And to all a good night
Yesterday I spent three hours making a yule log (cake, not wood) - chocolate sponge cake jellyroll-style, with Peppermint Stick ice cream as the filling, and then chocolate ganache covering the outside to create the tree bark, and then little meringue mushrooms all over the log. And a meringue caterpillar. I must admit that I routinely fail my goal of being The Most Awesome/Patient/Thoughtful/Involved Parent Ever, but I almost always succeed at my goal of being The Mom Who Home-makes Kickass Desserts. Have to take your successes where you find them, I guess. ;)
We got the kids a big play kitchen for Xmas. The key word in that sentence is big - it's double-sided, about four feet tall, and probably five feet wide. It's this one, which should give you some idea as to the size - the back side is a grill/outdoor setup. To "wrap" it we just threw a bedsheet over it and tied a big bow to the bedsheet. ;) The kids have been loving it all day. At the moment Connor is actually sitting *in* the toy kitchen - he's got his butt on the counter with his feet in the sink, and he's watching Gavin through the window.
For Xmas Frolic got me an Algerian Love Knot necklace - it's a replica of this one. He saw it in Casino Royale years ago and has wanted to get it for me ever since. ("It's big and bold and takes the right kind of person to wear it, and I know you can pull it off," he said. I replied, "So what you're saying is, I've got panache." He said, "Yep.")
Today I made dinner rolls from scratch, and Frolic made the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Dessert was the aforementioned yule log. Post-dinner, I'm more stuffed than a woman who specializes in airtight porn. I love food, seriously. It's one of the best things ever. The pleasure of eating far outweighs having to deal with the ill ate-too-much feeling afterward.
Dark Divas reviewed my book and gave me 3 1/2 Divas (out of 4). They said it was well written and original. Marie is an interesting character, yet seemed a bit unsure of herself at first, while Paul seemed a bit domineering. But once the sparks flew, they both lit up the pages. Woohoo! :D
It's been so nice to be off work. I'm not looking forward to returning to work on Jan 4. Oh well, such is life. We need the filthy lucre to afford more yummy food, and a roof over our heads, and those sort of things.
Love you all. <3 For those that had a difficult 2009, I hope the next year is better for you. For those that had a good 2009, I hope 2010 stays the same!
We got the kids a big play kitchen for Xmas. The key word in that sentence is big - it's double-sided, about four feet tall, and probably five feet wide. It's this one, which should give you some idea as to the size - the back side is a grill/outdoor setup. To "wrap" it we just threw a bedsheet over it and tied a big bow to the bedsheet. ;) The kids have been loving it all day. At the moment Connor is actually sitting *in* the toy kitchen - he's got his butt on the counter with his feet in the sink, and he's watching Gavin through the window.
For Xmas Frolic got me an Algerian Love Knot necklace - it's a replica of this one. He saw it in Casino Royale years ago and has wanted to get it for me ever since. ("It's big and bold and takes the right kind of person to wear it, and I know you can pull it off," he said. I replied, "So what you're saying is, I've got panache." He said, "Yep.")
Today I made dinner rolls from scratch, and Frolic made the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Dessert was the aforementioned yule log. Post-dinner, I'm more stuffed than a woman who specializes in airtight porn. I love food, seriously. It's one of the best things ever. The pleasure of eating far outweighs having to deal with the ill ate-too-much feeling afterward.
Dark Divas reviewed my book and gave me 3 1/2 Divas (out of 4). They said it was well written and original. Marie is an interesting character, yet seemed a bit unsure of herself at first, while Paul seemed a bit domineering. But once the sparks flew, they both lit up the pages. Woohoo! :D
It's been so nice to be off work. I'm not looking forward to returning to work on Jan 4. Oh well, such is life. We need the filthy lucre to afford more yummy food, and a roof over our heads, and those sort of things.
Love you all. <3 For those that had a difficult 2009, I hope the next year is better for you. For those that had a good 2009, I hope 2010 stays the same!