mornings are more fun now

Today is my third day of opening advent presents. December first had a white paper wrapped one and I knew that was one from Martha. There were three tiny cookie cutters and if I make pepper cake cookies this year I will use them. My recipe is very complicated. You make the dough and let it rest overnight and then role it into a paper thin thing and when this dough sticks to the surface of your baking board you add more flour and then try again. When you finally succeed, there is so much flour in your cookies that they have become a dull gray-brown tough item. Steve, my son-in-law is the only one who can make them into the delicate items they are supposed to be. If he is planning to make them this year, I may send him my new cutters and ask him to make me a dozen cookies.

Yesterday I opened my second present. There were two small packets of chocolate-almond spread which I tried immediately on my breakfast English muffin. Yum! It was in a white package which I assumed was from Jane. I was wrong. It was Anna's wrapping paper. I told the girls that they are richer than I was when making mine so long ago. I would have used the three cutters for three different days and the spread for two different days.

Today, the third day, I opened a red and white striped paper one. It was so heavy that the board is now listing to starboard. (I will put a tack under the right hand corner to keep it from listing even more in the future) But not til I'm sure my neighbor is awake. You may wonder what was so heavy in Jane's package. Money. a lot of money. Beautiful shiny coins. Filled with chocolate.

When I go to our local variety store there is always some of these coins near the check-out counter. But the little bag they are sold in is much smaller than this one and the money is not as shiny and new. I will buy one next time I go there. Just to compare them. Jane's contained

$8.07. Thank you Jane.