Hi David! It's great to see you on here again, you've been missed. Your weekend sounds full of Christmas spirit, not to mention a little crown...

I'm starting on cookies today and reviewing my grocery list so that I pick up all the needed supplies tomorrow, I hate to have to run to the store when I'm in the middle of baking. So tomorrow is a Christmas shopping day here. Sunday will be cookie day and on into next week... I love baking cookies. I'll be shipping some off to family as we are planning on being here for Christmas.

There is a light dusting of snow on the deck but the grass is still green. No ice on the lake and I can see about 20 mallards swimming around. Pretty good for Northern Michigan at this time of year.

Nancy

Clinking back to you Big Guy!!! So glad to hear from you and super happy to hear that things are on track with your nephew. You are a supper guy and great Uncle!

We live at the cottage now so weekends are much quieter than we are used to but we are loving the change of pace.....like to a dead stop! LOL

Finally getting a bit of snow but it has been so mild, like Nancy no ice on the lake , not even a film. That's OK by me!

Tomorrow I'm making appetizers for the freezer too and Sunday we go to Chris and Amity's new home for their first Christmas tree decorating party! It makes my heart sing to see them so happy in their own home. Meredith will be there as will Doug and Sara so it should be fun. I'm hoping Meredith's new love will be there but i have my doubts.

Happy weekend and thanks for starting the thread David!

Thanks for starting this, David! We've been doing it sporadically, but not as often as I would like.

It sounds like you have your freezer under control, and I guess I will attempt that this week-end also. DB and I will be in Texas in less than two weeks, and so we have a lot of things to get done first.

We decorate for Kwanzaa instead of Christmas because it matches our color scheme/decor better, but this year we got our kinora out early because of the power outage last week! We don't do the ritual with the candles, since we're not African-American, and so we just light the candles when we feel like it.

Yesterday was my boss's birthday, and I had a hard time figuring out what to give her. She has a multi-million dollar house in Beverly Hills not far from Rodeo Drive, and so she can buy anything she wants. I don't want to give her anything that would make me look like I am brown-nosing, and so this year I gave her seven Fuji apples from our tree in the back yard. I buffed them carefully to make them shine and wrapped them individually in tissue paper and put them in a gift bag. I expected her to give them to her live-in cook, Marianna, so that she could make something, but instead she started eating them as soon as she got them. She called me to thank me (via voice mail) and said that she thought the bag was going to have some of my crunchy toffee in it. Then she said, "I guess I'll be getting that for Christmas!" I wasn't planning to make toffee this year, but now I guess that is what I will be doing for part of this week-end! I didn't know she liked it that much, but the guy who is the head of the textiles division told me that once she learned how to use her computer, the only thing she uses it for is to order Godiva Chocolate! One year I gave her chocolate turtles (which she called "elephants" in her thank you note), but those are really too time consuming for me to make this year.

Weather has been very cold here, and it got down to 37 degrees one morning, which set a new record, and I was worried about some of my plants, but everything seems to be okay. The plants will be on their own when we go to Texas, but I plan to put some of the herbs that need a lot of water in the path of a water sprinkler while we're gone.

Are you staying home for the holidays?

Lars

ron, good luck to Chris and Amity, and to Meredith and her new love too. Special hugs to Doug and Sara and to you and Himself as well.

Nancy, it's unseasonably pleasant here too, no snow at all, no ice on the lakes, I even still have herbs that are green in the herb garden outside. Odd weather, we're probably gonna get hammered when it does happen.

So, tonight I'm taking The Princess and Bruvver to see a magician. Baffling Bill and the Magic of Christmas. There are going to be elves appearing and disappearing all over the place, and Santa too. then we'll stop at Ashley's to see madison. They're spending the night with me, tomorrow Santa is coming through White Cloud on the North Pole Express, he make a stop here with candy canes and has time for pictures. I'll take them home tomorrow afternoon, they have a Christmas party with the ex, and then I'll start some cookie baking. Elery is working, so I have Saturday afternoon and Sunday to see how much I can get done. The sugar cookies, of course, have to wait until the grandkids can decorate for me, but lots of cookie dough goes into the freezer and then gets baked as needed.

Clink with my cup of tea, and Happy Holidays to everyone here.

Annie

Great to see you posting again David! You DL is so fortunate to have you... you ARE a gerat uncle!

I jsut got back from a lovely lunch with a friend at Trenton Country Club - what a spectacular place. I had the Southwestern Steak Salad which was quite nice. A hanger steak rubbed with chili and grilled over a bed of spinach, and clack bean and corn salsa.

Tonight I am going out with old and dear friends for a cup of holiday cheer. It will be fin to catch up. Tomorrow we were supposed to go to a swim meet, but DS1 seems to have the flu so no swimming for him. In the evening we are going to a friends tree trimming party.

Sunday we will be working on the new wet bar - I am bound and determined to have it ready for our Christmas Day Open House!

Have a happy and safe weekend everyone!

Alexa

Hi David, looks like everyone has a busy weekend planned.

Our high school football team is playing in the State semi finals tonight. If they win they will play for State at the Dallas Cowboys stadium. How exciting that would be for them and their fans. Their season is 13-0 and I hope we keep the 0 in the loss column.

It is cold and windy and going to be miserable tonight weatherwise, but I wouldn't miss it for the world!

Wishing all a great weekend.

LOL Alexa must have been a really good lunch! LOL

love you GF !

OMG - yes, I am taking over as the typo queen! Posting from the phone is a challenge at best, and considering I forgot my glasses it was darn near impossible LOLOLOL!

And the two glasses of Malbec didn't help ;-)

Alexa

I hear you! I have new Samsung Galaxy phone and tablet both of which I love! But I'm learning to Swype, which is way cool, and alas I haven't figured out spell check or spacing! Makes for very cryptic messages... LOL

Have a great evening Alexa !

I thought I was missing tgif because I'm sporadic. Glad you posted, David.

I have the whole weekend off, which is practically unheard of, and I'm spending it making cookie doughs, liqueurs and I picked up some Celtic sea salt for a batch of that citrus salt. A friend brought me a couple of bottles of Everclear from Montana and hinted broadly that I should make something good for him for Christmas. So far I have a batch of cranberry liqueur(yummy in hot cider) and some peppermint schnapps (yummy in cocoa), and I still have a bottle left. Maybe kahlua. Whatever...it'll be high octane, lol.

Haven't decided on cookies yet, I figure I'll go through recipes tomorrow, while testing the schnapps.

We're playing the holidays by ear. No tree...our new kitty is in that destructo adolescent stage. I'll drag out my little fake tree with wooden ornaments and call it good.

Hopefully we'll get to visit Liana in her new house(!) for Christmas. She finally got keys a couple of weeks ago and they're still cleaning, unpacking, sorting...piles everywhere, but she's determined to decorate. We'll seeeeeee.

Have a good weekend, all. Clinking with Two Buck Chuck pinot grigio. Yay, a TJ's an hour away...finally!

Major tree drama here tonight. LOL! Had to get the chain saw out to get the dang thing to fit in the tree stand....it's up in the house finally.
Nancy, I've got a list on the counter I keep adding to tonight. Hitting the store first thing in the morning for everything I forgot earlier this week. Surprised you don't have more snow on the ground and your grass is green. We had a low of 13 here this week so everything is pretty much dead and brown now. Plenty of crown on hand though...

Sharon, I've been wondering how you two were adjusting to the full time cottage life. I remember when I lived in the cabin up at the lake and like you said, it's pretty much dead this time of the year. Sounds like you will have a great time at Chris's place this weekend. Glad to hear that things are working out well for him and Amity. Hope Meredith's BF shows up too....Doug and Sara will make it a great evening for sure. You two (Sara) doing your baking weekend this year?

Lars, I hope it's not to cold in Texas when you and Keving head down there. I know it what pretty chilly in Dallas this week. I know your family is a little farther south in the valley but it can get chilly there too. Fresh apples from your tree sound like the perfect gift for your boss. I remember you sending lemons and other things from your trees at your old place in swaps years ago. I also remember you making various chocolates for the holidays so whatever you decide I'm sure she will love it.

Annie, sounds like a great time will be had with princess and bruvver. Can't wait to see pics of Madison...another one for you to spoil and have fun with in the kitchen for sure. Guessing she will love sprinkles on her cookies and cakes in a couple of years. Heck, she will be running that bread machine just like the princess in a couple of years...I'm sure of it.

Alexa, sounds like a great day pal. Sorry to hear that DS will miss his swim meet.HOpe he is feeling better soon. Love to hear/see more about this wet bar. Is it in the sunroom? Man, you two always have a great project going on. Don't think I would Recognize your place with all that you have done the last couple of years.

Trixie, you know I love Football so a big congrats and good luck to your hometown team. Hope they take state and playing in Jerry's fancy new stadium would put the icing on the cake for sure. I don't want to talk about college ball after the last few weeks...cough...cough. The NFL has been interesting too to say the least. Thinking LSU will take it home this year in college.

Katie, enjoy that weekend off my friend. Everclear, who knew you could make all that with that stuff. Just another reason I still love this place. Congrats on your DD new place too. Clinking to you and your Two Buck Chuck....I know it's in a high ball glass...that d@amn stemware is to...well you know complicated. LOL Remember that from Canny Camp. : )

Back to the tree and decorations for this...