One Last Simple Christmas Card and a Holiday Party

Hello, everyone!  Wow!  What a crazy week!  We've had some ups and downs the past few days starting with a busted water heater on Monday (a down) and ending with a fabulous Hero Arts Catalogue Release Party at China Phoenix 2 on Sunday (an up).  The days in between promised a flurry of activity and not a single dull moment.

Friday we held our 4th annual "re-gift" exchange inviting 16 of our closest friends, and, in our tiny townhouse, they really were our "closest" friends...lol!  The idea behind the "re-gift" exchange is to take a really bad gift, received on a prior occasion, disguise it in some lovely gift wrap, and pawn it off on some poor unsuspecting soul at the party.  It's a lot like a White Elephant, but instead of purchasing a bad gift, we really insist that this is something that has been given to you, and hopefully, the giver of the gift is not at the party!  However...sometimes they are and that is all the more fun ;D  This year's gift highlights included a decorative resin cat fountain depicting frolicking kittens, a Xena Warrior Princess Action Figure who had made her first appearance at last year's party, and a pair of large decorative wooden male/female figures that closely resemble a fertility god and goddess.  This duo made their initial debut 2 years ago and have returned to the party each year since.  This time they came back enhanced...LOL!!!  Complete with curly ribbon hair, pink tattoos, and a myriad of other strategically placed embellishments!  They were fabulous!  We have pictures, but they still need to be edited, so they may show up here at a later time for your viewing pleasure or at the very least I will post them to my Facebook page.

We went all out on the food and tried to make as many dishes as we could.  Kirk smoked 2 HUGE turkey breasts and a ham on his Big Green Egg and they were phenomenal.  He basted the ham in pineapple juice and finished it by packing on a coating of brown sugar, clove, cinnamon, and black pepper, and putting it back on the grill for another 20-30 minutes.  This is how my mom cooks a ham and it is insanely delicious!  Kirk also whipped up a batch of his award winning Egg Nog Ice Cream.  Okay, it hasn't technically won any awards...yet...but it should!  Check out his blog at Albukirky BBQ for mouth-watering photos plus the recipe.  He also shares a little secret that he uses in all of his ice cream recipes that ensures a lovely creamy texture every time.  I stirred up a big ol' pot of decadent classic Swiss fondu and served it with lots of veggie dippers.  I also turned my home made blue cheese dressing recipe into a dip by substituting the buttermilk with sour cream, and for dessert I made Gold Bars.  Gold Bars seem to have some sort of a cult following in Albuquerque, because everyone who attended a school in the Albuquerque Public School system remembers buying these chocolate peanut butter treats in the cafeteria.  I did not go to school here, but I have had these bars elsewhere and loved them.  I saw them referenced on a friend's Facebook page and decided to track down a recipe for them.  Through the miracle of Google, I came up with one that sounded like it would do the trick.  At the party, these bars flew off the plate and within 10 minutes, they were gone...lol!  Everyone was talking about buying them in school and seemed to wax nostalgic after that.  I guess my bars were a pretty good likeness ;D

All in all, the party was a fabulous success and it appeared that a good time was had by all.  If my friends read my blog (and they better!) I just want to express my heartfelt thanks to them for stopping by and taking time out of their busy holiday schedules to share an evening with us.  You guys are DA' BOMB!!

Believe it or not, I have a card to share with you today.  It is the last of my Simple Christmas Cards.  There were 4 designs and they are the cards I created for my sister-in-law, Diane.  I did not get these cards mailed to her in time for her to send them out, but really, what else is new.  Those of you who read my blog with any regularity already knew that I wasn't going to finish these in time as it has become a holiday tradition of sorts...lol!  I emailed my apologies to her and she has accepted my groveling, and assured me that she does not hate me, which I am very grateful for.  The bright side is, she will have them early for next year ;D  It will be the first time...EVER...LOL!

I have a few more cards to make this week, so I will try to be back with something new.  In the meantime, enjoy the holiday countdown and stay crafty!