Merry Christmas!

My Kitchen and My Hippo


Opening Presents!


Stockings

(click on words for link to videos)

Christmas

Merry Christmas

love the Barkers.
(click on "Christ")

San Clemente

My mom and Abbey both live in San Clemente California- if you have never been there... GO.
It is a charming little place, filled with shirtless surfing beauties ( I have only seen Men shirtless, so don't get your hopes up too much) and hardly any chain restaurants.... I could rattle-off about a dozen or so places that would blow your mind! The people who are from SC absolutely LOVE their community and are welcoming enough to newbies. Ok.. I realize now that I could do an entire post on SC, but the reason that I started this post is beacuse, while visiting Abs and Mom recently, which included a day at Disneyland... anyways, at my mom's house she has this cute little rod-iron bicycle that holds plants on it, it is a decorative piece. I believe my brother-in-law Steve, Ab's hubs, gifted it to her last year. Needless to say, it was a big hit....

Not fair

arm in my face. foot in my back. wheezing. binka fell out. arm and foot in my stomach. nursing on the left. turn over. pulling my hair. cough. ( once I took NyQuil and had a hallucinating effect-seriously the walls had bugs on them and my pillow was swirling with colors. 8million bajillion thoughts through my head each and every second. I haven't taken it since!) No NyQuil for the 8 month old alligator in my bed, but more of the arm foot head in my back. nurse on the right. turn over. binka back in mouth. wheezing. binka fell out. tossing. turning. rubbing my hand... with SHARP nails. nursing AGAIN. arm in face again. feet down. arms up. pulling hair with feet. nurse a-freakin-gain. wheeze. cough. binka in. binka out. up. down. up. down.
Full consciousness for the alligator returns at approximately 7:37am.
He looks at me with the most amazing blue eyes coupled with the most adorable smile including dimples, and says:

Dada Dada Dada Dada Dada Dada Dada

{NOT FAIR}.

Today

it does {NOT} look like this here in Charleston!

Instead.... it is a beautiful warm 63 degrees. Take advantage.... tomorrow it will be a lame 40's-ish.

today would have been a great day to finish putting up those Christmas lights that are
1/2 done....

Decorating

I have a house that is so {unique}... built like a hundred years ago... probably designed by a man.

It is a traditional 4 square. I really love it and all it's quirky-ness, but when it comes to decorating... especially for the Holidays, it does not suit the passionate decorator in me (did you feel the sarcasm?) ha. My sister is THE decorator.
Anyways... this is not exactly going where I had intended but I am blogging off the ideas flowing through my head right now... literally --> this <-- very second. Because our house is harder-ish to decorate, due to not much wall space or missing shelving or whathaveyou. I decided today, this morning infact to {decorate} cookies. Like the really amazing sugar cookies with whipped delicious frosting that towers on top with sprinkles and coconut and all sorts of other confectioneries that are so delicious! Lucy was having a "play-date" of sorts, including a really annoying princess car mobile that plays the most annoying song/music known to man at a decibel that is headache inducing almost immediately. Oh, okay... the play-date... I knew this would be fun for the darlings and would keep them mildly entertained with licking of the spoons, sprinkling of the sprinkles, eating of the marshmallows and other such excitement!
I baked, and baked and baked and baked and baked Sugar cookies... found a recipe here but added an extra egg for fluffyness and made ALL the difference in the world, plus I {eye} the vanilla so I would guess I end up with more than double but it is very GOOD!
For the frosting... I used the canned stuff....Except a little birdie once gave me the good advice to add a few drops of almond extract.... Seriously If I didn't just tell you that and you ate one of these delicious cookies you'd NEVER and I mean NEVER know!
I have an Aunt... she is the mastercrafts-woman of confectioneries! And has a body that would put Jillian Michaels to Shame... seriously she is that awesome!
She-my Aunt Kerry- has been making wedding cakes, and birthday cakes-for family and really close friends only, for forever, like WAY before it became popular to be a "cake-decorator" you know... anyways you get it... a long time she has been doing it!
Her Christmas goodie plates are simply Ridiculous! I don't know how she does it, but every year, every single year, the same old sweet goodness and always a few new ones to see if they can stand the test of time she makes! So... today the decorating happened of the

Famous

Aunt Kerry Santa Claus Christmas Cookie extravaganza...

( that last word doesn't fit.. but to add to the dramatic-ness I just thought I would throw it in there!)

So here there are... only a few left... Call me or stop by in the next .. hmmm let's say 20 min and I might have one or two left for you! Happy baking... I think I am DONE for the year.

'Tis the season...