Illumination!!

I actually remembered to go outside and take a picture of the finished lights on the house.  Those two extra lights on each end made a BIG difference.  The best part is I feel much safer coming home when I can see all around.  If you look real close, you can even see the poinsettia wreath I put on the door ... my only Christmas decoration.  You can also see why there are no Christmas lights.  You'd get a nosebleed hanging them at that altitude!!

Can you guess what THIS is?  Yes, yes I did!  Rice Krispie treats!  They are a favorite of mine from waaaayyyyy back.  What could be easier?  A little butter, 40 (and ONLY 40) marshmallows, mixed in with 6 cups of cereal.  This one is fun to make and doesn't even require an oven!!

When you're a kid, your mom cuts them into tiny squares so you get less sugar and they last longer.  I cut them into HUGE three inch squares, just because I can.  Besides, saying I only ate ONE instead of THREE sounds much better!!

With that baking success under my belt ... okay, not exactly baking, but since I didn't burn the house down, I threw together some brown sugar oatmeal cookies for the freezer.  Unlike my cooking skills, my baking skills run a little higher on the scale and I have many less disasters.  Except for that part where I accidently put the soda in first instead of last, making the cookies come out flat as pancakes, they were a tasty success.

Since I was on a roll, I brought out the phyllo dough for a little Christmas baklava.  I won't tell you the ingredients because you might have a heart attack just thinking about it.  Needless to say, there is lots of butter.  Once baked, it is soaked in a sugar-water-honey mixture and left to sit overnight.  No, that is NOT a small piece missing from the corner .... well maybe it is .... a chef has to taste her wares, right?

So yesterday's final total was two Rice Krispie treats, three cookies and a tiny piece of Baklava.  When I packaged the treats, I didn't have enough room for the last two, and three of the cookies broke to pieces.   Big sigh ... no wonder I can't lose any weight!!

I was hoping to get a really good night's sleep last night, but the rain coming down seems to rattle something outside my bedroom just enough to wake me up.  I've checked the gutters several times and found nothing loose, but today I'm going to check again!!  If I don't get some rest and get rid of this headache, the kids at the Elks Christmas Party with Santa tomorrow are going to be in for a Bad Santa's Helper experience!!