Random Wintery Christmasy Bits

Above are some of the results from my Annual Christmas Cookie Extravaganza with MG. This year did not disappoint - well, except for MG's chocolate crinkles. They were again a limp sad confection so he's given up on the recipe.

The gingerbread house that Cupcake built. After it was done we were wiped out, so no fake snow on the ground. It's a GLOBAL WARMING gingerbread house.

Scenes from a blizzard. What doesn't show in the above photo of Wednesday's storm is that the wind was blowing the white stuff horizontally. It was great to be watching it from inside . . . . with coffee . . . . and cookies.

Evidence that it snowed at least a foot.

I must show off this gem. It's my BETTY FURNESS candy thermometer! Scavenged from a great aunt's kitchen when she died. The aunt, not Betty Furness. It still works wonderfully. I have a newer one, but it doesn't label the cooking stages for candy. You cooks know what I mean. Who would make an unlabeled candy thermometer?????

One of my favorite ornaments on our tree. First, you must know that I loathe most fruitcake and as a kid acted like it was liver and onions. So bitter was my hatred that extended family knew of it. So in about 1978 when my fabulous Aunt Co sent one of her famous homemade-fruitcakes-in-a-can to my folks, she added a note on the lid. It says "Sorry, Margaret. It's another damn fruitcake!". It's been on my folks' tree or my tree for the last 31 years.

Another favorite homemade ornament. My artsy sister Cheesecake Maven took juice lids, added classic paintings, covered the edges with copper tape, and pounded them in. On some she put beads and thingys on the wire hangers.
Visit Cheesecake Maven for a lovely childhood pic of me!
This painting always reminds me of my sisters and I, aka The Butt Sisters.

This one isn't homemade but it's a favorite of our daughters. Every year they look for the "little skater baby" first.

Another classic that's been on our tree since 1990. It's hubby Johnny C!!!!

Laps I'd rather sit on

I got this idea from Lisa, and it's a doozey!!

How do you spell "doozey" anyway?

Name some laps you would rather sit on

than Santa's!

First off would have to be my very sexy, 100% Italian, strong armed, handsome hubby Johnny C.

Second would have to be Tony Soprano, because he looks like Johnny C and he might peel a $100 off that wad of bills in his pocket. Or he may dump me off the back of his boat after putting a slug in my head. Good thing he's fictional!

Third would be Robert DeNiro - I'm noticing a clear Italiano pattern here!

Fourth is a young Dean Martin - again with the Italians! And Hey, it's an imaginary challenge so I can go back in time, right?
Fifth is Omar Sharif in the 60's. Remember, I am taking the liberty to go back in time.

And to throw my pattern completely off, please add Scottish sweetie Ewan McGregor.

And to round out the Holiday season, please please throw in Alan Rickman. Holy Cow what IS IT about that man? Even as Severus Snape he manages to be oo-la-la.

Merry Christmas Indeed!

A Thanksgiving Poem

The 10-yearold Cupcake brought the following home from school.
I for one, love it and love HER!

Thanksgiving With My Mom's Side

We eat and eat all of the day
People laughing being so gay
We talk and talk while watching slide shows
Everyone is kind all friends no foes

Waging Peace on Earth

What if, at this reflective time of year, we considered waging peace instead of war?

How about, instead of military troops, we spent billions on engineers, builders, teachers, interpreters, agronomists, doctors, nurses, farmers, etc. And they were to travel to all parts of Afghanistan and the Middle East building schools, clinics, mosques, water and sewer systems, and basically bringing hope, health, and self-sufficient means for the Afghans and other "terrorist" cultures to grow food, treat illness and injury, educate their children, and maintain their traditions?

What if we gave the world of ourselves? What if we fought to build lives instead of ending them? What if we gave young Muslims hope and a reason to stay in their villages making life better instead of turning to the likes of Al Qaeda? How about Americans did this without any mention of the Christian religion or our "civilized" ways?

Why can't we wage peace?

My Funny Cupcake

Our 10-year-old says the most amazingly funny and/or insightful things sometimes.
Last week we were in Target, and she wanted to scope out the bed pillows. So we entered the home decor section and she said "I just wanted a regular pillow! These are the gourmet pillows."

Last month she told me how she thinks it's funny that women refer to their boobs as "the girls". Then said "except for you Mom, because of your breast cancer. Guess you can just say your GIRL and your ADOPTED GIRL".

She'll probably kill me for telling you, so keep this hush-hush!

Best Gifts of Childhood #2

Next installment:
The Birds the Bees and the Monkees.

My first ever real live album! I was five and so totally in love with each of the Monkees it was embarrassing. Except Mickey - he kind of scared me - yet I couldn't completely turn away from him. All that raw sexuality and wild hair was just too much for my kindergartner brain.

Like every young girl, Davy was my favorite. Probably because he topped out at about 5' and had a high tenor voice so was somewhat childlike and nonthreatening.

Mike was just the epitome of cool, and Peter was the total nice guy. Peter Tork aka Peter Thorkelson was a Carleton student for one year here in Northfield MN, until he flunked out. For many years there was a Peter Tork pool table lounge in his honor.

Hey Hey It's The Monkees! - my favorite childhood band.

Best Gifts of Childhood #1

We watched old family slides this weekend from the 1950's - 1970's. Brought back some wonderful memories, and the Christmas shots reminded me of some of my favorite childhood toys.

My parents never had a lot of money. They rented until their 40's! But they gave us a pretty wonderful childhood full of music, laughing, picnics, outdoors, fishing, cousins, and good food. God Rest Their Souls I hope there is a heaven because they deserved a break!!!

And they always gave us a good Christmas. We always got great stuff - not big piles like our wealthier friends but just enough to make merry. They kept it all hidden and devised crafty ways to get it under the tree. One year they hid my brother's sled under his bed because they knew he NEVER looked under there.

Pictured above is my first installment, in no particular order. It's a beauty salon set for a Penny Bright doll. I never cared so much about the doll, but those pieces were just fascinating to me and gave me YEARS of play. Usually they made it into various homemade Barbie houses.

Copies of the family slides are coming, and I have actual shots of me playing with this. I hope to add them soon.

What are some of YOUR favorite Christmas gift memories?? Let me know in the comments or blog.