Christmas update...

As promised! This one is going to be heavy on pictures. Even then, I really had to cut them down! I had the nicest Christmas. This is the second one since Brad and I have separated. He came and picked the kids up on Christmas Eve in the afternoon and he brought them all back on Christmas morning around 10am. After they left, I took it easy and started getting out their Christmas presents and put them under the tree. Because of my surgery, I had everything all wrapped and ready to go - even the stocking-stuffers! Besides that, I made a breakfast casserole for morning and made sausage gravy that I heated up on Christmas morning to go over freshly-baked biscuits. I also got the table all set and ready for morning. I listened to Christmas music as I did most of this and then later on, watched A Christmas Story on the cable channel that plays it for 24 hours. Love that movie!

Here's the table...



Claire made the gingerbread house (from a kit, but I made our own royal icing, so it would stick better)...



Here are the only three things that we baked this year. Those are Chocolate Truffles on top and on the bottom are Peanut Butter Blossoms (with caramel kisses) and these pretzel things with checkerboard pretzels, Rolos and a pecan. We'll have to make up for it in January, once I'm feeling better...



I think I was in bed by 10:00 after that. I was up in the morning before 7:30, made breakfast for myself and headed out to Starbucks in my PJ's (drive-though!) and got a latté. Back home to sit on the couch, relax, listen to Christmas music and enjoy my latte. Okay, lattés. Plural. I knew I'd want another, so I just bought two when I drove through. Came home and put one into a stainless steel travel cup. But I drank it from my Spode Christmas cup! It was just a very relaxing start to my day!

Brad dropped the kids off at 10:00 as planned and he left so fast that there was no time for any awkwardness over any expectations of asking him in for breakfast or anything (which I dreaded, but did not plan to invite him in). So that was great! The kids were happy and they decided to open gifts and have breakfast afterward. Which was fine as I had forgotten to put the breakfast casserole in the oven when I had planned so it wasn't even ready yet!

Here's a picture of the tree before opening gifts. You can see over on the lower right side, Tom and Chelsea's stocking that I made. Poor Claire and Will still don't have one. :(



First things, first. The pickle ornament. I usually do this last, and I've usually done two pickles. We have a larger one that Claire and Will would search for and a smaller one that Tom and Chelsea searched for. I decided that they are all equally capable of looking for a small pickle on the tree and went with one pickle prize this year. I also made it the first thing they did to avoid cheaters {cough, cough, Chelsea} from snooping while everyone is opening other gifts. Here they are searching for the pickle. It took them a while to find it.





Chelsea was the one who ended up finding the pickle!! It was right in front, how'd they all miss it??!! Her prize was Cranium Whoonu.



Here's Chelsea with her Monopoly Electronic Banking Edition. She had wanted this game and it was so difficult to find.



Here's Claire...that blanket was from Chelsea and that's the High School Musical 2 DVD that she is opening.



And, here I am opening a gift from Chelsea. She got me a really great pair of shoes, brown pumps that I can finally wear with a brown skirt that I've never worn yet.



Here's Will opening a gift while Sugar hangs out in the middle of all the paper and gifts flying!



Here's Tom opening the much-awaited Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire DVD...



Here's Claire opening her name necklace. She loved it, but the freaking thing came on a 14" chain when I ordered an 18" chain! They are supposed to be sending me a replacement chain and I'm hoping it will be easy to connect. Otherwise, I have to send the whole thing back. :(



And, here's Tom showing off his handmade stocking. He was giving Claire and Will a hard time about them not having one. I feel so bad about not finishing one for Claire and Will (Claire's is almost done though), but it melts my heart that Tom is so proud of the one I made him!



And, finally, here's the gang at breakfast...



After that, we hung out for a while then got ready to go to my sister's house for dinner with the rest of my family (well, except for my family in Florida).

It was a very nice day! Hope yours was just as nice!