Christmas

I forgot I was working my way backward to let you know what I had been up to during all the time I didn't post.

So, I'm at Christmas.  I think I skipped New Years, but I'll come back to that.  We had my parents up the weekend before Christmas and had a nice dinner (noontime meal, remember?).  I say it was nice, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it was now.  Chili maybe? 

Anyhoo, they stayed for a while and we ate and opened gifts.  My dad made me the neatest set of coasters.  I had seen a set and sent him a picture and specifically asked for them for Christmas.  They look something like this: 

 

I love them.  The best presents are the ones that people make.  It really is true.  He also made me an ulu with a cutting block. 

 

Speaking of handmade, last year my Father-in-Law made me some candle sticks that I had been coveting for some time.  They were for sale at Ingebretson's, one of my favorite stores but they cost more than I wanted to pay.  I showed them to him and he made the blank candle holders and I had to paint them.  Can I just tell you, it took me forever to get that done.  First, I was out of the Christmas spirit and couldn't get myself to do it.  Then, all I could do was paint them red.  Finally, in November of 2012, I started painting the designs.  I painted, sanded it all off, painted, sanded it all of, painted, and so on.  One day I was looking at some Dala horses and found a simple design that I liked and it all fell in to place.  Here is the finished product:

 

 

There are two of them.  I just took a picture of one to send to my Mom.

 

For actual Christmas, we went to my In-Laws.  The Girl and The Boyfriend had driven to ND to surprise The Boy and they made it back to town on Christmas Eve.  They drove straight through both ways and only spent about a day there.  He was happy though and I was happy that he got to be with some family at Christmas time.  There is a nice family there who have taken him under their wing and had him over for Christmas with their family, so I didn't have visions of him sitting in a crappy mobile home all by himself.

 

We had a great time.  I actually lost 3 pounds while I was there because every time I wanted to eat some delicious snack, I ate a carrot.  Man, I hate carrots.

 

I don't remember all the gifts.  There were many.  I loved having The Girl's Boyfriend there with us.  He really makes me laugh and he's such a good guy.

 

Next year we'll be with my family again.  I miss seeing the little kids.  I guess Woodrow and Pershing and 13 and almost 9 now, but they are the littlest kids in the family.