Christmas Brunch at Sis' Place - 2008

Word of the Day

Nonversation - A conversation between two or more people of absolutely no value, such as a discussion of the weather.

There's going to be way too much food tonight. I'm not sure why I always make too much food. This is just going to be a small get-together. And me? I finally had to write a list so I wouldn't be so scattered in my planning. Maybe if I'd written out the list before I went out shopping today, I wouldn't have bought so much food. Oh well....HTP and I will have left-overs. Also, my next door neighbor is having a party that we're going to tomorrow and she told me that I could bring an appetizer to share. In the meantime, I've dragged all my serving dishes out of the cupboard and put sticky labels on them. Yes, I put tags on each of the dishes with what I want to put in those dishes because there's no way that I want to have to worry about what goes where when I start dishing out the food. Lists are vital these days. Then....HTP told me that he thought it would be nice to serve margaritas tonight (not on my list), so I mixed up a batch of my ultimate margaritas which meant juicing up fresh limes. Oh well...it's done. I've taken a page out of Sis's book and prepped EVERYTHING that could be prepped ahead of time. The cheese and sausage is all sliced up. The black bean dip is all made. I made the spinach dip and onion dip yesterday. The salsa and guacamole and humus are all ready to set out. I'll wait to cook up the chicken wings until our friends get here. We plan on making the smokies in a blankets when they get here. See? We're going to have way too much food.

Murphyism of the Day

Meader's Law

Whatever happens to you, it will previously have happened to everyone you know.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Energy is eternal delight.

- William Blake (1757 - 1827)

Sunrise at The Lake on Christmas Day 2008 - Picture taken by T Square

Word of the Day

Nonedex - Lacking an index; describing a book that is hard to navigate due to the lack of an index.

I'm spending the day doing laundry, general clearing, and prepping appetizers that I'm planning to serve tomorrow night. HTP and I are having friends over tomorrow night to help us ring in the New Year. My living room area, where we'll be doing our entertaining, is way too cluttered right now. Cleaning will happen but since dust and dirt accumulates on a daily basis, I'll worry about doing all the in depth cleaning until tomorrow. I've got the champagne chilling in the fridge along side the beer that HTP put in the fridge last night. I still need to make the dips, mix up cocktail sauce, and bake the bread to hold spinach dip...and more bread for dipping said spinach dip. We've decided to have an appetizer nosh fest tomorrow night while we're watching DVDs and sipping on champagne....and beer.

I'm going to wait to put my new laptop away until tomorrow. I promise that I'll put it away before our company arrives. Right now it's really nice to be able to sit in the comfort of my living room while I blog while watching TV.

Murphyism of the Day

Dooley's Law

Trust everyone, but cut the cards.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

We must use time as a tool, not as a crutch.

- John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963)

Gypsy and I have a webcam?

Word of the Day

Nifterrificalabulous - Being nifty, terrific, radical, and fabulous; injected into conversation to express ones extreme like for something.

Sheet dancing is done for the rest of the week....knock on wood. I've got the last load of sheets in the dryer and will stow them away until the next sheet dance. We didn't get freezing temperatures last night and I can't see any forecast that is predicting any for at least the next ten days.

HTP and I have been invited to a holiday party later today. I decided to bottle up a couple of liqueurs to bring along as a hostess gift. HTP printed out the labels for the bottles. I had him print out extra labels because we're having a couple of friends come over on New Year's Eve. Since these people returned empty bottles from the liqueurs that I gifted them last Christmas, I decided that they deserve refills. I noted that although I have lots of the flavored schnapps that I make and use to make my liqueurs, I haven't made any liqueurs. Oh well....there's plenty of different types of liqueurs already made up for right now.

Murphyism of the Day

Underlying Principle of Sociogenetics

Superiority is recessive.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

I feel about airplanes the way I feel about diets. It seems to me they are wonderful things for other people to go on.

- Jean Kerr

MC Daughter at The Lake - Spring Break 2002

Word of the Day

Newify - To make something, that was once old, to become new again through refurbishing, painting, repairing, or some other activity.

******

THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED
AN AIRBORNE FINE PARTICLE HIGH POLLUTION ADVISORY FOR THE GREATER
PHOENIX AREA FOR SUNDAY.
THIS MEANS THAT ONGOING STAGNANT WEATHER CONDITIONS COMBINED WITH
EXISTING AIRBORNE FINE PARTICLE LEVELS MAY RESULT IN LOCAL FINE
PARTICLE CONCENTRATIONS THAT POSE A HEALTH RISK. ADVERSE HEALTH
EFFECTS INCREASE AS AIR QUALITY DETERIORATES.
FINE PARTICULATE MATTER - ALSO KNOWN AS PM-2.5 - IS AN AIR
CONTAMINANT THAT CAN AGGRAVATE HEART AND LUNG DISEASE CONDITIONS...
ESPECIALLY IN OLDER ADULTS...CHILDREN...AND THOSE WITH ASTHMA. A
DECREASE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS RECOMMENDED.

******

I wasn't planning on taking part in any strenuous activities anyway...other than removing the sheets from my plants as soon as the temperatures rise above freezing. Yes, Virginia, it did freeze last night. My herb pots don't look happy about being inside but it looks like I may be able to return them to their normal outdoor environment today. "They" aren't predicting freezing temperatures for tonight. They are predicting 35°F temperatures which is close to freezing so I'll check the forecast later on this afternoon to see if I need to repeat my sheet dance for a third time as the sun sinks below the horizon.

Actually, despite the pollution warning,you'd never know that there was one issued out here where HTP and I live. I guess you could say we live in one of the outlying areas. The only real time that I notice any particulates flying around is when we get one of those dust storms that hit before we get any rain. It would be nice to have a fireplace in our house but even if we had one, they wouldn't have let us put in a real, wood-burning, fireplace. The EPA hates wood-burning fireplaces and won't let you put them into any of the new built homes. *sigh* And even if I lived in a home that already had a wood-burning fireplace, they wouldn't let me actually burn wood on any day that was cold enough for you to burn wood because they issue pollution alerts for those days and prohibit wood-burning fires.

With a second night of freezing temperatures, I finally turned on the furnace. It works. I set it at 68°F, and I heard it kick in at around 3 AM. It startled HTP enough so he poked me, saying, "You turned on the furnace?!". I've been avoiding the use of the furnace despite all of HTP's complaints. It seems to me that if you're cold, you can always put on a sweater...only, even though HTP has several sweaters, he refuses to wear them. He doesn't like long-sleeve shirts either. *sigh* I always end up having to kick off the covers when the furnace is on after I'm in bed. I get too hot. Even though you can always put more clothes on when you're cold, you can only take so much off when you're hot. As an admitted insomniac, I normally have a hard time sleeping. Adding hot temperatures (OK...68°F isn't exactly hot...but it felt hot to me last night)and there is no possibility of a sleeping for Old Grey Frog. Oh well...it is winter and if we were back in Wisconsin right now there would be no debating over whether or not to fire up the furnace. We'd be firing up the fireplace too...and probably thinking about buying a snow-blower as we shoveled the snow for the sixth or seventh time.

Murphyism of the Day

Schrimpton's Law of Teenage Opportunity

When opportunity knocks, you've got your headphones on.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

A timid person is frightened before a danger, a coward during the time, and a courageous person afterward.

- Jean Paul Richter (1763 - 1825)

Snow at The Lake - December 2008 Picture taken by T-Square

Word of the Day

Nevways - Sometimes; often spoken in a cute sarcastic voice.

Baby it's cold outside! Thankfully, I've been keeping a close eye on the weather forecast and was prepared for the freezing temperatures. Our overnight temperature of 28 degrees turned the water in my fountain to ice. It would have killed the herbs in my herb pots. I brought said herb pots inside last night and covered my more frost sensitive plants with sheets. No mean feat. Dancing with sheets can be strenuous exercise. The winter jacket that I'd donned when I went outside at the start of the dance was soon abandoned. I'll have to remove the sheets after it warms up a bit but repeat my dance again tonight. Oh well...it's good exercise. However, I'm just going to leave my herb pots inside for right now.

HTP got my laptop all set up for me by last night. Two days with HTP hunched over his own computer, lots of muttering, HTP hunched over my desktop computer, more muttering and a bit of blue language. Vista is not an easy system to work with when you're trying to transfer files from XP or when you try to set up auxiliary devices like printers. We're not the first people who've encountered these difficulties. Thankfully, these other people documented their difficulties on the Internet. Thank goodness for HTP! If an answer to a problem can be found on the Internet or elsewhere, he'll find it. I feel sorry for other people do who don't have their own live-in tech support and computer guru. There's no way that I could have managed setting up this laptop on my own. I'm leaving my desktop computer where it is for right now....just in case, but I'll be using my laptop from now on. I just have to train Gypsy not to crawl into my lap along when my laptop is already sitting on it.

Murphyism of the Day

Johnson and Laird's Law

A toothache tends to start on Saturday night.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

One of the serious obstacles to the improvement of our race is indiscriminate charity.

- Andrew Carnegie (1835 - 1919)

Gypsy Sitting Under My Computer Desk - January 2008

Word of the Day

Nevitts - The sandpaper-like deposits on a cat's tongue.

I managed to roast the prime rib for supper last night without setting off the smoke detectors. However, having said that, it's a good thing that the outdoor temperatures weren't too cold because HTP and I had to open a few windows. Smoke happens when you cook a fatty piece of meat for an hour at 500°F. I made some homemade horseradish to go with the prime rib from one of the roots that I dug from The Lake. The roots are getting a bit dry in my crisper drawer but I found that it worked well to soak the root that I want to grate for a while before grating. The vinegar and a bit of water finished the rehydration and I ended up with some really potent horseradish sauce. I don't like to make more than we can use but I made enough for the leftover prime rib and the cocktail sauce that I plan to make for New Year's Eve. Since it was just HTP and me, there's no way that we could eat all the prime rib roast at one sitting...nor would we even think about attempting such a feat. Actually, as normal, I made way too much food. Oh well...leftover prime rib is wonderful and in the coming days the green bean casserole that I made will just as wonderful.

I got a laptop for Christmas! Woohoo! It's an Acer Aspire. The keyboard is white...which is great! Actually, I haven't had much of a chance to play with it as yet. HTP has been getting it all set up for me, so he's been doing all the playing so far. I'm planning on transferring all the data from my current desktop computer to the new laptop. The goal is that I eventually won't be tethered to a desk when I want to go online. I can go outside or sit in the living room or in the kitchen or....well...you get the idea. Of course, I'll still be anchored by how long the battery will last until it needs to be recharged but if I can't do what I need to do within the 2 hours, I'll just have to plug 'er in, recharge while tethered to my desk, and then head off again to wherever I want to sit. This morning, I was able to get online to check various blogs, read the latest news, check on Facebook friends and such, but I couldn't check my mail...yet. So, I also played Pogo and also a solitaire game that came loaded on the new laptop. HTP needs to get Outlook set up on the new laptop. He also has to transfer all my files and such over from my desktop. So...until that happens, I'm blogging and "working" from ye olde desktop (soon to be retired). This will be my first brand-new computer. All my other computers and computer equipment have been hand-me-downs from HTP or #1 Son. I'm going to have to learn how to function with Vista instead of XP but what doesn't kill me, will make me stronger.

Murphyism of the Day

Ron's Observations for Teenagers

1. The pimples don't appear until the hour before the date.

2. The scratch on the CD is always through the song you like most.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Use, do not abuse; neither abstinence nor excess ever renders man happy.

- Voltaire (1694 - 1778)

Merry Christmas!


Merry


Christmas


Everyone!


Word of the Day

Noggin'noddin - A periodic bobbing of one's head when one is about to doze off, often recurring in regular succession either in a rhythmical or intermittent pattern; a sign that one is too inactive or tired to stay awake.

HTP and I went to the Christmas Eve service at church last night. Though both HTP and I thought they could have used one more trumpet player, the brass ensemble sounded pretty good. Afterwards, we went out to eat with friends. We plan to spend today celebrating a Christmas for two....and a half, with Gypsy. I've got a bottle of champagne chilling in the freezer for the mimosas to go with our brunch. Eggs, bacon, toast, hashbrowns, blueberry pancakes. The TV is tuned to a roaring Yule log with Christmas music. HTP and I will open our presents after our Christmas brunch and, of course, we'll let Gypsy check out her stocking to see what Santa has brought this year. Later, we'll see if I can make prime rib without setting off the smoke detectors in the house.

Murphyism of the Day

Kent Family Law

Never change our plans because of the weather.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The parent who gets down on the floor to play with a child on Christmas Day is usually doing a most remarkable thing -- something seldom repeated during the rest of the year. These are, after all, busy parents committed to their work or their success in the larger society, and they do not have much left-over time in which to play with their children.

- Brian Sutton-Smith

'Twas the


Night Before


Christmas!




'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house


not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.


The stockings were hung by the breakfast bar with care,
in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.


The children were nestled all snug in their beds,


while visions of candy canes danced in their heads.


And Mama in her jammies,


and Papa not so hammy,


had just settled their brains for a long winter's...um...nap.


When out on the roof there arose such a patter,


Ms. En's Mommy sprang from her bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window she flew like a flash,


Ms. En's Daddy tore open the shutter, and threw up the sash.


The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow


gave the lustre of midday to objects below,


when, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.


With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.


More rapid than eagles, his coursers they came,


and he whistled and shouted and called them by name:

"Now Dasher! Now Dancer!
Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid!
On, Donner and Blitzen!


To the top of the porch!
To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away!
Dash away all!"


As Fall leaves that before the wild winter winds fly,
when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky


so up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
with the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.


And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
the prancing and pawing of each little hoof.


As I drew in my head and was turning around,
down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.


He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.


A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,


and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.


His eyes--how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!


His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
and the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.


The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.


He had a broad face and a little round belly,
that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.


He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.


A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.


He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.


And laying his finger aside of his nose,
and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.


He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,


And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,


"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

'Twas the night before the night before Christmas and even the mice were busy.

Word of the Day

Neutron peas - Tiny green objects in TV dinners that remain frozen even when the rest of the food has been microwaved beyond recognition.

I'm done with my Christmas baking. This morning after breakfast, I made three batches of peanut brittle. Two of the batches are for gifting...locally.

Today was the day that I needed to rack the wines. HTP helped me with the heavy lifting. From what I tasted so far (of course I sipped a bit from each type of wine...even though it's not ready), all the wines are going to taste just fine. The most beautiful wine is the Prickly Pear Cactus wine. Gorgeous!

My homemade cheese smells a bit like Limburger cheese. Eventually, it's supposed to end up tasting a bit like feta cheese. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm going to wait to try making kefeddar cheese (which would mean that I'd have to make another batch of cottage cheese. Right now I'm just going to concentrate on Christmas Eve and Christmas and baby-sitting my homemade cheese, rubbing it down with olive oil on a daily basis.

Murphyism of the Day

The Mosquito Principle

When two people are together outdoors, the insects will bother one while leaving the other alone.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Next to a circus there ain't nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit.

- Kin Hubbard

Word of the Day

Neurotical - Describing one's neurotic temperament.

I made two batches of Italian pizzelle which is more than I planned on making but since I bothered to buy the anise extract, I figured I might as well use it. Aside from that, I've got plenty of eggs right now and Italian pizzelle uses eggs.

HTP took the Chevy into the shop to get an oil change. This meant that I followed HTP and the Chevy out to the shop in the Gator so HTP wouldn't be trapped for an hour while the Chevy was getting its oil changed and tires rotated. HTP and I used that hour to get something to eat for lunch. Neither of us had been to a Carls Jr. for years. HTP was impressed with his Star burger and the Western Star burger was bigger than I remembered. We'll have to go to Carls Jr. more often.

Murphyism of the Day

The Whispered Rule

People will believe anything if you whisper it.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn't for any religious reasons. They couldn't find three wise men and a virgin.

- Jay Leno

#1 Son and Santa - 1994

Word of the Day

Netoriety - A measure of one's notorious reputation throughout the Internet.

I'm starting to get into the Christmas spirit. Finally. Playing Christmas music with the church orchestra for two services helped. Baking Christmas cookies also helped somewhat but eating Christmas cookies, no matter how good they may taste, isn't doing much for my diet. Oh well...I'll worry about dieting next year. I still have/want to make my Italian Pizzelle and some peanut brittle. I was missing some key ingredients for both of these recipes, missing ingredients that I was able to pick up at the store on my way home from church. I also picked up the fixings for Christmas dinner....and munchies and snack items for a New Year's Eve celebration at home with HTP.

I didn't cover any of my plants last night. Thankfully, the weather prediction was accurate. It only got down to 35°F last night. Since it's only supposed to get down to 40°F tonight, and since last night's temperature was so accurately predicted, I'm not going to worry about covering any plants...at least not tonight. However, I plan to keep a daily weather eye out for future weather predictions. Right now, it looks like I may have to worry about next Saturday's overnight temperatures but one never knows when the weather predictions may change.

Murphyism of the Day

McLaughlin's Law

In a key position in every genealogy you will find a John Smith from London.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.

- Shirley Temple

#1 Son and Santa - 1993

Word of the Day

Nerkle - A person who leaves their Christmas lights up all year.

HTP and I went to a wine and cheese social at the our community clubhouse last night. It was a BYOB party. $2 cover-charge at the door. This was a first for us. We normally don't participate in functions held at the clubhouse. I was amazed at how many people were there. It would have been a lot more fun if HTP and I had known any of them. Oh well, I brought a bottle of wine which I would have shared but it didn't look like anyone was passing around bottles. Everyone drank whatever they brought. I noticed that one guy brought a bottle of whisky that he was mixing with some 7-up that he brought along. Most people had fancy bags they were using to transport their bottles and wine glasses. If HTP and I attend the next wine and cheese social, a bag to transport the wine and glasses might be a good idea. We did bring along a little cooler with some ice and pop for HTP. HTP isn't a big wine drinker. They had plastic glasses but drinking wine out of a plastic glass...it just isn't the same. Oh well...next time I'll pack a couple of real glasses to bring with us...if there is a next time. It was good to just get out for an evening without spending a lot. Maybe I can talk some of the people we know in the neighborhood into going next time. Oh...and I should see if I can get some name tags for HTP and me from the HOA. Most of the people were wearing special name tags. HTP and I never got name tags because...well...we never bothered to get name tags when they were handing them out.

It was 37°F this morning when I woke up. Admittedly cold, but not freezing. Thank goodness. It's supposed to get down to 35°F tonight and I'm debating whether or not it might be wise to drag out the sheets to cover the more sensitive plants...maybe bring my herb pots inside for the night. If it only gets down to 35°F, the plants will be fine but the people who predict the temperatures aren't the people who will have to replace frozen plants while mourning their losses if the temperature dips a mere three degrees lower.

Murphyism of the Day

Laws of Postal Delivery

1. Love letter, business contracts, and money you are due always arrive three weeks late.

2. Junk mail arrives the day it was sent.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.

- Johnny Carson

#1 Son with Santa - 1992

Word of the Day

Nerd hero - Any nerd-core artist or enthusiast who pretends to have mad skills with a guitar by displaying his/her Guitar Hero® guitar controller during concert, or by demonstrating his excellence in game.

I made more cookies. Sugar-free Almond Sugar Cookies. Actually, I've been experimenting with a recipe that Sis gave me which uses egg yolks. I always have plenty of egg yolks. Rather than waste them, I decided to experiment with using this recipe to make some Christmas sugar cookies (sans sugar). It worked out great! Very rich! My sister sent me an e-mail this morning that explained all the rules when it comes to calories and Christmas cookies. Since the cookies I "taste-tested" this morning were sugar-free, I figured...they were both calorie free. Oh...and I'm adding another rule to Cookie Rules. Colored decorettes and sugars don't count as sugar in sugar-free cookies since they're only there for decoration purposes.

Cookie Rules

If you eat a Christmas cookie fresh out of the oven, it has no calories
because everyone knows that the first cookie is the test and thus calorie free.

If you drink a diet soda after eating your second cookie, it also has no
calories because the diet soda cancels out the cookie calories (water has the
same properties here).

If a friend comes over while you're making your Christmas cookies and needs
to sample, you must sample with your friend. Because your friend's first
cookie is calorie free, rule #1 is yours also. It would be rude to let your
friend sample alone and, being the friend that you are, that makes your cookie
calorie free, as well.

Any cookie calories consumed while walking around will fall to your feet and
eventually fall off as you move. This is due to gravity and the density of the
caloric mass.

Any calories consumed during the frosting of Christmas cookies
will be used up because it takes many calories to lick excess
frosting from a knife without cutting your tongue.

Cookies colored red or green have very few calories. Red ones have three and
green ones have five - one calorie for each letter. (Make more red ones!)

Cookies eaten while watching "Miracle on 34th Street" have NO
calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not
part of one's personal fuel.

As always, cookie "pieces" contain no calories because the process of
breaking causes calorie leakage.

Any cookies consumed from someone else's plate have no calories since the
calories rightfully belong to the other person and will cling to their plate.
(We all know how calories like to CLING!)

Any cookies consumed while feeling stressed have no calories because cookies
used for medicinal purposes NEVER have calories. (It's a rule!)

Colored decorettes and sugars don't count as sugar in sugar-free cookies since they're only there for decoration purposes. Decorative sugars will not raise your blood sugar levels.


****


I forgot all about Spam and my webmail accounts. My e-mail server sorts through all my mail and keeps the Spam in a webmail folder. *sigh* I forgot about it until this morning. It took me an hours to sort through all of the Spam. Pages and pages of Spam. I could have just deleted it all but I noticed right off the bat that there were a couple of e-mails that weren't Spam. So...I had to sort through and delete the Spam and mark the good stuff as "This is not Spam" so it could continue on its merry way to my In Box. I'll have to check the webmail accounts more often. You'd think with all the Spam that my e-mail server is letting leak through the filter, I wouldn't have so much Spam in the webmail Spam folders. 'Tis the season for Spam.

Murphyism of the Day

Milstead's Christmas Card Rule

After you have mailed your last card, you will receive a card from someone you overlooked.

Old Grey Frog's Corollary to Milstead's Christmas Card Rule

After you've mailed your last card, you will receive at least a couple of cards from people who you already sent a card...to the address where they used to live before they moved.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Christmas at my house is always at least six or seven times more pleasant than anywhere else. We start drinking early. And while everyone else is seeing only one Santa Claus, we'll be seeing six or seven.

- W. C. Fields

#1 Son - Christmas 2001

Word of the Day

Neonphancy - A fluorescent light bulb struggling to come to life.

I started decorating Christmas cookies yesterday...my brown sugar cookies. I'm not all that creative when it comes to decorating cookies...but I try. About the time I finished up the vanilla icing, my creative ideas ran out. I'd also run out of space to put the cookies while the icing dried long enough so that I could store them away in one of my cookie tins without the cookies gluing themselves together and making a mess. The frosting had set up enough by this morning but, I waited until this afternoon to open up the second tub of icing so I could finish up with decorating the rest of the brown sugar cookies. Still...I'm not all that creative. I didn't turn any of the Christmas tree cookies into bloody spear points. *sigh* I miss the bloody spear points that #1 Son used to make for me. I didn't make any aliens with green faces either....or frowny faces. *sigh* Maybe next year.

Murphyism of the Day

The Law of the Letter

The best way to inspire fresh thoughts is to seal the letter.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won't make it "white".

-Bing Crosby

Word of the Day]

Neogenic - Having an attraction to bright lights.

The Russian teacakes are all baked. One batch, sugar free. I'll have to pack them away so HTP doesn't get hold of them before next week. I'm thinking about starting to decorate the brown sugar cookies next. After I decorate them, they'll need to set up for at least a day before I can pack them away without them getting all soft and sticking to each other.

We got about an inch of rain yesterday and overnight. They're predicting even more rain out of the next batch of storms coming through. I expect there will be some flooding in my backyard if we do get more rain. Although the sun has come out and the rain tapered off well before I dragged myself out of bed this morning, the ground is still wet and there are standing puddles on the concrete.

Gypsy and I missed our morning walk today. Maybe I'll take her out when I go to get the mail. I'll have to dump the rain out of the rain gauge so it'll be all set for the next weather system.

Murphyism of the Day

Weatherwax's Postulate

The degree to which you overreact to information will be in inverse proportion to its accuracy.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Christmas is a race to see which gives out first - your money or your feet.

- Anonymous