Thursday, December 24, 2009

Elves at Work

We're having a stay-at-home open house Christmas this year, and with all the friends who have been stopping in I think it's going to be one of the best ever. The girls decided to paint elf masks yesterday, and I couldn't resist taking a shot of teenagers playing like little ones:



I should have gotten pictures of the boys versus the girls chocolate chip cookie bake-off, but I was too busy juggling mixers (and alas, the boys won -- but only because my guy judged. I still think the girls' mini-chip cookies were unique.)

Today I'm taking over the kitchen to make a from-scratch German chocolate cake for my guy, and apple strudel for friends, and then make my daughter's favorite dinner, ham and cabbage. After that we're going to play Chocolate Monopoly (I saw it at Walgreen's and simply could not resist it):



What are you guys doing today? Let us know in comments.

14 comments:

  1. Hopefully nothing. I worked 14 hours today so me and the little guy are going to take it easy.

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  2. Chocolate Monopoly! I love it. And your girls look just like my 4 and 6 yr olds do, working at the table to make something. I hope mine don't outgrow that.

    We'll be hanging out making another batch of cookies, giving platters to the neighbors, and hoping we don't get hit by the ice storm that's threatening. Fortunately I have just the book for ice!

    Merry Christmas Eve to you and your family.

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  3. Keith Ackermann7:26 AM

    First off, merry Christmas to you and your family.

    I just want to thank you for sharing so much about your experience with the whole publishing business. Managing expectations is something that I must now do since I've just completed my first book.

    Now the grind.

    Writing always burns inside me, but being tethered to a job which funded my little hobby farm restricted my writing to a self-indulgent exercise.

    Since losing my job, and being stuck in the wilds of Oregon, I've had the time to write a gritty and humorous novel conceived of long ago.

    I'm just now starting the process of finding an agent, and I'm trying to keep expectations under control... but it's difficult. I hope there is still a market for a funny story full of decrepit people. We'll see...

    Thanks again for sharing. If I have any success, I'll want to do the same as you and help where I can.

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  4. We're having Christmas with my side of the family tonight-tradition. They are all descending en masse on my house-the place might explode, I'm not sure. So I have to clean. Oy.

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  5. Anonymous8:39 AM

    I'm afraid I'm cleaning, running to the bank and baking bread and cookies.

    I wish I had time to write. Merry Christmas at Casa PBW!

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  6. I'm doing nothing, and plenty of it! :-)

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  7. I'm going meet my new nephew today when he comes home from the hospital!!!!!!!!!!

    Oh, and going to the candlelight caroling service at church, then to my IL's to sleep over. . . .

    but mostly packing for Florida vacay. We leave on Saturday! How's the weather?? :)

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  8. We woke up to snow and work being canceled so Velcro Dog, husband and I decided to go snowshoeing. Later tonight we'll head out to an open house and then to a candle light Christmas Eve service at our church. I love the candle light and the songs and the sense of hushed anticipation.

    Tomorrow will be opening presents from my family, going to our traditional Christmas morning movie at a local theater and then seeing husband's family for some more food and fun. We're fairly casual people. :)

    Merry Christmas!

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  9. Keita Haruka3:34 PM

    I'm pretty much home alone. My guy's working, and the family is away. So I have relative peace and quiet around here.

    After my loss of my nano-manuscript, I decided to invest in a laptop. And an external harddrive. :P That's my christmas pressie to myself. My guy got points for his beloved Xbox 360. :P

    Yes...I'm doing doodly squat this christmas. ;-)

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  10. Anonymous3:43 PM

    JUst finished putting cookies on trays(I made15 kinds this year) finished all the prep work for tomorrows big feast(friends and family at my house)We are getting ready to watch xmas dvds- charlie brown, rudolph...then tim e to make clam chowder, keilbasa and perogies for dinner before we go to mass-if the roads are drivable- freezing rain here in Kansas= Merry Christmas!

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  11. Merry Christmas, Lynn, to you and yours. :hug:

    Today, I started at 8:30 this morning. Made 6 dozen cookies, a pan of shortbread, got my standing rib roast ready for the oven, made the salad, got my mushrooms ready, made my strata and got my kielbasa ready, both of those are for tomorrow morning, made my horseradish sauce for the roast, washed the floor after the DH and DD1 traipsed a bunch of crap in, moved the tables into position, brought the extra chairs up from the basement, have the table set and have finally got 45 minutes to sit still before the roast comes out and I start sauteeing the mushrooms.

    I'm just hoping I don't fall asleep in my food tonight!

    :hug:

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  12. Well, I had to work the first part of the day, then our plan were to go to Candle Light Christmas Eve service and have carry out pizza for dinner since I have to cook two Christmas meals tomorrow ... breakfast and dinner(supper if you're from the south).

    However, Mother Nature decided we needed a white christmas here in OK and with blizzard like conditions... wind gusts are 60mph + .... church service was canceled, pizza placed closed early and I just feel lucky that we got home with no problems. Tons of people are stranded on the sides of the road.

    So, new plans include canned soup for dinner and a Christmas movie.

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  13. For the first year ever we had my parents and brother-in-law over for dinner and gifts. Now it is 8pm and the kids are in bed as they should be and the new Christmas Eve tradition was a hit! (Usually we traveled for an hour to go to a crowded, noisy house and got home around 1am with two exhausted kids that were cranky on Christmas morning.)

    This has been the best!

    Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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  14. Anonymous10:45 PM

    Merry Christmas to you and yours and a happy and healthy 2010. Very quiet and relaxed Christmas - just what was needed.

    Marie

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