COOKIES

I sure do like those Christmas Cookies, sugar
I sure do like those Christmas Cookies, babe
The ones that look like Santa Claus
Christmas trees, and bells and stars
I sure do like those Christmas Cookies, babe

"Christmas Cookies" by George Strait

Bella and I have made two batches of Christmas Cookies. My husband says we do not need cookies. We may not need cookies but we need to make some in order for it to feel like Christmas.

When I was a kid I remember making a lot of Christmas cut out cookies. But this experience with Bella has made me realize that this is not a memory from when I was 5, and here is why I know this. When I was 5, my older brother was 6, and after me there was a 4 year old, a 3 year old and a baby. So even contemplating making cut out cookies with this group was insane. These cookie memories are from when I was much older. I also in retrospect don't remember the baking of the cookies as much as the decorating the cookies with various colors of frosting and sprinkles galore. I think I have always been a purist when decorating cookies in that trees are green even if you have other frosting color choices. Snowmen were white, stars were yellow, you get the picture. Bella at five did help me roll the dough-this is hard for a kid but I must have done it sometimes as I know how to do it today and we used my Grandma S's rolling pin. Bella however frustrated me when she did not take note of cookie cutter placement, she would cut right out of the middle and leave lots of space between cut outs so we had to roll out the dough more. We got them cut out and baked. I like my Christmas cut outs thin and crispy. Later I frosted them, one shape at a time so that we did all the trees then all the bells etc. Bella put the sprinkles on. She really did quite well making cookies and I hope we get to do them every Christmas and she has fond memories of it even if we don't "need" cookies!

On the exercise front I have had to take some days off and do only partial workouts because my knee and back have been bothering me. I am back on schedule now. But worried about losing 5 more pounds by the end of the year. We will see.

I find myself in a general state of irritation lately and it is not due to preparations for Christmas it is more to do with dealing with my MIL. My MIL and her husband (who I can't stand) leave for warmer parts in Jan, Feb and March which means that we don't see them for that period of time (sheer bliss in many ways) however since they won't see us for three months they want to see us all the time in December. It drives me Crazy! If we go to the museum they want to go to, it we go see Santa they want to go to, they want to go to swimming lessons and church with us. Christmas for me growing up was about my immediate family, my parents and my siblings. That is what I want now-quiet time with just me, Scott and Bella. My MIL doesn't like this. I also want my family to be mine. My MIL has taken to sending Christmas Cards to my sisters and it bugs the piss out of me. This is my family not hers. Today she is attending a visitation for her nephews wife's brother, because she wants to be supportive. Yet, when her mother died a year ago in January and they were on their winter vacation she did not even come home. She did not feel the need to be supportive of Scott and I as we took care of the arrangements for her own mother.

Scott and I are a mixed religion family. I grew up Methodist and converted to Catholicisms in grad School. Scott started out in the Brethren Church and then do to some incident with his mom they changed to the Lutheran church. We typically attend Catholic Mass. Scott is not entirely comfortable there and they don't have some of the support groups, marriage, parent, men's, bible study etc that we feel we need. I love the rituals of Catholicism but I have had a hard time of late getting much out of it. The messages they preach do not relate to me or the scriptures and we hear way too much on political and financial issues. So we are kind of looking for a new church home. In the end we may not change at all but we are currently looking at the options. Last Sunday and Last night(with my MIL tagging along) we attended the Heartland Church in Rockford. This is a very different, very contemporary church. They have church school for Bella which means Scott and I can go to church and participate and hear with out the distractions of our darling daughter who has problems sitting still and being quiet. The pastor is a good speaker, his message relates to life and the scriptures, but I am not sure I can get past the casual dress. The music is too contemporary and too loud for me. Traditional Hymns should sound like traditional hymns. The seating is auditorium style there are huge projection screens. There are no candles, no kneelers, no Lords Prayer, no hymnals or bibles, no religious icons and they let you drink coffee during the service. I miss what is tradition. I think we will go here a few more times but I don't think it is the place for us. It is a huge congregation but they have lots of retreats and study groups etc, which is one of the things we were really looking for. We will see.

I am off work all next week-home with Isabella who is off from School. Hopefully we will get to do some fun stuff. While we will be busy Christmas Eve with Scott's family in Belvidere and at Scott's moms on Christmas Day we have no plans for New Years Eve or New Years day. Scott's brother and his family will be here from TX so hopefully we will spend some time with them.

I am hoping to get some things done around the house as well so I can start 2008 with a clean organized house.

Have a great holiday.