Santa was soooo good to me...

Although I have been assured that it is ok to be naughty (because coal turns into diamonds eventually), I must have been reasonably good over the past year, because Santa was sooo good to me.

The best part of Christmas was spending the day with my kids all together. I love family time and I know I am so lucky to have three children who are so good to me and who still visit.

We had agreed to only do stockings for Christmas. I tried my best to keep to that agreement, but some stuff just will not fit into stockings. So there was a little overflow.

The kids seemed to enjoy their presents, though. Ldboy got shirts and ties he loves for business meetings and night life; G-Man got the cross and chain he wanted; Carebear got some jewelery and accessories because she is all girl.

I think I made out best, though. Santa brought me a digital camera that I have been wanting since I broke my last one (which was a big clunker anyway). I am so excited to have a camera again. Not that I am photogenic or a photographer of any sort - it is just nice to have a camera to capture everyday life. Thank you Santa:)

Thanks to ldboy, we followed through on our annual Christmas movie event. We saw the new Jim Carey movie "Yes Man." It was pretty good - one of the better of his movies I have seen lately. Kinda of made me realize that maybe I should slow down a bit:)

Santa's goodness did not last all day...there were a couple of incidents that hampered our fun, but we will not go into those too much. Let's just suffice it to say that the canine of the family had better watch his back around ldboy for awhile if he likes his tail the way it is:)...

Accidents happen and hopefully we all learn from them...

• Let a sleeping dog lie...
• Keep drinks and other objects away from computers...2 computers down in one month in this family...that's gotta be a sad record...
• Excited dogs have no control over their tails...

Merry Christmas 2008!!!

I heard it from a friend...

It is ok to be naughty enough for coal...

...in fact, the naughtier the better....

...because coal turns into diamonds...

...eventually...

...ok, so maybe not in this lifetime, but still....


Thanks, Cedric, for the incentive:)

Once upon a midnight clear...

Click on graphic to see full size...

Thanks J for sharing:)

Where has the day gone...

Oh yeah - I've been baking...

I love Christmastime...have I mentioned that before?

Yesterday and today, I did bake. Mint brownies, brownies, 7-layer cookies, rumballs, peanut butter fudge cookies...I also made some chocolate covered pretzels, peanut clusters, and coconut haystacks.

Tomorrow I will make apple crisp, onion soup (will become French on Thursday), hanky panky and turkey stuffing...

And I will shop for Christmas breakfast food because Micky D's and BK are not open on Christmas (I seem to forget that every year)...which is not a problem for me because I like brownies for breakfast, but my kids, God love 'em, like to eat healthy.

Christmas Day Menu will be French Onion Soup, salad, turkey and stuffing, cranbnerry sauce (if I remember to get it tomorrow), Honey Baked ham slices, french bread with dipping oil, green bean casserole (we are in Ohio and I love it), candied yams, and garlic cheddar mashed potatos (yes, Betty Crocker recipe). Did I forget anything?

I hope to have most of my cooking done by noon so I can hit up Bally's hot tub - cuz I have a feeling I am going to need it. Then I will hit the grocery store for breakfast food and cranberries. Then I will tidy the house a little, and if I am all done by 6:00 pm get ready to go to Church with a neighbor family. Not a Catholic Church this year; I have been invited to Christmas services at a Lutheran Church downtown. I am not into organized religion, but I do like to go to Church at times, especially holiday services and if I am attending with friends. For a few years I attended my home parish with a neighbor family, but the past few Christmas Eve's I have not been done with my chores in time for the 5:30 Mass. Let's see if 7:00 is a better time....

Yeah...I know, I am a C and E churchgoer, if that, but I am who I am...

Ok, the lights are flashing, it is windy out, and G-man is on his way to his dad's...I am waiting for the call that he got there ok...

And since tomorrow may be busier than today, I want to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or Happy Whatever Holiday (HWH) you are celibrating this joyous season!

Be safe, be happy, be merry (or mary)!!!

Best laid plans...

So I started out the weekend with a plan...
Friday I left work a little early and stopped off at the library to browse for some holiday reading material...Then I ran a few errands before going home and after that, the night is a blur of the James Patterson latest release I picked up....

Maybe I should not have stopped at the library...

I had every intention of getting up early Saturday (that was yesterday) morning and heading out to Chardon Walmart to get groceries for baking and Christmas dinner...

And I did, if you consider 11:00 AM early...it was James Patterson's fault - The Appeal kept me awake longer than it should have...

I did make it to Walmart, after I ran to the mall to get G-man a certificate for his work party - cuz he is just too busy to do his own shopping...I hope he finds a good wife, because she will need to be a saint...

"Honey, while I am at the gym, showing off my 6-pack and then going out with all my friends, can you do my laundry and clean the house and have dinner ready when I get back, so then we can spend some quality time together..."

After Walmart, I stopped at the beverage store to get rum for the rumballs...now I have everything I need to bake with, assuming I do not drink too much tea or coke before I get to the rumballs:)

Sunday, today, I had every intention of getting up early and starting the baking/candymaking. And I did - get up early that is...but instead of baking, I started going through some paperwork and cleaning the living room and kitchen area...and doing some laundry...because it all needed done...

And now I am ready to start baking...but I am feeling kind of tired. And I need to do some stuff for work that I promised a co-worker I would have to her by Monday morning.

So here are the new plans...color my hair (I know - that was not even on the list, but it needs done, too), take a nice bubble bath, have some dinner (not make, just have - hmmm, order in sounds like it could work), do what I need to do for work, and get to bed reasonably early...not necessarily in that order, even tho it would probably be best...

Tomorrow, I will start nice and early with rumballs and brownies (especially for me), mint brownies and chocolate covered pretzel clusters (especially for ldboy), 7-layer cookies and coconut haystacks(especially for CareBear), and peanut butter fudge bars and honey roasted peanut clusters (especially for G-man). Of course, I like it all:)

Ok, J. P., time for some quality time....