1:36 p.m. - 2007-12-17
And what have you been doing?
Monday, December 17, 2007
ARE YOU EXHAUSTED YET?
IS EVERYTHING DONE?
IS IT ALMOST DONE?
My husband and I were out this weekend, getting a few things we needed. I mentioned to him that I was done wrapping Christmas gifts and told him all the things I had selected for our family and friends.
He decided we were not giving ENOUGH to our son, daughter-in-law and step-granddaughters.
We bought more stuff! So I had to get all the wrapping paper, tape, scissors, tags and ribbon back out of the basement and wrap more gifts!
But, I think I am done now. All I have left to do is prepare the snacks and desserts for next week. I won't do that until Sunday to be ready for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Even better, I have talked to people who are coming and know what they plan to bring. We always do a potluck of sorts so we have lots (too much) food and plenty of variety. Hopefully, all the food will last through the Christmas holiday.
I have to admit, I am getting excited. I love to select gifts that I think are just perfect for the recipient. I love to watch their faces when they open the gift. Hopefully, they will enjoy my selection as much as I enjoyed making the choice.
*****
MARTHA STEWART'S LAST LETTER TO ERMA BOMBECK...
Hi Erma,
This perfectly delightful note is being sent on paper I made myself to tell you what I have been up to. Since it snowed last night, I got up early and made a sled with old barn wood and a glue gun.
I hand painted it in gold leaf, got out my loom and made a blanket in peaches and mauves.
Then, to make the sled complete, I made a white horse to pull it from DNA that I had just sitting around in my craft room. By then, it was time to start making the place mats and napkins for my 20 breakfast guests. I'm serving the old standard Stewart twelve-course breakfast, but I'll let you in on a little secret: I didn't have time to make the tables and chairs this morning, so I used the ones I had on hand.
Before I moved the table into the dining room I decided to add just a touch of the holidays. So I repainted the room in pinks and stenciled gold stars on the ceiling.
While the homemade bread was rising, I took antique candle molds and made the dishes (exactly the same shade of pink) to use for breakfast. These were made from Hungarian clay, which you can get at almost any Hungarian craft store.
Well, I must run. I need to finish the hand-sewn buttonholes on the dress I'm wearing for breakfast.
I'll get out the sled and drive this note to the post office as soon as the glue dries on the envelope I'll be making.
Hope my breakfast guests don't stay too long. I have 40,000 cranberries to string with bay leaves before my speaking engagement at noon. It's a good thing.
Love, Martha
P.S. When I made the ribbon for this typewriter, I used 1/8-inch gold gauze. I soaked the gauze in a mixture of white grapes and blackberries which I grew, picked, and crushed last week just for fun.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Martha:
I'm writing this on the back of an old shopping list. Pay no attention to the coffee and jelly stains.
I'm 20 minutes late getting my daughter off for school, packing a lunch with one hand-on the phone
with the dog pound, seems old Ruff needs bailing out again.
Burnt my arm on the curling iron when I was trying to make those cute curly fries, how DO they do that?
Still can't find the scissors to cut out some snowflakes, tried using an old disposable razor . . . trashed the tablecloth.
Tried that cranberry thing; frozen cranberries mushed up after I defrosted them in the microwave.
Oh, and don't use Fruity Pebbles as a substitute in that Rice Krispies snowball recipe unless you like
food that resembles puke!
Smoke alarm is going off, talk to ya later.
Love, Erma
*****
Here's one for all the cat lovers..
A Cat's 12 Days of Christmas
On the twelfth day of Christmas my human gave to me:
Twelve bags of catnip!
Eleven bags of Pounce treats,
Ten ornaments hanging,
Nine wads of Kleenex,
Eight peacock feathers,
Seven stolen Q-tips,
Six feathered balls,
Five MILK JUG RINGS!
Four munchy house plants,
Three running faucets,
Two fuzzy mousies,
And a hamster in a plastic ball!!
*****
AND FINALLY.....FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE...
THE TWELVE DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS.....
The first day after Christmas
My true love and I had a fight
And so I chopped the pear tree down
And burnt it, just for spite
Then with a single cartridge
I shot that blasted partridge
My true love, my true love,
my true love gave to me.
The second day after Christmas
I pulled on the old rubber gloves
And very gently wrung the necks
Of both the turtle doves
My true love, my true love,
my true love gave to me.
On the third day after Christmas
My mother caught the croup
I had to use the three French hens
To make some chicken soup
The four calling birds were a big mistake
For their language was obscene
The five golden rings were completely fake
and turned my fingers green.
The sixth day after Christmas
The six laying geese wouldn't lay
So I sent the whole darn gaggle to the
A.S.P.C.A.
On the seventh day, what a mess I found
The seven swans-a-swimming all had drowned
My true love, my true love,
my true love gave to me.
The eighth day after Christmas
Before they could suspect
I bundled up the
Eight maids-a-milking
Nine ladies dancing
Ten lords-a-leaping
Eleven pipers piping
Twelve drummers drumming - well, actually I kept one of the dancing ladies -
And sent them back collect
I wrote my true love
"We are through, love!"
And I said in so many words
"Furthermore your Christmas gifts were for the Birds!"
*I don't know who wrote this poem but it was a good one!
