tradition

i have been eating new year’s cookies on new year’s day for as long as i can remember. my grandmother used to make them, now my mom is continuing the tradition. new year’s cookies are like a donut…sort of. they are made from a sweet yeast dough with raisins, deep fried and then rolled in sugar. we serve them with egg casserole, sausage and warm maple syrup. my grandmother used to break out the “snack sets” and tv trays in her living room. she would send leftover home in bread sacks that she had saved.

we skip the snack sets and the bread bags are not ziploc’s but this tradition is deeply rooted in me.

 as if the nostalgia of new year’s cookies was not enough, my mom broke out this game from my grandparent’s house. it is dated 1970. i played many, many games of this with my grandparents over the course of my childhood. i was glad to get to share it with jenna today.

reflection or anticipation

i spent the last five days cleaning and reorganizing the house, out with some old, in with some empty space. there are still a few areas left to be done but for the most part we are cleaned and ready for the new year.

yesterday afternoon before a house full of company arrived i grabbed my camera and went looking for images that capture the feeling of reflecting on the year gone by and anticipating the year yet to come.

i know people who pick a new word or theme for the new year, then try to live it out. wondering if that would be good for my soul. seems like a big committment, one word for a whole year.  now for a bit more home organization, some family games and some anniversary homemade pizza tonight.

gifts

gifts this Christmas.

Christmas jam 2011

a few times a year, i get together with a friend to spend the day talking, laughing, measuring, washing dishes, filling jars with hot sugary goodness in a steamy kitchen that smells of summer berries and Christmas spices. we drink coffee with special creamer,  and taste our creations with good cheese and crackers. truly days that i look forward too and often long for.

today was the day.

48 jars of Christmas jam later, my feet are tired and my heart is full.

Christmas around the world

Callan’s night to shine.

He really, really enjoyed his program tonight.