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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Our Christmas Eve Eating Marathon!!!


Today is Christmas eve, and I feel like a  little kid. I love this time with my family. I can’t wait to see their faces when they open there gifts. I just love giving gifts.  

I think if my kids had to choose between a gift, or their sock and ornament they would choose their sock and ornament.  Even when they were grown young men they would wake up in the middle of the night, and dump out their sock, and go back to bed until Christmas morning!! Oh such sweet memories.



I am just like the rest of you, and I have been cooking for two days to get things done. I thought I would share with you what we will be munching on throughout the day.

We are going to have:

Antipasti tray:





Veggie platter and Dip:
 


Fruit platter:


Pulled Bread:



Hot artichoke dip with a variety of crackers and sourdough bread:

The one pictured has spinach in it, but I use Paula Deens recipe.
The picture was too small so I used the above image!!

Just click on the link below  if  you would like to see her recipe. I highly recommend it and so does my family. I usually make a double recipe and they still ask for more.



Baked Brie:






Garlic Shrimp


We will hang out and relax, eat, visit, watch TV, eat, play games, eat, do a  Christmas puzzle and eat!!

Then we will have a late dinner of comfort food:

Baked ham




Ina Garten’s Mac and Cheese

Sorry for the small picture, but I wanted you to have the link for the recipe. Another family favorite!!




Balsamic Roasted Green beans with cremini mushrooms:


For dessert Mima’s apple pie!! Definitely a family favorite!!

So there you have it!! We will be pigging out , as the saying goes and enjoying every minute of it!!
I am wishing you all a wonderful Christmas Eve full of family and friends and lots of good food!!

Merry Christmas!
♥ Kathysue♥

Friday, December 23, 2011

And Then there were NO Lights!….


I thought maybe I had slept through Christmas, and it was all over, the lights were off and the gifts were no longer under the tree!!

Actually, what happened was………



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It was like every other morning. The very first thing I do is open blinds, turn on the Christmas music, and then click on the tree lights.  We have one of those cords with the buttons you just step on, and the tree lights magically come on.



I stepped on it the lights flickered, I heard a psssp, crackle and a pop like a light bulb burst, then I smelled it, Oh my!!



After my hubby took all the gifts out from under the tree he discovered a fuse in the cord had burned up. It did its job by turning all lights off, but it also left a burned spot on my hardwood floor the size of a salad plate.

He proceeded to clean it off and as far as we can tell at this point it is just a little darkened. Whew!!!



Lessoned learned: We could not have prevented the fuse from going out, but it really made me realize why they always have the warning about not leaving tree unattended. There  have been many times that we leave them on when we leave, just so the house looks and feels happy when we return. I won’t be doing that anymore.



The lights are fixed and all is well with my Christmas world!! We are back on track!!



I will be busy cooking and dicing and chopping for tomorrows appetizers and dinner today. So I had better get going!!



Before I go I just wanted to share with you the dining room table make-over…….



We needed to add leaves in the table for Christmas Eve dinner so I used the same centerpiece, but it is reconfigured and has a new backdrop……..

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 I loved using all white, but I must admit I think I actually like the black better. You know me and my black and white!!

I need to get off the computer and start my falalaing!!!

Kathysue is thoroughly,

Enjoying the Process
 and
I hope you all are too!!!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

My Merry Christmas To All Of YOU!



It is almost here only three more days! When you really think about it, it is actually two more days until Christmas eve!! 

So much anticipation, and expectations evolve around this wonderful time of year. In fact so many, that we sometimes forget why we are celebrating.

I am very blessed to be able to spend time with my family all year long, but during the Holidays there is so much emphasis on on being together. Sometimes is not always possible for us all to be together.

I know there are many that won’t have there families around for the Holidays. I think it helps to not lose sight of what we are celebrating. The birth of Jesus Christ, and the precious gift of LOVE that God gave us on this very special day.

So whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or just the Holidays in general I think we all  have one thing in common, the celebration of LOVE of family and friends.

I thought I would show you where my family will be celebrating our time together on Christmas eve.

My 2011 Christmas Family Room

Before we take a look I need you to use your imagination.  Hear the soft Christmas music in the background? Smell the ham cooking, and the sweet smell of cookies, cider and hot chocolate? Okay! Now we are ready………




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This is the place where we all hang out, watch TV, take naps on the sofa and just visit. It is a very cozy room for my family. Would you believe that mantel is 17 ft. long?! Whew! I am reminded of its length every time I decorate it!


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See the green chair in the corner? This is everyone’s favorite place to cozy in. It is the type of chair that you start out sitting UP,  then you slowly find yourself descending downward into a comfortable almost reclining position!!


Also notice the little drummer boy pillow? I had to get him. Here is a close-up of his little profile….




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I love silhouettes, but the main reason I purchased him is that his little profile looks almost identical to my middle son’s profile when he was a little boy. It had to be in my home this Christmas!!
Our tree is full of sweet memories…….


My youngest son’s very first pair of glasses. A sweet satin ball with his picture placed front and center adorned with beads and sequins that were placed by his little hands.
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My youngest son’s first pair of shoes,  first ornament(dated 1977), and  his very first pair of glasses. 

My oldest son’s soccer buttons, and an ornament that was made out of a juice can top with red painted macaroni and glitter. It is crumbling, but it is still placed proudly on my tree.



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A family picture of years gone by.



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A sterling soldier that was my oldest son’s. When I gave him and his new wife his box of ornaments for their first tree, he handed the soldier back to me, and said, “ No, Mama this one belongs on the family tree!”

Yes, I cried because this was always his favorite ornament while he was growing up. The sweet face in the silver snow flake is his daughter. Believe me she is sweet beyond words.

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In the far right is a picture of her Mommy and Daddy giving me the thumbs up for the gift I gave them that year.


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A Styrofoam sequin gilded ornament made by my middle son. The other side shows a fish representing the symbol for Christianity. He knew even as a little boy how important Christ was in our home. 

There are pictures of him his very first year of Little League, a soccer button, and the little cherub with the kissable cheeks his youngest son. I think God gave him such kissable cheeks because he is a total love-bug, he gives the best hugs! The beautiful couple is his Mommy and Daddy!




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My middle son gets rocking horses for his ornaments so I have this one on the tree representing his ornament. The cutie in the star is his oldest, and he is definitely a star in his Grammy’s heart……





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Packages under the tree just waiting to be opened!



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The packages will have been opened,
our tummies will be satisfied and our
hearts will be full.


I am wishing your :
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Merry Christmas To YOU and yours!

Kathysue