Hartsbrook Agricultural Arts

Check out this sweet article in the Hampshire Daily Gazette about the Hartsbrook Agricultural Arts program. My kids have really enjoyed working with the animals there, and we've volunteered for weekend duty as a family. It's been very rewarding for all of us to have responsibility for the animals.

Happy Mother of the Bride

Just sent out Allison and Eric's video. They were married at St. Mary's Church in Longmeadow, MA, with the reception at Longmeadow Country Club. Got this e-mail from the Allison's mother:

"The videos arrived today. What an absolutely wonderful job you did capturing so much detail as well as all the warm feelings. Everything is clear and beautiful and the sound is fantastic. Thank you so very much. It was worth the wait!!!!"

Gingerbread House

No, we did not make this. As much as we mean to be ambitious each year, we never got around to making our own. But each year, we bid on a house (or two) at the Hartsbrook School Holiday Fair in Hadley, MA. This is what we won this year, put together by some students at the school.

Cookies

My daughters and I made a traditional holiday cookie this past weekend. I don't know the "real" name of the cookie, but it's one my mom always made, and still does. I think it's a Slovak recipe.

They're a rolled pastry cookie, filled with apricot, apple, or prune butter (which sounds better if you use the Hungarian or Slovak word "lekvar"). Serve topped with powdered sugar. Yum!

First Churches Northampton

Northampton regained a beautiful wedding venue when First Churches Northampton reopened after a long, 2 million dollar repair project. If you're looking for a location for your Northampton wedding, you'll want to have this on your list of places to see.

Slow Turkey

Well, I tried Mark Bittman's fast-cook turkey recipe (NY Times blog). My turkey turned out fine, taste-wise, but it took almost 2 and a half hours (instead of the estimated 1 hour for my 16-pound bird) and delayed our dinner. Luckily, our guests were in no hurry and were gracious about the wait.

Wedding at St. Michael's in East Longmeadow

On Friday, I was at St. Michael's Church in East Longmeadow, MA, to tape Theresa and Ben's wedding. Theresa's cousin flew in from Ireland to celebrate the wedding Mass. Though it was raining on and off most of the day, the bride and groom seemed to avoid the heaviest downpours. The reception was at La Renaissance in East Windsor, CT—a great place to accomodate a large wedding.

Totally new to me was the Photo Booth, which you can rent for weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, reunions, etc. It's one of those boardwalk photo booths that take your picture four times, then spits out a strip of black and white photos. It was a huge hit! There was a steady stream of guests using it for all six hours of the reception. Guests were encouraged to leave their favorites in a basket for the bride and groom. Scissors provided.