Christmas is Coming

The last few weeks have been all about getting ready for Christmas. I started by putting up some white lights in the bushes outside. Then, the week after Thanksgiving, we went and bought our tree. We went the easy route and get an already cut tree from Home Depot. I hope when the kids are older that we will trek out in the cold and cut down our own like my family did for so many years. We set the tree up in the front room and I attempted to put up the lights. That task ended abruptly though, when 3 strings of my lights didn't work. So, I finished the lights the next day after a trip to Walmart. Later, J, Embry and I hung the ornaments. I bought shatterproof ornaments this year with Matthew in mind, and left a lot of our old glass ornaments packed away. Fortunately, Matthew has not been very interested at all in the tree. I think he is kind of weirded out by it so far.



I also have been baking this week. Our family goes cookie crazy at Christmas. I knew that I would not have to bake all of the cookies I wanted in the days before Christmas, so I started last week and put a few batches of dough in the freezer. I made lemon glazed butter cookies (without the glaze yet), molasses cookies, and raspberry pinwheels. This week I will start to work on the cutouts (Embry and I will frost and decorate them next weekend), blondies (yummy recipe from friend Ginny), and fudge. It will be my first attempt at homemade fudge. Normally I would not be nervous, but my efforts in the kitchen lately have been... unpredictable.

I forgot the sugar in the pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Then my first batch of cookie dough was way too dry, and my second batch was way too wet. Then today I tried a different recipe for panettone and it totally flopped (although I blame the recipe for this one). By the way, I will keep trying recipes for panettone until I find a good one, even it takes me all next year.

Thankfully, everyone else will be bringing cookies as well, so if none of mine turn out, we will still have plenty to go around. We are having 10 people (including the kids) for Christmas dinner next Thursday, so I am working on recipes and shopping lists for that as well.


Shopping is done, although I am still waiting on a few last minute gifts to arrive in the mail. And everything that is here is already wrapped. We just have to bring everything up from the basement and put it under the tree on Christmas Eve.


I asked Embry what she wanted Santa to bring her and she answered, "a new sippy cup." That one shouldn't be to hard to get. When I asked her what Matthew will get she said, "a new milk bottle." She decided that I am getting some new plates, and J will be receiving a new workbench and new tools. I guess we'll find out if she's right...