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My wife looks forward to Christmas music. I used to try to hold out until after Thanksgiving, but she would turn to that one radio station that switches to all Christmas music the first week of November.

This year, I stopped resisting. But it seems to me that the radio station song selection is awful. If you want to hear the same few songs that aren’t really about Christmas, then go ahead and listen to the radio. Sure, they might have the word “Christmas” in them, but that doesn’t make them Christmas songs.

Anyway, disillusioned with the radio, I turned to our CD collection. Then, unable to find our CD collection, I turned to Amazon. (Amazon’s process for buying music digitally is way better than iTunes’ process, in case you want my opinion on that.)

All that to say this: I got to assess a number of Christmas albums and am giving you my favorites.

Top 3 Albums

• Evie – Come on, Ring Those Bells
  A classic. If you don’t know these songs then I am sorry for your sad childhood.
• Reliant K – Let It Snow, Baby… Let It Reindeer
  I was unfamiliar with this album before this year. But now this is my kids’ favorite album. I burned them a CD that has the slower angsty songs removed.
• Various Artists – Handel’s Young Messiah
  The one from the early 1990s. This is a very good way to be introduced to Handel’s Messiah. I hope you already have this CD, because it is out of print and you can’t buy digital copies of it. Not legally, anyway.

  I realize the whole Messiah composition is more appropriate at Easter time than Christmas, but it is not out of place at Christmas, so we’ll stick with tradition and allow it here.

Honorable Mention

• Mannheim Steamroller – Mannheim Steamroller Christmas
• MercyMe – The Christmas Sessions
• Sixpence None the Richer – The Dawn of Grace

Also, slightly related – if you’re looking for a recording of the Lord’s Prayer, I recommend Susan Boyle‘s version.

I don’t go through a lot of music, so I’m sure I missed or forgot some good ones. Any other recommendations?

Me : No, a bar of milk chocolate does not count as dairy in your dinner.

Delta : Tuna fish, tuna fish, it’s my favorite kind of fish.
pause…
Delta : Tuna fish are kind?

Me : Don’t put cereal between your toes.

Gamma : I was there! I want to go there again. Where is that?
Me : Las Vegas
Gamma : I want to go to Lost Vegas.

Delta : Who left the milk out? Who, who, who whowho!

I don’t know that they’ve ever heard the original song, but somehow they are familiar with Baha Men’s one-hit wonder.

Gamma, to Delta : Call 911 to order pizza!
Delta : Yeah!
Me : No, no, no!

Don’t worry, neither of them had a phone.

Gamma, after falling off the end of a bench : You need to make the bench longer

The funny part was that it was not crowded at all, he was one of two people on a bench that could seat four.

I got this smoked salmon recipe from a guy at work. It has worked well for me.

First, photos from my attempt. Scroll to the end for just the recipe.

You need:
salmon

To make your life easier, choose the center-cut fillets. Do this because they are about the same thickness, so they will all cook for the same time. If you get a standard fish, the sides and end are much thinner than the center. Grilling that piece of fish will cause the thin parts to be overdone or you’ll have to cut the thin pieces separate and take them off earlier than the thicker parts, which is more work for you.

brown sugar, salt, and pepper

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It’s time of year for Christmas carols and such. That much makes sense.

For some unknown reason, it is also the time of year for The Sound of Music. Nothing against the musical itself – I just think it should be independent of any season.

But, since Christmas carols and The Sound of Music share the holiday season, I thought I would combine the two.

First off: a review. What are the notes of the scale, as learned in the musical?

Answer: do re mi fa so la ti do

Next question: what are the notes sung in Deck the Halls?

But that’s not right – la is a single note. This song has la for different notes.

If Fraulein Maria is right, then the song would sound like this:

Or, to keep the sound the same, we could change the words to this:

(I took the liberty of ignoring the actual notes and just started with Fa. In other words, the starting assumption was that the first word Fa in Deck the Halls is the same Fa from Sound of Music.)

It’s awkward to sing at first, but practice a few times and you’ll get it.

Fa So La Fa So Fa Mi Re Mi

Still not as easy as Do Mi Mi, Mi So So

Anyway, try singing the updated lyrics this Christmastime and see what happens.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Pictures compliments of Gamma, via his kindergarten work.

You know what video is not going viral right now?

The one of you sitting around, watching videos on your phone.

Get out and do something.

No, I haven’t drawn up any kitchen plans. There are too many variables and we don’t have a house to remodel so I don’t know the dimensions of the room.

But here are some things that I would like in a new kitchen:

• A pot filler. This is a spigot at the stove. Rather than lug a pot – heavy with water – from the sink to the stovetop, this feature lets you fill the pot while it’s on the burner. The fancier pot-fillers extend in order to reach all the burners, then retract or fold out of the way when not needed.
• A rinsing sink. In other words, separate sinks for dishes and food. The normal sink is the dishes sink. It can stay near the dishwasher. But near the food-prep area, a smaller sink can be used for rinsing food, filling pitchers, and other things that are hard to do when your only sink is piled high with dirty dishes.
• A double oven. This is on my wife’s wish list. More ovens = more options.
• A convection oven. One of the double ovens is to be a convection oven. With the capability to be used in normal-oven mode if desired.
• An induction range. See this chart as to why.

                           | Gas  | Electric | Induction |
  -------------------------+------+----------+-----------+
  Fast operation           | Yes  |  No      |  Yes      |
  Safe Surface		 | No   |  No      |  Yes      |
  Safe Exhaust		 | No   |  Yes     |  Yes      |
  Work during power outage | Yes  |  No      |  No       |
  

  So the best stovetop type is induction. The only category it failed was that you can’t cook on it during a power outage. But that’s what the firepit on the patio is for.

• Appliance garages. The problem with larger small appliances is that they are cumbersome to move. A large mixer, for example. Or popcorn maker. Or crock pot. I want the back of one countertop not to be the wall, but doors. Open a door, slide the appliance out on its own roller tray, use it, clean it, slide it back in. No wondering where to set it up. No struggle to fit it back on its shelf. Just simple.
• Herb garden. Indoors. That’s a big deal for the Midwest, where the cold kills a lot of things. It’s like houseplants, but useful.