Boy am I glad Christmas is over. That sounds terrible - like I didn't enjoy it. But I did, I had a blast.
I'm just glad things have calmed down after a very busy month of getting-house-keys-installing-appliances-moving-and-then-apartment-cleaning-and-more-moving-and-then-sudden-flight-for-the-funeral-and-then-unpacking-and-then-holiday-preparations-and-then-...
Note to self: if moving, don't do it around major holidays. Life happens, other stuff comes up, and it turns out you don't have as much time as you thought you did.
splorp! and I did well with our hosting duties. And we enjoyed having everyone over. It's just that we did a mad rush to unpack stuff before everyone came over to see the new place, and I am soooo tired of unpacking boxes. So yeah, I'm glad Christmas is over so I can be a slob again (kidding mom!).
We had lots of fun visiting with everyone who came to our home. Cooking the meals is something I enjoy, so that is never a problem. I have a sure-thing recipe for beef roast for which I always receive rave reviews.
And my family is great about pitching in to bring something for the meal, so I never actually have to do the whole dinner on my own. For example: my aunt brought mashed potatoes and rolls, my parents brought the green bean casserole and the deviled eggs. My dad loaded the dishwasher after the meal. So it's never a hassle to do the cooking. Mostly I prep the roast and then stick it in the oven and go back to socializing.
This was a tough year financially for a lot of people, and my family agreed to a low-key holiday. splorp! and I developed some photos of ourselves to put in holiday cards for the family with which we were not exchanging actual gifts. For each other we got things that would be more than just "I want" gifts, we got more useful things. I received a bluetooth earpiece (for my now-longer commute) and I gave him a battery powered screwdriver (for all the household stuff he's going to be doing now that we're homeowners).
For our other family gathering the day after Christmas, early in the morning I put spaghetti sauce in a slow-cooker with some garlic and italian sausage and let it cook all day. And then I just boiled up some spaghetti right at dinner time. My cousin's family brought a giant pie for dessert, so throw some garlic bread in the broiler and it's an easy meal that everyone enjoys. (Though the garlic bread was something else - I've never actually done it myself, and the first loaf cooked up much faster than I expected, so it almost caught fire. Lots of smoke and blackened pieces. Good thing I had more bread.)
So, like I said, a holiday success. I think we'll probably do it again next year. But without the moving to a new house part.
I'm just glad things have calmed down after a very busy month of getting-house-keys-installing-appliances-moving-and-then-apartment-cleaning-and-more-moving-and-then-sudden-flight-for-the-funeral-and-then-unpacking-and-then-holiday-preparations-and-then-...
Note to self: if moving, don't do it around major holidays. Life happens, other stuff comes up, and it turns out you don't have as much time as you thought you did.
splorp! and I did well with our hosting duties. And we enjoyed having everyone over. It's just that we did a mad rush to unpack stuff before everyone came over to see the new place, and I am soooo tired of unpacking boxes. So yeah, I'm glad Christmas is over so I can be a slob again (kidding mom!).
We had lots of fun visiting with everyone who came to our home. Cooking the meals is something I enjoy, so that is never a problem. I have a sure-thing recipe for beef roast for which I always receive rave reviews.
And my family is great about pitching in to bring something for the meal, so I never actually have to do the whole dinner on my own. For example: my aunt brought mashed potatoes and rolls, my parents brought the green bean casserole and the deviled eggs. My dad loaded the dishwasher after the meal. So it's never a hassle to do the cooking. Mostly I prep the roast and then stick it in the oven and go back to socializing.
This was a tough year financially for a lot of people, and my family agreed to a low-key holiday. splorp! and I developed some photos of ourselves to put in holiday cards for the family with which we were not exchanging actual gifts. For each other we got things that would be more than just "I want" gifts, we got more useful things. I received a bluetooth earpiece (for my now-longer commute) and I gave him a battery powered screwdriver (for all the household stuff he's going to be doing now that we're homeowners).
For our other family gathering the day after Christmas, early in the morning I put spaghetti sauce in a slow-cooker with some garlic and italian sausage and let it cook all day. And then I just boiled up some spaghetti right at dinner time. My cousin's family brought a giant pie for dessert, so throw some garlic bread in the broiler and it's an easy meal that everyone enjoys. (Though the garlic bread was something else - I've never actually done it myself, and the first loaf cooked up much faster than I expected, so it almost caught fire. Lots of smoke and blackened pieces. Good thing I had more bread.)
So, like I said, a holiday success. I think we'll probably do it again next year. But without the moving to a new house part.
1 comment:
Yes, we sooooo enjoyed coming to your house for the holidays (both days)! We're so proud of both of you. Love you much. MoM
Post a Comment