Weekend Update

 

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‘Twas the weekend before Christmas and all through the house,

Not a creature was stirring, not even the guinea pig.

(Photo below is of a relaxing guinea pig…not a dead one…just wanted to inform you before you scrolled down…because he looks kinda dead even though he isn’t.)

For some reason, whenever Maddie holds Herbie, she is able to get him to relax back into this position.  No one else can do this with him.  But the minute she picks him up he leans back and lets it all hang out.  It’s actually a little weird. 

Anywho, we had a busy weekend.  It started out with Christmas Bunko on Friday night.  I think I rocked my ugly Christmas sweater, and if prizes were given for the best yarn illustration of caroling, sequin-studded reindeer, I’d have totally won.

                                                                               But prizes were not given.  Boo.

On Saturday I made the cookies for my cookie exchange.  This year I made  Gingerbread Blossoms, which is like a Peanut Blossom, but is a soft gingerbread cookie and a Hershey Hug.  They were good, but not great, so I won’t be sharing the recipe with you.  You’re welcome.  Anyway, Dave and the kids unwrapped about 120 Hershey Hugs and then Jack glued a whole bunch of the wrappers to a Pop-Tart box which kept him busy all afternoon (awesome!), and Maddie made this:

A Hershey Hug snowman.  I thought it was pretty darn cute.  But not as cute as this:

       Yes.  They put giant underwear on Eugene, Jack’s bear.  I think Eugene is digging it though.

On Saturday night we were invited to a caroling party!  There was a craft while the movie Elf played, then we walked around the neighborhood and caroled (using little light up candles from Oriental Trading that were adorable), and then we headed back to the host’s house for cookies and a Hot Cocoa Bar!  It was such a fun night!

On Sunday, I raced around like a crazed madman cleaning the house and getting ready for my cookie exchange.  Dave and the children cowered in fear. 

Everyone brought food to share and of course cookies, and we had a gorgeous, delicious spread. 

There was also a Hot Cocoa Bar, although I didn’t take a photo of it.  I made homemade hot chocolate for the first time, and it was really delicious.  In addition to the hot chocolate, there were three kinds of marshmallows, candy canes for stirring, Reddi Whip for giving it that fahncy Starbucks look, and some Smirnoff Fluffed Marshmallow vodka to make it extra happy hot chocolate.  I had planned to keep the hot chocolate recipe secret, because I was afraid if my friends found out there was a can of sweetened condensed milk in there (130 calories per tablespoon-ack) no one would drink it.  But I’ll share the recipe with you now because it was easy and very yummy and too late!  All those skinny women who drank it are reading this and cursing me and shaking their fists at me and putting on their running shoes right now to make up for it.  

Crockpot Hot Chocolate

1- 1/2 c. heavy cream (I used half and half)

1 can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk!)

1 bag of milk chocolate chips

6 c. milk (I used a little more to fill up my crockpot, maybe 2 additional cups)

1 t. vanilla

Put all of the ingredients in a crockpot, stir, cover, and cook on low for two hours, whisking frequently as chocolate chips melt.

I got this recipe from pinterest, which led me to this blog which had the original recipe.  Thank you Mrs. Happy Homemaker!

 

And now the weekend is over, it’s the Monday before Christmas, and my Benjy is home sick with me today.  There’s a stomach virus going around right now, but so far he’s just got a fever. 

I’m just hoping I didn’t have a secret influenza ingredient in the hot chocolate… Sorry everyone.