Friday, December 06

[karlinann]

Good morning Rounders! Happy belated Birthday Maxie! I tried to make a post right after Bethina's, but my darn system crashed and I had to shut it down.

It's official, I do have a tiny Eucalyptus plant in my garden. I remember that the one I had did have some seeds, but I never dreamed that a new plant would come up. It's a miracle.

I got the bell pepper from the garden yesterday and made Chicken Cacciatore for dinner. I forgot to put the cilantro in and the taste was not superb, but it was good.

DH delivered one batch of cookies yesterday, but he has another one to do today. The couple that he delivered to ate some of the cookies and said they loved them. She was happy to get the recipe too! He will try to deliver the other gift today.

I got a recipe for making easy fondant from a gal on another forum for making chocolates that is super easy. You use Sweetened Condensed Milk and mix in Cocoa powder until you get the consistency you want and roll it into balls. You can dip them into chocolate, coconut, or toasted nuts.. I am definitely going to try it. She says it does not take much of the SCM, but it has to be the sweetened kind and not just regular condensed milk.

Peace & Plenty.

[bethina]

Good morning..not a lot will get me up and talking this early but today is shopping day with cousins aunt sis and mom. I hope by the end of the day to be 90% done with my Christmas shopping. We are headed to the outlet mall and I sort of know what I am looking for.

I am starting my day tired!! I didn’t call to sleep until 245. I was awake at 515.

[karlinann]

Can't you go back to bed?

[bethina]

Nope

[maxie]

Morning..thank you for the birthday greetings. It was a normal day yesterday...we even went grocery shopping but I did have a celebratory milk shake in lieu of cake. Today is back to my routine of what am I going to find to do that I am not going to do? Not cooking since it is Friday. I may meet the bus myself and run Drew to the local mall to Bath and Body to get his last Christmas gift. I need a gift card from there anyway. This weekend I am wanting to start wrapping and getting a count of where I am with the kids. I think everyone else is finished. We do have another ladies shopping date next week. It is mostly a birthday lunch since my sister's bday is exactly one week after mine but some of us do need a visit to the mall....and something to do between breakfast and lunch time.

Karlinann I walk out and see leaves blowing around and brown grass. Not one sign of anything growing out there. But the primary color is brown and not white so I will not complain to much. Yesterday temps were in the 50s and today high 40s. Hate winter!

Nothing to complain about and plenty to do but bet I can find something to complain about and not do anything? It is a gift...
Have a wonderful Friday and hope you all have big plans. Enjoy your shopping trip Beth...it is retail therapy and I practice it. It is good for your head and heart!

[boffler]

Good Morning...I have figured out one thing in the days past, I am getting older and so much slower at getting things done...it has taken me 3 days but the decorating is done, not as much as I usually do but enough to make it look like Christmas, to be honest if not for the grandkids coming for the day I would not do any decorating and everyone would get gift cards..

Our half a beef was ready for pick up yesterday, 150 lbs. of ground beef, and 360 lbs. of other cuts of meat....looking forward to having decent meat in freezer without the fear of some sort of poisoning or additives in it...and the first thing I will be using some ground beef for is to make beef summer sausage logs....that was a lot of meat to stick in freezer, it is full...

Last night I made Reindeer Chow mix will put some in the boxes I am putting together for Doug's boss, at least the other employees are making cookies and candy for me to put in those boxes as I said I would not do all the baking and making this year...I will together stackable, decorative boxes with a big fancy ribbon tied around them and a big bow on top, well after I make it that is...will get a picture when finished..

I have printed off pictures now to get my grandgirls pictures and frames done for their gift, one is a swimmer, the other loves soccer, so I bought those mats with those words and have been collecting pictures, went and bought the glossy photo paper and started printing yesterday.

I have decided for all the fuss going on with hubby's Mom's birthday I (we) will make all that is needed from us, I already did the shopping, will also be the ones that will pick her up under the assumption we are taking her out for her birthday and deliver her to the party under the assumption the building we are going to is a building my hubby is being ask to look at.. His sister likes to take credit for everything, so let her have at it, I am bigger than that...I am back to positive, get this party over with and the things for hubby's boss and it will be all clear for me to focus on family Christmas.

Karliann, people do confuse evaporated milk for condensed milk, big, big difference...Sweetened condensed milk is used a lot in recipes...

Have a good day one and all...its off and running again..

And since I missed it yesterday, Maxie, Happy Birthday sweet, funny, entertaining lady...hope they treated you as good as you treat them...

[maxie]

When you do a good job and produce a beautiful basket they will always come back for more. And you are the bigger and better person...obviously the most talented too. It took my mother in law going into a nursing home with dementia for my husband to reflect back and see how horrible she was. Surprises me your husband is not seeing his sister...men are strange!

Thank you for the birthday sentiment.

[Paula A]

Good morning! Our lawn people came yesterday and put up my Christmas lights!
So nice and bright and I just need to remember to turn them off after the kids see them. One little guy got to see them put them up, but the rest had been picked up.

Regular baking cocoa, Karlinann?

Bath and Body equals Big Bucks when I go in there! Maybe I will just take cash and see if that helps. I love the wallflowers we bought our last trip I .

Beth, enjoy that girl time and retail therapy. Sometimes I can get therapy just window shopping, being among the holiday crowds and the food court.
I really miss our out of town/go to Sacramento or SF Big shopping days.
Sharon, you are the Better Person and your attitude is the best. Hope the deadlines get met and you can concentrate on the girls!
I wish I were seeing my grandkids.

I have had my old tv sitting in the new tv’s box for a year now and yesterday saw a ( kind of) friends post saying her sister was moving and had nothing. So they are coming by this am and I have the tv and some kitchen things for her. I have an Instapot that I have not used and giving her that, too.

I need to turn the heat up a notch and get things ready: bottles and breakfast!
Hope you all are enjoying your day and the people with you!

[karlinann]

OMG! The chocolate mix did not roll into balls. It didn't get thick enough. I emailed my friend to ask her what I did wrong. Yes, Paula, it's regular cocoa she said. Anyway, I dipped saltines into the mix and put marshmallows on top and covered them with more chocolate. I put them into the freezer and that is that. Do not try this recipe.

[maxie]

So many people decorated last weekend! Going out after dark is fun to see the lights. That was the one thing we always did with the boys and then my grands....we would go out and look at lights. How exciting for the little one to get to see them go up...