Christmas Past

December 28th:  Christmas 2014 passed in a rush of last minute shopping (Christmas Eve Day) and frantic wrapping.  The piles of presents all have been opened and put away,  cookies have been baked and eaten,   no more "to do" lists for a little while. The New Year is fast approaching and I can't say I ever look  forward to it--I never feel the excitement of new beginnings and resolutions  (who keeps them anyway?). Usually at this time of the year I feel a sadness that the rush is over, that the decorations will soon be coming down, that the last carols have been heard and life returns to normal. But for some reason this year it's not as bad--  Now I can take the time to sit and enjoy the Christmas trees (this year there are two), appreciate the vignettes of scenes I decorated my bookshelves with earlier in the month. Yes, Christmas is Past  for this year,  but there is Christmas Future to look forward to. 

Post Holiday Blues?

The holiday season has just passed by in a blur.  Don't get me wrong--I loved every minute of it!  I am lucky enough to be able to have some time off for Winter Break, so I am able to get a lot more done than most.

Before break ever started, I made some customized tags for gifts--

Once break started, I made one of the grands some chocolate covered cherries--a recipe I found on Pinterest.  They were pretty easy to make with no too many ingredients or steps.  My kind of recipe. 

After about 40 minutes in the refrigerator, I was able to dip them in the melted chocolate mixture.  I used stemmed and non-stemmed cherries.  The stemmed ones were so much easier.  After that, the chocolate covered gems spent some more time chilling.  Of course, I had to try one to make sure they were edible--boy were they!  

Besides making a few goodies, we shopped and shopped and then wrapped and wrapped as evidenced by our Christmas tree--do you see it there amongst the presents?  Have you ever seen so many presents?  That's what happens when you have teenagers with jobs and money to burn.  Luckily a lot of our shopping was done at thrift stores.  We LOVE finding great treasures for just a fraction of the cost.  

So normally as soon as all of the presents are opened, I feel a profound sense of sadness that it is all over, but not this year.  This year is different and I have no idea why.  Usually, at some point during the holiday season, I find myself crying.  Mama Bird and I refer to this as our "Christmas Cry".  My grandmother (Grandma Bird) coined the phrase.  But for some reason this year, I don't feel the cry coming on.  I tried hard not to lose it or get too frustrated this year.   There was lots of stuff that I had hoped to accomplish, yet didn't and I'm OK with that.  There's always next year.  What seemed more important this year was just being with family.  Watching movies with one of the grands.  Shopping, crafting and wrapping with the others.  Even helping Mama Bird wrap late into the night on Christmas Eve.  We all expect this of her--it's been that way for as long as I can remember.  Wrapping presents and watching Fiddler on the Roof.  No Fiddler this year, but up until almost 2:00 a.m. prepping for a great Xmas morning.  And as usual, it was just that--a GREAT Xmas.  

Winter Soltice

Up early today.  Had a hard time sleeping.  Back hurting.  Good timing.  With only 4 days to go until Christmas, I realized I need to be very productive today, yet trying to enjoy the season. So I'm starting the day off with a cup of joe, holiday music, a warm fire and the illumination of the Xmas tree.  

On tap today, flapjacks for the family, baking some cookies, crafting (trying to make "the grands" some holiday canvas'), wrapping presents, watching the Avs game, walking the dog and finally whipping up some potato pancakes for Hanukkah.  Oh yeah don't forget about the laundry!  Yes, that's a lot to accomplish in one day.  No wonder my back hurts!

Maybe I should just be like the animals in our house!

Happy Hanukkah, Winter Soltice and Merry Christmas!

Sweet Tradition

On Saturday December 13, 2014  Mama Bird, Baby Bird and the Grands gathered together to engage in another Christmas family tradition making Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles. I got the recipe from a friend years ago, but I know it is not a "secret" recipe as I have seen similar recipes before. The ingredients are simple and few:

Powdered Sugar, peanut butter (this year we used both smooth and nutty), and butter. Melt 1 lb. of butter and add to 4 cups of peanut butter and mix. Add 1 lb. bag of powdered sugar (to start) and mix (this can be difficult so pick the person with the most arm strength for this step):

                          If at this step it feels too soft, add more sifted powdered sugar:*

                                     Now it's just a matter of rolling into 1 inch balls:

 While rolling truffles, melt 2 bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips over boiling water in the top half of a double boiler. Keep over simmering water while finishing the truffles. Once all the truffles are rolled, it might be necessary to chill them in the refrigerator or freezer for a short time. After chilling it is time for one of the best parts and that is dipping the truffles in melted chocolate:

We have tried various methods for dipping but what seems to work for us is gently spearing a truffle on a toothpick and carefully dipping in warm chocolate then gently tapping on the edge of the bowl to let excess chocolate drip off.

This can be a messy job, so before to wear an apron and keep a paper towel handy for wiping off your fingers and hands:

                                                        Almost done:

After all truffles are dipped, put trays in refrigerator to chill until firm. Now ready for the best part:

                                                        The TASTE TEST!!

Baby Bird and I have to hide any truffles that we plan to give away or those Grand Baby Birds will eat them all! Once the truffles were all dipped and spirited away it was on to more fun going "thrifting" (which is fast becoming another family tradition).

*Start with l lb. of sifted powdered sugar, adding more if necessary (and it almost always is). Add a little bit at time until the right firmness is reached (you will know because it doesn't fall off the tooth pick and you can "feel" it when rolling if it is too soft). Practice, Practice, Practice...

                                           

Gardens and Glass

                                               

CHIHULY: " Dale Chihuly is credited with revolutionizing the Studio Glass movement and elevating the perception of the glass medium from the realm of craft to fine art." He was born in Tacoma, Washington where he studied interior design at the University of Washington and was introduced to glass blowing. In 1968 he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to work at the Venini factory in Venice, Italy. His work has been exhibited in over 200 museum collections worldwide, including the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Several weeks ago, Baby Bird and I along with two of the Grand Baby Birds toured the installation at the Botanic Gardens. We chose to visit at night thinking that the glass sculptures would be extra dramatic spotlighted by lights placed all around the displays. It was an amazing display unlike anything that we have ever seen. The Botanic Gardens themselves are beautiful but add the dazzling glass sculptures and it was out of this world. Denver is lucky to have had this exhibit.

Holidays Are Hard Work

                                                  Christmas Mantle--2014

Spent the day with Baby Bird decorating the house...Whew! Holidays are sometimes hard work. Still have some surfaces left undecorated (we have to cover everything!), Peanut Butter Balls to make, Almond Acorns to dip, baking to do, shopping to finish and presents to wrap. Wonder if I will survive it?

Reminders

Getting that Downton Abbey mug and bag at World Market yesterday made me think about the friend who passed away in September--she was a Downton Abbey fan and that mug and bag would have made a good gift for her at Christmas. Sad to be without her this year. I think of my Mother also at this time of the year, more than other times because we used too spend so much time making things and talking about making things (crafts mostly). One year, many years ago now, she and I made items to sell at a local craft fair--it was fun, don't remember how much money we made, but it was more the memories we made that are important. Cheers to two people I miss very much!

Traditions

Almost all the leftovers are gone, turkey soup was made, Black Friday is over and tomorrow is Cyber Monday; Christmas is coming at me like a speeding train. Today  Baby Bird and I and  The Grands took our annual trip to World Market Cost Plus. This has become one of our traditions and one we always enjoy; we walk around the store either together or alone, browsing all the fun items for sale, along with speciality  coffees and foods. This year as we entered the store we were given a ticket to received a free Downton Abbey Tea Mug. I don't watch the program, but liked the idea of a free mug!  After spending quite a bit of time looking at almost everything  we go to the register and have to hide items from each other as we have all purchased gifts for one another. Since I spent over $20, I also received a Downton Abbey  Reusable bag. After World Market we all went to Michael's and the Grands also shopped Target, then it was home for lunch. Turkey Soup and Mac and Cheese! From the time we left the house about 9:15 AM to the time we arrived at World Market about 9:35 AM, the temperature had dropped 30 degrees! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr


Words froze in the air. If you wanted to hear what someone said, you had to grab a handful of sentences and take them in by the fire! 

Thankful for Thanksgiving

Kind of funny that Mama Bird loved the mashed potatoes best because she is not much of a mashed potato eater by nature.  They were particularly good this year.  It had to be the caramelized shallots. No gravy needed.  

Besides the tators, the day was just plain old good. The kids got up watched the Macy's Day Parade and started playing board games while one of the baby birds did her school work.  Finally we ate and it was just mellow.  After dinner and PIE, the kids and I played Scattergories and giggled about our answers.  Then the chaos began...decorating for Christmas!  Which we are still working on.  And probably will be until Christmas Eve!

Best Mashed Potatoes Ever!

We had a wonderful, yummy Thanksgiving Day--around the dining room table we named some of the small things we take for granted that we are thankful for: fall leaves, fireplaces, tweezers, sunrises, socks, chocolate and much more. Baby Bird and I tried to prepare a lot of the meal ahead of time, both on Wednesday and early Thursday morning. Pies and sweet potatoes baked on Wednesday, Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce (flavored with orange and Cointreau) prepared on Tuesday, mashed potatoes early Thursday AM, along with a Cranberry and Pecan stuffing. In recent years we have opted for turkey breast as no one seems to really eat the dark meat, we had two breasts and used a sweet Apple Cider glaze on one  and the other  roasted with savory herbs (rosemary, sage and thyme, mixed with olive oil, lemon juice and dry mustard); they only needed to roast  for approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours and while they "rested" we cooked the peas and heated rolls and stuffing. Sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes were reheated in the microwave. Turkey and cranberry sauce were SO GOOD, but the mashed potatoes: Best Mashed Potatoes EVER! When I cook, I often improvise and don't measure most ingredients so if you ever decide to try out these mashed potatoes, just use common sense on amounts:

Time to Fly

You know in real Bird life most of the time the Mother can't wait to push the babies out of the nest and into a life of their own. How different we humans are! These babies aren't going that far (they are no dummies) and it's time for them to try out their wings a little, if they don't there is no way they will be strong enough to soar out on their own. Their constant presence will be missed, but also it a time when Mother (that's you Baby Bird) and Father to enjoy a little less responsibility, take time to do the things they want to do, to establish a life OF THEIR OWN. For so many years parents sometimes seem to exist just for their always busy, always hungry, always needing something, always noisy babies. Not only is it time for the babies to spread their wings and fly, it's time for parents to do the same! Those "babies" will always return from time to time so the nest is not always going to be empty.

Out from Under....

Here I am!  Being a teacher is never and easy job, however, having 37 students is even harder!  Baby Bird has been buried in school related work for a few weeks now.  With report cards done, I can now breathe a little easier.

Mama Bird and I had been posting about the beautiful fall weather we had been experiencing.  Most of the leaves in our backyard had fallen except for one slow maple tree that was also enjoying the fall weather.  The leaves had just started to turn from green to a beautiful shade of red.  The evening light cast a tremendous glow as it permeated the branches and leaves.  Fall has said goodbye with a vengeance--our beautiful tree is now covered in a layer of snow and ice.  The Polar Vortex that we experienced last year has returned to freeze most of the upper to middle parts of the U.S. This morning we woke up to -1 degree and with the wind chill it feels more like -14 degrees.  It is so cold that my garage door has decided to sleep in and not open.

Besides work, other aspects of life have also settled down.  Both of my babies have applied to college  and both are excited about their futures.  We are excited for them.  It is both frightening and exciting to see them looking towards next year, but honestly I am sad and know that life will change so much in the next 12 months.  All three kids will be in different colleges.  At least they will be here in the state less than an hour away from home.

Where is Baby Bird?

Baby Bird Where Are You? Baby Bird (she should really be Mama Bird and I should be Grandmother Bird) has not been posting lately, yes she has been very busy with one thing and another, but I have no one to argue with if she is not posting...

Life's Not Fair--Live and Learn

Every now and then it is brought home to you how "life's not fair". Recently my car was hit in a parking lot by people backing out of a parking space. I was driving by and they started to back up but it was not possible for me to honk the horn or swerve out of the way. At the time they led me to believe that if I got two estimates they would pay the damages. Their car did not really appear to have damage but mine had a dent in the passenger side front fender, not to mention I could not open the passenger side door more than 9 inches. After finally finding two companies that could give me an estimate I called them and told them I had the estimates, they asked me to e-mail it to them, but he did ask how much it would be, when I gave him the figure he said "that seems like an awful lot to pay for that little dent"--it wasn't exactly little and that was sort of my first clue that this was not going to end all that well! Without boring you all with details I'll simply say, they still refuse to give me insurance information and they claim that I was partially at fault and they will not pay my $500 deductible. They claim that they told me that they were going to get estimates for their damage, which is complete "nonsense" because they never said that at the time and there did not appear to be any damage. Now they say that their "back up sensors" were damaged--perhaps but if the sensors were working prior to the collison why didn't they see me coming???? According to my insurance company there is nothing I can do and since they won't give me their insurance information, they can't do anything. They will pay the claim with no increase in rates, but I will have to pay $500. What did I learn? I learned that even though the accident happened on private property, get insurance information and file a police report right away.  Another thing I learned inadvertently is that just because people are church members doesn't make them what I consider a Christian. I can only hope that what goes around comes around (I guess that's not too Christian either??!) It doesn't seem right, but apparently there is nothing that can be done--it takes me at least 5 months to save $500, so paying this deductible for an accident that I did not cause will  seriously deplete my savings account.

What is Retirement

What does retirement mean? To some it means a chance to do all those things that one never had time to do while working, to others it means joining clubs and pursuing more physical activities, to some more time with friends or a time to volunteer in some way or another, time to spend with grandchildren and probably many more things. To me when I thought of retirement I thought about nice easy days filled with doing whatever I felt like on that day, not much planning just do what feels good at the time, spending the day reading, meeting with friends or talking on the phone, getting up late and taking naps. Quiet hours filled with ease from "have to's" or "shoulds", no stress, no dealing with paperwork, walking on a beach or in the countryside.

"To everything there is a season"

MAMA (GRANDMA) BIRD:
Slowly returning to "normal", losing a good friend is hard; especially if that friend seemed so full of life 6 months ago, brimming with plans and truly living her life to the fullest. She was so full of plans for the days and months to come.  While she was sick I concentrated on just being there to let her know she was not alone, but it's hard to see someone erroding almost in front of your eyes. I just tried to be present. After she passed there was the shock of grief and the physical weariness. Then I got sick probably the result of intense emotion and just generally not taking care of my physical needs--mainly sleep and good food. Getting better but still trying to process this loss--It is hard for those of us left to realize that while she is still a part of our lives, it is in memory only.

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted. A time to kill, and a time to heal, a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;..."

Now is a time to mourn and ponder the purpose, a time to weep and hopefully soon a time to heal and a time to laugh.

Last day of September

It's Monday evening and boy am I tired.  Yesterday was an extremely busy day.  The to-do list was neverending.  With the help of some little birds, we made two apple pies(from the apples we picked),food prepped for the week, shopped, and worked on lots of school work.  Unfortunately, now I am pooped out and yet I still don't feel prepared for hate week ahead!  

School is very busy right.  Conferences are coming in a few weeks and with all that is going on with our school district, it is difficult to stay focused, yet I try so hard for the kids.  It's not their fault.  

Next up, some marching on the boulevard, a visit to see our oldest at college and hopefully some R&R.  

Mama Bird is still feeling a bit under the weather.

Need Some Time

"Then summer fades and passes, and October comes. We'll smell smoke then, and feel an unexpected sharpness, a thrill of nervousness, swift elation, a sense of sadness and departure"--Thomas Wolfe

Usually I feel all of these things in Fall, plus the feeling of motivation that Baby Bird is experiencing this year, but mostly right now I feel the "sadness and departure". I lost a good friend last week and though I know she would rather I not feel sad, it is overtaking me right now. So be patient with me Baby Bird and some of those things might need to wait until next Fall.

Fall Motivation

Why aren't I as motivated in the summer as I am in the fall?  Something clicks on in September and I just want to craft, decorate, bake/cook and clean.  All the while trying to get my 36 kid classroom up and running like a well-oiled machine.  Whew!  Lots to do, but somehow I feel invigorated and excited instead of tired and unmotivated.  Come on Mama Bird!  We've got flowers to plant, recipes to try out, crafts to make and a basement that needs some TLC.  And don't forget the Grand Birds, husbands and the menagerie of animals that need us too. 😊

Shock, Mama Bird is Right!!

Mama Bird is right!!! Wow! Once in a while anyway! Baby Bird wants to decorate, plant mums, make stew and also lasagne, not to mention chicken salad and help Grand Baby Bird with a project. Chaos (mild) reigns, football games on two TV's, husbands talking, Grand Baby Birds chirpping. I like the idea of getting something accomplished, but I also would like to just sit and read.  It's too warm for a almost fall day. Mama Bird is cranky and I am sure I am right about that too. But gotta go make Garlic Mashed Potatos.

Not Enough Hours Continued

Boy is Mama Bird right!  There is never enough time in a day.  What's especially tough is fighting this end of summer cold that snuck up on me.  I was hoping to get a little house stuff done, but somehow walking the dog, grocery shopping and running errands took up most of the day.  After a very unseasonably cold two days, with even a sprinkling of snow,  we are now back to more moderate temps in the 70s.  It was absolutely gorgeous today.  As the sun starts to set over the mountains the late day sunshine is trickling into my family room along with a light breeze.  As the leaves dance, I am reminded that in a few short weeks, they will have all disappeared leaving us with nothing but bare branches for many months.  I love the fall..the colors, the sunshine, the blue sky, the pumpkins, etc.  

Not Enough Hours in a Day

Roberta BryantSeptember 9, 2014 at 8:51 AM

Everyone says it now and then, "not enough hours in a day" and today is certainly one of those. Where we live, September is the most beautiful month, the light is liquid and golden, the air cool, but I can still wear short sleeves or no sleeves, the sky is blue, blue, blue and there might be some puffy white clouds drifting by. I can't decide what to do first, pot those plants, bake some zuchinni bread, pull up the crinkly cucumber vines and harvest the cukes that are left? Sit and read a book, finish the recipe/scrapbook I have been working on, start a whole new project, take a walk? If it were possible, the answer would be all of the above! All in one day, but there are just not enough hours.

Mama Bird

Mama Bird Here: I am sure that not all our chirping will be meaningful but hopefully something we post will be of interest to someone now and then. We inhabit the same nest along with two husbands, two teenagers (and another off to college and home during vacation), three cats and a sweet, sweet dog and there are bound to be some differences, but we usually manage to resolve them or agree to disagree and move on. I guess this blog is really for us, hoping to have some fun along the way.

Leaving the Nest-Maiden Voyage

Our first flight into the "blogosphere" is bound to be filled with turbulence.  So fasten you seat belts and enjoy the flight of fancy. These two birds will rarely agree and possibly come to verbal tweets, but in the end we always agree to disagree.