My participation in various online media waxes and wanes -- earlier this year, I was quite active in uploading photos to Flickr and many of my blog photos were directly linked from there (as is the rule).  Linking your Flickr account to Big Huge Labs affords some fun in various ways, including Scout (which has to do with popularity, sort of, and ranking and it's always changing) (I have had 8 images legitimately show up in Scout - I don't believe any are there now)!  The image above is the result of a special Christmas Scout, and shows my top 72 images of all time.  Pretty neat, eh?  I'm a big huge sucker for collages and montages and massages -- one of those things isn't like the other, but I'm a big huge fan.

As of right now, my Christmas shopping is finito -- and I'm feelin' pretty good!  It's the Eve of Christmas Eve and one of my favorite days of the year.

Maddy arrived home triumphant after an afternoon of Christmas shopping... with a new chair for herself... or maybe for Duncan.  It kinda looks like he loves it.  I love it, too.

Actually, the correct word would be "iced."  Very nearly "bedazzled."

Lookin' a little ditzy, as I knew they would.  We're learning lots 'n lots about cut-out cookies, icing, and mixing colors.  Katie told us about a friend who'd gone to culinary school and did NOT specialize in baking "because it's all chemistry!"  Yeah.  And there are so many variables!  A big "Thank You" to everyone for their tips and shares for cut-out cookies.  There's plenty more baking to do!

It was fun "goin' over to Kate's" last night with Ali to help decorate.  She sure has a nice, big kitchen -- the lighting could be improved some, but that's a fairly easy fix.  We flooded and piped 'til nearly 11, listening to two of our favorites for the holidays:  Hanson's Snowed In, and The Chieftains' The Bells of Dublin.  We also spun some Fleetwood Mac -- yep, vinyl -- a bunch of my most favorite LPs have found a new and loving home.  I knew if I hung on to them long enough...

...is almost here.

We celebrated with some friends.  There was plenty of great food and drink.  There was fire.  There was symbolic burning of stuff one wanted to be rid of.  There was drumming.   There was singing:  Christmas carols and show tunes.  I could not resist "Oklahoma!"

There were pretty lights.

The gifts for the coffee shop's adopted family were delivered to the distribution site this morning.  Then I threw some lights into the Christmas tree where there were some dark spots.  I didn't even take out the dead light strings -- mainly because at least one was half-working and, man, what a pain in the butt even figuring out which strand is "the one."  The good thing about having a bazillion lights on the tree is that I can just blind 'em with the light.  Decorating may now commence, if anyone feels like it.  Personally, it looks just fine the way it is -- with the one twisted metal icicle thingy that was forgotten the last time we put the tree away (at least three years ago).

So.  Ali packed up all my baking pans, cooling racks, and the KitchenAid this morning and hauled it all over to Katie's.  They took the sugar cookie recipe that we always used for cut-outs, made two batches, ran off to do other stuff while the dough chilled, and then rolled and cut and baked.  Ali reported that our old stand-by recipe, while very delicious, is not "sturdy" enough -- the edges don't hold their shape and the cookies are soft and "dainty."  Ali's going to check her technical book about baking that I gave her but can't remember the name of... and I'm going to put it to the blog.  Do you have a good, sturdy, cut-out cookie recipe?

As I've done the last few years sometime in December, it's time for a review -- in words (the first sentence of the first post of each month) and in pictures (one favorite posted photo from each month), one not necessarily related to the other.

January:  Maddy's not usually so willing a model, so I wouldn't hold my breath thinking you'll see her here tomorrow for the Happy Trifecta.

February:  I met up with some local Flickr peeps for a winter photo walk at a local park yesterday.

March:  I know that "spring" is a few weeks off yet, but it's MARCH and we're getting CLOSE and I took the Christmas wreath off the door and replaced it with THIS today!!

April:  I finally got this hat in the mail to my sister yesterday.

May:  Have I mentioned how much I love these boys?

(Toughest month to choose a photo so far -- it's SPRING!)

June:  The Empire Builder didn't pull into Columbus until about 5:30 last night and I still had to get all my stuff together at my sister's and face the hour-and-a-half drive home.

July:  Maddy had one of her occasional episodes of spontaneous cleaning yesterday.

(This is hard!)

August:  It's one of those Mondays that can get you down, but I'm going to try hard to focus on the positive and maybe I'll find some strength to deal with the rest.

September:  I called my sister Sharon (pictured above on August 13, 1975, with Uncle Bob) (I hope they don't mind my posting it) on Saturday while on the way home from delivering Maddy to college.

 October:  I just joined Norma's Alert The Media group.

November:  Today's the day. 

(Um, oh yeah, this started as a knitting blog!)

December:  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

And there we have it, 2009 is nearly a done deal.  There were a lot of changes around here.  2010 is fast approaching -- one can only guess at what's in store.  Here we go... wheeeeeee!

The book club cookie exchange is at 5:30 and I'll be pulling the last sheet of cookies from the oven in about 10 minutes -- at about 4:00.  I have to package them and label them -- nothing fancy -- and, ohmygod, the cookies are nothin' fancy, either.  Stuff kind of piled up over the past few days and I was more wishy-washy than I should have been, so I was going through my recipe box this morning trying to find something that didn't need a ton of exotic ingredients (or even one), didn't need to be wrapped, chilled, rolled, cut, sprinkled, or, really, man-handled in any way.  I ended up with a sugar drop cookie that I did sprinkle some -- but not all -- and they did look a little better when man-handled slightly before being pressed.  Yes, I pressed.  I don't have a problem with the pressing, especially since it gives me an excuse to use the set of 3 glass cookie presses that I've had for.ever and have used hardly ever.

So.  They're not the prettiest, and they're not going to knock anyone's socks off (though they do have a nice hint of lemon) (hm, maybe I'll sprinkle with lavender sugar next time), but I bet I'll get the award for freshest cookies at the cookie exchange.

I won the featured prize in a give-away sponsored by Kelbourne Woolens at The Purl Bee!  The Fiddlehead Pullover is actually a free pattern, but I didn't have to download and print mine, and it's printed on much nicer stock that I'd have used.  And in color.  I don't always print my patterns in color.

 
And the yarn... you'd like a close-up, I'm sure.

 Canopy Fingering in a color called "Cat's Claw."  Oh, my, the combination of baby alpaca, merino, and bamboo is so, so, so soft!!  Wonderful stuff to bury one's nose into.

OK, those cookies ought to be cool enough now.  Time to pack 'em up!

I don't think it will surprise anyone to learn that these mitten cookies are very nearly the sole reason why I signed up for a cookie decorating workshop.  The original session I signed up for didn't even include them -- the subject was "toys" -- but I just had to get close to these mittens!  It turned out that we had enough people interested to hold (and choose!) our own session.

My mittens are far, far, far from perfect, but aren't they fun!!?  The first one is probably the best overall.  I like to think of the middle one as a bulky thrummed mitten!

 
The workshop was presented by Dawn Koehler Design.  Dawn's home was beautifully decorated and so festive for the holidays!  She had a cute, table-top feather tree decorated with nothing but her own snowflake ornaments.

 
What's not to like about a workshop that includes wine and champagne!?

We each decorated a dozen cookies -- three each of four designs.  The keys were to not expect anything near perfection and to just have fun with it!

CHECK!!

I did an awful lot of office work over the weekend.  I had a very enjoyable Friday night, though, so it was tolerable.  I also took a fun break with Katie on Saturday afternoon to go thrifting (her idea) -- and I found a few things -- and to Target (my idea) as my list was getting long.  You know it's Target time when you can't find a Kleenex at my house!

I wandered in a few times to "watch" the game yesterday -- I had paper and calculator in my lap and a pencil in my hand, so "watch" is kind of a stretch and I didn't even listen very well.  I do know that we won, though; five in a row!  Go Pack Go!!  Earlier, when DH and I were discussing the day, I said that I'd make dinner -- a roast came to mind -- which I almost immediately regretted.  He gave me an out, saying that we could "do something quick," but I WANTED to cook and I wanted the leftovers!  I just didn't feel like I had the time.  So I was a little wishy-washy about going to the store and I went late and my roast didn't get into the oven 'til nearly 5, which meant that we didn't eat 'til about 7:30.  But it was good and we have leftovers!!

This week it's all about cookies.  Tonight, I'm going to a cookie decorating workshop with Kate & Ali and five other women.  We're not talking Betty Crocker frosting out of the can, red & green sugar crystals, chocolate sprinkles, and red hots.  We're talking Royal Icing, a special spatula, and TECHNIQUE!  I am wildly excited about it and can't wait.  I will have photos tomorrow.

I'll be baking on Wednesday for the book club holiday get-together and cookie exchange that evening.  I think I've decided on a recipe.  That's always a fun time.

Maddy will be home late on Wednesday after finals.  I had such a fun FB chat with her on Saturday night -- she and her friends had just returned from a hockey game on campus and were preparing for movie night.  She thinks I'd like the fast pace of hockey; I told her the closest I've ever come to a hockey game was watching Oliver play in "Love Story."  I'm sure that meant absolutely nothing to her.  Anyway.

There's a little party at the bowling alley for Ali's BF's birthday on Friday night.  And on Saturday night, a SOLSTICE PARTY -- a little ahead of schedule, but you celebrate when you can!!

 

 
It was a great way to spend a Friday evening.

The Dortchen Wild.  Lots of toe-tapping and laughter and even some talk of bacon.