Here it is New Years Eve Day

I have a rough draft of my Resolutions, will be pondering that as well as finishing the second Super Huge Christmas Door Decoration and listening and or watching 6 Football Games.

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YUP College Bowls are still going on. Today they begin at 12:30 PM ET

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces

California vs Air Force 12:30 pm

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Roady's Humanitarian

Georgia Tech vs. Fresno State 2 pm

^^^ Brut SunSouth

Florida vs. Oregon 2 pm

^^^^^^^^ Gaylord Hotels Music City

Kentucky vs. Florida State 4pm

^^^^^^^^^^^^ Insight

Indiana vs. Oklahoma State 5:50 pm

^^ Chick-fil-AClemson vs. Auburn 7:30 pm

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There will be lots of flipping the channels for sure. There will also be doing outside chores as again the weather is conducive and STUFF needs done. But then that is on going as always.

Wood to split, twigs and limbs that have fallen to be picked up AGAIN. Come spring there will be more as usual. The traditional burning of old tree limbs that are not good for the fireplace needs attention, because tomorrow the burn begins.

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Reasoning here is Regulation for outside burning exists.

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Fall Forest Fire Season Ends December 31.

^^ As for eating I am prepared with several snack foods, cheese, crackers, fruit etc. Tonight the dinner will be what I call the Weekly Review. As when I taught, the students had to do this so it has always seemed apropos to clear the fridge before beginning new foods.

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Interesting Note: Apros was an ancient city in Thrace, now in modern Turkey. Its exact location is not known, but it was near Rodosto (modern Tekirdağ, Turkey), west of Istanbul.

Back to what exactly we shall do to celebrate tonight. Many years ago BC [before children] we did indeed go out to parties. When the kids were small we would occasionally have people over or go out. Then we decided we would stay home and just simply enjoy each other company. AND Try to Stay awake. HAHA!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ There is something to be said to look lovingly into your mate’s eyes, and even smooch a bit J hugs are always good too. As for the Bubbly, HA, one needs to be awake for that now.

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A bottle of Prosecco! This light sparkler, from the northern Italian region on Veneto, is made for summer. It's light, refreshing, and carries slight hints of melons, pears, and almonds. Prosecco is made from a grape of the same name and is excellent paired with calamari, a green salad, or a plate of pasta. Traditionally, Prosecco is an off-dry (that is, slightly sweet) wine, but today, many Proseccos are dry and crisp. Look for "brut" on the wine label for a dry Prosecco. This wine is most famous for its starring role in the Bellini, a cocktail made from fresh white peach juice and Prosecco, created at Harry's Bar in Venice.

Douglas and Holly are FREE

There was also a [Mini - Me] tee hee, Wee Holly my Sweetie got me, and she is as well planted. She now is beginning to root close to where I can see her progress. My Nook!

Traditionally we plant our rooted tree New Years Day. Sometimes the weather dictates change and we take advantage of that if at all possible. This year is an example of using forethought. Today’s High was 44, tomorrow to be 45, and Monday will be 49. Lookout for Tuesday January 1st. our, temperatures are to be 37 and Wednesday 25 with snow! Perfect transition time for Douglas to acclimate to the outside!!! While my Sweetie planted the trees, I located, or rather RELOCATED two volunteer Holly’s that I must Stake tomorrow and add Brightly colored ribbons so these two do not get Whacked down AGAIN! What joy it was to see that they came back. These two are close to where Douglas is planted, and twice the size of the wee holly. So now to read on how to prune these Holly’s so they become a tree instead of a bush!

A couple of days before Christmas when I was at the grocery I spied these absolutely scrumptiously colored tulips. Tomorrow, since the weather is conducive, I shall plant these under the Wee Holly.

My Sister-in-law gave us an Amaryllis and I got another variety for here at the house that I had never seen before. They are almost ready to flower. Amaryllis bulbs are prized for their willingness to produce large and colorful blooms indoors in the dead of winter. These large bulbs will grow happily and bloom abundantly in nothing more than stones and water. In Zones 9 and 10, they can also be planted outdoors in full sun and well-drained soil, with the shoulders of the bulbs 1 inch above the soil. Bulbs planted in the ground generally bloom in late spring or early summer.

After a fabulous breakfast, using my new Belgium Waffle Maker that my Sweetie got me, we can settle down and enjoy the day.

The one I got is though sold as cybister amaryllis, it is really more than a trade name; this group of plants is a separate species (Hippeastrum cybister), and like most of this group of tropical bulbs, it originates in South America. However, many of the early crosses were made by the late Fred Meyer, a San Diego, Calif., plant breeder

Amaryllis flowers History The name amaryllis flowers are based on the name of Greek Mythology- Amaryllis is the name of a Greek Shepherdess.

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There is to be a New Years Comet… So exciting. Two nights before closest approach, on Dec. 30th and 31st, something extraordinary will happen:

^^^^^^^^^^^^ Comet 8P/Tuttle has a beautiful close encounter with spiral galaxy M33. The comet and the galaxy may even overlap! This is a can't-miss opportunity for astro-photographers around the world.

The Moon on THIS Christmas Eve

This Christmas Eve, Mars is at its closest to Earth for the next nine years. Mars is also "at opposition." That's astronomy-lingo for "directly opposite the sun." It means Mars is up whenever the sun is down: on Christmas Eve, the Red Planet will be visible all night long.

Moon Phases

My Wish for You in 2008

May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts. May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet of $100 bills. May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips! May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face. May your tears be those of joy, and may the problems you had, forget your home address! In simple words.... May 2008 be the best year of your life!!!

Have you started YOUR list of potential New Year’s Resolutions? Click here for the countdown to New Years!

Happy New Year!!! Pop the Balloons!

************** The History of New Year's Resolutions The tradition of the New Year's Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar.

Saint Basil and other January HolidaysWe have had this cake and it is quite tasty. I wrapped the coin in aluminum foil so it would be easier NOT to bite down upon it. Of course I sterilized the coin first. ****************** *******************

Lucky Food in Greece The Greek tradition of eating Vasilopita (a cake baked with a coin inside) originated from the famously high taxes that the Ottoman Empire imposed on the Greek people during the long Ottoman reign. It is believed that a Bishop of Greece, through some miracle, managed to recover a large portion of the Greek people's riches from the Ottoman's grasp. When he attempted to return the riches to their respective owners fighting among the Greek people broke out -- no one could agree on who had owned what! The second miracle of the story unveils itself here: Saint Basil asked the women to bake a large cake with the valuables inside.

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When he sliced the cake, the valuables miraculously found their way back to their rightful owners! Today, a cake is baked in honor of this miracle and one coin is baked inside of it. The person who bites into his piece of cake and finds the coin will be blessed with good luck in the year to come.

St. Basil's Cake (New Year's Eve Cake)

******************** This cake from Greece is usually cut just before midnight. The person who gets the piece with the coin is believed to have good luck in the upcoming year.

****************** Serves 8-10

* 10 Eggs, separated

* 8 ounces Butter

* 3 cups Sugar

* 2 ounces Brandy

* 3 Oranges

* 1 Lemon

* 1 1/2 Tablespoons Vanilla

* 6 1/2 cups Flour (self-rising)

* 1/2-cup Sesame seeds

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* 1 Coin (wrapped in aluminum foil)*************

** Whip the egg whites until stiff.

** Cream together the butter, sugar, and egg yolks.

** Fold into the whites.

** Add the zest and juice of the oranges and lemon.

** Add the brandy and vanilla.

** Sift the flour and add it to the mixture.

** Add the coin. Grease and flour a round cake pan.

** Pour the mixture in.

** Sprinkle on the sesame seeds.

** Bake at 350 for about an hour or until firm in the middle.

What a nice recipe!

Sit back from your busy schedule and let the peace come over you.

1/2 cup of Hugs

4 teaspoons kisses

1 cup of Holiday Cheer

1/2 cup of Peace on Earth

3 teaspoon of Christmas Cheer

2 cups of Goodwill Towards Men

4 cups of Love

1 Sprig of Mistletoe

1 large bag of Christmas Snowflakes

Mix Hugs, Kisses, Smiles, and Love.

Blend in Holiday Cheer, Peace on Earth,

Christmas Spirit and Goodwill Toward Men.

Use the mixture to fill a large, warm heart where it

can be stored for a lifetime, for it never goes bad!

Serve as desired under Mistletoe, sprinkle liberally with

Christmas Snowflakes.

It is especially good when accompanied

by Christmas carols and a family get-together.

Love to one and all!

Peace, Health, Love and Goodwill for all... Things are getting MORE hectic here, but that is always a good thing this time of year. See you all in a few days.

The winter solstice, Hoarfrost and Abraham

Get ready to drool over the seed catalogues, because there will be more and more sunlight.

On Sat., Dec. 22, 2007, 1:08 A.M. EST (06:08 UT), marks the solstice—the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere The shortest day of the year, respectively, in the sense that the length of time elapsed between sunrise and sunset on this day is a minimum for the year. **** Solstice information.

As for the Hoarfrost I must tell you it was Abraham that alerted me to this. You might want to check his Blog, fabulous bird photos. So after doing some research, spurred on by Abraham, these are a few neat things I learned. Thanks Abraham!

Hoarfrost: *************

A deposit of interlocking ice crystals (hoar crystals) formed by direct sublimation on objects, usually those of small diameter freely exposed to the air, such as tree branches, plant stems and leaf edges, wires, poles, etc., which surface is sufficiently cooled, mostly by nocturnal radiation, to cause the direct sublimation of the water vapor contained in the ambient air.

Now this information is Totally Kewl **********

Grow Your Own Frost!

You can make your own hoarfrost crystals if you have a cold, wind-free location -- for example, an unheated outdoor shed. Just plug in a hotplate and heat an open pan of water over a low heat for a day or two. You'll want to heat the water without heating the whole shed, so it helps if it's good and cold outside.

You may want to provide a branch or some other artistic surface above the pan for water vapor to condense onto. How the crystals grow will depend on the air temperature (see the Snowflake Primer), so you may find different types of hoarfrost crystals on different days. If you see something interesting when you try this, take some pictures (see Photographing Snow for useful techniques) and send me an e-mail.

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Really a neat site I think!

One can distinguish between some types of hoar frost, depending on where it forms. For example, air hoar is a deposit of hoar frost on objects above the surface, such as tree branches, plant stems, wires; surface hoar is formed by fernlike ice crystals directly deposited on snow, ice or already frozen surfaces; crevasse hoar consists in crystals that form in glacial crevasses where water vapour can accumulate under calm weather conditions; depth hoar refers to cup shaped, faceted crystals formed within dry snow, beneath the surface.

Frost

And Traditions

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Ah as I sat in my Nook this morning I could see a light skimmer of frost over all the bushes, trees and the water saturated ground from last weeks flooding. It was magnificent My Sweetie bopped into the Nook and mentioned as well how beautiful it was out there. “ Are you going to take some pictures?’ he queried. I smiled.

First things first… 1. Had to wake up TOTALLY. 2. Feed George 3. Feed the outside cats 4. Let the Kittens out for a romp 5. And THINK about the next move I should make.

This week has been something else. Of course this time of year IS hectic. Now that the Stockings have been found and the Angel is atop the tree things seemed to be getting better.

I still have not had the time to get the Embroidery thread, nor do some last minute shopping… UN encumbered from needs of others I am squirreling myself away to accomplish STUFF!

Here is the picture of the WVU Felted Door Decoration, still needs more “things” sewn on. Then to complete the College Football Excel Sheet… enter my picks, then enter the other participants. Heyya the First College Bowl Game is TONIGHT! Utah vs. Navy; Dec. 20, 9 p.m.; ESPN HD; San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl!

Oh yes Football and HA HA, me! This too is a family tradition and a fun one at that.

George and Willow got into the Act; I took 80 pictures just of them ;)

I did manage to get the homemade gifts that we give to some of the local business people in our town. I just finished actually. This year I mixed the Dry ingredients for

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Gingerbread Waffles *** Recipe at end of Post @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

What I will do with the Waffle Dry Ingredients is add the information for the wet ingredients in the Gift bag. The people to whom they are given have an opportunity to share with their families whenever it suits them.

@@@@@@@@@@@ No ordinary breakfast, gingerbread waffles are an easy indulgence and best served with tangy sour cream and tart lingonberry preserves (although, truth be told, they're delicious with any type of berry jam). For a special touch, use a heart-shape waffle iron.

@@ I might cheerfully add, just doing that has my Christmas Spirit topping the charts. @@@@@@@@

I remember years ago when I was a little Girl, Daddy would leave a Fifth of Vodka out for the Waste Management people… Mom on the other hand always added homemade bread or cookies. Think Mom was sorta against the Vodka, But bottom line the bottles were always gone as well as the food and a hasty note left saying MERRY CHRISTMAS and Thank You.

Gingerbread Waffles

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Ingredients Makes 10.

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2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 4 large eggs 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for serving 3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses Lingonberry preserves (or other berry preserves), for serving

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Directions 1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs, butter, milk, sour cream, and molasses in a medium bowl. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, and whisk until smooth.

2. Heat a waffle iron. Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each mold, and cook until golden brown. Serve warm waffles with sour cream and preserves.

Copyright 2007 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Frantic

Well I was and now I am not

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A Mischief of Mice no it was my own doing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Relocation yup I had done that for of all the handmade needlepoint stockings.

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AND THE TREE TOPPER! YIKES!

~~~~~~~~~~~ Just WHERE had I put them that was even a safer place? I had done all of these for the kids and us.

Three days of worry

~~~~~~~~~~~~ SIGH

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Tomorrow the final picture of the Felted Door Decoration… I ran out of embroidery thread. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ But an idea to share with you all,

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The MICE that is! Chocolate Christmas Mice Cookies

They were too cute to eat; everyone took them home instead to show people. They are easy to make and a great project to do with children. No baking required, just use Hershey's chocolate kisses, double stuffed Oreos, maraschino cherries and chocolate chips to “build” your Christmas mice!

You can use a clean eyebrow tweezers or something else to grasp the cherries by the stems to dunk in chocolate

~~~ HECK no way dipping with fingers allows the necessity to lick fingers then washing hands before more dipping is done! ~~~ What to do with the leftover non iced Oreo! My Sweetie totally loves chocolate and as I was doing this project I knew what was happening with the non-iced portions of the Oreo. I also knew there was a double boiler pot with luscious deep dark chocolate in it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As with most projects there are leftovers as was in this case. I took what melted Chocolate was left over and RESTUFFED the remaining Oreos. Tada! I do believe he liked them.