How was your Christmas? Hope you all had the best time possible.
It was good that the weather was decent here for everyone to get around easily and there certainly seemed a lot of traffic on Christmas Day as I drove to Son's via Sister in Laws house.
But what awful news from the States where so many people have died after being trapped in their cars or fallen through ice in the exceptionally snowy, freezing weather. Very Frightening.
My Christmas was lovely although 3 excited, sometimes grumpy, grandchildren (ages 6, 4¾ and nearly 3) on two consecutive days days is quite exhausting. I suggested next year we have two days in between Christmas Day and Boxing day to recover - for them, their parents and me! I've got lots of tidying to do now but plenty of time to put the house back together.
I thought I'd not bought too much in the way of extra food for feeding 8 on Boxing Day but there seems to be plenty left (even though I sent some home with them) so I wont need to do much except re-heating for several days - Leftovers is always the best thing about Christmas!
I'd put new towels on my Christmas wish list as some of mine were getting really thin so I was pleased to receive 3 big bath towels and 2 hand towels from various family, now I'm well set up and can have a sort out so that the oldest, thinnest can go off to the RSPCA charity shop in the New Year. They sell the best in the shop and send the rest off to their animal rescue centre.
My other lovely pressies were some flavoured coffees, a stitched bowl cosy that can be used round a bowl in the microwave to make it easier to take it out without getting burned, some sweets and a bird feeder and this year just 1 book.
E for Embroidery etc for the ABC posts in November got me thinking about doing another stitching project so this was the present I bought and passed to BiL Andrew to wrap up to give me for Christmas. (He got himself a new watch and gave me to wrap - makes things so simple!)
Now I'll have something interesting to take to the WI Knit, Stitch and Yarn group - it will make a change from my dishcloth knitting.
Just need a clip frame to mount it on for stitching then I can get going.
The rest of the week I've got lots of TV to catch up on, plenty of library books still to read, a new diary to fill in, the 2022 paperwork to sort and Thank You notes to write. Plus blog posts about 2022's best books and a review of the year to prepare. Then I'm just waiting for the postmen to be working to bring my bank statement so I can do the annual accounts and after that I'll be looking forward to mid January and a visit to Suffolk from the Surrey family.
Back in a day or so
Sue
That is a lovely kit. And 20 x 20cm is an excellent size - not so small as to be completed quickly, nor yet so big as to become a chore to finish. And yes, small children over Christmas can become tiring, however much we love them!
ReplyDeleteSeems to me they get so hyped up and tired at school/preschool nowadays, takes them ages to calm down
DeleteSounds like a busy, cosy Christmas - enjoy your leftovers - like you say, a great part of the festivities.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
I'm glad there was leftover red cabbage casserole - so tasty
DeleteSounds like a pretty good Christmas all round. Family, good food and welcome presents.
ReplyDeleteI really needed the towels so was pleased with those - will last me ages
DeleteLovely stitching kit and look forward to seeing how you progress with it. Leftovers have been much enjoyed in this house too and I’m spending lots of time reading and doing my last year’s christmas jigsaw that never got opened. Catriona
ReplyDeleteIt's been so long since I did any tapestry so I'm looking forward to getting started
DeleteI could not agree more regarding leftovers. They are the best thing about Christmas, whether that's Turkey or nut roast. For me, obviously it's nut roast and today nut roast Wellington is on the menu. Glad you had a couple of good days, but all it must have been so exhausting with three small children getting so excited. You'll be glad to put your feet up and have a bit of a rest now.
ReplyDeleteIt was chicken, nut roast and ham here - will keep me fed for a week
DeleteIt sounds like you had a lovely, if slightly exhausting Christmas. Children 'get passed themselves' so quickly at this time of year don't they getting grumpier and naughtier. They should take a leaf from the grown-ups and try and fall asleep in an armchair ... nah that would never happen!!
ReplyDeleteTime for me to start wrapping some things in pastry I think, that's my favourite way to treat leftovers. A simple Christmas pasty and gravy goes down so well and is easy to do if you have a roll or two of ready rolled pastry in the fridge.
With the girl cousins both being at school now they don't get to meet up so often so they start off having great fun but then get a bit over excited and tetchy. Youngest granddaughter took herself off to my bed to watch something on her childrens ipad for some "time on my own!"
DeleteI'm glad you had a lovely Christmas. I'd forgotten how exhausting it can be spending lots of time with young children until I spent time with my niece and her children in the summer. Can't think how I did it when my children were young lol.
ReplyDeleteI really like the embroidery design. I too got a cross stitch for Christmas. I want to start doing it again as it brought me joy.
They all get a bit silly after some time together - it will be all 5 of them together later in January - even more exhausting, although they are not staying here so I'll get quiet nights
DeleteI totally agree about leftovers. One of the main reasons why I won't consider Christmas Day at a restaurant is that there won't be aby leftovers. That would never do! xx
ReplyDeleteWe did it once and never again for that very reason
DeleteSounds like a nice Christmas and you got great presents! We had lots of fun here and I was exhausted after hosting Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. My oldest son saved the day by clearing the basement so my 4 young grandchildren could play down there. They played with many of the old toys I have saved down there and he and two of my nieces kept them from getting too crazy! It was much quieter upstairs for the adults! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a good plan!
DeleteYour family Christmas gathering sounds lovely. A nice mix of children and adults sounds perfect to me. My gathering was mostly adults. That said, my neighbor's adult daughter with her 2 young daughters stopped by Christmas day. Children add so much to the holiday and their eyes light up with joy as they examined the holiday decor and opened their little gifts. My roast with side dishes and bakery purchased deserts all came together well. (My cooking is iffy at best, this year I lucked out.) Slowly everything is getting back to normal, until the New Year when my 6 neighbors and I gather for a New Year celebration. There is still no snow in Massachusetts and the temperature is now above freezing.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good Christmas and I managed to serve up a roast Christmas dinner for 8 which I'd not done for ages - all on time and edible!
DeleteI'm so happy you had such a happy Christmas. My house looked like a tornado had gone through when two of three boys left on Christmas day, but it was tidied in short order. I nibbled on the last slice of ham for my breakfast this morning. The left overs are gone and the ham bone is percorlating quietly in a crock pot to become split pea soup for later.
ReplyDeleteI still have ham left - it is delicious
DeleteGlad to hear you had such a lovely Christmas with your family, but grandchildren are not for the fainthearted are they?! We just had Danny's girlfriend's little girl here, who is 3, and blimey, she was pretty full on - imagine excitement of kittens (x 2) and presents etc and she got pretty tired, bless her.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your stitching.
I hope my 3 grandchildren all slept well after two days of excitement!
DeleteGlad to hear you had a good Christmas. That embroidery is wonderful. I think mushrooms/toadstools must be very 'in' at the moment as they are popping up everywhere in my feed.
ReplyDeleteI choose the Autumn picture as the range of colours was interesting, I will be able to add it to my Autumn shelf next year
DeleteI'm glad you had a lovely Christmas, it sounds like the children had a good time too and that's what it's all about. Tiring for the adults but satisfying to know it's been magical. I like your embroidery, it's nice to have a portable project that you'll be able to take to your WI group. I do a bit of cross stitch but I've never dabbled in embroidery, I like the different textures you can create with different stitches. I enjoy this time between Christmas and New Year, a nice time to relax but there's time to sort out the year's accounts, catch up on some paperwork and fill in the new diary.
ReplyDeleteI'm no good at normal embroidery - need something to tell me where to stitch!
DeleteGlad you had a lovely Christmas - agree with you about left overs. Far prefer cold Turkey to hot, and dark meat everytime!
ReplyDeleteLike the map header. My village is on that map.
I'd been meaning to change the header for ages but this isn't the Suffolk map I wanted - couldn't find it again - duh
DeleteSo glad your Christmas was just as it should be. Fun, good food and excited children, Perfect!
ReplyDeleteHappy new year to you 🎉
I haven't been online for more than a minute or two for over a week, so belated Christmas greetings and all good wishes for the IN-Between week! I know what you mean about the grandchildren. You adore them -- and they exhaust you, at least they do me!
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