There’s a nightly routine in our house. It usually starts with the phrase,

“It’s time for all good babies to go to bed.”

It’s the cue for Kitten & Maggie that we’re done for the day & it’s time to tuck in for the night.

Kitten will run straight upstairs to bed & Maggie crawls off to her bed on the landing.

But when Eric’s away, this is the face I get.

“Mom, can I get on the bed?”

You know you’re not allowed on the bed, Moo-Moo. You’re not a little puppy anymore & there’s just not enough room for you, me & Daddy.

“But I don’t see Daddy. He’s not here”

“Please, I promise I’ll be good & I won’t say a word.”

If you let her up here, I’m gonna tell.

For months now I’ve been able to say no – make her go back to her own bed.

But this past week with Eric gone I’ve missed having someone to cuddle with.

And Maggie Moo is the best cuddle bug.

Just don’t tell Eric.

I know I’ve been really bad for the past month, month & a half about blogging.

There’s nothing specific I can pinpoint it to…I just don’t feel like writing much anymore. And I just can’t seem to shake it.

So I tonight I thought would share my favorite Christmas cookie recipe with you instead.

I think it’s been more than 10 years ago now that I got the wild idea to try something different with the Christmas cookies. And I’ve been making them this way ever since.

At the time, my sister looked at me like I was an idiot – but for whatever reason she let me ruin part of the spritz cookie dough she had made up. The spritz dough was always for the cookie press - you know, the cookie gun you squeeze out shapes with? It’s kinda like a shortbread.

But instead of shoving the left-over dough through the press, I balled it up & sprinkled crushed peppermint candies on top.

The result is divine…in my opinion anyway. There’s not much I can actually cook and there’s even less that I actually come up with on my own that tastes good. But this one? This recipe? It’s mine. And I haven’t shared it with a soul until now.

There’s a running joke between Eric & I about my cooking. When we first married I was making supper one night. I don’t even remember what it was. But for one reason or another, I got distracted.

And in that split-second distraction, whatever it was I was cooking came very close to burning. It got dark enough to be called “blackened” & I was too tired and too frustrated to try again.

So I plated the food, walked it over to Eric & dejectedly said,

“I hope it doesn’t taste like sh*t.”

He laughed at me & ate it anyway. (The Army has taught him to eat anything.) But to this day, anytime I try something new he’ll look at me, smile and say, “hope it doesn’t taste like sh*t”.

But this I promise you these do NOT taste like sh*t.

PEPPERMINT SPRITZ COOKIES

• 1 1/2 Cups Unsalted Butter
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla (preferably Mexican if you got it)
• 1/4 tsp Almond Extract
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 3 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• Crushed peppermint candies, about a cup

Mix the butter, sugar & baking powder with an electric mixer.

Beat in the egg, vanilla, almond extract & salt.

Add in as much flour with the mixer as you can. But be warned it won’t be able to handle the whole bit. So you’ll need to stir in the rest with a really good wooden spoon. This is a very thick dough.

Roll out the dough into little balls & place on the cookie sheet.

Then with the back of a spoon make indentions in the top of each & sprinkle on the candies.

Bake for 8 – 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

*Now originally, I just took candy canes & busted them up with a hammer inside a ziploc bag. But William-Sonoma has started selling pre-crushed peppermint candies. And last year after Christmas I bought 2 jars on sale just so I wouldn’t have to pound the crap out of the candies anymore.

I know it sounds like a contradiction to put hard candies on top of cookies. But the peppermint bits melt & become pliable, chewy & almost soft. And it’s delicious.

Just ask Moo.

Maggie would like me to take this time to inform you all that she will be handling all the household chores – like laundry, dishes & mopping floors while I am away.

She does not, however, guarantee or accept any liability for holes in said clothes, germs passed along by way of tongue-washing the dishes or vouch for the sterility of dog slober all over the floor in order to scoot her butt across them.

Registration for class is tomorrow & it will begin my week long, daily 4-hour trek to Seoul and back.

Wish me luck!

The other day I realized I haven’t had a good story to tell you in a while. I tried to figure out why…there arethings happening here left, right & ridiculous…I just have no interest in sharing them. Nothing’s really jumping out at me to talk about.

There are so many little things on my mind…too many little distractions pulling me every which way but up…that I can’t seem to think my way through a good story.

So if you’ll indulge me, I’m going to dump it all out & hopefully start with a clean slate.

So stand back…I don’t want to get any of this on you…I’m gonna be slingin’ odd, random muck left & right.

Random Thought #1

I can’t get this picture out of my mind.

Or this one.

The Chong’s (neighbors of the Lumber Barons) have been buying up new dogs…and I think they’re eating them.

It haunts me.

Random Thought #2

Peabody, the remaining half of Peabody & Squatty, who has been visiting our house for days has been put back on his chain.

Nevermind that the dog is now actually housebroken or that he’s far too thin to be out in weather that’s now hitting 36 degrees at night or the fact that he’s got the sweetest spirit. Nope. They don’t care enough to name him…so why should they care that I’ve been able to train him to be a loving family pet?

Do you realize this dog would not let me get my hand 2 feet from him when they first started getting out?!

Now he loves to give hugs…wants to be petted all the time.

I miss him.

Random Thought #3

Eric beat me at Time Crisis while we were up in Seoul.

HE….BEAT….ME!

While he could always whoop me on every other game, I always ruled on Time Crisis. Pulling off amazing head shots & weapons bonuses, I always won.

I blame the pink guns.

Honestly – who puts pink guns on a shoot-’em-up game in the middle of a US Army base?

I’m getting old.

Random Thought #4

My birthday is coming up. Number 40.

The plans I put in place have fallen apart. The back-up plans I put in place have fallen apart. And the back-up, back-up plan has fallen apart, too.

I’m going to be home alone, making my own birthday cake.

Did I ever show you my attempt at lava cakes from last year?…

Oh sure…they look pretty. But you’re supposed to be able to flip it upside down, gently lift it out of the ramekin & have this perfect little molten-centered cake.

Yeah. Not so much.

Random Thought #5

Eric & I want to get to Germany after our tour in Korea is done. His family migrated from Germany back in the mid 1700′s. So having the chance to live there means a lot to us both.

But we discovered this past week that Germany has passed a ‘dangerous dog ordinance’ and Maggie’s considered a level 2 dangerous dog.

She could come…but she’d have to be temperament tested by German officials.

If she passes, she’d be certified as a non-agressive dog with papers to prove it. If she fails….well, I would either go back home to the States while Eric stays in Germany or they could possibly put Maggie down & we’d have no say-so.

Random Thought #6

I got accepted into the Master Resiliency Training program. I start classes Monday & while I’m not really so nervous about it…I can’t get a thought out of the back of my mind.

While Eric & my neighbor support me, not everyone else in my life does.

They think I’m going to be the 500 lb woman running the weight loss clinic.

[ok, to be fair....my words, not their's]

But definitely not the most inspiring choice in their view.

Just when I’ve finally found something that calls out to me – even if only marginally – they are right there to say, ‘no – I don’t think that’s such a good idea for you’. And I’m back at square one…what am I going to be when I grow up?

Random Thought #7

I should never blog at night.

So with that said, I’m heading off to bed. I still owe a couple of people emails…I’m sorry to take so long. But I promise I haven’t forgotten you.

[Ginkgo trees changing color]

Like tonight.

Completely exhausted…why? No clue. Just drained of every ounce of get-up-&-go juice.

It’s 9:18pm on a Tuesday night & I’m wondering how much longer I can keep my eyes open.

Not only has Moo eaten my chocolate covered almonds, she’s been getting me up twice a night.

“Getting me up” entails my 130 lb dog essentially body-slamming the foot of the bed several times in a row to produce a lovely, ‘hey-get-up’ rocking motion.

And if I don’t get up after the first 5 bumps, she’ll keeping bumping the bed.

If I still don’t get up she resorts to low, rumbled / mumbled barks right next to my head.

‘Errrruff!’…..’Errruff!’

While this rarely happens it definitely alerts me to the seriousness of the situation.

Every night.

Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump.

[one eye looking at the clock]

1:00 am.

‘Ok Maggie…I’m up. I’m up.’

By the way, that would be downstairs & outside trip number one.

Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump.

[ugh, not again]

Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump!

[other eye looking at the clock]

4:00am

‘Ok, Ok!…I’m up. I’m up, you big ol’ cow!’

Downstairs & outside trip number two.

Remind me again….

How is it Eric sleeps through this every night?!