Giddy

"The wrong shall fail. The right prevail. With peace on earth, good will to men." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? There's still time to buy "I Survived the Mayan Apocalypse" tee shirts from Snorgtees. Wouldn't that make a fun family photo Christmas card, everyone in apocalypse matching tee shirts? Some other cute ones are "Hedgehogs: Why don't they just share the hedge?" and "Misuse of 'literally' makes me figuratively insane."

In case you haven't heard, there are some who think the Mayan calendar predicts that the world will end this Friday, December 21. You can watch the end of the world online at Space.com. I think an end of the world party would be fun, with Mayan food (which is amazing) on the menu. It is also the winter solstice. Lots going on that day.

Something else you can do is track Santa on his journey. There is also an phone app for this.

You could make my fudge! I never thought I would put a recipe on my blog, but I am feeling kind of silly. Do you or someone you love not like fudge because you think it's too sweet? This is fudge for people who don't think they like fudge. And people who know they like fudge will like it, too. It is based on the recipe from the back of the jar of Kraft marshmallow (which is not really marshmallow) fluff, which I have tweaked. For best results, do not make any substitutions. Nuts are optional. That's funny!

BITTERSWEET FUDGE

2 1/2 cups white sugar
5 ounces evaporated milk
3/4 cup butter
1 jar marshmallow (which is not really marshmallow) fluff
12 ounces of unsweetened chocolate
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup chopped nuts, only if you like nuts

Combine sugar, milk and butter in a large saucepan. Cook over medium low heat, bring to a boil, then stir constantly for three to five minutes or until it reaches the soft ball stage. (Put a little dab in a small cup of very cold water. If you can form the mixture into a soft ball, you have reached perfection.)

Remove from heat.  Stir in the chocolate and vanilla and mix with a spoon until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in the fluff and mix until it is completely blended. Pour into a buttered pan 9" x 9" pan. Let cool at room temperature until completely set. Cut into squares.

I am having a great day. I had a day off from work. I did a little Christmas shopping. I made some yummy things to eat for the next couple of lunches and dinners. I thought that I needed to do homework, then I remembered the semester is over. I thought I needed to do laundry, then I remembered that I don't go into work until 2:00 tomorrow, so I can do laundry in the morning. I think this is what has made me kind of giddy, a lack of responsibilities. And frankly, I can only handle so much sadness and then I just have to break out the happy.

My wonderful niece has decided to Do Something in response to the shooting in Connecticut. During her kids' Christmas break from school, she is doing 27 acts of kindness in honor of the 27 people who died. Isn't that a great idea?

So enjoy the Mayan Apocalypse. Have some fudge. Don't do your laundry until tomorrow. Have fun. Be kind. Every bit of fun we have, every act of kindness we perform, helps us defeat the sadness and badness in the world. The wrong shall fail. The right prevail.

Susan