Monday, December 31, 2018

Monday, last day of the year!

     Well here it is the last day of 2018.  Tomorrow we start a new year with new plans and goals and who am I kidding, like tomorrow is going to miraculously change everything.  Many a New Years plan will fail but I figure if you don't even have a plan or a goal you have already failed so you might as well plan large and make an attempt.  I think it is the mental idea of a New Year that spurs most of us on.  Plus the months of January and February are always hard in the north so have a goal to work on even if it peters out in March is still a good thing.

     Daughter is not yet home from the court house and I am waiting for her to go out and do a few more Christmas sales for next years things.  I would like to find some candied pineapple and some nuts to freeze.  Maybe a few gifts for next year.

     This is my last day as my austere measures will go into affect tomorrow.

Monday money saving Madness

1. Home for two days between trips and spent nothing on groceries so we did not have to worry about leaving things to go bad.
2. packed snacks for our trip to save on food.
3. purchased gas at places where it was cheaper than in town
4. hit some good sales in Twin falls and bought several next year Christmas gifts.
5. purchased many next year gifties at sales in Lewiston
6 .made a batch of bread, froze two loaves and brought 1.5 with me to Twin Falls.
7. wearing some new clothes that I relieved as gifts. Satisfies the new to me without the cost.


     I am looking forward to going home and enjoying the New Year with a new outlook.  How about you?

Kim

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Sunday evening, In Twin Falls

     We are here with Hubs parents and our daughter and her family.  The boys are so fun.  Hubs dad wants to go home so we may leave later on New Years day and take them to Nampa and then take off early on the 2nd to go home, in stead of the 3rd.  We will see.  But grandpa is 90 and has dementia so being away from his comfort zone is hard. 

     Last night daughter and I and mom went to a few places to look at the after Christmas sales.  I was able to get several things for next year and also some of the dried flowers for B's wedding at a very low cost.  It was nice to go to stores that we don't have in our town.

     Our trip over was so funny as we had snow and blowing snow for about 100 miles and then hit 50 degrees and sunshine for the last 200 miles.  You just never know what you are going to get here in the pan handle of Idaho.

     Daughter has to go into court tomorrow but should get out early.  We are planning on having Chinese for our dinner tomorrow.  We will make it ourselves.

     I have so many plans for the new year and I hope it is a good one.  Last year was hard in so many ways.  Mostly due to mom and her illness and subsequent death, but we also had many great things happen.

     It just seems like the year went by so very quickly.  So much of it seems a blur.  I just want next year to be a little slower and more time to enjoy the things I love.  More time spent enjoying moments instead of enduring them.

Have a restful Sabbath.

Kim

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Saturday, off again!

      Well here they are.  For a couple that spend most of their time in fishing waders and sewage, they clean up nice.  I am used to B (D#3) in car harts and work boots.  Husband will be getting his Masters  in fisheries while he works for the University running the fish plant.  B will work on a masters in waste/water treatment, she will utilizes her undergrad degrees in micro bio and chemistry, she works in sewage treatment.

  Both hub's and I were happy to see this happen.  It allows B to go to school for a very low cost as a spouse of a full time University employee plus she has medical benefits.  As she works part time it will help spouse with tax structure.  Oh and they are also very in love.  Spouse could hardly get through the words the judge asked him to say as he was tearing up.  It was so cute.
We took them to lunch at a fancy shmancy Italian place.





















 D#3 and D#2.  All of my girls have red or reddish hair. When they were born D#1 was a golden blond.  D#2 had black hair (deceased) D#2, auburn red hair.  D#3 straight brown with red highlights.  The last one has no curl everyone else got their father and my really curly hair, poor things.

     One of my friends at church just lost her husband unexpectedly from an internal bleed, so I was over there for a couple of hours.  It was so quick and so sad.  She is young but has no children left at home.

     I went to Winco and stocked up on candied fruit for next Christmas.

     We are leaving for Twin Falls in the morning so I need to go and repack everything I just put away, and pull a few things out of the dryer.

     Oh my I feel like I am never home, but I am excited to see my eldest and the grand kids.  Hub's folks will join us as they are brought back from West Yellowstone.  If they are dropped off at daughters house it will save my brother in law 6 hours of driving in bad weather, as they live on the high prairie.  Ask Sluggy about the high prairie weather and she saw it in July.:)

      When I get home it will be all about the new goals and plans for the new year.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Friday, A little of this and a little of that

  Hub's cousin gave us this old silver for Christmas.  It was given to her and re-gifted to me.  I did not think one of the pieces was silver as it had no plate marking on the bottom, and it turned out to be pewter, but all polished up well and I love the grouping.  I plan on using old silver I collect at second hand stores for flower center pieces and arrangements at the upcoming wedding in August.  Won't this be pretty with eucalyptus, evergreen, wheat, ivy and flowers cascading?  I will do a center grouping for all the tables and a larger grouping for the main table.  I am all into free or recycled.  I can resell the pieces after the wedding.

     I made four loaves of bread and a stew for dinner.  Froze two loaves and will take one with me when we leave for Twin Falls.  I left my crock pot at my sister's after Mom's open house.  So I stood there in the kitchen for a moment stymied and thought I could not make a stew without it.  How crazy is that?  I do have a beautiful Cuisinart dutch oven given to me by daughter, so why not put that to use ?  I mean we didn't have crockpots years ago.  And guess what the stew was great and there is enough for leftovers tomorrow.  My goal was to not buy any groceries before we left. Why do we think we need some things that we are used to?  I had to laugh at my helplessness in discovering that my crockpot was missing.

     We did make a trip to Wally world to get chicken feed, dog food, Kleenex, mouse traps, cat litter,laundry soap which we were low on or out of completely.  It was a stock up buy.  I do not believe in using a handkerchief for colds.  I think carrying around a cloth full of germs just shares the crud.  Kleenex is biodegradable and has saved millions of people from catching colds. It is one area that I disagree with in the saving a tree debate.

     I also had two pairs of police pants come in that had to be done for a new cadet leaving for the academy, and a mother of the bride that had to be hemmed and altered at the bust.  So I whipped those out this afternoon.  I have several just for me projects lined up, as the shop will be slow the next few months.  I have baby blankets, aprons, car quilts to make.  It will be a jump on next Christmas.

     Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

    
    

Thursday, Free day?

     It is so nice to have a day where nothing is on the schedule.  Well except that the basement is taking on water.  So I will have to deal with that.  The front drains  got clogged, hub's is out cutting back a shrub right now and I will have to wet vac and set out fans again.  So glad we were home to catch this.  Sometimes I don't know if it is worth it to have a basement.

     I received many really nice gifts from my children.  My eldest daughter spoils me with clothes and books, and nummies. Hubs bought me a beautiful cashmere sweater.  D#2 replaced my mothers lefsa grill and also bought me a lefsa stone.  I was so excited.  I am kind of a kitchen gadget freak if you have not noticed.  But I love to bake traditional breads and things for the holidays and actually year round.  Lefsa is a flat bread made with potatoes and is eaten all year in the Scandinavian countries.  We ate it a lot as kids. Mom went through 2 irons in her life time and now we have a third.  So happy.  I also received a great Nordic bread cookbook so that should be fun.  You all know my love of heavy, seedy, rye infested breads. All I can say is yum.

     I put out the makings of a stew for dinner and I am going to make a batch of bread today to take with down to southern Idaho.  There is a little laundry and the family room and my desk to straighten.  There is always something to do.

     Tomorrow I will have to get up early as we will drive to Moscow and our youngest will be officially married by the justice of the peace.  This way she will be on her fiance's insurance and they will save a bundle in taxes.  Her family ceremony wedding is scheduled for next August 3rd.  This is so weird to me and I do not like it but I am happy with my new son -in -law and I love his family.  I just think when you are married you should be done. Oh well.....

     So today will be a simple putz around the house doing things I hate (water control) and things I love, baking bread, making stew, playing with my new sink controls. Plans within plans so to speak.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim


    

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Wednesday, Elves were here!

I came home to new faucet set up.  The one that was done at the time the kitchen was remodeled was a piece of garbage, in fact we had replaced the sprayer twice already.  This is a beautiful Moen and I love it  I am sure it was done by the neighbor whose babies we watch. Ignore the dirty sink and dishes elves must have left those also:).
     We had a wonderful Christmas with our two younger daughters and grandson.  It was a very busy few days let me tell you.  We arrived at D#2's house in the early afternoon on Thursday last.  Our grandson was a hoot and so excited about Christmas.  Our daughter was deep into trying to get her house ready and cleaned for Christmas eve dinner. She and I worked hard on Thursday to hang fresh bows and clean bathrooms and decorate.

     They have been in this house less than 3 years and it is a huge house.  She has been trying to pick up things to decorate with but as the house is massive, she has not nearly enough to make it a Christmas house. As we are Swedish we are big into Christmas.  She did have a lot of my moms old decorations and that was fun and I know mom would be thrilled to know that her things are loved and used.

     I encouraged daughter to decorate with things that could be recycled.  We picked many evergreen boughs (free) and used then to decorate all over.  We strung them together and added ornaments that were mom's.  I also picked up 4 boxes of candy canes to drip from the boughs on cupboards, and chandeliers. This way the boughs can be burned or will break down and the candy canes will be eaten.

     I encouraged her to go to second hand stores for any decorations she felt she was lacking. I did help her purchase some towels as all she had was beach towels.  You know you make choices.  I also purchased a 12 piece place setting of cheaper silver ware and  my  Lil sister purchased 12 nice Christmas napkins for her to use this season.  I will make her a good set of napkins for next year as I did not know she didn't have any. It bothers my that she does almost all the  family functions for that large family as her house is set up for entertaining.  But they (family) will use roll after roll of paper towel and plastic silverware, and paper plates.  That is such waste.  I can understand for the kids and with a large crowd, but if your know you are going to have large groups over and over, investing in silverware and cloth napkins is a money and environment saver.

     We had over 40 people to feed Christmas eve and we exchanged white elephant gifts sang karaoke and ate ourselves sick.  I only had a few hours of sleep Christmas night as I took Lil sis to the airport at 4 a.m. to go see her daughters in St. Louis.  But I did get a good 4 hour nap in Christmas day!  Then the girls and I went to Bohemian Rhapsody, which was fantastic.  I wanted to cry at the end.  It was so moving.

     Today hubs and I and B (D#3) all went to D#2's work and had our teeth cleaned.  I do have a cavity under a

Dahla horse cookie jar I received from Daughter #3.  I love it!
filling that was done by a doctor earlier.  I had complained about it since it was done but know one (2 different dentists) could find anything.  So that has to be taken care of.  B had extensive work done as her enamel was destroyed on her permanent teeth from antibiotics given to her when she had toxic shock.  Hub's and I went back to daughters to pack up and I cleaned up the kitchen and great room AGAIN.  I did not want daughter coming home to a messy house.

     The only bad part about the holiday was that my grandson was very very sick.  High fever for at least 3 days and just out of sorts for the whole Holiday. So daughter and her husband got very little sleep. It was a blessing that Lil sis and I were there to get so much of the work done for her.

     Hub's and made it home about 2:00 and it took me 1.5 hours to unpack and get things put away.  There is no food in the house ready to cook, so I made grilled cheese for dinner.  We are leaving again on Saturday for about 5 days so I don't want to buy anything and will make do.  I am glad to be home for a few days.

     I will tell you all about my loot tomorrow.  Did you have a wonderful Christmas?

Kim

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Thursday, Christmas is wrapped, I think

     I am telling you I do not like wrapping.  I think Hub's and I wrapped for at least two hours last night.  We kept losing our scissors and our writing tools and our tape, or running out of tape or cutting the paper wrong.  I was constantly patching paper.  Because I won't throw it out.

     When I went into the spare room where I have been storing all the Christmas gifts, I noticed a bad smell.  One of the cats had been accidentally locked  in the room.  )(*&^% So I emptied it all out of gifts and stripped the bed, moved the furniture.  Like I needed to have this mess right now.  I could find no evidence, but when I put the bedspread into the wash I could really smell cat so I am so happy we have waterproof mattress pads on all of our beds.  I was able to get part of the linens washed last night late and I am just finishing them up this morning.  (**&^ darn animals but we need the cats for the mice,and to keep the dog entertained.

     Did I get packed, NO!

     Did I get the car packed, NO!

     There is so much to remember, dog, stuff and food, medications, cellphone chargers, fitbit charger, clothes, presents, baking supplies and tools and a partridge in a pear tree. Stockings, stocking stuffers, my brain......

     It is enough to knock the Christmas spirit right out of you.

     I actually had a call from my Specialists office and the specialist got on the phone to talk to me.  Can you believe that?  A doctor who calls you?  Anyway they are upping the  new additional med to double and I am back on a double dose of steroid until the end of January.  He also sent in a prescription for pain meds.  So I think I will feel better soon.  Just not looking forward to the side affects.  But all this involved several phone calls back and forth, with pharmacists and I had to make a special trip for blood work, to check kidney and liver function.  I haven't turned yellow yet.

     We are taking off sometime this morning, if I can get everything done and packed and cleaned and oh yes have to get someone to take care of cats and chickens that did not get done.

     Well I am off!

Have a Merry, Merry Christmas and I hope to be able to blog while I am gone.

Kim

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Wednesday, I did not cave

     Well I did finally get to the store to look for a cake about 4:30 in the afternoon.  The day was just busy with last minute sewing and doing for people.  I still need to get a couple of little things done.  I mean things that won't take even 20 minutes but you know me I have to put them off.

     Well I did find a one layer cake for $7.99 and I just could not make myself buy it.  So I picked up a .69 cake mix, German chocolate and came home.  As I was making dinner I threw the cake into the oven and it was done by the time dinner was ready.

     Here we are all ready for the nephews.  Who by the way were so funny.  The baby who is almost 2 was quite the entertainer last night.

     I still have not delivered a gift card and I absolutely have to get a few things done today.

     The shop is clean and it is so nice.  I love to work in a clean shop.  So today here are the plans.



1. Get nails done  (so important)
2. deliver gift card
3. get small sewing things DONE, DONE  and call client
4. Wrap all Christmas gifts  BLAH!
5. go pay the paper bill
6. take hubs to shop for son in-law
7. go look for dresser at 2nd hand store with hubs for a missionary
8. finish load of laundry
9. get car packed
10. stop and get oysters here as they are out in Spokane area  (too many Scandinavians up there)
11. pack myself or semi pack
12. get neighbor girl ready to take care of chickens and cats.
13.go to bank
14. go get blood work done
15. get prescriptions

 SO I am off to get these things done today in no real order other than they all must be done.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim


Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Tuesday, Check the list

    My right wrist is badly blown today giving me further discouragement on my medication issues.  It is swollen and I have been having carpel tunnel like symptoms where my hand goes numb and I cannot feel a needle in it.  Also constant headaches that I just work through.   I need a break from this crap.  But I also feel blessed that I can work through the pain and it eventually subsides.

    I was just a busy little beaver yesterday and I got so much done that I wanted to get done.  I am really thinking of not making Hub's a cake but going and buying a single layer.  We are leaving and we cannot eat it all nor do we need the sweets as the house is full of cookies.

     Then I tell myself it will be so expensive and I can freeze 1/2 a cake for later.  Then I think of my blown wrists and just making a cake.  I am sure I will go look at the prices and run.  I am just being a baby.

     I was so happy to get so much of my list done yesterday.  I have just a couple of very small jobs left to do in the shop.  Then I will clean and straighten the shop.  I love the winding down I am getting before I go to my daughters where I will be wound up again!

     Today's list:
1. Hub's cake?
2. change sheets and vacuum downstairs spare room
3. clean downstairs bath
4. clean guest bath upstairs
5. do small sewing things
6. clean shop
7. wrap gifts for nephews and hubs birthday
8. Nap?

     I just remembered that I do have one other errand to run but can do that when I go to the store later. Yikes!  That list is getting longer.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Monday, December 17, 2018

Monday, Money saving madness

     Whew!  The open house is over and I am so happy.  It went well, people were pleased.  I am glad it is done.  Don't know if I will do it again.  It is so much work and it adds to Holiday stress.  We will see.

     Now my car is full of leftovers that must be sorted and brought in.  Every room in the house is a mess as I have done nothing but work on the open house. I only have 6 pairs of pants to hem and 3 zippers to replace in the shop, some curtains to hem and set of missionary pants to alter unless anything else comes in that is it.  So that is nice as I can get those things done in an hour or so.

     It is so nice to realize I have nothing right now that has to be done. I want to get my house really clean and organized as we will be leaving on Thursday and won't be home for a week.  And then we will be home for a couple days and onto our other daughters until after the 1st.  I want to come home to a clean house.   I have three days so that should be enough to get a sparkle in an few places.

Here is the lobster ornament Sluggy sent us for Christmas.  As we put up no tree this year I will hang it above my computer and put it up next year.  I also received a box of my favorite goodies and some surprises.  I miss them so much. Hub's asks about Sluggy and her husband all the time and we plan on another excursion sometime this next year.

     Don't you love the backside of Roscoe's bottom.  I tried to get him to hold for the picture ,but he just wanted to eat the ornament.  When does that puppy chew phase get over?

I have plans within plans for today and Hub's birthday is on Wednesday, but I am going to have the nephews over tomorrow evening for cake and ice cream.  They can open their gifts.  We started a fun tradition for them when they were very little. They come over on Hub's birthday and Hub's would have a pile of wrapped gifts in front of himself.  He would get the first one and be ready to open it and then say, "Well this one is not for me it is for Alex."  The next gift would be for the next boy and so on.  Now the family has 4 boys.  This is fun as hubs gets to buy boy toys and he loves it.  A few years ago the nephews parents told the boys they were going to Uncle Hubs birthday and they were so excited because that was the party where they got a toy.  The parents cringed thinking maybe we had started a bad tradition.  But Hub's loves it.  AS they get older it is harder and harder to get out of them what they want.  Last year I threatened socks and underwear.  This year I told them I had found underwear with unicorns on them and sparkles. Decisions were made rather quickly after that threat.

Money saving madness December 9th-15th 2018

1. ate all meals at home except one (hub's ordered a pizza)
2. picked up steaks at 75% off .
3. picked up cottage cheese marked down
4. Used coupons from Joanns for purchases needed
5. fed food scraps to the chickens
6. used clothesline for heavy laundry
7. Did almost all holiday baking with storage foods purchased at rock bottom prices
8. pulled out mom's box of flannel and blankets and found enough fabric and 1/2 started blankets to make at least 12 nice quilts and blankets for upcoming babies.  So will not have to purchase anything but batting.  Which I will look for at second hand stores.
9.Went to second hand store and purchased large oval embroidery hoop for a quilting project.  $1.99
10. Took a sister in our ward to second hand stores to find a bed for one of her children, found a nice frame and a free box spring.
11. found a nice quilted piece for a baby quilt 1/2 price at second hand store .69
12.Did all my normal things of reuse, cut in half, recycle, use it up I usually do to save a few pennies.
13. found a nickle cleaning out Hub's side of the closet.  Does that count Slug? Or do I have to be making a fool of myself in front of the MacDonald's window?


Things to accomplish today?????

1. clean out car and organize leftovers
2. get Sluggy's box mailed
3. start laundry
4. clean up cat area and replace with new litter
5. get gift card to a ward member and pick up gift card for nephew
6. get kitchen really cleaned and all Christmas cooking things packed up to take to Daughters place.
7. clean our room and bath change sheets
8. clean hall and front room
9. clean dining room
10. clean and change sheets on spare room downstairs
11. clean family room
12.clean and organize shop
13. get sewing done
14. get all presents wrapped  (yuck)
15. make a German chocolate cake for hubs

This is a list to do today and tomorrow and I will do what I can. In any order that I please.  Well Sluggy's package is top priority slightly ahead of the cat box......Hee, hee


Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Sunday, LOOK, LOOK, LOOK!

     My House is below $30,000.  We are going to get there.  I am so blessed and Happy.  This will be my main goal this next year.

     I spent the late afternoon and evening with my Lil sis and we laughed and cried.  She colored my much needed hair and I love it.  I kind of used my sadness which was real to emotionally blackmail her into doing my hair.  But what are siblings for?

     I am dressed and ready to go over to her house and get everything set up. I hope all things go well.  The only thing missing is my twin sister.  I so wish she were here. Then things would be complete.

     Actually things would be really complete if my brothers were with us, but that cannot be. I am telling you when we all used to get together we would laugh until we were sick.  We are all comedians and would try to outdo one another. But the youngest has his family to handle and the other brother cannot have family connections in his state of being,  I pray for him always.


Have a blessed and peaceful Sabbath,

Kim

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Saturday, weepy

     So I completed another saving chart.  This will surely be the last one of the year.  I really don't think I will be saving much more out of the budget the rest of the month.  With travel and Christmas food it will be spent.  But I am happy with my progress.

     I actually forgot to say that we were due for the littles Friday, but I called and cancelled late the evening before.  I had my daughter and William, but was not feeling my best.  I still had the wedding dress and was feeling stress.  I felt bad cancelling at the last minute but they do have a full time sitter.  We are just free and I know it helps them, plus I love the kids.

     I was finally able to get the last of the years wedding dress done just in the nick of time.  I told daughter I was starting to panic..  Her reply was "Well where is the fun if you don't."  Who raised that smart a%^?

I was so grateful daughter wrapped several things for me and mailed all but one of the gifts to daughters family so that is off my list.  She even wrapped the gifts for the church Christmas tree so I don't have to do that.  Have I ever told you I hate wrapping presents?  I am bad at it and mine always look like a 5 yer old did them. I just don't have the patience.  Yet I dislike gift bags as I think unwrapping is important.  Yeah just part of the ongoing mental illness we call Kim.:)

     I woke this morning with no DIET COKE in the house.  Which is a major crisis.  I also have severely achy hands. Not a good sign.  When I picked up my meds Thursday I noticed the steroid was cut in half so I was happy, but two days later and bang.  I know I will spend a good part of the day at Lil sis's getting ready for mom's open house. I am waiting for her phone call.  As I know she likes to sleep in on Saturdays.

     I need to go to the bank today and I just got done throwing loaves of bread into my mixer.  I think I really can admit that I dislike store bought bread.  I love the Daves killer bread, but refuse to pay almost $5.00 a loaf for it.  You can make the same for about .50 a loaf.

     I have been really weepy all morning and I don't know why.  I think I am missing mom and now that the open house is upon us I am over flowing with emotions.  Also not feeling well and realizing the meds are not working and the doctors strategy to try and boost the Xeljanz  (med) is not working.  I hate the thought of having to switch meds.  It will probably have to be a drip in now and I will have to check into an outpatient place and sit in the freezing cold for several hours, then suffer the extreme side affects for several days.  I am being a dooms dayer right now.  I need to shake myself.  But I keep crying.

     Hubs got called down to the school today as there are problems in the theater.  He just called and was asked to stay.  This is good as he would be beside himself with my crying.  I will take some warm bread and butter down to the school later for the crew and then go to Lil sis's.

Boy am I a mess.  Crying always gives me a headache.  Plus it makes me look lovely.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim
      

Friday, December 14, 2018

Thursday/ Friday. I am done baking!

     I lost 2.5 hours of time going to rescue a young friend last night, so my peppekkakor remain unfrosted. Don't you love how I change the spelling of the Swedish treats at whim?  I did get the sugar cookies frosted.  But is was a stretch and a late night.
Frosted peppekkakkor

    I need to finish that brides dress sometime today and I  have a friend coming in a few minutes to do the last of the baking.  Rosettes and krumkakke.  Hopefully we will be done in a couple of hours and I can get to the dress.

     The frosting is made up for the cookies it is just a matter of getting them done.  I did get Sissies box shipped and picked up a gift card for a family that just lost everything in an apartment fire.  It was two younger boys and I can't buy for boys.

     I have flannel blankets that mom had started and I am finishing those up as we have 7 baby girls due in our church all in March.  One set of twins.  So I have been working on those in free moments of time......

     This is as far as I got on the Thursday post before I had to go start making Rosettes with my girlfriend.  We baked all day until about 4 p.m. and all of the baking for the open house is done.
I made these krumkakke on an iron while my girlfriend made the rosettes

     Daughter #2 and William came into town last night and my house has been destroyed between William and the dog.  I still have not finished the brides dress which is due out at 1:00 today so I had better get in there and start sewing.  I was just too busy doing fun stuff.


Frosted Swedish sour cream cookies, yum!


Here are the rosettes that friend made.  This is a bugger of a job, so glad she came over.


And look what I found when I pulled the rosette irons and krummkakke grill out of the baking cupboard.....


Moms old cookie press that works great by the way.  I thought she had one that I inherited when we went through her stuff but I had forgotten about it and didn't even look.  So we had a good laugh over this.

So now I have the second hand one pulled from the garbage, this one and I am sure Lil sis ordered one for my Christmas present.  Spritz anyone?



Well I am off to get this dress done.  I have 2.5 hours.  I need to get busy.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Wednesday, Fruit cakes!

     I made 10 small fruitcakes last night and of course we had to get into one of them.  This is not a cheap recipe and I had to double it to get this many cakes.  But it is delicious.  This is why I like to shop the after Christmas food sales and pick up the candied fruit and nuts on sale and freeze them in airtight bags.  Each recipe calls for a quart of nuts and 2 lbs of dates,cherries, and pineapple.  So I try and find those really marked down.
















     My lil sis took this picture of mom at Christmas a few years ago and I put it in my widow so she can over see me cooking.  She loved to bake and loved to boss me while I baked.  I was always doing something wrong.  For a mostly blind woman she could really see every mistake I made.  I miss her.

     You will notice the Norwegian saying next to the picture.  It is a private joke.















     I was pleased to get everything done I wanted to yesterday.  The missionary work is done for a couple of months.  The costumes are all back where they belong.  My closet is clean and organized and I was able to get a lil something, something made up for my Sissy and her box O' crap is ready to mail.

     So today I want to:

1. Mail Sissies package
2. drop off donations at Goodwill
3. roll and frost peppekkakor
4. frost sugar cookies
5. make turkey salad
6. have a bridal fitting and finish up that dress
7. get a needed gift card

     I am a little blue today and missing mom.  She was hard, but she was still my mom.  I am sometimes overwhelmed with the Holidays.   I really dislike the commercialism of Christmas. The new gadgets and the new garbage that is pushed as the must have of the season. I love the traditional baking that comes with the Holiday.  I think it is important to keep the old recipes and traditions of my fore fathers alive.  I am grateful my mother had me learn these skills and I have and will pass them onto my children.

     The shop is really slowing down for the year which is okay with me.  We will be out of town for most of the the last 10 days of the month, running between our girls places.  So having an empty shop is a good thing.  Right now it is just keeping up with the daily things that come in for sewing.

     Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim


7.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Tuesday, pretty darn proud

     The rescued cookie gun.  Well the box was badly damaged, but the gun parts are all there.  So we will try again.  You can't say that we do not persevere.

     I actually was able to get all my sewing done yesterday.  I do have a wedding dress to take in today and that is it as far as clients are concerned. So after I came home from Joanns and my errands I replaced 4 zippers, altered and pressed a 50 year old wedding suit,and shortened some sleeves on a coat and a few other minor things for the police department.  I was so happy to work in a clean shop.

     Of course you know me, nature (my nature) abhors a vacuum.  I then pulled everything out of the closet in the shop to find  things to work on for Christmas.  So now I have to go back in and put it all back together.  Blah!

     I got all the bills paid, the house cleaned up and vacuumed.  Now don't be shocked but last night I pulled the ironing board into the family room and watched Netflix and did all the ironing.  I used to do this all the time, but kind of got out of the practice with mom. It went so fast.  But because I did that I now have to do another task that I have been avoiding.  You know you give a mouse a cookie and then.....

     I need to switch all my winter clothes and shoes into the closet and put summer ones into the spare room. You see even though I am siting here in a long sleeve Henley, bib overalls , a wool sweater, wool socks and clogs, I have not admitted it is winter.  So why switch the clothes?  If I deny it is winter until about Christmas it doesn't last so long.  Because we all no January is coming.  Right now the closets are just a disorganized jumbled mess.  That project has been started and needs to be finished.  I will get rid of things that are no longer being worn.  Down size, down size.  We all have too much stuff.

     I have all the ingredients for my mother-in-laws famous fruit cake.  This fruitcake is actually really good.  So quit wrinkling your noses.  Anne, Sluggy, Cheryl, stop or I will send you a loaf.

     Hubs made appointments to see the last two missionary apartments today, sometime this afternoon.  So around that schedule I will try to get the following done.

1. put away the last of the laundry
2. put ironing board back
3. clean out spare hall closet
4. switch clothes summer and winter
5. switch clogs and sandals organize shoe
6. missionary apartments
7. take back all costumes to studio with hubs help
8. make mom's fruitcake
9. take in wedding dress for fitting
10. straighten shop again!
11. Figure out what to do with leftover turkey I pulled from the freezer.  Maybe I will make turkey salad.  Just not really inspired here.

     I would love to get into a few Christmas sewing projects before tonight.  I will see what I can do.  I am a little stiff and my hands are sore today.  Probably from fighting with the D(*& spritz cookie guns.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim
    


Monday, December 10, 2018

Monday, money saving madness

     Oh my you should see the cookie dough packed into my wedding ring.  It is quite a site.  Guess I had better take care of that.  Yikes!

     Last week was productive but busy and this week will I hope be a little less.  I was quite tired this weekend and slept long and hard night times.  I needed it.  Right now I really need to do a go through the house.  The dog has torn up one of his toys all over the basement and the shop is a mess again, laundry is backed up, let's not even talk about the ironing.  The car is full of costumes which hubs will help me return and then I really need to finish paying the bills.  Shame on me I only paid the ones that were due. That is a bad habit of mine.

Spritz cookies from he*l
     Lil sis came over last night and we had a futile effort in making spritz cookies, which by the way are usually the fastest and the easiest.  I received a super shooter cookie gun for a Christmas present when I was a freshman in college.  It worked well for 37 years.  Since then we have had cookie gun nightmares.  Well mom an I found an old fashioned mirro cookie gun brand new in the box for 3.00.  Could not get it to work and neither could sis. So she brought hers over and we broke it. Then we went to 4 stores and 5 phone calls finally found one at shopko which we broke on the first cookie, back to shopko.  She calls a co-worker who has one and Lil sis goes to get it and it is exactly like the one I threw away.  It worked great, so now I have to dig through the garbage for that one.  Ask me if I am frustrated?  Easiest cookie my A^%.  Anyway we finished caramels and spritz so now I am down to 3 cookies and fruitcake.  I am actually ahead of schedule.

     Hub's has a man cold if you know what that means.....
 wrapped caramels
 I love this tart pan that has a bottom that pops out.  I bought it at Joanns last year.  Actually I bought two 70% off.  It is so easy to cut the caramels perfectly plus great for pumpkin and lemon pie slices.

Here are the Swedish sour cream cookies that Lil sis rolled out for me.  A girlfriend and I are going to decorate them on Wednesday.

I don't know why I feel so frustrated and behind.  I just have to calm down  and breath.  I am going to get into the shop today and get at least 4 zippers replaced and mend and press a dress, and hem some jacket sleeves.  I do have a Bridal fitting on Wednesday.  There is not a huge amount to do in the shop but what is there must be done.  I also want to get something made up for my Sissie so I can mail her box.

1. clean downstairs/vacuum
2. laundry
3. clean shop
4. sew
5. go to Joanns/winco/bank (more zippers)
6.sew
7.pay bills/drop off
8. quit stressing there is nothing to be stressed about.


Monday money saving madness:Dec. 2-Dec 9 2018

1. Did not go out to eat at all.
2. free meal at church
3. picked up cookie tins at second hand store .99 a piece.
4. made several batches of cookies with pantry supplies bought at rock bottom prices.
5. Used clothesline for heavy laundry with touch up in dryer.
6. Made a bridal veil with scraps for about .60 charged bride  $60.00 so made money
7. found money (finally .11 cents)
8. cashed in pig bank for $157.88 for the year!
9. went to Albertsons multiple times for butter 1.99 a lb limit one.
10. Used coupons at Joanns
11. Filled up car in Kamiah where gas is .65 less a gallon.  Yes .65 cents!  worth the one hour drive there and back.
12. Needed plates for cookies so used St Patrick day with a red napkin on top.  Hey red and green it works!
13. Used and reused parchment paper for all cookies
14. reused older shoes boxes and things saved year to year to store cookies.
15. fed all food scraps to chickens they are laying like crazy.  We are giving away eggs right and left.
16. reused older cottage cheese containers and tried not to cringe at the amount of plastic wrap I used this week.  Ugh!
17. used up three boxes of jello, something we never eat.
18. wrapped and mailed Christmas gifts with paper bought at 90% off and then sat on boxes to squeeze it all in and save postage.

     Okay I am off to get something done look at the time, Damn spritz cookie (*&^%$ fiasco)  I must go dig through the garbage can.  Fun times.....

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Sunday, December 9, 2018

Sunday, Nice Saturday drive

     Hub's and I took off early for Grangeville and arrived at about 10:15 and did our first inspection.  Then off across the prairies to Kamiah and did the second.  Our third visit in Orofino (I have been spelling it wrong) was a little tough as we could not find the location.  But we persevered.  I napped and looked at scenery while Hub's drove.  We were home by 1:30.

     Lil sis called and she offered to do the fudge and roll out and decorate the sour cream cookies and I said GO FOR IT!  This take much off my plate.  So she came over and got the dough and the fudge things.  Yeah  two less things for Kim to do.  I then took a two hour nap.

     Hub's and I gathered the last few things for the Nativity and took off for the church about 4:30.  The dinner  was awful.  Smoked ham and turkey, which unless it is done right sickens me.  Cold baked potatoes, raw green beans, yum.  Then of course members brought side dishes.   The ones I chose were over cooked mushy pasta salad and a potato dish instant that was so over salted I could not eat it.  But the dessert was cheese cake and made up for all of it.

   The little ones were so cute in their costumes and the star and the donkey stole the show.  I dressed the star in white and then surrounded her arms and body with lighted battery pack lights.  I then placed her on a ladder covered with black cloth behind the open creche. She climbed up over the creche at her appointed time and spread out her arms.  So cute.  The donkey's head was so large he about fell over but this led to the charm.  Tried to make sure the shepherds did not play swords with their crooks, finally split them up.  It was a memorable night for all.

     We were home by 7:30 and I thought , go over to your Lil sis's and help her decorate cookies.  Or get upstairs and make caramels or spritz.  But I didn't.  I snuggled in bed downstairs and watched a movie and was asleep by 10:00 and slept 12 hours.  It was wonderful.

     I am ready for church and we have a couple of appointments tonight to look at missionary apartments, but I will cook in between or after.  Tonight I will do caramels and spritz.  I asked my sister to save me some of the baked sugar cookies to decorate.

Have a peaceful and restful joy filled Sabbath.

Kim

Saturday, December 8, 2018

Saturday,Staying on schedule

    
Vanil kasse #5 done
 It was a crazy day, but I stuck to my guns.  We were supposed to have the littles and they did not show, so I took advantage of the time to run and mail my brothers packages.  One more Christmas to do out of the way.   Yippee!  I then went to Joanns for more zippers and dropped my oldest serger off for a re haul at the repair shop.  I plan to take this one to my daughters and leave it so when I go to sew costumes I don't have to transport my machines.

     I got all the band uniforms done so the school can pick those up tomorrow morning. I've got to remember to call the director and let him know we will be gone so he can code himself in and get the uniforms.  All the police new hires came and picked up there pants.  I was able to get a few more sewing items out.  I really wanted to get to the Wedding things I need to do but that will be first thing next week. 

Wedding cookies #6 done
     As soon as I got home from my errands the little's dad called.  He had the morning off but we needed to take the kids in the afternoon.  So chaos as usual.  It was no use trying to get any baking done so I red stories to the elder and Hub's bounced the baby.  About 3:30 I get a frantic call from the studio owner, the ballet mistress was sick.  She has not missed a class in two years and can I teach from 4-6?  I told her no as Hub's cannot handle the babies alone.  With his deafness  and Parkinson's tremors that is out of the question.

     We got a call from the little's folks and her company party was this evening and the night sitter had cancelled.  Her mom had agreed to come and get the older girl, but not the baby as she had just had shoulder surgery and could not lift him.  Could we keep the baby?  Well yes.  So grandma came and got the older one and I got the baby down for a good nap.  This allowed me to run down to the studio at 4:30 and re-leave the owner. When I got home from teaching the baby was just waking up and Hub's had gotten to watch the news.

     I pulled previously made Italian meatballs out of the freezer and with a jar of my home canned spaghetti sauce made spaghetti and meatballs and a salad.  I told Hub's he was in charge of the baby and I whipped up two more batches of cookies.   The upper picture is Vanil kasse.  So good with blackberry jam.  The lower is a wedding cookie.  This is made by several ethnic groups.  I would have liked to do spritz, but I ran out of energy.  So if I can get the Spritz done Sunday evening, all I will have left to do is the fudge and caramels.  I might do those Sunday evening as well.  I have a girl friend coming to help with rosettes and krumkakke, which take irons and hot oil.  Rolling and frosting the other two batters I have ready in the fridge will be set for sometime next week.

     Hub's made appointments with 3 of the 8 sets of missionary's that we over see.  Every 6-8 weeks we check all 8 apartments for cleanliness and problems.  The local ones are easy and Hub's can go alone when they are young men.  But the out of town ones or sister missionary's I must go.  So Saturday we will do a loop through Grangeville onto Kamiah and then to Orophino. These are all small towns on the Idaho prairie.  It will take 1.5 hours  to get to our first stop and then 25 miles to the next town and about 25 to the next and then and hour home.  We hope to arrive home by 3 p.m. I have made up plates of cookies for the three apartments at Hub's request.

     The ward Christmas party is tomorrow at 5 p.m. and we are in charge of the Nativity.  I also remembered We need to bring a side dish.  The church is providing meat, rolls, and dessert.  I was frantic about what to make and with the kitchen such a mess and losing a couple hours to teaching and then the babies, I asked Hub's what to do?  He said, "Well you can't do it all."  Really!  Usually he is the worst about me going full throttle when it is for the church.  I was shocked that I was going to get off easy.  He can be really inconsiderate that way and work me beyond my capacity.  So on that note I went down to the storage and came up with 3 boxes of Jello.  Something mom insisted on me buying and we never eat.  I made a layered jello salad, with red, green, and yellow.  So Christmas y and pretty.  It was easy to do and I set it outside between cookie batches it was set in no time.  I will top with whip cream before we leave for the church.

     I am happy to go to bed tonight let me tell you. The buzzer for the dryer just went off so once I go see to that I am to bed.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Friday, December 7, 2018

Friday, plans? who follows them?

     Well yesterday was not a bust but all the plans I made kind of went Topsy turvy. Don't know why, as I didn't have anything happen to make them go awry. Just me and my ever evolving sprained brain.

     Did I get the uniforms for the band fixed ?  NO
 

     Did I get and cookies made?  NO

     Did I take a bath and clean up?  yes  because I was stinky

     Did I get my pig cashed? YES $157.88 about 1/2 of last year but that is okay.  Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. I will use this along with my Ibotta rebates for Christmas food and dinner.

     Did I go pick up some sausage? yes

     Did I get cat food?  no made hubs do that

     Did I get to Joanns?  NO

     Did I make meatballs? YES YES YES and it took forever.  I made them cocktail size and it takes a lot longer.  Then I did 4 broiler pans and I had to wait between cooking times.  FOREVER.

   Did I get my brothers things wrapped and packed?  Yes  that took forever also.  I did it in spurts between meatballs baking.

    Did I have any energy left at 8:30 p.m. to start a batch of cookies?  NO  so I vegged on the couch it was nice.  I even left the mess in the kitchen and dining room.  Now I have to face that.

     Well the meatballs are done!  Thank goodness.  I am going to mail my brothers packages.  That will be two things off my list of December to do's.  Then I will sew and I will face the mess I made yesterday and maybe do a few more cookies.  Well I will make cookies if I can get my house cleaned a little as it has suffered since the beginning of the week.  You know my different personalities have been creating chaos in almost every room.

     I remember one of my daughters coming home from college at Christmas and going around the house and asking as she came into the kitchen, "Okay mom which one of your personalities made this mess?"

     I just over plan and do not consider how much time things take.  But the old Kim would have stuck to the list.  So I am very proud that I crashed before I completed the sewing and the additional cookies.  See I can learn.  Okay I really can't but I am trying.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim



    

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Thursday, Pig Day! More cookies

Here is my special pink pig that I save all my change in all year.  Today I will take the contents to the bank and see how much I have saved.  I know it will be a smaller year as I really cut back on almost all unnecessary spending to pay off bills.  After mom passed I quit going out as much to the shops as she was the reason we went anyway.

I will let you know tomorrow the total.

In the mean time take a look at that side chart I am going below $30,000 soon on the house.  It will be before the new year.  I am so blessed and so excited.

I really had a time of it yesterday.  I have had problems with severe heartburn with this new medication.  I had to lay down for about an hour and it was so painful on top of the bad headache.  I just really don't like it.  I am hoping today is better.

I was able to get all of my sewing done that I wanted to and I have several band uniforms I have to get mended today.  Other than that I have nothing really pressing in the shop.  I would like to get to the two wedding things I have due out this month, but we shall see how that goes.

 Here is last nights messy kitchen.  I did not get into the kitchen to bake until about 8:00 as I took the great nephews for dress shoes which in Lewiston is a fiasco.  There is no little selection here and we had to go to 4 stores before we found anything that would work.   I also had a a few errands to run after I picked the boys up.  So I got them Mc'd's and they sat in the car eating while I ran into joanns for a zipper, also to the bank and into the church to grab something. Finally we got shoes that fit and they liked at Penneys.

We also picked up a winter coat for one of them as he was wearing a very thin leather coat and it was 24 degrees.  There was a terrific sale at Penneys and the cashier also gave me $10.00 off plus my points so the coat was under $30.00 and it was a originally $169.00. Hopefully this coat can be passed down to a younger brother.




 Started a double batch of Swedish sour cream cookies.  These can be dropped or rolled.  I will do 1/2 and 1/2.  I put this dough in the fridge for later.

See my mess it looks like last nights mess.

























These are the kokocasse.  They are a light Delicious coconut short bread.  Number 2 done!

















I rolled the balls for the ginger cookies that will be 1/2 dipped in chocolate.  Now if I can hide these from Hub's it will be a hold miracle.  #3 done.

















I made up a batch of Sucre citron kakke.#4 done!
I ran out of yellow sugar so made my own with sugar and food coloring
These cookie stamps were made by my great grandmother.  Aren't they great.  They work so much better than the newer ones you can buy.  They never stick.  I have no idea what kind of clay they were fired out of.

Well I need to go get a couple pounds of pork sausage, cat food, yet another zipper, cash in my pig.  I also have to get my brother's gift out today so it can arrive by December 12th the first day of Christmas.  I am also making all the meatballs this afternoon.  I hope to get to 3 other cookies tonight.  I am leaving the rolled cookies for Saturday when I have less interruptions.  Well I will have the hub's and the dog, so maybe......









Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative..

Kim







Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Wednesday, Messy cook


      I am a messy cook.  I always have been.  My mom was a messy cook and so was her mom.  It must be genetic.  Now I am not saying we were or are not good at it, just messy.  In home ec  or should I say Homewreck  I always got A's in product and D's or F's in station cleanliness.  Last night after I sewed most of the day, I started to makeup the things that we will use at the open house.

     This one might be a little scary. The compost bucket gets filled and emptied once a day with what ever scraps there are left.  I must say my chickens love me.

     I started with the almond cakes as I could double the recipe and they could cook for 50 minutes while I assembled the other dough.  So after I had them in the oven, I made up a batch of Peppekakkor( a flat ginger cookie that will be rolled out, cut and decorated)  this is my favorite cookie.  I also did a batch of ginger rounds which is a cookie that is made into a ball and then baked and dipped in chocolate, much like German lebkucken. I also made up a batch of Kokkokasser a refrigerator sliced cookie.

     I am happy to say that I started a little after 7 p.m. and a little before 9p.m. the kitchen was spotless.


     Do you see this open cupboard? That is points off.  Oh and the open jar of molasses?  Points off? Dirty counter?  Contaminate,points off?  I don't think I will ever learn.  I just need a keeper.



     I guess my mind is just onto the next thing and I figure if I will need an ingredient again it should just stay out and open.  Right?  If I constantly wiped the counters they wold be wet and then where could I flop things, like my cell phone and diet coke?  If you could see the condition of my recipe cards (or I should say mom's) you would be shocked.  But that is just me.  I am a work in progress mess.









Look at this mess.  I mean really.  Put things away.  Nope!  Not until I am done.  Sorry this is my way. I find it very effective and I think it saves me time.
  

















     But here are the results.  In less than two hours.  Three doughs ready for the fridge and the almond cakes will be frozen.  I will make two more almond cakes and two more doughs hopefully this evening.

     I am going to run pick up the great nephews and take them to get Sunday dress shoes. Why do they grow so fast?   Little monkeys become big monkeys. They will of course be starving so we will stop for a burger and then to the shoe store.  I hope to be home a little after 7.

     I would like to get Sucra citron kasse (lemon sugar cookies) and Swedish sour cream cookie doughs done tonight  and put in the fridge.  The other cookies are made on irons or the dough must not be refrigerated. So if I can get all these in the fridge than I can lay out my parchment paper and start baking.  I will do the ball cookies together and then the rolled and cut cookies.  The sliced refrigerator cookies go very fast.

    I also need to take the ingredients for the meatballs out of the freezer to thaw.  I am careful about meats.  So not quite as messy:)

     I have 9 hems to do today and I want to get started on a wedding dress alteration.  I must also run to the store for real margarine and Albertsons has butter 1.99 limit one.  I will go back several times.
One of the stores was advertising butter on sale for $3.49.  I laughed. Really?

     Yesterday I paid the house payment and added $300.00 of the extra $1000.00 I will try and pay this month.  Anything above that will go to Christmas. It was a very enjoyable, rather relaxing day for me.

      I am still suffering the side affects of the new medication.  I really dislike the constant headaches.  Like my head is in a vice or there is a tight rubber band around it all the time.  Sometimes it makes me queasy. I hope it passes soon, not liking it one bit.

     Tomorrow is pig day!  I am excited to see how much I saved this year!
 
Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

    
    

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Tuesday, Making a list,kicking the dog

     I finished the wedding veil made completely from left overs in my shop.
     The bride showed me a picture and I used tulle given to me after someones wedding and the lace was left over from a dress I had made.  I purchased the comb from a sewing website.  I get a dozen for $6.99.  I love being able to create something from what others would waste. 

     My dog/puppy was at my feet yesterday while I was blogging. I did not think anything about it.  Well after I was done I noticed that I was having a hard time getting the inter net to attach.  Then the net flix would not work.  So I spent most of the afternoon working on the veil which had to be done by hand and messing with controllers.  I thought the inter net might have gone down as both the computer and the TV were not working.  Well low and behold mister man (the puppy) had chewed through the cable to the inter net.  Now because we live in a rural area our inter net comes through a phone line.  I know, I know dark ages, but it is hard to receive signals here.

     No problem I just need to get a phone cable.  I used to have a drawer in the garage full of phone jacks and cables.  When you needed something you just went outside and got the part. Well in my downsizing efforts I cleaned out that drawer as we no longer have phone in the house.  So I go to buy one.  Wal-mart? K-mart? Rite-aid? Big-lots?  I have to go to Staples where the cord was $8.99, for about .13 cents worth of product.  I would have gone to the Habitat store but it is closed on Monday.  So I grumble and pay the money and come home with the cord. 

     Then I discover in my searching for the problem, that I have unplugged the main computer surge protector and it is behind the big oak desk consul.  I had to jimmy and sweat and work and twist on my back under a dark desk after I despiderfied (a word in Idaho) the nether regions of the desk.  It took me over an hour and I was really cussing and scratched by the end. %$#^&@#! dog.  Who by the way tried to help me the whole time I was fixing the problem.

     I did get a 2 our nap in later in the afternoon as we have plenty of leftovers from Sunday dinner for the next few days. I was also able to get the little Amazon shopping done that I needed to do and I decided to buy mom and dads gifts after the holiday when we go down.  Talbots has a way of putting things on a good sale and then taking the sale off and I will not stand for those tricks but will wait.  I want to get mom a new sweater.  She wears all the things I give her constantly.

      Last night after hub's went to bed I was able to rip the work I will get done today.  Then I plan on baking some kind of cookie and freezing them for the open house.  I also have to make meatballs, which I can freeze.  I will do this later in the week when we are through with our leftovers.  Then Hub's can have them for dinner.

     I had better get to work and get my quota done so I can enjoy my Christmas baking.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim