Gifts

So, I had the best Christmas EVER!

Smiling is still my favorite.

Grandma Kissel gave me her little German barometer with the girl and the boy in the doorway that when it's wet outside the man comes out and when it's dry the girl comes out. If the barometer is even, they both stand in the doorway! It's one of my earliest memories. I totally remember it. I have it in a special place of honor on my window ledge right now.

Dad & Shelly gave me a gift card to Target. I spent it all on myself!
Grandma and Aunt Nancy gave me some spending money, so I think I might spend it on myself.

Gram & Gramps gave me a tension lamp that used to be up in my great-grandma's apartment. I'm sure it's an antique. It's gold, and orange, and very campy. I love it!

I also got her ceramic frogs. They used to sit on her dresser. Grandpa would ask us, "How can you tell which one is the girl and which one is the boy?" and we'd say we didn't know and then he'd say, "Turn them over!"

One has boobies and one has a penis! They are so funny. What's funnier is that my aunt made them for my gram! I love them, they have their own place of honor on my stair ledge.

OH! I got a stainless and red crock pot. I made dinner in it before I left for work.
Throw in a couple of chicken breasts, still frozen with a jar of spaghetti sauce. When you get home, shread it and throw it back in the pot on warm.

Make noodles and serve. It was so yummy! Thanks, Mom & Dad!

My sister and brother-in-law gave me a framed picture of me and the kids from her wedding over the summer. I love it.

The kids gave me laughter, fun, and goofiness. I loved that more than anything else I got.

Well, what are you doing for New Year's Eve?

Christmas Movies

So as the days of November lead into the beginning of December the Fox Family Channel has the 25 days of Christmas. They play all of the old and sometimes new Christmas TV shows and movies.

I have been going through the rotation of Christmas movies. Sometimes with the kids and sometimes without.

I have gotten to White Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, Santa Clause 1, 2, & 3, A Christmas Carol, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and Ruldolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

They just make me happy. They remind me of being a kid during Christmas Vacation on Deming Place.

What's your favorite and why?

Christmas Cookies

What are your favorite Christmas cookies?

I know that growing up when we would travel for the three days of Christmas, we would always have plenty of cookies to bring along!

There would be Swedish Spritz cookies with sprinkles (remember when gram would use the silver balls?).

There were Melting Moments, Aunt Toot's Rum Balls, Sesame Cookies, Seven Layer Cookies, Peanut Butter Balls, Almond Crescents, and probably some that I am forgetting.

Gram would make her fruit cake and it would sit upstairs on the ledge waiting for it's daily dose of rum to be poured over it.

We'd find our cookie cutters and beg mom to make sugar cookie dough so we could dump huge amounts of green and red sugar and sprinkles over each and every one of them so that you couldn't even tell what shape they were.

I have some of those recipes today and I think I might make some of them.

Cheers to holiday memories and Christmas cookies!

Oooo, pretty.

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Caetie showed me how to play with symbols.

You never stop learning something new every day.

'Cuz knowledge is power!

Hooyah.