September 10 is Long Gone

• I was actually worried that I wouldn't know my password to the blog.  That's sad.
• 9:15 AM here and the household has long-since settled back into a stupor.  Christmas morning lasted from about 6:30 - 7:30.
• Delighted to report that I have my two Christmas breakfast standards: the cheeseball my mom used to make, and cranberry-orange bread.  Of course, the cheeseball recipe has been reduced to 3 critical ingredients that don't need measuring, and it's just spooned into dishes now, not carefully molded like Mother did.  Oh, and the cranberry bread?  From a mix, I'm afraid, with a healthy handful of pecans added.
• Both are acceptable alternatives to the labor-intensive versions.  Delicious, even.  (Not that I wouldn't welcome the real things.)
• Last night was spent around the bagna cauda again, as last year.  If you don't remember what that stuff if, you could look it up.  It's good, in a once-a-year kind of way.
• We also played taboo, and even Rose did a great job for her team.
• For the evening party, Rose insisted on wearing her fancy dress, tights and new dress shoes.  Then she earnestly turned to me and asked, "Can I choose my own jewels?"  She had plenty to choose from, thanks to her Aunt Teenie, and loaded on several necklaces and a couple of bracelets.  She stopped short of a tiara but we put a giant bow on her hair.
• My throat hurts, in a raw way like I've been shouting.  And smoking glass shards.
• There has been a guilty throat here in the household for a couple of weeks and I think it's spreading.
• Rose sounded suspiciously hoarse this morning and said her throat felt a little weird.
• The Avalanche tickets I got for Andy will have to be passed on to someone else.  I bought them before he was gainfully employed.
• That's right, gainfully employed.  At a movie theater.  We are all very happy about this.
• Grades?  So far acceptable.
• No point in trying to catch up from September.  We are happy here on Christmas Day, and hope you are too.