oh the joy of snow!

 Today, I am staying home.  I didn't go to the pool, again, because I seem to be losing the fighting-off-this-cold battle.  I am not sick, as in I feel okay...but not good.  My body is telling it's own story, sort of hoarse, with a bit of a cough, but not in the lungs, just throat.  A bit dizzy, need to eat something hot and spicy maybe.  I've been more tired than usual, too.  I could have gone, it would have felt nice to get in the water, but those friends of mine in the swimming class, didn't want to get them sick.

So today I've wrapped some presents, and puttered around.  It's cozy. It's as cozy as heck.  

Orange Guy all snowy, I usually towel him off, he tolerates it quite well.  

The house gets that snowy glow, love it.  

Yesterday I went out and about with Kathryn and her little ones. 

Jamie...

Paul came down and got all my bags when we got home, I only had my coffee, purse, and a roll of wrapping paper.

Rhys having some raspberries, and Achilles with the comfy blanket I got them.

We went to Marshall's, I got a few gifts, then to Aldi.  We were home in the early afternoon, time to make dinner!  I had chicken marinating, so I battered it up (flour/baking powder/cornstarch/salt/pepper/cayenne/garlic, then eggs with buttermilk, then flour mixture plus bread crumbs and parmesan). Into a hot oven on parchment covered sheets with olive oil, flipped it all around so it was covered in oil, and mmm, crispy oven fried chicken.  I made some sauce with butter, hot sauce, brown sugar...boiled it until it thickened, so yummy.  We also had some salads....

Now today, I have MORE chicken breast marinating.  Every bit of yesterday's is gone, as Jon takes lunch to work every day.  I'm thinking of making it similarly but we are out of hot sauce....

Tomorrow I'm making the cookie dough for the cut outs for the children's party, then cutting them out and baking them on Friday.  I hope my hand doesn't cramp up too much.  Last night at activity club, I was cutting and tying little hangers onto ornaments the kids were decorating, then helping them string jingle bell necklaces, and after an hour straight, my hand cramped up, thumb against palm...ouch.  It's not really so painful, just uncomfortable, and it aches and hurts afterward.  I feel like such a baby, ow, a cramp.  But ha, cramps do hurt.

And no, I wouldn't really want to have a baby when I'm seventy, or more importantly:  a two year old when I'm 72.  Or, a teenager when I'm 83.  Oh, the good old days, when I was able to manage so much more!  I can't believe with three December birthdays, and all the Christmas gifts and class presents and youth parties and and and....it was SO busy.  

These days, with five birthdays this month, (two of the grandkids!), it isn't as busy.  Abigail and Aaron are in Delaware and Arizona, so I'll just send them something...better get on that, now that I mention it ha.  I don't make massive amounts of cookies anymore.  The kids here won't eat them, so I've cut way back.  I will make a big batch right before Christmas, of the butter cut outs, and there's the ones I'll make on Friday.  I'll make one big pan of fudge, too.  

It's after dinner now.  Camille made coconut rice, which I want to just put the spoon into, and eat right from the pan, but I won't have any...I tasted it to see if it was done, and oh my dear goodness it's good.  I did have some chicken...I made it simpler this time and it's better than last night:  I dredged those marinated strips of chicken breast in the flour/cornstarch/bakingpowder/salt/pepper/cayenne/breadcrumbs mixture, then put them on the parchment papered pan in olive oil, flipped it to get each piece oily, then baked in a 400 degree oven, turning every ten minutes or so...so nice and crunchy and moist and juicy, so good.  I made Brussel sprouts in the air fryer, too.  

I moseyed on into the kitchen after dinner to clean things up, and update the count-down tree, we were three days behind.  The other countdown calendar still said 21 days until Christmas.  Not too long ago, there were kids fighting for their turn to pick the ornament and change the calendar.  We used to buy like four of those chocolate calendars, and they could choose whether to divide the tiny chocolate up each day between whoever many were sharing, or take turns having a whole one.   There weren't too many squabbles, but there were also the times certain toddlers got hold of one and ate all the way until Christmas in one single day.  

I bought the Aldi chocolate Santa with the chocolate foil wrapped ornaments, and no one has excitedly danced around begging to hang them on the tree.  I poured them in a bowl on the counter, the grandkids can hang them up.  

This post is taking all the live-long day to get finished, because life happens.  I just finished an amazing cup of hot tea, called Sugar Cookie Sleighride, Celestial Seasonings.  It's from last year, but still very good with a splash of cream, no sugar, although shh, I think a tad bit of sugar would make it amazing.  

Have a really good night...!