Photoblog: Deck the Halls

My kids have chickenpox. Bad. They also have cabin fever, sibling rivalry, and pale complexion from calamine lotion. A mouse got into my cupboards (all of the cupboards, apparently) and delighted in acts of rodent defecation all over my clean dishes. All that, and it snowed. Seriously - I'm in need of some cheering up. Care to join me?

We live in a really cool old one-room school house. For the bulk of our time living here we've been too busy or too distracted to really capitalize on the charm and appeal of a Schoolhouse Christmas. This year - varmints and diseases be darned - we're pulling out all the stops. We have already decorated, and continue to make cutesy crafts to supplement our already-decadent decor. (I'm a bit sleep deprived, here. Forgive me for substituting alliteration for truly clever writing today.) We're even hosting our very first, grown-up Christmas party (complete with mulled cider and fancy finger foods), and a Christmas Tea for my co-workers. Oh yeah - we're rockin' this Christmas season.

So, in keeping with our festive theme, I'm going to ignore the piles of laundry and the stacks of dishes, and take you on a tour of the well-decked halls of Evergreen Schoolhouse. Enjoy.

 

Our first stop is the upstairs dining room - aglow with a peaceful light and the soft sound of brilliant children thinking about their peaceful game of chess. Yes - it's always like this. Always.

 

Next up is the cozy living room. Note how the piano is invitingly calling your name. "Come play with me! Sing a rousing carol or two. Invite your friends to join." (It's a bit needy.) Of course, the seasonal central feature of this room is our tree. So pretty. 

This is what our tree looked like when we first put it up. Lovely, but needs a little something - don't you think? 

This is our tree after a visit from the Tinsel Fairy. (Note - this is not an entity my family was aware of when I was a child. It only entered our lives after I married Mark. Late one night. When everyone was asleep. Leaving its handiwork for all to see (and cats to play with, and vacuums to clean up). 

I must admit - ever since that first (and subsequent) midnight visit from the Tinsel Fairy, I always think a tree looks a bit naked (or, at least under dressed) without some shiny floss.

But, the tree is far from the only glamorous thing around here. (Besides us, of course.)  We've hung up lots of lovely features - like  these decorations in the windows and doors.

 

 And even put out a bowl of lovely glass balls. Oooohhh - shiny!

No chimney (save the stove pipe, which gets really hot), so we hung stockings on the steps. It works!

Best of all - our Nativities!

We've had some accidents, of course. Besides just these, heads have also rolled. Joseph's and a shepherd's head, to be exact. A little glue fixed 'em up, though. I think they're going to pull thru. 

Besides just these broken pieces, we also have some other interesting features to our Nativity sets. For example - this one is missing Jesus. Kind of a big deal. I debated whether or not to get rid of it entirely, but it's a lovely, old, nine-piece set. So, the wise men and Mary and Joseph now look adoringly at a little lamb. It's actually scripturally accurate, in a way, and much less blasphemous than putting in a troll doll.

This set is one of my favorites. They're almost a foot tall, and gleaming in brilliant jewel tones. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a decent picture without also having our wall chart of the presidents involved. That's right - home schoolers decorate their walls with geeky learning things. Might be a bit ugly, but once you hear a four-year-old sing all the presidents in order you'll agree - it's totally worth it. 

 Continuing in that theme, we also left our presidential flashcards up. I mean, people like to *receive* dead presidents for Christmas. Don't you think they'll also want to *look at* dead presidents as well? 

And, finally, here's the part where you come in. See - I've hung up a lovely ribbon from which to hang all of the Christmas cards we receive, and photos from our upcoming holiday events. I'm saving a spot on there just for you. See it - right there?  Yep - that's your own special place in the very decked halls of Evergreen School. Can't wait to see you there!

Merry Christmas, all!

Happy Sacher Torte Day!

Well, who knew? According to louderbacks.com, today, apparently, is Sacher Torte Day. (That'll teach you to rely on the internet for all of your information!) I know that the squares on my calendar are pretty small, but how could this treasure of a holiday have been left off? Turns out, Sacher Torte Day is really only big in Vienna. Had I consulted my Austrian calendar, I'm sure it would have been on there. You live, you learn.

So, what exactly do you do on Sacher Torte Day? Is there a costume you have to wear? Special song to sing? Hallmark card to send? Nope. Franz Sacher was a baker who invented an especially yummy kind of chocolate cake that he dubbed 'the Sacher Torte.' He has gone down in history as a national hero. This cake was so good that it's still made today - over 150 years after the first one came out of the oven - and can only be purchased in three or four bakeries around the world. There were literally lawsuits over this delicacy - fortunes made and fortunes lost. Wow - all for a cake.

I may not exactly be Franz Sacher, but I do have a few recipes up my sleeve that I'm kind of proud of. They may not make me rich or famous, but they do make my family smile. In the long run, that's worth far more than fame or fortune anyway. So, I'm choosing to celebrate Sacher Torte day by making my crowd-pleasing chili and a boxed chocolate cake. Is that sacrilegious? Maybe, but we've all got to find our niches in the world, and in the kitchen. Happy Franz Sacher Day, and happy eating. :)

Want to try to make your own Franz Sacher Torte? Check out this recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/wolfgang-puck/wolfgangs-sachertorte-recipe/index.html

For those of you who aren't exactly up to making a Franz Sacher Torte, you might like this one instead:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,176,150187-236194,00.html

Grooming Tips for the Uninitiated

I believe I've mentioned before that I'm not exactly what you might call a girly girl. (If I haven't - what was I thinking? There's enough blog fodder there to last for months!) I do try to stay presentable, of course, even if my standards are way lower than those of most of the ladies I know. (Hint: I do not have makeup. None. Don't even own a tube of lipstick.Seriously.)

For me, grooming generally involves brushing and flossing (the former everyday, the latter as often as I remember, or when an overwhelming sense of guilt prompts me to action, or when a visit to the dentist is imminent.), washing my hair (Suave shampoo and conditioner, often not even matching scents), and shaving (for special occasions, or at least before doing so would clog the bathtub drain - whichever comes first). Beyond hacking back the tangled undergrowth of underarm hair once in a while, and battling bad breath, I'm not over fussy when it comes to grooming. That is why it is all the more perplexing (to me, and especially to them) that God gifted me with three lovely girls.

My younger two, so far, are on board with my fuss-free philosophy. In fact, they'd probably never brush their teeth or hair, if given the chance. However, my oldest daughter is dangerously close to actually being a teenager, and even more dangerously close to acting like one. She has discovered all kinds of new-fangled things: like straightening irons, sweeping updos, and 'product'. This last one really threw me for a loop. I took her for a simple haircut about a year ago, and she and the stylist (barber, for us oldschool types) chatted away comfortably about 'product' the whole time. Seriously - it was liking trying to decipher a secret code. From what I gathered, there is apparently shampoo and conditioner out there that does stuff other than just get your hair clean and tangle free. I'm not exactly clear on all the details, but I have learned that it costs more than 88 cents a bottle, and is dearly coveted by my daughter. I'll have to look into this more.

For now, I am just trying to keep up. When she asks me about a specific nail painting technique or piece of fancy-pants hair technology, I usually just smile and nod. (And call my girly friends.) But, despite feeling like a blind person in a foreign (and expensive) land, I couldn't be happier. This is why motherhood is so great - I'm going to get to learn something new right alongside her. Inside I am screaming, "Don't buy into the Hollywood lies! You're beautiful the way you are! Run! Escape! Flee while you still can!" But, I somehow doubt that haranguing my pre-teen with these esoteric sentiments would be the best choice. So, I'm gonna learn to get girly too, even if it comically (though temporarily) disfigures us both. Remember - I'm going to have to teach this girl about makeup in a few years. Yikes.

For now, she's grateful for my help - however little I have to offer, and I am learning how to browse in the cosmetic and haircare aisle without breaking out into spots, seizures, or sermons. I think we're going to make it through this, and (if I can get past my prejudices and preconceived notions) we might even look good doing so. Watch out world - the Farrier girls are coming thru! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go figure out what on earth shine serum and straightening balm are. They sound like the perfect antidote to expensive dental and orthodontic visits, but I'm betting I've got it all wrong...