Hosting Christmas at my house must have used up an energy cache that I didn't know I had, because I've been super sleepy ever since. Last night, I put myself to bed at 8:30, shut off the light at 9:00 and was apparently dead to the world around 9:30 when my husband came to bed. He said he tried to wake me up to make me roll over, but had to resort to sleeping around me when this failed. I remember nothing. And now, I'm contemplating a nap. So, I'll try to stay awake long enough to type this post. If I just drop off inexplicably, you'll know why.
I've been told more than once what a nice time Brian's side of the family had at Christmas, so I think I'm safe in saying that a good time was had by all. (Oh! Don't worry, we got more chairs later!)
We had so much food that we had to bring down a second table to set it all on. I've been eating leftovers for like, 6 days now. I like ham, don't get me wrong, but I think I would be ok if I never saw a ham again until next Christmas. I think I've eaten my weight in ham. I know you all don't know how much I weigh, but suffice it to say, that's a LOT of ham!
Everyone really seemed to enjoy their gifts. I sort of forgot to take pictures of what I made or procured for everyone, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it was all very cool. Izzy really liked her gift from Brian and I. She didn't believe us that the crayon rocks were crayons and so she stopped opening gifts so she could try them out. It was pretty funny!
Brian's brother and his fiance got Isabelle this hilarious Horton Hears A Who game and we proceeded to make everyone put on the hat and take pictures. It's a really cute game and good for young kids. You use your Horton hat to pick up clovers. After a while, Izzy sustained a Horton-related injury and had to finish playing by just holding the trunk in her hand, but she never seemed very phased by it.
Brian and I received lots of very nice gifts. This stack of books and movies have already been flipped through and watched. I was so proud of myself for actually being able to keep Brian's gifts a secret from him. I got him the "Storytellers" DVDs and the "Spaced" DVDs as well as a t-shirt that he had been wanting. We received many cookbooks, as well as cooking implements. I think it's clear that everyone wants us to continue having Christmas at our house and that cookies should definitely be on the menu!
Vanessa sent me this killer doll house. I won it on a giveaway on her blog and I was thrilled to have it in time for Christmas. Brian is thinking about copying the pattern and making a few. I know that both of Izzy's grandma's would love to have one just like it!
I purchased myself this mini deer plaque from Nice's shop, as I had been eying it for quite some time. It looks so dainty and cute hanging in my bedroom. I also got a walking foot for my sewing machine, which I can't wait to use! I have a few blocks to catch up on for the Busy Little Quilting Bee, so that will be the perfect opportunity!
But the best gift of all, made possible by three sets of grandparents, my parents and my lovely husband, and purchased after days of research, is my new-to-me Nikon d70 digital SLR camera. I love it. SOMUCH! We purchased it used from Adorama.com and you can hardly tell that anyone but me has even touched it. I highly recommend them for all your photography needs. They sell new, used and refurbished, all at very competitive prices. They packed the camera very well to ship and were fast and easy to work with. Also, if you need a good site for camera reseach, I recommend kenrockwell.com. He is a professional photographer and tells you exactly what he thinks about all the items he reviews. He's super knowledgeable and since he isn't sponsored by anyone in particular, his reviews are truthful.
Cleo was the only one who didn't have any fun. She's not a fan of people in general, but specifically, she dislikes cute little girls who like to follow her around in an attempt to see if Aunt Sarah was just lying about the cat disliking people in general. So, she spent much of the day either under the bed, behind the couch, or in plain sight, but curled into as small of a ball as possible. Once everyone left, she shoved herself between Brian and I and purred and slept, as though the gift of an empty house was the best gift of all! I'm pretty sure that's just because she didn't notice my camera... but I could be wrong.
Sounds like a good time.
We just finished watching Spaced, I think I may have peed just a little there, just mentioning it. I laughed the WHOLE time.
Posted by: Sara | January 09, 2009 at 08:09 AM