There are two lasting bequests we can give our children.
One is roots.
The other is wings.
~Hodding Carter, Jr.
Thanks for giving me the love and means for both.
I love you.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
50 Books in 52 Weeks? DONE!
One of the things on my 40 Before 41 list was to read 50 books in one calendar year. I JUST made it. I finished my 50th book at approximately 11PMish on 12/31. I'm so proud of my accomplishment. I must say that I felt rushed at some points and towards the end, I purposely picked shorter books, BUT I'm thrilled to know that I did it!
Here are the books that I read (those with an asterisk, I'd HIGHLY recommend, those with a pound sign, DON'T BOTHER!):
1. Stork Raving Mad by Donna Andrews
2. Out of the Blue by Isabel Wolff
3. Dr. Nightingale Meets Puss in Boots by Lydia Adamson
4. I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg
5. Rescuing Rose by Isabel Wolff
6. Blue Shoes & Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith
7. Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
8. Not Buying It by Judith Levine (#)
9. Biggie & the Meddlesome Mailman by Nancy Bell
10. Delicious & Suspicious by Riley Adams
11. Little Bee by Chris Cleave (*)
12. Georgia Bottoms by Michael Childress
13. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet by Jamie Ford (*)
14. The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht (#)
15. Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson
16. Mourning Gloria by Susan Wittig Albert
17. Body in the Gazebo by Katherine Hall Page
18. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (*)
19. Spider Web by Earlene Fowler
20. And I Shall Have Some Peace There by Margaret Roach (#)
21. Wilder Life by Wendy McClure (#)
22. Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
23. Faith by Jennifer Haigh
24. Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy
25. Knuckler by Tim Wakefield (#)
26. An Almost Perfect Moment by Binnie Kirshenbaum
27. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
28. Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon
29. Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
30. Girl in the Blue Beret by Bobbie Ann Mason
31. Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews
32. Oolong Dead by Laura Childs
33. State Fair by Earlene Fowler
34. Real Macaw by Donna Andrews
35. South of Superior by Ellen Airgood
36. Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly
37. Finger Lickin' Dead by Riley Adams
38. Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (*)
39. Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka (#)
40. Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber
41. Nanjing Requiem by Ha Jin
42. Untold Story by Monica Ali
43. Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian (#)
44. Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (*)
45. Hickory Smoked Homicide by Riley Adams
46. Don't Lets Go To the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
47. Dr. Nightingale Races the Outlaw Colt by Lydia Adamson
48. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
49. Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith
50. Anastasia At Your Service by Lois Lowry (*)
The ones I didn't put an asterisk or a pound sign were OK -- not necessarily bad, I just wasn't moved by them.
You may have noticed that I ended reading a children's book. Not just any children's book -- a book in THE BEST children's book series! I read all of the Anastasia books MULTIPLE times and own all in both paperback and hardcopy. I wish Lois Lowry had written more!
This year, I'll keep track of the books I've read, but will not be "counting." I want to read and enjoy and not feel rushed.
Here's what I'm reading now:
Its 530 pages, so I saved it for AFTER the new year -- I knew there was no way I could squeeze it in at the end of 50 books!
What books did you read this past year? Any you'd recommend?
Here are the books that I read (those with an asterisk, I'd HIGHLY recommend, those with a pound sign, DON'T BOTHER!):
1. Stork Raving Mad by Donna Andrews
2. Out of the Blue by Isabel Wolff
3. Dr. Nightingale Meets Puss in Boots by Lydia Adamson
4. I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg
5. Rescuing Rose by Isabel Wolff
6. Blue Shoes & Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith
7. Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
8. Not Buying It by Judith Levine (#)
9. Biggie & the Meddlesome Mailman by Nancy Bell
10. Delicious & Suspicious by Riley Adams
11. Little Bee by Chris Cleave (*)
12. Georgia Bottoms by Michael Childress
13. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet by Jamie Ford (*)
14. The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht (#)
15. Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson
16. Mourning Gloria by Susan Wittig Albert
17. Body in the Gazebo by Katherine Hall Page
18. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (*)
19. Spider Web by Earlene Fowler
20. And I Shall Have Some Peace There by Margaret Roach (#)
21. Wilder Life by Wendy McClure (#)
22. Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
23. Faith by Jennifer Haigh
24. Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy
25. Knuckler by Tim Wakefield (#)
26. An Almost Perfect Moment by Binnie Kirshenbaum
27. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
28. Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon
29. Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
30. Girl in the Blue Beret by Bobbie Ann Mason
31. Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews
32. Oolong Dead by Laura Childs
33. State Fair by Earlene Fowler
34. Real Macaw by Donna Andrews
35. South of Superior by Ellen Airgood
36. Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly
37. Finger Lickin' Dead by Riley Adams
38. Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (*)
39. Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka (#)
40. Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber
41. Nanjing Requiem by Ha Jin
42. Untold Story by Monica Ali
43. Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian (#)
44. Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (*)
45. Hickory Smoked Homicide by Riley Adams
46. Don't Lets Go To the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
47. Dr. Nightingale Races the Outlaw Colt by Lydia Adamson
48. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
49. Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith
50. Anastasia At Your Service by Lois Lowry (*)
The ones I didn't put an asterisk or a pound sign were OK -- not necessarily bad, I just wasn't moved by them.
You may have noticed that I ended reading a children's book. Not just any children's book -- a book in THE BEST children's book series! I read all of the Anastasia books MULTIPLE times and own all in both paperback and hardcopy. I wish Lois Lowry had written more!
This year, I'll keep track of the books I've read, but will not be "counting." I want to read and enjoy and not feel rushed.
Here's what I'm reading now:
Its 530 pages, so I saved it for AFTER the new year -- I knew there was no way I could squeeze it in at the end of 50 books!
What books did you read this past year? Any you'd recommend?
Monday, January 2, 2012
Day After the Day After Christmas Bargains!
I was pretty sick (and tired) the day after Christmas, so going out shopping was out. I was pretty bummed, as I make it a practice to get up and go to Marshall's/TJ Maxx/HomeGoods to get Christmas cards, wrapping paper, decorations, etc... The only thing I really needed this year was cards, as I'd finally exhausted my stash.
I had December 27th off (and I was the only one in my family), so I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and went to Methuen, MA/Salem, NH -- the nearest strip mall heaven (or hell, depending on your perspective!)
My first stop was JoAnn Fabrics. I don't usually go there, but since it was the first place geographically that I came to, I decided to give it a shot. I didn't do too badly.
Holiday Buttons Tissue Paper: $1.19
Peace Metal Plate: $1.49
Glitter Bird Ornament: $2.99
Grand Total: $5.67
Next up was Michael's. I was on a mission here. Earlier in the season, I had seen DIY ornament kits that I thought would be perfect for my stepdaughter G. She likes to color and likes to give gifts to her friends/staff at her program. I was hoping they'd have some left -- they did! I got one velvet ornament kit (G. loves to color velvet pictures) and the rest are wooden. They each come with markers and glitter glue. I fear that the markers may be dry and the glitter glue may be solid by December 2012, but the ornaments themselves were what I was really after. For the price I paid, who cares if we have to use other markers/paint/glitter glue! If memory serves me, these five kits should make her 15-20 ornaments!
I seemed to have misplaced the receipt, but I paid between 50-70 cents per kit.
Grand Total: $3.50 (at the most!)
Going from one crafts store to the next, I hopped over to A.C. Moore. This is where I got the best bargains of the day. I bought some funky ornaments and some High School Musical and Cheetah Girls Christmas wrapping paper. Let me just say that we have more than enough ornaments, but these caught my eye with their bright neon-ish colors and glitter. Plain and simple -- I like them. (Oh, and John is fond of birds, especially cardinals, so I got him a wooden cardinal ornament.) As I was walking to the register, I happened to see the wrapping paper. I did a double-take -- 20 CENTS PER ROLL. Yes, that's what I said. How could I NOT buy it? They might as well have paid ME to take it away.
(I can't find the receipt for these purchases, but did I mention that the wrapping paper was 20 CENTS PER ROLL?
(The other two rolls of paper on the right are from one of my next stops, Christmas Tree Shops.)
Next? HomeGoods. I love HomeGoods. I could live in it. Here, even though it was two days after Christmas, I still got my cards for 2012 and some really cute cocktail napkins (as you'll see, they're perfect for my newly loved cocktail -- the cranberry mimosa.)
4 boxes of cards: $10.46
Mistletoe Mimosa cocktail napkins: 84 cents
Grand Total: $11.30
I was on a roll!!! Christmas Tree Shops was next (after a failed visit to the local Hallmark store and Target.). I got the two rolls of Christmas paper in the photo above and some battery-operated candles for the windows. I had wanted them in 2011, but it didn't work out. So, if I saw some on my shopping trip, I was going to get them -- and I did! Another great bargain. As you can see from the photo, each box of two is marked as $3.99. All Christmas decor was 1/2 off, so I figured I get two candles/one box for $2.00. After I paid, I realized that the total was less than I thought. I looked at the receipt and discovered that I got two candles/one box for $1.15!!!!!! Score!
2 rolls Christmas wrapping paper: $1.98
5 boxes/10 window candles: $5.70
Grand Total: $7.68
After all of this stuff for the house, tree, wrapping, I decided it was time for something for me! My last stop was Kohl's. I had a 15% off coupon and $10 Kohl's cash. ("Free" stuff!) As mentioned in a previous post, I LOVE knee socks. Mine are Target clearance pairs and are starting to get holes in them, so I splurged on two pair of comfy black ones. I've also been wanting a larger brown wallet to use in my big Vera Bradley bag and I found a great Nine West one. Ready for this total?
Wallet: $11.05
2 pair socks: $1.69
Grand Total: $12.74
All in all? A great shopping day!
I had December 27th off (and I was the only one in my family), so I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and went to Methuen, MA/Salem, NH -- the nearest strip mall heaven (or hell, depending on your perspective!)
My first stop was JoAnn Fabrics. I don't usually go there, but since it was the first place geographically that I came to, I decided to give it a shot. I didn't do too badly.
Holiday Buttons Tissue Paper: $1.19
Peace Metal Plate: $1.49
Glitter Bird Ornament: $2.99
Grand Total: $5.67
Next up was Michael's. I was on a mission here. Earlier in the season, I had seen DIY ornament kits that I thought would be perfect for my stepdaughter G. She likes to color and likes to give gifts to her friends/staff at her program. I was hoping they'd have some left -- they did! I got one velvet ornament kit (G. loves to color velvet pictures) and the rest are wooden. They each come with markers and glitter glue. I fear that the markers may be dry and the glitter glue may be solid by December 2012, but the ornaments themselves were what I was really after. For the price I paid, who cares if we have to use other markers/paint/glitter glue! If memory serves me, these five kits should make her 15-20 ornaments!
I seemed to have misplaced the receipt, but I paid between 50-70 cents per kit.
Grand Total: $3.50 (at the most!)
Going from one crafts store to the next, I hopped over to A.C. Moore. This is where I got the best bargains of the day. I bought some funky ornaments and some High School Musical and Cheetah Girls Christmas wrapping paper. Let me just say that we have more than enough ornaments, but these caught my eye with their bright neon-ish colors and glitter. Plain and simple -- I like them. (Oh, and John is fond of birds, especially cardinals, so I got him a wooden cardinal ornament.) As I was walking to the register, I happened to see the wrapping paper. I did a double-take -- 20 CENTS PER ROLL. Yes, that's what I said. How could I NOT buy it? They might as well have paid ME to take it away.
(I can't find the receipt for these purchases, but did I mention that the wrapping paper was 20 CENTS PER ROLL?
Next? HomeGoods. I love HomeGoods. I could live in it. Here, even though it was two days after Christmas, I still got my cards for 2012 and some really cute cocktail napkins (as you'll see, they're perfect for my newly loved cocktail -- the cranberry mimosa.)
4 boxes of cards: $10.46
Mistletoe Mimosa cocktail napkins: 84 cents
Grand Total: $11.30
I was on a roll!!! Christmas Tree Shops was next (after a failed visit to the local Hallmark store and Target.). I got the two rolls of Christmas paper in the photo above and some battery-operated candles for the windows. I had wanted them in 2011, but it didn't work out. So, if I saw some on my shopping trip, I was going to get them -- and I did! Another great bargain. As you can see from the photo, each box of two is marked as $3.99. All Christmas decor was 1/2 off, so I figured I get two candles/one box for $2.00. After I paid, I realized that the total was less than I thought. I looked at the receipt and discovered that I got two candles/one box for $1.15!!!!!! Score!
2 rolls Christmas wrapping paper: $1.98
5 boxes/10 window candles: $5.70
Grand Total: $7.68
After all of this stuff for the house, tree, wrapping, I decided it was time for something for me! My last stop was Kohl's. I had a 15% off coupon and $10 Kohl's cash. ("Free" stuff!) As mentioned in a previous post, I LOVE knee socks. Mine are Target clearance pairs and are starting to get holes in them, so I splurged on two pair of comfy black ones. I've also been wanting a larger brown wallet to use in my big Vera Bradley bag and I found a great Nine West one. Ready for this total?
Wallet: $11.05
2 pair socks: $1.69
Grand Total: $12.74
All in all? A great shopping day!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year!
It was a pretty low key New Year's here at the SOTB household. We decided that eating out and battling crowds isn't our thing (well, we decided that a long time ago...anywho...), so we agreed to stay in and make some yummy comfort food and watch a movie.
On the menu:
Lobster Mac n' Cheese
Spinach and Orange Salad
Rose wine
A local fish market (Ipswich Shellfish) has the most to-die-for lobster mac & cheese. We're talking nirvana here, folks. I brought some home not long ago for John and I to have for dinner and ever since then, we've been slightly obsessed with the idea of eating it/making it. So, we decided what better day to try it than New Year's Eve?
John chose a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa -- found here. The only changes we made were using Panko bread crumbs instead of fresh and we had some Asiago cheese, so we added it in. (I then proceeded to take a Lactaid pill.) We got two smallish lobsters from our local supermarket, boiled them up and added them in. A good homemade mac & cheese recipe has always eluded us -- but that came to an end last night!
It came out great! (And yes, there were only two of us eating, but we made enough for a small army, as you'll see by the photo).
We paired that with a spinach and orange salad. I had found this recipe as a side dish to a Cooking Light entree and really liked it, but haven't had a chance to make it since. Again, what better day to try it than New Year's Eve? It's very light and refreshing -- thanks to the cool orange slices and the honey Dijon vinaigrette. If you're tired of plain old garden salad, I recommend giving this a shot:
6 cups of baby spinach
1 1/2 cups fresh orange sections (I use the Mandarin oranges)
1/3 cup slivered red onion
3 Tbsp. chopped pecans
Combine these ingredients in a large bowl.
For dressing:
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 Tbsp. EVOO (now I sound like Rachael Ray -- yikes!)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Whisk these ingredients. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat.
We had a bottle of Rose wine that had been in the fridge for quite some time (I'm pleading the fifth on how long), so we had that with it.
It was a great meal!
(That little ramekin has what John was calling our appetizer -- some "leftover" lobster in butter with bread crumbs.)
After eating, we had planned to watch The Fighter on our new TV with new sound system. Um yeah, Netflix streaming? Not so much. So, we perused the choices On Demand and watched this:
Yes, that's right -- a kid's movie. I'm a sucker for animal stories. It's based on a true story, so the premise was great and heartwarming, but the writing/acting? Pretty bad.
We then rung in the New Year by celebrating with some Spanish sparkling wine in the toasting flutes that we used at our wedding. We do this every New Year's Eve. I love the flutes (they're a deep amethyst color) and want to actually use them vs. keeping them in a box.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope 2012 is the best yet!
On the menu:
Lobster Mac n' Cheese
Spinach and Orange Salad
Rose wine
A local fish market (Ipswich Shellfish) has the most to-die-for lobster mac & cheese. We're talking nirvana here, folks. I brought some home not long ago for John and I to have for dinner and ever since then, we've been slightly obsessed with the idea of eating it/making it. So, we decided what better day to try it than New Year's Eve?
John chose a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa -- found here. The only changes we made were using Panko bread crumbs instead of fresh and we had some Asiago cheese, so we added it in. (I then proceeded to take a Lactaid pill.) We got two smallish lobsters from our local supermarket, boiled them up and added them in. A good homemade mac & cheese recipe has always eluded us -- but that came to an end last night!
It came out great! (And yes, there were only two of us eating, but we made enough for a small army, as you'll see by the photo).
We paired that with a spinach and orange salad. I had found this recipe as a side dish to a Cooking Light entree and really liked it, but haven't had a chance to make it since. Again, what better day to try it than New Year's Eve? It's very light and refreshing -- thanks to the cool orange slices and the honey Dijon vinaigrette. If you're tired of plain old garden salad, I recommend giving this a shot:
6 cups of baby spinach
1 1/2 cups fresh orange sections (I use the Mandarin oranges)
1/3 cup slivered red onion
3 Tbsp. chopped pecans
Combine these ingredients in a large bowl.
For dressing:
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 Tbsp. EVOO (now I sound like Rachael Ray -- yikes!)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Whisk these ingredients. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat.
We had a bottle of Rose wine that had been in the fridge for quite some time (I'm pleading the fifth on how long), so we had that with it.
It was a great meal!
(That little ramekin has what John was calling our appetizer -- some "leftover" lobster in butter with bread crumbs.)
After eating, we had planned to watch The Fighter on our new TV with new sound system. Um yeah, Netflix streaming? Not so much. So, we perused the choices On Demand and watched this:
We then rung in the New Year by celebrating with some Spanish sparkling wine in the toasting flutes that we used at our wedding. We do this every New Year's Eve. I love the flutes (they're a deep amethyst color) and want to actually use them vs. keeping them in a box.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope 2012 is the best yet!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Betcha Didn't Know
I "borrowed" this from La Buena Vida.
"Crazy" TV shows, such as Hoarders, Intervention, Toddlers & Tiaras, Teen Mom, Teen Mom 2, and a new one that I'm watching right now. Jury's still out if this will fall into the "guilty pleasure" category:
The woman on the bottom right in the white sweater is Suzanne Steece of Steece's Pieces. Love that blog -- can't wait to see her on TV!
We just got a new huge-mongous 3-D plasma surround sounded TV for our living room. We just made plans to go away to Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut. I think we've exhausted our splurges for a while!
We've been off going to Costco or BJ's for quite a while (I try to be a crazy couponer and you can't use manufacturer's coupons at either of those places)... When we did go, we bought mostly paper goods and laundry detergent.
Not sure what sense we're using the term "go-to" in, but purple roses are my fave. From my wedding:
Comfort Food?
Baked macaroni & cheese. Even better? Lobster macaroni & cheese. Hands down.
Today, I had a plain bagel toasted with veggie cream cheese from Dunkin' Donuts. Of course, this may not be considered breakfast, considering I had it at 1 pm. I'm not a breakfast person. More to the point, I'm not a morning person!
Are you ready for this haute cuisine meal??? Hot dogs, fries, and salad. Yes, that's right - we do it up big here! Thursday night we're going out to eat though, to celebrate my stepson's graduation from college. Looking forward to that.
This goes back to the comfort food answer. Dairy products. I'm lactose intolerant. I love dairy. I hate dairy. I could take lactose pills. I don't.
See answers to guilty pleasures questions above. Plus, I love NCIS, Criminal Minds, and Bones.
Weird stuff (that's what happens when you take NyQuil.). I recently dreamt that My Ramblings bought my grandparents' house. Dirt Road Damsel was there, too. Weird. Just weird.
Pants that are exactly the right length. As someone who's too tall for petite sized pants and too short for regular length pants and can't sew her way out of a paper bag, it stinks. I have found "short length" pants. which are longer than petite and shorter than regular, which are OK for me...IF I have the right height shoes.
Knee socks in winter. My legs and feet are always cold, so I love being able to keep them toasty.
Guilty Pleasure?
The woman on the bottom right in the white sweater is Suzanne Steece of Steece's Pieces. Love that blog -- can't wait to see her on TV!
Recent Splurge?
We just got a new huge-mongous 3-D plasma surround sounded TV for our living room. We just made plans to go away to Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut. I think we've exhausted our splurges for a while!
In bulk, I buy?
We've been off going to Costco or BJ's for quite a while (I try to be a crazy couponer and you can't use manufacturer's coupons at either of those places)... When we did go, we bought mostly paper goods and laundry detergent.
My go-to flower?
Not sure what sense we're using the term "go-to" in, but purple roses are my fave. From my wedding:
Comfort Food?
Baked macaroni & cheese. Even better? Lobster macaroni & cheese. Hands down.
For breakfast?
Today, I had a plain bagel toasted with veggie cream cheese from Dunkin' Donuts. Of course, this may not be considered breakfast, considering I had it at 1 pm. I'm not a breakfast person. More to the point, I'm not a morning person!
For dinner?
Are you ready for this haute cuisine meal??? Hot dogs, fries, and salad. Yes, that's right - we do it up big here! Thursday night we're going out to eat though, to celebrate my stepson's graduation from college. Looking forward to that.
Love/hate relationship with?
This goes back to the comfort food answer. Dairy products. I'm lactose intolerant. I love dairy. I hate dairy. I could take lactose pills. I don't.
Can't stop watching?
See answers to guilty pleasures questions above. Plus, I love NCIS, Criminal Minds, and Bones.
Dreaming about?
Weird stuff (that's what happens when you take NyQuil.). I recently dreamt that My Ramblings bought my grandparents' house. Dirt Road Damsel was there, too. Weird. Just weird.
Every girl should have?
Pants that are exactly the right length. As someone who's too tall for petite sized pants and too short for regular length pants and can't sew her way out of a paper bag, it stinks. I have found "short length" pants. which are longer than petite and shorter than regular, which are OK for me...IF I have the right height shoes.
My style in five words?
- Lazy
- Casual
- Plain
- Somewhat...
- ...Conservative
I love wearing?
Knee socks in winter. My legs and feet are always cold, so I love being able to keep them toasty.
Dream Job?
Getting paid to read books on a beach in Aruba? Being my sorority's archivist. (Yes, I could qualify with my newly minted library degree, yes, sororities and fraternities do actually have archivist positions, and no, I won't be moving to Columbus, OH to do this.) Oh well..dare to dream!
More Christmas 2011
Some more photos, taken by our niece, R.:
Nieces S. & S., Nephews J. & G. (with G's girlfriend M.)
Sister-in-law M.J. (proud grandma!) with S. and stepdaughter G. looking on:
Nieces S. & S., Nephews J. & G. (with G's girlfriend M.)
Sister-in-law M.J. (proud grandma!) with S. and stepdaughter G. looking on:
Great nephew J. telling his cousin J. how it is:
All 20+ people jammed into our dining room/kitchen. (And someone's large sweaty head in the corner. :/):
Monday, December 26, 2011
Christmas 2011
Sickness ran (and is still) running rampant in this household, so Christmas wasn't as pleasant as it could've been, but in the end, it still ended up being pretty good!
Christmas Eve Eve is John's and my Christmas Eve with the kids. (It's funny that I still call them that at ages 24 & 21.) We carried out most of our traditions -- homemade pizza and a board game. Sorry was the game of choice and yours truly won. This doesn't happen often, so I must toot (toot toot) my own horn. G. chose to open one gift (a Disneymania CD), J. chose to wait until Christmas, and G. gave John and I our gifts. Her program had set up a little shop for its participants to shop at. She picked this out for me:
The "just add snow" part is easier said than done! It flurried on Christmas morning, but that's it. Does that mean we're getting slammed in January???
Christmas Eve morning was spent doing some last minute shopping. I don't usually go out on Christmas Eve to do shopping and let me tell you -- there were A LOT more people out than I thought there'd be. Dollar Tree was S-C-A-R-Y. I digress here, but it seems as though no matter how early I start shopping, it's never early enough. Seems like a losing battle and that's the part about Christmas that really bums me out. Anywho!
The rest of Christmas Eve was spent wrapping, cleaning, cooking, and setting this place up to host 22 people...yes, that's right...22! (That includes a 4 year old and a 4 month old and 2 adults ended up not coming...you do the math on how many we had in the end!) It was kind of a bummer because I was sick, John was getting over being sick, we had tons to do, I had a slight meltdown, etc. etc.. so we didn't end up doing what we usually do -- have wine, hot crab dip, and a movie. I ended up just calling it a night after we were done with our stuff, determined to wake up in a better mood on Christmas morning...and I did!
We got up and exchanged our gifts. John had purchased a 3-D LCD plasma something or other TV for our living room just a week or so ago, so we were low key on gifts. I gave John two fleeces, three Blu-rays (the TV was supposed to have come with a free Blu-ray player...um, yeah...not so much), a "how to make homemade Bailey's Irish Cream" kit, and a book, which I think is hilarious and only he would find it:
Christmas Eve Eve is John's and my Christmas Eve with the kids. (It's funny that I still call them that at ages 24 & 21.) We carried out most of our traditions -- homemade pizza and a board game. Sorry was the game of choice and yours truly won. This doesn't happen often, so I must toot (toot toot) my own horn. G. chose to open one gift (a Disneymania CD), J. chose to wait until Christmas, and G. gave John and I our gifts. Her program had set up a little shop for its participants to shop at. She picked this out for me:
The "just add snow" part is easier said than done! It flurried on Christmas morning, but that's it. Does that mean we're getting slammed in January???
Christmas Eve morning was spent doing some last minute shopping. I don't usually go out on Christmas Eve to do shopping and let me tell you -- there were A LOT more people out than I thought there'd be. Dollar Tree was S-C-A-R-Y. I digress here, but it seems as though no matter how early I start shopping, it's never early enough. Seems like a losing battle and that's the part about Christmas that really bums me out. Anywho!
The rest of Christmas Eve was spent wrapping, cleaning, cooking, and setting this place up to host 22 people...yes, that's right...22! (That includes a 4 year old and a 4 month old and 2 adults ended up not coming...you do the math on how many we had in the end!) It was kind of a bummer because I was sick, John was getting over being sick, we had tons to do, I had a slight meltdown, etc. etc.. so we didn't end up doing what we usually do -- have wine, hot crab dip, and a movie. I ended up just calling it a night after we were done with our stuff, determined to wake up in a better mood on Christmas morning...and I did!
We got up and exchanged our gifts. John had purchased a 3-D LCD plasma something or other TV for our living room just a week or so ago, so we were low key on gifts. I gave John two fleeces, three Blu-rays (the TV was supposed to have come with a free Blu-ray player...um, yeah...not so much), a "how to make homemade Bailey's Irish Cream" kit, and a book, which I think is hilarious and only he would find it:
John gave me some great stuff -- a gift certificate for a massage, a beautiful handmade scarf from JessiArts, an ergo wrist rest, and this calendar (Emma Peel ROCKS!):
The kids came over and we gave them their gifts -- it was a Wii dance game Christmas for G. (HS Musical Senior Year Dance and Just Dance 3) along with another Disneymania CD, clothes, Pretty Little Liars calendar, and a journal. J. got an XBOX Gold subscription, a Mac software upgrade-thingy and money.
J. gave me these DVDs. When I was a little girl (8ish) I watched this minseries on PBS with my parents. Growing up in a small town and at that point, having only lived in that one place, it was so magical to imagine moving to Africa and living in the "wild." If you've never read the book or seen the miniseries, I HIGHLY recommend it. Great story.
Then the fun really started...lol. Family started arriving...the kitchen was crazy...laughter was everywhere. Even though I grew up in a very small family with very small sedate celebrations, there was MAYBE a tiny part of me yesterday that enjoyed the largeness and loudness of the day. :)
We had lots of appetizers, roast pork, spoon roast, mashed red potatoes, squash, turnip, roasted brussels sprouts, creamed onions, green bean casserole, gravy, rolls and too many desserts to count.
Opening up presents was next...everyone got very nice things and had more laughs.
Here are some photos I borrowed from our niece S:
John's and my great nephew J. with his new helmet:
Stepson J. and great nephew J:
Nephew G. and great nephew J.:
Almost all grandkids/great-grandkids with their Grammy/Great Grammy:
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