Domestic revelations of a domestic revolutionary.

Should your bathroom smell strongly and inexplicably of pee even after you've swabbed it down repeatedly, check the shower curtain. Why? I couldn't say. Pee smell that misses the scrutiny of the husband with an unworking sniffer and a little boy who smells of dirt and sweat and dog and pencil lead? Could be the shower curtain. Washing it (in hot, with very little detergent, just like those cloth diapers years ago) could well do the trick.

Should your husband and child come home from school to find you washing dishes and sweeping the floor in your underpants and a torso long sports bra, smile your best smile. Smile your best smile especially if this wasn't intended as a sexy saran wrap come-on, as you are a portly middle aged but reasonably attractive and good natured woman. Smile your best smile as you say to your husband, "Well, I guess you didn't expect to come in to find your wife in her underpants and a bra." Smile bigger when your husband adds, "And a necklace!" Place your open palmed hand over your chest as if saying "I swan!" just as you've seen your mother do for decades whenever she is tickled or moved or flirty with your father. You may wish to disclose that you are in such a state merely because not only did you burn the supper (aloo bhindi) you'd intended for take away for a friend  because you were on the phone with your brother and highly distracted, but you'd also spilled a considerable amount of aforesaid burned supper (laden with tumeric) onto your clothing and had actually intended to change but had again gotten distracted by the dirty floor needing attention.

And so it goes. If you are especially lucky, your sweet husband will take you out to supper by moving a few funds around and hold your hand across the table and then build a bonfire for your child and a friend upon coming home.

Preparation.

When something, or someone, is coming, it's time to get ready.

Be it the arrival of the innocence of the Christchild, or of longer days full of light, Santa Claus, or the open ended and hopeful possibilities of the impending New Year.

Here in East Tennessee, we are readying. Mother has her first week of chemo treatment down. She and Daddy are both a year older-- we have feted and celebrated them, though Daddy has requested not to have his now traditional ice box fruitcake in honor of him. (The rest of the family is sad about this, so I may have to pull one out before we depart for the next leg of celebration northerly, where I will make it yet again.)

This will be the first time in my memory without a true Advent wreath to light at Mother and Daddy's here on Christmas Eve. We will certainly have to light a candle tonight, and it would give my heart great joy to hear our son read the birth story from his Uncle Jeffrey's childhood Bible, which lives in the room upstairs in which we sleep here.

As I write, Mother is drinking tea and eating a cookie brought us by a neighbor at home in Nashville, and a pumpkin muffin brought here by my sister in law. My Mister has helped The Boy hang his series of (eight) Santa letters -- some directive, some requesting. They are even now creating a snack for the reindeer.

Our butter is room temp for pie crusts and for our favorite holiday cookies which will be baked up this evening for Santa and the rest of us, too.

I have addressed a second raft of Christmas cards, and last night before bedtime, our Boy wrote all the letters to Santa, and today once his father arrived, we've begun to make our time honored Santa Box (in which the big man delivers presents to the La Grone children and theirs.)

The questions at bedtime included, "Do you believe in Santa? What would you ask him if you could? I'd ask him if he's real. And if he has magic dust."

I think about how sometimes we wonder are YOU real, God? Do YOU have magic dust? Is Jesus real?

I made my own peace with that some time ago, agreeing with myself to let the mystery be. I have tried to impart this open hearted belief in believing to my child. The willingness to allow ourselves to be steeped in a love even bigger than Van Morrison's love that loves to love that loves to love.... The ability to say, "What?!" and then create a stronger purpose for holding on another year when a friend says "Santa's not real, my parents TOLD me."

Does it matter if you call your belief Santa or God or Christchild or New Season?

I am not sure it does, to be honest.

I choose to believe. I choose to hold onto faith, to expect Light. To await the miracle of the Christchild with wonder and with reverence. I choose to believe that chemotherapy may help my sweet mother by shrinking her brain tumor. I choose to delight in cookies and ice box fruit cake, letters to Santa and wrapping bits and bobs like books and lipsticks and handmade treats in colorful paper, with, I have to believe, all the love and wonder of the three kings with their gifts of frankincense, gold and myrh.

I KNOW they came to see Jesus as a toddler. That they didn't actually appear at a manger bed while cattle were lowing and angels hollered, "Hark!"

The timing on this is immaterial to me, because I have chosen preparation. I have chosen the kind of love that can not be explained, but can be felt right here among the ones I cherish, the ones close to birth, and the ones closer still to death.

We are waiting. We await. We stretch our hearts larger yet again, and walk into darkness unafraid, expecting Light.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles.

My boy decided he wanted to make his favorite cookie over the weekend. He made a list of each teacher on "my big hallway at school," and we made the cookies. We bagged a single one for each of the teachers on his list, and he asked me to type out the recipe, which I happily did. This afternoon, we'll staple the recipe, along with a note of cheer to each baggie.

Oh, I love my boy's heart.



 Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Makes 2 dozen Cookies 

A beautiful crackle topped chocolate cookie with a spicy cayenne kick and a sugary cinnamon coating.

For the topping: 
1/3 cup sugar 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

For the cookies: 
1/2 cup canola oil 
1 cup sugar 
1/4 cup pure maple syrup 
3 tablespoons almond milk (Or your preferred non-dairy milk) 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 teaspoon chocolate extract (or more vanilla extract if you have no chocolate) 
1 2/3 cups flour 
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 

1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon cayenne 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Mix the topping ingredients together on a flat plate. Set aside. 

In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together oil, sugar, syrup, and milk. Mix in extracts. 

Sift in remaining ingredients, stirring as you add them. Once all ingredients are added mix until you’ve got a pliable dough. 

Roll dough into walnut sized balls. Pat into the sugar topping to flatten into roughly 2 inch discs. Transfer to baking sheet, sugar side up, at least 2 inches apart (they do spread). This should be easy as the the bottom of the cookies should just stick to your fingers so you can just flip them over onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, they should be a bit spread and crackly on top. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar  By Isa Chandra Mowskowitz

Mornings.

Snacktime at Diggy's, over the holidays.

Having all the boy's standard school attire at last in one dresser upstairs in his room has proven a boon, and has removed the necessity of choosing clothing for the morning box. (Instead, the morning box contains the backpack, coat, mittens, hat, and any other items like library books or toys that need to be taken for the day or returned to someone / somewhere.) My big kiddo is doing a great job of dressing for the school day, with a choice from each drawer, no help needed. SSA trousers (in khaki, navy or black,) a collared shirt (solid color,) and often a sweater or fleece pullover on top (also solid covered.)

I must say: I love the whole SSA program. It simplifies the shopping and readying process greatly, and evens the playing field for children from all strata and income levels. Additionally, there's the frugal and environmentally / economically friendly exchange program. The kids look pulled together and have a sense of appropriate (as in, no heinies hanging out or Juicy wording on the booty) style for school, yet are given room to add a personal bling to add one's own flava. My boy often adds a headband, a necklace, newsboy cap, bracelets or rings.

The new parka from Diggy is grand, as are the specially commissioned hand-knit mittens in camouflage colors -- these most especially appreciated when the temperature is in the twenties and the back deck and stairs are coated with ice -- something which, asidely, prompted the Mister to put a "travel ban" on me, his oft falling wife.

This morning, the Mister prepared to take the boy to school  by walking the dog and warming up the car, while I packed lunches and prepared breakfast, sorting this and that for my own work day and carpool duties at school day's end.



"What would you like for breakfast, son? Cheerios with bananas and milk or yogurt, OR a breakfast burrito with eggs, salsa and cheese in a tortilla?" I asked my boy as he dressed for the day.

"Actually, I'd like Pancake Pantry," said my boy.

"Good one, but not a choice today, pal."

"What did you say my choices were again?"

Once more through the choices, and the boy suggests, "How about eggs and toast?"

"Done," I tell him, and scramble up a half dozen, make oven toast, and sautee up spinach and onions to add to my own breakfast.



Despite effort, father and son still leave late for school. (Last minute readying by the Mister, forgotten precious Lego piece by the boy, prompting one last trip inside from the car....)

I enter my own eats and water intake on livestrong.com -- a simple calorie counting tool I like for its ease and accountability. Move on to other tasks.



Now, if only I could find my phone charger....

Snow larder, part 2.0

Two days out of school-- Monday and Tuesday. A half day yesterday, to accommodate the anticipated ice storm. Alas, the front moved Easterly fast. My family in the eastern part of the state are homebound today due to dangerous icy roads and low temps (that means my sister is not teaching today, and her girls are getting a jump on their winter break and are home with her today.) Here, I woke to rain and strangely balmy weather. When I walked into the darkened living room at 5:30 this morning to plug in the tree lights and fire up the Amish fireplace, I realized rather quickly that the latter was unnecessary.



I made coffee, put on a pot of cocoa, and cooked up bloody monster eyes (egg in a nest with a drizzle of ketchup) for breakfast. Readied a bag of outgrown standard school attire (SSA) to pass on to Ziggy's teacher for children in class, and tucked our wonderful gifted teacher's gift into a bag. We had a talk about not sharing hats or coats as the first case of lice has been confirmed in Ziggy's class, and it's only a matter of time before we may experience this, too. Then sent my boy off in his pirate jammies for pajama day at school, where his elementary school librarian will be reading Polar Express to the kindergarten children. It's a half day. I'll pick the boy up early, then he and I both have teeth cleanings. His will be his first, as our beloved dentist and hygienist have previously thought he didn't really need it until age 5.

This evening we'll have a friend's child over for supper and maybe a movie or a game or two of Bingo, as the child's parents have a holiday party to attend. Ziggy loves having friends here, and is pleased that we'll have another friend's child with us tomorrow, and yet another friend's child with us on Saturday afternoon. We've also offered to have a schoolmate attend church with us on Sunday, so we shall see....

In the meantime, I am doing a little meal planning.

In recent weeks, I instigated a mealshare with my girlfriend Erin. She and I both have three person families: two adults and young primary school aged boys. We feed our families well rounded omnivore type diets, enjoy cooking, and live within a mile of one another. Thus far, it's served as an inspiration to break my uncharacteristic non-cooking rut, and a desire to be creative, using what I have. She shares a meal with us on Mondays, I do Tuesdays. Another bonus to having a "meal in the bank" as it were, and to extending our flavors and styles of meals, is seeing one another even if only for a few minutes a couple times a week.

My snow larder list earlier this week has been much commented upon, not so much here, but in real life. I suppose I should clarify that the list is one of options and making one or two choices eliminates other choices because ingredients will get used up.

So far this week, I have prepared eggs and toast (with help from Ziggy,) bloody monster eyes, and tuna melts, and we have eaten from
Erin's rice and spicy beans. Additionally I have prepared a pot of pinto beans with CSA porkchops, along with cornbread, and a supper of taco soup and homemade macaroni and cheese. Both of these meals have been shared with friends, one for my friend Kate's family during the time their young son was in the hospital (he has been effectively treated and is now home!) and the other for the aforementioned mealshare with Erin's family.

Presently, I have some beautiful CSA leg quarters pulled from the freezer and thawed, ready to make into something. I believe I'll be trying out my friend Nibal's baked garlic chicken, something she calls a typical middle eastern dish, with the trinity of typical spices cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Yet I have no allspice.

I may borrow some, or have to do without.

What have you been feeding YOUR family?

Snow larder.

Yesterday we went to church, dropped a meal to a friend who'd just had a baby, picked up one of Ziggy's classmates, then headed to a birthday party way on the west side of town for another classmate.

By the time we arrived home, well after three, this is what it looked like.

Rain had turned to snow, and began to accumulate. Temperatures, like in many other places around the country, dropped steadily. In the late afternoon the Mister's work holiday party as well as our Sunday Night Group were canceled for the evening. By nightfall, Metro Nashville Public Schools and most of the daycares, preschools and private institutions in the metro area has been called off for today. Accidents abounded.

I tucked Ziggy into our bed, leaving his open for a friend who was to fly in late last night from a business trip, believing that if his flight wasn't canceled, he might have an easier time getting to our home from the airport rather than making his way out to his own, quite a bit further away, but holding the heart lure of his beloved wife, newborn son and two young preschool aged sons.

Near one in the morning, I woke. Made sure the the faucets were dripping. Assured myself that the cats were in, and the dog was settled. Then began to take stock.

On an index card, I wrote the meal choices I can make over the next few days or a week, if I'm very careful to ration a few staples. I did not make it down into the basement last night to inventory the deep freeze, though I do know it contains a whole turkey, a few whole chickens, a pork roast, select vegetables, pasties from a shop in my husband's hometown, and a few other bits and bobs.

My snow larder meal option list looks like this:

Pintos & tortillas or cornbread
Roasted winter squash with pasta and sage, cream and asiago
Black bean and sweet potato enchiladas with spinach
Taco Soup
Potato-corn chowder
Pancakes
Pasta with boiled eggs and vegetables
French toast
Chicken & dumplings
Chicken Tetrazzini
Rice and beans (black, pinto or kidney)
Lentil stew, or dal with or homemade naan
Deviled eggs
Fritata
Omelettes
Biscuits
Vegetable soup
Mackerel patties

The milk is the main item needing some rationing. We've also got plenty of peanut butter and apple butter and bread and oodles of good farm eggs. We've got Cheerios and baking supplies for Mexican Wedding Cookies and Cracker Toffee and Banana bread.

Plenty of coffee and tea and nuts and tuna in cans. A bit of cheese and plenty of cornmeal.

We're set.

How about you?