It's Back!

I was happy to see this beautiful hoarfrost all over this morning! It doesn't happen a lot but did quite a bit here last year. It snowed lightly most of the day. We're at 10 degrees so far tonight going down to about 4.

Peggy & Bill's brother came over for lunch today. We had leftover soup & ham from Christmas Eve.

We got some more sad news this morning. Jerry, who Bill & Tim have farmed for for 20 years, passed away on Christmas. His wife Bev's funeral was this past Wed. His will be this Wed. There have been so many deaths of friends' family and others we know just in this past month. Thinking of them all this holiday season.

Snowing on Christmas Eve

It's been snowing almost all day - my kind of Christmas Eve! On the noon news, they said our area had 7 1/2" and it's been coming down harder since then.

Bill got a call to go hunting with some guys and even skipped lunch! He'll be good and hungry for soup with family here tonight! I'm hungry just smelling it. He has just gotten back and has quickly shoveled the sidewalk and is getting ready to use the loader to clear the driveway.

Today, I've made toffee (my favorite Christmas treat), baked some bars, put one soup in the crock pot and have chopped the onions, carrots & celery for the other one.

Will kind of wait to cut cheese, beef stick, etc. until we know everybody can get here. The snow isn't blowing this time, it's just getting a little deep. So far Christmas Eve services haven't been canceled. This time last year, we were in Indiana but everyone here had to stay home for Christmas. They had a blizzard on this day.

Have a fun and happy Christmas and take time to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season!

PS - leave a comment with what you're doing for Christmas! I've heard that you like reading the comments as much as I like getting them!

Christmas Cards .....

Making Christmas cards - have about 25 more to do and get in the mail tomorrow! We send out around 80 since I send to several of my customers and downline with Stampin' Up! along with family & friends. Plus this past week I've needed to send about four sympathy, three thank you's for gifts and a get well. Unfortunately, I always shop, wrap, bake - saving cards till last which isn't the best. Someone please tell me in July to make my Christmas cards!

I've mostly made them all one design but two different color combinations to make it faster. The two pictures show some fairly quick, miscellaneous ones I did using some of our pretty Christmas designer papers.

Christmas Eating Tips

Saw this on a friend's Facebook post last night. Always think these types of things are funny this time of year. Enjoy!

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it.

Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read these tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Have a wonderful Christmas season!!

In the Kitchen

A reminder today to be very careful on ice this time of year. My minister, Richard, from Carmel has been in Virginia since Mon. in the hospital with his dad. His dad slipped on ice going to church Sunday and hit his head, had to have brain surgery, got sepsis, had to be put on a ventilator, his kidneys are not working and now they're saying their goodbyes this afternoon. How quick things can change. . .

Seems like I've been in the kitchen a lot lately. Yesterday and today I've been thinking of aunts as I use their recipes. I'm lucky to be from a family of lots of good cooks!

Yesterday for lunch we had Aunt Lois' barbecue hamburgers. Today I made Aunt Dana's caramels and with lunch, Aunt Jan's corn pudding! All so good!

Since it's the season for cookie baking and candy making, I'll share the recipe now for Caramels and maybe some of you will also still have time to make them. These taste like the best soft caramels you've ever bought at the apple store or at the Cracker Barrel check out.

CARAMELS

2 lbs. brown sugar (original recipe says dark brown - I use the light)
1 lb. (4 sticks) butter (not margarine)
2 cans Eagle Brand milk
2 c. white Karo

Melt butter, add the rest of the ingredients and mix all well. Stir constantly over medium heat until it reaches 238 degrees. Remove from heat. Let cool to about 190 degrees and then pour into buttered 9 x 13 pan. Let stand overnight in a cold place. Cut into squares and wrap individually with waxed paper.

** My comments - I normally cut this recipe in half but if you want to give these as gifts, the whole recipe makes lots. I have found at Hobby Lobby some already cut waxed paper for wrapping candy. They seem to be there just seasonally in the candy making supplies aisle. They are called Confectionery Twisting Wax Paper and there are 100 in the package. This makes the wrapping part so much nicer, trust me!

How Do Moms Do It??

This little girl was at our house the past two days. Diane's babysitter has been sick. It's good for Bill and I to have the kids once in a while. It reminds us how easy our life is with just the two of us and not having kids!

And this is a good baby! But seems like you're always changing a diaper, giving a bottle, trying the pacifier (or maybe a rattle or teething ring), or maybe a little rocking - or the vibrating, bouncy seat. I don't know how moms get everything done, take a shower or eat!

Camry has just recently started eating baby food so it was comical to feed her! The tongue action is so funny! I'm glad I was able to get a video of it. She's usually smiling and making cute noises until I bring out the camera when she starts watching the red light and gets serious. (yes, I did have a wash cloth handy to wipe her mouth occasionally!) Today's new food was sweet potatoes. She liked them and ate all of them! Yesterday I gave up after about half the container of carrots. By the way, carrots cause really bad diaper messes! Click on the arrow to watch the video. She was kicking one leg most of the time while eating.