TUNES

What kind of Christmas music do you prefer? Traditional carols, secular songs , maybe the perkiness ( I just love that word) of Mannheim Steamroller or the haunting beauty of Celtic Christmas music. What about the zany ones...every flattened Grandma knows what I am talking about!! I like all kinds and as soon as Thanksgiving is done I have the Christmas CDs out. My all time, hands down favorite (and please know I hold no prejudice for any race, color, creed or sexual orientation) is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I call it "The Mormons Belt Out Christmas". It is more than just the voices. It is the arrangements, the orchestra and the ginormous pipe organ at the Mother church in Salt Lake City. Anyone who knows me knows that whatever vocal potential I ever had was ruined by smoking all those years, but that doesn't stop me , alone in my little red Alero, from singing 4 part harmony at the top of my lungs.

My next fav, although not technically Christmas music is The Messiah. I only listen to it at Christmas, again alone in my car. I even sing the instrumentals. I can sing all four parts plus the whole orchestra all by myself and guess what? No one would recognize a single note, LOL.

I love Mitch because he reminds me of time spent with my grandmother. She and my grandfather lived next door to us and I spent a lot of time with her. She used to pay me to do her ironing and when I was done we would make hot cocoa from scratch and watch Mitch Miller. Remember that dancing ball that helped you with the lyrics. How fun was that? This Christmas CD has all the songs I remember and it makes me happy to listen to it and remember those days and my wonderful grandparents.

I just got this CD this year from Kohls. It was one of their charity items, like the books and stuffed toys for kids, and only $5. I like it, but it will never surpass the MTC. I also have an Anne Murray Christmas CD that I had forgotten about until just now. I love Anne.

Now I look at my choices and it just screams late/middle aged woman, does it not? So what, c'est la vie, and if the shoe fits buy it in all colors! :>)

'Got to go to bed earlier than usual cuz I have a very busy day tomorrow, and oh yeah, I found a cloche at Homegoods for $10. three days ago and left it. Figured if it was still there today it was meant to be. Guess what? It was meant to be and now cloche #1 has a shorter, fatter sister.

Later,
Janet

PS. I wasn't down on myself yesterday, just remarking that I don't intend to make a "business plan" cuz I am lacking motivation. Much more fun to read your blogs.

COOKIES AND...COOKIES

Today I went to a class entitled "Business Planning for the New Year". Now I hate these kind of classes because they make you feel guilty for what you haven't done. I know how to make a business plan and figure out how many doors you have to knock on for one listing or how many cold calls (What about the Do Not Call Registry you ask) for one sale. But this was just so dreadfully boring that I found myself asking my co-worker "If you knock 3 times can you divide that number by 3?" and other silliness. Really not fun and I am not in the least bit motivated to do a business plan for 2008. I have a "following" from many years in the business and I rely on them to keep the wolf from the door. Silly and probably considered "lazy" by some, but that is just who I am, so get over it!!

Two recipes for Christmas cookies that I make again and again. Sorry I don't have pictures, but I won't be making these for a while because there is just Bob and I here and we don't NEED cookies.

Did you know that I absolutely abhor peanut butter? No? You already thought I was odd enough...Hmmm.. well these are a true labor of love because not only do I have to smell the peanut butter, I have to play in it...YUCK!!


PEANUT BUTTER KISSES

1 cup smooth peanut butter.... eeyew!
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
Bag of Hershey kisses

Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Combine all ingredients in large bowl; stir until smooth.
Roll into small balls 3/4 inch in diameter.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet about one inch apart.
Flatten slightly and top with a hershey kiss.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until light brown.
Cool on the sheet for 3-4 minute and then remove to rack to finish cooling.
Store in an airtight container for several days.
Makes about 4 dozen

Caveat #1: If the dough seems too wet, let it sit for 15 minutes or so until the brown sugar absorbs the egg.
Caveat #2: Do not think you are cute or creative and use the Hershey Hugs or filled kisses. I tried this last year with the P.B. kisses and they were not attractive. The kisses melted somewhat an sort of collapsed and looked like...well, like nipples on the cookies. Big hit with the men, but not the look I was after, LOL.



RUTH'S MERINGUE COOKIES

From Yankee Magazines Sweet Treats

4 egg whites at room temperature
1/8 t. salt
1 1/3 c. sugar, preferably superfine
1 t. vanilla
1 cup miniature chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 225 degrees

Beat egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry
Add sugar gradually , beating after each addition until grains disappear.
Add vanilla, mix thoroughly and add chocolate chips.
Spoon batter into plastic storage bag and snip off corner.
Cover cookie sheets with wax paper or parchment paper.
Pipe meringues onto paper. I make them about twice as big as a hershey kiss.
Bake at 225 for about an hour or until their fragrance fills the kitchen. DON"T YOU JUST LOVE HOW THAT SOUNDS??
Remove from oven, allow to stand a few minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Store in airtight container.
Betcha can't eat just one. I double dog dare ya.

THANKS

Thank you everyone for your help. I have had some kind of internet problem today and couldn't read your blogs; made me crazy. I am addicted and the withdrawal was certainly painful; far worse than giving up cigarettes. So now I have caught up, left comments for some but not as many as I would have liked to and have started to look at some of the images I conjured up. Got to tell you, I never knew that* image bar* was there. What fun, no pictures of my children though, disappointing because I would like to know what the youngest in Seattle looks like!!

Hopefully, I will get back to regular posts soon. Maybe some Christmas recipes...chocolate chip meringues...yummo!

Later,
Janet

FEELING BETTER

Wow, I am feeling vindicated. Many of my new blog friends have come forward to let me know that they hadn't read or seen Anne either.

A question for all of you *in the know *crafty girls....do you know where I can get an old fashioned Christmas image to download and make some gift tags? If you do, would you please send me a link.

Bob is doing some semi-homemade ( No S. L. involvement, thank you very much) gifts for work and I want to dress them up with nice vintage inspired tags. Thanks in advance.

Later
Janet

HOW DID I MISS THIS??

To say that I was an avid reader as a child would be an understatement. I spent a lot of time in the library and often read as many as 5 books a week, but somehow I never read Anne of Green Gables. Why? I have no idea and I don't ever remember seeing it on the shelves. Now how do I explain never seeing the PBS Movie?. Hmmm..maybe because I had just moved from Vermont to Massachusetts with a hyperactive four year old and an infant or maybe because the only PBS we watched back then had a big yellow bird or A man in a cardigan (whom I loved dearly, I might add). For whatever reason, today was the first time that I ever watched

this movie and I am embarrassed to admit it. I just loved it and cried during the last episode. Poor Matthew and what will Marilla do? More importantly, did she ever use the entire 20 pounds of brown sugar? Just thought you should know of my lack of Anne-ness.

TTFN,
Janet

The Essence of Christmas

I came across this poem while looking thru a stack of recipes. It was in a Christmas Helps magazine from 1990. The poem is by Solveig Paulson Russell and was reprinted with permission of her daughter Brenda Russell.

A holiday poem to recite and remember:

THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTMAS

It's Christmas time at our house,
Anyone could tell,
Even if you couldn't see
You'd know it by the smell.

There's fragrant air adrifting
That's loaded with good sniffs
Of gingerbread and popcorn
And baking cookie whiffs.

The kitchen's full of odors
Of pudding, steam and cake
And lots of other goodies
My mother likes to make.

There's an aroma from the greens too,
That mingles with the rest,
But if the truth were really told
I like food fragrance best.

For I think the Christmas bouquet
Is a treat that's hard to beat
With its tantalizing promise
Of things we're going to eat.

I am thinking that I should make each of the boys recite this before they get any Christmas treats!!

A little of this and a little of that

Well, this is my fourth and hopefully final try to get this post published. This is a very abridged version at this point. Each time I try Blogger tells that there is some security issue and won't let me link the gals I wanted to link. Just when I thought I was getting the hang of this and now I want to cry. I am a bit overly sensitive as it is and even a server can hurt my feelings. Very sad isn't it??

First off, last week I got this award from Manuela at The Feathered Nest ( I am not even going o attempt to link!!!) and I was so excited and apparently selfish that I forgot to pass it on. Usually I am not selfish, but I just had a moment , or a couple of days, I guess. When I started this adventure about a month ago I was technically incompetent ( but fortunately not yet incontinent!!) and some wonderful women came to my rescue. Because of their generosity I would like to pass this award on to them.
Clarice at StoryBook Woods ( this is a duplicate for Clarice, who also got the award from Manuela), Barb at MayDecember Home, Cassie at Mockingbird Hill , Mary at dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com and Des at Peeking Thru the Sunflowers . Thanks girls for you help and patience. I still owe Pam from PamsPlace a Seven random things post, but a this point I am just going to respectfully refer everyone back to my November 2 post and not bore you with 7 more odd things about myself. I am too frustrated, sorry Pam.



Now I am going to go and watch one of my all time favorite Holiday Movies, White Christmas. I saw this movie at the theater when I was about 10 or 11. The movie was not new then, but apparently the theater could still make money showing it ( 25 cents for me!!), and I have loved it ever since. The look on the General's face when he walks into the room in uniform makes me tear up every year. And "Sisters" is great with the girls and with Bing and Danny.

TTFN
Janet

Edited to add: Why can I link them now, when I couldn't just a few minutes ago? I will probably never know. I am stepping away from the computer now.