Thursday, December 10, 2009

Random Wintery Christmasy Bits


Above are some of the results from my Annual Christmas Cookie Extravaganza with MG. This year did not disappoint - well, except for MG's chocolate crinkles. They were again a limp sad confection so he's given up on the recipe.



The gingerbread house that Cupcake built. After it was done we were wiped out, so no fake snow on the ground. It's a GLOBAL WARMING gingerbread house.


Scenes from a blizzard. What doesn't show in the above photo of Wednesday's storm is that the wind was blowing the white stuff horizontally. It was great to be watching it from inside . . . . with coffee . . . . and cookies.


Evidence that it snowed at least a foot.


I must show off this gem. It's my BETTY FURNESS candy thermometer! Scavenged from a great aunt's kitchen when she died. The aunt, not Betty Furness. It still works wonderfully. I have a newer one, but it doesn't label the cooking stages for candy. You cooks know what I mean. Who would make an unlabeled candy thermometer?????

One of my favorite ornaments on our tree. First, you must know that I loathe most fruitcake and as a kid acted like it was liver and onions. So bitter was my hatred that extended family knew of it. So in about 1978 when my fabulous Aunt Co sent one of her famous homemade-fruitcakes-in-a-can to my folks, she added a note on the lid. It says "Sorry, Margaret. It's another damn fruitcake!". It's been on my folks' tree or my tree for the last 31 years.

Another favorite homemade ornament. My artsy sister Cheesecake Maven took juice lids, added classic paintings, covered the edges with copper tape, and pounded them in. On some she put beads and thingys on the wire hangers.
Visit Cheesecake Maven for a lovely childhood pic of me!
This painting always reminds me of my sisters and I, aka The Butt Sisters.

This one isn't homemade but it's a favorite of our daughters. Every year they look for the "little skater baby" first.

Another classic that's been on our tree since 1990. It's hubby Johnny C!!!!

11 comments:

Fran said...

I love this post! Cookies, snow and ornaments, including Johnny C!!

Life As I Know It Now said...

The butt sisters-you make me laugh and snort or chortle too. :P

Cheesecake Maven said...

Our youngest recently made a gingerbread house, too, complete with 'nerds' candies covering the entire cardboard pizza round we placed it on. With two other candy fanatics in the house, the 'yard' of that gingerbread house is looking really barren at this point. Now that most of the nerds have been picked off the 'yard', the roofing shingles (peach gummy rings covered in sugar) are starting to disappear, one by one. It now looks more like a post-hurricane gingerbread house.

Unknown said...

Yummy post! I love the look back at ornaments. We have a lot of back stories too!!!

Shannon said...

So lovely, and funny. But is that a bowl of cherry tomatoes in the first photo amongst the cookies?!

The gingerbread house looks fantastic! Have I told you I'm helping J's kindergarten class make gingerbread houses this a.m.? Lord help me.

By the way, after we saw J. at tumbling class week, Julia decided to make pictures for each of your daughters. They're in labeled envelopes that we will be bringing to the gymnastics club tonight to hand-deliver to J. if she is teaching. :) (If not, we'll bring them to coffee at your house.)

Churlita said...

You're getting me all ready for the holidays...I guess the blizzard this week didn't hurt either.

SkylersDad said...

The thermometer scared me, I was thinking rectal!

MommyLisa said...

I want your candy thermometer!!! ;)

Looks like a good day.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

BettyFurnessBettyFurnessBettyFurness!!!! I don't know why, but that cracks me up. If I ever become famous, I'm going to register in hotels under the name Betty Furness.

Shannon said...

CLEMENTINES! That's what's in the bowl. I get it now. ;)