MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Well, that explains that snowflake phenomenon. (SME, it was a bugger getting this package on the scanner!)

This year I'm once again sharing SME's hand-drawn wrapping paper with you. As promised in my Christmas post from last year, I bought her a new box of crayons last summer. She now has sharp crayons to create her amazing wrapping paper.

This adorable mouse is on Z's present. I know what he's getting and the picture matches his present perfectly.


L's package sports a "little" jab at his age from his daughter.


SME put a VERY pertinent message on her grandparents' gift. I hope the message isn't lost on them.

After work yesterday, Z and I stopped at my parents' house to pick up the turkey and other items they are providing for the Christmas Day meal we're preparing. Dad had chemo yesterday and they were both mentally muddled. I'm so grateful that they're allowing us to host Christmas dinner this year. Dad has to go to the hospital to have his chemo pump removed tomorrow. Between that and their mental states, dinner would have been a disaster!

Winter storm "Bertha"(When did they start naming winter storms?) is upon us. We're right on the edge of the storm, so we SHOULD get only 4-7 inches of snow. It's snowing pretty heavily right now, but so far there's no wind and the temps are mild (24F). I'm extremely grateful that my loved ones won't be traveling through this! However, L will have to blow snow before my parents arrive this afternoon.

It's now time for me to wake the guys. Then I will start cooking while the guys give the house a quick clean-up.

I wish all of my beloved blog-friends a very BLESSED CHRISTMAS with family and friends!

Christmas Spirits

Entertaining friends and family is part of the fun of the Christmas season. Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate all go well with cookies, but there are times when we need a more "spirited" beverage. I like to whip up the following recipes and have them on hand through the holidays.

Hot Buttered Rum
1 C butter or margarine
1 1/2 C powdered sugar
1 C packed brown sugar
2 C softened vanilla ice cream

Cream butter and sugars. Add ice cream and mix well.
This mixture can be stored in the freezer almost indefinitely.
Stir 1 heaping tbs into 1 C boiling water and 1 shot of rum, brandy, or whiskey. Sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon if desired.

Vodka Slush (Makes 3 qts)
1-12 oz can frozen limeade
1-12 oz can frozen lemonade
2 cans water
2 cans vodka
2-12 oz cans lemon-lime soda
Mix well and freeze overnight. This recipe also keeps well in the freezer.
Spoon slush into wine glasses and top with hazelnuts (if desired)

Be careful with this recipe; it's pretty potent. One of these is all I can handle.
When Z read the slush recipe, he said: "Well, at least nobody will have to worry about scurvy."

These recipes are easy, delicious, economical(I got a 1 liter bottle of vodka for $6.39), and look fancy when served.

Circle of Friends Award.

One of my best blogging (and real-life) friends, Vancouver Voyeur blessed me with this award. Before everybody gets all mushy, I'd like to point out that VV tagged me because she doesn't think I've been writing enough. She's right, of course. That's one of the things our true friends do...point out our shortcomings. Love ya VV!!

Now apparently the way this works is that I have to share five things that I like before passing the award on to five folks who fall into that Circle of Friends. I'd like to point out that I had a hard time finding 5 things that I simply "liked". This is the time of year that I LOVE most of what is going on around me. I'm a Christmas fanatic and I love all the baking, decorating, music, shopping, togetherness, and love that occurs in our home. So here goes....

5 Things I Like:

1) I like the way our kitchen is shaping up. I love the new floor and paint, and I will love the whole project once we re-stain the cupboard doors and I sew the new curtains.

2) I like winter...except for last winter....that was TOO much.

3) I like where we live, except it's damned near impossible to make a decent living here. Unfortunately this is true all across rural America.

4) I like my job. It's a challenge and I like interacting with 90% of the people I see every day.

5) I like having my freezer full. It's my safety net.

Now for the "lucky" recipients of... (cue ominous music)....the tag!

Cherie: I KNOW that her "likes" will brighten my day.
Wandering Coyote: Because she's my oldest(actually she's just a kid) blog-friend.
Tweets: It will give her something to do while her foot heals.
Courtney: Because she needs to stop playing games at Facebook long enough to post something on her BLOG!
SME: Because I said so!