There you have it. Christmas baking at its finest. I finally rolled out the cookie dough I made last week and, having no Christmas cookie cutters, I just cut out circles, baked them, and frosted them with seasonal chocolate frosting with gold sugar sparkles. Jessie had brought the dough back to the house on Saturday, thinking perhaps that we'd find some time to bake and decorate them with the boys but of course that didn't happen. The final product wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't over-baked about half of them. Oh well. Chocolate frosting covers many sins. And Mr. Moon said that it's better than green frosting.
He's probably right about that.
This morning we got a ray of sunshine in that Vergil brought the boys out to collect their share of the MEAT. It was nice to see those little guys and I got to read them a few stories from the pig stories book and we laugh and laugh at those. I also read "A Fish Out of Water" and when I pointed out something on one of the pages August said, "You always say that when you read this book."
"I know," I said. "I do."
God, I'm old.
They didn't stay very long and I finally got around to trimming my roses back. Always a joy. I don't know the first damn thing about trimming roses. I just go out there with the cart and my pruners and hack away. Whatever I do always seems to turn out okay because they always grow back and make roses. Of course my roses are of the heritage varieties meaning that they're not picky about much of anything. While I was out there with my pruners and the cart I pruned and pulled the red passion flower vine from the fence. It was brown and dead but will come back in the spring. I got exactly zero passion flowers this year. I have no idea why. Not enough sun, probably.
Mr. Moon defrosted and cleaned out the deep freeze in the garage and informed me that he now also wants to get a standing deep freeze because you don't have to defrost them and also because we're getting another ninety pounds of wild pig that he actually sent to a professional to process.
I'm just overwhelmed here.
I keep doing research on a new stove but it all boils down to the unknowables. You can read every review on the internet (well, theoretically) and still not know if you're making the right decision. For someone who could actually make passable meals on an open fire if I had to, I sure am being particular.
Hank reports that he's feeling better every day. This makes me so happy. Lily went and got tested for covid today because she's been coughing and tired. She's probably fine but better safe than sorry. May works at a food co-op and I can't imagine she's having a very good time at work this week. The best thing about her job is that she works with Billy and that's a priceless perk. He posted a thing on FB the other day that I'm still laughing about. It was a Christmas card he was sending to our Taylor and on it he'd written, "Shayla made me send this. I hate you. Love, Billy."
If you knew Billy like I know Billy, you'd laugh too.
My FB memory today was from two years ago in Cozumel.
Remember this?
And I've just gone back to my blog from that day and found two more cool pictures.
But I don't want to go back until I can see the beautiful smiles of the people. That's just the way it is.
That was one hell of a stack of beer cans. Imagine the weight that the cans on the bottom must have been bearing! Regarding the new oven issue - what kind of ovens do your friends, family and neighbours have? Perhaps you can pick up a recommendation from one of them. All you have to do is ask.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy for Lily that she is negative. I cannot imagine the stress of working around people everyday now. I love that sunset and glad that Hank is doing well too.
ReplyDeleteso all is well in meatland. Good to hear, the shot of the sea and sunset is astonishingly perfect, i feel it, (in my soul).I am watching "The Florida Project" for the forth time- mostly for the kids and the heat and the way the sun makes color there. When it comes to the ending part just before the crying part i go back to the beginning, that is how i save myself.
ReplyDeleteit's not just you love. i started crying the other day because i missed our annual trip to ikea for meatballs.... take care
ReplyDeletexxalainaxx
My stove is an LG and i love it! I do a lot of baking, where it seems to me that you do a lot of cooking on top. Does that sound as weird to read as it felt to write?
ReplyDeleteI’m happy your son is doing so well. My youngest son is having issues with his lungs. They, whoever they are, can never find the problem no matter what his issues are. So frustrating!
The cookies look fine. Frosting hides so much and tastes good, too!
Debbie
I had to get a new stove a few moths ago. I now have a GE Profile gas stove with double ovens and I love it!
ReplyDeleteI had to get a new stove a few moths ago. I now have a GE Profile gas stove with double ovens and I love it!
ReplyDeleteI like the "stuff" better than the "memories" tonight. All are safe, well and/or getting better. The memories were pretty good ones, but good tests and recovering sons even better.
ReplyDeleteRe your rose pruning......some years ago I saw a TV prog where some of the roses were carefully pruned in the " correct" way by hand, and the others were just zapped with an electric hedge cutter, or chain saw or similar. They all turned out fine and much the same the next year! Glad to hear that your boy is on the mend. My youngest son is hoping against hope that his Slovenian girlfriend can get to UK before the end of the year, to take up a job she has been offered, but Brexit and the virus are conspiring against her. So many of the flights she has booked have been cancelled and at the moment there is only one hope left for a flight on 28th, but that is expected to be cancelled too. Those biscuits look yummy.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that whatever stove you choose will be fine. The cookies look fabulous and delicious.
ReplyDeleteSlightly burnt or not, those are more cookies than I have baked...not just this week, but this year. No grandma of the year here.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are having sausage meat overload.
good news about Lily. I don't prune my roses til around the first of February. none of mine did well this year so I got some fertilizer and hope it helps. I have four knockouts which are supposed to be indestructible. ha ha. I've already killed two as there were six when we bought this house. and my cinco de mayo rose which has always done beautifully didn't do well either.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about Cozumel today and how long it's been since we were there.
I'm glad Lily's test was negative and Hank is feeling better. So here's what would freak me out about freezing and storing so much meat -- what if the power goes out for a long time? (Like in a hurricane.) Do you have a generator?
ReplyDeleteRoses are much tougher than people think. As Frances said above, it almost doesn't matter how you prune them. (Almost!) They're made to bounce back.
For someone who has always had the travel bug I was just thinking the other day that I haven't "minded" being stuck here for so long so maybe I was over the bug. But I know my "short list" still includes Mexico and Thailand so you posting those pictures has probably started that little fire right back up. I'm glad to hear Lily is ok - what a relief!
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