–1–

As we dig through the detritus of our computer room in order to convert it into the girls’ bedroom, my husband unearthed these . . . these gnomes, which he painted decades ago. He presented them to our oldest daughter, who squealed with delight. She promptly informed me that the female of the duo looks like me. Really? Say it ain’t so. But, yes, she insists, it’s a remarkable likeness. I’m thinking it’s time for a total body makeover.

–2–

We’re a little late in putting these up this year, but at Epiphany we typically mount these little blessing signs above the doors in our home. I had never seen these until we moved to southern central Pennsylvania. Here they can be found in most every Catholic parish on the feast of the Epiphany.

–3–

Looking for a mate? My lonely sock pile has gotten out of hand. With twelve feet to cover each day in this household – not counting the big kids’ switch from uniform socks to casual socks four days a week – we have plenty of potential for lost socks. Time to see if there are any love matches in this disturbingly large pile.

–4–

My son turned in his Ark of the Covenant model yesterday. I was impressed with how well it turned out. Amazing what a can of gold spray paint can do. ‘What’s that object in the middle,’ you say? Why, the Ark ghost. Because what self-respecting Indiana Jones fan would leave out the menacing ghost that melts the faces of those who look upon it? Yes, my children’s Old Testament history has been perverted by Raiders of the Lost Ark.

–5–

So far, our new, stackable washer/dryer set is working out fabulously. The capacity is so great, I can do the same amount of laundry in half as many loads. These appliances are so high-tech that upon completing  a cycle, they each play a brief melody. It’s more pleasant than the obnoxious buzz I was accustomed to, but the ear worm melody is insidious. I caught myself humming it, and I overheard the girls singing it while they played.

–6–

I think I invented a new cookie, quite by accident. I hastily offered to bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies to take to a friend’s house for our dessert. Unfortunately, I  had depleted our brown sugar supply with Christmas baking and forgot to restock. No problem. I’d just create my own by adding molasses to white sugar. Fine so far. As I measured and added first the sugar, then the molasses to the mixing bowl, I assured my husband that I could concentrate on what he was saying while I baked. I followed the conversation quite easily. Unfortunately, I also doubled the amount of molasses called for in the recipe. This resulted in a very gooey, yet delicious, bar cookie. I need to play with the amount of flour, but I think I’m onto something here. Gooey Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies.

–7–

My husband spent virtually every free moment from June through December working on this patio project. He completed it almost entirely himself, from digging to planting to lighting to wall-building and laying flagstone. It is impressive, and though he’d never done anything like this before, I believe the finished product rivals any professional job. The landscaping is beautiful in any season, as this photo demonstrates. I took this picture during Tuesday morning’s snowfall. Unfortunately, I didn’t get one while the decorative mushroom-shaped lights were lit. Their effect in the snow is lovely.

###

For more Quick Takes, visit This Ain’t The Lyceum.