Merry Christmas Charlie Brown

As a followup to the link we posted at Christmas, here's another link: http://nuclearity.org/ Look for the episode called Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!

I listened to it on the plane home from Connecticut today and enjoyed it -- including the interview quotes with Linford from Over the Rhine (one of our favorite bands). There really is something imperfect yet beautiful about that Christmas classic, and even after the holiday, I think the podcast is worth listening to. Of course, they touch on the Linus part, but also talk about the music, animation style, and more.

If you enjoy that episode of Nuclearity, check out the Narnia A to Z ones also -- looks to be a good series leading up to the spring release of Prince Caspian. Honestly, just about every episode they've done has been interesting -- thoughtful, interesting music, good guests, etc.

By the way, I'm discovering just how hard it is to type without using the index finger on my left hand - I took a nice bite out of the tip of my finger while using my rotary cutter to do some quilting with my mom. I managed to not get any blood on the quilt I was making for Davina, our niece, thankfully. I didn't lose my finger or anything serious like that, but but wow, does it hurt sometimes and make typing difficult!! I did a typing test and came in at only 65 words per minute, far below my normal average. :)

Merry Christmas

We're going to be traveling tomorrow, so we thought we should send out this early Christmas greeting.

We give you this holiday classic that always reminds us of what we're celebrating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA

Matt & Becky

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies (and some stir-fry...)

Since Friday, I've baked 7 containers of cookies. It's a nice escape to come home from a very busy day and basically just make a mess of the kitchen. :)

So far, I've mostly experimented with new recipes including a pathetic refrigerator cookie recipe from Martha Stewart. The cookies are cute (pinwheels and bullseyes in different colors) but taste, basically, like nothing. I had to cover them in powdered-sugar-icing and bits of candy to give them any flavor. I think I may be done with Martha's cookie recipes after this & two failed ones last year: first were Stained-Glass Christmas trees (sugar cookies with jolly ranchers melted into them) which I think she developed in a horrible conspiracy with dentists the world over, and some carrot-cake inspired cookies which just weren't quite right.

I've also experimented with a new technique for an almond lace cookie -- which didn't turn out anything like the pictures in the cookbook. Oh well... I blame my technique for that one.

On the more positive side, we have a box of coconut cookies, a batch of chocolate-coconut macaroons (Matt's mom's recipe which he totally loves), some chocolate pixies (also a recipe from Matt's mom - my first time trying it, and they turned out well), and some date pinwheels (which aren't a roaring success but are good enough). I also pulled out one old recipe for shortbread (I remember making these in 6th grade, from a little Pillsbury magazine).

I still need to make a huge pile of spritz (maybe I'll resist the temptation to make oddly colored ones this year), and I have the dough for candy-cane cookies in the fridge right now (my favorite ones!). I'd like to make some Lemon Bars from my Aunt Barb's recipe, though I might quit before I get to that. And, I will at least dip a few wheat-free pretzels in chocolate or bark for a few friends.

Hopefully that, combined with 2 more pie shells Matt has ready in the fridge, will be enough sweets for this year. :)

I also made some chicken-and-broccoli stir-fry tonight which actually turned out (I've never made a stir-fry correctly before). So, despite a few disappointing cookies, I think it was a good few day for cooking & baking at the Laswell home.

Here are links to the recipes I found online, should you be interested:

• The bad refrigerator cookies (don't make these!)
• The stir-fry (do make this!)

Prayers for Colorado Situation

If you're the praying sort, please join us in praying for a friend of ours who is a staff member at the YWAM facility where the shootings took place over the weekend (and everyone else there, of course). It's got to be a crazy time there, and we know they'll appreciate the support.

Thanks,
Becky & Matt

Christmas Decorations

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Laswell home!

Over the weekend, we put up the tree, the nativity scene, star-shaped lights in the front windows, lighted garland on the railing going upstairs, and chili-pepper lights in the kitchen.

The tree has blue & white lights with blue & silver ornaments. We got the tree last year, I think - it's a 7.5" tall thin tree, and is placed in the front window. I lost count on how many lights, but I think it's around 1,000.

We got some fun new ornaments this year which didn't belong on the tree, so I hung those off the garland on the stair rail. The new ornaments are the Simpson Family singing Christmas Carols. Kinda funny.

I've had the nativity scene for years -- the date on the bottom of the pieces is 1988. They were hand-carved by my uncle Larry and I'm so glad to have them -- they're quite detailed and it's just nice to have things hand-made by family. I put the wise men off to one side of the table and the manger scene on the other side (under a big star), like I usually do. I love unwrapping the pieces every year and remembering all the other times I've put the set up.

We need to do a bit more outside yet (straightening the icicle lights -- it's always such a pain!) and knowing me, I'll add something up here in the office (we spend too much time here to have it not have some decoration).

We'll be going to Connecticut for Christmas, and we live at the very end of the street on a hill, so we might not have a lot of people over to see the decorations, but that's OK with us -- we enjoy the warmth they give our home.

(Plus with the new dimmer on the outside lights set to come on at dusk automatically, we'll enjoy coming home and not having to fumble in the dark to unlock the house!)


Becky