Merry Christmas

From my home to yours come the most sincere wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May 2012 be the best year yet for you and your family. I have high hopes for 2012, I expect big things from it, big, happy, wonderful things.

So far it has been a wonderful Christmas here at the old homestead. Many traditions have been observed even though its only the cat and I here to observe them. Ok I need to say this right off the bat, I am not feeling "oh poor me, all alone on Christmas" not even a smidge. I had a wonderful full on family Christmas last weekend with the near and dear. I was treated royally and the date is not important, its the being together that is important. SO I am not having a pity party I am having a party. I am alone by choice today, I had many generous invitations to join friends for the day.

Back to tradition, I spend last night watching a zillion Christmas movies, I dined on appetizers for supper and quite frankly I over indulged but they were worth it. Wrap anything in puff pastry, make it bite sized and I am pretty much hooked.

This morning I rose late, gave Minou her Christmas tuna fish breakfast, made my all in one breakfast. Another family tradition. Its not the one my family makes, that is a confection known as Breakfast Bruschetta and we have Monkey nuts. (cinnamon pull apart bread). I make a different one and toast, but it looks yummy, no???

I may be eating it for days but its worth it.  So breakfast is cooking away, its time for presents. I have so many wonderful generous, thoughtful friends. I was showered with loot. Not a dud in the bunch. I am totally spoiled that is for sure.

I am munching up my breakfast or maybe I should say brunch because its actually lunch time. Slurping up my coffee in my favourite Christmas mug. The cat is zonked out on my bed, sleeping off a tuna induced coma. I may get dressed at some point today or maybe not, but I am thinking that I will. Apart from putting the turkey portion into the oven and making hash brown casserole I don't have any plans to work too much today. I will watch the Queen's speech, try and catch up on the stuff I have taped and I am going to crochet the day away.

I am blessed and I know it, I am grateful for each and every good thing in my life. I hope you are having a wonderful day.

Toodles
Linda

Christmas Eve Moment With Minou

Hmmph All this Christmas prep and she still hasn't got the rum for the egg nog.

One just can't get good help these days.

Faux Christmas Festivities

I found my camera so I made the choice of doing laundry or doing a blog post, laundry can wait. First of all though I have permission to share the CUTENESS!! Here is my precious grandbaby modeling her new hat made for her by her Grandma Linda, This is the Ladybug!! She is a keeper I think.

So on to the Family Faux Christmas, ( we call it that because we usually are celebrating on another day, not the actual Christmas day) , we had a great time. The Carpenter and Busy were the hosts. Miss Mouse and the Farmer were there along with the Pilot. My oldest brother, the Historian, celebrates with his kids and grandchildren, we don't seem to get together anymore. There are so many of us and everyone works a different schedule, its hard. We have also outgrown the ability to all stay at one house like we used to. Once the kids start having kids it gets crowded quickly.

There were presents, lots of presents, here is a glimpse of the Christmas carnage after a flurry of present opening. We are blessed to be so fortunate that gifts are not a hardship. Santa is most generous. I am grateful for how blessed we are, we can be together and enjoy each others company, everyone is generous with everyone else, its how Christmas should be. We are very lucky to be in this position. I am grateful for that.

 We have such a good time when we gather together:

There is Dancing:

Spontaneous moments of affection:

(Miss Mouse and The Carpenter, father and daughter)

  And of course there is food, lots and lots of food.

here is Miss Mouse whipping up some pumpkin pies for our dessert. Its her Daddy's favourite pie and she is the one who  grows and cans the pumpkin each year. (Like her Mom she is a very good cook). She was a wonderful help, Busy was not feeling well later on in the day and Miss Mouse stepped up and did a lot of the stuff that needed to be done for our supper. Just a note, she is dressed in the Christmas apron I made for her. I made one for Busy as well as part of their gifts

When I give gifts, my favourite kind to give are the ones where I gather a whole bunch of odds and ends and give them as presents, some purchased and some homemade. I find the stuff all over the place and gather it up the whole year long. The aprons were a hit!!

We dined on a delicious prime rib meal. As there are several turkey dinners looming in the future, prime rib was decided on and it was fabulous. Stuffed potatoes, homemade buns, salad, wine and pumpkin pie. So yummy. Plus a never ending flow of dainties, candy and nuts. Many of the treats that show up at Christmas time have been part of our Christmas traditions for years, generations even. It would not be Christmas without them.

Oh yes and how do you know you are having a Saskatchewan Christmas?

Its the firearms under the tree.

Rifles and handguns abound.

The new owners seems thrilled.

( I tried to borrow the hand gun for work but they would not let me take it home.) 

 Santa was good to me and I took home a load of loot. My family is always more than generous with  me. I had a lovely weekend, lots of laughs, lots of fun and good times. I love to get to see everyone.

So now its all done and dusted. Real Christmas  day is still coming and  I hope yours is fabulous. For me I feel like is all over and done for another year. I have already got lists of things to go for next year, decorations to be made and some ideas for gifts.

Toodles 

Linda 

Home again, Home again

I am home again, I have celebrated Christmas with my loved ones, I am content, overfed and very happy. We had a lovely time. I will make a more detailed posted at another time, not to mention that I am too lazy to find my camera to post pictures. Right now all I want to do is sit, and knit, watch tv and relax. I am basking in the glow of a lovely weekend with my family and I want to savour it for a bit more.

I have the Hostess coming to tea tomorrow night which I am thrilled about. I need to do more of this, more having people over.

So more posting later, I will find my camera and share with you, for now I am off to bask.

Toodles,

Linda

Grandbaby fix

My Grandbaby came to the office today to have Christmas pot luck lunch with me (and all the other staff to I guess :-P) it was lovely. She was a little star. She gurgled, she cooed, she smiled, she drooled, she was charming. She didn't get overwhelmed with all the people and all the noise. She was lovely.

Best of all I got to have a cuddle, feed her a bottle and just generally be enchanted by her little self. She smiled at  me and patted my cheek a couple of times. Well the cheek patting was probably a result of my face being close to her and she was aiming for my glasses with that wobbly baby coordination but I claim it as a pat on the cheek from a sweet little girl.

I could have happily spent the afternoon rocking her and holding her but apparently I had to work and she had to go home with Mommy. I think she is just perfect. She is so dainty and sweet. Definitely  a keeper. I would pop a picture of her in this post but I have not cleared it with Mommy first so you will just have to take my word on it that she is adorable, especially in the little hat I crocheted for her. So cute.

Well I have things to do , stuff to pack, Christmas is a comin.

Toodles,

Linda

Wrap it Up!!

I am thinking that the Christmas preparations are almost complete. The house is decorated to within an inch of its life, the last of the baking has been done as of tonight, the presents have been purchased and/or made. Yep nothing left to do but do the wrapping. I didn't do Christmas cards this year but I don't imagine the world will come to an end over that. I have tomorrow night and Thursday night to do the last minute details and then its my family Christmas. I have done a few cards, to people who sent me one.

The Carpenter and The Farmer both have to work on actual Christmas day so we are having out celebration the weekend before Christmas. The date is not the important thing, the being together is what really matters. I am so looking foreward to seeing everyone. I am also looking foreward to getting away for a few days. Its going to be fun.

Right now I am watching White Christmas will I blog for a moment or two. I love this movie, I watch it every Christmas. I have a lot of favorite movies that I watch each year at Christmas time. Sometimes its hard to fit them all in. The sappier the better. Its a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Little Women, the Walton's Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street (either version) A Christmas Carol with Allister Sim, The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Sound of Music and Charlie Brown's Christmas, to name a few.

Well I have some time left to my evening and I hear an eggnog calling my name.

Toodles
Linda

Monday Moment with Minou

Hmmph,..... I was just sitting there minding my own business and that crazy Christmas lady decorated me!!