Wonderful Christmas Eve

We had an extra special Christmas Eve this year. Everything was just about perfect with the exception that Stephanie and Dameon were in Amarillo and unable to join us.
We all gathered at Jackie and Cody's house, then on to their church for Christmas Eve services.
Then we were on our way to our favorite Turkish restaurant for too much delicious food. After that we all went back to Jackie's for the opening of the presents. Funniest moment, Bret thought he had gotten a Swiss Army knife only to find out it was chocolate! Most special moment was me opening a jewelry gift from John. He sure has good taste!
No weather worries this year, so Lizzie and Lane stayed awhile and John and I spent the night. Up the next morning for breakfast burritos and pumpkin pie. John and I went on home while Jackie and Cody packed up to go to his parents.
We had a quiet day and then Lizzie and Lane came over for dinner. It really was a special Christmas.

Christmas is coming

I've sent of Stephanie's package to Amarillo.... now need to start all the other wrapping necessary for the 3 daughters here and their husbands... I'm not a person who is big into wrapping...

Daygown is done (hand stitching), started on new project. Machine stitching will be done tomorrow.

Funny!

One of the blogs I follow, http://southernhospitalityblog.com/, has a funny entry this week. She has also decided that the big tree is just not the thing this year and bought a 3 foot tree that she put up on a table... didn't know I was a trend setter!

I have to learn there's only so much space!

Cleaning up the pantry today. It's not so much that I have things to throw away, although Stephanie and Lizzie would disagree with that, but that I can't find anything. I've just pulled out all my King Arthur Flour mixes and I have too many. I look at the different kinds of flours and grains and I have too many. John loves nuts and chips and he has way too many. I love spices and herbs and I have way too many. There is only so much room in my medium size pantry and I need to learn that.

Now, I just have to put everything back in...

Christmas Decorating

No pictures, but by the end of this post, you will understand...

I have a good friend who DECORATES for Christmas. I mean she takes her whole house and re-decorates the whole thing... it's full of bling, a very Southern thing. I'm serious, her house is beautiful, it could be in any magazine and I love going over there.

I'm not that type and I don't think I will ever be. This year, I really just don't feel like doing the whole "Christmas" thing. I have a few Mark Roberts Fairies (3), a centerpiece on the breakfast room table, a few decorations here and there. John always get stressed by Christmas decorating and because we weren't home the day after Thanksgiving, it just seems to be too much work for 3 short weeks. Yesterday John and Stephanie were starting to put up the 7 foot Christmas tree and I said NO! I don't want the work, I don't want the stress.

We ended up buying a pre-decorated 4 foot tree that I added my two small fairies to and it's perfect for my mood this year. No big deal, but pretty. I don't need to add anything, including pictures.

I really am stitching!

I was able to get a lot done on a pink daygown from Jeannie Baumeister while I was in Cambria. The picture is proof that I was really stitching!

We're home

After a wonderful visit with my family in Cambria, California, we headed back to Monterey the day after Thanksgiving. We were mere blocks from the Naval Postgraduate School's historic hotel where we had a reservation when the phone rang. It was NPS stating that there was a water main break and we couldn't stay there. We ended up at the Army Lodge at the Presidio of Monterey. Decent room but not as nice as the Navy.

The next morning we got up and had a wonderful breakfast in Monterey. We drove on up to San Jose and got to the airport very early. We checked in and settled in for a wait.

Our flight from San Jose to Phoenix was uneventful. We got to the gate in Phoenix, much busier airport than in San Jose, in plenty of time. US Airways began boarding. We were in Zone 3. All of a sudden, the jetway door closed and no one was allowed to get on the plane. They had already boarded first class and people traveling with small children. Finally they announced that there were "crew issues" and they hoped to have them resolved soon. John went to the counter after awhile and was told that the First Officer wouldn't fly with the Captain. We then saw the Captain storm off and a new one showed up. Boarding resumed and we took off.

About a half hour into the flight, the Flight Attendant announced that there was a medical emergency in First Class and if there was a doctor, nurse or EMT on the flight to please come to First Class. A nurse and a doctor showed up. The nurse went back to her seat and the doctor walked up and down the aisle with his stethescope. I guess they decided that the poor woman wasn't too sick to make it to DFW so the flight continued. We were held up while the EMTs at DFW took her off the plane on a stretcher, but that was fine. We were home.

While trying to unpack my suitcase at 1 am, I discovered that the nice people at TSA had searched my suitcase... a perfect ending to a day of drama!