Christmas Baking 2008

I've been baking for over a week now: Dried Fruit Macadamia Nut Fruitcake--23 small loaves plus 15 minis for Clifford. He eats them like a cookie. One a day. He can't have the small loaves, they're for giving away (but he had one anyway); Ginger Crinkles--4 batches; Christmas Icebox Cookies--a double batch; a pan of The Best Date Bars--from Waioli Tea Room (Mom's favorite). I still will make Oatmeal Toffee Cookies (from the Heath Toffee Bits Bag) to take over to Matt & Clarissa's on Christmas eve (a tradition--4th year?) & Chip Dreams--a recipe from Carlie Sever. It's a good way to use the egg whites I have left over when I make my Chantilly Frosting. Picture to follow on another posting.

CHIP DREAMS

2 egg whites

1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat until peaks form. Add:

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Bake on brown paper sack (or parchment) on cooky sheet in 280 degree oven for 25 minutes. Cool & remove. Light & yummy. Melts in your mouth.

As I spend many hours in the kitchen baking, washing the dishes, I have a lot of time to ponder & savor the memories of mom as she gave of herself in everything she did. I am only now realizing that was her gift to us. The love & prayers that accompanied her cooking, sewing of quilts--every day joys that come back to bless me again & again.

This year, I chose to make capes for the kiddies. Each is in various stages of completion. It's the 21st. As I sew I think of each child & pray that my love will come through; they'd enjoy playing for many hours.

We went to MMC today for the Christmas Program & it was great to have all seven of the kiddies there. Keoki came over with the boys yesterday & I invited them to come. Ashley was to come home on Monday from the Big Island, but she came home this afternoon. Yay! Matthew quickly recruited him to shoot video on one of his two cameras. Clarissa was on the other. The children did well. Logan & Mason sat with us & I held Kwyn so Alisa could do her photography. Nysa & Avery danced Jingle Bell Rock Hula with bells on their wrists. Austin was a Wise Man who brought Myrrh & Ayva went from seat to seat. Tony's Dad & Ron came. It was great to see everyone.

I'm still learning

I really wish I could delete the picture of the mushrooms but I don't know how. That was taken with my old Sony Cybershot but the flash was wrong.

If pictures turn out for me, they're usually an accident. My daddy was a photographer a long time ago but I did not inherit any natural ability in being able to shoot good pictures. I know what I like but now how to get what I want. My techniques are: automatic. I've gone through many cameras.

I really miss my Sony M-1. The camera that swiveled & I took our pictures with--I could see the subjects--sometimes I wish my arm was longer. I wore that camera out on our trip to Maui last year & the swivel--well, unraveled. (This picture of the sistas, or Higa Girls, was taken at the airport, waiting for our flight to Maui & wonderful Makawao.) I liked it because it had the date feature & also a movie feature. My new Sony camera purchased last Christmas can hold 40,000 pictures (at low res) also takes movies. I've used it a lot for my Smilebox creations. I'm glad I got a subscription for the year & can save photo layouts in jpg & print at Costco or WalMart.

Learning is a good thing & challenges test & help you learn. I enjoyed reviewing alisa's personal website algreig.blogspot.com & loved her picture angles & shots. She understands the functions of her camera & knows how to make it do what she wants. I love this shot of the first sweetie & the newest sweetie. I'm blessed & grateful.

I really hated English in high school. Having to write & understand the mechanics of good sentence structure, etc. was such a drag. I even usually dread to this day having to put things down on paper--needing to capture all these thoughts into a cohesive collection of words that made sense. It's hard enough to express verbally. Having said that, it's so satisfying to spend the time to make myself actually do it. It's... well... liberating, theraputic, long overdue. Did you know I am a procrastinator? Maybe I'm getting a little better. I keep praying that I'll improve. That's also one thing I'm learning. Keep praying. Not just once, but until He answers. It's the process as much as the answer.

Tomorrow, December 4, 2008 will mark one year since we all learned that Ashley had Hodgkins Lymphoma. WOW! Where did 365 days go? What a journey she traveled & look at her today. I'm so grateful that God was with us each day, each chemo & radiation & everything in between. She's a fighter & I'm so proud of who she has become. Praise God!

He didn't lose it at all. I just didn't know where to look. All is well. Here's a picture of the turkey

Thanksgiving 08

Here I go again. My original first post was "saved" by Clifford so that the grandkids could play a turkey shoot game on the computer. Everyone wanted to play at once & there was crying, pouting & pleading so it had to be turned off. So when trying to update today, I couldn't find anything & it said it was deleted. Waa!! I shall collect myself & begin again.

I asked the girls--ashley My Journey to Wellness (asharama.blogspot.com) & alisa (algreigphotos.blogspot.com) who had web pages how to make my own--they both said it was so easy. Just click on the create button when you are in one of their webpages. I had to have a google gmail account & go from there.

My intention was to journal my growing up memories of holidays, everyday days & things that have shaped me & are part of who I am. These stories are floating around in my brain & heart--nothing award winning--but nevertheless mine. I've been told that I have "a good memory". I can remember my first phone number when I was 6--795-804. We lived at 2243-D Ahe Street in Palolo Housing. All my siblings & parents full names & birthdates etc. I should document my journey while I still can.

I'll begin with Thanksgiving. The first thing I think about as Thanksgiving approaches is the wonderful fruit bowl Mom made for the dinner table. She selected apples (red & green), oranges, tangerines, pears, bananas, mixed nuts & one year we had currants in a bunch. They were carefully arranged in a footed glass bowl. Mom was great at presentation. We couldn't eat anything until the day had arrived & all had visually appreciated her efforts. One by one the fruit would disappear & the nuts remained. Mom loved all nuts & she would start with the pecans, almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts & filberts are in the standard mix. I could handle the filberts and enjoyed cracking a bunch & eating them one at a time.

I thought about preparing such a fruit bowl this year. I purchased a tray of fuji apples from Costco, only found some yellow oranges so decided against those. Mixed nuts were $4.99 in a one pound bag or $3.99 pick your own. I didn't buy any. I was going to try to be careful about spending needlessly this year. Alisa made a great fruit salad with apples, pears, black grapes & blueberry yogurt. Yum. She also found the sweetest pineapple--she was very specific about who & how much we could have.

In the days when I watched a lot of cooking shows I had heard that brining (salt water soak) a turkey made it much more moist & tender. So I defrosted the turkey in my roaster oven in salt water on Wednesday morning. Patted her dry when I came home from work & placed her back in the refrigerator. On Thursday morning, she went back in the roaster oven at 325 degrees & spread a couple of tablespoons of butter on her 14 pound body. I was told that would give her a crisp skin. After more than 2 hours she hadn't browned at all only sweated. Moved her into the oven & finished baking her just before the gang arrived. She was perfect & I placed her on a pretty white turkey platter. Sunny Anderson (cook show host) said you had to leave the bird, meat for 20 minutes to let it rest & let the juices redistribute. Okay. People were hungry. 20 minutes later I carved a picture perfect slice of breast with crispy butter crust. Sigh. To move things along, Clilfford took over & hacked her up so we could eat. Sigh.

Thanksgiving 2008

What a beautiful Hawaiian Thanksgiving Day it's been.  I had the girls teach me how to get my blogspot started.  

I have a lot of memories that playback in my mind on holidays when preparing food for the meal or see something that remind me of mom or daddy a long time ago.  In the days before every Thanksgiving, I always think first of how mom would always prepare a footed glass bowl with fruit--apples, oranges, pears, grapes, & mixed nuts with the nut cracker.  One year, she carefully selected currants, dried in a bunch, on top of the fruit.  What a treat!  How extravagant!  You can't find currants in the store anymore, let along in a bunch!  Mom was a master at presentation & could arrange things artfully and make it so appealing.  After the holiday had passed & the fruits were eaten, mom would crack the nuts, one by one.  First to go were the pecans, then the almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts, then filberts (or hazelnuts).  The filberts were easiest for me to crack & I developed a fondness for them.  

I had hoped to prepare a similar centerpiece this year, and purchased some fuji apples.  The oranges weren't orange but more yellow & the mixed nuts were $4.99 a pound so I proceeded no further deciding that the nuts might go to waste if I bought them, & I settled for the ceramic pumpkin (from Drew) with silk leaves arrangement.  

I'm trying hard to be careful about spending money needlessly these days.  That's a good thing.  I think more often about how mom did things before all the gadgets, electronics & instant anything.  I'm grateful for those memories & need to share them with the new generation who always have had the gadgets & electronics.  I'm grateful that though we had less back then, we had plenty of love, sharing, learned how to take our turn, make do, be creative & do without.  Mom made special times when she put things on layaway, cheerfully baked her wonderful pies & cakes or sewed the dress or shirt for the occasion.