My Life's Ingredients

Welcome to the annual "OH SH... Sugar, it's only 10 days to Christmas and I haven't done ANYTHING yet!!!" post ... ;) Well... the 2 packages to Germany have been sent in time at least (that COULD have been prevented, had I started the presents maybe in November???! Then I could have taken the presents with me on our trip (and sent one internally there and hand off the others)). And we baked one batch of cookies (well... I made the dough, the girls did the mixing, started helping with the cutting out and then both got evicted from helping due to not following instructions despite being told 3 times each)... I've got 2 to 4 handmade presents to do (depending if the girls get their Disney Princesses PJs now or for their birthday). And maybe some cards for family and maybe for (crafty) friends (at least I had the foresight to obtain their addresses). Also was hoping to make at least 2 more batches of cookies (might be more) and a Stollen (this year o...

Duck needs another 10 mins to get a crispy skin, sprouts are doing nicely, so do the red cabbage, gravy and the dumplings (at least I hope so! ;) ). Christmas E-mails are sent out to both the German speaking and the English speaking contingents, we had already a call from my nephew at around 4:30pm thanking for his present (DH made him a Lego Batman in Bat Plane - collectors item as only 1 existing ;) ). Think DH managed to wrap my presents (bit of cheating - I bought stash). As for the tree - it's trimmed. Still crooked but it's growing on me. At least we won't have the problem of it falling towards the room (it's standing in a corner). ;) Ok... oven is pinging, Duck is ready and I have to ask DH when he can come down for food. WISHING YOU ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Geesh... this year is really not our year with Christmas... Duck is at least defrosted, but we got a crooked tree... and our tree stand doesn't like it... and the tree was too long in the water while outside, so the trunk is soft and the clamps don't work it properly. Ah well... suppose... even a crooked tree is nice. ;) Looks a bit diagonal, but we can't do anything about it - if we'd change the stance then it would topple over. At moments like this I wonder why I still insist on the 6ft real tree ... and the duck/goose for food. Maybe I should just introduce Frankfurters and Potato salad for Christmas Eve, given that we have turkey at the inlaws anyway???? . . . . . NAWH! I stick to my guns with the tree and the bird! ;) And I am not that stressed ... tree still needs trimming, and the cooking needs to be started soon as well, but hey! It's all on course ... I think. Currently doing my 2nd batch of cookies ("Vanillekipferl" - Vanilla crescents), and ...