A christmas letter...

16 December 2010-  All snug in our beds in Houston, with the AC on.  Only kidding but it was on and off most of the beginning of the month.  75 during the day, then the next day is 40.  No wonder I am still sick.  Still coughing.  It has become a hobby now of mine.  I have been working, trying my best to get signed off in extractions before the Christmas holiday.  Still working out the kinks of data review as well.  I am getting ballsy and dropping points left and right to get the best fit calibration curve ever.  For me.  Ugh!
I have found a favorite recipe for cookies.  I love traditional shortbread cookies, Walkers of UK is so good.  So I found a recipe for Chai Spice shortbread.  It has just the right amount of spice, and a bit of sugary glaze to be perfect.  LandOLakes is where to find it.  Tasty and just the right amount of Christmas to go around.  I have been busy channelling my grandmother and mother.  I made Chex mix, my own giant batch that I only have share with Chad.  He is a Miner (thru and thru) and steals all the nuts but I let him.  I made chocolate chunk pecan cookies (those didn't last long), some fudge (thank you sweetened condensed milk) and tonight I am making banana pecan bread and another batch of Chai Spice shortbread.  Those things are tasty.  I am going to share this time with my neighbor and my Secret Santa at work.
Secret Santa has rocked this year.  I got a Snoopy gumball dispenser, Berli's snowman balls (which lasted all of 5 minutes), milk chocolate gingerbread Moose munch (oh so good), a Mini Leg lamp just like in The Christmas Story (my own major award) and today a fondue pot.  Can't wait for tomorrow.  The Secret Santa will get some of my bounty of goodies.  Can't have them all in my house.
Cried a lot this week.  Been a tough year for the average person but this girl has been thru the wringer.  Amazingly work has really helped.  Getting and staying busy learning new things makes the day go by and the money roll in.  Been two years since my Gram went to heaven to see my Grandpa, four months since my dad joined that party.  He loved Christmas.  He liked to pretend he was a scrooge but I still remember hearing Christmas music all month long.  His favorite was the Dr. Demento Christmas show.  Songs like "Purple Reindeer", "Grandma got run over by a reindeer", "I saw Daddy kissing Santa Claus", "I want a Hippotamus for Christmas" and the goofy the better.  He used to shop on Christmas Eve but started planning ahead while I was in high school.  He would wrap gifts for my brother and label the outside for me.  He would wrap consistent gifts like white Ked sneakers in pringle's cans.  Separately.  Once he had a scavenger hunt around the house for my sister and her camera.  Got to work for it.  And every year once I was old enough...I would still go in and wake him up.  He would fake grouchy and ask for coffee first.  I learned quick and would approach with it in hand the next year.  I sent a huge reminder of my Dad, a stupid beat up Disney store box that has been recycled since forever ago, to my family in Phoenix.  I hope it makes my family remember the years where that was the guaranteed store Dad would shop in.  Missing him something fierce.  I love you Didee!
The dog and cat have their stockings hung by the chimney with care, with hopes that Mom got them lot of treats.  I did have to break into Herr Berlin's stocking to get some poop bags.  Ran out of the hundreds of pink ones.  These "gifts" are camo now, much more manly.  They each got a few treats and toys.
Got to mail off a few packages this week.  I drew my sister in Law in the Nickell family exchange and have already mailed the Ashby package.  I also have the joy of having both my brother and sister's significant others having Christmas time birthdays.  got to get those birthday presents in the mail too. 
Time to sample my wares.  Cheers and a Merry 17th of December to you!