Take a step into my time machine

cause we're going back to 2007. I can't not post about our family's little Christmas celebration. We were able to spend the Christmas Eve evening with my in-laws. DJ and I both had to work so we didn't get over there until after 5pm but we got in a good 6 hours with the fam. My BIL & SIL came in from CA for a couple of days. Bless their hearts they drove 17 hours to get there too.
Here is my BIL (who isn't the always fond of the camera being around so I snuck a few while he wasn't looking)
And here is my beautiful SIL (seriously isn't she gorgeous? And she is truly as sweet as she looks, no lie).We ate the most yummy Indian food on the planet. I just marinated myself right into the curry and nann and found my little piece of bliss. Oh food, oh joy. We were introduced to this lovely dessert when we attended the dinner after our friend Vijay's baptism and I have been dreaming of it since. It's made with carrots that get cooked and cooked with yummy additions until it's almost the consistency of sweet potatoes. So it was the first thing I looked for when I was getting dinner together with the SIL. Oh my heavens I love it so much. I happily took the leftovers home after our Christmas Eve feast.
We got spoiled this year for sure. The boys got golf goodies and DJ got a honest to goodness buck knife. And Jeannie and I got heated socks for those cold nights and ear rings and gift cards galore. DJ and I decided to combine all of our Khols cards together and get this lovely box of goodies, and boy howdy are we as happy as pigs in a huge mud hole. Thanks family!

Then we got up on Christmas morn and got to do something we've never done before...have Christmas morning alone together in our own home. It was so wonderful to share that time together. I got up to find my darling hubby making my favorite breakfast in the world; corned beef hash and eggs, yummy. We enjoyed breakfast and then opened up gifts together, which was a huge treat after 4 years of no gifts due to poorness (we're still poor but the recent change in jobs resulted in some un-used vacation pay that I was able to collect on so we splurged on some presents). Here's some of the funntivities of the gift giving in the house.
DJ's loot.
He got a tie rack (I was almost as excited as him since the ties have taken over mu closet door prior to this little beauty).
And a how to play guitar book complete with new strings for his guitar.

Which he promptly strung...and broke.....


My loot.
Scrappy stuff.........ohhhhh buttons...........


And stickles...................be still my heart look at all of the sparklieness and joy. Seriously how can you not smile when looking at stickles?

And tons of other scrappy goodness. I was just elated to get my paws on all this fun stuff. I also got shelves for my scrappy room. Oh supplies and organization - what wonderful gifts!


We cleaned up and went over to my parents house for some gift giving and then a wonderful dinner. Look at her beautiful tree!
A happy Christmas Dad!

He surprised my mom with brand new knives, the first set in 12 years! He employs the best elf around I tell you, always hooking him up with suggestions that earn him the big ticket points.

The grandparents came over and we had a feast of lasagna and Cesar salad. We hung out and watched a movie with them and then mossed back to our place so we could go to work in the morning. It was a wonderful holiday for sure, though not long enough at all. I really miss getting to hang as a family. My parents both work nights and my dad works weekends. The BIL & SIL live in CA and both have demanding work schedules. The J man's rents are local but my FIL works nights too and my MIL - well I love her but she and I are best mixed in small portions without the buffer of others around. Well I know it's late but I hope you all had wonderful Holidays and were able to enjoy the families and friends in your life.
Next post you'll get to see what happens when friends let friends play with a Wii!