Dec 13 - Christmas Programming

Peanut Butter Lindor Ball

"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect."
- Oren Arnold






  I had a funny little errand after work.  My mum emailed me at work to let me know she was sending a package for Christmas and could I pick up an online purchase from the Dan Murphy's nearest to me.  Sure, I could handle that.  But wait... I'm not allowed to know what's in it?  Bertie and Gub have to wrap it with supplies being send in the package.  I am to pick up a sealed box containing three items and put them on my table to be guarded by Pengi.  Interesting...
  So off I went and said to the girl at the counter "I'm here to pick up a package for ***** but I'm not allowed to know what's in it".  She smiled and said, "Ah yes, I picked that order today!" and made her way to the shelf to collect it.  It was in a well sealed box.  Mum had clearly given specific instructions on her online order.  The girl removed the contents list from the box, checked my ID and said "Sign here", with her hand completely covering the list of contents.  She was clearly quite amused by the whole process and I appreciated her being in the spirit of things, no pun intended.
  I got home and dutifully placed the box of mystery under Pengi's guard.  His loveable beady eyes daring me to try something if I feel lucky.  But I don't feel like being pecked tonight.  To take my mind of the now two tantalising presents I went and assembled dinner.  I didn't feel like a cooked meal tonight so I made myself a cold platter and settled on the couch in front of the TV and watched my first Christmas movie of the season, Walt Disney's Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas.
  I've started my Christmas viewing slowly, tonight's selection only goes for 63 minutes but it was a nice companion to my finger food meal and juicy mango dessert.  Others on my list this year may include:  The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Santa Clause, Scrooged, Santa Clause: The Movie, The Grinch, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and A Christmas Carol (the Patrick Stewart version of course).  Those are the ones that stick out in my mind.

What are your favourite Christmas movies?

  Today's food was:

• Breakfast was a ham, cheese and tomato croissant.
• Lunch was a Mission Mediterranean Herb wrap spread with Kraft Light French Onion Dip then topped with 124g double-smoked leg ham, 32g Hungarian white salami and and baby spinach.  Followed by 250g of fresh strawberries!
• Dinner was four slices of pepper mortadella (about 80g), ten Vita-Weat multigrain rice crackers, 200g Yumi's Hommus (yes, I ate the whole tub), a whole red capsicum, a whole carrot, green beans and two hard-boiled eggs.
• Dessert was a big yummy Piñata Honey Gold mango!
• Today's advent calendar Lindor Ball was peanut butter.

  After dinner I had a nice catch up with my online mate Nara in New Zealand.  She's a lovely lady who I've known the better part of two years now; a friend kept from the days I hid in chat rooms not coping with the world.  Not regret, just recognition.  It was lovely to catch up with Nara anyway, it always is.
  My dad made the mistake of responding to a request for the Lardy Cake recipe today.  I've not included it on today's blog but rest assured you shall all have it before Christmas!  Not sure yet if I'll make one though... the temptation to eat the whole damn thing might just be too strong.  It's not so much the 60g of lard in it, it's more the butter you then slather it in while it's still warm from the oven!
  Off to bed now.  Things are heating up in my book, and not just danger-wise!
  Jess