I love the snow blower pic the best!

HA! Right? Or he's gonna think, "Santa is MY grandpa!!"

Funny story about Liv's speech therapist. Apparently, Kathy's father runs a Christmas tree farm. He had two reindeer on the farm as pets (they're very domesticated). Well, this past year, one of the reindeer died suddenly without explaination. According to state law, cloven-hoofed animals who die need to be examined by a vet. So K's dad (who is 70 years old, has white hair and a white beard) put the reindeer in a truck to take to the vet.

His Christmas tree farm logo jacket is red.

See where this is going?

When he walked into the vet and told the receptionist he was there about his reindeer, she totally blew him off like he was joking!

DH says he likes Intervention because it makes him feel a lot better about himself. It's logical.

I made brownies. My recipe called for two sticks of butter, 8oz, as well. But it also came out squidgy in the middle, although I blamed that on me needing to make altitude adjustments.

Still yum, though. And we added pecan & macadamia nut crumbles and that was extra yum.

I use a bath mat in the bathtub, and I believe that pulling out the mat and drying it upside down on the tub rim is the True Way, because that's what my mom did growing up. But I don't actually do that in practice. And in fact, my bath mat is now upside down on the bathroom floor, not sure why.

I don't use a bathmat in the tub now, since our tub has a rough finish on the bottom. But when we did use a bathmat in the tub, I always pulled it up after showers. I loved that sound it made when the suction cups pulled loose. Also? If you use the rubber mat with suction cups and you don't pull it up and let it dry between showers, it gets grody on the bottom, what with the shed skin and soap scum, ew. And it will leave suction cup prints on the tub. Ask me how I know.

We use a woven cotton throw rug as an absorbent bath mat outside the tub, and I can't leave that one on the floor between showers, either, as the cat takes it as his mission to befur it thoroughly. He'll even pull it down off the side of the tub so he can roll around on it--it's even better if it's still damp. We put a towel bar on the back wall of the tub and hang it there, where he can't reach unless he grows about three feet in height.

Kat, the cookies picture is same link as snow blowing. I need Noah cookie peeekshurs please.

Also, Noah's gramps (both of 'em) remind me of my gramps, who passed away 3 years ago in January, so the pics of Noah's gramps made me happy and thoughtful.

And now I am thinking of Juliana's gramps, and I am sending all of my gramps ma to her.

(Natter!)

My icon-image-uploading-site from eons ago went dead, and I need a new service (and I'm really hoping to keep my Flickr away from it).

Any recommendations? Specifically, not-have-to-register/can-delete-the-files-from sites' recommendations?

When he walked into the vet and told the receptionist he was there about his reindeer, she totally blew him off like he was joking!

Ha!

Phew -- starting early yesterday, I've been anxious about people not getting me information I need for work, but it was here this morning!

It's a balmy 2 degrees this morning with a lovely windchill of -19.

It's been 18 minutes and I'm still not fully thawed out.

One of my favorite things to make from my old (not the v. old Joy of Cooking just my old one) was the Lightning Cake. Nice one bowl cake - takes v. little time and effort and you get cakey deliciousness.

My new JoC has several variations - including a caramel one (must try next time I have brown sugar) and a chocolate one!

I made the chocolate one last night: delicious.

People are still not getting me the information I need.

Anything called Lightning Cake should be accompanied by Thunder Cupcakes.