He's Home

Matt arrived at 9:00 last night. He drove 8 hours on Monday afternoon and evening to get himself over the mountains and a little past Denver. That left 14 hours for yesterday. He managed to beat the bad weather and his trip was uneventful....just the way mommy likes it.

There were some nice big hugs, we introduced Luna and Maggie, Matt had a bowl of vegetarian chili and then off he went to see his brother. He stayed overnight at Michael and Bernadette's house and was heading out this morning to do some shopping.

Irv and I both took today off. My plan is to put on some Christmas music and do some baking. The weather is suppose to be nasty, so I'm happy to stay inside. Irv has some shopping to do. Rebecca's (Matt's girlfriend) flight comes in at 3:00 p. m. tomorrow. We are hoping the weather will be okay by then. That will also mean one more dog introduction.

Smile, be grateful for all that you have, hug someone you love, enjoy your day and I will chat with you soon.

Christmas Love

Have I told you how much I LOVE this time of year?

I love Christmas music....well most of it. I prefer the classics and don't like most of the remakes and I loathe....yes loathe...the red shoe song.

I love how happy the teachers at school are as they count down the days to their much deserved break.

I love the lights.....not the decorations like the big blow up snow domes and cartoon characters...but I love the lights...especially the little white lights. I love the trees just filled with little white lights...it warms my heart.

I love planning our family get together on Christmas Day. The snacks, the dinner and the desserts. Mmmmmmm!

I love the aroma of cookies baking in the oven. I hate to bake, but this is the one time that the rewards outweigh the hassle....and my family loves cookies. I love making each person's favorite.

I love having our whole family together at Christmas. This is the one time all year that we are able to do that and it means so much to me.

I love hearing Matt get more excited to come home each time I talk to him. His excitement feeds my own until it's almost unbearable.

I love watching Sparky stick her nose in every shopping bag I bring in the house as she searches for her gifts. I honestly think she knows that Christmas means a new toy and a special treat. I love watching her open her own gifts on Christmas Day.

I love the Christmas tree in the evening with the lights shining brightly, and our little fake fireplace with it's warm glow.

I love giving gifts. I love trying to find things that people will truly enjoy and then seeing the happiness on their faces when they open the box.

I love annoying my kids as I carefully smooth crumpled wrapping paper and snatch up pretty ribbons and bows...because I know I will find a good use for them....maybe even to wrap their gifts next Christmas.

I love snow at Christmas. Fresh, fluffy, white and glittery snow as it falls from the sky and rests ever so peacefully on the rooftops and lawns and trees.

Have I told you how much I LOVE this time of year?

Food Favorites and Not So Favorites

When I was a kid, I loved my mom's spaghetti...especially the second day. For some reason it tasted even better the next day. She also made a wonderful cheesecake and I recall a lot of homemade pizzas. My dad baked awesome Norwegian breads and all kinds of yummy cookies for the holidays and he made the best fudge you would ever want to eat.

What was your favorite food as a child? Is it still your favorite?

I have to laugh because if I asked my kids what food they loved when they were little....I'm sure there would be a very long pause...and then silence.

I am not a cook. In fact, I hate to cook. I also hate to bake. To me it's such a hassle and makes such a mess and it's soooo time consuming. If I could, I would hire a chef....because even though I hate to cook....I love to eat!

What was your least favorite food as a child?

Mine was this awful soup/stew dish that everyone else in our family loved. I have no idea how to spell it and I couldn't find it on line, but it was something like lapscouse. It was a thick mixture of overcooked potatoes and I think ham maybe. All I know is it look like vomit and just thinking about it makes me feel ill. UGH! If my sister Karen reads this, I guarantee you she will not only e-mail me the name, but she probably has the recipe and maybe even had it for dinner last week.

If my kids did come up with something they liked it would probably be this terribly unhealthy cheese stuffed meatloaf and Chocolate Eclair Cake. Whoop dee doo! They would also say McDonalds Happy Meals because lord knows they ate a ton of those!

How about peanut butter, butter and sugar sandwiches, or sour cream and sugar on rye bread? How about sugar on lettuce? Are you seeing a pattern here? Those were some of my easy to make favorites! Rice A Roni, Macaroni and cheese and cereal. Man I loved cereal and still do! Then it was Cap'n Crunch and Frosted Flakes....hmmmmm....more sugar.....

Now a days....give me a bowl of cereal for dinner and I'm a happy girl. Toss me a box of Healthy Choice Devil's Food Cookies and I'll be your friend for life.

Are you hungry yet?