CHRISTMAS BAKING

Here is a peek at our fun and festive "Baking Day" at Kathryn's. 

Several of us gathered on a rainy December Saturday morning to mix, melt, stir, roll, bake and decorate lots of sweet, decadent goodies. 

We all brought an appetizer to share and nibble on while we stayed busy in the kitchen!  It was a day full of friendship, sharing and laughter. 

Freshly baked Sugar Cookies and Almond Bark...Oh My!

Mark and Kathryn put their spatulas to work and  made homemade
Marshmallows!

 Linda took a break to hold her sweet grandson!

Here are two of the three little helpers that decorated the dozens of sugar cookies Linda baked. They were so cute and the cookies were beautiful!

I had such a good time with everyone and I look forward to this special tradition with my friends at Christmastime.

TOO MUCH RAIN

San Diego has been soggy.  The river valley (where two of our major malls are located) flooded, hillsides slid, and it's was a mess in a lot of areas.  I don't remember the last measurement on rainfall over the past 4 days, but it's a lot! 

We've exceeded our annual average by several inches.  It just doesn't rain like that here.  You know the song, "It Never Rains in Southern California"?  Well, this past week,  it has rained and rained and rained.  The ground is saturated. 

We've had a reprieve until last night (Christmas night), then it began raining and we are due for several days of more rain. It's not supposed to rain as much as it has been, which is good news, but I am not sure what effect even a little more rain will have on the areas already flooded.

The Poinsettia Bowl was here Thursday night and for all of you sports fans, I know you saw and heard about the flooded stadium and parking lot (that 1.5 million of gallons of water that was pumped out in time for the game) and probably saw the field (before) in its oh, so soggy state.  (Photos from signonsandiego.com)

Before

 After

Amazing difference isn't it?

MERRY CHRISTMAS

We spent our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with family and friends. 

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Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

OFF KILTER AND OUT OF WHACK

I have been out-of-sorts, stressed out and impatient lately. I feel off kilter and out of whack.

Why?

I have asked myself that very question over and over.

And I have come up with several answers.

It's that crazy, list making, shopping, too-much-to-do time of year and to top it off,  I am feeling a bit "Scroogey" this year. Bah. 

Plus, I think I am fighting the cold virus that my daughter M and now hubby, Bruce have been sick with.  I've been feeling worn out and tired and so I have been trying to get to bed earlier and get more rest.  I have been diligently taking Airborne and doses of vitamin C lozenges.

My job has delivered a whopping share of crazy-making, pulling-my-hair-outta-my-head days/weeks, too. 

I suppose it could be everything all together, or just one thing, or hormones (aren't they usually partly to blame?) ... or maybe it's just something that happens to everyone now and again. 

Yup, that is what I think it is. 

Time for another good night's sleep.  Sweet dreams!

A SIMPLE CHRISTMAS

This Christmas I have simplified everything. 

We chose a small tree and I decorated it with a single string of lights and ornaments that created the theme for our tree "an old fashioned country Christmas".

I went through my boxes of Christmas decorations and only put out a few favorite decorations around the house.  I chose ones that copied the theme of our tree.   

It feels good.