Check it out, girlfriends!

 HOW DOES THIS GRAB YOU?  WHOOOOOO-AHHHHHHH!

 Free Shipping Day

Calling all procrastinators. The second annual Free 

Shipping Day is December 17, 2009. Over 500 merchants are expected to offer free shipping with delivery by Christmas Eve.

 

Love and shopping carts

Really! It was that many!

After thousands upon thousands of requests I am finally going to let you in on my new fav cookie.  Do you have a pencil and paper ready?

This is compliments of Christmas.Cookies.com and it is easy and delish.

Cranberry Magic Bars

1 1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs
1/2 C. butter, melted
1 1/2 C. white chocolate chips
1 1/2 C. dried cranberries
1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 C. sweetened flaked coconut
1 C. pecan halves

Oven to 350F.  In small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter til crumbly;  press into a greased 13x9 baking pan.  In a large bowl, combine the remaining stuff.  Spread it out over the crust.  Bake 25-28 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Cool completely on rack.  Cut into bars.

How simple can you get, right?

Ten more days til Santa.  I know what I am getting.  I will tell you later on in the week!  I peeked!

Love

And only one more tiny little thing!

This should have been #2 after the servicemen and women.......

15.  a chance to have all six grandchildren at our house, at the same time, so that we could have them all to ourselves.  We could go to the zoo, the science museum, run at the parks, ride bikes, eat junk food and watch movies all night (oh, I hope their parents are reading this one!).  My perfect Sunday would be to have them all at the table, along with their parents, for dinner.  Just once.

Please Santa??

Oh! And.....

15.  a puppy!

Oh, and

14.  (This should have been first!!!) -- please -no more of our servicemen and women and innocent children killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Nowhere, actually.  No more.  None. 

Oh, and a...

13.  whole day, meaning the entire 24 hours, to spend alone with my girl.

And..

12.  a bright green winter scarf for my jacket

Love

Hello?

Are you still here?  I have been busier than a cat in a litter box.  We are getting ready for the road again as we are planning our trip to Virginia to visit some of the family for Christmas.  Cookies are baking, presents are being wrapped, mail is held, bags are being packed, underwear washed.  Lots of anticipation this time because we haven't seen the little ones in awhile and are DYING to lick their faces!

Our other two kiddos will be visiting their other grandparents in NYC at the same time as this soiree, but we will be able to spend lots of time with them in March.  So much to look forward to!  We love Atlanta and are always anxious to go there.  This is the positive side of close family members living in another state.  We get to go to all kinds of new places, new restaurants, see new sites.  We love it!

So - tell me - do you have your shopping done?  I actually think we are finished.  I may have to check this one particular pile here and see if it is up to snuff.  What did you buy?  What do you want from Santa?  I have quite a list going here.

1.   a certificate for yoga classes
2.   four nights at the Omni Riverwalk Resort in San Antonio
3.   a European facial
4.   2010 Broadway Series tickets at the Playhouse
5.   plane ticket to Atlanta
6.   plane ticket to Brussels
7.   plane ticket to Baltimore
8.   a new knife
9.   beading class money
10. face lift
11. oh ya!  and a pair of Reebok Easy Tones for toning my butt

Hmmmmm, I wonder what I will get? 

In the meantime, have a great, crazy week finishing your shopping and wrapping!  And, love the heck out of your family.

Love

Adam and ABC Pig?

I thought I had seen it all until I happened to come upon the Today's Photos on the Life magazine photos website. 

I will never understand why some folks think it is OK to display inappropriate, sexually charged music, dancing, and information on prime time television.  Even though we live in an era of such hi-tech equipment and fast paced news, the family (in my world, anyway) is still sacred.  The family is still held near and dear.  Family values should mean something.  What children and teenagers are exposed to should be important.

Adam Lambert's offensive display on the Music Awards show last night was unconscionable and, to be honest, it was sickeningly degrading.

Girls - please monitor what the kids are watching!  You cannot control what is outside, or in school, or at the mall, but you can control what goes on in your own home.  

Enough is enough! 


Love and totally ticked off

Zum, Zum, Zumba! Not.

Oh, how I wish I could shake my booty like these Zumba dancers!  Why wasn't I blessed with that long, slim torso, great breasts, and long fab legs.  Oh - and the long thick gorgeous hair?  What about me????  I love the Latin beat.  I love to dance and, given some really good music, I have quite a bit of stamina for an old gal.  Wait a minute - I am not old!  I am just getting it cranked.  Actually, I have a minimum of 38 years left.

Unfortunately, I am sorta kidding you and myself.  I mean, I do have a minimum of 38 years left for fun and games but - I guess I am out of the Zumba class.  Too late.

So - instead of Latin dance - I went for the Latin FOOD!!  Now we are in my ballpark.  Wait til you hear this!  This restaurant is now my new fav.  Nuevo Latino, Baby!  Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar.  All flavors of Central and South America, Cuba, and the Latin Caribbean foods and drinks.  All freshly made on the spot.  House-made salsas, root veggies, guacamole made right before my eyes (by this gorgeous hunk).

The challenge for me was to pick just the right dinner.  I asked our server for her suggestions.  I started off my night with a fishbowl (!) of delicious sangria loaded with fruit.  The soup a was smoked butternut squash tortilla blend with sweet onions, tomatoes with smoked corn and green onions.  Although a couple of my friends ordered it and loved it, I felt as those my intestines would never by the same if I ate it.  So - I ended up with the Ensalada Mixta - a very nice sald with avocado, pumpkin seeds, blah, blah, blah with sherry vinaigrette.  It was good - nothing special.

I chose the mariscos frescos for my entree.  Fresh seafood for those of you who are not in the Latin loop.  Cuban sofrito basted scallops.  Luscious jumbo juicy sea scallops with sauteed zucchini.  A real treat.  Some sort of Cuban spices there and some other stuff that I didn't recognize, but all good.  So far, so good? Whew!  I had to take a deep breath because I had to smell the dessert menu.  I do not see the point of going to a fine restaurant and then not just taking a peek at the dessert menu.

Of course, all of the girls had to have that peek.  The birthday girl of the night chose the Cuban bread pudding spiked with rum soaked raisins and covered with caramel sauce -  which she loved, obviously.  Another picked the pumpkin cheesecake.  Two others chose the churros, which came out hot out of the oven.  My choice made my heart practically do flips.  Tres Layer Chocolate Cake, mi amigas.  Tres.  Three layers of chocolate mousse cake drenched in Mexican chocolate and topped with fresh vanilla whipped cream.  This and a cup of fresh latte accompanied by a sugar cane stick left me feeling spent.  I almost needed a cigarette.  If I were a smoker.

Whoooooo-ahhhhhh.  What a dinner.  If you are within range of a Paladar Kitchen, I highly recommend it.  After eating the Cuban/Latin food tho - there is no way that I would be able to Zumba.  Not in this lifetime.  Maybe the next.  Then, I will be hot.

Love and plantains