What's Christmas without a train & all the accessories?

When I was eight, my younger brother was given a model train set for Christmas. WHAT FUN the three of us had with that!

Dad mounted the tracks on a small sheet of plywood for stability, added some complimentary accessories and our imaginations took us anywhere those tracks led...some very special memories were made that night.

I start getting excited for the Christmas season even before Halloween, my second favorite night of the year! If I have my way, the "kid" in me will never grow up...especially when it comes to Christmas :)

Who can resist these:

I received an email from the "Captain" letting me know that this lens has been added to The Isle of Squid! I am just beside myself with excitement!

Check it out...you can follow this link and give my lens a review! Thanks in advance...WOW! TOO COOL!

The Isle of Squid

O.K...I'm calming down :)

My husband, Tom, and I started out with a small train set that has grown over the years. A dear friend who lived near us on Whidbey Island also helped our collection grow by adding from his own. I thought that was really great!

We've collected so many village scenes I told Tom he's going to have to add a room to the house solely dedicated to Christmas.

Villages, "snow", town folks, railroad car repair yard and lots more. Hey, honey...is that addition finished yet?

Can you just imagine how great it would've been to live in a time where riding in a one horse open sleigh was possible?

A few years ago Seattle brought in one horse open carriages. However! Generally speaking, there isn't any snow! And, the carriage rides don't stop in the winter. That's pretty neat though...a little tour of the waterfront, etc...

If you're ever in Seattle and want a "taste" of something from days of old, check it out!

Now guess what...

I know some people go all out baking for the holidays...I do my fair share in the pie department, but other than that, if cookies are made (seldom!), they're either peanut butter or chocolate chip...down and dirty!

Our daughter will only eat peanut butter cookies when I make them! And that truly makes my heart smile :) The cookies aren't at all dry (which is what she doesn't like) and they sure do taste really good.

Very easy, as follows:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

YOU WILL NEED:

-1 one cup measuring cup
-1 mixing bowl
-1 spoon to mix the ingredients (RIGHT! no mixer!)
-1 fork
-1 saucer
-2 cookie sheets
-2 cooling racks

INGREDIENTS:

-1 cup peanut butter (plain or crunchy, both work)
-1 cup sugar
-1 egg
-optional - red, green (or both) colored sugar

Stir ingredients together in your bowl
Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets
Note: this would be a good time to have the optional sugar on the saucer and ready to go!
Press fork tines into each mound to flatten * & **
Sprinkle with sugar ***

Bake in preheated oven 6 to 8 minutes until golden brown

Remove from oven and let stand 1 to 2 minutes before removing cookies to cooling racks

Yields 8 to 16 cookies - depends on "mound" size

* Will get bigger while baking. I suggest dropping only 6 mounds per cookie sheet unless you make tiny mounds.

** Pressing the tines into the sugar will help keep the tines from sticking to the mixture

*** Colored sugar is suggested only for the holiday...I use white sugar the rest of the year.

Grab a glass of milk and happy munching! And now...