The Old Folks Home

Wow, these Christmas goodies are making me drool - but not on my daughter's keyboard!

I made: "Christmas crack" - toffee-like candy on/surrounding saltines (easy and quite addictive)
- Bourbon bars (with bourbon-soaked dried cherries, walnuts, and chocolate chips, bourbon icing) (yes, you can taste it and almost get a little tipsy) (also addictive)
- Shortbread with rosemary and mini chocolate chips. If you make shortbread, try this. (definitely addictive)
- Mexican chocolate cookies cut into my Christmas cookie cutter shapes (I've made these for years. Chocolate with hints of coffee and chili - super good)

Cookie presents for everyone. A hug for the postmistress, who complained that she was losing her mind and Christmas simply couldn't come soon enough!

My granddaughter really has no idea what Christmas is about, but she has already taken the ribbons off of a gift for my daughter and shredded the to/from tag. She cried inconsolably every time they put an ornament on the tree (she felt they were for her to play with and mom and dad kept taking them away), so the tree has lights and one ornament. They gave up!

Such fun. Truly. I brought food for dinner as my daughter was working today, and made fish tacos. A good time!
It sounds like good food, candy and Family fun!...even with some tears....
 
Christmas chicks. Sooooooo cute!

Earlier today, I was frazzled. Usually, I'm on top of things, but this Christmas, I've been totally off my game. My house looked like a war zone, mostly due to the grands, but not exclusively due to them. While Dh did wrap all our presents, Dd had a bunch from someone that is unable to wrap them, so she had them stashed, and spent from 3 pm, until 1 am, wrapping them. She was no help to me. In fact, I was having to do all the caring for the kids, because she was holed up in the bedroom wrapping presents. I was ankle deep in helping the kids make some home-made Christmas ornaments. They're giving them to everyone in their family. I made the dough for them, cut them out, baked them dry, mod-podged everyone's names on them, and the kids did the gold glitter. Baked again to set the names, then coated the sides, and fronts with mod-podge, and applied the opalescent glitter. Baked them to dry, flipped them over to finish the backs with mod-podge, and they are now drying in the oven.

For the record: The "recipe" called for baking them at 175 in the oven. That's for a conventional oven. This oven of mine is convection. No, I did not scorch them, but 175 is too hot, and most ovens don't bake at much lower than that. I have a setting on my oven that I've never used called DEHYDRATE. It's for making fruit leathers, and such. Well, I set it on that, after I initially baked the ornaments. It does 150 degrees. It's PERFECT for what I was needing. I'm amazed! It's made quick work of the project. Otherwise, it would have taken several days drying time, in between the various stages, and coats of mod-podge.

While all that was in the oven, I got the house vacuumed. Dd did finally emerge from the bedroom, and she dusted for me. Dd, and the kids are going tomorrow to their Aunt's for Christmas for that side of the family. While they're all gone, I'll get the floors mopped. I will start the prep work for our Christmas too. I'm not exactly where I want to be with my Christmas doings, but I'm getting there.
 
My house looks like a storm blew through it-I'm the only occupant and I'm at peace with that.:lau
LOL I tell people my house looks like it was tossed by robbers. So when and if someone broke in they would think they were too late.... :gig

Thats my story... Mom is the same so I dont have to clean when she comes over.... LOL

deb
 

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