The Raft

I have gotten such a good jump on my Christmas Shopping.
I always plan ahead but I rarely stick to my plan and I rarely get much done, actually purchased, before Thanksgiving.  So, I'm pretty psyched!

My goal, before I die, is to make every single "cooky" in my Betty Crocker Cooky Book.  It is the book we used growing up.  My mom was not a domestic diva by any standard but she liked to bust out the flour and sugar at Christmastime.
At some point in my life I want to be able to say "I have made every single cookie in the "Cooky Book".

Tonight, Abby and I made Thumbprints.  Kids loved 'em and we packed them up to be sent to our Troops!  Tomorrow we will make Snickerdoodles.
I have made these before so it's not helping my cause, but I know I love them and I know how they are supposed to come out so they're a good one to make for the troops and for Thanksgiving.
I have a few others I'd like to make this season - Candy Canes (another repeat, darnit!), Pecan Spice Cookies (for my mom), Mini Fudge Tarts (yum!), Krumkake and a few more.
Will I make it a whole Christmas without baking Chocolate Chips or Sugars or Oatmeal Raisins or Peanut Butters?
Probably not.  But I am looking forward to broadening my "cooky" horizon!


Lots of activity on the Blog lately.  A while back, I got rid of my "stalker log".  Or, so I thought.  I hadn't noticed that it was still on my page until I did my Thanksgiving decorating.  I flipped through a few pages and noticed lots of traffic coming in from some new locations.  I mean, lots!
So, I deleted the counter, once and for all.  I'm glad I thought I had already and glad I really did this time.
I write a public blog because I enjoy expressing myself.  For myself.
If you are reading, you must enjoy my expressions.  And I thank you for that.

Quiet around here lately.
Last year we partied like it was 1999.  We had Jaybor Day in September, Wyatt's 1st birthday in October, my mother-in-law's 60th in November, Christmas Eve and then Abby's birthday in January.  We really packed it all in - and we throw a pretty good party!
This year, we had Jaybor Day and Wyatt's birthday and we'll have Abby's in January but nothing in between.  It's a nice break.  And nice to be able to relax, enjoy and take my time with no one to attend to but the 4 of us.

I will still be very busy, cooking, baking, shopping, wrapping, attending, helping and enjoying.  And celebrating!!!  I love the season so much, regardless of where, it's such a magical time of year.
And my kids are so excited already.  At 2 years old, Wyatt can barely say the words that he's thinking but they're coming to him, fast and furious, and among those words you'll hear:

"Merry Chitmas",  "Santa", "ho ho ho", "Chitmas Chee", "Thanksgivin" and lots more. 

Both kids freak out when they see anything Christmas-related but nothing beats Wyatt's near head-explosion in Target the other day when he spotted the area that they sell the trees, outdoor decor and other Christmas goodness.  I think he could have stayed there all darn day, just staring at the lights and trees and moving blow-up things that tacky people put in their yards.