Dear Silenus Charm, Crack Research Elf:

The Pressie has landed. I repeat, the Pressie has landed! Hubby brought it home from our priavte PO Box last night. Our box number is right next to some famous folks ya know! Last year, I kept getting Carole King's mail!! Thankfully the mail folks straightened that out. Anyhoo, that's how come the person who signbed for it was neither myself nor Dave.

I followed your instructions from the other thread and have placed the wrapped Pressie over in a conrer with the rest of wrapped pressies that have come from far flung family and friends. We don't do the Christmas tree thing because until last year we had a dog who would have toppled one. Also, we just kinda think it's excessive.

I was thrilled to get the empenada recipe! it is nearly identical to one for portuguese meat pies called Pastilles that my college sweethaert's mumn used to make. She included chopped green olives in hers in addition to he freshly chopped parsley. She fried hers but I like your recipe's instruction to bake them better.

I've been up all night with a headache plus doing some work that needs finishing if we're to be able to realx over the holiday break. I'm going to go snooze now with by silly little black cat named Inky.

He likes to make a complex little nest out of a blanket, a chenille throw and an old teddy bear at the foot of my bed. Once he's got it to his proper specifications, he gets to doing "happy feet" on the teddy bear's back and/or head for 10 to 15 minutes. When he's sufficiently tenderized teddy, he curls up into a tight little ball and places both paws over his eyes, presumably to block out the light? hen he heaves a huge kitty cat sigh for such a small boy and drifts off to sleep. A few minutes after that, he begins to "snore". However, his snores come out as high pitched little cat squeaks. It's more like snorsqueak. Once he's settled in for a good long snoozeysnork, he'll stay like that until I get up or until the big fat marmalade cat comes in and starts trying to stir up trouble.

So Inky and I are off to sleepy land. I'll post more gleeful pressie reportage when we awake.