4 and 1/2 inches left to go

I stayed up knitting Deanna's shrug last night I want it done to give to her on Christmas day. right now I am looking at 4 1/2 inches left to finish. So here I sit, watching the history channel something about the Real Pirates, drinking the Cherry Lambec she gave me on Thanksgiving. I am exhausted, after hair cuts today came home, did 3 loads of laundry, made the mushroom dumplings to put in the red beet borscht, made the potato, onion and cream cheese dumplings, made dinner today, mad the chocolate almond cream roll. I 86ed the chocolate chip cookies with nuts for now. I feel like a zombie right now. I could use a long deep foot massage.
Traditionally Christmas Eve for me growing up was meatless. Now, my husband is a Texan, and even though he understands and respects tradition, I do not subject him to a totally meatless Christmas eve supper. For appetizers, I am making spinach dip served in a bread bowl, something we called a pine cone, it's a mixture of cream cheese, blue cheese and onion, formed into an oval, and covered in almonds made to resemble a pine cone, cream cheese Penguins, which is a pitted large black olive, stuffed with cream cheese, a small black olive on top of it, carrot slices with a triangle cut out to resemble feet, the triangle becomes the beak and there you have Penguins. I am using a cream cheese mixed with chives. stuffed mushrooms, pickles, and olives. I have made a hot buttered rum batter yet another all recipes find. I love this one because I don't have to have a huge pot of hot buttered rum brewing for hours. I will make the borscht tomorrow, the mushroom dumplings aka uszka are already made, and boiled. All I have to do is add the hot soup to it. Someone is bringing fresh baked bread, I am serving stuffed shrimp wrapped in bacon, a honey baked ham, potato, onion and cheese pierogi, (yes made them too) someone is making potato augratin, sweet potatoes, 3 bean salad, green bean casserole Dessert consists of , wreath cookies, cresant cookies, jam filled butter cookies , almond shortbread, lemon shortbread, orange spice short bread, chocolate almond cream roll,cheesecake, creamy pumpkin pie, and someone else is bringing some other sweets. Ok does that make at least 12 different things? Twelve to symbolize the 12 months of the year or the 12 apostles. There are several other traditions including the empty place setting. and extra place is set at the table, some believe it is for the unexpected guest, some a prophet, others to remind us of family that is no longer with us.

I could writer more but, starting to fall asleep. Happy Christmas everyone!