Garden: Heirloom pear tomatoes

My Burpee catalog arrived a few weeks ago, and half of the pages are already dog-eared. Winter is a surprisingly productive, creative time for Midwest gardeners. We may not be getting our hands dirty, but we are busy dreaming, plotting and sifting plans for the next growing season.

I found myself crushing on these heirloom pear tomatoes, which I remember my mother growing one summer when I was a kid. They're the perfect size for salads, and they burst with flavor. The catalog says:

This extremely old variety makes a vigorous plant, which bears enormous numbers of bright yellow, bite-sized fruit. The flavor is deliciously tangy. Perfect for summer hors d'oeuvres.

Words: Dickinson

I think the hemlock likes to stand

Upon a marge of snow;

It suits his own austerity,

And satisfies an awe

That men must slake in wilderness,

Or in the desert, cloy, --

An instinct for the hoar, the bald,

Lapland's necessity.

The hemlock's nature thrives on cold;

The gnash of northern winds

Is sweetest nurturment to him,

His best Norwegian wines.

To satin races he is nought;

But children on the Don

Beneath his tabernacles play,

And Dnieper wrestlers run.

Emily Dickinson

Complete Poems (1924)

Photo by Neacia Pacheco

Kid project: Cookie decorating party!

A great, easy way to celebrate the holidays! I baked a bunch of sugar cut-out cookies (who says butterflies aren't a Christmas shape?!)... bought a lot of fun sprinkles and little candies... and invited a group of Annabelle's friends over to decorate. The moms helped frost while the little ones got creative at my big dining room table. Who knew little Miss Olivia (above) was such a perfectionist? The girls decorated, played outside, and each took home a plate of very specially decorated cookies.

Adventure: Holiday lights at Rotary Gardens

Went with our friends to tour the Holiday Light Show at Rotary Botanical Gardens. We were lucky to get a clear, not-too-cold night to wander the snowy gardens. Some of the light displays were hilarious: a Chinese dragon, a giant beaver and a cheerful sled all lined up together on the far side of the lake, for example! The luminaries lining the paths and the "tunnel" of white lights leading down to the sunken garden were my favorites.

Kid project: Snowman

With over 15" of snow (in a single blizzard!), you learn to make the most of wintertime in Wisconsin. Our snowmen do double duty by feeding the birds with a popcorn string and birdseed in a bucket!

Celebrations: Decorating the tree

Let's face it: We all want special Christmas memories, but at the same time, the holiday can get overwhelming (especially for busy moms). My strategy? Make the most of the stuff you've got to do anyway, like decorating the tree.

Instead of decorating it myself, we have gotten into the (lovely!) habit of inviting Grandma and Grandpa over to help. We have a simple dinner or some snacks, put on some holiday music, and trim the tree together. (I have the lights already done, of course!) I think the kids like feeling a part of making the tree beautiful, and it puts everyone in a good mood. Plus, I don't get stuck doing all the holiday decorating by myself.

This year, our tree is quite plain, because I'm keeping all my breakable ornaments safe from Nik. Instead, Annabelle hung some ornaments she'd made, I got out all my unbreakable things, and we strung popcorn. (A fun project for me and Anna one afternoon! We made an extra string to hang outside for the birds!) Nik thinks the popcorn strings are the best - - he caught on right away that they were edible.

Find! Affordable holiday gifts

A reminder that "Annabelle's Garden" is ready for the holidays! The Red Rooster in Milton has beautiful home decor and gifts, and the booths in the basement feature very nice antiques and secondhand steals.

Words: Spring

April is the crudest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land,

mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain.

T.S. Eliot