Merry Christmas

Most of you are enjoying your Christmas mornings right now. Here everyone is asleep but me. Erin is on the bus back to Vancouver. Which is why everyone is still sleeping. Santa did not come last night. He very kindly came the night before so as to accommodate Erin's having to work on Boxing Day. The 23rd was Christmas Eve for us. I have no pictures to show you as I decided to just be there rather than photograph it. I really realized that in Mexico - that sometimes when you are the photographer, you miss some of the joy of just being there.

It was a wonderful Christmas, though. We learned well from the lessons of last year. We had our planning meeting in September and drew names for Santa gifts and divided up stocking duty and Christmas dinner chores. Although dinner was 3 hours late (hehe) it was also a wonder of engineered cooperation. We ate one of our own chickens - the biggest one at 7 lbs. And wow, he was huge! Even his wings were meaty. He was also delicious. I think my stuffing might have left something to be desired, though as my father-in-law declared that next time he was going to make the stuffing...hehe... fine with me!

It was clear that everyone has been a bit concerned about Erin living all by herself in Vancouver in her wee apartment. She got spoiled with gifts for her place. This here is my miracle of mother's love. I made her a wool duvet from the wool of our own sheep when she went away to Montreal. In less than a month, she had washed it and shrunk it. Sent it back in that complete faith that children have that their mothers can fix anything... So for Christmas, I soaked it in cold water for 24 hours and then I pulled and yanked and pulled and pulled and pulled and actually got it back to its original size.... but it didn't look so great. So I stitched it inside of two layers of new batting and then put the whole thing inside a new envelope and tied it. Then I made this funky duvet cover. And she loved it. (whew!) It was my great Christmas masterpiece. I also made Dean some felted slippers that he has been complaining about not having for months and I made Kaetlyn some organic hand cream which I love so much, I've got to make some for myself. It is a recipe from "Organic At Home" - the latest book on my wish list. Rhiannon and Drew got store bought gifts - a groovy girl and bike stuff respectively. It was all good.

Kaetlyn, Drew and Rhiannon were a great help. We spent our Christmas Eve Day cleaning our house from top to bottom. And it is wonderfully clean still right now (except for the homeschooling/sewing/disaster room - don't go in there!) And we baked and baked and baked till tins were over flowing with shortbread, peanut brittle, butter tarts and cookies. And Drew and Rhiannon even found sometime to play outside together in the gorgeous snow that was falling. We spent our Christmas Eve decorating gingerbread and sugar cookies, eating snacks of artichoke dip, quesadillas, red pepper jelly, pickles and goodies, (all made by us, of course, which made them all the more delicious - especially the pickles!) and watching "A Christmas Carol". Rhiannon did an impromptu concert and we all fell into bed.

Our Christmas Day was very nice, too. No one was awake before 8am (a record for us!). And we had such a wonderful, relaxed time full of fun together. Blueberry waffles, candy, oranges and our own chicken! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, too!