Spritz





Black cherry almond thumbprint cookies



Wanna see some suggestive cookie photos (notice how I cleverly avoided the P word?)?





Pizzelles





Kate came over after her bass lesson and we baked 3 batches of cookies and made the dough for one more to be baked tomorrow.  Elanor made her signature cookie, the Spritz.  We have a cookie gun that works when it wants to so it's always an adventure.  El volunteers to play around with it each year and makes us a batch of the cute little melt in your mouth dainties.  These are lemon flavored.

Kate learned a new skill. She learned to use the pizelle iron and made her first batch of pizzelles.  We are not fond of anisette so we use vanilla and they are light and crisp and not too sweet. 

I made the thumbprint cookies using black cherry jam (we didn't have any raspberry) and they're yummy.  I made chocolate walnut cookies and coconut macaroons on Sunday and Monday so we're on our way. 

Tomorrow we will make the pfefferneuse (spice cookies which use ground black pepper in the dough) which is chilling in the fridge and also Pk's favorite Polish Butter Horns.  Then all I have left is the chocolate torte and the cut out sugar cookies which we are going to bake and decorate on Friday afternoon when Em and Jim come down.  Em loves to do this but didn't want to  make them just for herself (Jim and Colleen weren't familiar with the concept of Christmas cookies) so I offered to wait for her to come on Friday and we'll have a table full of people making outrageous cookies.  We have had ninjas with stars sticking out of their heads and reindeers all bloody from being shot with an arrow, not to mention pirates with one leg..... My family is nothing if not creative.

And speaking of creative (I can segue with the best of them), I never showed you the beautiful yarns Kylie gave me when she stopped briefly in Philadelphia.  Aren't they gorgeous?  The grey one is a polwarth/silk blend which is destined to become a cowl.  I have a pattern that I think I might like and it will make a nice, soft warm thing to put on my head since I really don't like hats.  The blue one is a merino laceweight which is all the colors of the sky.  It's just a perfect blue.
And there was a bag of Caramellos for Peter Kevin which he graciously shared with Elanor. 


So, Christmas is advancing at an alarming rate. I managed to wrap some gifts last night and am too tired to do any more tonight after all the baking.  I learned that Elanor already owns the video game I bought for her so I am heading out to the store tomorrow after work to return it and buy her something else.  It's a good thing Kate asked her about the game.  Pk is steadily working away on his crafty projects.  He's making good progress.

Things are falling slowly into place and it looks like with some luck and hard work and maybe a pinch of fairy dust, things will be done and ready for Santa. 

How about you?  Everyone at work keeps asking "are you ready for Christmas?".  I'm never quite sure what to say because I'm fairly sure no one wants to hear about how I still have to wrap presents and bake cookies and then there's some house cleaning (although Pk informs me he has taken over the laundry room and I am not allowed in there.  Secret Squirrel Christmas stuff so laundry will not be getting done just yet).  I usually just say, "of course I'm ready.  Aren't you?".  Then I get to listen to how THEY haven't finished wrapping/baking/cleaning/shopping.  It's a tradeoff.

Just a reminder, only 4 more days until Christmas in case you're not ready.