drizzle diaries: Thanksgiving through Christmas in 3...2...1...

Thanksgiving!

We had Stephanie and James over for the second year in a row

Lauren helped us cook all day!

Nathan "Spatchcocked" the turkey, which is like butterflying. The upside to this method is that it cooks evenly (eliminating the problem where the breast finishes before the dark meat and then dries out) and also all the skin crisps up nice and golden. Read all about it here:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/11/how-to-spatchcock-cook-turkey-thanksgiving-fast-easy-way-spatchcocked.html

Here is a blurry picture of how it turned out. I would highly recommend this method. Also saved us from buying a costly roaster that we wouldn't use often.

Also our kitty is adorable as always.

Got our "peace tree" from the peace center in the CD.

All decorated!

Dec 9th was the first day for same-sex marriage in Washington. Lauren and Hannah and I went down to City Hall to support and throw birdseed. It was beautiful to witness both the newly weds and the support for them. People were passing out flowers, and a 5-or-so-piece band played festive klezmer-ish music to accompany couples as they traveled down the long staircase.

Action shot! Hannah throwing bird seed.

You can see the tuba in this shot!

My friend Ariel from work had a girls-only sleepover party with all the Plum ladies.

Lots of good food

Amanda made two amazing salads. One was kale with parmesan, lemon juice, and olive oil. And it was super simple and good.

Ariel's cat is a maine coon and is HUGE for a cat.

His name is Chicken.

He is also very beautiful.

It was a loosely craft-based party. I taught some folks how to make snowflakes.

I used the opportunity to make Lauren's stocking (or get started on it anyways.)

Here it is finished. She likes possums.

Here it is hanging with the stocking I made nathan last year and the new one my mom made me this year. LOVE.

Michael came up for the weekend, and took Steph and I to Discovery park, where I had never been!

We saw the lighthouse, three sea otters playing in the water, a GIANT seal, and a bald eagle, who seemed so close in real life, but on the pictures I took he looks far away: