Friday, December 23, 2011

Cookie Monsters

We celebrated the day before the day before Christmas with a cookie decorating party. The kids had a great time and very few disasters. I am still crunching silver balls into the floorboards though. They were going at it pretty strong at the beginning decorating two at a time. By the end, only Will was left shaking sprinkles on his cookies like there was no tomorrow.




Now if only there was a place to hide them so I don't eat them all myself.

Monday, December 19, 2011

She's Just a Bitter, Bitter Woman

Okay, Walgreens.com you were good to me last year and this year in the recent past. Now, however, in the present....not so good.

Of course it was our shortsightedness. We should have done a better job of guess-ti-mating how many holiday cards we would need. But you don't know my kind-hearted husband. For example,

Me: Do you want to send a card to Joe Schmo who we haven't talked to since 2007?
Him: Yes.
Me: Really?
Him: Yes.

Therefore we ran out before our time spent filling out envelopes was complete. I think, "No worries. I will hop on line and order one more box." Only to find that the style is no longer available. Yes, it's true. They made a Christmas card that WAS available 2 weeks before Christmas NO LONGER available 1 week before Christmas. "Really?" I ask the .com representative known as Dorothy, "Does that make any sense to you?" I followed up with a firm, yet friendly, "Please let your manager know that this does not make me want to order from you in the future."

End result....two styles from us this year. No rhyme or reason as to who gets what.

Thanks for nothing Dotty.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Diagnosis....PHP

Pre Holiday Panic settling in.

No cookies baked.

No homemade crafts made.

No gifts wrapped.

No mistletoe hanging.

No presents under tree.

Yikes.

All I want to do is read my book and sip hot tea.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas

Spent the whole weekend Christmas-ing it up. Friday night was open house in our town. We wandered the streets warmed with burn barrels blazing land listened to street muscians playing Carols. We opted out of the horse and carriage ride so that we could attend Tuba Christmas at the University which was very festive. On Saturday a group of us gathered complete with hot chocolate, popcorn and cookies to watch the annual Christmas parade. Some years it has been so cold we have bundled up in snowpants and boots and STILL froze to death. This year it was gorgeous. Sunny and relatively warm.

Ethan was excited to walk in the parade this year with the cub scouts.
Sunday afternoon we hiked the hills of a local farm to find the "perfect tree." I ran out of steam about half way up the hill because (note photo) Will decided he wanted only Mommy to "hold me". I heard the cries of "Timber" from the other three men in my life and we sipped hot chocolate as we waited for them to bring our tree down to us.






We tied the tree top of the Subaru, drove home and decorated it while listening to Christmas music (K's favorite) and drank hot chocolate again! Ta da!


These are the activities that make living in a small town so much fun....Hot chocolate, smiling faces and Christmas cheer.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Confessions

of a Recipe Junky

Hello. My name is S. and I am addicted to recipes. I find myself constantly looking at cookbooks, supplements to the Sunday paper with recipes, web pages online blinking "FREE RECIPES", and magazine covers declaring NEW and IMPROVED one pot dishes. The pictures are so pretty. The foods look so appetizing and beautiful.

After one has caught my eye, either with its catchy name or mouthwatering photograph, I can't help it. I read the directions and if I deem it worthy I painstakingly clip it and stick it on the spice cupboard bottom shelf. This area could also be known as the Shelf Where New Recipes Go to Die or the Place From Which New Recipes Never Return.

It's true my friend. I don't seem to have it in me to take the next step. And it IS a very logical step...to actually MAKE AND TRY the new recipe. I can't seem to get my act together in that way.

Perhaps it is the time of day I sit to make my grocery list because I seem to be throwing it all together in a hurry....What do we need? [quit arguing] What do I make for supper this week? [don't talk to your brother that way] Do we have the stuff we need for lunches? [Can you share it? ] What is on sale? [I'll play Sorry in a minute.] Do I have coupons that I can find and use? [I don't know where the lego alien guy is AND no, I can't look for it right now. ]

Apparently my creative brain shuts off and I think, "New Recipes?? Nah, I'll just stick with the same old, same old."

But I do so enjoy the first step and I must admit I don't intend to give it up. Perhaps an intervention is in order. Until then, please look the other way when entering the spice cupboard - clipped recipes may become airborne at any given moment.