Joy

Even with a sick and cranky Cubby (who is the latest victim of That Cold That's Going Around and Refuses To Go Away--I'm still coughing and sounding like Joan Rivers off and on, after almost two weeks), I'm feeling rather jolly these days. Why?

Reason #1: Snow!
This is a mundane occurrence and/or a nuisance in many parts of the country, but it's mondo bizarro here, and we just can't get over how cool it was to wake up this morning to this:

Front yard:


Back yard:


Reason #2: I'm FINISHED!
As in, I just completed the final paper of my last and final master's program class...which means that unless I have done a horrific job on it, the Master of Teaching degree and Reading Specialist certificate are mine at last! Mwa-ha-ha-ha! All those hours I've spent reading, writing, and thinking to achieve this goal can now be dedicated to important endeavors such as, uh, wasting time on the internet. Ahem.

Reason #3: Num-Nums
That's what Cubby calls food--well, good food, at least. The Christmas Baking Extravaganza has begun, and I found a few new recipes to try out this year that turned out really yummy. (Note to self: try not to double own body weight before January.)

Stained-glass window candy
1 bag of semi-sweet choc chips
1 stick of butter
1 bag of multicolored mini-marshmallows

Melt choc chips and butter in a double boiler.
Mix in a large bowl with marshmallows (pour in a little at a time, and keep it moving. You don't want the marshmallows to melt) until marshmallows are completely coated.
Pour onto a sheet of wax paper, and roll into a log.
Refrigerate until firm. (Overnight works best)
Slice and serve.

Here's what mine looked like...they turned out oblong because I didn't do a great job of rolling the "dough" into a tidy log, but as you can see, someone and her grubby little hands seemed to approve of them anyway!

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Two Chocolate Tiger Butter
1 lb white chocolate
1 12 oz jar peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1lb semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Combine white chocolate and peanut butter in top of double boiler or in the microwave. Line a large pyrex dish with wax paper and spread peanut butter mixture in pan. Pour melted semi-sweet chocolate over peanut butter mixture and swirl with a knife. Chill until firm, then cut into 1″ pieces and store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

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I consider myself somewhat of a Christmas cutout cookie conniseur (that title brought to you by the letter C, obviously), and these are probably the best of the zillion recipes I've tried:

Pioneer Woman Cut-Out Cookies

So, even though we're going through Kleenex at an alarming rate, have been invaded by ants seeking refuge from the brrrrr, and have a zillion things to do before Christmas next week, it's joyful times here at the Bears' Den for the most part!