Today

Today, I am exhausted.

 

Why you ask?  Because last night, I stayed awake, sitting guard in the kitchen, watching all my freshly baked goods, to protect them from my inebriated husband. 

 

We lost two good cookies last night.

 

Seriously.  I was awake until about 3 am protecting all my confections.  During some of that time, I was making some cinnamon sugar covered almonds and finishing up some other things - but I really was keeping watch on my goodies.  You never know what the Hubs is going to pig out on during late-night trips to the fridge.

 

As for where we are on the Christmas To-Do List:

• Decorate Christmas Tree (yea, this hasn't been done yet. We are expecting a huge snow storm here, and, because it's the South, chances are this entire city will shut down. Perfect timing for this small project.) Accomplished Monday night.  Finally. 
• Purchase and arrange candles for the fire place (in lieu of having a fire) (Last Update: I purchased the candles, have no idea how to arrange them yet. Ugh.) (NEW UPDATE: NOTHING ACCOMPLISHED HERE YET)
• Christmas Shopping (this list includes 10 people - my immediate family, in-laws, and the Hubs. Also, I have to purchase at least 2 gifts for my family's annual Chinese Christmas tradition. I have to probably purchase 3 more gifts in case my in-laws forget theirs, or misunderstand the whole gift exchange thing. Again.) (Last Update: I managed to get gift for my in-laws, and for one of my brothers. Everyone else is still up in the air, and there are three whole shopping days before the big day!) (NEW UPDATE: I still need to grab one or two more gift exchange gifts, but those should be easy.  I also need to wrap all the gifts, and in an ideal world, I would like to buy one more thing - a new video game for the Hubs.)
• Create Christmas Eve Menu (and obviously cook all these things) (NEW UPDATE:  Created menu, and I think I am pretty happy with it.  Still deciding on whether or not I should attempt deboning a leg of lamb by myself.  Otherwise, we're set.  Once we actually GET the groceries)
• Cooking for the dish I have to bring to Christmas Day dinner
• SHOPPING for all this food at the Grocery Store (Lord, help me)
• Bake Christmas goodies like a crazy person. I have to have something to give to neighbors and the like. (NEW UPDATE: With the help of my fabulous friend, Teeny, I was able to accomplish most all of my baking last night!  I think I will have to make some more chocolate chip cookies tomorrow, but that will due to the fact that I will eat some later today)
• Christmas Cards for immediate family members and grandparents (not my awesome DogLady card like so many of you are getting) Also, mail said cards. DONE!
• Come up with some kind of table decoration/centerpiece. Since re-doing our dining room, I have not purchased table linens, placemats, centerpieces, ANYTHING to match the new dining room. Everything used to be a red/black theme - it's now blue/silver. So, this should be interesting. (Last Update: I bought some pinecones - yes, I know I could have found them in the yard for free, but I wasn't about to go digging under a foot of snow for stupid pinecones - and some silver spray paint. I plan on putting the silver pinecones in a hurricane or something. I also had the brilliant idea to spray paint my old black and gold chargers siver. I did that last night, so I will see this afternoon how they turned out.) (NEW UPDATE:  Table is set!  Well, it's set for 8 so it looks pretty for the pictures.  I will be adding the other 3 table settings sometime tomorrow, and by the way, the silver chargers and pineconese came out famously.  I am in love.  With Spray Paint.  Or just high on fumes.)

 I feel like I might be able to do this tomorrow. 

 

I'll still need vodka, of course.  But I think I might be able to pull it off.