Christmas Memories

It's Sunday night, December 27, and Ken and I are "veging" at home, as we like to call it after a busy couple of days.

We went to Todd and Sue's for Christmas Eve with her family and had snacky type food and exchanged some gifts. We came back home about 6:30, and Ross was here. Leigh, Jill and the kids and Pixie, their new puppy, came about 7 or so, and the kids and I started to make cookies...and make cookies...and make cookies. Even I was a little mortified at what a big pile of cookies we had!

Roy and DeAnn came around 9:30 and watched us bake more cookies!

Ah, if it weren't for the last minute, a lot of things wouldn't get done. DeAnn and I gabbed til about 12:30, and then I went back into our bedroom and finished sewing up the sweater and hat that I made for Shane! Crazy, huh? But it was rather pleasant doing it and watching the fire in our new electric fireplace. I felt a little like Ma Ingalls, working on things after her children went to bed!

The next morning, I put the cinnamon rolls and cinnamon diamonds in the oven, and we began our day with sweets! The turkey also spent an hour in the oven, then into the big electric roaster.

After Todd and Sue and kiddoes arrived, and Grandma Grady (Ken's mother), we opened gifts. What fun! The boys seemed to appreciate getting Yaktraks, some special gizzies to put on the bottoms of your shoes or boots to help you stand up on ice. Ken had appreciated them a couple weeks ago when we had a Sunday ice storm, and we decided our boys needed them.

And then, turkey dinner. I had an abundance of kitchen help which I really appreciated, before and after! We at promptly at one (am I good or what?). The only thing we didn't have was pie!

In the afternoon, I asked our four kids to pose for a family picture. Perhaps I will post them here if it works OK.

After a while, the Lindbergs and the Trotters came out. Originally we had hoped that the kids could go sled-riding, but the weather was rainy/icky, so everybody just played inside--music, games, etc. And ATE! I didn't cook supper, but just let everybody pick.

Ross left in the evening since he had to be to work at Bonton before dawn.

Friday evening, Heidi, Kirsten and I got into our jammies and watched the dvd Pollyanna, a heart-warming story about a little girl in 1912.

Saturday, Roy and DeAnn left to go to her folks for dinner. After a late lunch of chili and cornbread, the Purcells left, and Ken and I were alone to R&R and clean up the place for meeting this morning!

We had some of the Brookville folks with us for meeting this morning since Joan Hannah was in Virginia. We had nine with us for dinner--leftovers and Spanish rice.

I will be packing cookies for the freezer!

Ken is off until Jan. 4, so we are thinking of some day trips this week. I also hope to start work at H&R Block on Jan. 4, although it hasn't been confirmed yet. Maybe tomorrow I will find out for sure what they are planning for me.

And so ends the Christmas holiday for us. Time to be moving on!