Forget having another kid

Puppies are better!

She was a present from my dad -- he knows how much the girls (Phoebe) have been wanting a puppy.  My only criteria was that it be a small dog.  She's supposedly a chihuahua, but I don't buy it.  She looks like a mutt.  A perfectly adorable, sweet little mutt.  He named her Solstice (how cute is that?) and we're calling her Soli.  Could she be any cuter?  In this house, my friends, we are ALL ABOUT THE CUTENESS. 

I'm getting a gocco!

I'm so effing excited.  I'm getting a gocco, of my very, very own!  My wonderful, magnificent husband is buying it for me, can you believe it?  He's so sweet that I'm going to eat his cute face right off of his head.

I only lament that we could've made our holiday cards with it, if we had gotten it sooner.  But I've already decided that Marissa and I are going to make her Valentine's cards for her class.  Fantastic!  I can't wait!

In other, less exciting news, I completed Charlie's sweater.  It turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself.  Marissa and Phoebe both want one for themselves now.

Now, let's talk about mail people.  You'd think that so far this post has nothing to do with mail people, but you'd be wrong.  See, I think of goccos and sweaters, so I think of the holidays.  Then I think of the hundreds of cookies I've made so far, and the hundreds more I have to go.  Then I think about who still needs cookies.  THEN, that reminds me that while I've already given our mail person cookies, there is another person claiming to be our mail person, who evidently needs cookies, too.

The other day we had a card in our box, signed something like, "from Sue, your mail lady."  I made her some cookies and a card, and left them for her in our box.  She didn't pick them up, so when Bryan went to mail out some packages, he took the bag to the post office to give them to her there (thus confirming that a) she works at the post office for really reals, and b) she is our mail person).

The VERY NEXT DAY we get a different card in our box, signed "from Brenda, the mail lady."  Um.  I think we were swindled.  Since I don't know which is which, and I don't know who really delivers the mail, I have to make her cookies, too.  I'm scared of what would happen to our grocery store coupons and credit card offers, if I don't.

P.S. Have you checked out the new Flickr stats?  Very cool. 

P.P.S.  I'm getting a gocco! 

The mostest deliciousest cookies evar

I had plans to bake all kinds of holiday treats, but I was derailed by this one particular recipe.  It's for sugar cookies, AND ICING.  The most delicious icing in the whole, whole world.

Sugar cookies

1 cup margarine/butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. nutmeg

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg, add to wet ingredients.  You can roll them out at this point, or put the dough in the 'fridge for a bit, if you want.  Bake at 375 degrees for between 7-10 minutes.

Icing

2 cups powdered sugar
1/5 cup butter (I guesstimated)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 Tbs. milk
food coloring (if you're fancy)

Beat it up in a bowl, and be sure to taste it several times.  You could even get a spoon, and taste it again, to be sure.  Or just sit on the couch with the bowl, so you can keep eating tasting it, JUST to be EXTRA EXTRA SURE.  If you want to be predictable, go ahead and ice those cookies.

So damn good.  You could make some up and eat them, or send them all to me.

Advent calendar!

I was able to finish the calendar by December 1st, with a huge struggle.  Originally I had wanted to do something with either a) a cork board, pushpins and little boxes, or b) a cookie sheet, magnets, and boxes. 

I couldn't find any little boxes (I needed something bigger than matchboxes) other than online, and I'm so sick of spending shipping for stuff like that.  So, I ended up finding white organza bags and paper tags.  And tiny wooden clothes pins.  And string. 

I stamped out the number, and husband wrote in the "days till Christmas" part.  Then I put some glittery silver star decorations on there, and pinned up each bag.  I added the stars so it will still look decorative even after we take the bags down, and so far it's working well, although the bags are kind of heavy -- I thought the string might not be too secure.  But it works.

Next year, I'd like to do something with a cookie sheet and magnets, if I can find some little boxes, without having to spend a buttload on shipping for them.

Happy Birthday, Charlie!

Today, the youngest member of the Blue household turns two.  We're having a small, family celebration, involving pizza, a Carebear cake, and lots of dancing.

I can't believe how fast time flies.