Dear Sunday Letter friends,
We only have two more weeks in this decade. I say this only because everywhere I turn I see these sorts of announcements—last full moon of the decade! — last Christmas of the decade! — last fill-in-the-blank of the decade!
Ha.
We could play this game for the rest of the year.
Last Sunday Letter of the decade?
Maybe. Maybe not.
It’s always a game-time decision for me.
Chocolate and Lemon Mousse
What’s the plural of mousse?
I looked it up and found a confusing bunch of etymological information. Bottom line, the plural of mousse is mousse. It can also be mousses but that’s a mouthful.
Anyway, I made two kinds of mousse for Momma’s birthday party—lemon and chocolate—and promised you the recipes.
These are keeper recipes, y’all, perfect for those times when you want something sweet yet don’t want to bake. I think they would be great at Christmas too. Add a few raspberries or sugared cranberries to up the festive factor.
If you are a fan of lemon (like I am) you will love the lemon mousse which came from Three Many Cooks. Three Many Cooks served hers in shot glasses. I doubled the recipe, added extra lemon curd to the whipped cream (because you can’t have too much lemon curd), and served mine in sherbet glasses for larger servings. Click HERE for the recipe and details.
For the chocolate mousse, I whipped a box of instant chocolate pudding mix with 1.5 cups of 2% milk and a cup of heavy whipping cream. To assemble, I added crumbled brownies as the bottom layer, spooned in a layer of mousse, topped with more crumbled brownies and crumbled oreos. Then I repeated.
You can bake your own brownies or buy those delicious Two-Bite Brownies that most grocery stores seem to carry these days (which is what I did).
You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!
We saw the musical, A Christmas Story, at Walton Arts Center this week. It’s based on the classic holiday movie. You know the one about Ralphie who wants an “official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and a clock that tells time” for Christmas? The BB gun that will surely put his eye out…
If you have an opportunity to see this play, GO. I highly recommend it. (Fayetteville friends, TODAY is your last chance to see it at Walton Art Center this decade.)
At the very least, you could watch the movie. I triple dog dare you.
A dose of nostalgia is always in season at Christmastime. Especially those highlighting childhood wishes and shenanigans balanced by the wisdom of our Mommas.
Wrapping Presents
I say this every year at Christmas, but I LOVE to wrap presents. I would wrap all your presents if you’d let me. Even the hard-to-wrap ones.
This probably goes back to my elf days (which I talked about in last week’s Sunday Letter).
The ribbon, the paper, the tags—all of it. I set up a makeshift Santa’s workshop on my table and get lost in my own little wonderland. But this year, my workload is next to nothing as we have all but eliminated exchanging gifts. Yes, I mailed gifts to the kids, but other than Christmas morning stockings, that’s it for our family. (We have too much stuff, and no one needs anything that can be bought at a store.)
Neighbors, if wrapping presents isn’t your idea of fun, bring your paper and unwrapped gifts to me and I’ll take care of it.
No, really.
#ChristmasFail
To all my wonderful friends who have sent Christmas cards—thank you! Each one brings joy, and I sincerely hope you will not delete me from your list when discover I haven’t reciprocated.
In a spurt of Christmas cheer, I mailed five cards at the beginning of the month. How I chose those five, I can’t really say. This week, I’ve made peace with my #ChristmasFail of the season. It just isn’t going to happen.
Evidently last Christmas was my last time to mail Christmas cards this decade…
I could point out that you do receive a Sunday Letter from me nearly every week. But pointing this out seems a little petty on my part, doesn’t it? So never mind.
Maybe I’ll send cards at some random, unexpected time in the new year decade. That would be fun.
Things Momma Says:
I finally found my blood pressure machine! It was stored with my Christmas lights.
***
10 days til Christmas!
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
Well this might be my last comment of the decade! I so enjoy the Sunday letter!
Merry Christmas.
Haha, I so enjoy your comments (and that you are always first)!
I feel the same way about wrapping gifts. We have a small family & have never given many gifts in the first place. And I feel like gift bags are cheating…..even though there are some gorgeous gift bags out there.
Yes, to keep gift bags from being a cheater thing, I do them up with ribbon and embellishments. LOL.
I love this letter!
Thank you so much for the mousse recipes…I think they’ll be my next Bookclub desserts…they’re so pretty, and both sound delicious. I will try not to just scoop out too much lemon curd (I love it!) before preparing the recipe!
I love gift-wrapping too. Not so much Jim. Last night I received an early gift from him with a tag: “My elf couldn’t get to the gift-wrap class.” It was evident. But, it’s the thought that counts, right? ?
Is that a star-shaped loofah? I love it and need to know where I might get a few, please…
Lastly, I laughed so hard at this Momma quote…and look forward to more in the next decade! Merry Christmas, Momma, Talya, John!
It’s actually a star ornament but I agree, it does look like a loofah and is made of something similar. I bought a package of them years ago at Smith and Hawkins in Dallas.
Merry Christmas to you, Jo Ann Wardein. Maybe we will meet one day, maybe not in this decade, but maybe in the next one. Loved this Sunday letter.
I feel certain you will.
I really do look forward to these wonderful inspirational Sunday Letters. Thank you for all of the effort that you put into it It frequently helps me set some intentions into motion..
Thanks Sharon! I appreciate that you look forward to them.
I always enjoy your Sunday letter and according to my calendar there is another Sunday in this decade. Like you said, “maybe the last letter, maybe not.” I hope not. Either way I’ll look forward to more Sunday letters in 2020. Merry Christmas and Happy new year.
Yes, I like to keep everyone guessing LOL. Merry Christmas to you and Tom!
Is this Talya actually writing for you? Do you exist? : -) Ha! YES – In the next decade (and I hope SOON in the next decade), we’ll meet, Barbara!
Funny!
Thanks, Talya…if i ever find something similar, I’ll nab it…Jo Ann
Love the Sunday letters..
I hate wrapping…I do very little. Whitney does most of it. She got the ‘gift’ not me!
I had white chocolate mousse this weekend. It was delish! I have to get the recipe for that!
Barbara….I can’t quit laughing!!!
Merry Christmas to y’all!!!
Your website and Sunday letters are always a gift to me! My book club members are reading Bernice Runs Away and, since most of us are around her age, we can really relate. Thank you for being a bright spot in my days. 💕 Lucy
I’m so glad you are enjoying Bernice!! If you would like me to join your book club via Zoom, let me know!