- hearing about Georgia's first time on skates (although I really wish I could've been there!). Neil went to help Sophia's class with a skating trip and he put Georgia in Madeline's old skates so they could all go on the ice. She squealed in delight as he pulled her around.
- learning the word indefatigable from a book I'm reading to the girls (Gooney Bird and the Room Mother by Lois Lowry) because it describes Sophia so well. (Great book, by the way.)
- having a two-hour dance class on Tuesday. I worked on my Slip Jig, then we learned three new Ceili (group) dances with the advanced class: Haymaker's Jig, Bridge of Athlone, and Siege of Ennis. Fun!
- listening to Georgia's heartbeat by putting my head on her chest as she slept. It's been ages since I listened and she won't let me near her with the stethoscope when she's awake. Her heart rate was 51. I do hope it's a little faster when she's active, but I guess I won't find out until her next appointment with a cardiologist (hopefully January; haven't received a letter yet).
- finishing my Christmas shopping -- including the school's "adopt a family" (12 families actually) Christmas project which we only learned about on Friday afternoon.
- Neil making a cheese ball* for me to share at work on Thursday. He and Georgia delivered it to my office downtown. What good service, huh?! The cheese ball was a hit with my coworkers.
- having Friday off work. Thank goodness because I had a million things to do and I was able to cross a few things off my list. This month is just nuts.
- wrapping several Christmas gifts while the girls were at school Friday afternoon. Georgia was a good little helper. She was very excited about it, but didn't insist on doing too much. It was a little tricky trying to keep her from seeing a few gifts though.
- making and eating this yummy snack: vanilla yogurt topped with cinnamon, sliced bananas, and chopped pecans. I am definitely making this again.
- teaching Sophia how to make coffee for me, complete with the right amount of cream and sugar. I have a Keurig single cup coffee maker, so it's easy to make coffee and the kids think it's fun. (I love that coffee maker! Perfect for me because I'm the only coffee drinker in the house.)
- visiting friends in Pilot Butte on Friday evening. We hadn't seen them for much too long (since last New Year's Eve). We had a good visit and their kids are similar in age to ours, so they had fun together too.
- attending our Irish dance school's Hawaiian-themed Christmas party on Saturday afternoon. There was a little Irish dancing, hula-hoop and limbo contests, fruit punch, pizza, and other treats. I made Sally's Coconut Snowballs for the party and they were great!
- going to Bushwakker for a drink with the beginner and advanced adult classes and our Irish dance instructors on Saturday after the family party. I enjoyed a glass of Blackberry Mead, only available at this time of year.
- getting a bunch of housework done on Sunday while the girls spent the afternoon at their cousin's house. Not my favourite thing to do on a Sunday, but it is good when we can get more done than usual.
- registering for a couple online classes and making plans for 2009. I'm looking forward to the new year! More on that later.
*Spicy Cheddar Cheese Ball
1 cup low-fat grated cheddar cheese [we used regular OLD cheddar]
1 cup light cream cheese
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp VE Louisiana Hot & Spicy Dip Mix [i.e., Epicure Selections; let me know if you need some!]
1 cup chopped walnuts [we used pecans]
Combine the first four ingredients. Form into a ball or log (or two), and roll in nuts.
[I must also recommend serving this with my most favourite cracker of all time: Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Crackers (from Costco).]
