Taliesin West

We decided we should take advantage of Ev's time off this month. So we left the Christmas carnage where it lay, and packed up our things to drive up to Phoenix on the 26th. Ev's main goal for the trip was to do some mountain bike trails, so as a concession, I got to choose the first activity of the weekend. So we went to Taliesin West. It is a school of architecture established and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1937.

Can you find the roadrunner in this picture?

This petroglyph stone was found on the property. Wright liked it and decided to use the second symbol from the left, in his design.

It's located in Scottsdale, up on a hill overlooking the city. Although, when Wright arrived, Phoenix was just a tiny dot on the map, and Taliesin didn't overlook anything but cactus. After having seen Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob in Pennsylvania, it was interesting to compare how his style changed to adapt to the desert landscape. As an added bonus for me, there was beautiful sculpture all over the property. Ev had to keep calling me to keep up with the tour group.

The Year of the Big Boy

Toy, that is. This was the year of the big boy toy. It's a whole new section of the toy department when you have all kids over 3 years. The really good part about that is that each child thinks he got double since he can play with all his new toys and his brother's. All the presents were open by 11am, so we had plenty of day left to enjoy them all. Trevor spent a couple of the afternoon hours putting together a LEGO trashtruck. A few helps from Mom, but mostly he followed the directions all by himself.
It was also the year of the outdoor toy, since we have limited indoor space. Living in AZ has it's perks. It was a little windy, but you just can't grumble at a sunny, 70 degree Christmas Day.

Seriously. Is this the coolest toy or what? A competitive racetrack. Sometimes they have to drag Mom & Dad away from it.

Trevor has declared that now he is ready to learn how to make some things for real. Sounds great to me! I could use a Sous Chef!

Busy, Busy, Busy

We've been managing to keep very busy this week. Ev has been off work all week, so he has been able to do all these fun Christmas activities with us for the first time. We took an idea from my friend, Kelli, and did some edible "gingerbread" houses. Ironically, by the time they were done making their houses, they were so full of candy eaten during the process, they were full. Go figure. We also had some structural support issues, so next time we'll need a good architect to consult.

I've been photographing everything in sight. Practice makes perfect. It also makes the whole process slower when you stop to photograph everything. Just ask my husband and kids.

The nice part is that we've had time to rush around and get all our work done. Now we can slow down and enjoy ourselves. It's so encouraging to watch the boys as they listen and learn about Christmas. We've been doing an avent calendar all month, as well as an advent storybook. Tonight we will attend our church's Christmas Eve service, and the boys will come in the service with us. I am enjoying passing on old traditions and starting new ones. We will miss being near all our family and friends this Christmas. We hope that you are all having a wonderful holiday! We pray that you will remember the reason that we celebrate this Christmas- the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

"While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:6-7

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tragedy Averted

As I was gathering my recipes to make a list for the commissary run, I realized I had a serious problem. I could not find my recipe for Poteca. Poteca is a yeast roll that my mom has been making for Christmas morning for as long as I can remember. Strangely, I never liked it as a child, but I have grown to love it. Christmas breakfast would not feel complete without it. I made a panicked phone call to my mom, who is visiting my sister for Christmas, asking her where the Poteca recipe should be found. She assured me that it was in the Betty Crocker cookbook. Well, I searched all through my 1950 and 1973 copies and it was nowhere to be found. My sister's Betty Crocker didn't include it either. Fortunately, my other sister has a Betty Crocker cookbook identical to my mom's. She was kind enough to scan the recipe so that I can continue the Poteca tradition. I thought I would pass it along. It's not difficult, and the mellow flavor of the walnuts, combined with that slightly tangy lemon flavor is so perfect. The filling keeps the yeast dough so moist. Mmmmm! My mouth is watering already! So, here it is, compliments of my sister and Betty Crocker, circa 1963. Don't you just love those groovy line drawings??