Just a quick flyby kinda of busy at work but incase I don't get a chance MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone! I hope you have a wonderful time.

Merry Christmas to you, too, Rose!

Kara

Good early morning. Woke at four with my mind running full speed with stuff I need to do today so I'm up and at it. Hershey is rather disgusted - she had breakfast and is now back asleep on the couch.

Church is at 8:30 today - The Hanging of the Greens. We were supposed to do it last weekend but the snowstorm screwed that. Today the temperature is going to 48ºF with rain so it sure won't be canceled. My family are arriving shortly after that so I need to scurry around a bit to get beds made up. I'm really not ready for my party tomorrow night but my darling DIL Wendy will help me with stuff tomorrow. Always have your son marry a competent woman!

The birthday dinner last night was great and a good way to start off Christmas a bit early. Good friends, some wine, good food and great conversation - what more do we need?

Love and light to us all today.

You know how sometimes your kids say something and it takes all of your focus to not laugh because they might get their feelings hurt, erronously thinking you're laughing *at* them?

Kadyn: (standing in the middle of the kitchen with her little hands on her hips)

Me: Don't you have more letters that go in your bag?

Kadyn: (furrows brows) No, no more leh-ers fur dat bag.

Me: Oh. I must have been mistaken.

She could have been twenty-five! What a character!

Ruth, I hope you get things in order for the company and party. I'm sure your family wouldn't mind making up their own beds. I even read in a Martha Stewart magazine once that you should leave the sheets folded on a guest bed (of course, Martha had a beautiful wide ribbon tied around them!) so the guests know the sheets are clean!

We're having taco bake tonight. I de-stemmed some fresh spinach and sauteed it in garlic and mixed it in with the refried beans (that I had mixed with sauteed onion, cumin, chili powder, and pepper). The soy crumbles have a bit of taco seasoning and some sauteed mushrooms mixed in. I can't wait!!!

Have any of you used fat free half and half before? The store was out of whipping cream (I know, serves me right for going on the 23rd!) and I needed it for a cheesecake recipe - just a couple tablespoons is all the recipe calls for so I figure I might be OK.

Up and at 'em!!!

Kara

Good morning All!

Enjoy your day, Ruth! It sure sounds like you're going to busy the next couple of days.

Kara, I think that fat free half & half should work just fine. I just bought a carton of it yesterday. If you have evaporated skim milk, that will work, too. Are your little ones getting all excited about Santa? There's nothing compares to the joy of Christmas with children.

I'm not sure what we're doing today. First, some breakfast. I'll check back in later, though. Enjoy your day!

Morning, gals! It felt nice sleeping in late. Brian is still asleep but we have lots of time before he has to get up since there is no Sunday school today. It's 27 degrees out there and i'm going to need to go out and sweep down the pool in a few minutes.

Robert and I got into it last night when he tried to tell Brian he needed to work on his Science Fair project at 8:30 last night. He's spent the entire afternoon moving stuff out of his room so we can get ready to paint and he's got stuff prepared for his project. We know what he needs to get done during the two weeks he is off from school but it works better if he relaxes after 8 (as long as his chores are done which they were). Anyway, I thought everything was smoothed over when I went to bed but Robert is gone this morning so I don't know. Maybe he is working out at the gym. I hope so for his sake.

Brian has chosen his paint colors and we'll brave WalMart later today to get the primer and paint and other stuff we need. That's a great idea about IKEA. I actually haven't been there since they opened the one in Frisco. Maybe we can go during the week as long as I bring my laptop in case I get paged. It's close to the office but about 20 miles from home.

Time to get the oatmeal on.

We don't really "do" Santa, but they are very excited for Christmas! I just did the most adorable project with them tonight. It's just now 10:30 and they're climbing into bed, but it was so worth it! The little angels came out adorable!!! I had intended to get some cookies baked tonight as well, but as soon as I started to cream the butter and sugar, the mixer started making a funny smell and smoke curled out of the motor area! Eeek! I quickly unplugged it, pushed the kids out of the way, and set it outside where it could cool off without setting my house on fire! Do you think that was some kind of a sign that I shouldn't eat any more cookies?!?!?!

Barb, who does science projects at 8:30 at night??? You were right to stick up for Brian!

Avery's angel:

Good Morning Everyone
Yesterday turned out to be a long crazy day. Mike took me to lunch, we went to the mountains to collect pine cones, to a local candy shop to watch them make candy canes, and then to dinner at my favorite restaurant. Today is brunch with my mom and godparents. I did pretty good yesterday but I'm a little worried about today. Oh well you only get a birthday once a year right?
Hope everyone has a great day.

So, how do they make candy canes, anyway???

Kara

Good morning! Glad to see alot more on this morning - it's pure motivation to me.

Thanks for all the get well wishes - it seems like everyime I get on a good track with my weght loss someting comes up to put a glitch in it - I will get through it and I will succeed.

Lastnight dh & I took my mom to see ps I love you - awesome movie and I think it really hit ome with er being as shejust lost my dad

Gotta get last minute christmas shopping done today as the stores will be a mad house I'm sure tomorrow.


I hope everyone has a happy and blessed day

Dawn

Thank you Kara & Gonna

They bring sugar, corn syrup and water to a boil an heat it to like 460 degrees. Then they pour it out on a slab of marble and it starts to cool . While its still pliable they seperate in two and put red in half of it. The yellow (soon to be white) half they pull out on a taffy hook. Once that is done. they cut off little pieces and make a red and white stripe flag. The "flag" goes over a huge brick of white and then they pick it up and swing it (it kind of looks like a guitar in shape now) and then from the "handle" then they roll out tiny candy cane sticks and one person molds the hook into them. I think I enjoyed the show more than the kids there. And low and behold I didn't eat any. I did have two glasses of red wine but that's another story.

Hi chicks, just a quick hello, we're off to the mother-daughter cookie and ornament exchange/champagne brunch in just a bit. I spent all day in the kitchen yesterday - in all, 9 batches of cookies and treats. Of course I had some. The South Beach chocolate cherry truffles taste good, but didn't really turn out - they never really firmed up. Either because I didn't measure closely enough or because I used frozen cherries and they weren't drained enough. I made sugarplums, which are just dried fruits and nuts in the food processor with a little juice to bind them, then rolled in balls - they are so good! And no added sugar.

Happy Birthday Dawn!

Thank you Schmoodle. Where did you find the SB choc cherry truffle recipe? Even if they never firm up I can't see how those ingedients together can be anything but good

, Dawn! Enjoy your meals with your family this morning! We all deserve a little ingulgence on our birthday!

Schmoodle: Congrats on another 2 lbs! You're getting away from 200 fast and furiously! I think I'll take a page from your book once I hit onederland!

, Lisa! Hope you're having fun with Abdul and that your Christmas celebrations are wonderful!

FoodObsessed: Hello and welcome back!!

Kara: Kadyn sounds adorable and like she has just the right amount of sass! I'm glad you were able to come up with molasses, but were those the cookies that the mixer conked out on? The angels are so cute. DH and I are on the fence about Santa Clause for our kids - we have some time - I'm not close to having any yet!!

Pearl: and Merry Christmas!!

Ruth: I hope my MIL thinks I'm competent, but she won't let me do anything, so I guess not. Hope everything is going well for your preparations! Did you get your wall hanging finished?

Cottage: and have a great day!!

Barb: I agree with Kara, Robert needed to be put in his place. Do you think that he relied on you to be both mom and dad and now that you're splitting, he feels the need to validate himself as the dad again? Just a theory. I hope that today is great and that you and Brian have some time to relax and enjoy Sunday together.

GonnaBe: Have a great day!

Me: Just got through holiday torture. I volunteered to make cinnamon rolls for my dad's Sunday School class. What was I thinking?! I did have a lick of icing, but nothing else! Breakfast this morning will be oatmeal with a banana. Thank goodness those cinnamon rolls are out of the house! Not too much going on today. I need to finish off my sister's scarf and make the towel angels for the women in the family. That should only take about 3 hours altogether. Other than that, we'll just be hanging out with the family - and I plan on taking my sister's dog for a nice, long walk.

Hope everyone's doing well and staying warm!

Kim, glad you arrived safe and sound! Tom wants cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. Heaven help us!!!

Schmoodle, hope your cookie exchange goes well! Anything mother-daughter should be a hit!!!

Thanks for the movie recommendation, Gonna. I'll have to check that one out!

Dawn, your explanation of the candy cane making process was great! That would be something fun to see some day. I remember going on a field trip to a pretzel factory as a kid and loving it!

I still have the floor to sweep and wipe up and then I'm hitting the sack. Tomorrow's a big day of gingerbread making (as long as I can find someone to borrow a mixer from), present wrapping, stocking making, and food prep for Christmas day. Should be fun chaos!

Happy Sunday all!

Kara