we're waiting

The packages are gone... the cookies have been eaten, but we are still enjoying the tree, the lights and the decorations. So... we are going to wait awhile before taking things down.  The weather "person" mentioned rain and cold next week but the first weekend in January is supposed to have highs in the low  50's..... good time to take the lights down, right?

My younger daughter, teacher with husband and kids, is always super busy to I arranged a trip to Starbucks for Chai Lattes and chocolate croissants and a chance to talk ... just the two of us.  Very enjoyable!!

Since my elder daughter's husband is on the road during the week, we have more chance to talk... in her home office while she has a cigarette and her Dad is keeping an eye on the 6 month old doggie disaster! BTW Harper has found a way to get out of her cage without opening the locked door.

New Year's Eve is just around the corner... hope you all enjoy the celebrations !!

When do you take the decorations down??

We all madeit  through our first Christmas without Robb. A few teary moments but for the most part we "made it"! 

The usual tree, lights and decorations are up... making sure the memory things are in sight. We have a few more holiday get togethers planned and of course New Year's Eve.... then we will pack things away till next year with the hope that 2019 will be a better year for us all...

When do you take things down??

playing around... found comments... and Merry Christmas

Just thought I'd tell everyone that I finally found my comments and have published them ( except for the spam ones - some were pretty crude).
Sometime last spring blogger must have made changes in its format... but I won't mot see them again!!

We all had a very nice Christmas. My daughters and their families came for brunch bringing most of the food!  My grand daughter had her first mimosa - light on the prosecco - with no negative results. After eating wonderful STUFF we exchanged presents.

And while the smokers lit up , we sat on the deck and talked!!

Hopefully your Christmas was a good as ours

Merry Christmas to all....

Rugelach ....

Bob and I watched a PBS show starring two sisters from the Boston area... they were the first of many rugelach makings this year and so we decided to give it a try.  The one we chose has walnuts and apricot jam.
The cream cheese based dough is currently chilling in the fridge.  We have to wait at least two hours.

Lili's ( our GD) is working this afternoon and her parents are unavailble to drive her home when she is done. So the rugelach will wait until we have taken her home!!

DH and I will be having a quiet yummy dinner tonight ... hopefully the rugelach baking will be successful.... a small boneless leg of lamb, baked ( or jacket) potatoes, applesauce, home made cranberry sauce, a veggie and a sample try of two rugelach for dessert and some of Aldi's mulled wine.
This means I could empty the freezer a bit and put in some of the Christmas goodies from a brother-in-law!

They're done... not as beautiful as on the TV show but very tasty ( we sampled two) I wasn't very good at dividing up the circles into 12 pieces but I will be better next time. Parchment paper is a godsend for not having any stick!!

I have had all sorts of cookies recommended to me since I posted on Facebook... Jewish cookies for Purem, Danish cookies and so on.  People will be sending me recipes and next year's bake-a-thon will include some new ones!!

goodies arrived

Our boxes going to my husband's siblings have arrived and some opened!! I am glad... a task enjoyed but do want things to get there on time! We live in the Kansas City area and they live in South Carolina, Upstate NY and Florida.

This after noon we are going to Harper Lee's ( my daughter's 7 month old part gigantic bloodhound puppy)  Christmas party. Have you even been to a dog's Christmas party... we haven't. The party is being held by the people who hold dog obedience classes ( Harper is taking them).  My daughter is looking forward to seeing how Harper does with their obstacle course... first time for Harper!

Afterwards my daughter and I are off to buy toys for her non-profit's Santa Tree. Now that our youngest family member is a 6 foot 12 year old we aren't buying toys anymore. So buying for Phoenix Family will be fun!!

Slowly but surely packages are getting wrapped and the door to my bedroom is closed in case someone drops in... The cats don't like that! They want to be free to roam wherever! Jack, they gray striped one, was locked up in the coat closet yesterday. No yowling or anything. Only Tigger the Tripper's reaching under the door told me!!

Our biggest cat surprise has been the fact that the cats have not climbed the tree, knocked anything off the mantle or chewed any lights!! Keeping my fingers crossed that this continues!!

Christmas goodies.

Since the Bright Star Bear Blitz show closed I have been working on Christmas goodies to mail off to my husband's siblings... I have made Scotch shortbread, cut out cookies, home made "Chex mix" and ginger cookies. My grandson made a large batch of chocolate chip cookies to add to my things.
This was his first time using parchment paper and the first batch of cookies slid off the cookies sheets into the bottom of the oven. We rescued them and made them ones to nibble! BTW... he's 12... and this will never happen to him again. My whole family loves that he loves to cook!

I will be baking more things  after the siblings' packages get mailed... I want to have several more types to put out when family drops by and on Christmas Day. My elder daughter loves Russian Teacakes or Mexican Wedding Bells - same cookie, different name - so will definitely be making those!

I've also made a batch of candied orange peel and a batch of dry sherry walnuts tomorrow ... I've found a recipe ( slightly different) for cream sherry nuts. Maybe I'll use pecans for these...

Christmas baking and candy making is always fun and I like making "stuff" especially for my brothers-in-law since they don't usually make things for themselves.

First Prize

My grand daughter Lili ( Lilith actually) won 1st place in her High School's Reflections contest for her story !!

Her Mother ( my daughter) sent me a cell phone picture.  Isn't Lili excited and delighted?? DH and the rest of the family are so proud of her!!

BTW she loves to play with dying her hair... she's actually a ginger/red head ! This time she used navy blue and it is fading!