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Post by meggie on Dec 21, 2015 14:42:51 GMT -5
With just a few days to go, is everyone relaxing waiting for the big day or in a state of panic, wondering where that extra week went?
I'm somewhere in the middle, groceries and gifts bought, although there will be a wrapping marathon tonight. I'd promised Daphne some nighties several months ago ( try buying them in stores...nope!) and have been sewing like crazy this weekend. I have just a bit of finishing to do on them.
Paris is here for the week and I'll have her & Daphne Christmas Day and Boxing Day. I'm not sure yet if I'm cooking for 4 or 10+. Everyone's plans seem to be fluid this year. I'm just happy to be having some of them here this year. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed doing Christmas dinner. I was positively giddy grocery shopping.
It looks like another green Christmas for us, which suits me fine. Driving here with any snow is a nightmare.
I hope you are enjoying the holidays and find time for some peaceful, joyous times with those you love.
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Post by ruffles on Dec 22, 2015 9:29:34 GMT -5
Meggie....Your Christmas spirit is beautifully infectious! Yes...Christmas dinner is here. Between everything, the house work, the decorating and the food prep, it is a ton of work, but I wouldn't give this up for all the world. (Iris season is Christmas in the spring!) My home is all dressed up and looking beautiful. My Christmas trees are beautiful. The gifts are wrapped and under the tree. I love the wire ribbon. It makes gorgeous bows. They are so pretty and considered part of the decorating now. There are still a few housework chores remaining. The baking needs to be started today. Tomorrow is time for the last minute fresh food shopping.
Will try a couple of different recipes this year: a walnut, pecan cake, cranberry orange muffins and some yeast rolls. We have enjoyed sticky buns as a tradition for years but now my son-il, who LOVES them, has a food allergy to anything corn, including Karo syrup which is produced with corn syrup. A batch of sticky buns will be made for him using maple syrup. ........... A gift request came from my brother this year who lives in NC. He asked for genuine Massachusetts maple syrup. That was double packed in layers of airbags and styro nuts.
Busy! Busy! Busy!
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Post by ruffles on Dec 23, 2015 10:25:02 GMT -5
Ohhh my. Does anyone have some spare adrenalin? Here it is, the day before Christmas Eve. There is a whole entire bundle of things which need to be done, need to be accomplished, and which I want to make happen. Only this body is in an "Are you kidding?!!" "Really?" "Not all that again!" "We don't want to move!" attitude! Morning is not my best time of day. Maybe I'll wind up and start flying in a little while from now.
During a recent mall visit, I had a 'seasonal' cookie from Mrs. Fields. It was a too die for, mint flavored chocolate chip cookie. Of course I am going to experiment with the ch. chip cookie recipe for this one. The chips in that cookie were not mint but there were little red melted chips in the cookie. However, I think the flavor was more in the dough. Also, while the cookie was raised, it was also gooey. I loved the texture. The question becomes how to raise the cookie and keep it gooey. The Toll House cookie is gooey but it is also collapsed.
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Post by meggie on Dec 23, 2015 12:51:43 GMT -5
Past, your body is telling you to buy the Mrs. Fields cookie! Experiment with it for Valentine's Day
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Post by ruffles on Dec 23, 2015 13:54:42 GMT -5
My body is saying that mornings should be deleted, demolished, outlawed or banned or ALL of the above. It's time to get going now! *grin*
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Post by meggie on Dec 23, 2015 15:26:56 GMT -5
I knew we were kindred spirits! Mornings shouldn't start until 9am except in the summer!
My must do baking is finished, although there's a recipe for a Baileys chocolate mousse that I might try.
One small gift to buy & I'll just take my time and be patient driving and lining up.
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Post by karenk on Dec 24, 2015 7:54:37 GMT -5
Happy Christmas Eve! David and Kevin made it home and Kev's girlfriend Emily is arriving on Boxing Day. I'm up early to hit Wilson Farm before the frenzy descends on it. This is my first day off school, so I still have all my wrapping to do. Not baking cookies until after Christmas, I just don't have the time. Plus student gifts keep me in the sweet stuff. I've already gained 3 pounds. ;-)
I am trying two new recipes. One is Sangria for tonight and the other is Monkey Bread for tomorrow morning. One of my colleagues makes monkey bread, which surprisingly does not contain bananas, for department meetings we have over the summer -- to lighten the blow of working in the summer -- and it is DELICIOUS! It's Pillsbury roll dough cut into quarters and covered with cinnamon, sugar, melted butter and brown sugar, all baked into one big gooey mess. It's amazing! And it will make the house smell terrific.
Our big news here that is that we just, as in 6 days ago, came to an agreement on a piece of property in Orleans, MA, on the Cape!!! If you've seen my photos on FB, they were taken near the property. It's only .4 mile down to a town landing on Little Pleasant Bay and it's surrounded by conservation land that can never be built on. It's so very peaceful and I am so excited, and a little nervous. We don't have everything all worked out, but we'll probably aim to retire in a few years. We'll also need to get this house ready to sell, probably in spring 2017, and move into an apartment up here while we're still working. I always wanted an acre of land on the Cape for Christmas!
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Post by karenk on Dec 24, 2015 7:57:52 GMT -5
ps. Meggie, Kevin appeared in his BC Lions shirt. He loves that thing! :-)
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Post by ruffles on Dec 24, 2015 9:59:15 GMT -5
Hi KK! .... Wrapping...Yes! My brother works for the post office and had been putting in 12 hour days/6 days per week since I don't know when. He walks in the door here for Christmas dinner needing to wrap his gifts. What the USPS does to make our Christmas season a success is beyond outstanding.
So glad your boys are home with you now.
Your monkey bread sounds delicious and easy. We have sticky buns plus we have varied diets in our family now. One person can't have anything related to corn, including corn syrup (Karo). I will be making 2 different batches of sticky buns, one of which will be with maple syrup. There are other food allergies as well. It keeps things interesting around here.
Your retirement future sounds positively beautiful. What an incredible Christmas gift!!!!!!! I had to look for Orleans on a map. Once you are settled in can we plan a visit there? This just takes one's breath away.
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Post by ruffles on Dec 24, 2015 10:00:04 GMT -5
Need to get downstairs to the kitchen ASAP and turn on PBS for the King's College Choir from Cambridge England.
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