SWDB: December, 2018

 

http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/

For Today...
Thursday, December 13, 2018

Outside my window...
as you are coming up the apartment walkway, you can see our little Christmas tree...and my thriving succulents in their little pots. It is a sweet scene and it makes me happy.

I am thinking...

about what I would like the future to look like - What should it include? What must it have to make us happy? And yes, I do think "being happy" is a worthwhile goal.

I am thankful...

that I had enough real live money - not credit - to get the Christmas shopping done. And that it is done. I also made my blankie for Ethan and game for Silas. Those accomplishments make me feel good. Now it's wrapping and baking time. I do love this time of year - especially when it's not rushed.

I am wearing...

the sweater of a friend from work. She gave me a bag of castoffs and they have breathed a little life into my wardrobe. And I am enjoying wearing her clothes. :)

I am creating...

a poem this morning. A newsletter for my union (have done 10 issues so far). And a long and photo-filled Christmas letter that went out several weeks ago.

I am going...
to take the kids to see a Christmas lights display next week. And to a dance/ballet in January. To California for a union conference and vacation also in Jan. And to the Christmas Eve service - possibly. Haven't decided yet.

I am wondering...

what will happen at work. We are in the middle of a very uncomfortable, uncertain re-org and everyone has been on pins and needles for weeks. It is increasingly stressful and depressing. Holiday break will be a very nice change of scenery.

I am reading...

so many new books once the children open their Christmas presents. Just got my Usborne book order and can't wait to dive in! I am also itching to read some of my own stuff....it COULD happen. Thinking about a nice hot bath and a good book.

I am hoping...

that those who are in my grief group at this (normally) intense and sometimes sad time of year, will know they are not alone and will be able to reach out for help if they need it.

I am learning...

(and only by constant reminders) how to let go of anxiety over the things I cannot change or affect. I am also continuing to learn about waiting. It is often the answer for me these days. A lot of wait and see and don't get too worked up.

In my garden...

Oh, it is very hard to think about my garden right now. I am tangled up over not closing it out fully last year. I am sure there are tools and garbage rotting in my garden plot, or rusting under the tree. If I can get over there this weekend I will at least gather up the tools and get them into my warm office. There were a lot of disappointments in the garden this year, and also a lot of very peaceful, restful moments of solitude. There were a few nice visits too - Mom, Rachel, Hoka, Irv. The children came a couple of times. I just need a home garden; that's all. The seed catalogs are already arriving. But I am not mentally ready to go there yet. And with the possibility of moving this spring, it is difficult to pour a lot of energy into planning the existing garden.

In my kitchen...

it is clean(ish) - dishes are done, counters and table are wiped. Fish have been sorted out. The only things tormenting are the godforsaken paper pile and, on the table, the nonsense kid crap pile. It is all I can do to not slide every single thing in sight into a trash bag. I want to. But that's a really bad idea. (Or is it?)

A favorite quote for today...

"A person's actions will tell you everything you need to know..." (unsure of author)

A peek into one of my days...
includes listening ad nauseum to one irritating co-worker blather, with a bad attitude and crabby personality. That drives me absolutely crazy.

One of my favorite things...
is turning out the lights, except for the strung Christmas sprinkle lights, and sitting quietly in the dark, thinking, being thankful, being quiet, feeling whatever comes by.

Post Script

This is me, at 45. I am relatively happy. I have accomplished some good things. I have a few dreams. I like me. This is me.

 

Thank you for reading.
~Ally

Your 50th

"For Your Birthday"
by, John O'Donohue

Blessed be the mind that dreamed the day
The blueprint of your life
Would begin to glow on earth,
Illuminating all the faces and voices
That would arrive to invite
Your soul to growth.

Praised be your father and mother,
Who loved you before you were,
And trusted to call you here
With no idea who you would be.

Blessed be those who have loved you
Into becoming who you were meant to be,
Blessed be those who have crossed your life
With dark gifts of hurt and loss
That have helped to school your mind
In the art of disappointment.

When desolations surrounded you,
Blessed be those who looked for you
And found you, their kind hands
Urgent to open a blue window
In the gray wall formed around you.

Blessed be the gifts you never notice,
Your health, eyes to behold the world,
Thoughts to countenance the unknown,
Memory to harvest vanished days,
Your heart to feel the world's waves,
Your breath to breathe the nourishment
Of distance made intimate by earth.

On the echoing-day of your birth,
May you open the gift of solitude
In order to receive your soul;
Enter the generosity of silence
To hear your hidden heart;
Know the serenity of stillness
To be enfolded anew
By the miracle of your being.

Merry Christmas, Old Man

    (photo by Scott Snyder)

Dear Dad,

It is almost Christmas and I miss you terribly. You have been gone - where to, exactly? World's longest fishing trip?? - for over four years now. Which is ridiculous. Don't you realize I am verging on child #2, a BOY, and you are missing it? You really should consider popping back in for a few months' visit...

I am missing you this Christmas because time is slipping away from me to do all the holiday fun things I want to do (not the least of which reasons is my enormous pregnancy), and everyone around me seems to be in a rather grinchy mood, and just in general, I miss your love of this time and your sense of wonder. Which somehow I inherited. And miss sharing it with you.

You were known for buying extravagant (and ridiculous?) presents for your granddaughters, Anna and Emma, shoving them away in the front closet where Mom never looks, and then wrapping them yourself and pulling out this massive pile of gifts for under the tree on Christmas Eve when everyone was asleep. We always got presents from Mom and Dad, but we knew there would be at least one special one from just Dad, that no one knew about. Something you had specially gone and picked out, something pricey or classy. And of course the price wasn't the point, but that was how you showed your love. According to the "Five Languages of Love," you were the gift giver.

You would gripe and grouch at Mom for the whole month of December, getting a bit of Grinch stuck in your soul for whatever the annual reason was...then come out with some precious rock in a tiny box for her on Christmas morning. I don't know if she thought that made up for everything previous...but it did always express your undying love for her, at least to me. I knew that you never bought a piece of jewelry out of obligation or "being in the doghouse," but you bought many special things for her out of the generous outpouring of your heart. You were full to the brim with love.

I miss the traditions we all had, like the things the "morning people" did when everyone else was asleep. I of course tried to miss them all at the time, but now, as you may know, I am UP at those ungodly hours - being a mom and all - and now I could actually TALK to you over a morning coffee, or do a Sudoku while you worked a crossword, waiting for everyone else to arise. You could be having those hysterical bonding play moments with Miss Lucinda like you used to have with Anna - special trips out for pancakes ("just the two of us") or playing "preacher" and giving her your humanist/atheist version of a sermon, or making loop pot holders. Which the kids still do. Lucinda is all about morning talks and sharing breakfast treats. You would be in heaven and I would love seeing it.

I miss you insisting on reading "The Night Before Christmas" on Xmas Eve, no matter what other games/activities/mayhem the girls had planned for the evening. I miss you reading "The Owl on Christmas Morn," your most precious poem about your father, every Christmas morning since his death, over twenty years ago...and how every SINGLE year, you and I STILL get choked up over it, and weep - for just a minute - into our orange juice. I miss your sense of family = an aggravating pile of people loaded into the house that you want to get away from (but are sad and lonely if a single one does not show up that year). I miss your generosity and hosting of the festive season.

You loved a party. You needed your "cave time" before and after. You relished the Christmas cookies...as well as a six-stack of Oreos (just as sacred) with glass of milk, taken down to the Man Cave. You would wear holiday colors to the occasions, take the kids (even if they were snotty and sick) out to see Christmas lights, and build an eight-inch snowman with your granddaughter (so she wouldn't be afraid of the full-size one).

Dear god, how am I supposed to live the rest of my life without you? I miss you every day, Dad. But especially at this time of year. You implanted so many precious goals and inspired dreams, unattainable expectations for others, and a sense of magic and love that will last my entire life. I hope I can impart these to Lucy and Jack. I hope we can remember your spirit every year for the next sixty or so. I hope you can feel my love and know my heart.

Because it is with you. Wherever you may be. "Merry Christmas to all [you], and to all [you] a good night!"

I love you.

~Al

(photo by Scott Snyder)
 

(photo by Steven Johnson)

**Happy One Year Old Birthday, Miss Lucinda Grace!**

(all photos by Scott Snyder except for this bottom one, by me)

I love you more than words can say. You have changed everything - our whole worlds! You are the sweetest and best thing that has ever happened to me. You are gonna take this world by storm!

Love always and forever ~

Mama

xxxxoooo

Simple Woman's Day Book

The Simple Woman's Daybook

April 5, 2012

Outside My Window...it is cloudy and chilly, the perfect weather for Maundy Thursday.

I am thinking...how there must be so many lonely mothers who have decided to stay home with their kids to raise them, but are desperate for some adult human interaction, especially in the late winding hours of afternoon.

I am thankful for...my parents having stayed together all those years, because even though I don't know how to do it, i know it can be done, and that gives me hope.

From the kitchen...i should be making some banana bread to thank that lovely mom in town who gave me a bunch of leftover baby food jars and diapers, via our new babysitter.

I am wearing...a bizarre, somewhat mismatched outfit. maybe today is the day to get my clothes unpacked finally and sorted out. oh, but a nap seems like a better choice...

I am creating...a Thank You project for me and the husband to do on a daily basis, as we are both feeling underappreciated and undercherished at the moment. gotta remedy that.

I am going...to try and join the local Zumba class on thursday nights. i really want to meet people, and do something active and fun. my hearts needs this.

I am reading... Joshua: A Parable for Today by Joseph Girzone.

I am hoping...to revive our family happiness in this new town and new house. already scott seems much happier here than in our previous home. but miracles take time and i am hoping that bit by bit, we will both come to a place of joy and contentment.

I am hearing...my father in my head a lot lately. he always seems to be sending me messages and for the most part, they are less judgy and more gentle than when he was here on earth. my view of life after death changed somewhat while reading a silly novel called "Saving Fish From Drowning," and i now always think of my father as possessing divine all-knowingness in his new status, whatever it may be. it has helped our "relationship."

Around the house...is one chaotic pile of mess after another. we moved about two weeks ago and i had work conferences going on at the same time. we have barely had a chance to stop and breathe. we have a LOT of work to do to get this house feeling like home!

One of my favorite things...is regular old day-to-day life with laurel, and i got a slice of that heaven last saturday when she came to visit overnight with the boys. i just wish we lived in the same town. i really need that daily-ness for the health of my soul. it fills me up so beautifully.

A few plans for the rest of the week...are continuing to prep for my next upcoming conference at work, and then unpacking and family time - hopefully a little bonding - and then some friendly socializing over Easter dinner at mom's with some of her/our friends. lucy does love her some partying.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Miss Nine Months Old, as photographed by Daddy, Scott Snyder, this morning.

And tomorrow is the full moon...
View other entries at The Simple Woman's Daybook. And write your own!

~Ally

St. Nicholas' Day is just around the corner! Now where did I put those wooden shoes?

My Mom always celebrated St. Nicholas' Day for us, and it has become a very sweet and special holiday for me, and I want to pass it down to Lucy and my family. It falls on December 6, and you can read about it here. Also, this is a link to another special bit of info, which talks about the children in Milwaukee celebrating the day, which must be part of Mom's roots...

Happy St. Nick's Day! Hang out your wish lists, and I hope you get a little treat (to be shared), not a lump of coal in your wooden shoe or stocking or under your bed (where our gifts always show up).

I wonder what St. Nicholas will place under Lucy's cradle...

~Ally

Lights of Life 2011

Remember my work with hospice and Concord's Lights of Life ceremony from last year? Well, it's that time again. And damned if I don't have new names to memorialize. [Looking forward to celebrating the year when I just donate money and not a new name for the list.] Anyway, Lights of Life is a wonderful celebration of those whom we have loved and lost, who have gone before us and continue to shine in our hearts. Electric candle lights are placed in town businesses and restaurants to actively remember each soul, and they are a visual blessing to the rest of us still traveling this earth.

This year, we will memorialize:

Dr. Arthur "Pete" Snyder - Scott's father, a wonderful, generous man and highly skilled surgeon who healed and touched the lives of so many in his 78 years. We will celebrate the Christmas holiday with his wife of 55 years, Scott's mom Fran.

Dorothy Alma "Ann" Holman - My maternal grandmother, and the sweetest, silliest, and most fun grandma I've known, mother to my darling mother. We were blessed by her memorial service in Wisconsin and the ensuing family reunion last month.

Judith Schaeffer - Scott and my previous boss and dear friend from Vermont. She was an incredible beacon in our book publishing industry, with so much knowledge and a pure love of the craft. She was a longtime and faithful best friend to Jessee and surrogate mother to Jennifer (and Kira), some of our other Vermont "family" members. She died suddenly and will be sorely missed.

And of course,
my beloved father, Larry Cox, who continues to live heartily and joyfully, if not sarcastically, in my heart. I feel your presence all the time, Dad; and though I am pissed you are not here to play with and utterly adore Miss Lucy, not to mention take her for special pancake breakfasts and fishing outings and camping trips, I know you are watching over us. I don't know much about the likelihood of a heaven, Dad, but I do know the absolute truth of your enduring spirit. I love you very much.

Please celebrate with us. Feel free to use the Comments button below to add your special loved ones' names. When I see the candles lit downtown, I will remember yours as well.

~Ally

Happy Valentine's Day, folks!

Got any romantic ideas for an old married couple, one of whom is getting uncomfortably large and pregnant??

(image from www.valentine-clipart.com)

Happy VD to all! (heh heh)

~Ally

Happy New Year!

New Year's quote from my darling aunt Doris:

"Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats." ~Voltaire

Perfection.

for Lauren and Happy, Happy Birthday, Girl!

40 Things That are Great About Being 40!

(for Lauren on her 40th bday, July 26)

(photo by Scott Snyder)

1. No more dreading turning 40!

2. You still have more than 50 years to go.

3. No more school photos.

4. You can wear skirted bathing suits with no shame!

5. You won’t get carded for a glass of wine.

6. You can cry if you want to.

7. You know lots of things already.

8. You can braid your chin hairs into a warm, comforting winter scarf.

9. No more standardized testing!

10. You never have to worry about what brand of jeans you are wearing.

11. You can go grey or stay red - or try a whole new hair color!

12. Skeevy men will probably stop hitting on you.

13. New, older skeevy men will start hitting on you.

14. That whole “find your purpose when you’re 33” pressure is off.

15. Your best sex is still ahead of you (so they say).

16. You can gracefully call wrinkles “laugh lines.”

17. There’s no need to spend time tanning.

18. Shave. Don’t shave. Whatever.

19. You can start a new career and get scholarships for moms over 40!

20. You can have your cake and eat it too. (But you will probably have to make it yourself.)

21. You can blame tummy bulge on middle age.

22. You can blame your husband’s bad behavior on middle age (not that he would ever).

23. You can pretty much blame anything you want on middle age!

24. You can vote - whoop de do!

25. If you haven’t smoked by now, there’s no point in starting - good for you!

26. You can watch your children grow up while you still have the energy to enjoy them.

27. When your kids go to college, you’ll still be young enough to travel the world!

28. No one can tell you you’re being immature. It’s your right now.

29. Behold and embrace those laugh lines - you earned ‘em!

30. You can write a really long list of your accomplishments.

31. You can remember things from the 80’s which are now considered “from yesteryear.”

32. You can pull outfits out of your closet that your kids will wear to oldies costume parties.

33. You can say things like, “Back in the day.”

34. It is perfectly valid to start using that, “Uphill both ways” story with pride.

35. You am who you am and it’s high time to accept and love YOU.

36. You can feather your hair and wear high heels with skinny jeans because hey, you’re worth it! (And you waited so long that it’s now back in style.)

37. You have a family that loves you and gives your life meaning.

38. You’re not 50.

39. You can start your memoirs.

40. THE BEST IS YET TO COME!

Poem from Bro Halff

Joy

Every year
Christmas
pops up,
whether we are ready
or not:
inconvenient, unrelenting,
always too soon
to arrive --
bringing with it
its flurry
of demands,
and a snowstorm
of unfulfilled perfections;
it tumbles us
forward
into a new year,
and insists
that in the frigid
night sky,
we see
that both the stars
and we
move.

Happy Birthday, Mami!

(photo by Scott Snyder on Mother's Day, 2009)

Today is mi madre's birthday and she is better than ever! Happy birthday to the greatest Mom in the world!

Love, Ally

oxxo

A wee little bit of St. Patty's Day humor (pun intended, of course)

(image from vectips)

Brenda O'Malley is home making dinner, as usual, when Tim Finnegan arrives at her door.

"Brenda, may I come in?" he asks. "I've something' to tell ya."

"Of course you can come in, you're always welcome, Tim...But where's my husband?"

"That's what I'm here to be tellin' ya, Brenda. There was an accident down at the Guinness brewery."

"Oh, God, no," cries Brenda. "Please don't tell me..."

"I must, Brenda. Your husband Shamus is dead and gone. I'm sorry."

Finally, Brenda looked up at Tim. "How did it happen, Tim?"

"It was terrible, Brenda. He fell into a vat of Guinness Stout and drowned."

"Oh my dear Lord! But you must me tell me true, Tim, did he at least go quickly?"

"Well, Brenda, no. In fact, he got out three times to pee."

------------------------------------
hyuk hyuk hyuk
from Scotty

Happy birthday, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.!

(photo from Web)

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most impressive persons of the last century. I always loved learning about him and the peaceful equality and justice he sought, as we watched films and celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day, growing up in Chicago. Though there was terrible prejudice in our town, there was also an educational equality - our school, led by a black woman in the 1970's, chartered a path for blacks and whites (and Indians, Koreans, Hispanics, and others) to live together, learn together, and go beyond skin color to real heart-based friendship. It was a special time to live in the outskirts of Chicago, and I will never forget the lessons learned.

(photo from Web)

To celebrate the holiday, President-elect Barack Obama issued a national "call to arms," asking for us ordinary folks to offer acts of service in our communities. You can find a local event at usaservice.org.

Mom and I thoroughly enjoyed helping box food for low-income seniors, with the Community Supplemental Food Program in Concord on Friday. With about ten other volunteers, we bustled around a chilly warehouse making packages of 2 beans, 2 corn, 2 cereal, 1 dry milk, 1 macaroni...you get the idea. Those 135 boxes that we assembled in two hours will be delivered to local individuals and couples who need extra food to survive the winter. We got good exercise, made new friends, and it felt very good to help out.

Then today, I dropped off a bag of dry foods to Plus Time NH in Concord, which will donate the items to NH's Food Bank. This collection goes on all month, as do several of the events. So if you missed the chance this weekend, check Obama's link above for more events in which you can contribute.

It's wonderful to have a President that will keep us individually accountable for the health of our nation. It's wonderful to have a President who cares about the poor again. We're all in this together!

Happy MLK Day!

~Ally

(photo by Scott Snyder)

Free Things to Do Over the Holidays

For those of us economically challenged this year, I compiled a list of cost-free activities you can enjoy - depending, of course, on your weather, location, and resources. If you have some other suggestions, or location-specific additions, please Comment below!

Fun and Free - for a Holly Jolly

1. Sing Christmas carols. If you don't remember the words, look them up here.

2. Take a walk while holding the hand of a friend (or spouse or niece or the leash of a puppy). Hold hands while crossing the street - no, you are not too old to do it.

3. Play "catch the snowball" with your dog - hours of fun!

4. Write a family Gratefulness list to hang on the wall. Add things as they pop into your mind three days later.

5. Put some of your photos into albums...it's time. Or if you have three bazillion digital photos stored in your computer, print some of those bad boys.

6. Tell the children funny stories about when their parents were growing up. Try explaining the concept of Atari (and don't worry - they will think you are totally lame, but we know you are wicked cool). Give them the old "we walked to school uphill both ways, barefoot" story. It's time they heard it again.

7. Play board games like Taboo, Balderdash, Scrabble, Life, and Stratego, or card games like Hearts, Gin Rummy, SlapJack, Euchre or Spades.

8. Make a fort in the living room out of chairs and blankets, with rationed goodies inside (Cheezits, Cheerios, chocolate chips, cookies - apparently foods that start with "C").

9. Put on your favorite album that you forgot about. Play it loud. Lie next to the speaker and listen for incredible harmonic undertones. Marvel at the genius of Dave Matthews...or Dave Brubeck. Or any other Dave you happen to like.

10. Practice putting on makeup. You never quite learned it right the first time, did you? Me neither.

11. Soap up everyone's hair and see who can make the most funny hair sculpture. YouTube it, Baby!

12. Get big pieces of paper and make your "Map of the World," including anything important in your world. Share it with a friend.

13. Write in your journal. I know you have some thoughts just waiting to spill out. Or if not, try your hand at a Haiku (5-7-5). Poetry always cheers the soul.

14. Play in the snow! Try building an igloo. You're gonna need a bucket of water and some good warm gloves. If it's the first snowfall of the season, get your boots on and stomp a message in a big open field!

15. Clean out your closets [for the dear Capricorns who have to do something useful before they can be frivolous]; then rip apart the panty hose that always strangle you. Life is too short for that kind of pain.

16. Make hard boiled eggs. You do have time.

17. If you are somewhere warm, go swimming on behalf of those of us freezing in New England!

18. Tell your dad you love him. Do it.

19. Do a favor for your neighbor: get groceries, shovel a walkway, wash the car, take out the trash barrels, or walk the dog (who will become instantly devoted to you).

20. Decorate the house with crazy stuff you found in the yard (thinking more along the lines of pine boughs, berries, sticks, and grapevines than of grass clippings and dog doo...you knew that, right?).

Have fun, dears! There is no reason we have to go broke just because it's Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or Santa's Time, or just winter. Or summer, for those of you south of the border. Today is a day you can enjoy. Tell me how you'll spend yours! I am going to a free Christmas concert (in which Mom is singing!) with the fam, the kiddies, and the porkiest, cutest baby you ever saw. Yay.

Love, Ally xo

I'm doing what I like to do best

...and that is writing. Today at work I finally have the opportunity to do some writing, editing and proofreading. I can't tell you how much I love doing this type of work. I am only taking a brief break right at the moment for my brain to recharge so I can edit 6 or 7 more pages of the company newspaper. This is the work I was truly meant to do, just like my mother.

She found her first satisfying career in her early 30's, editing an education magazine, no less. She reviewed curriculum and new books and materials for children. She loved it. Here I am working in education, reviewing and copy editing material for publications to teachers and school district administrators (and for the last two years to school board members). What a lovely life. Wish I could do it full time.

Looking forward to some time off after Friday, for the next two weeks. We picked up Lauren and Co. last night in Boston and thus begins our big, festive holiday celebration. Lauren's three children are so dear, I could just spend every waking minute with them. Chubby Bubby, the new baby, is so fat and sweet and delicious - I could just eat him up with a spoon! Anna and Emma are as beautiful and interesting as ever and I love them so. Aunty Ally (and soon, Grandma Honey, as the other children call me) is revived. I am looking forward to lots of Christmas cheer.

But for now, back to the words, my other love.

~Ally

THIS

(photo not by me)

is the Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookie, by Martha Stewart.

Uh, yep. These are THE cookies to top all Christmas cookies. They are a bit time intensive, but the effort is worth it. Make sure to take them out before they are too done, and once cooled, to wrap them or store them right away - don't want these babies drying out. If they do, just start dipping 'em in milk or coffee or hot cocoa and you'll have a whole new level of delights. Mmmmmm.

Recipe is on Martha's website, here.

To Do or Not To Do

It’s hard to be at work with not quite enough to do, when you have so many, many things on your own To Do List. I would like to be home finishing up bankruptcy cases, getting them filed, and getting paid. I would like to clean the house, put up the Xmas tree, decorate said tree, and deal with the enormous heap of laundry that threatens to completely overtake the hallway. I would like to bake some Xmas cookies, and have time to share my recipes with Marie and the rest of the blog kingdom. I would like to…nap.

Oh, sweet bliss of a cozy bed on a grey, chilly afternoon. Maybe a Judy Cat would curl up on my chest (after the obligatory face-bumping-greeting session). Maybe I could watch one of my “Christmas Movies,” since I have had NO TIME to even rent them, much less watch them this year.

But, from the couch I would turn, ever-so-slowly, and see THEM…the unsigned, unstuffed, unstickered, and unmailed Christmas letters. I think I wrote a decent one this year, all things considered. The paper isn’t pretty, but the words are from the heart. And I think people will give me a little leeway this once. But those letters ain't gonna mail themselves.

Needless to say, sitting here and begging for work – and even that I gave up on for the moment – is tiring in an irritating sort of way. Oh! And the shopping…I still need to finish the shopping! The wrapping. Oh dear, and…(trailing off into infinity)

Hmm.

And what are you doing this afternoon?
~Ally

Daily delights from Shoeboxblog.com

From 12/12/08...

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“If it’s been said many times, many ways, isn’t it time to shut up?” - Bill

[That one's for Scroogey Poo, and you know who you are.]

FAVORITE HOLIDAY RECIPES: by Scott

Grandma’s Nog

Cream (optional)

Sugar (optional)

Egg (optional)

Bourbon

*Serve in festive cups and enjoy!

FUNNY, BUT NO - card slogans that luckily didn't make it to print

Front of card: My cat would like to wish you a merry Christmas.

C’mon…c’mon kitty…go…

Inside: Actually, my cat needs about another 20 minutes to lick her butt,

then she’ll be ready.

[a ha ha ha - that one was for Judy]

From 12/15/08

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“Whoever came up with wassail must not have heard about a little thing called hot cocoa with peppermint schnapps.” – Mark

[so true, so true; and a special shout out to Uncle Fred for this little discovery]

~Ally

What are your favorites?

What are your favorite Christmas cookies? Maybe we can get Marie to bake something special that we love, for her family to enjoy in England.

My favs are:

Chocolate Crinkles
Martha Stewart's Ginger Chocolate Chunk (ohhh, i found these last year and they added a whole new meaning to the word Cookie...)
Almond Crescents
Gingerbread People (with decorations of course)
Kahlua Bars
Rum Balls (yummm)
Anything in a pinwheel formation
Chocolate dipped peanut butter balls
Lemon Squares
Susan's Brownies (graham crackers, s. condensed milk, and chocolate - can't go wrong)
I love the look of Peanut Butter Blossoms, but am satisfied after one
Candied Pecans

mmmm...I better stop. Tell me some of yours. And if you need recipes, I will love to share!
~Ally