I love Christmas. I love the hustle and the bustle of all the preparations and I love the feeling of togetherness that develops as the season wears on.

This weekend was a particularly fantastic weekend! Friday night my hubby and I met up with one of his oldest friends and his girlfriend who were visiting from Denver. We went to our favorite Mexican place and ordered the world's most fantastic fajitas. I could only eat one. Wow!

Saturday I spent the day baking and candy-making. I baked up two batches of my family recipe of sugar cookies which probably makes up 140 some odd cookies. I baked up two batches of gingerbread men (another 60 cookies). I baked up three batches of pecan butter balls (my fave - and another 80 cookies). I made up three bathces of english toffee (about 300 pieces). And finally, I made up two batches of fudge - one with nuts, one without.

I was on my feet in the kitchen for 15 hours.

After all that - I can pretty much bet I will eat barely any of it. I don't sample while I cook. I don't nibble while I bake. I don't eat bits and pieces while I decorate. Almost all of this will get given away. Somewhere around the 27th of December I will wander into the kitchen and grab a glass of milk and a pecan butter ball. And then it will all be over and I'll grab 2 or 3 each day until they are gone. But by the time I start, there will only be about 10-20 left and so this won't last very long for me. I can't explain it - but if I make the stuff, I don't eat the stuff. If I leave it for someone else to do...I will nibble on the stuff then.

Furthermore, I spent so much time in the kitchen doing all this that I burned off two pounds. Add those two to being down because of the gastroenteritis two weeks ago and I'm really down for the month. So I can eat those pecan butter balls and not feel too badly for it. Wouldn't it be nice, though, if I weren't trying to lose this weight for good? If just in the normal cycle of things I lost weight and then put it back on...because I was trying to maintain a weight? Wouldn't that be awesome?!?!

I have a whole collection of tins I've bought through the getting ready for the season outtings and my hubby and I will load those up with a sampling of the goodies and then take them around to friends and family. We are giving out about 20 tins and 40 baggies this year. I'm telling you...there won't be much left for us.

I have always baked like this. My mom did this when I was a wee little one and when I was about 2 she started putting me to work. When I moved out and got set up - I couldn't not bake and make so I kept it up even while she was doing her own batches. Most years we were back together and did all this together but there were two where we did things separately and then joined up for the holiday. But now, with my mom gone, I'm glad I never lost momentum on this. It IS an undertaking and it WOULD be so easy to say "not this year". But the first year I say that will be the year after the last year I do this. And I won't give this up. Especially since this has never been a source of weight gain - I don't eat the stuff.

Ok...I do nibble on a piece or two of the toffee and a piece or two of the fudge. And I do eat the pecan butter balls. But I very honestly do not eat very much of it and I have never gained weight from it because the calories do come off of other items through the days and the activity level is way up right now, anyway.

But I won't give this up...Saturday night, after hubby and I slaved away and got the kitchen back to clean we (literally) crawled into the hot tub, which we were wise enough to start heating at just the right point so that the hot tub was perfectly ready exactly when we were. While we were sitting in the very perfect water on a very chilly night we were chatting away at each other, as we do. And he told me...he loves that I do this.

Anywho. I won't give this up - even when I have a band that is so friggin tight I can't drink water - I will STILL be in the kitchen baking and candy-making!

(Hopefully I am never in a situation where the band I will have next year is so tight I can't drink water. I'll have other issues then...and might have to say - I'll bake tomorrow but not today.)

Sunday was another fantastic day. We got to see the oldest friend and his girlfriend again for a brunch. The brunch was at the friend's parents house and it was great to catch up with his parents. After the brunch we took them up to the airport since we live much closer to it than his parents do and were on our way there anyway. And from there I went home and got to work on my etching. I am loving all of this glass. Each piece I have done I want to KEEP FOR MYSELF! It's all so beautiful. And I just hope that the people I give this stuff to appreciate it! Each piece is personalized in two ways. One - in the design I pick out and two - I am putting their monogram on, as well.

And so here we are, on Monday. Back at work with nothing to do...I'm just waiting for today, tomorrow and Wednesday to be over so that I can finish getting all this stuff made and then wrapped - so that it can be unwrapped. I do hope this year is good for smiles. I love giving gifts more than I love receiving gifts and I think I've got a great year on my hands - I just hope it pans out as I think it will.

What a wonderful time of the year!

I love your energy and get up and go attitude. I always feel the same way. I would really like to make the Pecan Butter Ball recipe. Will you share the recipe? Great Blog and keep it up we are on the most amazing journey. I am also so tight I did not get another fill today. I will not go back for about 8 weeks now. I hope I will do well. Blogging really helps me so much. Thanks for sharing. Best wishes in the Holiday season. imaluckydog

Pecan Butter Ball recipe:

1/2 lb salted butter. The quality of the butter matters for this recipe, so get the best butter you can. Do not use margarine - they won't set up quite right - no matter what they say...(you'll have a cookie but it won't be worth the calories, in my opinion)

2 cups flour

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1-2 cups of chopped pecans (depending on your tastes)

Mix that up with your hands. A mixer just won't work well and a wooden spoon is another alternative but it will take a lot longer. When it's all mixed up, pinch and roll into balls. Bake on 350 for about half an hour. Pay attention to your oven here. In my mom's it took 18 minutes. In my first apartment it took 16 minutes. My second apartment it took 45 minutes. And now in my house it takes 30 mins. I've also tried 375 and watched the oven, too. What you are looking for is a uniform golden brown.

Before the cookies are done, get a bag of powdered sugar ready. I'd love to say it takes 2 cups of powdered sugar, but it's different every time and how big the cookies are also makes a difference. I generally always have a bag of sugar in the pantry just for these and add to it as I need to - but I generally make 4x the recipe, too.

When the cookies come out, put them into that powdered sugar immediately and shake around. I do two at a time - and then place those cookies on a cooling rack. After all the cookies have their first coat, let them cool. That sugar will "soak in" to the cookie and make an icing. It's where the cookies get their sweetness. When they are completely cooled, put them in the bag for a second coat. That second coat is what makes the cookies look like a little snowball.

And finally, enjoy.

Thank you so much this is a cookie just for the HOLIDAYS. I must say I can't wait to try them now that I am feeling better. I love the name "Pecan Butter Snowballs".

One cup of pecans has about 9.94 grams of protein. These are not the kind of cookie I should have a lot of. If I make these I will surely have to keep my paws out of the cookie jar. I just love recipes. Thank you so much for taking the time to share one with me. I will let you know when I make them and it will be soon. imaluckydog