Christmas Week!

The Sunday before Christmas, my parents and Jerald and I attended a broadcast of "Music and the Spoken Word" with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City. Below is a picture of the conference center and the choir. What a glorious experience! The music was heaven sent.

It was cold and foggy that day! Gorgeous shot of the Salt Lake temple across the street, though, right? Right.

And just look at these iced roses! Uncle Nate and Aunt Cindy tended Summer while we went to the broadcast. This rose bush is in their front yard and we couldn't resist capturing its frosty blossoms and leaves.

And now, you may all begin preparations to die a death of shocking shock when I inform you that our little Summer actually snapped this photo of birds in flight in Nate and Cindy's back yard! Can you believe it? Three years old! I know! Seriously! Totally.

When we arrived home after the broadcast, we presented Summer with her brand new Christmas dress that she could wear to church that day. Every little princess needs a holiday gown, correct? She couldn't wait to try it on! Especially with new "Dorothy" shoes to match. She also received custom made bows made by her Aunt Steph, and a snowy white faux fur coat to complete the ensemble.

She looked hot!

After church, we zipped over to Jerald's parents' house for their family dinner/Christmas party. Summer proudly showed everyone her new dress!

Each grandchild received some Christmas jammies from grandma and grandpa.

And of course, Santa Claus paid a visit after dinner and pulled presents out of his enormous bag for each and everyone. Summer did not like him. No. He was a nice Santa, naturally, but a bit too Holly Jolly for Summer's liking. She just wanted him to hush and shush. No lap-sitting for THIS red and white creature! But when he called her name, she graciously put her feelings of distaste aside to receive her present.

Ah, but when we visited a Santa Claus at Layton Hills Mall a day or two later, Summer decided she liked him MUCH better. He was gentle, quiet, and sweet with her. She couldn't wait for him to come on Christmas Eve!

...And he most definitely paid a visit to Summer's house on Christmas Eve. We'll include pictures and documentation of it in our next post. It was a wonderful Christmas!

The Christmas Season

We took so many pictures of our holly jolly times during the Christmas season, that we feel compelled to split them up into several posts, so as to avoid forcing our readers to scroll on and on as we droll on and on.


We kicked off the Christmas season with gingerbread cookie baking on the day after Thanksgiving!


That evening, we decorated our Christmas tree! It's a false one, but we lit a pine-scented candle for dramatic effect. I have to add that we had a devil of a time trying to arrange that gold garland thing! We got it wrapped around the whole tree, stepped back to look at it, but saw that it was crooked in certain spots. Well, the perfectionists in us all could not abide such an abomination, so we tried to fix it, but the tree's needles kept shredding up the garland's tinsel as we pulled it out to re-arrange it. We never got it to look right after three ghastly times of taking it off and putting it back on. The real joy of the Christmas spirit filled our hearts when we ripped it off for the final time...and threw it with satisfying force back into the box. Maybe we'll try the garland again next year. And maybe not. Most likely not. Definitely not.

A few days later, we went Christmas caroling with Jerald's family at a nearby rest home. Jerald's dad played his accordion to accompany us all, and I became misty-eyed when I saw how much it meant to those sweet elderly people to have us sing and make a fuss over them. One gentleman cried grateful tears and said how much he had needed this. Another awesome old guy held on to his walker and danced a little jig as we sang. He received well-deserved cheers from his audience! Anyway, it's a tradition we do every year and I sure hope it continues.

One Friday night in December, we all bundled up and drove into Salt Lake to see the lights at temple square. This is another tradition we refuse to part with due to its extreme fun. We snapped this shot of Summer before we left because...how could we not? Too cute for words in all of her pink glory...

The glacial wind was biting, bitter, and brisk, but we snuggled lots to stay warm. It was all so beautiful!

I thought I'd end this particular post with "Pink on Pink" Summer. She'd warm up any December day being the little hottie she is!

Snowy, Blowy Ice Cream!

Summer and I recently discovered a deeply darling children's book called "Snowy Blowy Winter" by Bob Raczka (don't ask us to pronounce his unfortunate last name). Together we unite in our promotion of this story book, not only for its catchy rhymes and reasons, but because of the ice cream recipe on the last page, which calls for...wait for it...FRESH SNOW! I know! Any of my readers living in Northern Utah had a heightened awareness of Mother Nature today, as we received several inches of the fluffy stuff. Summer and I excitedly brought a heaping bowl of snow into our bright kitchen and in three minutes, we enjoyed a dish of delicious, frosty, freezy ice cream! Its frothy texture resembled a soft and creamy snow cone. Summer had the pure inspiration from the snowy heavens above to add a generous smattering of milk chocolate chips to the concoction. Joy was ours. So ambrosial was this frozen confection, that it would be impressive enough to serve to guests. In fact, I recommend it because how else could one say at a dinner party: "This evening's dessert was brought to you in part by our current precipitation!" The recipe is as follows:

SNOWY, BLOWY, ICE CREAM

4 cups fresh, clean snow

1/2 cup whole milk (or half & half)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

~ Gather four cups of fresh snow and and put it in a mixing bowl. It's best to do this during or right after a snow storm, so you know the snow is clean. Then, in a glass measuring cup, mix milk, sugar, and vanilla extract until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the milk mixture over the snow and mix well with a spoon--about two minutes. Serve in bowls. Add your favorite toppings (we used milk chocolate chips). Makes two heaping, delicious servings. Let it snow!

Chocolate Silk Pie!

This chocolate silk pie is the most satiny, silky, plush, velvety pie you'll ever have the pleasure of devouring! Actually, didn't that sound like I was describing fabric? Anyway, I made this confectionery ambrosia for our Thanksgiving Extravaganza last month and I have since received some requests for the recipe, so here it is! My only addition to the original recipe was to add the garnish of chopped candy bars for dramatic effect. Any pie or cake without a garish type of garnish makes me want to weep out of boredom and despair. So, try making this chocolate silk pie during the holiday season. I guarantee that loved ones will be so spiritually touched and moved by your culinary creation, that you'll receive more Christmas gifts than usual! Plus, it just tastes monumentally delicious...

Chocolate Silk Pie

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter

3 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate - melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

1 baked 9" pie shell

Sweetened whipped cream and candy bars!

~Beat sugar with butter for exactly 15 minutes with electric beaters or a mixer, scraping sides of bowl often. You must beat the mixture for that long so as to ensure a smooth pie. No one wants a gritty filling. That's just wrong. Know, however, that after 15 minutes, it will still feel a bit gritty (Rest assured, it will smooth out with the addition of the rest of the ingredients and refrigeration). Then add the melted chocolate and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Spread into a baked 9" pie shell and chill for at least two hours or over night. As it chills, it will continue to dissolve the sugar and "silken" up. Before serving, garnish with sweetened whipped cream. I like to form dollops around the edge and place a bite-sized candy bar in each one. Chop up your favorite candy bars, such as Heath, Snickers, etc., and litter it all over the top. Admire your work, present it to others and demand that THEY admire your work, then immediately devour with fierceness and fervor.

November Novelty

What made the whole month of November glow with happiness was the return of my parents from their church assignment in Palmyra, New York. Summer is crazy about them both, and as this picture shows, they're pretty nuts about her too.

Also, this month Jerald performed a fabulous concert for the Yamaha/Clavinova Festival. I felt so proud of him! He was so gracious with everyone who lined up to receive his autograph after the concert. He just about made this young girl's life when he signed a copy of one of his books for her.

As a sidenote, check out Summer's hot balloon poses!

Jerald's parents splurged on all of their kids and grandkids and bought tickets to the Disney Princesses on Ice show. It was so beautiful! The only sad part was that Jerald couldn't come because he was asked to judge a piano competition that day. We filled him in on all of the details, though!

Here skate Cinderella and her prince. Don't fall!

Here is Cinderella in her carriage on her way to the ball! Unfortunately, the roads were a bit "icy" that night. Haha!

Summer adores Mickey and Minnie! When she saw them skating across the ice, she exclaimed, "I need Mickey right now!" Then she proceeded to move with surprising speed across the isle, and if we hadn't stopped her, she would have climbed over that rail and onto the ice so she could hug him!

Summer and her favorite cousin, Annika, have enjoyed many play dates this month. Their favorite thing to do is to dress up as the charming princesses they already are, and perform enchanting and entrancing dances together!

The Thanksgiving holiday made us give MANY thanks this time around because it was the first Thanksgiving we'd all had with my parents in three years! Here are some family shots. Try to ignore Summer's menacing glare in the shot just below :)






My mother and I spent several days cooking and baking for our Thanksgiving Extravaganza. Here's a shot of the chocolate silk pie I made! Any dessert is 177 times better with candy bars on top...

Quotable Quote

"If it wasn't for the optimist, the pessimist would never know how happy he wasn't."

~Anonymous

Dedicated to our daughter, Summer...

...whose razzle, dazzle, and downright sparkly representation of all things shimmery...

...makes her the most twinkly little optimist we know.

Halloween Ha Ha

"Ha ha" is right! How many times did I erupt into spasms of laughter at seeing my once hot man of a husband transform into an old hag of a woman? Either that or "ahhh-ing" at my pretty princess of a daughter dressed as the Snow White she already is. Of course, giggles ensued every time I caught my reflection of MY new self - a stodgy orthodox Jewish man...

Here was the color-coordinated sunset on the eve of Halloween - an ominous black and orange - specifically dyed for the holiday!

Here we view the man/woman himself...or herself? Complete with garish rouge upon his stubbly cheeks, smeared lipstick, mascara, gaudy jewelry, mismatched knee highs, and a wig. Don't forget the pillow and the rolled up tube socks for strategic stuffing! Every time I leaned in to kiss him/her, a mysteriously odd feeling came over me :)

I had never felt so profoundly devout, fervent, soulful, earnest, or goodly. Shalom!

A praise-worthy Snow White!

May this old dame with her saintly orthodox Jewish husband take this opportunity to extend the wish that you all had as happy a Halloween as we did!