Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday

Growing up, it was tough having a birthday the day after Christmas. First of all, my father was a minister. That meant that by the time my birthday came along each year, he was exhausted and didn’t want to do anything but sleep. Then there were the Christmas presents that said, "Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday," no special presents on my birthday. Add to that the fact that the family was always ready for a party on July 9th, when my brother’s birthday came around. It really sucked when I was a kid. After I had my own family, though, they always made a big deal out of my birthday, and when they had grown up and left home, someone was often visiting for Christmas, so I got to be with them for my birthday, too. The only think still missing was the birthday blessing at church. Somehow they never seemed to happen on the Sunday around Christmas. This year, I decided to make sure it happened. You always get the option of having a blessing instead of communion by crossing your hands across your chest instead of putting them out to receive the bread. So, after two services Christmas Eve, where I sang with the choir, I showed up at church on Christmas Day (coincidentally Sunday this year) to get my birthday blessing. Fr. Jed greeted me before the service and told me that a service without the choir needed some help, so I supposed that meant to sing out. I let him know I was hoping for a birthday blessing and would plan to get it during communion. I had already had communion Christmas Eve. This kind of blessing turned out to be very private and all the more special because of that. It wasn’t even my birthday yet (that’s today), but it has already made my birthday special. All the family members are elsewhere this year, so Charlie and I are alone. 

Christmas Eve was lovely. The music was special, as is often the case for Christmas. We are lucky to have such a great music director and organist, and another person who plays the flute and violin. I especially enjoyed the later service in Trinity, the old church. It’s so lovely, and the acoustics are great.

Earlier on Christmas Eve, we had dinner. We had salmon pie, rutabaga casserole, green beans and corn salad.

Here’s the salmon pie. It’s called Lohipiirakka in Finnish. The crust turned out great this time. I used this YouTube tutorial, which I've used before. 

The rutabaga dish is also a Finnish recipe. It’s called Lanttulaatikko. We had it left over from Thanksgiving and kept in the freezer.

For dessert, we had chocolate pie, using a store-bought frozen pie crust and my silken-tofu pudding recipe (super easy).

Earlier in the week I made more Pulla (Finnish cardamom braid). We've had some for breakfast and tea time.

We had cooked a very large acorn squash and only been able to eat half of it, so I made squash/banana bread. We've been eating it for breakfast, too. 

On Christmas Day, after church, we had our traditional egg nog with rum. Yum! We watched a lot of football.

I got a turkey ham from Whole Foods and fixed it with the kind of glaze I used to use when I cooked such things. It's uncured, so no bad chemicals in it.

We had roasted vegetables, Dutch-oven bread and salad.

Then more of the chocolate pie.

The Wisconsin grandkids were going to the Texas grandparents this year. Because of the big winter storm, their departure was postponed until Christmas Eve. They stayed overnight in a hotel about halfway. Doll fans will appreciate this photo from Christmas morning. (The doll was birthday present from the last birthday.)

I think the funny glasses were stocking stuffers.

The arrived at their destination safely in the early evening.

We had a pleasant Zoom session with our older son and his wife. He has to work today. The Oregon grandkids went to the nursing home to visit Great Grandma and sing Christmas carols. We will zoom with all four of our younger grandkids today. Maybe all of us together or in two sessions. They will all still have presents to open.

Christmas is turning into the Twelve Days of Christmas! However, we did open some presents. One of my favorites:

Another favorite was a selection of artwork from the grandkids. Daphne is definitely in the Pointillism school, whereas Zachary is floating between Realism and Surrealism. 

These will go on the wall. There was also a mouse pad and two quilt blocks with their artwork. (I'll have to think of something special to do with those.) I got a bread knife long enough to use with my new bread slicing guide. We gave and received presents that are really donations to worthy charities...the best presents of all!

(Did I mention that my birthday is a postal holiday this year? Enjoy not getting any mail and think of me.)

If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for "Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart" in Children's. Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of our other books, Emil and Mariah, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.

Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still the Hinterland Pullover (some more progress made on that second sleeve) and the EmPower People Kerchief (hibernating).

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Pauly's First Christmas Eve. Pauly visits his friends, who are celebrating Hanukkah AND Christmas Eve, and finds out that they don't always come at the same time.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Plan for the Worst by Jodi Taylor. Not much progress this week.

What's in my wine glass: Egg nog laced with rum.

What's my tip of the week: When I use plastic wrap, I always end up with a tangled mess. When I was making the crust for the salmon pie, I decided to wrap it over plates, then put the dough for the top crust on one and the dough for the bottom crust on the other. It worked much better. The edges of the plate kept the plastic wrap open. 

Addendum: A better idea, and one you can use when you aren't using a plate. You can keep your plastic wrap in the freezer. It gets rid of the static electricity until the wrap warms up again. (Kudos to my friend Eugenie for putting me on to this!)

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with a few changes. 

Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook is available from BookBabyBookshop and other booksellers worldwide. The stories are Little Green Greatcoat, The Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook and Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are also still available from booksellers world wide. The link for Book Baby is here. The three stories in Emil are Best Buds, Getting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The three stories in Mariah are Being Little, Besties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less. 

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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A Blog Post Within a Blog Post

Well, we're even further behind this year than in previous years. If Rocky has a bad day (meaning he can barely stand up to eat, drink and potty), one of us ends up holding him up. Just when we think he's reached the end, he'll have a really good day. However, the tree is up.

Oh, wait! That's last year's tree. Here's what we have so far.

The physical holiday cards are in the mail. The electronic version is here. (Feel free to see what I wrote, because it took a lot of time.) We're sending out links by email to close friends we have emails for.

I did the usual cooking, including this quiche.

Here's the recipe, only I used soft silken tofu instead of firm, and for the cheese, half feta and half mozzarella. I threw in some baby greens and used red onion instead of the green. I didn't have any faux bacon.

The pie crust was purchased frozen from Whole Foods. If you don't like to use soy, you can just use more eggs.

I had to visit the dentist, so I did get some knitting done, but not a lot. I'm still in hopes of being able to wear the Hinterland Pullover this winter.

I spent an hour and fifteen minutes in the Post Office, but not all at once. Monday I dropped off presents and books people had ordered from me. That took half an hour. Later that day, I was cleaning up the workroom/fiber studio so I could take photos for Friday's story in The Doll's Storybook. (Why would I clean up, otherwise?) I was putting pillows and clean sheets on top of the day bed trundle and found this.

They seemed to be having a good time, but I suspected that they missed their owner, so I packed them up and went back to the post office on Tuesday. During the half hour I spent there that day, I noticed a family several customers behind me in line. They appeared to be Hispanic. There was presumably a father with a huge box to mail, a mother, who appeared to be expecting, and a little girl who reminded me of a little elf. She and I kept making eye contact. I'm guessing she was about four years old. When I finished mailing my package, I went out to my car, continuing to think about the little girl. I remembered I had one of my new books in the car I had planned to drop off at one of the little libraries and decided if I could catch them before they left, I would give it to her as a present. They were just handing over their package when I arrived back in the post office with the book. I offered it to the mother (I never give anything to a child directly unless they know me) and asked if she thought her little girl would like it. The mother apparently didn't speak much English, but the father asked me if it was my book. "Did you write it?" he asked. When I told him that I did, he handed me his pen and asked me to sign it for Nicole. My eye just caught Nicole's face, which was lit up with excitement. I hope she enjoys the book. My encounter with her and her family made my day!

Thursday found me back at the post office, but I went earlier, before lunch, and it only took me 15 minutes to mail another book.

For this week's cuteness, here's Daphne, dancing with the tiny tots from Misty's Dance Unlimited's Christmas Cookie Social. Not too long ago, she was one of those little tots. How time flies!

If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for "Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart" in Children's. Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of our other books, Emil and Mariah, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.

Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still the Hinterland Pullover (some more progress made) and the EmPower People Kerchief (hibernating).

What's in The Doll's Storybook: "An Interview With the Writer." Just finished with an interview with The Writer for the school paper, Mariah comes into the workroom to find Charlotte quizzing Billy for a test and Pippa listening in. They discuss what journalism is.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Plan for the Worst by Jodi Taylor. Finished another chapter.

What's in my wine glass: enebral Tinto de Toro 2018. Pretty good.

What's my tip of the week: Red onion keeps better than green onions and can be used in the same way: in salads and recipes that call for green onion. It's milder than yellow or white and will keep well refrigerated even after being cut. One thin slice chopped up will made a nice addition to a salad for two.

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with a few changes. 

Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook is available from BookBabyBookshop and other booksellers worldwide. The stories are Little Green Greatcoat, The Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook and Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are also still available from booksellers world wide. The link for Book Baby is here. The three stories in Emil are Best Buds, Getting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The three stories in Mariah are Being Little, Besties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less. 

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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Scandinavian Adventures

It's time for Finnish pulla again. It's always time for pulla, but I don't make it often enough. What caused me to make it this week, you ask? We were invited to bring "snacks" to choir practice. I decided pulla was a good choice. The spread we ended up with was amazing, so most of the pulla came back home with me, which is fine. We did have a bit of a discussion about what it is, and the people who tried it seemed to enjoy it.

This is my recipe.

Our organist is vegan, so there was literally nothing she could eat. I hadn't had supper yet, so no sugar for me. I had a cracker, an olive and a piece of cheese. I decided to make a vegan version of the pulla for our organist to take to church with me on Sunday. Here's what I did with the above recipe: 

For the egg, I used 1/4C soft silken tofu.

For the milk, I used Oatly oat milk, which I had to use in my coffee.

For the butter, I used an equal amount of olive oil.

I skipped the wash with egg, so it wasn't shiny, but other than that, it looked just as it always does. I've done dairy-free before, because Soren was off dairy for a while, but I've never made it totally vegan before. It turned out great, and she loved it.

Speaking of oats, I made oatmeal, and Rocky got to lick the pan, something he still somehow finds the energy to do. He makes room for Dusty, but little brother usually gives up before the job is done. Rocky sticks with it until it looks as if it could just go right back in the cupboard. (We make sure to wash it anyway, though.)

I have managed to get some knitting done.

We had a semi-moderate blizzard Sunday.

Daphne was chosen for the honor roll at school.

She's doing well with her ballet now that she's en pointe. She really seems to be enjoying it.

Zachary is also still enjoying dance. 

He can't seem to get enough of math. That may end up being related to his calling. 

The Beaverton boys went to the Scan Fest over the weekend. They wore Norwegian cardigans made by their great, great, great aunt from Bergen.

If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for "Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart" in Children's. Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of our other books, Emil and Mariah, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.

Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still the Hinterland Pullover, moving along on the second sleeve and the Talvinen. The EmPower People Kerchief (still hibernating).

What's on my loom: Dust, but I still plan to make some placemats.

What's on my sewing machine: Still ready for back of T-shirt quilt. I did get the quilt top and the backing pieces out again.

What's in my hoop: Whole Cloth quilt, still no progress..

What's in The Doll's Storybook: In "Taking Out the Trash," the dolls learn what happens to the trash and why we divide it up for recycling. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Plan for the Worst by Jodi Taylor. In a couple of scenes I think I laughed harder than I ever have.

What's in my wine glass: Lácrima Purpura Tinto Seco. I couldn't find a vintage, but "purple tears" suits the wine. One of our favorites, partly because of the price.

What's my tip of the week: If you need an egg for a recipe and don't have one, or you want to avoid the egg for someone's dietary needs, you can substitute 1/4 C of silken tofu, as I did OR you can use an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce OR for each egg, whisk together 1 tablespoon (7 grams) of ground chia or flaxseed with 3 tablespoons (45 grams) of water until fully absorbed and thickened. You can also use mashed banana, prunes or winter squash. Strangely enough, if you have a can of chick peas (garbanzo beans), you can use 1/4 C of the liquid from the can. In baked goods, you may want to add a tiny amount of extra baking powder or yeast, as these substitutions won't help your recipe rise.

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with a few changes. 

Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook is available from BookBabyBookshop and other booksellers worldwide. The stories are Little Green Greatcoat, The Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook and Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are also still available from booksellers world wide. The link for Book Baby is here. The three stories in Emil are Best Buds, Getting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The three stories in Mariah are Being Little, Besties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less. 

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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Back in Action...Sort of!

Pauly's pullover is finished!

I made some adjustments because the last one of these I made for Pippa came out a little snug, not as good for a boy. If you know anything about dolls, you probably know that they don't like having things pulled over their heads, so this "pullover" buttons down the back.

I frogged my short rows on the Talvinen twice because I messed up. I don't know what I did the first time, but it looked bad. The second time, I made the wraps on the WS too tight. I was happy with the third time.

This is supposed to be a pullover, but I'm always either too warm or too cold, so I'm making it a steeked cardigan. Beginning of the round is center front, but the orange marker indicates the pretend BOR for making the short rows (or they would be in the front...or the "cardigan" would button down the back, like Pauly's).

I was still sneezing and blowing my nose on Wednesday, so I skipped choir practice. I started feeling almost normal on Saturday and felt really good on Sunday morning, so I braved the snowfall and went. (I had the music at home and had been present at several practices where we went over the music, so I had a good idea of how we were supposed to sing the pieces. I put myself in the second row this time. You can just barely see me behind the lady with the white-blonde hair. I think the music went well. I'm really looking forward to the Christmas music.

I was supposed to go to the dentist on Tuesday, and let them know I had been sick and might still be contagious. I took a third Covid test, so I could assure them on that count. Then I got a call on Tuesday morning from the dentist' office, telling me he wasn't feeling well and had to reschedule. I was still not up to going anyway, so I was just as happy. Charlie was much sicker than I was and has been under the weather for longer than I was. I think it was because I have been going to choir and church unmasked for some time, so probably have been getting small doses of germs on a regular basis––not enough to get sick, but enough to keep my immunities active.

I'm so glad to be feeling better, but I'm grateful to Soren for giving my immune system a workout.

If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for "Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart" in Children's. Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of any of our books, Emil and Mariah, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.

Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still the Talvinen cardigan, the Hinterland Pullover (some more progress made sleeve sts picked up and a couple of rounds worked) and the EmPower People Kerchief (hibernating).

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Charlotte and Emil (who are Jewish) and Mariah (who is Muslim) decide to sing a Christmas carol for the other family members (who are Christian) to show they support their personal beliefs in A Christmas Carol, this week's story in The Doll's Storybook. They surprise them by showing up at the front door, just like real carolers.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Now listening to Plan for the Worst by Jodi Taylor

What's in my wine glass: Viñalba Malbec Touriga Nacional 2019. Very nice! 

.

What's my tip of the week: The easiest way to bake squash is whole. Set the oven at 375°F. Poke a couple of holes in the squash. Bake for an hour or more, turning over at least once after half an hour. Continue baking until you can poke holes in it easily with a fork. Cut open and remove the seeds. Serve with Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and a few drops of olive oil.

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with a few changes. 

Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook is available from BookBabyBookshop and other booksellers worldwide. The stories are Little Green Greatcoat, The Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook and Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are also still available from booksellers world wide. The link for Book Baby is here. The three stories in Emil are Best Buds, Getting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The three stories in Mariah are Being Little, Besties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less. 

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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