Christmas Collage 2010

Well, here it is! The annual Christmas Collage!  You might be thinking, "that doesn't look like the collage's of year's past?!"  Yeah, well, there were issues.  My Mac is old and moldy and no longer likes to take on big projects such as this.  So until I get a new one (which may never happen) we will have to live with subpar collages.  And the birthday videos might also be a thing of the past as well!  So if you would like to sponsor me in the "buy mama a new Mac" fund, you will find my address on the return label of your Christmas letter.  If this is your first time visiting our blog - welcome!  Please stay awhile!  Eric likes to say that no one reads this thing, but surely that's not true, right?  I have readers!  Really I do!  I could prove it to him if people commented, but only one person ever really does (thanks Mom!).  Prove Eric wrong people!  I know there are scores of you out there! 

Anyway, here is the collage! 

If you would like to print it, please go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28898527@N05/5242400753/
Then click on the "Actions" tab and go to "view all sizes."  Go with the "Large Size." 

I will post the letter here as well in a few days. I wouldn't want to spoil ALL the surprises! What would be the point in sending the letter, then?!

I’m turning into a dough ball

  Good evening!  I’m really not sure why I included this picture.  He wouldn’t look AT me for it.  Should have just stiffed him of having a picture on here tonight!  He and Eric are at hockey practice right now, so all is quiet around here.  Just finished printing off “the letter” so look for it in a mailbox near you in the next few days.  That is, if you are cool enough to receive one.

So, I HAD to report in about these babies.  Oh yes.  Get ready to drop whatever you are doing and make these:

 

These are Mama Pea’s Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Balls.  Best. Thing. EVER!  She wasn’t kidding when she said in her blog post that these are the best thing she’s ever made.  They are SO good.  Then again though – everything I’ve tried from her has been top notch!  

Avery was under my feet the entire time I was making them.  Probably because she got to taste the dough.  That’s right – there are NO eggs in this, so you can totally just eat it in dough form.  And boy did we ever. 

So you bake them for just a wee little bit so the outside looks similar to a cookie.

And the inside – ohhhhh the inside – is this glorious cookie dough heavenly center.  I ate waaaay too many of these today and I’m ashamed.  And ready for it to be tomorrow so I can eat more.  I will not allow myself to eat any more of these today.  I might explode if I try.  

Is it tomorrow yet?

Rink is open!

Phew!  Its been a busy few days.  I FINALLY have our Christmas letter and collage all set to go.  Now for addressing the envelopes – my favorite.  NOT!  But at least the letter and collage are done – that was definitely the tough part!  And for those who are curious – Millicent did an outstanding job writing the letter this year.  All I did was proofread it.   As for the collage though, I have bad news.  Well, bad news AND good news.  Good news is that there IS a collage.  There almost wasn’t.  I almost went the photo card route.  Almost.  That was until I saw how insanely expensive they are!  Geez!  Nearly a buck a card?  What?!  You must all be loaded because I get a lot of those cards from you all! Though, to be fair, you all probably were not going with the 5+ picture opening ones – you know how I love things to be picture heavy!  So anyway, there IS a collage.  However, you will not be receiving it in your mailbox and also, it is not as grand as it has been in previous years.  Nona (my geriatric Mac) is slow and feeble now and not able to take on such a big project (need to use Photoshop to do such a masterpiece) so I had to resort to using a different (inferior) program on the Jalopey.  Therefore, you will find that the collage is subpar.  But, I do what I can.  And until I come up with a way to buy myself a shiny new Nona, subpar collages and possibly no more birthday dvds is what we have to look forward to.  Or not look forward to.   Serious – think the birthday videos might have ended with Dylan’s last birthday.  Nona is not well, people.  Not well at all.  Sigh.

 

On to the next topic!  The ice rink!  The ice rink is now open for business people!  Come one, come all to the greatest home rink of all!  I’d say we have skates for everyone, but we don’t!  We did have some, but Eric didn’t want to “store them” so he threw them away!  So it’s BYOS, people!  Don’t all come at once.  It’s not a huge rink.  It can accommodate a few of you and no more.  Though, I doubt I’ll see any takers.  Doesn’t it look fun though?

 

So we’ll see you all later today then? 

Gliding with BOTH feet!