It Went Very Well

The party is over, and I am exhausted, but it went very well, so at least I'm happily exhausted. We talked, laughed, ate a ton, and then talked and laughed some more. My house was empty before 7:00 (the party started at 3:00), so there was still time to relax (read: fall into a coma at around 8:00).

I finally got to make a recipe I'd been wanting to try for a while, Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars, and they turned out wonderfully. It was the first seasonal baking I've done so far and it really helped my mood (well, the absolute deliciousness helped my mood too). I'm now ready to pump Christmas carols through our speakers while covering myself in flour and doing seemingly endless loads of dishes in order to get all my Christmas baking done. Apparently my dad has baked about a dozen different kinds of cookies so far, so I predict I gain five pounds before the new year.

I'm still not ready to go out and buy gifts for everyone, but that's mostly because I hate shopping any time of year and this time of year is the worst. People might seriously be getting a dozen cookies and a $20 bill. I know I wouldn't mind that as a gift, so I hope they like it too.

Speaking of homemade gifts, when we were up at my parents' house late last month, my mom made homemade limoncello which should be ready to drink this weekend. She sent us home with a jar, and it's sitting in our refridgerator looking yellow and lemony, and I can't wait to try it. We mix it with a little soda water over ice, and it's one of the most delicious cocktails I've ever tried. Well, at least with store-bought limoncello. I can't wait to see how this batch turned out, and if it did turn out, I know what people may be getting for Christmas next year.