Quickie blog entry, that is. (Get your mind out of the gutter, you!) I think Stomach Bug is gone for good. Yesterday was all about broth and noodles. Today I had beans and rice for lunch and roasted butternut squash soup for dinner. So far, so good. Tomorrow night we plan to go out to dinner with friends to Billy’s Restaurant, which we’ve been wanting to try for awhile. I don’t know if I’ll make it to midnight because the Head Cold is still kicking my butt. I’m hoping that if I rest up a lot tomorrow afternoon, I’ll be good at least for dinner. Going out to dinner is an Event That Cannot Be Missed, especially with good friends on a holiday.

Speaking of the end of the year, if you are part of the American Express Rewards program, you should check for deals that expire tomorrow. We just booked a weekend in Kansas City, MO at the Country Club Plaza Marriott and paid for it all in points. We also purchased some gift cards to restaurants in the area with points. Thanks for weekend vacation, Amex!

I got another knitted Christmas gift off in the mail today, and I’m really happy with the way it turned out. So happy, in fact, that it was hard to part with it. It kept my lap nice and warm while I was knitting. Once I know it’s been received, I’ll post pics. That’s it for now. Off to bed.

Wow. Christmas Day was the first day since January 1, 2005 that we did absolutely nothing. No work. No household projects. No work. No errands. Did I mention that we did no work? I forgot what it is like to take a day off and just hang out. It was awesome.

I have a cold that is getting annoying. In a rare burst of energy, I made Eggs with Spicy Masala for breakfast from my new favorite cookbook, which my parents gave me for my birthday last month. T made dosas. It was an awesome Christmas breakfast. I had big plans for making a lamb curry and dhal for dinner, but my cold pretty much knocked me out. T made a pizza instead. The day was mostly spent on the couch watching movies, surfing the internet and knitting.

Chloe got some new toys. She really likes Frog, but isn’t too sure about Bee. She’s also very guarded with Bird. I think maybe she is worried that something is going to happen to Bird now that Frog and Bee have arrived. I’ve posted pictures in our very small Christmas Day photo gallery. I’ve also put a gallery link on the right under Our Stuff.

We had a blast on Christmas Eve. Pictures are posted in the gallery.

I’ve planned our Christmas Eve dinner, finally.

Appetizers (provided by Christina)
Spinach Balls
Veggie Tray

Main Course
Roast Beef Tenderloin
Baked Eggplant Parma-Style with Fresh Mozzarella
Mushroom Risotto
Green Beans with Balsamic Vinegar

Dessert (provided by Lauren)
Surprise! I don’t know yet, but I’m sure it will be good.

The baked eggplant is the only time-consuming dish. I’m planning to prepare the green beans tonight, since they are served chilled. The eggplant I’ll take care of early in the afternoon and put in before guests arrive. T will have the roast prepped and ready to go in the oven as soon as the eggplant is finished. We figure the eggplant can sit on the stove and stay warm while the roast is cooking. The risotto is T’s special recipe, and he will make that right before we sit down to dinner. All in all, a very tasty menu that shouldn’t be too much trouble to make, so we can spend time relaxing with our guests. And the only recipe from my Italian cookbook was the eggplant. The rest are all Kundhi originals.

I both love and hate the holiday rush. No matter how early I start getting ready, there are always last minute preparations. Sometimes I wish that the week before Christmas I was finished with everything and could just sit back, lounge around and look at the tree lights. But, there is something to be said for that last minute holiday high: staying up late and finishing gifts, setting up an assembly line of paper, boxes, ribbon and bows, and imagining the smiles when family and friends open up their gifts. I enjoy the ritual and had even more fun this year because I made so many gifts by hand.

Most of our boxes are in the mail heading toward their destinations. There are a few stragglers that I am desperately trying to finish up. Our holiday cards went in the mail yesterday. Folks on the West Coast should be getting them today, and friends in the Heartland—you should get them by Christmas. Friends and family on the East Coast—they are coming! I know last year we were slackers and didn’t get our cards out, but this year I actually designed something myself, which I haven’t had the time to do in years. It also helped that I didn’t have to hand address and stamp a bunch of envelopes.

The only big thing I have left to do is plan a menu for Christmas Eve dinner. We are having friends over and we are cooking up an Italian feast! T gave me this awesome Italian cookbook for my birthday when we were dating, and I’ve loved everything we’ve ever made from it. The hardest part of planning the menu will be not going overboard and making too much stuff. Then again, leftovers for Christmas Day wouldn’t be too bad, either!

I have been hoping for some more snow so the ground would be all white and pretty for this weekend, but it is going to be in the 60s today and tomorrow. There’s a chance that we might get a little dusting on Saturday, but it will probably just rain. I so wanted a white Christmas! Mother Nature, can you please look into that for me? Thanks a bunch!

Totally unrelated topic: I went to the Drudge Report this morning and saw the headline “Double-Mouthed Fish Pulled From Neb. Lake”. The City just finished dredging and cleaning Holmes Lake. Where the heck did they get the fish to re-stock the lake for Pete’s sake, and is there some sort of return policy or money back guarantee for mutations?

A few weeks ago, the midwest was hit by a huge snowstorm. Central Nebraska was hit with blizzard conditions. Click here to see more.