Santa's Lap of Luxury

We went to the Wisconsin Dells for Christmas! We stayed in a very posh timeshare, courtesy of Paul's mom who needed to use up "points" or lose them. It had a whole kitchen, so I cooked our roast beast there. The recipe I gave you last time worked perfectly, although the boys said it was too rare. I think because I used a bone-in roast, it could have cooked a little longer.

Paul gave me an ereader, which I really like. I downloaded "Huckleberry Finn" for free and read it in the dark!

I felt a little bad about missing Christmas Eve services at our church. I was also surprised that the hotel/timeshares were completely full on such a big holiday. Then I took a longer look at the other guests. They were probably not Christians, so it was just another weekend to them! I forget how small my little world is, sometimes. I need to get out more! I was interested in the very modest swimsuits the Muslim women were wearing. Kind of like a wetsuit with a dress over it. The headpiece even had a bump-out for the wearer's hair bun.

This posh place had 3, count them 3, waterparks in it. (More in the summer.) Big waterparks, with scary slides and tube rides. I seriously thought I would die. Paul says you could hear me scream and say"OH DEAR" all the way down. There was also mini-golf and laser tag and arcades. Paul and I endured a 2 hour sales presentation for the time shares to get a $150 gift card. The guys used it to go skiing. I have a bum knee, so I try to avoid skiing. Sadly, I had to stay alone in the posh suite, soak in the hot tub, read magazines and work on a quilt. It was rough.

We're going to have a quiet New Year's Eve. Appetizers and movies in our pajama pants, fire in the fireplace... I am glad to say that Nick turned down an invitation from a buddy to stay home with us! With Nate going to college next year, I am relishing every minute of family time.

Here is a party dip recipe that was new to me. Have you ever had that appetizer where you spread cream cheese on Buddig lunch meat, wrap a pickle in it, then slice it? I like that, but spreading the cream cheese is a pain. This recipe has the same flavor, but without the hassle!(Now how much would you pay?)

Wrapped Pickle Dip

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup real mayonaise
1 pkg Buddig corned beef
1 pkg Buddig beef
Pickles to taste
Crackers (Wheat thins are good)

Mix cream cheese and mayo. Chop meat into small squares and add to mixture. Dice pickles and add to your taste. Add pickle juice to make it easier to spread. Or just use pickle relish! Serve with crackers.

Happy New Year!