Busy

Life has been silly-busy lately. I had such good intentions of blogging at least twice a week, to keep you all current and reading, but it simply didn't happen. Just to show you how busy it was, here's Steve, hanging upside down over the screen, clinging on in desperation in this topsy-turvy time.

My November got sucked up in a major project (which I might tell you about some other time, but, suffice to say, I had a blast. Which is probably why I haven't blogged much, I've been having too much fun elsewhere.). Now it's December, and, well, you know what that means - Jollification, Deck the Halls, and all that jazz. This year, oddly enough, Advent came so early it totally threw me off, and I ended up being extra-late getting the Christmas decorations out. Which just goes to show that you can overdo anything, even the early onset of Advent season.

Fortunately, next year we'll be back to having the 1st Advent Sunday on a reasonable date. In case you don't know how that works, there are always four Advent Sundays before Christmas, so you take Christmas Day, and then the four Sundays before that are Advent. This year, Christmas falling on a Sunday meant that Advent started a full five weeks before Christmas, i.e. November 27th. I just wasn't in the mood for decorations yet then. But now I am, so that's all good.

Speaking of good(ies), my daughter is in the process of manufacturing her yearly offering to her father and brothers: very yummy Peanut Butter Balls. You could also make them in the bottom of muffin cup liners and call them Peanut Butter Cups (with which, however, you might lay yourself open for prosecution for copyright infringement. But you could always destroy the evidence; around here, it never lasts very long past Christmas Day anyway).

Here's the recipe:

PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

1 1/2 c smooth peanut butter
1/4 c butter, softened
2 c icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 c glazing chocolate

Mix together the first four ingredients, shape into 1" balls. Put in fridge or freezer to chill for a bit so they're firm. Melt the chocolate, dip the balls into it, put on waxed paper and let harden. Keep in plastic containers in the far back of the fridge, labeled "Leftover Fish-and-Liver Stew" to protect from marauding family members. Information about how long Peanut Butter Balls will keep, if uneaten, is, to date of this blog entry, unavailable.

Life, the Universe, Early Advent, and Peanut Butter Balls. Steve's still hanging in there.