling a little queasy by the time we got to the lamb.  That's when I experienced the magic of the French tradition of the trou normand.  A glass of Calvados is taken to create a trou, or hole, for the next course.  In this case, the apple brandy is poured over a dish of apple sorbet.  I had intended to serve this between the first two courses, but I am so glad that I had forgotten.  It worked like MAGIC. I felt like I was starting the entire meal over.  Which was a relief, because I was looking foward to our last course most of all.

Here's Amanda dousing her sorbet and Andrew doing his best to power on through as midnight approaches:

Last course:  Phyllo-Wrapped Figs With Proscuitto and Stilton

served with ruby port

Oh, how I loved this.  For me it was the perfect way to end the meal, like a cheese course and dessert in one.  Each bundle contained a bit of Stilton pressed with dried figs and wrapped in a small, thin slice of proscuitto.  Following the suggestions of reviewers, I cut down on the amounts of everything inside the bundle.  It was still extremely rich.  What took it from savory to sweet were the two sauces:  reduced cream with pine nuts on the plate and a ruby port-balsamic vinegar reduction drizzled on top, syrupy and delicious.  It wasn't everyone's favorite dish, but it was mine.

I wasn't responsible for the fireworks at midnight, but I thought they were a nice touch:

There is no way I could have pulled off such a fun evening without all the cooking and dishwashing help I got.  It was truly a group effort.  Here's to the love of God, family, and friends in the new year.

Christmas Time

On Christmas Eve eve, we had a little celebratory dinner of our own at home. Note to parents:  if a celebratory dinner is what you're after, don't sit down hungry at the table with a bowl of smallish Dungeness crabs and two hungry young children.  Let's just say the champagne had done its work by the time I actually got anything to eat.

It wasn't until the day of Christmas Eve that we found out if our plans would be thwarted by the weather.  Though other flights were delayed and canceled, Shaun's sister and her family made it in to PDX.  And the road to Shaun's parents house, which had been closed off and on for a few days preceding, was open.  Behold Highway 26:

The packed snow above was fine.  I had a few white-knuckle moments on areas of the road that had some ruts and more of a mix of things on the ground, but we all made it safe and sound.

I think you'll agree when you see our destination, that a more Christmas-y place could not be found in all the land:

Did I mention there was a LOT OF SNOW?

The power was out at our House o' Christmas, and that made things a little more adventurous (and a lot more work for my father-in-law) than they would have been otherwise. The rumble of a generator is not my favorite winter noise, but it sure beats the alternative. Shaun's mom managed to work around the inconvenience of only getting to use one major energy-gobbler at a time (water heater, oven, cooktop) and prepared us many delicious and festive meals. Adding to the element of adventure was the periodic dumping of snow off the roof.  It would come down at odd moments with a big crashing noise and shake the house.  Made me a little jumpy.

Shaun's folks were planning to host a big family get-together on Saturday, but that was relocated to his aunt and uncle's house in Salem because the power still wasn't back on.  Much of Shaun's extended family was there, and that was fun as always.  Shaun's cousins and their spouses are all fun to be with, and the kids all love running wild together. 

I got to hold the happiest little baby Nora.

As our kids change and grow, they create fun new Christmas memories.  It will be a long time before I forget the sight of my almost three year-old nephew sitting on his dad's lap, perusing the ceiling fan section of the Lamps Plus catalog he received in his stocking.  And Nels's joy at opening the Wall-E and Eve figures I got for him and Willem was something.  Later in the day he told me that his "dream really came true," and that it made him feel like he had to hug me.

Yesterday Shaun's family came out our way.  We had a nice visit and a salmon dinner.  The boys ran their laps through the kitchen/living/dining room, and we had the obligatory family photo:

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!  New Year's, here we come!

When Boys Play With Stuffed Animals

As I was doing some chores this evening, I noticed both boys were snuggled in Nels's bed, reading books with the lights out.

About twenty minutes later, they reported back to me.

"Mom, we put our stuffed animals to bed!"

They read to them.

They sang to them (quickly, because one of the animals kept sneezing.)

They said prayers with them.

Then the bear ate the dog.

Sweet dreams!

Winter Days

As surely everyone knows by now, it is unusually snowy in the Pacific Northwest. NOW we have the kind of weather that's worth canceling school for.

People are making the most of it, and while I find it hard to relate to the excitement after several snow-filled high desert winters, I do find it enjoyable to watch a girl on a sled go whizzing by my kitchen window as I wash the dishes.  The neighbor boys piled up some snow for a snowboard jump, and I even saw a few snowmobiles out and about.

Of course our kids are loving it.  They're happy just to tromp around on our deck, making snow piles and trying to eat large shards of ice.

Our neighbors are very neighborly, and I am wishing that I had made the time to do some Christmas baking.  At some point I'm going to have to stop using Willem's surgery as an excuse for not doing more, but I guess we're still good for now. 

One neighbor sent her son over with some ginger spice cake, and another gave us a giant tub of popcorn.  You know the kind.  It's divided into regular, caramel, and toxic-looking cheese, and it looks totally unappealing in the store, only to become irresistible once it enters your house. Today, our next door neighbors sent their son over to shovel our driveway.  It's rather uncomfortable to accept a kind deed from a middle-school boy who would rather be doing something else.  Character building all around, I'm sure.

Of course the weather is making me want to fix all sorts of hearty meals.  That doesn't mean I do, but one does make an occasional appearance at our dinner table.  I had to share this meal from a few weeks ago with you because of its spectacular color. It's red cabbage with kielbasa, onions, and apples, with roasted potatoes on the side.  I was the only real fan of the dish.  The boys didn't like the vinegar in the cabbage, and Shaun, expecting it to taste like sauerkraut, found it a little bland.  I liked it.

Tonight, though, we'll have crowd-pleasing lentil and kielbasa soup.  I think it's the four cups of leeks (in addition to the four cups of onions) that make it extra tasty.  (No, I don't feed turkey kielbasa to my family every night, it just sometimes seems that way.  I know it's full of awful stuff.)

Of course winter hasn't been all kielbasa-eating and frolicking in the snow.   Because of the weather, lots of fun events like Nels's school Christmas program were canceled or postponed. I even saw on the news that one college had to cancel its winter commencement.  And my mom and grandpa were supposed to drive out from Bend, but the weather is keeping them home. 

Right now we're just thankful that our Christmas plans didn't require flying out of PDX this week, and we're looking forward to letting the boys loose in the two feet of snow at their Grandma and Grandpa's house.  If only we can get there.