Beginning of the Holidays

Chloe is off all next week, and we will head down to Virginia to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. The holidays must be officially here. In honor of them, I planted my annual amaryllis (red, of course), which kicks of the season for me.

Chloe and I also made our favorite chocolate chip cookies this morning - crisp edges and chewy centers. This is the recipe, which comes from Joyofbaking.com:

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar
2/3 cup (140 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups (210 grams) chocolate chunks (can use chocolate chips)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Place one oven rack in the top third of the oven, and one oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and egg yolk, beating until well combined. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

Form dough into balls, using 1/4 cup (55 grams) for each cookie. Place six balls of dough on each baking sheet. Gently flatten each ball of dough into a 2 1/2 inch (6.5 cm) round. Bake the cookies for about 15-17 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. The cookies are done when they are light golden brown in color and just set. They will still seem a little soft but they will firm up as they cool. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 18 large cookies.

Why I Don't Have a Vegetable Garden...

This year anyhow... Maybe I'll get a fence in before next spring.

Some Garden Photos & A Pretty New Ring

(Sedum)

Philip and I spent much of the weekend weeding and mulching, which gave me a chance to appreciate the colors in the flower beds right now. Here are some photos of what's in bloom. (Nasturtiums)

(Snapdragons)

I also wanted to post about a beautiful ring I bought from SYFjoolz on Etsy. It is a beautiful Montana Agate ring. I love the clean lines and great craftsmanship. I'm no hand model, but here I am wearing this gorgeous piece of art!

Orchids

I bought my first orchid last year. My parents gave me another for Christmas this year. So here is the one they gave me (white) still blooming, with my old one, which I was happy to see bloomed again.

First Frost

It's hard to believe that I took these photos of my garden just last Thursday. We had our first real frost over the weekend, and now everything except the snapdragons are gone.

I'm enjoying a quiet day. No one here except me, the dog, and the cat.

I'm in the process of preparing to head back to work part-time next week. Mixed emotions on that. I'm not good with empty time. I love to read, play the piano, crochet, and make jewelry, but that protestant work ethic keeps me from enjoying it as much as I should. And it will be nice to bring in some extra money - especially with the economy doing what it's doing - or isn't.

I am interested in my work - architecture, but with it comes a lot of anxiety for me. We'll see if working Andrea = happy Andrea or just crazy Andrea. I worry about how it will affect our homelife balance - we lead a pretty calm and organized life, which I love.

My mom stayed home when we were young and was never really fulfilled after we all left the house, since we were her job. I learned by watching that, and don't want to be left wondering what to do with myself when my daughter heads off to college.

So, at any rate, I've decided to jump in and see how it all works out. It should be an interesting experiment!

Whispers in the Garden

This is one of my favorite times of year, early summer when the peonies are in bloom. The days feel lazy and warm, but not too hot, and the flowers from the blackberries behind our house scent the air.

Flowers are an integral part of my memories. The sight of peonies evokes summer days spent at my grandparents' summer house in Guilford.

The house in Guilford was one of my favorite places - it had a sense of place all its own. It had interesting nooks and crannies, and in the bedrooms upstairs were petite closets under the eaves that were just the right size for a child to hide in during a game of hide and seek. The screened porch had a fountain that trickled continuously through the summer, and peonies and beebalm bordered the porch. I am sure it is this house that made me decide to be an architect.

When my family sold the house after my grandfather died, my brother and I made a promise to each other to buy the house back someday. Until that day I have my peonies, taken from the house in Guilford and moved to every house I have owned - first to Virginia, then Maryland, Maine, and finally here in Pennsylvania.

When the peonies are in bloom, I think of days spent in Guilford, lying on the prickly grass, watching the sky, and breathing in the scent of the flowers of the meadow behind the house. I think of nights spent in my dormered room, studying the sloping ceiling above my head and watching the sun fade away. The peonies are blooming this week, and they bring me home to my grandmother and Guilford again.