A little birdie told us that Grandma Jantzi would be reading the blog today... so we just wanted to say a great big "Hi" and send her many Christmas hugs and kisses across the miles! I tried to get a photo of Max smiling for her while he was colouring this afternoon but he wasn't in the mood to cooperate so this is the best I could do.
This tree is new to our house this year and is in our family room in the basement. Yes....we now have two Christmas trees in the house. Our big tree is upstairs. There is no way it would fit downstairs. The family room tree is actually one of those pre-lit outdoor entrance trees that you can put beside your front door. But we're using it indoors since it fits perfectly in our small family room. And by the way... pre-lit = a VERY GOOD thing! Notice the decor on it? I went with the rustic country look. Are you surprised? Me too! LOL! Everytime I look at it, I think of three special ladies - my mom, Keith's mom and my SIL Sheila because it's in line with their decorating tastes.
Ok, how is everyone doing with their Christmas shopping? I'm happy to report that as of three weeks ago I was about 95% finished. Hello on-line shopping. That also is another VERY GOOD thing! It helped that we knew exactly what we wanted to get for the Maxter and get it before it was sold out. Playmobil and Leapster. Easy! Given the scare with all the toys made in China, the Playmobil brand is very attractive. It's made in Germany and fortunately is something that the little guy has expressed alot of interest in recently. He's going to be so excited on Christmas morning!
This afternoon while Max was in preschool I decided to hit the local mall for a few odds and ends. Well, what a disaster. I picked up a few things at The Bay. After waiting in a lineup for 10 minutes with no immediate relief in sight, I put everything back and walked out. The same thing happened at Please Mum. I just don't have the patience to wait in lines. I don't think the stores have adequate numbers of staff at this point. I was so glad to get out of there. I just hopped back in the truck and left. Went to the library and borrowed a few things and then grabbed a coffee at Starbucks. I read my book while waiting for Max to get out of preschool. Definately more relaxing than being at the mall. UGH! Tonight, I think I'm going to search on-line for the rest of the stuff I need and forget about the malls.
Lastly, here's the cookie recipe (brought to you by the good folks at McCormicks) that a few of you have been asking about.
Holiday Vanilla Sugar Cookies
BEAT 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened, and 1 1/4 cups sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 egg and 2 tsp McCormick Pure Vanilla extract. Gradually stir in 2 1/3 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt until well mixed.
REFRIGERATE dough 2 hours or until firm. Roll out on lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. cut into shapes with holiday cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on greased baking sheets. Decorate with colored sugar or sprinkles.
BAKE in preheated 375 F oven 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Makes 6 dozen.
*NOTE: Each oven is different...I baked the cookies for 6 minutes at 360 F.
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