Ed. Note: Thank you, everyone, for your kind participation in the “Gift of Self” discussion below. I will continue the series with Part II soon.
This past Saturday was a day of culinary reckoning. Low-carb diet notwithstanding, I simply had to start making our Christmas goodies because—apart from the sugar cookies we baked on St. Nicholas Day—I hadn’t made a single batch.
And that, my friends, will simply not do.
I started by making a list of our favorites—a list of ten that looks like this:
- White Chocolate Peanut Butter Stackers
- Santa’s Surprises
- Fudge
- Divinity
- Gingerbread men and/or house
- Andes Crème de Menthe Cookies
- Peppermint Bark
- Candy Cane Cookies
- Sugar Cookies
- Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
There! That oughta give me something to work with!
I asked my husband to cover for me as I drove, kamikaze-like, to a local Super Target. It was 8:00 p.m. and almost bedtime; good for him for letting me go.
An hour later and I had filled the cart with no end of flour, sugar, extracts and almond bark. I had peppermint kisses and buttery Ritz; I had marshmallow fluff and bleach.
(Oops. That last item was for my husband’s fish tank. I stored it underneath the cart.)
I paid for my items and made my way back to the jeep. I’ll tell you this much: my husband’s black jeep is a LOT harder to find after dark than our gargantuan white barge is. I used the “unlock” feature on the key which made the headlights flash and helped me find it. Shoot! I was on the other side of the median, which meant hoisting the heavy-laden cart up and over.
I was about to leave when I remembered…didn’t my friend Tina say that they were running a promo, where for every $50 you spent you got a $10 gift card? Trust me, I had spent fifty dollars! I went back inside to ask at the desk.
Shoot! The promo only ran ‘til noon. I thanked the woman and went back outside…
And discovered that the car was gone.
Seriously.
Someone had stolen my husband’s car.
Panicking, I clicked and re-clicked the “unlock” option (they broke the window! they hot-wired it!) but there was no black Jeep with its headlights flashing. I knew where I’d parked it—there were still tracks from the cart on the grassy median—but the car wasn’t there. It was gone. I was doomed.
And then…and then….it occurred to me. I had been driving the car when I remembered the promo—had been on my way out of the parking lot, in fact. The jeep wasn’t stolen; it was two rows over!
Two rows over, eight spaces up.
Tell me, please, that you all are getting loopy too! Loopy from shopping and loopy from baking, loopy as only the last week of Advent will leave us.
Soon only one thing—the best thing—will matter.
I am beyond loopy at this point. No matter how much I plan, make lists, even write out a calendar with things like baking goodies and wrapping gifts penciled in, this week before Christmas always seems so busy. I try to remind myself that busy now = enjoying the season beginning on Christmas day and lasting through Epiphany.
Oh my goodness that is TOTALLY something I would do!! I'm going nuts here thinking of the list I have that I need to purchase (all for baking stuff) and then alllll the things to bake. And the few presents left to wrap. And the 2 year old to entertain while doing all this because my husband is working 12 hour days all week. I had a mini panic attack this morning then stopped, sat down with the toddler & played with her. Now I'm getting ready to have a cup of tea & knit for awhile. I don't think Jesus would want all my panic especially this time of year. Everything will get done. Somehow! 🙂
Great loopy story, Margaret.
Now, I am going to go and do something loopy and clean my fridge. It is so dirty I cringe every time I open it.
Cute cute little helper you have there.
Was baking this weekend with the 3 kiddos. One is 2, and I totally relate to the comment about baking with a 2 year old. It is just too cute. Glad that I told myself to relax, have patience, and enjoy watching them have a blast.
Totally could have seen myself in that Target scenario. I would have been too embarrassed to tell anyone though. Good for you to admit your loopy behavior. Have a blessed last week of Advent.
Ann
That is too funny! I am glad to see that I am not the only one one in my own world right about now. 🙂
Katie
I could totally picture you loopy lady looking for your car….because I'd probably do the same thing.
A couple months ago, we went to Sam's Club, had eggs in the front of the kiddo cart (with the seats) in a hidden compartment kind of, went out to the van, realized we hadn't paid for the eggs (like 3 18 packs) so went back in, paid for them at the cust service dept, went back out (with all the kiddos, running towards the cart rack, and then proceeding to do tricks on the bars…) put the cart away and drove away realizing when we got home that we left the paid for eggs in the cart in the cart rack!!!!
Never did get my eggs.
Loopy, we mamas, loopy.
I was NOT going to bake, but after seeing your Ande's Mint cookies and seeing we have Ande's mint chips in the cupboard…might have to make some, since my diet won't start til after baby and there's no baby coming today!!
Fun post Mags and cute helper too!
I do loopy things all the time, not just the last week of Advent! 🙂
Sigh, Christmas really can not account for my loopiness, unless you subscribe to that old "Christmas is for every day" theory.
And I've actually done the "stolen car" routine. More than once, ahem.
Glad you found it!
That is too funny! I have done the same thing & drove my husband crazy at the same time calling him frantically out of desperation.:( I started making our cookie goodies, too. I need to post a few pics soon. Gotta get to that. Happy Baking…BTW I love Bake at 350…great blog!
Oh, this is too funny! I've definitely done something similar. It gets really bad when I'm pregnant. Go figure. 😉
I just finished baking 104 ginger snaps (60 for the husband's work; the rest were given to neighbours – they were so glad to have something different and delicious!). Tomorrow is my daughter's 16th birthday but I may be baking Mexican wedding cookies. I'm just spent. I've been baking and giving away cookies and treats for the past two weeks. BUT! It ends soon – I will get a lovely, long break soon. It feels great to give it all away!
Your car dilemma had my stomach in knots, btw. I've done that numerous times . . . it's like that sudden panic where we start patting ourselves down looking for our purse or sunglasses. Relief at finding them and then worry that we're becoming unhinged.
ack!!! Wadda way to get the old heart rate going eh!?
Glad to read hubs car is safe…..and george is too CUTE!
Oh, Mags! What a heart-stopper moment! And, umm, you're not in it alone. I certainly could have done the same thing. You were doing really well to remember which vehicle you were even driving …
Whew, that was a close one! To have a car stolen before Christmas would add undue stress! Merry Christmas1
Thank goodness for those remotes!!! I don't lose the big silver van, but I do lose the little red sedan. And, my remote doesn't work, so I either have to memorize my location OR wander UP and DOWN the parking lot. Yes, that has happened.
We're loopy here, too.
Made the candy cane kisses recipe today. They are YUMMY!
Merry Christmas.
Ann
Margaret…Jamie had a baby boy today!!!!!!!!! How exciting!!!!!!!
He weighed 6lbs 1 oz.
I will let her share the rest of the details. She is a happy mama.
Please post a quick note on her blog. Thank you.
Yummy Cookies and delicious look. cute baby and excellent posting