Christmas

Christmas vacation started out with a bang. My family had a "we are all still here" party. You know after the world didn't end per the Mayan calendar.

The gang gathered around talking.

We brought our signs that we no longer needed to protest the end, since it didn't end. And we also brought wrapped toilet paper. You know cause all our money was spent on Armageddon supplies and that's all we had to give for gifts, as a joke. It was a lot of fun and a good theme for a party.

Here we are warning people but we were wrong.

Since the world didn't end we decided to go ahead and decorate for Christmas.

The tree came out good.

Then husband did it. He invited all his family to Christmas dinner. With one swoop he was on the phone making  calls, organizing things and before I could question the ability to squeeze 30 people into our house, all at the same time, they were all coming. I must say I was in a state of panic but husband, being him, pulled it off.  Ham was good, food was amazingly good. I think everyone brought a dish or two, so there was a lot of different foods.

mile long table.

Everyone did fit into our house. Who new. I feel like there should be a Doctor Seuss book written about it. They all came big and small. They came with pies, they came with turkeys, they came with stars in their eyes. There were games played and talks, talked about even old photos shared. A good time was had by all, all that cared. Oh well, I'm no Dr. Seuss!

Snowman cheese ball

 We had  lot's of snacks. Balls and weenies and I made a couple of cheese balls. Even one that looked like a snow man. People brought cookies and candies and chips and dip. Just before we were too full of snacks The ham and turkey was done and we feasted like there was never going to be food again.


Some people sitting around the table before dinner.

People began spilling out onto the back porch where there was a rousing hand of poker played until the mosquitoes decided to join the party. Others went for a long walk and still others relaxed after dinner by watching the game or playing games. I hope everyone had fun we did.


It's as if he knew my husband.

Hope every one had a Merry Christmas and I can't wait for New Years Eve!


 

 

 

More Christmas pictures.

I forgot this awesome picture of the magic pirate cake before it was wrapped in cheese cloth and covered in rum. You can see some rum glaze that was added to it before it was even removed from the pan and then the rest was drizzled over the top. It smelled as amazing as it looks. Yum can't wait to eat it around February maybe. We opened it up and added more rum on Christmas day and it looks like it is doing great and being preserved perfectly.

Magic Cake!

 Chris made the most delicious stuffed potatoes to go with the ham they were so yummy.

Chris's twiced baked potatoes before they were covered in cheese.

 We were having such a good time just visiting with Mom that we almost forgot the ham this year. Even though it was a little extra done it was still sooooo.... tastety.

Christmas Ham

 Pulled out the Christmas crystal for wine spritzers and then decided I would try to get a picture of the wreaths that are scrolled on them cause it's so pretty. At Christmas most people pull out nicer crystal and the fancy china it's good to have the best of the best once in a while but it's also good to just relax and enjoy each others company.

Close up of scroll on crystal

Christmas crystal

Yep it was just us and Mom, a quite intimate dinner. So we used paper plates and pots right on the table, with our expensive Christmas crystal and the yummy beautiful  foods. We're not too fancy. We had a combination of the best of the best and relaxed and laid back. Oh and notice Chris's beer bottle...no glass. Ha ha ha!

A simple table starts with paper plates!

I know presents are not what the holiday is all about and we really don't put much emphasis on who got who what. In our house if you want to buy some one something you can but really we only buy presents for children under 18, cause it's the most fun to watch them rip into them Christmas morning.  The best present of all is just knowing everyone I love is safe and having a good time and yet we still always seem to have something under the tree for ourselves and Mom.

The tree packed with presrents.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year. Can't wait to post about it. See you next year.

Cheers!

A wonderful weekend.

Got the tree decorated last weekend.

Shop shop shop. Wrap wrap wrap. Super Saturday was spent getting Christmas together. Now there are some presents under the tree.
 I even got that package to Erica mailed. Yay me. She should get it right before Christmas.  We will have to make the next package for New Years. Even though she's not all the way in Korea anymore it feels as if she is. We miss her so much.And every time I see something that reminds me of her in the store I can't help but want to buy it. She wont be able to come home for Christmas again this year but at least she will be able to drive up to my sisters and be with some family. That's the life of a soldier I guess.

The Magic Pirate Cake just before it was loaded into the oven.

I finally got that cake baked. It has to be aged and then with one bite I'll be on my way to that pirate treasure. If it taste anywhere near as good as it smelled it will be a treasure. I'm not sure how long to age it. Some other cake recipes have the cake being aged up to 5 years. I thought a month would be a long time. I don't know if it will last a month. Next time I'm definitely making two.

The fruited rum. Yum.

And of course we had to taste the rum that was drained off the fruit. Most of it will be saved for a glaze but yum was it good. I think this is why pirates were always drunk and drinking rum.

Check out the recipe page!  I plan on posting a composite of the recipe and what I did. If anyone would like to try a rum cake made by me.... just let me know. I may go into business if this cake turns out as good as I think it will.

Christmas 09

We had fun decorating the tree. It didn't take long at all this year as we used a PLASTIC one. (yuk) Usually we get a permit from the forestry service and go out and cut down a sand pine in the forest but Chris thought it would be easier to go with plastic. Less mess. No sap on the carpet. And it was. But as I said we have not had a plastic one and there was a little difficulty putting it together. We got it used with no directions. Chris never reads them anyway. He jammed the pole into the base. We had to buy a base for it cause the original was missing. So when it didn't fit exactly we continued on. The real ones never fit right. We matched the colors on the branches to the trunk one row after the next. Then Veronica noticed they were getting bigger as the went up. "That's because the bottom is smaller to fit presents" Chris assured her. They got bigger and bigger till finally Chris had to admit "I think it's upside down." Which would have been great but it was too wobbly.

There was a flurry of getting things ready and before I new it Christmas had arrived. The girls tore threw the presents with their usual gusto. The dog was, hands down, the happiest one as he had gotten a stocking full of new toys. He took each one and piled them up. It was cute. Then he spent the rest of the day begging for ham. We enjoyed eating snacks of the season. Cakes, cookies, fudges, dips, crackers, cheese ball, brownie, breads, ect. We had some of all that stuff. When the dinner was done we could hardly move to eat it. But the ham came out really good so we did. Aunt Patty stopped by with Evan. Jessica had to work so they were going to have their Christmas start late. But really they had already had their Christmas about two days earlier when Even go to go shop with a cop. It's a program that the Mt. Dora police provide to kids that have lukemia, like Evan. He was suppose to go earlier but he had come down with a fever of 103 and couldn't. But they didn't forget about him they made a special trip just for him. So... Hat's off to the Mt. Dora police. They really made a differance for little Evan.

We all love to see Evan. He is always so happy and full of life. We got him some parachuteing toys. Him and the girls had fun playing with them in the living room.


All in all I'd say eveyone had a great Christmas and we are looking forward to next year.