Don't you wish you were my neighbor?

Tonight I delivered my long-awaited Christmas treats to a few of my favorite people around here. (And the girls I visit teach - in lieu of a real message. I'm so dedicated, it scares me. Anyway.) Wait - the above sentence makes it sound like the recipients waited long for the treats. But in fact, it was me who waited long. I have been looking forward to making this stuff for months now. I have been diligently saving Leighton's empty formula cans and deciding which treats to put inside.

The finalists that ended up in my cute paper-covered cans (I got lazy and didn't add any ribbon or anything - oh well) were: caramels, spritz cookies, peppermint bark popcorn, and fudge. I also made a pan of peppermint candy cane brownies, but I guess I'll have to give them away to other people, because I ran out of room in the cans. But I love how they turned out: cute, albeit a little plain.

This week's baking marathon is brought to you by:

-Butter. Lots and lots of butter. Probably my entire body weight in butter. Which means my body weight is even more than it was before...hmm.

-My Bosch. No offense to any of you out there, but my Bosch could kick your Kitchen-Aid's trash. I love that thing. Thanks to my mom for having the foresight to give me that as a wedding gift before the days when I had ever even so much as measured out a cup of flour.

(Hello - I just love the face Leighton is making here. He just worships his big sister - who is pictured playing with my box of acrylic paint.)

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is...not singing loud for all to hear, but filling empty formula cans with really fattening, delicious treats. Now I'm going to stop eating leftover fudge for dinner and try to convince myself that I am not addicted to butter and sugar in all their glorious combinations. Merry Christmas to all of you, neighbors or not.