1. Harrumph.
2. I am grumpy. I have not yet been to the PO, which means that I can offend my frugal self by paying extra postage to get the niece/nephew/godchild gifts to their destinations on time, or I can offend my avuncular (what is the feminine form of avuncular? amital?) self by sending them cheaply. I had Amazon send the actual gift-gifts, but every year I send an ornament with the idea that they'll have 20 or so to take along when they leave home and set up their own Christmas trees. I bought the ornaments on time and then let them languish in the basement. (While shopping I stumbled on this ornament. Is is not a riot? Even in my current harrumphing state it makes me chuckle.) A Christmas ornament that arrives after Christmas is not a particularly useful Christmas ornament.
3. ALAS, ALAS, the PO on 12/21 is a dismal place.
4. I think that's what we call a first-world problem.
5. Somewhere in the Catholic blogosphere earlier this month, someone wrote, "What's the big deal about Advent? It's just four candles." To which I say: harrumph. I had been feeling lucky (my friends certainly think I'm lucky) because Elwood buys (!) and wraps (!!) the kids' gifts. I am in charge of gifts for everybody outside the family. And Christmas cards are my job too. Elwood is happy to cook part or even all of Christmas dinner, but cleaning is pretty much my job. For the past day or two I have been feeling more overwhelmed than lucky.
6. I have been nibbling away at the long list of things to do, but I would rather take a great savage bite out of it. The paper stack is much smaller, but I want it G-O-N-E. I have 13 emails in my inbox instead of 90, but I would like to have zero. I am about halfway there on Christmas cards (that might be optimistic, actually), but I would have much preferred to send them out two weeks ago.
Strangely, none of these tasks are getting any smaller while I sit at the computer and lament their incompleteness.
7. I will leave you with something to nibble on, or to take great savage bites of if you are so inclined -- something much more pleasant than a to-do list. I began by printing out a copy of this recipe, but I wound up with something pretty different. After I had begun making the crust, with a limited time in which to get the finished product out of the oven, I discovered that my 9x13 pan was full of lasagna and that the recipe didn't actually call for fresh cranberries. Oops! Luckily, I was able to wing it with pleasing results. (ETA: Miriel says they should be called Gladly Harrumphing Bars, since they are so different from the source. I hope they boost your gladly and decrease your harrumphing.)
Cream 2 sticks of butter with 1 c. brown sugar. Blend in 2 c. rolled oats and 1.5 c. flour along with a pinch of salt. Reserve 1 c. of this mixture. Pat the rest into an 11x15 pan and bake at 350 for 8 minutes. In a food processor, combine 2 c. dried cherries, 1 c. fresh cranberries, 1.5 c. sour cream, 1 scant cup sugar, 1 t. vanilla, 1/2 t. almond extract, 1 egg, and another pinch of salt. (Taste for sweetness, because I like things more tart than most people.) Let it rip until the cherries and cranberries are chopped to your liking. Pour over the crust. On top scatter walnuts, chocolate chips, and blobs of the remaining crust mixture. Bake until the middle is set, which will probably be about 40-45 minutes. It will be easier to slice if you let it cool for a bit first. Serves many, unless one of the people in your house is having a harrumphing kind of day and keeps cutting herself consoling slices.
More quick takes at Jen's.
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