I am serious about this. I am tired of starting projects and not finishing them. That is my main resolution, to finish the projects i have started and to do the things i have promised.
I am making a list:
1. Emily’s blanket
2. C&C wedding sampler
3. My family (the Whites) photos and papers
4. Ramona’s mending
5. Christina’s satin pillowcase and jammy bottoms.
6. Dress my mice
7. Lorna’s birth sampler
The list is growing.
Well, I am still losing… not much, but considering the time of the year and the fact that i am making cookies, any loss is better than i expect.
The meeting next week has been canceled, so there are 2 weeks till my next weigh-in. I do have a goal for the new year; I am 2 pounds away from it. I think I can eat Christmas dinner and Christmas goodies and still take off 2 pounds in 2 weeks.
I discovered a mistake in my “pounds lost” last week. They had me losing, as i recall, about 3 pounds more than i have – an accumulation of small mistakes when they subtracted. If i had not found the error i would think i had reached the new year goal already.
The holidays have been hard with the Thanksgiving goodies, the fast food and eating out when shopping or too darn busy, the Christmas baking, and the fewer trips to the Y, but I still feel pretty good about it. Probably this is the first time i will have made it thru the holidays with any weight loss at all.
So i was reading ars technica today and they have a chili dog thread…which led my little ape brain to think
WIENERSCHNITZEL
they even have a fan club called the The Schnitz
which if you join the give you a free chili dog (YUMMAY!)
our nearest one is 15 miles away on the north side…sigh
I am an active member in the community that has grown around one the websites I frequent, that website being ArsTechnica. Two of the members started up a Sekrit Santa program for any member willing/wanting to participate. (People: 267 States/Prov.: 63 Countries: 13 )
Well, this is the gift I recieved. (and this is the post I made on the ars forum)
Friday: there was a notice that I missed a package at home. It was at the apt office.
Saturday: WTF? The office closes an hour earlier now?
Sunday: The office … not even open. I want my gift, darnit!
Monday: My wife picks up the package… right about the time that I get sent into the field by my boss… to Jasper, Texas. What fun!
Tuesday…Wednesday…
Thursday: I’m home! The gift, it is here!
It is.. a Toblerone of Doom?!?
I slowly begin to open it..
SWeeT!
Fully unrolled
And a close-up of the pieces you have to carefully ‘lean’ against each other. Behold teh power of Magnetism!
Thank you Sekrit Santa!
Note: pictures are a re-enactment. I found the camera, and batteries for the camera, on Sunday. Also, the people at the office did tell my wife they thought it was a massive tolberone.
Well, this certainly isn’t a traditional one. But I just found it, and I thought it was good.
We have a cookie exchange at work; everyone who wants to participate brings in at least 4 dozen home baked cookies, and then we all circle around the table, taking equal numbers of all the different offerings, so you end up with about 4 dozen or so of a home baked cookie assortment.
So, this year, for various reasons, I have a bag of peppermint candies that I’m looking to get rid of. So I went online and looked for something using peppermint. Found this one, baked it, liked it, thought I’d share.
It is a very basic (very easy and fast to make) shortbread cookie; the peppermint is subtle but present. It freezes well, and the flavor settles nicely over time. As a shortbread, it does absorb other flavors; as a peppermint, it does spread its own flavor – so keep it apart from other cookies.
When cooking, it does not get brown. It says to cook for 8 to 10 minutes; I was cooking for about 15 .. and no brown, but also no burn. So it’s pretty forgiving. It also says it will make about 48 cookies … not quite for me, at least at the size I was making and the number of tastes Someone Else was taking. It was closer to 36. But who’s counting?
Anyway, here it is …. (it is from cooks.com, by the way)
HOLIDAY PEPPERMINT COOKIES
1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
3 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. crushed candy canes or peppermint candies
5 tsp. warm water
3/4 c. confectioners sugar
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add egg and beat until blended. Stir in flour and salt, then the crushed candy. Add red food coloring to dough if desired. Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into ball. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake cookies 8 to 10 minutes until firm. Cool on sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. Mix water and confectioner’s sugar together to form icing. Dip top of each cooled cookie in icing (sprinkle with additional crushed candy, if desired) and allow to dry. Yields approximately 48 cookies.
Oak-lie dok-i-lee
Nelia is fretting over the prospect that we aren’t going to do Christmas eve gifts.
So…number 1, none of us are going to be together for Christmas eve…
number 2, traditions are something too. and seeing that Sean’s family is all pissed and foregoing tradition, I am kind of poo poo on Christmas this year. it is a bummer.
Chris, Kevin, and I were talking last night…and we decided to take the bull by the horns….and just do it.
We still need to draw names….Ramona?
and agree on a “theme” … Ramona has suggested celebrating obscure holidays (which would totally be fun)… Kevin suggested something (useful) from the autoparts store (we thought Luke would love it 😉 )
So let’s get on the ball folks! Yeah it’s last minute…but get those creative juices flowing!
As I’m sure most of you are aware, Ramona, Kevin, Luke, and Nelia all have updated wishlists. Christina and Chris have not been good about updating wishlists.
But Chris was a good boy and he made a wishlist that can now be seen on this very website! Look to the right side and you’ll see it there, waiting for your viewing pleasure.
I know you must all be thinking i am obsessed with this light show. 🙂 But keeping an eye out for the new and improved version means i keep running across interesting things. This article is mostly the same old thing, except that they interviewed the neighbor across the street who said, “We called it the psycho house. It was just weird random flashes. Then, he told us about the radio station and it was great.” It makes me smile to think of watching the house across the street flashing like that with no discernable pattern or reason. They must have thought he was crazy.
an interesting note on the light show… see Carson Dec 8. I keep checking that site for the new and improved video.
a shame, but the lights are closed for the season.
PlanetChristmas.mywowbb.com