We celebrated Christmas here at Michael's sister's and brother-in-law's house. We had a wonderful day. We opened presents after lunchtime....it took a loooooong time - there were 13 of us opening presents. I got a few Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cookbooks, Sublime Stitching Book, ornaments and other goodies. It was a great day!
Doug made a ham, turkey breast, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, green beans and corn. Yum, yum. Christy ordered 3 pies from Village Inn, she made homemade carmels and I made an Eggnog Poundcake. I'm not crazy about eggnog - but other's thought it was tasty.
We had a wonderful lunch at my Mom and Jason's yesterday. Mom made a great roast with baked potatoes, green beans with almonds, fruit salad and rolls for lunch. After dinner we opened presents from them.
Then last night, Mom and Jason came to our house to open more presents! I served appetizers, since we had a big lunch. I made sweet and spicy wings in the crockpot, beer bread with pizza dip, crackers, veggies and dip. After my parents left we got in the car and drove around and looked at Christmas lights. This afternoon we leave to go to Michael's sister's.
This whole month has been a whirlwind of activities...from Jacob's 5th Grade Musical performance, to Hannah's band performance, to holiday parties - both here and at other's homes.
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Here are a few of my favorite ornaments. The felt heart was made by Emily. Actually, I have a set of felt hearts from Emily. Every year when I pull them out, I think....I want to make more, but I never get around to it. The ornament on the right, the white crocheted ball, is also a favorite. A friend and fellow crocheter taught me how to make the ornament....I am pretty sure I have forgotten how to make it, but I love the way it looks. I actually crocheted around a glass ball ornament. I only have 2 of them and every year when I take them out, I think....I want to make more, but I never get around to it. 
(Theme developing....actually, I think that is the theme of my life!) Another favorite ornament is on the bottom. My mom and Jason brought it back from one of their travels...it is a Dutch hand painted ball....
I'm also adding a photo of my fireplace. I love snowmen and have a large collection. However, this year when I was pulling things out of my Christmas totes, I just didn't feel like putting them all out. Either my tastes are changing or I just don't feel like clearing away my 'regular bric-a-brac' to replace it with Christmas clutter.
We finally got our tree decorated last night. Everyone helped, including the kitten. I'll share more photos later. Emily's photos inspired me to do the same.
We are having a Girl Scout Christmas Party here tonight. Johnna's husband is going to bring his guitar so we can sing carols around the fire in our new firepit...I'll let Michael post about his firepit since Eric and Josh posted theirs.
A co-worker went fishing this weekend and caught over 100 lbs. of grouper. He baked a piece yesterday for his lunch and the entire office smelled like lemon and grouper...yummy! He let me try a bite and it was delicious. He brought me some today and I cooked it up for dinner. Since Michael is not a fan of seafood, I decided to fry the fish because Michael will at least attempt to try fried fish.
I cut the thick filets into strips and dipped them in flour. I then dipped them in an egg and milk wash and then in a mixture of bisquick, breadcrumbs , Sazon seasoning mix and some cajun seasoning. I then pan fried them. They were soooooo good. I cooked up some chicken for Michael as a back-up. He tried the grouper but said it tasted a little too fishy for him.
Thought I'd share a photo for you.
I found this online today and thought....hmmmm. I can see where it would be very yummy on lots of different things. Jason would probably love it to put on protein cooking in his new toy.
Have you found anything at the grocery recently that you thought...hmmm, I'll try that? I found Sazon Goya Con Cilantro Y Tomate. I added a packet to leftover chopped turkey and added green pepper, onions and lime juice to make so delicious turkey quesadillas.
Have you found anything?
I was reading my newest arrival of Better Homes & Gardens last night and thought I'd share some of things I liked on their Countdown to Christmas list.
Start A Tradition.
Traditions provide a sense of belonging, which is essential in families today....the 'sense of belonging' part. Some of their suggestions are: create a holiday dish or paint a new ornament each year. I have a friend who purchases an ornament for her children each year and when they are on their own, they will already have a collection of ornaments. I think this is a wonderful idea, but my kids are 12 and 11....it seems kind of late for that, doesn't it? I'll have to ask them if that is something they would like to do.
Wrap Happily.
Wrapping presents can be a pain the the neck, literally. BH&G suggests wrapping gifts on a countertop. What a brilliant idea! However, I don't have much counter space in my kitchen...maybe I'll wrap on my flattop stove!
Let Lips Linger.
A survey showed that couples who smooch often are 8 times less likely to feel stressed or depressed. Hang some mistletoe....I have never hung mistletoe, but think I will this year. Heck, if it will curb stress and depression and make my hubby feel loved...I'll try it.
Drink In Merriment.
No, not booze....something even better, chocolate! Dark chocolate helps reduce blood pressure. BH&G's recipe is: Heat 3/4 cup milk until just before boiling. Remove from heat, transfer to mug and add 1 ounce chopped bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate and stir. Sounds delish!
Tie One On.
Wear a pretty holiday apron while baking this season. If for no other reason, you'll look really cute while baking!
Wander, Wonder.
I love driving through neighborhoods to look at Christmas decorations. But this year, I'm going
to take BH&G's idea and walk instead. I have the perfect neighborhood for walking...well, except for the crazy Chihuahua that lives down the road. He actually attacked a friend while she was walking. I'll just skip that street.
How can we get our Christmas decorations out and put Christmas lights on the house when I have a yard FULL of leaves? It seems wrong, right?
Last year I took pictures of how we decorated inside...which was a great idea! We have soooo many decorations...too many for my small house. Actually, I got rid of a lot of our decorations last year when we were pulling the things out of the Christmas totes.
How do you decorate for Christmas? Do you have a real tree or a fake tree? I'm afraid our tree will be a "faux paw tree" this year with the kitty. He bats anything that even remotely moves...actually, he bats at things that don't move, too. Whose idea was it to get the kitty?
I've pretty much completed all my Christmas shopping. I will have to get a few stocking stuffers and I have a few things I want to make...but other than that, I'm done. Now, to wrap the gifts.....
We had a lovely Thanksgiving Day and dinner at my Mom and Jason's. Michael's family drove up to spend the day with us. My mother cooked for 13 people and it seemed effortless. She had the tables set, with name cards, before we arrived. There were appetizers waiting in the family room. The guys watched the Packer football game before dinner. Jason deep fried two turkeys that were delicious. Hannah, Jacob, Nina and Denver went for a hike before dinner and then afterwards watch a marathon on the Disney channel.
Since Melissa listed her menu, I thought I'd list what my mom and I made...mostly my mom.
Appetizers....
Crackers and Cheese
Veggies and Dip
Baked Brie with Walnut Sauce and Crackers
Dinner....
Fried Turkey
Cranberry & Sausage Dressing
Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole (in the crockpot....it was yummy and didn't take up room in the oven)
Mashed Potatoes
Cranberry Sauce Salad
5 cup Fruit Salad
Rolls
Dessert....
Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Brownies
2008 is going to be great....
It's the year I'm going to lose weight!
We celebrated Christmas here at Michael's sister's and brother-in-law's house. We had a wonderful day. We opened presents after lunchtime....it took a loooooong time - there were 13 of us opening presents. I got a few Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cookbooks, Sublime Stitching Book, ornaments and other goodies. It was a great day!
Doug made a ham, turkey breast, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, green beans and corn. Yum, yum. Christy ordered 3 pies from Village Inn, she made homemade carmels and I made an Eggnog Poundcake. I'm not crazy about eggnog - but other's thought it was tasty.
