Are you ready?

I think this is the single most-asked question around Christmas time. Even the guy at the oil and lube today wanted to know. I really wasn't ready until today because we were without a camera, then I found the missing one in the glove compartment of the Suburban this morning. Our other one pretty much died last week. I don't want to buy a new one until tax-return time because I want a really super good one and I just don't like to blog as much without pictures for some reason. So I found the camera just in time for the Big One. Not a whole lot has been going on other than the usual. The kids are all out of school so we are having a great time together, interrupted by moments of people punching each other in the face. There has been a lot of singing but that's only because I told the kids I won't listen to any tattle-telling unless they sing it to me. :-) My family will be here tomorrow so we are preparing for that and we are very excited to see them.
I have been busy in the kitchen though. I managed to find a Lofthouse cookie copycat recipe and it was a total success. The cookies are exactly like the ones at the store except I can make them even bigger and puffier and put even more frosting on them. The cookie recipe has sour cream in it which was awesome for me because there was some left over and I put it on my baked potato today. I never buy sour cream because everyone here hates it. And it's kinda bad for you. They sure liked it in the cookies though. :-) I tried out some of those new flavored decorating sprinkles too. The blue ones are blue raspberry, green is green apple and there is a pink one with green in it that is watermelon flavored (only the blue is shown below). These are really fun to use if you are a kid. If you are an adult and have any developed taste-buds--it's a bit weird.
Now for my fantastic new discovery. I bet anyone who reads this already knew about them (and didn't tell me) but I have never had these nor heard of them until I moved out here to Tennessee. Oreo Truffles! You take a package of Oreos (regular, double-stuff, whatever) and an 8 oz. block of cream cheese and throw them into your mixer. Let it go until there's no white showing, then form them into whatever size balls you want and freeze them. Once they're good and cold, you can dip them in melted chocolate, then put them back in the freezer til solid and voila--pure gold. They are simply fantastic and couldn't be easier. You're welcome--if you didn't know about them already.
Now for my ultimate project this year. I have made a real gingerbread house for the past 3-4 years. I use the Colonial blueprint found at bobvila.com every year. And I use a gingerbread recipe I found years ago that is fantastic especially because I changed it. Instead of putting in the 2 tsp. of ginger called for and watching the kids carefully gnaw the candy off the house so they don't accidentally get any gingerbread in their mouth--I use 2 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice. Now the kids even eat the leftover gingerbread--by itself. Yea me. Here's the house in construction phase. This is the tricky part or maybe I still don't know what I'm doing. The awesome thing I did this year was filling in the windows with crushed butterscotch candies. I've never done this before and it worked like a charm. Here's the bead/safety pin tree my mother-in-law made us several years ago that gives up it's light strand every year for my gingerbread house. This is how you know Christmas is Really Close around here. I guess that's why I haven't just bought another light strand. A gingerbread house just isn't right until it is glowing. And ta-da!--Here's the house all aglow. I can't move the cans until tomorrow, nor will we add the candy until my sisters get here--so 'til then, here's the preview.

Now I bet you can hardly wait for my next post. Hopefully I won't lose the camera between now and then. A couple other random things--it was 7 degrees this morning. I think that is a little cold. I really am being punished for enjoying those fall leaves.

Also--I get a little frustrated at times trying to decorate cookies or cakes all great, blah, blah--and I found this website at http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com that just made me smile. If you just need a moment to unwind, check it out and make sure you scroll through the older posts too.

Ever since the church DVD--Joy to the World came out, I just love, love, love Christmas Eve. I need to start buying more of those DVDs and giving them to the kids' teachers and stuff. It really helps me get into the right mood for Christmas.

Everyone that reads my blog knows by now my fascination with all things sparkly and bright and as I came into sacrament meeting on Sunday, I had a sister tell me I looked like the top of a Christmas tree! :-) I know you're all worried I wore that sequined gown I've been threatening but really I just had a little sparkly clip in my hair...and really big sparkly earrings...and a really shiny green shirt--ok, whatever--I can't think of a nicer compliment. :-)