christmas 2013

There is nothing like looking at the kitchen on Christmas Eve at 2:00 p.m.

and thinking, "Okay ... we're ready!"

Hanging up the apron, putting on the heels and heading out the door

to Christmas Eve church.

I know. It's already 2014 and I'm still blogging about Christmas.

My brain is a month ahead of the calendar and I can't get myself to blog about last year!

 

 

It is a whole different kind of excitement when the kids are all older

and there are no littles in the house.

The challenges of gift giving grow a bit,

but I no longer need to have the gifts hauled out one at a time on the hour.

(We did that for a number of years!)

 



 

For the first time ever, we surfed and turfed this year on Christmas Eve.

As always, I didn't get enough pictures and am missing folks in my mine.

Tarron ran the grill with the steaks, the other guys ran the crab pots.

Steak and Alaskan crab filled our tummies ... it was absolutely divine!

 

Although the apprciation of gifts received and the joy at gifts given goes without saying,

a great thrill of mine is having adults who have mature taste buds.

I love trying out new recipes on my loved ones ... and anyone else for that matter!

This year we added a few new things to the menu.

 

Anna's mashed potatoes

(she is now the official mashed potato maker)

Green beans almondine

Roasted carrots with garlic and thyme

 

Leftovers.

Oh. My. Gosh.

My stomach is about to growl and it is in nothing close to starvation mode.

 

There are too many irons in the fire right now.

They're all good irons, but irons nonetheless.

I was ready for all this business to be over before it even started this year.

I'm not entirely proud of my attitude ... just so you know.

Friday after Christmas, Tia and I ran to the chiropractor and came home to this.

The tree was already gone.

Out the door.

Gone.

I could have almost done a jig.

Smart hubby put a tarp on the living room floor after he untangled the lights

and took off all the ornaments.

Pulled that nearly dead tree out of the house and kept all the needles

contained to the tarp rather than stuck in the carpeting.

Voi, he is a smart one!

 



Next Christmas should be a little more relaxed.

I am hopeful.

As for this morning .... my Christmas traditions were carefully tucked away yesterday.

I can breathe again.

 

And in 45 minutes I need to be out the door for a day of shopping.

The girls and I are going to spend the morning rushing and laughing our way

through one store after another.

We have a wedding in six weeks .......

one of them irons in the fire.