Daddy Love

Even if he didn't have that awesome hair, I would still love this man more than chocolate, coffee, and old bookstores combined. Which is saying a lot.

Listening To......Emmylou Harris Light of the Stable

I know it sounds Scroogey, but I'm really not big on Christmas music. I think it's due to the fact that most Christmas music is intricately linked in my mind with crowded, frenzied holiday shopping madness, blaring obnoxiously from box store speakers. Fortunately, I haven't had to deal with that this year (thank you internet and sweet hubby), but the associations are still there.

Emmylou Harris's Christmas album is the exception. This album is exquisite, and for three years it has been the only record we play while we decorate the Christmas tree. I think that probably qualifies as an official "tradition." After the perky opening tune, the rest of the album is slower, calmer, and deeply soulful and reflective. Her voice soars on traditional carols like "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem," "Silent Night," and "The First Noel," and the eclecticism she is known for as a song collector is revealed in gems like "Angel Eyes" (on which she is joined by Willie Nelson) and the title track "Light of the Stable" (on which she is joined by Neil Young, Dolly Parton, and Linda Rondstadt on harmony vocals).

This is the perfect soundtrack for quiet winter evenings with those you hold dear.

Reading........Family Holiday Favorites

Snow, snow, and more snow! Today we have a temporary break from all the snowy weather and even a bit of sunshine, but things are expected to whiten back up over the next few days. For the most part, I enjoy winter (although I think technically this is still fall, right?), and snow is beautiful and magical of course, but this bitter, bitter cold is trying my patience a bit. It was 4 degrees this morning. In North Carolina, that is too cold. This has been an "enjoy from the window" sort of snow, not a "build a snowman and frolic and play" type of snow, which is sort of a shame for Miss Kate, who is (much like her Mama) itching to be outdoors. Oh well. Being stuck indoors has a few perks. For instance, ample time to snuggle up by the fire with our favorite Christmas picture books.


I'm excited about our new "seasonal" book box. It's actually an old kindling box made by my Grandfather (on my dad's side). He died when I was 8 years old, and although I do remember him, those memories are growing more vague and blurry as time goes by. My dad recently found a collection of these old boxes in my grandfather's toolshed. They were a bit scuffed and dirty, mostly used to store tools and such, but with a quick cleaning and polishing they took on the rustic simplicity that suits our little cabin perfectly. We have one on the porch to use for kindling, and then this one is an ideal size for storing the seasonal books I want us to have ready access to, without having to dig around on the (overcrowded) bookshelf. I love that we are able to have this tangible connection to my grandfather through something he made with his own hands. Bringing it into our home to use on a daily basis brings a bit of his spirit and memory back as well, which is so important throughout the year, but especially resonates at Christmas.

And so, I thought I would share a few of our favorite family Holiday books that fill the book box. I expect this list will grow and change each year, but these are the books in heavy rotation this year.

Our copy of the Little Golden Books Christmas Story was mine when I was a little girl, and I'm sorry to say it is in pretty bad shape, including a last page completely covered with brown crayon which I can only attribute to my toddler self. Or perhaps I'll just blame my little sister (in the way big sisters so often do). But, it's a beautiful book nonetheless, and the simple language and gorgeous, vibrant illustrations really bring this special story to life for us.

Kate and I love Eloise anytime of the year, but the Christmas book is one of our favorites! It's "drinkles and sklinkles of fun!"

This is a new book for us this year, but it's already a favorite. We've been enjoying Elsa Beskow's books for awhile now, and this summer we were first introduced to Peter and Lotta et. al. when Kate fell in love with Aunt Green, Aunt Brown, and Aunt Lavender. This is a delightful Christmas story, full of simple, old fashioned Swedish customs. We love the notion of a Christmas goat!

This is a lovely book for dog lovers, featuring bright, colorful illustrations. It's a sweet story about Olive, a dog who joins Santa's reindeer and uses her special canine talents to save Christmas.

Of course this book is on our list and everyone else's. It's a classic for a reason.....

What are you reading this holiday season?

From the Cabin Kitchen.....Chewy Oatmeal Walnut Cookies

I've made three batches of these cookies in the past few days, but there's nary a picture to show for it. They just keep disappearing before I can get to the camera. Perhaps batch #4 will be the lucky ones to achieve cookie stardom. And batch #4 will probably be made tonight, after Mark picks up walnuts and butter from the grocery store after work. I'm not quite willing to brave a grocery store run during the snow and ice with a toddler and a two week old just so I can make some cookies. Even these cookies, which understandably could inspire one to take such desperate measures. But, in single digit temperatures, I can wait. Besides, these are really Mark's cookies. I make them, and he eats them. With coffee, late at night, for breakfast. By the fistful. I have a slew of holiday recipes I'm dying to try out (like Nigella's chocolate orange cake, Molly's peppermint bark, and Deb's Roasted Chestnut Cookies), and yet each time I suggest the mere possibility of something new, he shrugs his shoulders and looks so sad at the possibility of a day without these oatmeal walnut chewies that I can't help but give in. It's funny because my dear one of the picky palate so rarely gets this enthusiastic over anything culinary (except ice cream).

These are humble little cookies, much more at home in a lunch box than a holiday cookie buffet. Even when I do manage to get a photograph of them, it's unlikely to be very impressive (not like this cake on the cover of December's Bon Appetit that Kate is insisting we make...clearly she has a misplaced faith in her mother's cake decorating abilities). In the midst of the holiday cookie extravaganza, these cookies won't do much to excite the eye, but they are divine nonetheless. I've snuck in a few bites myself, and they are indeed chewy, dense, nutty morsels of perfection. I'm happy to report that the gestational diabetes did indeed go away after Andrew's birth, and my blood sugar levels have returned to normal levels. But, even though I have been eating bread again, I'm still staying away from refined sugar as much as possible, which needless to say is something of a challenge during the holidays. I'm not doing nearly as much baking as I usually do, and as this recipe illustrates, when I do bake, I tend to devote my baking energies to the tastes and requests of my nearest and dearest. It's working out well so far. If I were to make these cookies for myself I would jazz them up by tossing in some dried cranberries and chunks of dark chocolate, but Mark would be horrified. Keeping them simple, rustic, and monochromatic works out best for both of us.

Chewy Oatmeal Walnut Cookies

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour *
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup walnuts

*(A note about the flour.....the recipe calls for all-purpose, but I've been sneaking in whole wheat flours wherever I can lately.....This book is definitely on my Christmas list......So, for these cookies I used 1 cup all purpose unbleached flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour.....Shhh, don't tell Mark.......)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well.

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in small bowl. Add slowly to butter/sugar/egg mixture. Mix well.

Stir in oats, walnuts, and coconut.

Drob by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool one minute on cookie sheet. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. Or just start eating.

Important Things

As the laundry and dishes pile up to Everest proportions and I can't remember the last time I washed my hair, these words remind me to focus on what is most important right now:

Song for a Fifth Child

by: Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth

Hang out the washing, make up the bed

Sew on a button and butter the bread

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,

Lullaby, rockabye, lullaby loo

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo.

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew

And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo

Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?

Lullaby, rockabye, lullaby loo

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; dust go to sleep!

I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep.

Tree Trimming

I'm sure there are things more magical and enchanting than being two years old and decorating your Christmas tree. I just can't think of any right now......

Babymoon, Snow, and Christmas Preparations

We're slowly emerging from the fog of the babymoon. Last week we holed up in the cabin, just the four of us, basking in baby bliss, counting those sweet baby toes, nuzzling those soft baby cheeks, watching in amazement as sibling love blossoms and grows (Miss Kate is absolutely smitten with her brother).....There's still a lot of that going on of course, but Mark went back to the office yesterday, so we're gently settling into our "new normal", figuring out the new rhythmns and routines of our days as a foursome.

A snowstorm moved through Sunday, and actually is only beginning to taper off today. It's been beautiful, although I haven't spent any time outdoors, what with the wee one to tend to. Kate did go for a short winter wonderland walk with her daddy. We've had about four to five inches. The cold is bitter though, so I've taken my job of keeping the home fires burning very seriously. I love our woodstove; nothing is cozier than curling up next to the fire with a hot cup of tea and a babe snuggled to your breast.

This weekend we are revving up the Christmas magic around these parts. Saturday we'll put up the Christmas tree and other decorations. Andrew's arrival means I'm doing this later in the year than usual, but actually I think taking a bit of a break between Thanksgiving and Christmas has been nice, and something we'll probably continue. I've always been one of those who takes the tree down the day after Christmas, and it makes me feel a bit Scroogey. But when it's been up since the day after Thanksgiving, frankly I'm just sick of it and want my house back to normal. So by waiting a bit, I'm hoping to be able to enjoy the tree and the holiday spirit until New Year's at least. We shall see.....

A few other things tickling my fancy of late:

These chocolate dipped homemade marshmallows (more for Kate than me, of course......she's gaga for marshmallows)

Molly's skillet carrots......So simple, but absolutely delicious in a wholesome, savory sort of way (a welcome reprieve from the sugary gluttony that takes over this time of year). These will definitely be made again and again, much like her recipe for braised cabbage that we have at least on a weekly basis throughout the fall and winter. Also, the news that she is working on a new book has me thrilled! A Homemade Life is probably my favorite food memoir ever.

This Advent calendar: Every year I say I'm going to make an advent calendar, and have yet to do it. But this one is so simple, but so beautiful and inspiring, I'm bookmarking it for next year.....

Everybody Likes Sandwiches: A new (to me) food blog to devour. Specifically, I'm loving this post on holiday baking and gift giving.