Airing my Laundry

 Two days, many dirty pans, and 15 sticks of butter and margarine later...

 Ta da... this year's laundry is officially complete.

Since Grandma Casdorph is currently adding to the list of reasons why she's awesome (at 75 years old, she's been flipping houses with my Grandpa, and they're doing all the work themselves), she's been too busy this year to make and ship the traditional laundry to our homes. That meant that instead of just making the yummy bars like I usually do, I'd also have to whip up the finicky peanut butter fudge and try my hand at the other standards, butterballs, chocolate bon bons, and marshmallow fudge.  Christmas is at my house this year, and I didn't want my dad and brother to have to go without the standard flavors.  (The mint chocolate chip cookies are not a recipe of Grandma's... just something I threw in for fun.)

Lessons learned:

1. Oleo is just an old-fashioned word for margarine.  You can search the store many times over, but you aren't going to find anything labeled "oleo."
2. The chocolate bon bons are a messy business.  Next time I will make sure I've removed the kids songs from my iPod shuffle list so I am not stuck listening to "There's a Hole at the Bottom of the Sea."
3. I owe a million thanks to the work Grandma has done in the past.  It was overwhelming to make four batches of each treat, and I'm certain Grandma makes more than that each year.
4. I couldn't have done it without my wonderful husband who followed behind me cleaning the pans, measuring cups, and spatulas I repeatedly dirtied.

Now the laundry is safely stowed away at the top of the closet where kids won't beg for it (and I won't sneak pieces).  We'll pull it down on Christmas Eve, then eat ourselves silly. 

I. Can't. Wait.