Dec 17, 2010

Granny Cookies aka Christmas Cherries aka Butt-Loads of Butter

Alison and Kelly, enjoy.

PS - I doubled this recipe. So FOUR sticks of butter were used. FOUR.

Christmas Cherries
(pioneerwomancooks)

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks Butter, Softened
  • ½ cups Sugar
  • 2 whole Egg Yolks, Stirred
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • Zest Of 1 Lemon
  • Zest Of 1 Orange
  • Juice Of 1 Lemon
  • 2 cups All-purpose Flour, Sifted Twice
  • Candied Green And Red Cherries (sold Around The Holidays)

Preparation Instructions

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add egg yolks, vanilla, orange peel, lemon peel, and lemon juice, and mix until combined. Use rubber spatula to scrape bowl, then mix again.
Add sifted flour and mix until combined. Place dough in a ziploc bag and refrigerate for at least one hour, or until firm.
When ready to make the cookies, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cut candied cherries in half.
Roll dough into small balls and set on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. Gently press the cherry halves, cut side down, into each ball.
Bake for 20 minutes, removing from oven before they start to brown. Cool on a wire rack.

I Have Nothing.

To say, that is.

I do not feel compelled to blog, period.

No reason, really. Things are good at work, great at home, awesome with D&H.

Christmas shopping is done.

The baby is growing...lots.

I don't feel like decorating, that's new.

I made some old-lady Christmas cookies last night for a cookie exchange tonight.

Today is our last day at work until after the new year. That's exciting.

That's all I've got.

Dec 9, 2010

Oh My Gosh, I Laughed So Hard.

(Do you watch Survivor? I don't - but I would if this was truly the next idea!)

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 2 kids each for six weeks. Each kid will play two sports and take either music or dance classes. There is no fast food. Each man must take care of his 2 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money. In addition, each man will have to budget enough money for groceries each week. Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time--no emailing. Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment. He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Emergency Room. He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a school function.

Each man will be responsible for
decorating his own assigned house,
planting flowers outside, and keeping it
presentable at all times.

The men will only have access to television
when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.

The men must shave their legs,

wear makeup daily,

adorn themselves with jewelry,

wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes,

keep fingernails polished,

and eyebrows groomed

During one of the six weeks,

the men will have to endure severe
abdominal cramps, backaches, headaches,
have extreme, unexplained mood swings
but never once complain or slow down
from other duties.

They must attend weekly school meetings,
and find time at least once to spend
the afternoon at the park or a similar
setting.

They will need to read a book to the kids each night
and in the morning,
feed them,
dress them,
brush their teeth and
comb their hair
by 7:30 am.

A test will be given
at the end of the six weeks,
and each father will be required to know
all of the following information:
each child's
birthday,
height, weight,
shoe size, clothes size,
doctor's name,
the child's weight at birth,
length, time of birth,
and length of labor,
each child's favorite color,
middle name,
favorite snack,
favorite song,
favorite drink,
favorite toy,
biggest fear,
and what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island based on performance.

The last man wins only if...
he still
has enough energy
to be intimate with his spouse
at a moment's notice.

If the last man does win,
he can play the game over and over and over
again for the next 18-25 years,
eventually earning the right
to be called Mother!
(found on justbeachy.com)

Dec 8, 2010

Well I Can Check THAT Off the List!

So long, #8. Truthfully, this was the only one I really cared about and the only one I was worried wasn't going to happen.

But it did and I am eternally grateful.

For real.

So, I'm also taking #16 off the list because, well, duh. And I'm also taking #11 off the list because I have cut so far back it's as if I don't drink it anymore. And it's my list.

My 30 Before 30

1. Successfully grow a garden

2. Purchase new drinking glasses (white polka dot from Target - love)

3. Sew a quilt

4. Print all past pictures since Hallie was born (making progress!)

5. Put #4 into albums.

6. Take Hallie camping.

7. Re-size my super-cute moo-moo.

8. Get (and stay) pregnant (no pressure, right?).

9. Get my ears pierced!

10. Take a tour of Woodlawn Farm.

11. Give up soda.(I am actually making progress with this.)

12. Visit Kurt in Colorado.

13. Find and buy black and white striped cushions for porch swing/rockers. I changed my mind.

14. Eat hibatchi with Dave.

15. Go on a job with Dave. In the semi.

16. Lose 5 pounds. (changed from 10 to 5...let's be realistic)

17. Organize under the kitchen sink.

18. Take a trip with Hallie and Dave. (St. Louis - to the City Museum, Brewery and Neil!)


19. Hang up plate wall in dining room.

20. Make cinnamon rolls from scratch.

21. Buy nightstands for the master bedroom.

22. Buy lamps for the master bedroom.

23. Make a headboard for the master bedroom.

24. Have new windows installed in the house. Blah.

25. Host an outdoor movie night.

26. Host a bonfire.

27. Sew curtains for the laundry room.

28. Pay off sound loan.

29. Pay off my car loan.

30. Host a fish fry.

Dec 7, 2010

What To Say, What To Say?

Not much going on here. I do look at this blog every day, but can't seem to find much to write about.

  • Still pregnant - going on 15 weeks - yippee! My next appointment is in two weeks.
  • Hallie is awesome. We figured out not to give her any sympathy for the little owies and she will stop complaining. Okay, she still complains, but not as much.
  • We are doing the "Elf on Shelf" tradition this year. If you are not, you should. It's hysterical. Pictures to come as soon as I take them.
  • I'm almost done Christmas shopping. It would help if certain people, *ahem, Megan and Beth, ahem* would give me their lists.
  • It's really, really cold and Dave is gone. Which means the bed takes a lot longer to warm up in at night. It also means Zoey is inside at night. She loves it and so does Hallie.
  • I've started buying a few baby things - a little at a time. I found something new to obsess over that I wish I had when Hallie was a baby. Oh well, it's fun this time around too!


Dec 3, 2010

We Laughed Until We Cried.

Hallie's Christmas program was last night. Her first of many to come, I am sure.

Gosh, I love that kid.



They placed her right in front of the microphone in her polka-dot dress and tights.



can you spot the little girl in the polka dot dress (not Hallie) giving me a death glare??? Creepy!


I worried - would she cry (like her dance recital)? Run from the stage if people laughed? Freak out?



Nope. She rocked the stage. That kid belted out those songs like a professional, except about two beats behind the main tune. What can I say? She goes at her own pace.



Seriously, though. Hallie's voice filled that entire gymnasium. You could hear her over any of the other rugrats on stage. It was hysterical. And I cried I was laughing so hard. Which also made for some pretty crappy pictures.

Sorry!