Christmas: Here’s How it Went Down

First of all, now that I’m really getting a good look at this picture, it’s making me laugh! The concern on Dexter’s face….lol. He’s so afraid of noise. So my guess is that George was making some noises in the kitchen that had him concerned. But it’s funny because it is so typical and I actually caught his expression unintentionally.

Our lasagna dinner on Christmas Eve was excellent. We had Caesar salad, vegetable lasagna made with a white wine sauce, garlic bread and baklava for dessert.

All families had brought in their gifts pretty soon after arriving in town so they would be safely under the tree and they wouldn’t have to ride around with them in the car while they were here. So the gifts quickly expanded as Susan (my SIL) brought hers, Aunt Martha and Uncle Ken brought theirs, and then Katy and Cody brought theirs.

George and I woke up around 6 on Christmas Day and we opened our stockings. Here were a few things that were in mine below. I was so happy with the LaRoche-Posay purchase George made for me. I almost ordered the deal (set) on Amazon as it was a good deal but decided it was not the time to buy for me. But I think he heard me mention how I loved the brand on one of my videos.

Face masks! I can do more “Mask Talks” on my channel, lol! There’s an organic sour dough starter. And FYI: ‘m also seriously looking at the Kitchen Aid Artisan Series 5 quart mixer – in the Porcelain color or the milkshake color. It’s $349 on Amazon. I have $200 in Christmas and Birthday money that I could buy it with and that leaves $149 left. I could use some of my Amazon points on it. I just really want it for starting my bread making and baking journey. Since I had the HR jobs and worked a lot of hours, I never really got much into baking so I never got christened with the luxury of a stand mixer while most women had that as a right of passage into adulthood. So at 62, maybe I can finally get one?

I don’t intend eating MORE bread but I do intend on eating BETTER bread. 🙂

Dexter was a good boy around the boys. I was really worried but he handled it fine for the most part. Dexter was intrigued and a little scare of Trace.

Maddie was quiet all day and just sat with Mom most of the day. Mom sleeps a lot and I looked over and she was tapped out. I had washed the afghan that used to be Nanny’s (her Mom’s) and had it for her in the chair because she gets cold easily. She was under that.

We had a big day Christmas Day of present opening and we had breakfast items for the first crew and then added lunch items for the 2nd wave.

Katy and her family had the dining room this year, Mom the recliner as always, and Aunt Martha and Uncle Ken had the sofa. George and I had the foyer (entrance) and that worked out great.

George got me a lot of various types of flours.

Aunt Martha got us the beans. We love this brand, Rancho Gordo. We’ve ordered those before for people for Christmas.

I got some cardigans and pullover sweaters.

Katy got me some boot socks and these sheep PJ’s I was going to give Mom but after I bought them she said “whatever you do, don’t get me any more pajamas as I have enough”. So I gave these to George and said “wrap em up for ME because she don’t want ’em and I was wanting some but refused to buy for me so merry Christmas to me! lol

I got my sheets by Lane Linen that I have been wanting for over a year (after I bought George some last year) and a Christmas throw.

I don’t know why but I got emotional when I opened the Chronological Life Application Study Bible that Katy gave me. I have been wanting it for about 6 months or longer. She and I discussed it and I told her I was thinking about getting one, but that I may just use an on-line app to save $, but there it was, pretty, beautiful, and a timeline of God’s Word from how it happened through time. Katy also gave me the Greek Word Studies to help and I also have another Greek study bible too. And of course the Bible Study Journal for Women, which I actually may do first, b/c it’s the only devotion book left that I have and then I will focus solely on study straight from the Bible in the chronological fashion and will do a deep deep dive into the Bible. I also decided not to buy the James Method materials. Because I can get the same type of papers from Etsy. Maybe even free somewhere. Or I can just use reg notepaper and draw out my own.

I asked George for this book because the pictures are pretty and the remedies are well spelled out and you can look up your issues and see how to remedy it from home. Very powerful I think.

Got some jewelry.

KEEP IN MIND these things were from several families, not just George. My SIL, my Aunt and Uncle, George, Katy and her family, and Mom who gave $.

Katy bought this “Waco Girls Trip” ornament while we were on our Girls trip. lol. I didn’t see her buy it for me, but she said that was her first Christmas present. We did have a great trip!

Here’s that summer puzzle George wrapped for me from when I picked it out in September.

I also bought a hair dryer and told him to wrap it up as it was on sale during prime week. I totally forgot I had done that and was so surprised and said “how’d you know I wanted this”? I was also shocked that I didn’t remember buying it all. It was a quick last minute decision and when it came in I quickly gave it to him so I totally forgot. I’m excited to use it. I have had it on my list for almost 2 years. It didn’t make the cut last year with my Amazon points so I saved it. It’s in the pink box in the picture with my sweater. It’s called “the WAVY TALK”.

And George ordered Tricia Leach’s new cookbook for me. Recipes from each of the states for “good eats”. It’s really a guides/destination book but it includes recipes.

Oh and I can’t forget my new Mac computer that we got back in October or so. That was part of my Christmas. He says the next two or three Christmases, lol.

We had decided days ago that today would be a rest day – George said he’d fix up breakfast this morning and we could slowly clean up things and look at our gifts and enjoy the day. We are meeting family for a dinner out tonight though but we couldn’t get reservations until 7 p.m. I think everyone is leaving town tomorrow to go back home. Katy said they may come back in the summer. I wondered too, if maybe she and I could sneak in a girls trip but I don’t know.

So George did indeed fix an amazing breakfast. I was not too hip on the low country grits. They were a bit too salty and tasted more like Indian grits. lol. He had a pack of low country seasoned grits, but I just was not a fan. The bacon though was heaven and the eggs were good too.

So I spent the morning putting up all the sacks in one place, boxes in one place, bows in one place, cardboard boxes stacked up for the trash in one place. I also took up all the Christmas decor and left a few snowmen, anything that was woodsy, or white. I brought int some winter white florals. But I did not bring back my greenery nor much of the decor. I will wait until Christmas items are totally packed and put up. I will dust good. Then I’ll work back in the everyday Nic-Nacs and in Feb, I’ll add back some red for a couple of weeks for Valentine’s and then after Valentine’s I will add back in all my greenery and make it springlike.

I used to say “no way – not putting up the Christmas until NY Day. But now I know why. It was because of work. I only had time to deal with Christmas debris (bows, sacks, trash) and putting our presents up. And I’d have to break it up into weekends or time off. So today I didn’t have to wait. I had time to deal with the debris and I started collecting all the Christmas stuff and putting it in the sunroom.

Here’s some of the woodsy and winter decor that I kept out.

I put white books on the shelve, to go with the white wintery look, lol. And I picked some winter-type books. I didn’t have very many.

I swapped out some cookbooks on the hearth too for a quick peek at maybe some winter recipes.

I put up the China this year and it looks better than it has in past years, displayed all year long. I added the Christmas memories book to it as well.

See just a winter feel still but no Christmas at the coffee center.

Again, here’s the deer (we have lots around here) and I left out the green tree there. This is sitting amidst some food items George rec’d for Christmas.

The liquor cabinet/bar table is messy, as those tall bottles don’t fit in the cabinet. And I love those glasses and they are there for the fun of the season. I also rec’d some more glasses this year at Christmas (not shown as they were lined up to be washed). I may swap them out for these. I have not decided how to handle. We like them but we have a weakness for glasses and mugs and drink glasses and we have waaaaaaaaaaay too many so “we gonna have to make some hard decisions”, as to what stays and goes.

Kept the green snowman and trees. And got out my crocheted pieces and set the other deer here with some winter white florals. I had also used those in the fall.

Overall, pretty satisfied with my winter look.

Now my back is hurting so will I pack the Christmas things that are sitting in the sunroom – tomorrow or Monday. I have to put George’s sheets on the bed as I’ve done sheets and a load of clothes today. And folded some towels.

George is through ordering his $350 worth of Amazon products from our Amazon card points for the year. I will now go in and schedule mine. I will do an update and let you know what all I get. We both are very excited every year to get to go in and split the points and order MORE STUFF! LOL

I keep things on my list all year long to pick from and so excited for it. He did tell me I could look at a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer just now for my birthday. I still will plan to try to use my birthday money toward it and he said not to use the Amazon points. But if I take what Christmas money and birthday money I got from Mom, plus a $50 Master Card from my aunt, then it would be about right for a birthday gift left over of $150 or so. I’m sure George would be ok with the whole thing but that’s a lot of money coming off of Christmas and all we have spent on my computer and everything else!

Wow this day is going by fast. I need to figure out what to where tonight and I will look at my Amazon stuff. I love the days after Christmas and through my birthday. He has a whole secret day planned out for us for my birthday. He said looking at a stand mixer could be one of the things we do so he told me that today so I wouldn’t order it from Amazon with my points.

Anyway I need to quit typing but it’s fun to blog again. Soon I’ll only be journaling a weekly update I guess, but a little each day. I like doing it that way so I don’t forget what I did after I slept. lol I’m looking forward to being back at the vlogging. I will start working on the next vlog tomorrow that will go live Saturday Jan 3.

Oh and I’ve been having fun on Farmville 2 still. It’s really filled a void of not doing videos. And I’ve enjoyed the break.

Ok I’m really over and out.