Baking for Christmas!

This past weekend, Deb and I set aside a bit of time to bake a few Pumpkin/Cranberry/Nut breads. What a great bread to give away as a holiday gift or as a hostess gift....they smell heavenly and they taste even better!!! I always make a few and put them in the freezer while the fresh cranberries are in season and readily available in the stores. I also throw a bag or two in the freezer for use later in the spring when I am craving this bread and cranberries are no where to be found! They freeze really well!

The breads turned out great even if you do get talking/distracted and you start to wonder: "Did I add the orange juice already".....and "I think I added the ground cloves to this batch, didn't I"?.....
I can't think of doing anything better than spending time with a dear friend AND baking!!! Food and friends....a clear match made in heaven!

Preparing for a Christmas in Vermont - 2010

It's getting to look a lot like Christmas (and Winter!!) in Colchester! I'm sure it has a lot to do with my age, however, the days, weeks and months are flying by - it seems like yesterday that we were decorating and preparing for Christmas 2009. Thanksgiving 2010 was just thought about and prepared for..and now we are well into the Christmas season. It would be lovely if we could somehow slow it all down! Isn't this what we always seem to wish for......


Below are pictures of the first two ornaments that went on our Christmas tree for 2010! First of all an ornament to commemorate Ed's exciting and highly rewarding experiences at Harvard this Fall.



And secondly, this ornament is a replica of Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas cruise ship .... the very ship that we sailed this past June to the Bahamas, St. Maartan and St. Thomas. What a wonderful family trip - filled with so many cherished memories - celebrating Bryan's 21st birthday!


Our beautiful tree....all lit and decorated for the season.....


We are really enjoying this holiday season and are all quite busy with Christmas events. Cookie exchanges, Christmas concerts, holiday dinners with friends, the shopping frenzy, work parties, ornament exchanges, Secret Santas, baking with friends ..... it's all about the traditions and the time spent with family and friends.

Speaking about tradition and time spent with family and friends....this is our 20th year of attending our annual Christmas dinner/ornament exchange with our very dearest friends. Hosted by Ken and Monica...every year we, (all 14 of us!), gather to enjoy a lovely dinner and celebrate the season and our friendship. After dinner we participate in a rousing ornament exchange, that at times can get a bit "heated"....depending on the ornament!! ;-) The caroling that occurs after dinner always puts us all back into the true spirit of Christmas... although, some of us do have better singing voices than others!! :-)


Everyone gathered at Ken and Monica's dining room table!


Ken and Monica....the chefs of the evening and our fabulous host and hostess!


The lovely meal of the evening! It was absolutely delicious.....as usual!



Ed, John and Dale.....


Sue and Ellen.....


Ken, Monica, Paul and Linda......


Relaxing after dinner with our caroling and ornament exchange....such fun! :-)


Nothing like a good old fashioned round of Yankee Swap....with ornaments. Each year we come up with a different way to decide who gets their first pick of ornaments! This year the order was determined by the first letter of your middle name, although we would work the alphabet backwards! It's Mark's turn....he's opening his package.....and then......


....marveling at his chosen ornament. Don't get too attached Mark!!!! Someone just may steal it from you....Monica is looking very interested....!


"Silent Night....Holy Night..." Caroling the night away!





The MOST perfect way to end a brilliant evening....with a bit of perfection!! Yum...




With less than one week before Christmas Day, we do hope you all are enjoying the Season as well! We want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and our warmest, love-filled wishes for a happy, healthy, joyful and blessed New Year.

Holiday Cookie Exchange

December 9 marked our annual cousins' dinner and cookie exchange - a day in December that we all look forward to, and for me, kicks off the holiday season with a bang!

This year we gathered at Judy's lovely home in Fairfax and enjoyed a fabulous meal - her delicious lasagna....remember Judy, I would LOVE the recipe! The selection of cookies this year was outstanding - as always...such a talented group of bakers. Lori began a new tradition to our annual event this year. Everyone brought a wrapped, favorite kitchen item, and we participated in a good old fashioned Yankee swap. It was fun, entertaining, and everyone loved their gifts! Eddie and I have been enjoying the beautiful, very red, snowflake coffee mugs each morning - filled to the brim with fabulous Green Mountain Coffee Roasters coffee....thank you Deb!

I always enjoy spending time with my cousins. On every occasion that we gather, whether it is a monthly luncheon, a dinner, a King family reunion, or at our annual cookie exchange, we always have fun and enjoy our time spent together. We have a lasting connection to one another - our parents are brothers and sister, and I know they are as happy as we are, that we have maintained our close family tie to one another.

Cheers to our holiday gathering of 2010.....Merry Christmas Judy, Sandy, Lori, Deb and Kerry. I love you all!


Judy and Lori....getting ready for the Yankee swap! ;-)



Our lovely dinner table at Judy's home. Great lasagna!!



Judy was the first to pick a gift.....however, it quickly left her possession....never get too attached to what you open during a Yankee swap!


Silly me..... I thought I would go home with those fabulous red spatulas! Hmmm....just was not meant to be, right Sandy??? Stolen...right from under my nose...she only looks sweet and innocent.... ;-)



Sandy relaxing after that fabulous lasagna dinner that she prepared! (Those red spatulas never ventured too far away from her view.....)


Our wonderful assortment of cookies to exchange....


Here are those lovely red mugs that we are so enjoying!

Forever Friends......

We share a history....a past and present life...memories made and shared....a bond, a sisterhood....college suite-mates.....

Every few months we carve out time to get together and share our lives. We reminisce about our youth - days gone by - and talk about our families....our children....our jobs....our current pursuits. We support, we encourage, we advise, and we laugh...a lot! When we gather it's like time has stood still and we're sitting around in our dorm room talking about our classes....the latest party....an adorable St. Michael's guy that we met downtown that evening.....our next exam....plans for the coming weekend....the latest and greatest frat party.....

Time has marched on (thirty years!) and our lives are more involved, however, our concern and love for one another has remained as it always has been....our friendship is a treasure to cherish.

We share a history.....


Forever friends.....MJ and Laurie


Laurie surveying that huge piece of mud pie...."Do I even want to attempt it?"

Visitors from North Carolina

In October, Eddie's sister Betsy, and her husband Pete, visited Vermont for a bit of autumn splendor in New England. Accompanying them on the trip was their sweetie pie Emma.....Maggie's cousin! :-) They were busy visiting all of their usual haunts - what is a trip to VT without a trip or two to Al's French Fries - and catching up with family in Hinesburg and Colchester. We enjoyed a lovely dinner with them the night before Eddie had to leave for Harvard. It was a short visit, however, work beckoned Pete back to Boston and North Carolina and we look forward to seeing them again soon?! Maybe a Southern foliage trip for us next November???




Betsy with Miss Emma.


Cheers to the trip to Vermont and for warmer temps!! It was a very chilly week and they both braved near record lows for the month of October. They were troopers though....New Englanders forever in their hearts!

Thanksgiving - 2010

Happy Thanksgiving everyone....from the Johnson household to all of you!!

We had a lovely Thanksgiving and were able to celebrate the day with my mother and our dear friends Deb and Don Urbahn. It was a "small-ish" celebration this year as a few of the "regulars" were not able to be with us....Deb and Don's son Nick is finishing up a semester at school in Chicago and remained with his grandparents to celebrate the day and their daughter, Emma, is finishing up a semester of study abroad at the University of Rome. We missed having them both here, however, did think about them throughout the day. Don's mom, Harriet was unable to make the trip North this year as well.....she usually tries to get us all motivated to shop the sales on Black Friday!

Ed and Bryan began the day with their annual shift at Sweetwater's Restaurant. Each Thanksgiving Sweetwater's hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for those who are in need of a warm dinner and/or companionship. This year Ed and Bryan took their turns taking orders for dinner and serving. Ed even made the nightly local news!!! ;-)

We had a feast beyond compare with everyone pitching in and contributing something wonderful and delicious to enjoy! Thanksgiving is my most favorite holiday and we all feel truly fortunate and so blessed.




Bryan was in charge of the crescent rolls this year! Every year Bryan requests these rolls and it seems like we always forget all about them....they are either still in the fridge and we remember them when we are almost finished with dinner, or else they are in the oven cooking away and we have simply forgotten all about them! So this year Bryan was in charge of the rolls....here he is "rolling" away, almost ready for the oven....and we didn't forget them this year. Nice job Bry!



My mother and I with the 2010 turkey! A lovely 14 pound, fresh turkey from Misty Knoll Farm in New Haven, Vermont. Out of the oven and ready for the platter.



Our Thanksgiving dinner table.....notice the near empty basket of crescent rolls! Also notice where the basket is located....within a hands reach of the chef who made them and loves them so very much!!! :-)



Another view of our feast to include Ed!!



And what Thanksgiving would be without a post-dinner "rest and lounge" period??!! The game is on, (New England vs. Detroit - Pats won by the way...wooo hooo!), Ed and Don are in their two comfy chairs and notice the Bry Guy....under the table, wrapped in a blanket and snoozing away! Also please notice that my mother, Deb, and I are not in this picture.....WE are in the kitchen doing dishes!

Go Cats Go!

For the past two years Bryan has been a member of the University of Vermont basketball team - as their Team Manager. As Team Manager, Bry is responsible for all facets of making sure that all practices and games run smoothly, helping with the team member recruitment process, facilitating game film exchange and acting as a liaison with other teams/coaches and making sure that all players are hydrated during each game.

Ed and I have thoroughly enjoyed Bryan's experiences over the past two years and we are so very proud of him and the successful leadership role that he has taken on as part of the team. As an additional, very fabulous, awesome perk - we have enjoyed tickets to all of the home games - sitting right behind the team to cheer them on! It has been wonderful to see Bryan in a suit and tie at every game too..... ;-)

A highlight the season last year involved UVM winning the America East Championship and going on to play as the 16th seed in the NCAA tournament, held in Buffalo New York. The last time they were at the NCAA tournament was in 2005! It was a thrill for Bryan to be in Buffalo and to be an integral part of the success of the Vermont basketball team.

Currently in the 2011 season, UVM has posted 4 wins and 1 loss in non-conference play....the one loss occurred while playing UConn and even then UVM lost by only 8 points! A great showing and it could be a huge predictor as to what will come in this season of play. UVM's exciting conference season begins the first week of January...

We're looking forward to another season of thrilling basketball at the University of Vermont! GO CATS.......GO!!!!!!!!!!




Helping the team with pre-game warm ups.



"Now introducing the starting line-up for the University of Vermont Catamounts!"



Getting ready to play ball.......



Getting psyched! - Let's have a great game!!



Rallying the team for a time out and strategy session....

Harvard Bound! (Can you teach an old dog new tricks?......)

Can you teach an “old dog” new tricks? Well, that is what Ed attempted to find out in a month at Harvard University, as part of the Senior Executive Fellowship program. Along with 80 other government executives from the U.S., as well as China, Hong Kong, Australia and other countries, he was once again a college student - sitting in a classroom all day, (8am to 6pm) and many evenings, and then reading late into the night to prepare for the next day. Discussions, lectures and presentations covered a wide-range of topics…..policy formulation, leadership techniques, negotiation/persuasion skills, decision-making approaches, and other people/process/organizational lessons, with case studies galore. One of his professors is one of the few living members of the Kennedy White House staff, and in addition to lessons on government and decision-making, he shared priceless stories about JFK and life at that time.

Ed had the time of his life, although too little sleep, and too much eye strain caught up with him; he clearly missed his occasional naps! :-) With the little extra time available including the weekend, Ed also enjoyed the sights around Cambridge and Boston. He took a trip with classmates to Lexington and Concord, visited the residence of John and Abigail Adams, had dinner in Chinatown, watched the annual Head of the Charles Regatta, had a tour and dinner at the JFK Library, saw where George Washington took command of the Continental army, and enjoyed many other sights. A very memorable highlight of his experiences involved the Harvard Club complete with a fabulous dinner, outstanding speakers and talented entertainment. The ambiance of the Harvard Club was beyond belief! What an honor and a privilege to be a part of that evening.

Who knows if this may lead to the long awaited return to school and a graduate program for Ed? Watch out world – with now both a St. Michael’s College and Harvard University perspective, who knows what type of person Ed has become. :-)

So to answer the question: Can you, in fact, teach an old dog new tricks? .... The answer is a resounding YES!



The very beautiful and collegiate Harvard yard.



Rubbing the toe of John Harvard, founder of Harvard University.



Home away from home for four weeks. The entrance to Ed's apartment at Harvard.



Official!