Just have to make cheesy potato's and stuff stockings, everything else is done!

Put the marzipan pigs in clear cello bags and tie on the bows and tags!

Nothing for Christmas. Presents are wrapped and under the tree. Stocking is stuffed. All I have to do today is everyday stuff,like figuring out what to make for dinner and shopping for it.

This afternoon we have to load up some teak patio furniture (bar and bar stools) that we will be taking to Palm Springs. We got rid of the bar that came with the house in Cathedral City and will replace it with the teak one here in Los Angeles that we really do not use. We don't really use the teak bar stools here either, and it will be nice to have the extra space in our patio. There is more room in the patio in CC.

I've already changed the settings for the HVAC and pool heater in CC, but we won't be using the pool on Thursday, as it is supposed to rain most of that day. I'm expecting to see some good snow in the area mountains.

I also need to sew some Velcro on a Oaxacan tapestry that I want to hang in CC, providing I receive it today. The Velcro I originally bought has adhesive on both strips, and one strip needs to be sewn onto the tapestery. I did a test to see if I could sew through the adhesive, and I cannot, as the adhesive gums up the needle :(. I guess I'll find another use for that Velcro, possibly as earthquake protection.

ETA: Velcro arrived right after I posted this, and I adhered one strip to the board, reinforced with staples, and I sewed the other strip to the tapestry. Now I just have to hang it when we get to CC.

Wrap the stocking stuffers, stuff the stockings, make Asian style salad and clean and crack a Dungeness crab for Christmas Eve dinner. The season finally started and the grocery store had crabs yesterday. I was afraid I was going to have to go to my non-existent Plan B!

I'm also going to send an e-card to my best friend. We won't be seeing each other again until after Feb 11, so I want to touch base with her.

I am still doing food prep for after Christmas gatherings, but most of it is done And I have to wrap a small gift for a Christmas eve birthday girl and then join the family for dinner and her birthday celebration.

(and help Santa stuff the dog's sock....shhhh!!)

All I really have left to do today is make the corned beef dip. I made the pies this morning after going to the grocery at 7:00 this morning and finishing up wrapping presents. Plenty to do tomorrow though. I did manage to make 2 kinds of cookies yesterday, that's enough.

Make a cheesecake, assemble lasagna, and possibly a short nap.

Shopping, not done yet.......

Do not envy you summersrhythm…. Good luck!

I found a bag with a few stocking stuffers I had missed wrapping so have to do them. We aren't having our Christmas dinner until the 30th so will go shopping for the food this weekend. I printed out all the recipes the other day so I could make a list, so I need to do that.

We're living with relatives at the moment, so I am just helping where I'm needed. Dinner and church tonight with our oldest friends. Then I need to make a breakfast casserole tomorrow morning for brunch. And that's it till late afternoon when we have 17 in the house for dinner and presents.

Must look for earplugs. :)

Completely done now, just cannot find one stocking stuffer. Oh well... I will find it sooner or later, but DH will be expecting the Farmers Almanac and that is what I can't find.. I buy him one every year. LOL

So glad, I am not doing the normal Christmas stuff anymore. Just enjoy a nice leisurely day with a friend over at noon, and then a bike ride. The trails should be empty.

Merry Christmas all

Moni

Took my door decoration down. Will put up my table top gold Christmas tree, shortly as I pass by it to take a nap. Decided my Christmas will be brunch with toad in the hole and bacon. Gonna be a beautiful day just like today.

Merry Christmas Glenda!

TOO MUCH!!! Last night I decided I would make my pie crusts, which I did, and patted them into beautiful discs, wrapped them and put in refrigerator. Today I made the apple filling but while I was making it, DH came into the kitchen to cook himself a hamburger. I left the kitchen until he was finished so he wasn't in my way and I not in his. I had taken the discs out to warm up enough to roll out and left them on the counter. While waiting for DH to finish up in the kitchen I dozed off. When I returned to the kitchen, there was only one disc. I was pretty sure I took them both out but checked the refrigerator to make sure. I think Georgy had an early Christmas (she loves butter). So, I just finished making some more pie dough. Still have to set the table, make my hot fruit salad, two vegetables and corn bread. Fortunately I made tonights dinner last night so I just have to heat up the chowder base and throw in the lobster and shrimp. I'm resting for ten minutes while the crust chills, because me knee and back hurt from standing too long. At least it's not as bad when many years ago I took my apple pie out of the oven to cool and set it on a rack in the dining room. My Irish Setter ate the steaming pie in a matter of minutes. I had to go to the grocery store, buy more apples, peel slice, etc. In this case I just had to make more pie dough.

I've just finished wrapping and then tonight I'll cut up veggies for a veggie and dip tray and make a lime yogurt sauce for the fruit salad for tomorrows dessert. A couple of things to do tomorrow but I'm not panicking, at least not yet.

Oh, I'm so sorry georgysmom! Those darn dogs - it seems like they'll eat almost anything. Hubby and I have a rule; when one is working in the kitchen, the other one is not allowed to enter for any reason until the first person is finished. Exceptions may be granted by the person who currently has kitchen privileges.

Stockings have been stuffed. Hubby actually accused me of filling my own stocking! But, I told him in no uncertain terms that no one stuffs their own stocking. That is the job of Santa and/or his elves. He walked off shaking his head and muttering.

I'm now headed to the kitchen to crack and clean the crab.

I just need to finish doing dishes, make a salad for my dinner and wrap a few doggie toys and treats. for 5 dogs, mine, my sister's, my nephew's 2 and 1 is for a friend's dog.

Not much. I am pretty much packed. Of course way too much clothes. We decided to drive down on Christmas day. We are having our Christmas celebration meal in Baton Rouge on the 26th at my niece's new house. It's her mother, my sister, that we lost just a few months ago. Our first Christmas without her.

I don't have to do any cooking which is very strange to me.

I left my fridge full of good food for my friend that is house sitting. Mia is going to Louisiana with us.

Everyone be safe and have a great time and a very merry Christmas.

Crab is cracked, cleaned and in a pretty bowl which is now in the fridge. Dinner will be served in an hour or so after hubby gets up from his nap.

I'm done and now relaxing with a beer. I hope all of you either are or will soon be relaxing too. :-)

Nicole, I hope you will show us photos of the seat covers when they are done. As one who does not know how to sew, it's hard for me to wrap my head around such a big (in my mind) project.

Cooking tomorrow....and sewing truck seat covers inbetween. :0) I'm working on the seat covers pattern today.

Dawn.....I hope using 3 colors they don't look too....."home made". I think DH's truck interiors are bland and boring....but the design we chose may be too garish.....let's see how they turn out. I'm only using 2 colors for the ones I'm making for MY 4x4....those should be a little more.....tame.....altho...I chose black and red! ha ha.

Black and red - my two favorite colors! Next to pink, of course...

You have great taste and a lot of skills/talent, nicole. I'm sure whatever you make is going to look fantastic.

Dawn.....thanks for the vote of confidence! Lets see how it turns out.....

Only thing to do now is go to bed. Hope Santa comes to my house .

Feeling alone and sad, but I'll make it. Another day.

Glenda, I am sorry you are feeling alone. Sending you hugs.

Sorry Glenda! I thought of you being alone at church tonight. But you are always so positive and upbeat, I know you’ll find a way to enjoy the day — that was my prayer for you.

My husband has a doctor appointment tomorrow in Houston and is leaving afterwards to drive to Florida for a few days. My day today will be very un-Christmas-y. I need to pack a bag for him and wash his truck. If I get some extra time, I plan to make some cookies. I have put it off for several days because something always needs doing around here, so it has been a low priority.

Glenda, wish you lived in the neighborhood. There is definitely another place at the table. I almost made your pineapple casserole for dinner today but for the cheese. There's cheese on top of the potato casserole so I thought that was enough. Decided to go with my hot fruit salad instead. Last night as I became more and more tired, I changed my menu. Was going to have corn bread with the ham and maque choux but scratched the corn bread for crusty bread and the maque choux (too much chopping and sautéing) for corn pudding which is just dump and go. The bread is still rising so all I have to do is put that in the oven and make the corn pudding. Everything else is prepared and just has to be put in oven at appropriate times. Nice relaxing day today.

Last night after I got upstairs, I got thinking about my apple pie which I had put on the table in the screened porch so Georgy couldn't get to it while it was cooling. I thought just my luck the way things were going with that pie, a squirrel or something will break through the screen and eat the pie so I went back down, brought the pie in, put it on the back burners and surrounded it with pots. I was now on my third trip up the stairs within 15 minutes and literally crawled up, but the pie was safe.