8 crazy nights!

This past week and then, some were crazy.  

What else would you expect from the McVal household?

Last week, every spare minute was spent sewing or wrapping things or cleaning.  Well, in all seriously, my cleaning stint was Friday night.

4 hours, mostly done.

On Saturday, we (Robb, Meri and I) did a day trip to my sister's house and had Christmas with my parents and extended family on my side.  It was a white elephant gift exchange.  I had a 6 cd set of Tom Petty music to give away and then a board game that I'd bought at my sister's garage sale last year, as well as an unused cake pan from Pampered Chef.  While I do love me some Tom Petty, I just don't listen to cds much anymore.  I gave my BIL the heads up that he'd appreciate that one, so the stealing gifts got real...  and he loved it!

A mini talent show with just my nephew participating.  

I spent all of one direction of this day trip sticking on labels and writing addresses onto all the Christmas letters.  They may get mailed today...  I'm a little behind this year...

We got home in time to finish wrapping, changing sheets, cleaning and a hundred other things and looked like we were enjoying a quiet evening in a beautifully decorated home by the time Meri arrived with her dog and a little while later, Maddy and Matthew arrived with their dog.  

So 3 goldens back in da house for the weekend!  

The dogs had a blast.  

Meri did Maddy's hair in an updo for Christmas Eve.  She's the master!

We hustled home from church and a quick stop at the store on Sunday in time for Ryan, Jen and Leon to show up for our Christmas lunch and gift opening.  Wrapping paper flew and the once clean and tidy house went immediately back from whence it came.  Kind of like Cinderella at midnight.

When anybody ran out of gifts and it was their turn to open one, I threw them a little wrapped gift.  This was Robb's idea.  Wrap up 20 individually wrapped men's tube socks as overflow gifts.  The kids loved them and tried to put on as many as they got.

They also decorated a ton of cookies that Maddy and Meri made.  Maddy had had a cookie decorating craft with her kindergartners last week and had lots of sprinkles and bottles of frosting left over.  BRING THEM TO IOWA! She said!  and she did.

Leon had a blast putting a pound of sprinkles of whichever ones he could get his hands on.

We had time to get over to see my bestie at the nursing home too.  Maddy and Matthew hadn't seen them in a while.

The afternoon was spent playing board games and Robb watched from the kitchen as he made several shepherd pies with tator tots on top (instead of mashed patatoes) for the dinner that night. I did a LOT of dishes...

When dinner time rolled around, the 2nd shift of guests arrived.  Robb's brother and his family and his dog.   More games and visiting.  

 Monday morning, Maddy and Matthew had to leave with Duke.  Darn!  She had to help out with the Christmas Eve children's service back in Wisconsin.   

I made 3 gallons of MinuteMaid Lemonade in our big beverage server and added a quarter gallon of cranberry juice to it.  It turned a lovely shade of dull pink.  I had to add more lemonade mixture to it to get rid of the over tart flavor but then it was delish!  Everyone worked on that all day and I had to make 2 more gallons on Christmas day.  It was a hit.

We just left that on the counter for everyone to help themselves.

Another niece and her husband arrived with their dog.  So at one point, Monday, we had 6 dogs in the house and none of them got along real well with each other.  So I banished ours to the laundry room with a gate so they can see all the activity and beg for scraps from afar.  They were not hurting!

Another BIL and his wife showed up for lunch with all of us.  Sloppy Joes!  YUMMO. They brought a saran wrap game and I won a LOAD of little gifts!  

The best being the $5 bill at the tail end!  WOOHOO!!!

And to always improve on any story you tell that seems to be a dud, you end it with "and then I found $5".  That always grabs people's attention and makes it a great story.

But then Steve and wife needed to leave so the household just rolled back to duller roar.

Robb took Leon down to his mom's that afternoon on Christmas Eve and got back in time to attend church with Meri and me.  Then we headed home to enjoy a soup supper with the rest of the clan.  We had chili, potato soup and Jacki made Chicken Tortellini soup.  I'm stuffed again just thinking about it.  I had a bowl of each.

CHRISTMAS DAY

Robb's sister arrived with her family and thankfully no more pets.  They got here early, like at 7am and thought they'd find us asleep.  HA!  Robb had been up since 3, gotten the turkey into the smoker at 4:30 and was just enjoying some of the 24 hour A Christmas Story movie.  I came down about 15 minutes later than Cathy arriving.  Another niece and company arrived by 1 and we enjoyed a fancy, table cloth ridden dinner with all the fixings.  Ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cream cheesed corn, cream cheesed broccoli, (do you see a theme), cranberry jelly (sans cream cheese - although that could be yummy too...hmmm.) and tons of other food.  The remainder without cream cheese.  I even pulled out another table and lowered it to the height of our dining room table to give it an extra two seats.  

Yep - 13 people around that table without a single ladies table in sight.  And my knees got the metal poles on the extended table bit.  sigh.  Oh well, it was easier to get up and grab things we forgot, like the mashed potatoes in the microwave, etc.

Just before lunch, I found our that the BIL and his family had to leave by 2pm.  Yikes!  We hadn't even opened presents yet!  So as soon as it looked like people's eating was dying down, I made the decree that we leave the table as it is and go in and unwrap presents.  The younger set was DOWN with this!  

They played Meri's vampire game.  Unfortunately they had to stop and no one won.  Not even the vampire.

So that happened.  

Like my hat?

Got that BIL and his family out right at the stroke of 2 with individually wrapped tiny pie in each of their hands.  Walmart's mini pies are the best!  Niece left at the same time.

So we were left with SIL and her husband and daughter.  Everyone except Robb and I took a nap.  I got my second wind and did the dishes again.  I think that was 17 times since Friday.  My hands are dry and cracked, but my fingernails look divine.

We played one of Meri's games that she got for Christmas that involves everyone but her, wearing black out sunglasses.  The Stevie Wonder jokes ensued, until Meri said SSHHH!  She was a vampire in the game and had to explain how to play.  

I've noticed that when one sense is cut off, other senses become more acute.  Like noticing when someone is attempting to sneak put away leftovers from supper.  KNOCK THAT OFF!  I still have peripheral vision!  So yeah, my super power of getting perturbed easier is much stronger with those glasses!  I may not be allowed to wear them any longer.

I don't mind help from some people, but others, I cannot deal with their help at all.  It seems judgy.

Wow, I don't think I should even be allowed to think about those glasses!

Leon was home briefly and then left again with his dad and Jen.  They're house sitting for several days, so I probably won't see him again til early next week.

Meri took pics of her cousin in front of the Christmas tree and I worked on a puzzle with Cathy for a while and visited with everyone within sight.  

But then Robb got a text that put everything into perspective and we left everyone there and hit the road.  Someone needed assistance and who are we to say no?  Especially on Christmas Day?...  

Looking back now, the black out glasses worked overtime even though I wasn't wearing them as I wasn't too thankful for the emergency at the time.  I'm actually still grumbling about it a little, but I'll get over it with enough Christmas music.  That tends to cheer me up.    

So today, I'm back to work and getting to sit down.  WHEW!  And most of the house looks like this.  

I think I know how I'll be spending my lunch break today...

Merry Christmas!