Christmastiiiiiime is here….

…something sooooomething beeeer.  Speaking of which, you might wanna grab one and settle in…this is a long recap post!

I’m in the thick of Christmassing, and I love it!  Over the past couple of days, I’ve finished my shopping and wrapping, started cookie-baking (it’s been a tradition since I was a little girl that we make cookies and deliver them to the neighbors Christmas Eve), and participated in an awesome soiree with some very dear friends!

We switch up most of the cookies we make every year; here is this year’s roundup of baked goods:

“Melting Moments” – a shortbread-type thumbprint cookie with a powdered sugar glaze in the middle.  Instead of putting my thumb in it – which always makes the little well too shallow – I stick the end of a mixing spoon in each one. 

It gives a deeper little well in which to put more frosting!  However this year my frosting was too thick.  I didn’t care, though…it still looked and tasted fine.  They look like little Muppet boobies.

I baked chocolate chip cookies (one of our must-haves)…

…and made some Diabetes Explosion Supreme sandwiches out of a few with the leftover frosting from the thumbprint cookies…

Mom and I split one this evening and I subsequently got queasy due to sugar overload.  Oh yeah.  That means they’re good.    I’ve also got my mint brownies from the other day, as well as our other Christmas staple, the star of the show:

Roll-out cut-out sugar cookies!  I’ve got some grandiose plans for decorating these bad boys tomorrow.  Though we’ll see if I carry those plans out.    (Side note: the recipe calls for orange zest but we’ve always skipped it…I decided to go all Martha this year and give it a shot.  Much to my surprise, the zest doesn’t just impart taste – it changes the entire texture!  They’re so moist and amazing, and a tad citrusy, when they’re usually hard and bland!!)  Also as a last-minute addition, I’m trying this recipe from Bon Appetit, one that several others have made and blogged about:

Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies!  They’re cooling as we speak, and I still have yet to drizzle the white chocolate on top.  And while I wait, I’ve got some entertainment…

That’s my Madigan parading her rawhide chew around (in front of an ugly-ass sheet covering our pool table).  You give this dog a bone and she walks around for 30 minutes showing everyone.  She acts all nonchalant, like “oh, what? this thing? yeah, I guess it’s cool…did you see it? should I walk by again?”  Even in front of the other two dogs when they have their own.  Bless her heart.  And yep, she’s wearing a Christmas ribbon on her collar!!

Today I had a doctor’s appointment and weighed in at 23lbs less than I did when I first walked in there 5 weeks ago!  I lost 6lbs over the past two weeks, which is a miracle considering I’ve had a few social events lately [read: I’ve eaten a lot of crap].  I’ve also lost 2-3 inches each on my bust, waist, and hips!  After my appointment, I had some time to kill before my MASSAGE!!!! so I went to World Market for a few goodies and ravenously tried to seek out food between there and my next stop.  I had every intention of packing lunch, but I’m lazy/forgetful/not running on all 8 cylinders in the morning, so thusly I was lunchless.  I tried a health food store that I’ve never been to but have passed many a time, 14 Carrot, in Lexington:

I was looking for a grab-n-go salad, even a wrap, but I didn’t find anything.  I didn’t even see any indication that their deli made anything but smoothies.  Maybe I was just so overwhelmed I overlooked a menu, but I walked out empty-handed and empty-stomached.  I drove down the street closer to my massage therapist (my cousin’s wife!) and saw a Publix so I stopped for a surefire salad.  I bought it, drove further, parked, and ate in my car.  I was sooo hungry and scarfing it down like I’d never eat again, when I encountered IT.  A short hair whose color was vastly different than my own.  I stared at it a second, contemplated a split second more…then picked it out and kept eating.  I waited too late and could’ve gnawed off my own arm if given the proper seasoning, so a hairy salad was better than getting ornery during my massage (which was awesome, btw!) and having my quest for nirvana interrupted by my growling stomach. 

While I was at my appointment, I dropped off a present for my cousin’s 4-year-old daughter, Faith.  She’s the closest thing I might ever have to a niece, and I’m not good with kids, so I try to bond with her as much as possible.  She asked me to make her a hat to replace one she outgrew last year (“pink and yellow with sparkles, please!”), so I gave it to her mom to pass along today (the white yarn has iridescent sparkles!!).

Faith called me on the phone this evening, and in her sweet little 4-year-old voice, told me how much she liked it and how perfectly it fit her.  My heart kinda grew 3 sizes today. 

One more important thing!  Last night I attended an ornament exchange party at a friend’s house…we usually get together a few days before Christmas, and sometimes there’s 20 of us, but there are always this core group of girls.  When Mom looked at this picture last night, she said “you know, you all are kinda starting to look alike.”  That’s what growing up together will do to you!

 
(plus 1 who hadn’t arrived yet!)

I’ve been friends with one of these gals for over 21 years!  A couple more for 19-20 years, and the others about 15 years.  Pretty cool bragging rights for a bunch of 25-year-olds!  I sure do got some fine-ass friends, right, y’all??   And of course, I ate naughty things:

(for the record, I only ate one bite of that cookie!!)

…and I drank naughty things…

BUT I only drank two glasses of this amount, and I drank water all night!  I’d call that a victory!!  However, that does mean I can’t blame the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol on things like this:

That’s just pure, old-fashioned silliness right there, folks.  We did a “White Elephant,” “Yankee Swap,” whatever you want to call it thing with our ornaments…but we’re all too nice – nobody stole from anyone else!  Some of us did end up trading afterward though.  Here’s the one I brought:

And here’s the one I brought home:

I sure am lucky to have such great friends who can all pick up where we left off!

What are some of your Christmas traditions?  Do you get together with friends you grew up with when you go home?  Most importantly, what kind of cookies are you baking this year?!