Bushes in the snow

One of a few photos I took yesterday in the snow.  Yes, I finally got brave and brought my camera out in it. 

Liked the contrast.  Not sure about the rest of it.  Ah well.

Corner View: Snow

Corner View yesterday was snow, and although I took this photo, I didn't take the time to post it.

I'm too nervous about taking my good camera out into the snow, and I think my point and shoot is being held hostage!  LOL  I think it's waiting for a treat before coming home.  Anyway...am I being paranoid about taking the camera in the snow?  I'm still waiting for the camera rain cover to make its way here.  Might need to...um...remind a certain someone?  Or else just bite the bullet and buy one.

Anyway, we have been hit by the big storm on the east coast.  The snow is the beautiful, fluffy kind.  Makes big piles in a short time!  Julia said it looked like someone is breaking apart tissue paper.  Maybe someone up above forgot to take a piece out of their pocket before doing the laundry?

Anyway, these photos don't do it justice, since I'm such a chicken.  But here are a couple shot from inside or under cover.

I don't remember ever having this many snow days in one season.  The kids are playing dress up today, and the dog has come downstairs in a scarf, then a tutu, and now is proudly sporting cat ears.  She's just HAS to be confident in her doghood to pull that off!

So between the catdog, the bumblebee with one sock on , and the shnazzy witch-lady with gold heels, purse, and styling scarf (both of which I don't have photos of...sorry), it's a bit of an adventure in our house on this snow day!

I think we'll go sledding today, if the snow slows down a bit.  I want to bring my camera. WAH!

In other news.  I've been shovelling the walk about three times a day, the third time being late at night when I bring Belle out, so there won't be quite so much to do in the morning.  The snow has been kind of fun to shovel, since it is so fluffy.  Kind of like shovelling cotton.  This morning I woke up and went out to shovel to find that our fairly new neighbors (they just moved in this past Spring) had done my walk for me!  I had to look twice in case I was dreaming!  So, feeling grateful but also somewhat gyped (HA!) I went and shovelled a path around the house and to the bird feeders. And it was DEEEEEEP!  I should have told someone what I was doing, so that if I didn't come back they could put a flask on the dog and send out a rescue party.

OK.  Off to bake or something equally worthy of a snow day!

(Just don't tell my waistline what I'm doing, OK?  Thanks.)

Shell game

So, Belle was spayed last Tuesday and has to take it easy for a few days.  Fearing that all the inaction would make her loopy, we've been playing some indoor games with her.

This is one of our favorites.

The kids love it, because it's something they can do.

So, a few photos from a couple of goes with this game.

Is the treat under this one?

Nope.  This one.

Maybe this one? 

Yes!  I know it's this one!

Am I right?

YES!!

Join the Klub Club

In our family, there's a tradition of making Norwegian Klub on some special---and not so special---occasions. It has become somewhat of a joke, because we appear to be the only ones that like this stuff! So, documenting for posterity and anyone else brave (or foolish) enough to try it out.

Ready?  So clear a good portion of counter space, roll up your sleeves, and let's get going!

Put your biggest pot of water on to boil. Put some salt in it. Then add some cutlery. I love this part! Grandma Helen used to do this, insisting that it keeps the dumpling dealies from sticking to the bottom. I just like cooking cutlery. 

It doesn't burn. 

Cut up a block of salt pork into smallish pieces and put them in a small pot of water to boil.

Peel a wack load of potatoes.

Amazing how figuring out how to adjust the focal points actually makes an in focus photo.  Duh.

Throw them in a food processor and process until they're somewhat smoothish. They'll almost immediately turn a lovely pink. Isn't this appetizing?

Then add some salt and enough flour to make a dough. My great-aunt Florence said that you should only add enough flour to make it hold together, which is somewhat true, but don't be too stingy with it, or everything will fall apart when you put it in the water later.

Put some flour on the counter and put a spoonful of the batter in the flour. Add more flour and smoosh it around in your hands to make a dumpling type thing, adding flour until it feels right.

Don't ask me what that means. For me, it's a gamble every time.  For the record, this batch tasted a bit floury, because I didn't mix the flour in enough at this stage.

This is what your hands will look like. Kind of like play dough for grown ups!

Or not.

Flatten it a bit in your hand and add a couple pieces of the salt pork. By the way, when you're ready for the salt pork part, drain the salt pork out of the pot, pouring the water into the larger pot.

Waste not, want not.

Put the dumpling in a slotted spoon and gently put it in the water, holding it gently in the water for a few seconds to get it used to the idea. Then allow it to fall off the spoon into its relaxing spa.

Boil the heck out of it. 45 minutes or so?

Then you have these.

Aren't they tasty looking?

White balance all thrown off here, but I'm not feeling like bringing everything into editing. 

So there.

True, stout hearted, Norwegians eat the stuff with butter, salt and pepper and maybe some mustard, if they're feeling particularly hoity-hoity.

Those with a less advanced palate plop sour cream and bacon bits on top, as my kids do.

For the first time, Julia ate all of hers--although giving this face first.

Adam wouldn't touch his.

The joke is that any potential family members have to pass the klub test before acceptance into the family, so just before I made these, I phoned Mom and asked her how Vic enjoyed klub during the holidays.

He didn't, although he probably was pretty good natured about it all.

I don't know how mom will live this down, but I suppose we'll forgive her--and Vic! The question is whether Vic will forgive us for foisting such a thing on him! :oD

Construction Zone

So, we (read, I) decided that the kids had outgrown their megablocks.  They had outgrown them, and they only made towers with them anyway.  I thought that maybe their imaginations would be stimulated a bit more with something a bit more flexible.  Fortuitously, a friend of mine (Thanks Michelle!) was also going through her kids' things before Christmas and offered their duplo table.  "YAY!"  I thought, "Maybe they'll build...a house or something!"

Guess what has been under construction:

But they were having so much fun and were so proud of their tower that I was able to take this:

Trepidation

This is Belle yesterday after she overheard me on the phone confirming her appointment at the vets to be spayed today.

Can you really blame her for this face, after all?

Punica granatum

Julia saw a pomegranate in the store and wondered what it was, so Charlotte bought her one. 

And I took photos of it.

And now it's still sitting in the fridge, because the kids didn't really like it, and the only thing I can find to do with the seeds is put them in a salad, and the thought doesn't really appeal. 

Looks pretty, though.