Friday, Dec. 10th

Clearly, I am getting OLD. I went to the grocery store this morning and while I was there I picked up a copy of Consumer Reports because someone recommended it since we’re in the process of shopping for a new elliptical trainer, and the big story in the January issue of Consumer Reports is all about elliptical trainers and treadmills. Anyway. I bought the magazine, and when I got out into the parking lot I took the magazine out of the bag and started reading it, and before I knew it, I’d spent ten minutes in the parking lot reading some very interesting articles. Then I thought to myself that not only was this a VERY good magazine, why had no one ever told me what a good magazine it is, but I also thought I need to subscribe to this magazine! Consumer Reports. I need to subscribe to this magazine, I thought. SUBSCRIBE. To CONSUMER REPORTS. Fred’s FATHER subscribes to Consumer Reports, and we’ve spent years making fun of him for acting like Consumer Reports is his bible, and yet I am fascinated by this magazine, which is unbiased and exists solely to help me make good decisions on things to buy. It cares about me! It doesn’t want me to get gypped! It has only my best interests at heart! IT LOVES ME. I want to marry you, Consumer Reports. Robyn Consumer Reports. Robyn C. Reports. Mrs. Consumer Reports. It has a ring to it, no?

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I spent a couple of hours yesterday afternoon making cookies. Say posted a link to a recipe for Rolo cookies, and I looked at the recipe and thought it sounded good. Then I remembered that every year I swear I’m going to make those cookies with the Hershey’s kisses in the middle (not the peanut butter ones with a kiss on top, but the ones with the kiss wrapped in the middle), so I decided that since I was going to be out running errands yesterday I might as well stop and get the stuff to make both kinds of cookies. Since Friday is the day we eat whatever we want, I decided to make the cookies Thursday and then send most of them to work with Fred because if we really put our minds to it we can eat a lot, but we can’t eat two batches of cookies. The Rolo cookies recipe is here, and the Secret Kiss cookies recipe is here. I didn’t realize until I was typing up those recipes that I had forgotten to add baking soda when I was making the Rolo cookies – which may be why the cookie tastes pretty similar to a brownie. Both of the recipes call for rolling the cookies in sugar or powdered sugar, but I skipped that step because I couldn’t be bothered.* Fred loved both kinds of cookies, and they were a big hit with the people at work, too. I bet the Rolo cookie recipe could be used with about any kind of small candy – so could the Kiss recipe, for that matter. I told Fred cutting a miniature Snicker’s in half and putting it in the middle of a cookie would be good. He thought an almond M&M would be good, too. Cookies rock. * Does the phrase “couldn’t be arsed” translate to about the same thing as “couldn’t be bothered”, or does it mean something completely different? Anyone know?
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Okay, there’s just not a damn thing going on around here. If there are any questions y’all have for me, or something you’d like me to write about, leave a comment and I’ll see what I can do for you, okay? For now, we’ll just fill up the rest of the entry with pictures. Last night’s sunset, from our back yard: Some of my favorite Christmas decorations: I think I got this last year in Maine. I love the really cute little santas. I got this a few years ago at Linens ‘n Things. When it’s turned on, it changes colors. I’ve had this one for years and years. I have no idea where I got it. Another one I got in Maine last year. Fred thinks this looks like a Far Side cow. I got this at the Hallmark store in Maine last year. The tree is about three feet tall, but the pot it sits in really adds to the height.
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Miz Poo, checking out a ladybug.
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