Winter Whine Shut Down

Well!!... what can I say???!!!  The weather here in Hutchinson Kansas has been so mild and tolerable, that it makes all my earlier whinning seem moot.  It has thus far been a delightfully mild Winter... very little precipitation, calm breezy days vs blustery bitter winds, and mostly sunny skies... and who can complain about temps ranging between 47 - 60 for January??!!

If Winter continues to be this mild, I can totally bare through til spring with an actual smile on my face!  I must say though... and I know this is such a contradiction to all my Winter whinning in general... but... I am disappointed that we haven't had a BIG snow fall that creates the magical "Snow Day!!"  I am going East next week to visit with my girls and grandbabies... so I'm hoping the temps stay mild til I get back and I don't miss "The Snow Fall" if it happens while I'm away.

Today feels, smells, sounds, and looks like the beginning of Spring... with birds chirping, wind chimes tinkling, trees slightly swaying, and the freshness that hangs in the air.  Everything is still Winter brown and dead... but you can see the 'hope' of things getting ready to bud and sprout.. the fresh smell in the air makes you scan the landscape ever so acutely looking for that first hint of budding Spring... and then... even when your eye doesn't see the first signs of Spring budding... your nose tells you it's just around the corner and Winter is almost over.

Anything can, and usually does happen in the short sweet month of February... so don't get too comfortable thinking you have sailed through the worst of Winter unscathed.  February is famous for teasing you in with mild weather, and then bringing in a huge Winter storm!!... and it is usually when you are really really ready for Spring, and are in the midst of bringing out all your Spring attire and putting the Winter attire away... WHHAMM... 10" of snow... and hopefully the only thing that keeps the mood from being spoiled is the magical "Snow Day!!"

I have been dreading this Winter since Oct 31st when our final HOT days were over.  Fall was also reasonably mild here in Hutchinson Kansas, but... not very pretty since we had had such a HOT Summer and there were barely any leaves left on the trees to turn colorful.  So I really expected to hunker in an endure Winter's blast... but... I'm honestly surprised at how mild and nice it has been.  I hope I take all this mild Winter weather with me back East and it isn't frigid and artic during my visit.  I will be carting babies in and out, so hopefully the weather will be nice... at least hoping for dry anyway.

Only 4 more weeks til March, and only 8 more weeks til it's offically Spring!!!  That doesn't seem to long to wait for short sleeves and flip flops!  Blessedly I haven't had to wear a heavy Winter coat much this Winter... mostly scarves and sweaters have sufficed.  You have plenty of time to finish that stack (or even just that one) book(s) and/or Winter project(s) you have going or want to start... so... enjoy the nice days when you can step outdoors and let some sunshine kiss your face, and stay hunkered in, warm and safe, on those days of Winters worst.  I can smell Spring in the air... it's coming!!!

My First Happy Mail of 2012

I have written a blog or two in the past about how special "Happy Mail" is... and how receiving it can totally make your day, your week, or just make you feel really special.

With the Holiday Season just 2 weeks behind us... I wasn't expecting any "Happy Mail" because we had just spent two weeks visiting with various friends and family members, many whom we only get to visit with during the Holiday Season.  I feel blessed and overwhelmed with all the "Happy Mail" Christmas cards,  all the thoughtful gifts I received, and all the special time I spent with loved ones.  But in my mail box a couple days ago was the sweetest handwritten note, from a most unlikely source (as in... this person is extremely tender hearted and thoughtful... we don't get to see each other much, but when we do it is always wonderful... but... I had just spent time with this person... so receiving such a heartfelt note was a surprise)... my brother Mike sent me a note telling me how much he appreciated me in his life and how much I meant to him in general.  Let me tell ya folks.... it was a weeper!!!!... and anyone will tell you that I'm just not a weeper!!!  But... I wept!!!

In the note he spoke about specific incidents and events in our lives that were bonding and special to him... he spoke about when I was there for him at difficult times in his life (but really... I was just doing what he would have also done for me), he spoke about how much he enjoyed being with my family during visits... and he reminisced about times in our childhood that were special.  This is not the first note I have received from my brother over the years that was so poignant and sweet... in fact I have received several from him... each one is a treasure I will cherish forever!  All of his notes have come at unexpected times, and each one has made my heart sing and smile, and my heart ache with happy love... he is and always has been a wonderful protective Brother to me!

Receiving this note from my brother reminded me how AWESOME "Happy Mail' is, and that I need to get on the ball send more out myself.  I have in fact a couple of boxed "Happy Mail" items to be shipped out tomorrow.  I hope these Happy Mailings bring a smile to those who will be receiving them, and a skip in their steps for the day.

This is the time of year when many of us are just drudging through these cold days of winter and waiting for the joys of spring to arrive... so this is an especially good time to reach out and send a thoughtful gesture to someone you love, or someone who you think could use a little simple smile!  Thank you soooooo much Mike for the first piece of "Happy Mail" I have received in 2012... it definitely has my year off to a great start!!!

Random Things About Me

1.  My house has to smell good at all times... either with delicious cooking aromas, or the wonderful scents of burning candles.

2.  Racing my husband's car on a real racetrack is a favorite pastime... must be a thing with speed!


3.  Joe and I love roller coasters... the faster the better


4.  If a fire is burning in a fire place you will find me standing directly in front of it... until the heat penetrates my clothing to the point of burning my skin.

5.  I can still do the splits... I'm 53 years old!

6.  I'm always sticking things in my ear... I know I shouldn't... but I can't help it... when it itches way down deep, it has to be scratched!

7.  Earning a pilot's license is really high on my bucket list


8.  I'm currently learning to speak both French and Spanish (Latin)... with plans on learning Italian as well


9.  Joe and I plan on spending a few months taking culinary classes in both France and Italy after he retires


10.  Joe and I also plan on doing the Camino de Santiago walk after he retires


11.  I have had a valid drivers license in 6 states


12.  "The Big Chill" is still my all time favorite movie... because it's about special friendships

13.  I try to look at the moon every night


14.  I love playing backgammon 


15.  I love "vintage"... purses, shoes, kitchenware and bowls, jewelry...etc.

16.  In the winter I drink at least 3 pots of hot tea a day... in the summer I drink at least 64 oz of water a day... I must be part camel!

17.  My favorite exercise is pilates (reformer)... I do pilates 2-3 times a week... wish I could do it everyday... one day I'm gonna have to get me a pilates reformer


18.  I tat... as in making lace with a hand shuttle


19.  Sixlets are a candy I can never say no to


20.  I named my car "Miss B Haven".... because it's a red sports car and it's hard to behave when driving it

21.  I am a very tactile person and I just have to touch and feel everything  


22.  Red is my very favorite color


23.  I prefer pearls to diamonds, and daisy's to roses... pearls are simple yet classic and timeless... daisy's are strong like a weed, can grow anywhere, and always make people smile!


24.   Joe and I love to travel and hope to continue to travel to see as much of this big ole planet earth as possible


25.  My lucky and favorite number is 3... but the number 9 is even more perfect because it is three 3's

26.  I prefer Pepsi to Coke... and I used to work for Coca Cola

27.  I am right handed but golf and bat left handed


28.  I hosted a late night television movie channel once


29.  I can hold a lit cigarette touching between my pointer finger and thumb without it burning, pull a wine cork out from the inside of an empty wine bottle using just a table napkin, and tie a cherry stem with my tongue and teeth with my mouth closed... always fun to have stupid bar tricks to impress your friends with!  :  )

30.  I started this blog as a tribute to my mentor Julia Child... it has since turned into just another blog about random things... sometimes including recipes.

31.  I am basically just your normal, quirky, curious, run of the mill average person you see on the streets everyday... perhaps I have seen you on the streets somewhere, sometime, someplace... we smiled at each other and then went along our merry way!

Post Holiday Blues

Yep.... it is that time of year when all the hustle and bustle of the Holidays Season is over... the Holidays have been prepared for, celebrated, and most homes now have all their decorations packed back up, and stored away until next year... not me... am still working on it... hoping to be done with this task by the end of this weekend.

I was sooo ahead of schedule with the Holiday decorating, planning, and packing... and was on target to stay ahead of schedule with the packing up, and storing away of the Holiday decorations... but then... the flu crud hit me like a truck, and I lost an entire week to huddling under a blanket, taking cold meds, eating lots of my homemade chicken noodle soup (the best antibiotic ever!!!), and resting.  But now the crud is gone and the decorations MUST be put away!  It is just sooooo much more fun yanking it all out and decorating than it is to organize it and store it away.

I already miss the twinkle lights aglow everywhere you go...  I miss hearing Christmas carols, and the smell of evergreen trees... I miss the anticipation of visiting with, and celebrating the season several times with different branches of the family, and with friends.  The landscape has gone from bright and shiny to dull and drab... winter is upon us full blast... as in blizzardly blast!

I am wishing for a really good snow storm... one that makes you have to stay inside glued to the television watching everyone else get stuck and trying to shovel their way out.  The kind of snow storm that creates the ever WONDERFUL and DELIGHTFUL "SNOW DAY"!!!!  We all know that an official "Snow Day" is like an unexpected vacation day, or sick day without actually having to be sick.  I can always feel the extra spark of excitement in the air when a "Snow Day" is called... I can hear kids all over town yipping and yaying their way into a fun special day!  Maybe snowmen will be made... maybe snowball fights will ensue... maybe some snow-cream will be made... fire places will be lit to huddle hinnies around... some parents will dread this 'extra stay at home day'... but some parents will embrace the day for what it is and just have fun with their kids... I am sure you can guess which parent I tried to be!

It's sooooo cold here... the wind is bitter and drying to the skin... the outside just looks bleak and bare after all the sparkle of twinkle lights just a few days ago.  I have several good books to read and some hand crafts to keep myself busy with... but... I'm counting down the days til Spring sunshine and warmth returns... which for those of you who are counting down with me.... the official day of Spring for 2012 is March 20.... so that is just... 10 weeks and 3 days... or 73 days!!

Winter whinners (such as myself)... the best advice I can give to keep those post holiday blues at bay is... keep busy, stay warm, and mark the days down on a calendar.  Looking forward to reciting my favorite chant (which I call "My Dad's Poem")... "Spring has sprung, the grass has riz... I wonder where them flowers is!"

Christmas Sugar Cookies

Baking Christmas sugar cookies has been a tradition in my family since my girls were old enough to stand on a chair or stool and roll out cookie dough.  It is a VERY messy tradition... yet one that brings so much pleasure, it is worth the mess and clean up afterwards.

I will include my sugar cookie recipe at the end of this blog... this is the recipe I have been using since 1986... it continues to be the easiest dough to work with, and the flavor of these cookies are absolutely delicious!!!  The baked cookie is very tender, and yet also crisp.  The sugar cookie is one of those foods that have fans for both types of the cookie... some like them soft and chewy and decorated with icing, some (like me and my family) like them thin, crisp and decorated with colored sugars... either way... my family just has to have sugar cookies as part of our Christmas morning tradition... we eat them for breakfast along with chex mix!  Weird... but OH SOOOOO GOOD!!!

I have cookie cutters from when I was a child, some I have found in antique stores, and others that are newer versions.  The old plastic ones I use have lots of details carved inside the cutter... my newer ones are just outline shapes of bells, trees, stockings, and such.  I really like the intricate designs of the old cutters, but they are a bit finicky when trying to get the cut out dough onto the baking sheet... they are very delicate and take lots of care getting them cut out correctly and transfered over to the baking sheet.  My newer ones that are much easier to use, make the task go quite quickly.  However.... the nostalgic-ness of the older ones, and the tradition of just taking an entire day to bake cookies, always win out over the newer cookie cutters... but in the end... my cookie tin contains a mixture of old and new cookie cutter shapes.  Making these sugar cookies is an 'event' and it's ok if some cookies take longer to cut out than others... the eating of them, and the deliciousness of them is all the same on the tongue, and in the tummy!

I keep LOTS of colored sugars on hand for any occasion when I make these sugar cookies, these cookies are good for all holidays and occasions.  I make lips and hearts for Valentines, Shamrocks for St. Patty's Day, and Egg shapes for Easter.  Even though these sugar cookies are DELISH for all occasions, they always remind me most of Christmas... and I never skimp on sprinkling of the sugar on these cookies... my lips always are the color of whatever sugar is on the cookie I am eating... which of course makes it hard to sneak a cookie without getting caught!  :  )

When we visit various relatives houses over the Christmas Holiday, there are always lots and lots of cookies of all varieties to enjoy.  My Mom makes wedding cookies, chocolate peanut butter balls, and majestic's... just to name a few.  Chocolate chip cookies are usually among the mix at most houses, as well as the sugar cookies.  My sister-in-law (Kari) is quite the baker and will arrive at the family gathering with a platter of cookies with at least a dozen variety of cookies.... each one more delish than the next!  Kari's sugar cookies are the softer kind with the icing... but... the detail she puts into decorating her cookies with that icing is amazing!  She must bake for weeks to accomplish such a plethora of goodies!  My other sis-in-law (Linda) makes these amazing sesame cookies native to Georgia, and always brings tins of wonderful decadent fudge too.  While I enjoy each and every type of cookie served at each and every house we visit... the simple un-prententious sugar cookie remains my all time favorite.

Tis the season for so many wonderful family traditions... from caroling to cookie baking, and everything in between... may you experience many joys with your loved ones as we all continue to carry our traditions forward to the new generations following behind us.  Here now is my all time favorite sugar cookie recipe.  Put on your aprons, bring out the sugar sprinkles, and start making a wonderful messy memory with someone you love.


Vickie's Sugar Cookies 


3/4 cup - shortening - (part butter)... I use 1/2 cup crisco and 1/4 cup real butter (NOT margarine)... but        
                                                       you can reverse it and use 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup crisco... it's a
                                                       personal preference and both work beautifully.

1 cup - sugar
2 - eggs
1 tsp - vanilla (use real vanilla extract NOT imitation!!!  this is VERY important!  the better your vanilla,
                       the better your cookies)
2 1/2 cups - all purpose flour -measure flour by the dipping/leveling method.. sifting not necessary
1 tsp - baking powder
1 tsp - salt

Cream shortening and sugar til smooth and creamy... add eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next.  Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together and add to creamy mixture.  Shape dough in to disk, cover in plastic wrap, put in refrigerator to chill at least one hour.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Roll dough out to 1/8" thick on a lightly floured surface.  Try to incorporate as little flour into dough as possible.  Cut dough out with cookie cutters of your choice.  Place cut out cookies onto an un-greased baking sheet (I prefer the baking stones... but any baking sheet will do just fine).  Bake 6-8 minutes or until cookies are a "delicate" golden color.  Makes about 4 dozen cookies using 3" cookie cutters.  Quantity will vary with different size cookie cutters.

Remove cookies from baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack... then... enjoy eating these delish cookies and wear your colored sugar lips proudly!!  :  )

The Hutchinson Christmas Symphony Concert

The other day while driving down our tiny Main Street in our tiny town... I noticed that the Fox Theater was presenting it's "Christmas Symphony Concert" on Dec. 15th... immediately checking my calendar, I see that Joe and I have that night open without any other obligations... so once I got home, I called up and ordered our tickets to attend.  WOW WOW WOWZERS is all I have to say about last nights program!!!  It was AWESOME and I'm soooo glad I noticed the advertisement and bought the tickets.

Last year I went to this event with a bunch of new lady friends I had met in the few weeks since we had moved here.  And last years program was soooo good I knew I wanted to make this an annual habit.  I also remember last year while I was watching the program just how much Joe too would enjoy it.

There were 3 local folks who performed singing solos and a duet last night... and OH MY GOODNESS!!!  Who knew this tiny town had soooo much talent in it.  The songs sung at last nights program were all the old traditional and spiritual songs that literally made the hair on your arms stand on end because they were so beautifully sung!

If you really want to witness the "Spirit of Christmas", the best place to do so is at concerts and programs put on by your local town... whether it is a school performance or a professional performance, both will leave you in the Christmas Spirit, a smile on your face, and a jingle in your step!  Joe and I talked about our wonderful experience all the way home... and sung snippets of the songs we had just heard... although... our singing was no where near what we had just heard... but all the same... tis the season for lots of singing!!!!

Among my favorites sung last night were... "Ave Maria", "Breath of Heaven", "Mary, Did You Know" (accompanied with a sign linguist),  and "Cantique de Noel"(which was sung in Italian).  The Hutchinson Symphony Orchestra played all the music for the program, and they too did a marvelous job!  The music, the singing, the atmosphere... all of it made for a very magical night.

I am sure that next year, if it is at all possible, Joe and I again will be amongst those in the audience who want to capture and enjoy a moment of true Christmas "In The Air" Spirit.  Going to the Christmas Concert has quickly become one of my new favorite Holiday traditions!

Jingle Bells... Jingle Bells.... La La La La La........

The History of The Advent Calendar

My huband (Joe) really enjoys reading his Wall Street Journal every day, especially on the weekends.  He often clips and sends articles to various family members, and friends when he spies an interesting article pertaining to a specific person.  When one of his clippings arrive in one of our mail boxes or email in-box, we are all delighted to be the recipient of one of his clippings, and eagerly begin reading the article.  Well today was my day!  I received the following article, clipped from the Wall Street Journal... his timing on sending me this particular article is absolutely perfect!!!  So.... now I am sharing the same article on my blog... this blog ties into my other blog "Christmas Countdown Advent Calendars" in which I spoke about these calendars being a tradition in my family and how much I personally enjoy them each year.  This is a very interesting article... I hope you enjoy how these precious calendars began.

Americans can thank Germans for a holiday tradition besides the modern Christmas tree: the Advent calendar, a card counting down to Christmas in which children open one "window" a day, finding a picture, a poem or story, a sweet or a small gift.

Photos: The Advent of the Advent Calendar

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State Museums of Berlin

An Advent calendar from 1947

As a new exhibition in Germany shows, the old calendars also mirror the nation's past. "It's amazing how the twists of Germany's history—the charming, the good, the bad" are shown in the calendars, says Tina Peschel, an ethnographer at the Museum of European Cultures in Berlin. She curated the exhibit of around 200 of them.

The father of the Advent calendar, Gerhard Lang, drew his inspiration from his late 19th-century childhood, when his mother baked 24 meringue pastries and affixed them to a carton, indulging her son in one each day through Christmas Eve. (Advent begins around the end of November or the beginning of December.)

Mr. Lang published his first Advent calendar in 1903, a cheerful jumble of illustrated children's toys surrounding Christmas-themed poems. Youngsters could paste illustrations of dancing pretzel makers and angels working for the German post office over the verses. In 1920, Mr. Lang's publishing house invented the perforated doors used on modern Advent calendars—but failed to get a patent. Copycats profited.

After the First World War, Advent calendars were "demilitarized," and docile animals replaced drawings of cannons and toy solders. But "Hitler quickly co-opted the calendars," says Ms. Peschel. Nazi symbols were substituted for Christian ones: swastika-clad children building snowmen and Nazi soldiers enshrined within Advent wreaths.

After World War II and Germany's division, brightly colored Christian Advent calendars returned in West Germany, garnering G.I. fans who sent them home to their families with pamphlets in English. The calendars took off in America when Newsweek published a photo in 1953 of President Eisenhower's grandchildren grasping for an Advent calendar. Demand and production jumped.

State Museums of Berlin

A 1951 East German calendar with rare Christian symbols

Meanwhile, East Germany launched a successful campaign to abandon Advent, advertising Christmas as an atheist holiday and marginalizing publishing houses that added Christian symbols to what they dubbed "pre-Christmas calendars." Instead, state-approved calendars featured Young Pioneers frolicking in the snow—though parents resisted buying galactic-themed calendars with rocket sleighs promoting the Soviet space race. "Even communist parents still wanted winter scenes," says Ms. Peschel.

And what became of edible calendars like those of Mr. Lang's childhood? They thrived in the 1930s, were cut short by war rations, but picked up speed again with the postwar proliferation of preservatives in candy.

Despite all the marketing to children, Christmas can be fun for German parents, too: Some modern breweries offer relief to parents weary from buying presents via "calendars" providing a can of beer each day of Advent.