Our Christmas

Our Christmas was a treat!  A short treat, but maybe that made it more treasurable knowing it was only for hours even though this mom would love days with both kids here.    K worked both 12/24 and 12/26 but she was able to leave a bit after 2 on Monday.  Her goal was to make it for our church service at 5.  Instead with not much traffic she made it all the way to the house by 4:15 and then we all rode to church together.   (She & Phil drive more like Gpa R than the apple trees they fell nearest.)

After having help with getting the bacon-wrapped turkey into the oven, we opened gifts.  The kids decided to stop what could become a circus when they are 40 y/o and have families of their own so they made a new rule and went with a $10 gift to each other.  And  since they knew they’d just give each other gift cards, they took the funny route.  After having emails, phone calls, and texts from both of them that $10 wasn’t enough…. (argh!! from them & me!)…. I made a mom decision and told them they can increase to $20 next year.  The gifts were still fun & funny and better for their budgets.  🙂

We had quit stockings a few years ago for the kids but Phil had an itch so bought stocking stuffers for K, JP, and me, put them in paper grocery sacks and taped one of our socks to the bag.   I also have 2 new necklaces, the food processor that goes with my Bosch mixer, a new outfit, new couch pillows, and a powerful handheld vac.  🙂

I posted this first photo of my first wrapped gift on FB… all accomplished by 11:20 on Christmas Eve morning…. #rolleyes… and here is the rest of the story and the fun the box provided.   Seriously, boxes are the best gift!!  (In photo 3, K is standing up! … and maybe Phil thinks this is trouble waiting to happen?????)

It is a locking gun cabinet for JP’s room and for all our safety.   I think it is so appropriate that it sits beside his nursery cross-stitch with his birth info.  LOL!!  I will redo his room sometime but K’s is first in line for the paint brush.

Hardly ever do our dogs get Christmas presents… however, that birthday thing that happened to Phil this spring has made for lots of changes in him.  One was that he wanted to buy Nina a dog bed.  I INSISTED on less expensive and EASILY washable.  He relented and got what I chose.  Here is her day in photos.  Now she loves it and was on it this morning when she came in with Phil.  Her feet are covered in ice balls every morning now so she is off the bed waiting for it to dry out.  Again.

I did ask for a casual family photo.  This is what I got first…

But the good photo is above at the beginning of this post.  Amazingly, the dog knew to watch the blinking light on my timer.   So funny!   With the BIG dog in front, I about lost my husband in the photo.  That’s a first!  I love my fun family.

The peach-berry cobbler was much improved over the one I did at Thanksgiving, thanks to Sarah R & Sue Ellen.  Dinner menu stayed the same and is easy.  Tons of leftovers for my freezer and K has Christmas dinner for lunches every day the rest of the week.  P & JP will see it for suppers this week.

Throughout the day, JP had 3 movies for us to see.  Of course, the TV decided to be pesky so in lieu of the 4 of us watching TV on my bed #hairraising!, we put JP’s honkin’ big computer monitor on a card table and watched from the couch.  We, hard-working women, took naps during the afternoon showing.  🙂   (I’m still hoping I get a new TV out of this pesky mess.   JP has good electronics connections.  #bigcheesygrin)

Wanna see my new necklaces?  🙂  (I’m home alone and most importantly without my fashion daughter so this is the best you’ll get….)

The one on the left is from a friend and is all our family birthstones but in hearts.   (Order your own birthstone jewelry here.   But check out the rest of her offerings as well.  I ordered from her in CA on Friday and the package arrived on Monday in IL!!)   The right side, Phil chose all.by.himself. and is interlocking rings.   🙂   I love them both!!

I hope you had a day just like you wanted.  I did… my family. together.  Just us.  ♥

{The plan was for K to head back late afternoon on Christmas Day but being young and energetic, she stayed here last night and awakened at 4:40 to be out the door by 5:15 and was there in time to open the business at 7:30.  She did miss a chance to make a Starbucks drive-thru but I suggested sending a driver out to get one!!  🙂   The car was mostly packed last night and our roads are clean now.  I’m sure the trip back in wasn’t hard except early & fast.  But we did get to enjoy yesterday evening with her still here.}

p.s.   I am going to try to catch up but writing backwards so I think there will be 3 or 4 “new” posts coming with dates farther back than this one.  I hope you come back!  🙂