The Holidays Are OVER!

Hello.....Hope it's not too snowy at your home these days....Now that the holidays are over, we can finally settle down to the new year ahead and get going on our goals and resolutions.  My holidays were personally forgettable, since I spend Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve at the hospital with my mom, who has been feeling under the weather for awhile thanks to a persistent infection.  Her holiday season was a lot worse than mine, though, because it was spent in a hospital bed.

It's a relief to put the holidays behind me this season.  One interesting thing, though, was my weekend of cookie-baking.  The weekend before Christmas I baked 150 cookies - Peanut Butter Blossoms, Rice Crispie Cookies and  Butter Cookies - from Lois Elaine's recipe box (see my Monday recipe blogs).  I packed them in plastic Christmas containers and gave them out to various family and friends.  Turned out great, and the people really seemed to appreciate and enjoy them.  I'm planning on doing it again in 2011 - it was kind of fun.

A friend ordered Lebkuchen and Springerle cookies from a Michigan restaurant.  Lois Elaine made these German cookies/cakes a big part of her family Christmas's, and I was stoked to finally get to try these.  Honestly, I was underwhelmed by them, especially the Springerle.  The Lebkuchen tasted kind of like gingerbread, with a similar size and texture.  Both desserts used the spice Anise, which has a taste like licorice.  The Springerle was white and really pretty, but the taste wasn't anything to shout about. I have to say, though, I have friends and family who swear by one or both of these, so Springerle and Lebkuchen both have lots of fans out there.

I didn't win the lottery, but I won some football bowl boards.  After a year of disasters in Oklahoma (one of which resulted in a soft-ball sized piece of hail sitting on my living room floor), my home has been repaired and is safe and secure.  My friends and family survived the year, as did my dog and my car.  I still have my job, which is a huge blessing in itself considering the plight of the country right now.  All in all, it was an ok year, not the greatest, but definitely not the worst, either - not even close.

I hope you made it through 2010 with some wins, and no losses.  After all, isn't that the point of the game?