ugh

I don't know if I'll have any menu this week.  I have been sick, working like crazy, cooked Thanksgiving dinner and today am trying to catch up on all the to-do stuff I missed while working and being sick.  Yesterday I didn't do anything.  Ok, one load of laundry and I re-heated Thanksgiving leftovers for dinner.  That's it.  I decided the only way to get better and be more productive was to rest rest and more rest.  So I did. :)  I'm feeling much better today except my to-do list is getting longer!

We managed to get a lot of Christmas shopping done.  We won't decorate for a few weeks though.  Because we get a live tree, we hate to put it up too early and have any more of a fire hazard that necessary.  And FG is actually considering NOT putting out lights this year because of the energy waste!  I told him we don't put enough out to really matter and we don't run them very long.  Bah humbug on him!  Now the ridiculousness that goes on down our street is a different story.  ENORMOUS waste of energy!  They adjoining street makes the news and the paper every year.  It's cool to look at but really, the entire street of Griswold's trying to outdo each other is a bit ridiculous.  Not to mention the horrible traffic.  We have such a quiet neighborhood and I love that I can send my kids out to ride their bikes without hovering.  So inviting so many people to traipse through the neighborhood makes me uneasy.  At least it's not on our street.

A HUGE deal for me this year, which is probably not helping my Christmas Spirit, we are postponing our Sweets Party.  WAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!  We simply could not pull it off this year either financially or find a day to do it!  Dec. 26 seemed odd but it was the only free Saturday.  Soooo, I decided to postpone it to Valentine's Day, well, around V-day.  So I'll still get to make sweets but I'll have to approach it very differently as far as decorating.  I'm currently taking requests from family members on what cookies/sweets they still want me to make for Christmas.  I'll still do Christmas brunch like I always do too.  My baking will just not be as manic and stressful as years past.  I just can't believe we are not having it.  Even the year I was very pregnant with DS we had a small one!  It's been 14 or 15 years (long time, can't remember exactly without looking up the old invitations).  The only year we missed completely was the year we moved into our first house on Dec. 20, 1996.  Couldn't pull it off that year either. 

Now, the laundry and house and children beckon.  If only my sinuses would tone themselves down.  The swelling is killing my head!

Party Success

We had a party to attend at our friend's house prior to ours. Our started at 7 pm. Theirs went from 4 until 7. Santa arrived at 5:35. Needless to say, we threw the kids on his lap, had camera issues and then we bundled up and raced home. I'm SO bummed because 1) I obviously wanted pictures of my kids on Santa's lap 2) I was hoping to get a whole family picture on Santa's lap 3) Santa was a friend of mine in college, a football player who fills out his suit without extra padding and Oh I was going to tease him! I wanted to sit on Santa's lap and be a little naughty. FG has known this guy as long as he's known me. He was one of my "big brothers" in college so I warned FG that I was going to have some fun with Santa. Seeing as he is 6'2" and well over 300 lbs, FG just said, "Ok." We were also joking because Santa happened to catch my garter at our wedding reception. The pictures still crack me up, no one stood a chance with him in the crowd. So this is the best I got because a setting got changed on the Rebel and it wouldn't focus. grrrrr. Then we had to leave and I didn't want to throw my kids back on there for a picture when there were a bunch of other kids anxiously waiting. So my niceness won out and we didn't get a decent picture. But it was priceless to see my kids on there, happily telling him what they wish for and how they are being good (Ha!).

Matt was an awesome Santa. I was very impressed. I hope everyone will do it again next year.

Now onto what I've been so busy working on....

My spread. I made at total of 17 different things and I included the chocolate because I had to chop it and melt it!

It was a good party. I never know what to make of things though. Some years I am refilling and refilling and other years, hardly anything gets eaten up. It was about in the middle this year. I refilled a few things. People kept telling me how much they loved this or that. Everyone stayed for awhile and actually played in the game room. Again, some years no one goes upstairs and other years, everyone congregates around all the toys. I think that's why not as much got eaten because that meant leaving the pool table, dartboard, Foosball, slot machine (that does NOT pay out but comes with credits) and arcade game to go downstairs and refill their plate.

FG and I didn't get to bed until well after 1. I am a bit too old for that now! I'm really tired today. The kids were up until 11!! DS loves a party. DD could live without them. She hid for most of it, then decided she wasn't shy anymore and flitted from guest to guest. There was no way I was getting them into bed any earlier. 11 is when they finally decided they were done and ready for their pillows.

Now I have two small vents. One about guests and first about my neighbors. I just gotta get this off my chest because people never cease to amaze me. Our kids play together a lot. Either here or there. I'd say it's about even how much they are one place or another. This is just since this past summer that they've played together. I invited them to the party. Yes, it's adults only because that many goodies and little kids DO not mix. Besides, I just like it adults only. Good excuse for our friends to get out alone around the holidays. I handed the invite right to the mom. I never heard from them if they were coming or not. Then the kids show up to play here yesterday in the early afternoon! I about died. She sent them over on Thanksgiving day too. We turned them away. No way could I have functioned with them here. The girl, older than mine, whines a lot and then is sort of mean to my DD. I keep saying it's just a 9 year old girl thing but I'm not so sure. I had way too much to get done without everyone under foot. And really? Seriously? You get invited to a party that you don't RSVP for then you send your kids over to play? ARGH!

Second, and this may sound really snobbish but I don't care. Word of advice. If you get invited to a dinner or a party, spend a bit more than $2 for a bottle of wine that you bring to the hostess. Up it to $5 or $7 at least. I know who brought it, I know they can pay a lot more than $2 and I thought they had a bit more class than that. If you want to bring something for the hostess and you want to spend $2, pick up an ornament, a candle, a little trinket etc. But don't embarrass yourself with the cheap-o wine. (No it wasn't Two Buck Chuck). When ever FG and I get a bottle that we aren't familiar with, we look it up. I know we aren't the only ones. My friends all know I work in a wine store!

Holiday Baking #4 - Butter Nut Balls

These cookies have lots of different names. Mexican Wedding Cookies, Honey Sand Balls among many others. We've always called them Butter Nut Balls. Which is really funny when you are 7 and your mom mixes up the name and calls them Nutter Butt Balls. (That would be me and my mom who mixed them up but I can guarantee my little ones would find it as hilarious as I did).

Butter Nut Balls

1 cup butter (NOT margarine), softened

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

2 tablespoons honey

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup chopped pecans (my original recipe calls for walnuts but my dad is allergic - use whatever nuts you want)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

Sifted powdered sugar

Beat butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and honey on medium speed until combined. Beat or stir in flour, nuts, vanilla and salt. Mix thoroughly, use your hands if necessary.

Shape dough into 1" balls. Place 1 1/2" apart on greased cookies sheets.

Bake at 325 degrees for 14 - 16 minutes, until very lightly browned.

While warm, roll in powdered sugar. Cool on wire racks. After they cool, roll again in powdered sugar.