Mom's wedding dress

I helped my mom pick out a wedding dress today at lunch. It was pretty surreal to see her standing there in it. She looked lovely. It's a long flowy spaghetti strap dress with a linen sheath with cap sleeves. It is perfect. I cried.

It's weird to be working when it's so quiet around here. Christmas was fun with the H's in Dallas. Lots of sausage eating, visiting with the kids and I discovered that I like whiskey. Mike's Aunt Maxine has a bar in her house and they have a gasoline tank liquour holder and she filled up my glass.

We close on our house tomorrow. If everything goes as planned, Mike and I are buying a celebratory rug for the kitchen floor with rabbits eating turnips on it. We are imitating what the sellers had in there. I never thought I'd be the kind of person to have a rug with rabbits on it. Twill be the first new item purchased for our chalet. Next up we need mirrors for the downstairs bathroom, a fridge, new fixtures for 2 bathrooms, a bedroom set, tables, etc. That's a lot, but I am excited about our future.

AC: enthusiasm

mb

random pics

Done with house... bring back the jolly

here is a lovely shot of our first married Christmas tree and our mantel, courtesy of hobby lobby.

The past 8 days of my life have been really stressful because of our home- homework. We had to have a structural engineer, a contractor and Art inspect the house. We had to pore over contracts, finances, figures until the wee hours... There was lots of breath holding and tummy hurting with stress over what to counter offer to make our house repairs.

But... as of 8:15p.m. last night, we are done! The sellers agreed to give us more than we expected... a fair deal. We close on 12/29 and they are leasing back from us until the end of January.

I experienced my annual overkill on holiday music during our housing stress slump, but took a few days off the Majic of Christmas and am back in jolly mode overall. We've got Monika and Wolfie's tonight for German glog, my family tomorrow night and Dallas on Friday and good free seats to the Mavs game. Life is good again!

AC: Faith

Merry Christmas one and all!

Maybe our house....

So the update is that we got the house! 6 other parties wound up placing offers and we won out. I wrote them a sappy letter telling the sellers about us and how much we loved the house and I guess it might have gotten us the house. Joy!

Well, life can never be easy peasy, so it's back to anxiety over whether or not we'll actually "want" the house. We're in the option period when you have 8 days to get the inspectors in, etc. We went back to the house on Mon. night and our realtor was kind of freaking out about some "settling" in the house. There are a few cracks in the master bedroom walls. Foundation issues are normal in Texas, but we don't want to have a money pit, either. Art, mom, sandra, mike and i are meeting at 5 to check it out and then the house inspector is going out Friday morning. Cross your fingers. I want that house SO much it hurts.

I won't lie. All I want to think about is unconceived children, decorating, christmas cookies, holiday dinners, shopping lists, etc. No bueno. I am cooking a big holiday dinner for my family before we go to Dallas to celebrate with Mike's and I'm making a baked brie, a big pork roast with fennel and chocolate pecan pie....

My husband has been a superstar about this house stuff. It's fun to see him as enthusiastic about something as I am.
AC: Power

Our house?

Mike and I put an offer in on a house yesterday. Neither one of us has ever been a homeowner before... so it's pretty exciting. The house is really pretty and cozy. There were lots of cute holiday decorating touches and framed kids artwork that really tugged at your heart strings and made my maternal instinct come out. It has a huge circle drive in the front and a nice backyard and lots of cute nooks and crannies inside for storage and style.

4 other people had made an offer as of last night so the competition is tough. We will find out today by 6 if we get it. I am trying to quell any anxiety about it and trust that God will stick us where we're supposed to be.

AC: light

Santa's Thumbprints

From Mom

1 C margarine
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 C sifted flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C uncooked oatmal
1 pkg chocolate chips
pecan halves as you prefer- 1 used about a cups worth

Beat margarine, gradually adding sugars and beat til fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and almond extract. Sift together flour, salt and soda and stir into creamed mixture; blend in oatmeal. Shape dough into small balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Make hollow in each ball with your thumb. Bake at 375 for 10-15 min. Cool cookies.

Melt chocolate chips. Spoon dollop into center of each cookie. Top with pecan half. Chill until chocolate is firm. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

peppermint candy cane cookies

Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies
From Mom and Mrs. Sutherland

1/2 C shortening
1 1/4 C sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/4 C milk
1 1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp. peppermint flavoring
1 tsp salt
red food coloring

Mix shortening, sugar, egg and flavoring in mixer or food processor. Add flour and salt. Divide dough in half. Add red drop to one half to suit your fancy. Roll a 4" strip (about 1 tsp) from each color so that it looks like you have a little white worm and a pink worm. Twist into a candy cane shape. Make lots of room cause these get pretty puffy in the baking. Bake on ungreased pan at 375 for 9 min. While warm sprinkle with sugar or crushed candy canes.