December Ups and Downs

It's been snowing off and on here and there for about a week... hit or miss LOL and it is currently at it again; big flakes and it's sticking! There is something so magickal about snow :)

I finally got around to shopping for my grandkids, unfortunately Wal-mart was a bust as usual. I swear we have the worst Wal-mart in Arizona! I could only find one pair of jeans for little Shyla and absolutely no leggings in her size what so ever; I ended up getting leggings one size larger, at least this way she will have presents to unwrap and Mommy can return/exchange them after Christmas (sigh). Becca was easy to shop for; they had plenty of clothes her size; Kaden was a little more difficult... not much variety to choose from for his size. With the clothes picked out I chose one toy for each child per what they told me they wanted:

• Becca- a "Tangled" barbie doll (Rapunzel)
• Kaden- well I veered from what he asked for because Mommy has that covered, so instead I got him an fighter plane play set
• Shyla- a Monster High doll... the female version of Frankenstien; she has long white hair with black low-lights... really cute! Here's a pic...

While I was at Wal-mart I broke down and spent $75+ on an electric blanket. We live in a little house built in 1965 with no vents. Yes, we have a heater in the main living space but no vents to the other rooms, and due to (1) I need to keep the cats out of my bedroom (2) my weird security/privacy issue (I have to have my door closed) and (3) the fact that I have 2 single pane windows in my room.... well, my bedroom gets damned cold! Up until now I was cuddling with my heating pad to stay warm, but now I have an electric blanket, and boy what a difference! I have always said I would rather be too cold than too hot, but this is ridiculous! Although I am no longer freezing, I end up roasting when one of my heat flashes kick in and kicking off all the blankets until I'm finished sweating like a pig (sigh) ... Ahhh the joys of menopause.

Mom was back in the hospital early Thursday morning but back home by Saturday morning. She's pretty much back to normal.

On Friday I went to my Doc and had him take a looks-y at me knee, and ended up getting a Lidocaine and Cortisone cocktail... yep you guessed it, in my knee. He had to jab me twice, but seriously... it was not as painful as I was expecting; I was anticipating some serious pain but thankfully I was wrong. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to have helped. He said if it doesn't help, to call his office and he will start the process for an MRI, so that's my next step.

With Christmas/Yule fast approaching we are trying to figure out dinner plans; it looks like we will gather at the big house with each household bringing a dish; we are suppose to have a meeting and decide who is doing what. This will be our last Christmas in that house, and possibly our last Christmas dinner as a family (with Mom and Deb) only time will tell.

I'm considering making homemade peanut brittle this year... CONSIDERING is the key word LOL  I am not one of those people that actually enjoys cooking/baking; I wish I was!

Easy Peanut Brittle

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups shelled raw peanuts
• 1 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 
  
• Microwave first 3 ingredients in a 2-quart glass bowl on HIGH 5 minutes, using an 1100-watt microwave oven. (Microwave 1 more minute if using a 700-watt microwave.) Stir in peanuts. Microwave 3 more minutes in an 1100-watt oven (add 1 more minute in 700-watt oven). Stir in butter and vanilla. Microwave 45 seconds in an 1100-watt oven (add 1 more minute in 700-watt oven) or until candy is the color of peanut butter. Stir in baking soda (mixture will bubble). Working quickly, spread hot candy in a thin layer onto a lightly greased baking sheet using two metal forks. Cool completely. Break candy into pieces.
• (Christmas With Southern Living 2006, Oxmoor House 2006)