Memorial Day weekend

I had this vision of homemade mayonnaise, with lemon and herbs, for asparagus.

So Rolf helped me with the beating.  My hands are so wimpy these days, I can't do a lot of whipping or beating.

My special asparagus strainer, that fits inside the asparagus pan which is tall and skinny, and makes it easy not to over cook the tips.

the finished product, going onto some coleslaw. I almost always make cabbage salads with a vinaigrette, rather than mayo, but in this case, it seemed like the right thing to do. after all the work of beating the mayo up.

I also had a vision of roasting ears, so I wrapped all the corn on the cob up and put it on the grill, rather than just boiling it, which would have been easier. 

Maxwell fell asleep before dinner, having spent the night before at a friend's house.  He looked like he was still alseep at the table.  Rolf brought Mexican sodas so the kids thought they were in hog heaven, just drinking a big old bottle of pop right in front of me, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Rolf making his pear ice cream, which he had been thinking of for months.

Freyja having "pie and ice cream, with no pie, but sprinkles on the ice cream part".

Rolf's girlfriend brought an apple pie, which is my favorite.

 

She also brought this fellow, which normally wouldn't be my favorite, but he is very well behaved and super cute.

My poppy never produces more than two flowers. They were really lovely, though.

Cake

Meyerlemon cupcakes VEGAN for a work holiday party.  A friend sent me a giant box of lemons and I made lemoncake. 

Vegan devil's food bunt cake for the work party too.  I have one employee that likes this cake a lot, so I try to butter him up with it at least once a year, the least I can do, for a job well done.

Yule log roll, for Mark's family Christmas party today.  I am not fancy enough to make the meringue mushrooms the way you are supposed to, I just made some out of marzipan, like a lazybone. 

Witchy woman

 

Freyja and I getting ready to head out for a cemetery tour at Lone Fir Cemetery. 

The tour turned out to be very cool, despite my nervousness about crowds and lines and my general ongoing social retardation that makes this sort of outing nerve wracking for me. 

Poor Maxwell drew the unfortunate lot of having his outdoor school land on Halloween (I know! What kind of idiot scheduled it?) so it was just the two of us, tagging along with some friends who live in the neighborhood and were gracious enough to invite us along.   

Mark stayed home to man the candy distribution, and keep the cat from harm.

Once again blogger is acting goofy and putting the photos in random order... 

our friends- a witch and a wood nymph, waiting in line for the walk

a good excuse to use that white manic panic powder purchased nearly 20 years ago on impulse.

Freyja and a friend running though the graveyard!

The founder of this cemetery and his wife.

 Along the tour there were actor preforming little vignettes, related to the grave.  This one was a fellow by the name of Mitchell, that was a musician, killed by a speeding horse cart, sometime in the late 1880's.

a lovely house along our trick or treating way.

spooky lights!

home again, for some "mile high apple pie"

and some ginger pear cake too.

 Some of us were VERY excited to carve pumpkins...

 and some of us would have rather been playing video games.

Decking of the halls and all of that stuff

More pastry than you can shake a stick at!

Miss F, in Hanna Anderson skirt ($3.99) & Dansko Clogs ($5.99) from Goodwill!

It has been a whirlwind of activity around here, since December 5th, when the children & Rolf started in on St Nicholas Day celebration.

Every year, my gift to Rolf is making a big St. Nicholas dinner with a goose as the centerpiece.

This year the geese were $70, and since I both cheap, and not into eating geese, I suggested a focus on the sweets instead, and I would say that a jolly time was had by all, despite the lack of any honking fowl.

a very tall skinny Noble Fir tree. The only kind I like.

Maxwell kneeding the Butter S dough.

Freyja showing him how it's done!

OOOps! I forgot to take photos of dinner! Dang! St. Nicholas dinner 2009 really did happen!