~LET'S PAUSE~

I wish I could say this was a poinsettia plant, but...Christmas has not arrived at Blondie's house as of yet. Chaos existed prior to Thanksgiving. The kitchen overflowed with food to prepare, housecleaning took a backseat to food preparation and some days I didn't get in the shower. But as the story always go, the holiday went off without a hitch, everyone loved the dinner and we had a fun and relaxed get together with family for dessert. I didn't even have to venture out into the cold. We had the dessert contest as I mentioned in my last post, the guys judged the ladies desserts, and one little lady, my 9 year old niece, Maggie, won for making darling little turkey top hat candies {of which I have no picture} that took a lot of creativity, charm and cleverness and all that a 9 year old could muster for a contest. And when she was voted winner, everyone applauded and she beamed and took home a little prize. It was magical and will definitely be a holiday tradition for us!

Yesterday I cleaned and did load after load of dishes...the sort I don't like to put in the dishwasher, and sampled leftover desserts. Oh yes, in spite of buying all the ingredients for a chocolate trifle {and I thank all those that sent me recipes for their version}, I ended up making a simple Paula Deen apple pie. The glitch was, I had only 4 apples and the recipe called for 7, so instead of a mounded pie, it was more concave. But pretty. And delicious. The recipe is a keeper, look for it on the FoodNetwork.

Today I caught up on some post~holiday blogging, went to dinner with The Husband and did a little shopping at Macy's. I also shopped online on Black Friday where a lot of places had great sales and free shipping. Do not forget Cyber Monday...great deals again. Tomorrow we have a Holiday Open House to go to and I believe I will finally get to some Christmas decorating early next week. I am liking having the house just NORMAL for a little while. Does anyone feel that way?
I have also started wrapping presents and stacking them high. I have to wrap right away or the two daughters will be peeking. No, they are not five years old but they act like it sometimes. Besides wrapping boxes the traditional way, I also like to stock up on plain brown or white bags from the Dollar Store and jazz them up with holiday stamps or just leave plain and tie with a simple ribbon or jute. They are perfect for bringing to a friend or neighbors home filled with treats or a small gift.
So this post was just a bit of randomness for a Saturday. We are cold here but no snow yet. Sort of odd, everyone seems to be getting it and Chicago is known for it's blizzards. I should knock on wood. Next weekend we are meeting Cindy from Applestone Cottage and her husband Dan in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin for a weekend of fun. We met last December in Galena, Illinois, a quaint little town about halfway between our homes. This year will be just as nice and I am jumping up and down, I am so excited to see her again. I have special memories of Lake Geneva in December as The Husband and I have often spent our anniversary there. It's a beautiful little resort town.

Finally, I have this book on my wish list. Have you ever read My French Life? If you haven't, do so. This is Vicki Archer's new book and it looks SO good! I love to order my books through Amazon and you can find it there, in case you didn't know it was out. I am nearing a follower milestone and may just have a giveaway with it. Shhhhhh...

Have a happy rest of the weekend and I will see you next week, hopefully with some Christmas bling and a few poinsettias! :-)