Christmas Music from the Andersons

So I mentioned the Carpenters Christmas album in a previous post--it's my favorite Christmas album. But there's another source of Christmas music that's just as enjoyable--live music from the Anderson kids!

Nathan and Lindsey, my cousins that live in Everson, played in a recital at the Everson library this past weekend. Nathan played Carol of the Bells (if you've ever seen a Christmas commercial, 99% certain you've heard it), and Lindsey played Pat-a-Pat-Pan. They also did a duet, and didn't even fight during it (although that may have provided even more entertainment). All joking aside, they did a great job, and we were all proud of them!

Owen also had some cuddle time with Grandma, and stories from Grandpa. Couldn't resist adding these pictures.

Tree trimming at the Cools

Since I'm on a roll (and I have pictures), we got the tree up in the house and decorated. Sean's always in charge of the lights, with just a bit of input from me ("you missed a spot"). I spent the time making fudge and listening to the Carpenters Christmas album...and the fudge s*cked! I thought fudge was a recipe that couldn't go wrong. Apparently, I can make it go wrong.
Since we didn't have time that first night to get the ornaments on the tree, Guyan and Owen busied themselves with making Zoomorph creatures to hang on the tree. (Zoomorphs are "build and animal" toys that the boys love--but they never make a normal animal. Donkey's body, fins for arms, elephant trunks for legs, and an insect head. Voila! Zoomorph creature.)

And Owen, overcome with either the excitement of a ladder or a Christmas tree in the house, gave final inspection of the lights. It passed inspection, and he didn't fall (phew!).

A-hunting we will go

This year, we decided to venture out to the mountains again in search of our Christmas tree. We did it the first two years we lived in Ferndale, but on the second year our vehicle almost slid off a cliff (with only Sean in it). The thought of raising two boys by myself kept me to tree farms for 2006 and 2007.

But this year, the snow hasn't really started falling in the mountains yet, so we figured we could get up into the mountains pretty high and get that a perfect tree that's tall, au naturel (read: sparse, just how I like 'em) and only $10 (not counting the gas money and full day's work).

The views were great--we could see Mt. Baker and its glaciers between the clouds. This, of course, led to an impromptu lesson from our resident geologist to his budding prodigy. Good thing the boy likes science.

We stopped for a couple posed pictures...

...before the snowfights started. See that snowball in Guyan's hand? And see me telling him he'd "better not"? For the record, he didn't get me...but I pegged him later.

And of course, as mountain tree hunting goes, we *finally* found the tree with only about 20 minutes of daylight left. STRESS. It was about 15 feet tall, and (we think) a Silver Fir. Really nice. And the guy that loads them on your car? Very sweet--his personality makes up for his lack of knot-tying talents.

Giving thanks better late than never

So yeah, I've been a little remiss in my blogging. I've been busy though! Knitting, quilting, cooking, Thansgiving-ing, and reading other people's blogs. So now I must catch up.

So--the beer turned out FABULOUS. Very good color, very good flavor. We're actually getting low, and I've been bugging Sean to start another batch.

We brought it to our Thanksgiving celebration with my side of the family, and had a great time (not all due to the beer, mind you). We had eighteen of the Hill-descendants, from Great Grandma and Grandpa Hill to Dory and her parents. My sister, Elizabeth, and her husband Dustin were there, and brought their fancy camera. They took so many pictures, I figured I didn't need to....but I haven't gotten any copies from them (HINT HINT), so I can't post any here. I also slacked off and didn't take any video of the music that Great Grandpa Hill treated us to on Friday night. He and some of mom's friends played guitar and sang a bunch of country music. That's something Grandpa Hill loves to do, and does very well.

Sooo...without any pictures, I guess that's it for Thanksgiving. Maybe I'll be able to update it later (HINT HINT).

Ferm-ent-a-tion, keep the rhythm goin'

So the bubbling started, and it progressed into a nice fermentation. it might look like mud, but it smells great! This past weekend, it was time to move the beer from the primary fermenter to the secondary fermenter... This required a siphon. What fun.



Sean got the siphon going first, and about half the beer moved into the secondary fermenter with no problem. But then an air bubble started, and we had to do it again...Let's just say it took a while to get it right, and the picture below ("Mastering the art of Siphoning") tells the story better than I could...

Tiny bubbles...

Seriously, I don't know what Sean and I would do without our hobbies. He's got another one brewing...

Last Sunday, Sean started making beer! I think he's always had an interest in it--most men do, I think--and this summer, started looking into it seriously. His birthday presents all focused on brew-making, and with a neighbor who's been doing it for almost 20 years, he could borrow anything he didn't receive as gifts. Good neighbor, he is!

As you probably kow, beer making requires yeast. Happy, healthy, yeast. To Sean, that meant they should start respiring with gusto ASAP--he may have been expecting instant carbonation. "Biology takes time," his wife says. You'd think a geologist would understand that.

Sean has been checking his water lock on the car boy for bubbles every couple of hours for the past two days. He hasn't had a bubble yet, and was getting disheartened. But the neighbor brewmeister said that it might take days before something happened...

And tonight, something's happening. No bubble yet, but the bubble in the water lock is growing, and will soon be escaping. Probably at around 2:00 a.m. or so--I wouldn't be surprised if Sean is awake and there to see its emergence.

So what has Melinda been doing?

So, you ask, what have I been doing all summer? (Not a lot of blogging apparently...)

It was Sean and my (mine's?) tenth anniversary on August 29th. For the past year, I'd been working on a quilt for our bed. At the end of September, I finished it! Machine pieced, hand-quilted Kaleidoscope quilt with a pillowtuck allowance (I always mention that because it seemed to make it so much bigger, and that much more work!).

Unfortunately, it wasn't finished in time for the Fair (look for it next year!), or the Moonlight Quilters' Quilt Show (don't get me started--I'm still sore). But it is proudly displayed on our bed, and I must say, it's the perfect weight and warmth. I'm so good. Now I'm thinking about the next project--a wall hanging, I think...