In The Hindsight

Merry Christmas!  

If I could find a Christmas letter that isn't sealed up in an envelope already or in a digital format, I would be sharing that with you today.  But I can't find one.  I THOUGHT I had one from a SIL who left hers on the counter here yesterday, but either my MIL picked it up this afternoon already or I tucked it somewhere safe.  Anyway... will share that when I can.

We had our own personal family Christmas last weekend with dinner and a gift opening afterwards.  I took a super dark photo of our offspring and their significant others and Leon...  I took better ones but someone's face was always blurry or they were scowling, like "when will we ever be done?!"

So I took the super dark one, that while it was dark, the facial features were clear.  Meri photoshopped it to heck (does anyone still USE that word?  photoshop?) and according to my tiny screen of my cell phone, it looked brilliant.  I got 150 printed out and now it's dark and blurry.

I can never win!

Maddy and Matthew brought Duke.  Robb wrote about Duke in the Christmas letter and just having Duke here for the weekend made us realize that his time with those two is drawing to a close...  Meri and her boyfriend are going to go say goodbye to him again, I think tomorrow.  

The big, dumb, beautiful golden daddy of our dog breeding days is so loved.  He may have eaten a cell phone, our siding, the deck spindles, any underwear you might have left on the floor at one time of his life, he grew into a wonderful dog who is loyal in every way and loved so much.

Maddy and Matthew will have a big hole in their heart soon.

You'd think I'd lose weight with all the leaking from my eyes, but I don't.

Leon went with Ryan and Jen's to her families for a few days this week and just got back this afternoon.  He'll be heading to his mom's soon for the weekend.  

The biggest thing heard in our living room during gift opening on Saturday night was, "Now, Is it done?" just before opening their box.  And the most common answer from me was, "Nope, not this one."  I made each girl, including my MIL a woolen cape with built in scarf or cowl in various stages of doneness.  

My son and SIL got henley styled (raglan sleeve) shirts that I'd made.  Matthew's was done except for the hems on the sleeves and bottom.  I needed to make sure it fit him before I was going to commit to that.  It DID fit him and really well!  I was surprised!  

SOMEDAY I'll show you how I made the pattern for it.  Didn't have one handy, so I improvised...  It got hemmed up yesterday and Meri will take it and other gifts along with her when she goes.  

Ryan's has a hood but not side seams yet as Jen is going to paint it for me.  She's a wonderful artist.  I figured she'd want to lay it out flat to paint and it's kind of hard to do that if it's stitched all the way up.

Maddy's was the only cape done.  Mainly because I made it so you wouldn't need a button hole.  AND it had a funky cowl neck.  Matthew really liked it and I may be making him one too.

And of course I didn't get any pics of anyone wearing them or the shirts...  sigh...

All the kids but Meri left either Monday or Tuesday.  She and her boyfriend (It's official now) came over a lot this week.  It's been good to get to know him.  He seems very infatuated with Meri even though she was sick and blowing her nose most of the time.  Poor Meri...  She finally was able to see a doctor this morning and her ear drum had burst again.  The pain at 3am today was excruciating.  The last time this happened, she was Belle in the high school play.  I have ideas on how to prevent this sort of thing, but once it's here, it is what it is.  sigh.

My BIL and his wife arrived on Monday afternoon.  We had a nice evening visiting and thankfully they like to go to bed around 8ish as well!  WHEW!  It had been a long day!

A SIL and her family showed up on Tuesday afternoon and we visited into the night then too.  Robb and I stayed up until the wee hours of 10:30pm!!!  Can you believe it?!  Then they left to head to a midnight Christmas Eve service and we went to bed. We'd already been to our church earlier that evening.

On Wednesday, Christmas Day, Robb and I got the Christmas spread on the table by noon and the food turned out really good!  The other meals that Meri's boyfriend, Shub, ate with us all had some catastrophe happen and things weren't done exactly right so I'm sure he was thinking we were not so good in the kitchen.  Christmas dinner was the magic meal as the turkey, ham, glazed carrots and about ten other things turned out good.  We didn't pack it all in, as we were all still in a sugar coma from all the snacks that had been out for everyone to nibble on for the last 5 days. 

I look 5 months pregnant right now.  MAYBE 6.  I hope to start my diet again after that Velveeta block gets made into a dip for New Years Eve and gets eaten up.  The first two months will concentrate on what I gained since Thanksgiving alone.

SIL and her family left Wednesday night.  BIL and his wife left this morning.  We missed their kids this year!  Sarah and Amanda... if you're reading this, you parents told us lots of stories about all three of you!  (they read me sometimes. :) )  Also missed another BIL and his family.  As the families branch out, kids get married, kids get in-laws, kids get jobs that they can't get away from, it's harder and harder to get everyone together.  It takes either a wedding or a funeral for that.

 

Well, that is my catch up post for the week.  Sorry it's not all sparkly and glitter.  Life is grungy.

I'm tired.