Crunch Time

Can you believe Christmas Day is a week from today? So much yet to do!

First of all, the biggest road bock to celebrating this year has not only been taken down, but turned into a cause to cautiously celebrate. My cousin’s daughter, Kendal, has been in Minnesota, with her folks, getting some aggressive chemo for leukemia. That has been a scary and overwhelming story in our family this year. Kendal is only 16 and it’s her second time battling this damn disease. Yes, I said damn disease. Cancer took both of my grandparents on my Dad’s side, our Dads' side, so it’s a scary, haunting disease, I don’t know that John, my cousin, remembers Nono but he and Noni were very close. Kendal beat leukemia at 4 years olds and no one, especially a kid, should ever have to beat it twice. After a few very scary weeks, the word from John and wife, Heather, on their updates is that the cancer is in remission! It was a happy day yesterday. John’s title on his update post on the Team Kendal website yesterday was “Tears of Joy” and you can believe I was crying them with him as I read the optimistic news! Kendal is truly an amazing and strong young woman!

My cousin and his daughter, Kendal.
She's one of the srtrongest people I know.

I think the good news yesterday just charged my Christmas spirit. I had been going through the motions as far as cleanup and getting ready for the holiday. Yesterday I got some actual work done and put together my scheduling lists for baking. I usually have that ready weeks in advance!

David has a cold and when he came home from work, late as is often the case on Fridays, he was just beat. We were going to finish the living room cleanup and put up the tree last night, but that got postponed to hopefully a healthier David, or at least until I can rest up all the stuff that was pretty sore by the end of the day. My list includes baking two of my traditional threats, Krisp Kringles and Mr. Goodcookies, macaroons and a reduced calorie chocolate-peanut butter crisp candy for this year.

One of last year's crostadas.

Of course, I’ll be doing crostadas. One for my cousin, Lisa, who hosts the family party on Christmas Eve, one for Dad, 2 for Dave so he can take one to the family party on Christmas Day for Laura’s family and they can have one at home (apricot, which Tori says she’ll eat all of) and 2 that stay here for UNO and for David and me. I’m trying a couple “just fruit” spreads this year and a chocolate hazelnut one with Nutella spread.

Tori and Rina will be here for UNO this year! I’m happy about that and I know they’re excited too. I’m meeting Dave in Fort Wayne for breakfast on the 26th and bringing the girls home with me. Then the UNO party is at 5. They are excited to see friends they haven’t seen in a few years. Friends who have known them since they were babies who said, “What? Sixteen, not possible!” last year when I was taking about their birthday bash. I’m also planning some other fun stuff while they’re here before I take them up to Pop’s for their annual trek to Frankenmuth for New Years Eve

I slipped on my scrap page a day yesterday. I got the last pages for Summerail stared, so maybe if I finish the 2-pager tonight, I’ll have 2 done. I’m in August now, so I’m in decent shape to meet my end of January goal to have 2010 finished.

Okay, now I need coffee and to get this day started!

Links:

Team Kendal

Davinities recipes at Simply Davlicious