Let the cooking begin!

Last night, feeling fuzzy headed and bleary eyed, I emailed a draft of the pleading I've been writing to Bob, my legal compatriot, then turned off the computer and went off to soak in the bubble bath. Lovely! I was in bed by 10pm, which is hours and hours early for me this week.

But today I am in holiday mode. This afternoon my best friend in the world Beth arrives, then she and my sister and the three of us will feast on cold cracked crab, sourdough french bread, Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) and caesar salad.

My holiday surprise to everyone tonight is MATCHING CHRISTMAS pajamas, so we can all look foolishly festive (or festively foolish) while we sit around after dinner playing games and such.

Tomorrow, my folks, brother, SIL and her mom will arrive mid-afternoon. Dinner will involve herb-crusted beef tenderloin, baked shrimp, cream cheese scalloped potatoes (a new crock pot adventure), salad, and the required raspberry jello salad. Beth is bringing a Buche de Noel (the traditional french chocolate cake yule log, which will amuse my mother no end as she will surely remember my senior year in high school when she helped me make one for my french class christmas party) and Kitt is bringing apple pie.

So, today is all about food. I am off to make the jello, the artichoke dip (another absolute holiday must-have in our family), and two kinds of Christmas cookies. Usually I get the cookies done earlier...but heck, they're getting baked and that's what counts. They're not even needed for Christmas, actually, but for the post-Christmas nibbling.

Caroline is ready to be my #1 helper, and Roger plans on an afternoon nap, which he richly deserves after covering most of the parental duties while I've been locked in my office all week.

Now, where's that butter? Hand me the bag of flour...