Tis the Season.......

So, how's everyone doing with the Christmas to-do's?  Keeping our sanity?  Hmmmm.

Baking started on Tuesday - Baklava and cannolis.  Not just once. Oh no.  Somehow, one recipe creation didn't look there was as much as I thought there would be.  Enough to give lots of it away to the kids and still have enough for the Holiday.  Why is that??  Why does it always seem the recipe never quite amounts to the pieces it says you should have?? Or you think you should have. Or is it that my eyes are bigger than my goodie platters?  Whatever. 

So Wednesday was a repeat of the same.  This was an all-day affair both times.  But I think there's enough now for everyone in the neighborhood  for us all.

Yesterday was the cut-out cookies and Spritz.  Today was Russian Tea Cakes (we always called them Mexican Wedding cakes); some call them "Rum Balls".  And a double batch of chocolate chip.  2 kinds of chips in the dough - semisweet and milk chocolate.  And  8 loaves of Banana Bread.  Because bananas were on sale last week - 49 cents a pound!!   I know!!   By this morning, they were all nice, speckled brown; and you could smell bananas through the kitchen. Yeah.  Time to mash those puppies.

There's just 2 more kinds of cookies to bake.  And the cut-outs to be frosted and sugared.  But that won't be till Monday.  Tomorrow I go to daughter's to decorate and go shopping.

So in between baking and doing dishes - doing dishes - doing dishes, my hands now look like they've been rolling around in the "sharp knives" drawer.  And they hurt.  Much needed hand lotion applied.  There's been crocheting in the evening.  2 pair of slipper boots done, the third started.  2 more pair to go.  Maybe 3.  It should be 3.  We'll see.

Next week we'll look for a tree; Christmas dinner grocery shopping next weekend.  I still have to write out Christmas cards and get them in the mail.  And wrap the gifts that need to be sent out by next Friday.

I see by my "to-do" list that I'm just about on track.  Only one day behind in the baking.  Well, actually, it'll be 3 days.  Because there won't be any done for the next 2.  But all is good.  Moving right along.  The goal is for nothing to be done the week of Christmas.  Nothing. Just relaxing and waiting for Christmas Eve.

Tonight - bean soup.  Pulled the bucket out of the freezer last night. Yep.  Bucket.  We buy our ice cream in 5 quart plastic buckets.  I'm embarrassed to tell you how many buckets I accumulate every year.  There's enough not only for freezer storage, but as cleaning buckets, planter buckets, cookie storage buckets, groady-stuff buckets; you name it.  I've got the bucket.

Oh. The bean soup.  So I thought this would be easy enough for BH to warm up for supper tomorrow night.  He doesn't cook.  Except to put a TV dinner in the oven.  But I didn't buy any TV dinners.  Soup it is.  I hope he eats something tomorrow night other than popcorn, potato chips or pretzels.  Sometimes he even makes a PB sandwich.

Well, keep Christmasing along, all you little elves.  It'll soon be here ----- and gone.  Have a great, productive weekend!