Brian and the kids just headed downstairs to play Mario Kart on the Wii. I am relaxing in the quiet. And let me just pass on Christmas greetings from everyone in the Hippie Household.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
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Snug as a bug in a rug. All set for their
Christmas Eve sleep by the tree. |
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| full stockings |
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| Christmas Morning |
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| Meredith's first gift of the day. |
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| Elsie's cross stitched ornament from Grandma |
I got up at 6:00 to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast and church. They were truly awesome-all that fresh from the oven goodness.=) I was able to make coffee for Brian-a very unusual happening. And I brought his first cup of the day to him in bed. A good Starbucks blend. The kids woke up about 7:00, and then we did our stockings. It tided the kids over until after church. Which was nice (church, I mean), though we ended up leaving early when Ethan puked all over the bathroom floor(while Brian was leading the singing, and I was playing the piano). Not sure if it is a bug or just too much dairy. It is always a wonder with him. Oh well. The kids were excited because we got to open gifts earlier than planned. On the way home we told them they would have to wait until 12:30, since that was when we were going to do it if we left church at the right time. You should have heard the groans.=) I love to tease them occasionally.=) It was a nice paced gift opening, with lots of gratefulness. It took almost 2-1/2 hours, including a lunch break. Brian was thrilled with his new jacket, lunch box, and pants. I think I didn't get him the pants I thought I got him, but he is pumped nonetheless. Our kids received lots of old time tv show dvd's, a book each, new pj's, mittens, legos, games, nerf guns, boats, socks, and....When you have lots of aunts and uncles, you end up with lots of loot.=) Brian, bless his heart, really surprised me. I knew he had shopped at our local hardware store, and I figured he maybe got me some gun accessories. Nope...he got me a beautiful set of knives. I have had the same ones since we got married. They have worked just fine. But he thought it was time for an upgrade. They are Wusthof, a good German brand. I can't wait to try them out. He also bought me yak-traks for snow running. So, "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow." And, the icing on the cake was two charms and a spacer for my bracelet. The two charms are dangly, one with an opal-my birth stone. He is so sweet, and thoughtful. And I love him so much! My sister Lydia gave me an super soft polka dot blanket. Because "I am in love with polka dots."=) The kids were very excited about what they gave each other. That warmed my heart. I hope they are learning early the joy of giving, and the truth that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Ethan gave me a cell phone holder for when I run. Brian Marcus gave me a monogramed coffee mug. It has a "G". I'm thinking he missed that at the store. So, he and Brian came up with the idea that it stands for "great mom." I'm thinking, "good save."=) Meredith lasted for a while. She didn't really get into the whole unwrapping thing, except that she was good at pulling the paper into her mouth. It was rather comical.
Our food has been outstanding. We tried a new stuffed japeleno recipe last night. It was monterey jack cheese, bacon, and some seasonings. It was delicious. I had Brian seed and stuff the peppers, and I got to do the easy appetizers. We did a hot bacon dip, and bruschetta. Today I tried a new wing recipe for lunch. You cook them in a slow cooker on low for 4 hours in a brown sugar, cayenne, soy sauce, ginger mix. Then you pull them out and brush them with tomato paste, and more sugar, cayenne, and soy sauce. It made a sticky, homemade barbecue sauce coating. Definitely a keeper recipe.
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| Eggs Benedict in all its glory. |
Oh, and we had our eggs benedict yesterday. So, I figured that I ate about half a stick of butter, and 2-1/2 eggs in one fell swoop. But what a swoop! Hollandaise is amazing. And Julia Childs has the corner on that market-for simplicity, taste, and no-fail. Brian Marcus joined us in our tradition this year. He loved it. I always make the hollandaise, and Brian does the rest. Egg poaching, muffin toasting. It is a great tag team entree.
We also were able to find a live broadcast of the King's College Cambridge's Christmas Eve Festival of Nine Lessons. It was so cool to hear familiar and not so familiar Christmas carols, and scripture readings, all done very well. The boys choir there is wonderful. And I really enjoy this service. Michael Barone, the host of the broadcast on NPR, described the sunset coming through the stained glass windows as the service finished up. It made you feel like you were there. I would love to add this to our traditions list. We started our Christmas Eve with King's College, and ended it with Charlie Brown's Christmas, with Prairie Home Companion sandwiched somewhere between. And a monopoly game that I lost, and Ethan won, with Brian Marcus and Brian coming in second and third respectively.
Well, Merry Christmas to all my faithful readers. May this 2011 Christmas be in your Top 10.
I know its in mine...
