It’s the night before Christmas… December 24, 2008

… and all through the house, I’m the only creature stirring. The girls are all tucked in, and ready for tomorrow. Hubby and eldest are still at church – I don’t expect them home until after midnight.

It’s too quiet here. Some nights, I don’t mind being by myself, and I’ve been alone every Christmas eve since I got married (once the kids went to bed, after they were part of the family), so I’m used to that, but for some reason tonight, I don’t like it. The wind is really blowing, maybe that has something to do with it. I was watching the power lines blow around when I tucked Princess in. I got out a few little lanterns just in case. I’ll just be glad when hubby gets home.

We had a really nice day together today, just the two of us. Eldest stayed home with the younger girls, so we could run a couple of errands. We picked up the last part of Eldest’s Christmas gift, had a nice leisurely Burger King lunch, then went to one of our favorite stores in our little downtown. We had a good visit with the owner and one of her employees, both very lovely ladies, made some purchases, and put some Christmas decor in layaway for next year before heading home.

I’ve spent a bit of time in the kitchen in the last few days. Monday, I made 28 dozen cookies, yesterday I made two of my “famous” 10-pound lasagnas (one for our Christmas dinner, one for hubby to take to the Christmas eve potluck at church), aloo gobi and homemade naan to go with roasted pork loin for dinner, and today, the girls and I made popcorn balls just for the heck of it. I have cinnamon rolls in the oven to rise overnight so they’ll be ready to cook for breakfast tomorrow, and then all I have to do is heat the lasagna, toss some salad, bake the breadsticks, and make the steamed chocolate pudding. All easy, non-time consuming stuff, so we can just laze about and enjoy the day. Mil may or may not join us, depending on the weather. We exchanged gifts with her Monday night, anyway, so the point of her coming would just be to keep her from being alone on the holiday. (We went up to her house for dinner and a short visit on Monday, then drove through Crossroads Village and Frankenmuth to see the Christmas lights. Nice evening!)

We were worried that Christmas would be slim this year. We didn’t do much shopping specific to the holiday, other than the main “big guy” gift, but we ended up being okay. The kids are going to get a bunch of random stuff, but I’ve been clearance shopping for months now – have gotten really good deals (Bratz dolls for $2, for example, and Guitar Hero – the game and guitar together – on special for $29!), so even though it isn’t stuff they’ve specifically asked for, they’ll most likely be happy. Fortunately for us (*knock wood*) our kiddos are relatively easy to please!

Anyway, other than feeling lonely, I’m in a good mood. I feel like I’ve been productive lately, and that always makes me feel better.

Well, on that note, I’m going to head on out, and let the television keep me company for a while. National Treasure is on, and I like that movie (never mind the fact that I have it on dvd, yes, I’ll watch it on tv, lol).

Merry Christmas, everyone. Hope you have a lovely holiday season!!

Feeling nostalgic December 18, 2008

The last few nights, I’ve dreamed about past boyfriends. Today, for the first time in a very long time, a couple of other friends from my more recent past crossed my mind. I wonder if it is just because it is “that time of the year”? *shrug* Dunno. Either which way, I’m thankful for the friends I have now.

I’ve had a good last couple of days. I spent two hours shoveling the drive yesterday morning, then finished up all the housework, did some holiday decorating, and ran a couple of errands before getting the girls from school. They went out with their grandmother for a few hours, so while they were gone, I worked on sorting out Christmas gifts. Today, I came home, made two batches of Rice Krispy treats (decorated with Christmas colored candy corn), cleaned up the kitchen, and then… read. I’m reading a Stephen King novel called “Insomnia.” I’m about halfway through now. Pretty good read, if long. After the girls got home from school, we made two batches of peppermint meringues. Both the Krispy treats and cookies are for Peanut’s school party tomorrow. Princess isn’t having a party – they’re going to the movie theater to see Tales of Despereaux.

That’s even provided they have school tomorrow, of course. I fully expect they will – just there were rumors flying among kids and parents and staff that a storm predicted for the wee hours of the morning tomorrow will actually hit, and they’ll end up having a snow day. I’ve been wanting a snow day for a while – but I hope it doesn’t happen tomorrow. I’d love to sleep in a bit, sure, but it’s a special school day, and the kids will be disappointed if they miss. I’ve already decided that IF (and that’s a big if!) they actually end up having a snow day tomorrow, we’re going to start on our cookie baking. That ought to keep the girls distracted enough…

The ultimate comfort food December 6, 2008

So, I wouldn’t have thought that I’d want to spend another day or two in the kitchen so soon after Thanksgiving, but I’ve been hungry for an old family favorite – Finnish Pasty. Last night, I peeled and diced 10lbs of potatoes, 3lbs of carrots, a whole rutabaga, half a large onion, and mixed them with 5lbs of ground beef – enough to fill my large turkey roasting pan. This morning, I got up, made the dough (took 7 batches of dough to use up all the filling), and cooked them. Five hours from when I started this morning, I had 37 pasties cooling on my breakfast table. Oh, it smelled so good in the house!!

Hubby, eldest and I each ate one, then I wrapped the rest up to give away. 37 sounds like a lot, until you divide it five ways. My folks and all three of my brothers would have had a big ol’ fit if they’d found out I’d made pasty and hadn’t shared, lol. Anyway, since I gave today’s round away, I’m planning to do it all over again tomorrow, or maybe Monday, so we can have a couple of dozen to put in the freezer (after we eat some, of course!).

Peanut is at her first official sleepover tonight. She was so excited! Her friend lives just around the corner, so she’s close to home if she decides she doesn’t want to stay, but I doubt that will happen. Eldest and Princess are in the other room playing Disney Scene It, and hubby and I are watching Harry Potter movies on tv. A nice, quiet evening in. It is too darned cold outside to go anywhere, anyway!

Hope you’re all having a nice weekend.