Cheers!!

Happy New Year, and to all a good night.

In Treatment 01

Who else is looking forward to the new HBO series In Treatment 01 with Gabriel Byrne and others? It promises to be an all time favorite.

Oh, the leather...

The journal shelf at Barnes and Noble. Lordy!! The choices were infinite. The leather ones are by far the ones that make all my senses tingle. But they are also the most expensive. I'll settle for visiting the shelf on my regular visits to the store.

A Carnivore's Delight

Dad and daughters begin the ritual of of the rib eyes, purchased from the butcher who cut them to their specifications.

Poke them tender.

Add the condiments.

Pile them up, and let stand in the fridge.

Get the grill going.

Serve warm, after trimming off the fat.

The carnivore inclinations existing in various degrees in the family have now been satisfied indefinitely.

Where in the World is Santa

Visit NORAD Tracks Santa's Command Center and see what Santa is doing. Has he been to your house?

Jingly Lights in the Neighborhood

This is what we see in our festive, Holiday Season eager participant neighborhood.

Merry Holidays all!

Home made delicacies

My friend the baker, bestows her homemade goodies on to a select few, on the jolly season of Christmas... This was my batch... Everything has a subtle, beneath the surface ingredient that surprises the taste buds when it first touches the tongue.

Let sweetness bring peace to earth.

The Hamster with a sense of humor

Dietlof Reiche, and don't forget his name, has written fabulous books about a literate golden hamster - adventures - I could say, from the point of view of Freddy, that hamster of the highest order. These books are perfect for 2nd and 3rd graders who prefer humor in their reading. Freddy himself is currently working on a volume of poetry he plans to publish, called A Hamster in Love. They really are funny and I am tickled to hear my young one laugh out loud, and enjoy reading. Because reading is important, we must find what tickles their pink.

Abuelas y abuelos - Feliz Navidad

Celebrating Christmas at a local community center. It was a party in honor of grandparents who are raising their children.

I am a:

Homemade chicken nuggets

I used an old loaf of bread to make the bread crumbs.

She did the rest.

They are baked and served warm, or better yet served cold later.

Frosty's visit to AZ

A little bit of cold goes a long way after a long, long summer... Here's to 40 degree night temperatures.

Juicing up with Sara Tavares

My amiga bequeathed this cd as a Christmas offering. Oh, the sweet sound of Sara. Thanks amiga. Take a peek here.

A room with a view

This image is also part of our experience of Christmas.

A local Catholic church

Hazardous Weather Outlook

Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 47. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

It's surprising how less tolerant of rain one becomes after living in AZ for a while.

Traditions make holidays

This tradition has enriched the family for decades. The Kleiner recipe (here's one), came with the great grandfather from Denmark, and is now being used by young hands who are making it theirs.

Grams prepares the dough. It is rolled, then cut.

You do a thing with the piece, kind of a bow. They are deep fried.

Et voila: the youcan'thavejustone cookie.

Shinning bright in Phoenix

The Buttes

The Buttes

The Boulevard

The Boulevard

Yes, we were moving...

Love anything

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intake, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly save from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.

- C.S Lewis

The Four Loves

David Broza

The concert in Masada. Que lindo.

For my mother in heaven

She can now be all I need her to be.

2 blankies in progress.

Christmas Greetings

This one is made to contain a recipe.

Front

Inside

The recipe - Oatmeal Coconut Cookies. You can tear it off and keep only t hat portion of the card

Some others

Bugaboos

Christmas trees are pretty cool. My childhood home did not have one most of the time. I remember a small one in my early teens. Christmas in Mozambique is not like Christmas in a cold place. I like the Hallmark's keepsake notion, but I don't buy their ornaments. I saw this tree today, at a girly girls' bakery/party place.

All pretty in pink.

What do solar panels do when the clouds are out?

They usually collect energy as the sun rises in the eastern sky.

Today, there wasn't much happening in the eastern sky. By noon, the giant panels had been moved. They were flat, following the high noon sun.

It rained cats and dogs

Arizona born children squeak with glee at the sight of rain. Out come the umbrellas and raincoats. Classrooms collect it in jars for a science experiment. They time track the downpour. It is cause for celebration.

Shinny Streets

Clouds

Lights on at 8 am

There's a rainbow up there.