Who's Ready for Christmas?

I think we are, actually. We don't have a tree set up yet but I will set it up Christmas Eve so that Santa will be able to put the presents under...er, near it. Our tree is about 2 feet tall and will need to go on our dining table so it needs to wait.

This past weekend I made cookies...and a mess. I made 3 different color glazes for the cookies and used pastry bags to decorate the cookies. They came out good and were delicious but I probably used about every mixing bowl we had.

We finished up our shopping and wrapping last night. I ventured out today in the snow (will it ever stop snowing?) to go to the grocery store(s). Despite almost spinning out in the middle of a 6 way intersection, which was scary, it wasn't too bad. Luckily Ava was home with her Dad. I would have freaked out more if she had been with me. I hit Whole Foods first and was able to get just about everything I need. The store is small and was very crowded so it kept me from doing too much milling about and grabbing things that weren't on my list. I only had a few items that I couldn't find at Whole Foods so I had to go to other grocery store in our neighborhood. Despite the 2 stops and the slow driving due to snow, I was home in about an hour and a half. Better to get the grocery store out of the way today since I will be doing loads of baking over the next 2 days. I'm making coffee cake tomorrow for breakfast on Thursday which means I get to open my Christmas present from Fredo early. He's the best husband and got me something I've been wanting for a long time -- a KitchenAid Stand Mixer!

I can't wait to use it!

Thursday I'm tackling eclairs and cornbread. The cornbread should be pretty easy. I'm hoping the eclairs come out okay but if not, I do have ingredients for a back up dessert.

I love baking so I'm excited for all of the things I'll be working on the next few days. And of course, I'm excited for Ava's first Christmas!