You’d think that with all the running around and the recent worries and stresses in my life would help keep those Christmas Cookies from hanging on to my hips? Absolutely not. Lard is lard, I suppose. Listed in the sweetest of recipe ingredients or on my rear, it seems to have it’s ultimate destination ingrained in the tiniest of lardlike molecules. :grumbles:

I have my post-holiday work cut out for me then, as I have just 21 days after Christmas (that’s 21 birthday gift shopping days to you, friends) to get back with “the program”, which is basically reaquainting myself with those single serving meals and packing away my cookie sheets for next year. My goal is to hit my comfortable weight by my birthday, smack in the middle of January. Wish me luck. And quit sending me Harry & David!

Today, I make my annual dough ornaments. I gave the recipe a couple of years ago but here it is again, for those of you who are :cough: bored today and want something creative and fun to do!

DOUGH ORNAMENTS
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water

Knead, add more flour to make it really doughy if needed, sprinkle water to make it more pliable as needed. Roll on very lightly floured surface, cut shapes using regular cookie cutters of your choice, bake at 250 for 2 hours.

Handy & Creative Tips:
– Roll them out on the backside of a non-stick cookie sheet so they don’t need to be transferred to the sheet.
– Fill in any cracks with water, smooth with your finger.
– Use a straw to punch out holes for ribbon before you bake them.
– Once completely cooled, paint them using metallic craft paint, or use a shimmery iridescent glaze over a solid color.
– Glue foil to the back to reflect the lights on the tree
– Use glitter sparingly to make them shiny
– String with ribbon and hang them on the tree!

Other things I have to share today before I forget:

• This plugin. This plugin is called the “One Click Plugin Updater”. Once installed and activated, and provided you’re using the most recent version of WordPress – all you need to do is visit your plugins page every now and again and scroll to see which plugins need to be updated, click to “update automatically” and that’s IT. How much easier could it get? There are a few plugins, unfortunately, that aren’t loaded into the plugins directory in such a way that they update automatically. Those need to be updated manually (and you’ll know, because the “update automatically” prompt will not go away). Other than those – it is a sweet little plugin and it will make your blogging life just a little bit easier!
• I am still decorating my tree here on my blog. Just a couple of ornaments left! Eek!
• Christmas cards have been sent. Do let me know if you get yours by Christmas – so I know how much earlier I need to get my butt in gear next year! If I don’t know you well, just keep hanging around and I’ll nudge you next year for your address.
• Mom is home from the hospital! She is happy to be home. She’s still having some blips but I’m told that it’s a side-effect from her meds, so once she is off of them she should be back to her snarky old self – only able to breathe and not have any more chest pain. Yay!
• Catybug (my little stage queen) was asked to do a reading at Church this Sunday. I found her the most beautiful (and stylish) dress and she is so excited – she gets to read the whole story of Jesus’ birth. My favorite Christmas carol, O Holy Night, will be played on piano while she tells the story. I cannot wait, it is going to be so beautiful! Send kleenex. Love, A Proud Momma.
• I got a new phone! Whoot! I know. I’m retarded to be excited about a phone. But wait! Let me explain! I’ve had a prepaid Verizon phone for years, just before Mark left for Iraq. While mom was in the hospital though, I blew through well over a month’s worth of a regular plan fee. THAT is retarded. When I found out that “In” minutes are free, and that most of the people I talk to are on Verizon, then I just outright had a “duh” moment. I signed up for a plan online, got a free phone, free activation and now I’m blowing cash to be all cool with my ringtones. Yes, I downloaded O Holy Night! :PHere are my first four downloads:
  – 1234 (TV Version)
  – O Holy Night (Martina McBride)
  – My Stupid Mouth (John Mayer)
  – How Great is our God (Chris Tomlin) – they have this titled wrong, took me forever to find it!

  My only change would be John Mayer’s song – the lyrics that play when the phone rings should be “My stupid mouth, got me in trouble- I said too much again…”, but what plays is “I’m never speakin up again, it only hurts me”, and my choice would be WAY funnier for a ring tone.

There’s my random blabbering for the day, I do hope you enjoy it – now I must go make some orny-mants before Christmas has passed and/or I don’t know what day it is. (I thought yesterday was Thursday. All day. And I missed a family gathering. Love, Retarded Girl.)

I hope your Christmas preparations are going well?