We've finished opening gifts, and have built a fire. Everyone is here, and we're all taking a break. Dinner tonight will be the tenderloin with Bernaise, tiny new potatoes in brown butter, an artichoke casserole with prosciutto and parmesan cheese, a garlic custard, and rolls. If I have time, I'm going to make a roulage, but I may not have the energy!!
Tomorrow is the infamous gingerbread house contest, and Sunday night we'll all have Christmas with my youngest nephew, his wife, and three kids.
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
Well I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas, what a day eh? And Kae for once I completely agree with your notion that today is the best day of the year because it is the furthest from Christmas. And I have decided that in this next year I will become one of those people who buys periodically throughout the year that way I don't go broke come December.
Anyways, Moore your dinner sounds fabulous. Maybe next year if you have a quiet house let me know and we will make the 4 hour trek up North.
We had a ham, a turkey, mashed taters and sweet taters. That nasty green bean casserole stuff and some corn on the cob. Had intended to make stuffing but forgot, how funny is that. I cheated and bought lemon meringue pie and a cherry pie and that was our meal. Ended up being my 5 with my sister her little one and her boyfriend...they are getting serious but no ring or anything. Though he did buy her a really pretty heart necklace.
So time for materialistic things....what did you get this year that you are very excited about? We got one of those big freezers for out in the garage. How awesome it will end up being in our future. I joke but am very excited that I now have room for frozen pizza. Oh, and Vinnie got me one of those crock pots that latches on the side and the lid has a notch in it to put a spoon. It is just awesome.
Oh, and we got a Keurig coffee maker, how nice it will be (once I learn how to use it)
Our Christmas day was actually quite good this year! We had the usual turkey and ham, stuffing, yams (??), mashed potatoes and some other vegies, but I had to keep it relatively simple to accommodate the food allergies and children's palates, not that they ate much of dinner because of all the sweets afterwards, lol. And chocolates, LOTS of them.
Ted got me two gorgeous nighties, a Lanz of Saltburg and a Suttles and Seawinds. I took pics for kids away, so can post them. Perfume, my Violette Verte. Christine gave me a Dior mascara (fabulous stuff) and some Marks and Spencer talc and soap, so hard to find here. Marilyn gave me lavender things from her trip to the Eastern Townships earlier this year. LOVE lavender. It was a very fragrant Christmas!
After everyone left, and we had skype calls from Mike and Nick, Ted and I worked on the MESS in the kitchen until about 10:30, then collapsed into bed. Mike spent Christmas Day at the beach, then went to a friend's house for bbq'd steaks. No tree, he pouted. Nick had to work although he noted that it was quieter than usual there on Christmas Day.
It's rainy/sleety and cloudy here today, perfect for bumming around. We cleared the dining room already, swept the floors, ran the dishwasher again. Later on, we'll take my parents the left-over cake and some ham for sandwiches, then will crawl onto the family room sofa and hope for a decent movie on TV.
As much as I have griped about Christmas and all the hype, it turned out to be a really lovely day. I think focusing upon the kids was the best part, because it really is all about them.
We'll bum today. Tomorrow is V's first ski camp day, so after shivering at the bottom of the hill, we'll congregate here for hot chocolates and cookies.
-- Edited by KaeEll on Saturday 26th of December 2009 11:19:31 AM
Shelly, I envy you your freezer, and your crockpot! My crockpot is a gazillion years old, and the funny thing is that, although I haven't replaced my own, I gave my two daughters crockpots two years ago, and AZ-daughter and I gave my son one this year. He's needs it!!
Lord...I feel like I've been hit by a truck. Every muscle in my body aches! I can't remember whether I told you that I'd wrenched my knee, about a week + ago, and have been limping around (not great for getting errands accomplished), and this morning I truly feel like a little old lady of eighty-plus... My back aches all over from standing at the stove, my hands hurt, my knees hurt; it's pathetic!
You can come up next year, Shelly, but I'm going to retire and let YOU do all the cooking. LOL... I never quite made that roulage last night, but no one missed it, because we have LOTS of sweets that friends sent us. My former college roommate (the Canadian-now-US-citizen, KaeEll) usually sends toffee, but sent a tin of cookies this year. A long-time friend of mine sent a massive gift basket with Brie and cookies, and all kinds of other sweets, and Jim's office companion, Liz, sent us a GIANT box of Godiva chocolates. AZ-daughter had also wanted to make s'mores in the fireplace, so we have graham crackers, marshmallows, and yet more chocolate in the form of Hershey bars!
So what am I making today?? Cookies!! Not that we need any more sweets around here, but later this afternoon will be the annual gingerbread house challenge, so I've decided to make ginger cookies for the occasion. The recipe comes from an historic plantation (Woodlawn) that George Washington gave to a relative, and is down the road from Mount Vernon. Woodlawn Plantation has annual quilt and needlework exhibits, and there's a tea room in the basement. They always serve these cookies, and I had bought the Woodlawn Plantation cookbook many years ago. These are the BEST ginger cookies on the planet!
3/4 cup butter 3/4 cup shortening 2 cups granulated sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup unsulphured dark molasses 4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons cloves 2 teaspoons ginger 3/4 cup coarse or granulated white sugar for topping
1. Beat butter and shortening until soft. Slowly add and beat in the 2 cups of granulated sugar. Beat in the eggs and molasses.
2. In a second bowl sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and ginger; add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Dough will be soft.
3. Refrigerate for about 1 hour or until dough is firm.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough into 1-inch balls the roll each in the coarse sugar. Place balls about 3 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until slightly cracked on top. Watch carefully toward the end of the cooking time so they don't burn on the bottom. Cool slightly and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
I don't even know where to start with the gifts! There were plenty of gift cards (which we all LOVE). Mine were for Lord & Taylor (from my son), Barnes & Noble, A. C. Moore (a craft store I frequently haunt), NC-daughter and Loren gave Jim and me six months' of Netflix movies to watch together by the fire which we thought was way cool, a very fancy wine bottle opener (they know me so well) that apparently gets the job done in about three seconds, a special pan for doing veggies on the grill and a cage for fish for the grill (both also from our son), Victoria's secret stuff (from Jim), and a beautiful diamond necklace...also from Jim. There's a story behind this gift, though.
My engagement ring and our wedding bands came from a beautiful jewelry store called Bailey, Banks, and Biddle which is now going out of business. It used to be a family-owned jewelry business that began in Philadelphia, and then expanded to McLean, VA (at Tysons) and a few other places. Ultimately, some company purchased the stores and made the same mistake that so many other business did: they expanded EVERYWHERE so there were B-B-&B stores all across the country. Now, of course, they're ALL closing! My nephew and his wife joke that it's primarily because my sister and her husband are now both deceased, and they were probably BB&B's main customers who kept if afloat all those years!! LOL... My sister's collection of jewelry was impressive, and that's probably an understatement.
Anyway, I have to say that BBB has always had the MOST beautiful jewelry, far more beautiful than anything even Tiffany's has, in my opinion. Just gorgeous. And, because the store is closing on January 3rd, we've been bombarded with commercials for the sales going on. Jim and I had agreed to resist temptation (I thought), but we both kind-of wanted something as a last little keepsake from "our" jewelry store. And AZ-daughter had been poking her dad to get me something that sparkled, and it had to be from there. I was shocked the other day when I saw a Bailey, Banks & Biddle gift bag under the tree -- and rather pissed too! "JAMES!! I THOUGHT WE AGREED THAT WE WEREN'T GOING TO GO PLAY AT BBB!!"
He gave me some dismissive answer along the lines of, "Well...I just HAD to get you one last little token from there, didn't I??"
Grrrrrrrrr. Sweet, but grrrrrrrr...............
I had some last-minute errands to run anyway, so I took my limping self off to Tysons to see what I could find for Jim. I almost cried when I walked into that store, though. There were a multitude of sales personnel (as always), all perfectly dressed and ready to help. Most of the cases were empty, but the ones that still had jewelry held stunning pieces.
I didn't want to get Jim a watch, and all of the "trinkets" like key chains were long gone. There was a beautiful sterling silver picture frame (more like a frame notebook) that was many thousands of dollars. It was a real keepsake item, but...no. I looked at men's rings, but Jim isn't really a big jewelry person for himself. Also, some of the materials used in the rings meant that they couldn't be sized later, so that was a problem. I asked the saleswoman if there were any men's wedding bands left, and she said that there were. Obviously, Jim already has a wedding band (and from that same store), but my thinking was that I might be able to find something very subtle that he could wear on his right had that wouldn't necessarily look like a wedding band. Well...I certainly found a few of those, and of course my eye always goes to the most expensive pieces! The ones I liked were platinum with nice, simple designs, and they were also still massively expensive, even after the discount.
I was beginning to get frustrated because I really DID want to get Jim something that he would actually like, but nothing was really singing to me. It was even more frustrating too, because I knew that the little gift bag for me was already sitting under our Christmas tree! I was about to give up when the woman helping me thought of something. She showed me a gorgeous "George Washington" porcelain bowl (essentially a reproduction early American punch bowl) that has scenes of Mount Vernon, and other Washington scenes, all done in black and white. It reminds me a bit of black and white toile. Jim loves all things American History, and adores George Washington, so it was the perfect gift! The original price was swoon worthy, but at 70% off, it was an affordable gift from Bailey, Banks... Jim had a good laugh after he opened it, and I told him where it had come from!! LOL. He loved it.
My necklace is beautiful, and very simple. It has a thin-thin delicate white gold chain, and five very glittering diamonds in a straight vertical line (I'm sure you've seen similar ones) that represent the five of us. I love it...
I have absolutely no idea what I'm making for dinner tonight. I'd like to make duck, but don't know if the stores have any left now, and in order to feed six of us, I'll need three (if not four) ducks! I have some stuffing I want to try (Shelly it's the one I mentioned to you the other day), but I don't know... Maybe it's a pizza night!
We had a lot of rain here last night, and Jim was fretting that we'd get a flooded basement again. We DID have a little water down there, but not much. Fortunately. And that reminds me that I still need to post our snow pictures. Shelly, did you get much snow where you are?
Everyone -- meaning the kids -- is sleeping in this morning. Our son called a few minutes ago, though, wondering what the day's plans are. I don't know!
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and very soon we can all catch our collective breath, and relax!
KaeEll, I just saw your post! I'm SO glad that Christmas went well, and that you had such a lovely day. Maybe this is a sign of more positive Christmases to come for all of us! Great nighties!! (Just now saw the pictures.) You got some wonderful gifts, and you menu was perfect.
-- Edited by Moore ideas on Saturday 26th of December 2009 11:22:22 AM
-- Edited by Moore ideas on Saturday 26th of December 2009 11:24:03 AM
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
[Moore, that Ginger Cake recope looks good! I hope your knee heals pronto!
Yesterday in the morning we unwrapped our gifts. Then after a turkey dinner we went bowling---something I haven't done in over four years! Then we went to a movie called Blind Side. I do recommend seeing that one!
Moore, hope that knee feels better soon. You seem to have no end of energy, though, what with the ginger bread cookies and all! Shelly, how's the coffee maker now? Sundancer, what was that movie about?
Here's a pic of Tony's tribe from his card this year, taken in front of their old silver maple tree in early November. The baby has begun to look exactly like her dad did when he was a baby, much to her mother's chagrin, lol. She is beginning to sport a wry smile, kind of impish, AND she snorts too. *snort*
KaeEll, that's a GORGEOUS family picture, and the kids are all so adorable. I can't believe how much Vanessa has grown! Both parents look very happy and proud. A real keepsake picture...
As for my knee, it's pretty bad this morning. I've been doing a lot of standing, but am trying not to do any kneeling on it. As for the cookies, The Competition was postponed until 1:00 pm today, because three out of the four kids became involved in a movie, and AZ-daughter went out to dinner with a girlfriend. I made the cookie dough (it has to chill anyway), and am about to go bake-bake-bake now while the younger crowd is still asleep.
What I need is to stay off my feet for a couple of days, and that ought to help. Of course, that's completely impossible while everyone is here, and there are numerous errands to run. Thank God for Jim, though!! He's gone various places for me to prevent my having to hobble, and make the knee worse. There's really not much else that I can do for the thing, and I refuse to go through a bunch of medical tests just to have a doctor tell me that...there's not much I can do for the thing!
I have bad knees, and it's genetic. I didn't KNOW that I'd inherited a knee issue until I dislocated my right knee, back when I was about 22 years old. Know what I did? I stood up. Yep, that's all. I freaking stood up, and then fell immediately to the floor from the pain. I was wearing a long dress at the time, so Jim and our two dinner guests thought that I'd tripped! No -- I'd darned near fainted. That time, I had a cast put on my leg, and was told that the socket behind my knee cap is too shallow to hold the knee cap properly, and my thigh muscles (skinny legs) aren't picking up the slack enough to hold it in place either.
When my Aunt heard about it, she started to laugh and told me, "You have that old Smith trick knee!!" Well, I'd never HEARD of the "old Smith trick knee" before in my life, so Aunt Mary began to list cousins who'd had dislocations. Great. My sister had never heard of it either! Well...I got it!
Then, in 1994 my son and I were on our way to my younger nephew's wedding (the one we're having Christmas with tonight), when a car ran a red light and hit us broadside, on my side of the car. We were sent spinning a good 35 feet, and my car was totalled. Apparently, I hit the left side of my LEFT knee (the one that hurts now) on the door because bruises showed up later. I was completely unaware of it at the time, but was more concerned over whether or not my son was hurt. (He wasn't, thank God.) Later, at the wedding, I turned to see my kids walk down the aisle, and that's when the left knee dislocated. Everything went black for a moment, and I thought that I would throw up, and then pass out. I did neither, but hobbled through the reception. That time, I didn't have to wear a cast, but elevated the leg, and put ice on it for a day, and then heat. It's never been quite the same, though...
All I'm trying to do at this point is prevent it from actually dislocating. Stupid Smith family "trick" knee. It's not a trick; it's not funny!! It's like white-hot knives behind my knee cap whenever I take a step...
Oh...and KaeEll, I really don't have that much energy! I'm just pushing through, and taking LOTS of breaks! LOL...
-- Edited by Moore ideas on Sunday 27th of December 2009 10:07:10 AM
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
Moore, the knee thing is no fun, as I can all too well relate! Back in 1993, I fell in a friend's slippery downslope driveway on some wet leaves and smashed the hell out of my right patella. After three surgeries, it is now my built-in barometer, not to mention the not-so-charming scar that runs down the front of my upper leg. So, yes, I understand how a knee thing can really screw up one's mobility and mood! Some days, when the weather is changing, stairs can seem like Everest as I hobble my way along. Life, huh?
So how was the gingerbread house competition? Who won it this year?
We were so disappointed yesterday that Tony didn't bring V here for hot chocolate after her first ski camp. It was nixed because it may have undermined her routine. (??^&%$#@!) Anyway, apparently the in-laws are driving here for another visit en route to Boston from DC, since it's only a 10 hour drive. No comment, lol.
I think today Ted and I will drive to the city centre to check out the new Royal Conservatory of Music building we've not yet seen. A stop for a latte, a check-in on parents...nothing thrilling.
I have some gingerbread house pictures to post, and will do it a little later since NC-daughter and Loren are about to leave. I'll announce the winner when I post the pictures!
We had a lovely night at Drew's house (my nephew). He and Lisa had cooked their hearts out. We were all STUFFED from h'ors d'oeuvres before we ever even got to dinner, but we managed to "force" ourselves to eat the standing rib roast, Yorkshire pudding, salad, scalloped potatoes, etc., anyway... (smiles) This is their traditional Christmas dinner, and it was delicious!! Jim and our son spent a little time teaching Brady (was 10 in September) how to play poker; Brady had gotten a set of chips and cards, and is anxious to practice for taking on Vegas one day, I guess. They had a lot of fun. Lauren turned 14 in November, and looks 20! She's a sweetheart, and little Gracie (turned 9 on 12/18) is still a real peace of work! Hilarious...
AZ-daughter decided to spend the night with her cousins instead of coming home with us last night, so I'll retrieve her later today. Don't know what time yet, though.
KaeEll, that's too bad that Vanessa wasn't able to come over. Can't the kids stray from their routine just the tiniest little bit during the holidays?? Nevermind... I hope you and Ted have a nice, peaceful day today, and enjoy yourselves. It sounds like a lovely (quiet) afternoon.
I'll check back later.
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
