Peter Rabbit Is Watching Over You

Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, 1901

Yesterday our babysitter of thirteen years came to visit since my daughter is home on spring break. We started reminiscing of the old days when our kids were toddlers. One story we particularly enjoyed retelling was when my daughter was just over a year old. She had the habit of calling us from her room at all hours of the night. Bleary-eyed, I would stumble to her dark room, lit only by her Peter Rabbit night light, and find her standing up in her crib with her arms stretched out ready for the next adventure. I would quietly whisper to her that it wasn't time to get up yet but that we would play first thing in the morning. Sometimes this would happen more than once per night and I would nudge my husband to take a turn. This became a real problem when we both had to go to work in the morning.

One night, my brilliant husband came up with a solution. He plugged the Peter Rabbit night light into a timer that would automatically turn on the light at bedtime and turn off when it was time to rise. He then explained to our daughter that when Peter Rabbit was on, he would watch over her while she was asleep. When Peter Rabbit clicked off, it was time to get up and play again. It only took one or two more times for her to understand when it was sleeping time and when it was time to get up.

Homemade Peppermint Bark

My daughter has been perfecting her homemade peppermint bark recipe for the past three years and she kindly agreed to let me share it with you. These are the ingredients she used this year (I only show one bag of each chocolate but this recipe requires two of each). Most bulk chocolates work well also.

2 bags (12-oz each) of semi-sweet chocolate chips (Whole Foods 365 Organic)
2 bags (12-oz each)of white chocolate chunks (Whole Foods 365)
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 cup crushed candy canes (use individually-wrapped candy canes)
Spray oil (Pam)

1. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with oil. The cookie sheet must have a lip all around.

2. Slowly melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a double boiler, stirring frequently. Remove from heat right before the last little bit of chocolate is melted. It will finish melting on its own, do not overcook.

3. Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the melted chocolate.

4. Pour the melted dark chocolate, while it is still hot, onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread evenly with a spatula.

5. Place in refrigerator until it is completely cooled, about 20 minutes.

6. Now is a good time to crush the candy canes between two sheets of wax paper.

Update: To avoid a spectacular spray of red and white, leave candy canes in their wrappers during crushing.

This is an excellent task for a teenage brother.

It takes self-control and finesse to get just the right granularity:

7. Slowly melt the white chocolate chunks in a double boiler, stirring frequently. Remove from heat right before the last little bit of chocolate is melted.

8. Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the melted chocolate.

9. Pour the melted white chocolate, while it is still hot, over the completely cooled dark chocolate and spread evenly with a spatula.

10. While the white chocolate is still soft, sprinkle the crushed peppermint on top of the white chocolate and gently push them into the chocolate.

11. Place in refrigerator until it is completely cooled, about 20 minutes.

12. Break into large hunks using a butter knife.

13. Best if served cold.

Here is the text of the recipe:

Peppermint Bark

2 bags (12-oz each) of semi-sweet chocolate chips (Whole Foods 365 Organic)
2 bags (12-oz each)of white chocolate chunks (Whole Foods 365)
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 cup crushed candy canes (use individually-wrapped candy canes)
Spray oil (Pam)

1. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with oil. The cookie sheet must have a lip all around.
2. Slowly melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a double boiler, stirring frequently. Remove from heat right before the last little bit of chocolate is melted. It will finish melting on its own, do not overcook.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the melted chocolate.
4. Pour the melted dark chocolate, while it is still hot, onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread evenly with a spatula.
5. Place in refrigerator until it is completely cooled, about 20 minutes.
6. Crush the candy canes in their individual wrappers and between two sheets of wax paper.
7. Slowly melt the white chocolate chunks in a double boiler, stirring frequently. Remove from heat right before the last little bit of chocolate is melted.
8. Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the melted chocolate.
9. Pour the melted white chocolate, while it is still hot, over the cooled dark chocolate and spread evenly with a spatula.
10. While the white chocolate is still soft, sprinkle the crushed peppermint on top of the white chocolate and gently push them into the chocolate.
11. Place in refrigerator until it is completely cooled, about 20 minutes.
12. Break into large hunks using a butter knife.
13. Best if served cold.

Bon Appetit! Smakelijk eten!

Home for the Holidays

My daughter's on her way home from New Orleans after finishing her first semester of college. Three days ago she texted me photo of the St. Charles streetcar (I took these one when we went on a college tour together in 2007). She wrote: "They decorate the streetcars!" She also texted me that after Christmas, people in New Orleans take down their ornaments and then immediately put up Mardi Gras decorations.



She absorbed a great deal in the classroom but she is also learning the true meaning of Southern Hospitality. She learned the value of her extended family who has welcomed her with open arms. They have graciously hosted her for many Sunday night dinners, cookie-baking parties, family celebrations, and luncheons, and they shuttle her back and forth from the airport. How could I ever thank them enough for making her feel so loved and accepted?

Gratitude and Dreams - The Party

I am still feeling the glow of being surrounded by our wonderful friends and reflecting on the sentiments of heartfelt Gratitude and Dreams shared at our party on Saturday.

 

My daughter came through once again with running many errands, including chasing down the last bit of caviar left in Palo Alto (note to self: buy caviar before New Year's Eve, not on the second!), and by cooking homemade peppermint bark, two pies, and 75 tiny red potatoes stuffed with artichoke hearts and topped with lemon zest and minced garlic.

Michelle Bailey, The Roving Gourmet, made the rest of the food. My favorites were the mini blinis that melted like clouds in my mouth. I could have had twenty, but I had my guests to consider. The home-made gravlax, sushi, and herb-stuffed turkey breast were also very popular.

 

Last but not least, I received a package of delectable home-made chocolate truffles from Edi the day before the party. Thank you, Edi, they were out of this world!

I rang the jingle-bell to gather the crowd in the living room to share our journal entries.

 

Here’s a sampling of what our guests shared:

Gratitude 2008:

• My Dad turning 80, on a Sierra wilderness trip with his sons
• Almost finished the back yard greenhouse
• 50 fingers/50 toes are still intact
• The brow beating to complete college applications is over for now
• 45 years of marriage with the prospect of many more
• The end of the dark ages, i.e. The Bush Years
• Having a job in a tough economy
• Moving away from an unloving relationship … moving on with my life to restore my ability to care, love, and create…
• All five of us survived Hurricane Ike as our Partay Garage Tailgate Generator kit saved our day (7 days actually)

Dreams 2009:

• To hear a sweet little voice say for the very first time “Mormor” (grandmother in Swedish)
  
• College goers score summer internships
  
• Wife gets backyard re-model,  post Hurricane Ike
  
• To think less and do more about my dream to own my own little store/studio
  
• Help preserve local history of Palo Alto
  
• We will have enough rain this season for a good crop of apricots and tomatoes
  
• Travel to re-awaken that part of me that loves far away places
  
• Restoring economy
  
• Maybe go see our second solar eclipse

May all your dreams come true in 2009!

Oma's Apartment 6

I used to be a Christmas neurotic. For years and years, I had a goal to be finished with Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving. Some years I actually achieved this goal, which meant I picked up presents year-round and stepped up my game in earnest by about September.

I still buy gifts throughout the year when I see something perfect for someone on my list, but every year I get more relaxed about finishing early. I never got to the frenzied state of last-minute preparations - until this year.

This year, Oma suddenly had a vacant apartment right around Thanksgiving. Up until this year, she was always able to prepare her apartments for the next tenant by herself. Though she is 90 percent recovered, her illness did weaken her. We also can't forget that she is 82 years old, not to mention that the apartment is on the third floor. Oma has five huge pins holding her hip together from an injury thirty years ago, so it is excruciating for her to climb up and down those stairs. By the way, climbing the stairs does have its reward; this is the view from the living room and the bedroom:

And if you squint your eyes and know where to look, you can see the tippy top of the Golden Gate Bridge:

Oma did quite a bit of the work, supervising and working alongside a few favorite workers, but she still needed help. My sister, brother-in-law, and I spent the last few weeks shopping at hardware stores, Benjamin Moore paint stores, lighting stores, and Home Depot, plus we hired some extra workers and managed the tenant selection.

We never had an open house during the holidays before so it was fun to decorate the unit with a few holiday touches. Overall we were all pleased with the end result:

This past Sunday, we held an open house while it was pouring rain outside. It was lightly attended, but we think we found a lovely, responsible tenant.

We usually get our Christmas tree around mid-December. This year, we didn't get our tree until the morning of the open house, December 21st, because I always had to take our big car so I could schlep around light fixtures, curtains, shower heads, and staging props for the apartment.

As for our Christmas preparations, my lovely daughter managed to cook our entire Christmas dinner while I was a wrapping fool at the kitchen table, preparing the rental contract, and trying to perform credit and reference checks while everyone was at the mall instead of answering my phone messages. I abandoned the task of decorating the tree because the Christmas tree lights decided to have a mind of their own. Fortunately, my sister and brother-in-law came to the rescue and decorated the tree before we sat down for Christmas dinner.

While it was hard work, it was also strangely liberating. Our holiday expectations were suddenly brought down to a human level and I was much more relaxed about getting it all done. Next year, I hope to take a page out of the same book.

Thanksgiving Preparations

Last year, my sisters and I knew we would spend the day before Thanksgiving all day in the hospital with our mother. The turkey was already brining and the stuffing was already made. The night before, I asked my then 16-year-old daughter if she could find a spot in her heart to make the pumpkin pies while we were all at the hospital. We always make two kinds, one regular and one for my brother-in-law who has type I diabetes. We've made them together many times, I knew she could do it.

By 9 am, my daughter texted me: "After the pumpkin pies what should I do?"

"How about the apple pies?" We always have to make our own apple pies because my husband is highly allergic to corn and we have yet to find a decent apple pie that doesn't use corn starch as a thickening agent.

By 11, my daughter texted me: "Now what?"

"Do you know how to make green beans?"

"Is it in 'Joy of Cooking?'"

"Yes it is!" Off she went.

By the time we got home, all the vegetables were made. You can imagine the praise she got from everyone on Thanksgiving Day. I forget who it was that gave her the first shout when we went around the table to list why we were thankful, but it prompted my son to blurt out “Hey, that’s what I was going to say!” We all laughed knowingly. My daughter’s kitchen heroics were definitely the low-hanging fruit on the gratitude list.

This year, my daughter announced," I want to make all the same dishes I made last year." I had to pinch myself; how did I get so lucky? So, on Wednesday, my daughter and I cooked up a storm, with the under-the-counter iPod player blaring at high-volume. Actually, I didn't do much cooking at all. I was mostly a consultant and sous-chef this year, plus I set the table and made the centerpieces from left-over Wreath Clinic supplies. Talk about role reversal; setting the table used to be the kids’ job.

I can’t believe that the holiday preparation baton is already getting passed from mother to daughter.

Image from hillstockimages.com

Oma on the Mend

Before I continue with more eye-candy from the this year's quilt festival, I forgot to share the fantastically wonderful news about my mother. She is much, much better! I attribute her healing to all of you who have prayed for her and kept her in your thoughts since April 22nd. She is fifty pounds lighter, which I'm sure aided her healing, and 90 percent better. She is off all her meds except for one half tablet of one drug per day. These months have been very challenging for our entire family and we all appreciate your support!


The quilt featured here is one Oma made in 2003; it was selected to be shown at the Pacific International Quilt Festival that year. My daughter was 12 years old and going through a serious butterfly phase at the time:

The tulips are of course a nod to Oma's Dutch roots:

She was particularly proud of the scalloped edging, made of patched strips of fabric.

The machine quilting was done by a professional quilter. I will post her name as soon as possible.
Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you, one thousand thank yous!

A Weekend in Connecticut

Oma’s cat scan came out clear. We still don’t know what’s wrong, but I am relieved that we got good news on this test. The other good news is that she appears to be feeling better every day. Thank you to everyone who sent well wishes and stories about Oma. I think they had a very positive effect on her! I will definitely be writing posts about her amazing quilts and her home town of Lübeck, Germany, but I have to transfer the photos from another computer before I can tell the full story. Watch this space!

In the mean time, I have some photos from my trip to Connecticut on hand. About a month ago, I visited a small town close to the New York border named Kent. It is along the Housatonic River., which inspired Robert Underwood Johnson’s poem “The Housatonic at Stockbridge”

Contented river in thy dreamy realm
The cloudy willow and the plumy elm:
Thou beautiful! from ev'ry dreamy hill
What eye but wanders with thee at thy will.

Contented river! And yet overshy
To mask thy beauty from the eager eye;
Hast thou a thought to hide from field and town?
In some deep current of the sunlit brown.

Ah! there's a restive ripple,
And the swift red leaves
September's firstlings faster drift;
Wouldst thou away, dear stream?

Come, whisper near!
I also of much resting have a fear;
Let me tomorrow thy companion be,
By fall and shallow to the adventurous sea!

Well okay, it wasn’t September, instead it was May. If I was more talented I would write the May counterpart to the poem. I would not speak of the restive ripple and the swift red leaves, instead I would wax on about how the perfectly still waters reflect bright green juvenile leaves…

…and how the fishermen cast their flies (can you see them? they are about 3 pixels wide)

…and how nature always balances a perfect palette.

I will leave that poem for someone else to write.

Everywhere, the blossoms were at their peak:

We don’t get to see enough dogwoods here in California:

The coffee shop in town has a bulletin board where townspeople can purchase coffee futures for each other:

I fell in love with a basket shop with this shelf of Nantucket baskets:

Which is your favorite? Mine was this purse (or pocketbook, as they say on the East Coast):

It turned out to be just a tad too small to house all the electronics I tote around everywhere - a blessing, given that I don't need another purse, or another hole in my head.

When I had to make a U-turn, I pulled into a random driveway and saw this flanking the left side of the driveway:

and this on the right side:

On our way to visit Bard College, my daughter and I saw this farm:

We city slickers are not accustomed to seeing this!

We both liked the cow with the white face:

We visited my sister-in-law in Westport. Her one-year-old
Weimereiner, named Daisy, loves my daughter.

When we drove off, Daisy bid us good-bye.

We’ll be back, Daisy!