2011. You were an interesting year to say the least. I never say if a year is good or bad, as I am more of a shades of gray kind of gal, but this year was what they call in hockey a restructuring year.

There were highs and lows, with the lows being just as valuable as the highs. As my dad always told us (and still does) “you have to have the bad days in order to recognize the good ones”.

Nothing says Christmas like football? Well they do thank God a lot when they get a touchdown.

I spent most of my day at the Seahawks game. It was my first NFL game ever. It was…interesting. We had been given free tickets and said what the heck. It’s the only sport that I have had to been pat down and go through a metal detector, that was the first bad sign. Then there was drunken peanut guy. He was so drunk he couldn’t keep his head up and kept throwing peanut shells at people…he was escorted out. Then you have the extra coaches in the stands that let the team know what they should be doing. :) Keep in mind most of the people “coaching” them couldn’t run half way down the field without coming close to dying. Four dollars for a diet coke? $30 to park…and that wasn’t the highest amount…some wanted $50! And my favorite is that they aren’t allowed to swear in the stands so when a ref makes a bad call instead of saying bullsh!t they shout out “pitch it”. :P

Dear On-Line Retail Stores, You can suck it. Oh sure you offer up your too good to pass deals to lure me in. And so I add you to my cart, get all excited thinking I am done shopping and go on my merry little way. Only to get an email from you six days later saying opps we don’t appear to have that in stock.

Keep reading for Egg Nog Cheesecake Bars

Dear Santa, A few weeks ago my porn arrived in the mail. Most people know it as the Williams Sonoma catalog, but for those of us in the foodie world it is our version of porn. I turned the page and there is was in all its glory…the new Kitchen Aid 7-quart Mixer. Now I of course already own a Kitchen Aid Mixer, two in fact (one Artisan that was my first and is 15 years old and a Professional 600). :) But this, this mixer has a 1.3 horsepower motor, makes 14 dozen cookies and 8 pounds of dough!!! It truly was lust at first sight.