Happy New Year!

I'm wishing a warm, loving, happy, and healthy 2008 to everyone. Thank you for being my blog friends and family. You mean a lot to me.



Picture borrowed from here

300

No, I'm not talking about the movie. This is my 300th post. That's really not a lot of posts considering I'll hit my 3-year mark in March. But, still, 300 seems like an appropriate number to thank you all again.

Thank you for coming around and reading and leaving comments. It always brightens my day. I thank you for your blogs. Sometimes I don't have as much time as I'd like to get around to all of them. But I love that they're there.

You guys have all been so encouraging about my photographs. As a Christmas present for Ichabod's grandmother, I put a calendar together at Cafe Press. I felt a bit funny putting it up for sale because I don't want anyone to feel obligated to buy. But if you happen to be interested let me know. I'll put it up for general sale.

So, everybody, enjoy the coming weekend. And just in case I don't post before then, have a safe and happy new year's celebration.

Although it's been said many times many ways

Merry Christmas to you!



THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
by Clement Clarke Moore


'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;



The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;



The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,



But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.



And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.



But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

A Christmas meme thing

Lotus Lynn tagged me. Rules for the meme include:

1) Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
2) Share Christmas facts about yourself.
3) Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4) Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Lynn, being a Buddhist, says she really doesn't do Christmas anymore. About fifteen years ago I started observing the Winter Soltice. But that doesn't mean I can't get into Christmas, too. I mean, food, decorations, gifts, and spirituality. How can you go wrong with all of that!

1. Wrapping or gift bags? I use both, but mostly paper. I enjoy finding paper that's different. The shiny stuff is my favorite.

2. Real or artificial tree? Real. I mean real as in the Norfolk Island Pine that I bought the very first year that Ichabod and I were together at Christmas. It's now taller than we are. Some years I've put lights on it. Some years, garlands. This year and last I only ended up using pretty bows that came on other things. :-)

3. When do you put up the tree? It sits in the dining/kitchen area by the biggest windows we have. All year because it has to.

4. When do you take the tree down? Never.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes. When I was a kid my mom used to mix it with regular milk to make it go further. Now I love the rich, creamy taste of it without regular milk or alcohol to mess it up. My lovely sister, Eclectic, wrote about Silk Nog last year. It's soy milk eggnog. I need to go buy some of that.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My pink ballerina tutu. Oh, I can hear Bucky laughing right now.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? No. I don't do any other decorating, either. But what I love to see are other people's nativity scene with Frosty and Santa hanging around the manger. I'm sure they must have a sense of humor. ;-)

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Tacky decorative items.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? I love to send Christmas cards. It's something that helps me feel close to my mother. She also sent letters, birthday cards, and of course, Christmas cards. At her funeral we were each given a tall candle in a glass that we could light when we want to remember her specially. Her birthday and holidays are times I've used it. I lit it the night I did my cards. It felt right.

10. Favorite Christmas Movie? How the Grinch Stole Christmas and the Christmas Story. What? I can't have two?

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I used to always start early. One year I was done by September. Didn't work that way this year.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Too much to choose from. But I have to admit that since I've known Ichabod I've learned that I like fruitcake. His mom makes it and it's good.

13. Clear lights or colored on the tree? When the clear lights were new I just loved them. Now I like any color.

14. Favorite Christmas song? I love to sing so many that it's hard to pick just one. On the religious song side my favorite to sing is Angels We Have Heard on High. For secular, I think it's The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting...).

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Our travels don't go more than a fifteen minute drive away.

16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Yes, but just because they're listed in the Rudolph song.

17. Angel on the tree top or a star? Just a bow.

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning? When I was a kid it was always Christmas morning. Since Ichabod and I have been together we have either hosted Christmas Eve or gone to his sister's for it. It's kind of fun, late that night, to get together and open stuff. Won't be much this year, though. Our big present to ourselves was a recumbent exercise bike. The scales will love that preset.

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People having a fit over others saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. But at this time of year there's Hannukah, Solstice, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. They're each legitimate. And Solstice is the oldest of them all. So Happy Holidays is all inclusive, and that's what I'm all about.

20. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? No. Too lazy.

21. What do you leave for Santa? Nothin'.

22. Least favorite holiday song? Little Drummer Boy. Sorry, Lynn. :-)


23. Favorite ornament? I don't have them anymore, but my parents had these very fragile glass ornaments in gorgeous jewel-like colors with winter and Christmas scenes done in some white stuff. I hated it when the cats got into the tree and one of those would break.

I tag no one. But if you're bored or looking for a post, go ahead. Let me know if you do!

Happy Holidays

Third Annual Blog Cookie Exchange

Thanks, Bucky, for making my masthead all Christmasy and stuff!

Well, it's that time of year again. Susie is hosting her third annual blog cookie exchange.

First, here's my rum cake recipe. I have made as many as three or four in the holiday season before.

Rum Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 small instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rum

Combine and beat 10 minutes on medium speed. Grease and flour tube pan. Bake 1 hour at 325 degrees F. Cool slightly, remove from the pan.

Sauce

1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Bring to boil. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add 2 ounces of rum. Poke holes in top of cake with fork. Spoon sauce over cake while warm.

Here's the cake.


And here are a couple of pictures of Christmas cheer at work.





Hope to see everyone today!

I'm not a nerd, but I guess I'm a dork

Got this from Danielle's and Doc Ern's places.

Sweet and spicy. Who knew?

You Are a Gingerbread House

A little spicy and a little sweet, anyone would like to be lost in the woods with you.

What Holiday Food Are You?

Found at Nick's place.