Random Things from Christmas Week

 

Saturday:  A lovely Christmas surprise last night about 9pm.  I'd been looking for a package from Amazon for three days.  Every day I got notice it had been delivered but when I'd track it online it was being delivered to various places in Macon, not in my area at all.  I was so frustrated!

Well, it wasn't until I got back indoors with the package (and by the way Bless those poor delivery companies showing up in the depths of country to homes with NO outdoors lights on because we're simply not used to deliveries or visitors either one at that hour of night), I realized it wasn't my Amazon package at all.

I realized I hadn't ordered the item I'd received but it was the loveliest surprise, one that made me laugh out loud.  I had a lovely fruitcake!   "I'll have fruitcake for my Christmas family day!" I shouted to John from the kitchen.  He failed to share my excitement but I was well pleased.  I've thanked the sender but I shall say "Thank you!" one more time.  It was a beautiful and most welcome gift.

John and I always do a critique of our Christmas Day and what we'd like to have seen go better, or would do differently another year, etc.  Easy enough this time.  We ordered far too much chicken.  Honestly, I'm not sure but what we didn't get extra pieces because I've never seen so much chicken.  We ate (14 out of 15), there were leftovers for supper, more leftovers that got packed up for each household (8 pieces each...that's a whole chicken!) and...deep breath...and, I put chicken in the fridge and the freezer.  To be fair, I did cut the humongous breasts into halves and everyone who ate one said how glad they were that I did.  They were massive...But still...LOTS of chicken.   And it turns out that three out of 6 children don't especially like chicken.  The dogs were happy with their plates full of food scraps...

I made too much potato salad.  I forgot that two adults and at least one child don't eat mayonnaise.  And frankly five pounds of potatoes make a whole LOT of potato salad.  I did set some plain potatoes aside for those who didn't want salad.  

Well theme of the day was definitely Too Much.  I think next year I'll do something that will please the children better.  The grown ups aren't that picky and will eat whatever is put before them.

The surprise hit was my maraschino cookies.  I was so shocked when both Sam and Chad spontaneously said together "Man!  These are good!"  Well go me!  I'm glad I made them.  I was afraid I was the only one who'd eat them.

Sam, Katie and I got slices of fruitcake.  Oh my goodness!  It was so delicious.  And quite nice to have with a cup of coffee.

After lunch we opened presents.  Mayhem ensued.  At one point, Taylor tossed paper from a bag and it landed on Millie's head.  Thankfully Millie has two brothers and took it in her stride.  Again I'm surprised at how happy my grandchildren are with the simple gifts John and I got them.  They were puzzled by the lumps of coal chocolates until I explained the family coal tradition.

You see years ago the boys were walking by the railroad track and picked up a piece of coal.  Whomever the children felt had worried me the most that year, received the lump of coal for a gift from the other three.  That coal passed around for years traveling from Alaska to Seattle to North Dakota and back to Georgia.  I think Amie was the last to receive it.  It fell and broke into pieces and that was the end of the coal gifting which had gone on for quite a long time between them.  

They had Santa beard/mustache pops this year...Just a quick glance might make you think it was a mask on each of the children's faces.

And that was our family Christmas for 2020.

Sunday:  It's fun to see how my children manifest themselves in my grandchildren.   I was talking to Taylor yesterday before everyone else arrived and when she replied to me, I turned to look and make sure I wasn't talking to Katie!  The tone of voice, the dry answer, were so much like her mother's reply that I smile just thinking of how like her Taylor was.

I've noted that Josh and Isaac are more and more resembling their dad...And Millie does this thing with Bess that is so adorable and hilarious at once.  Bess exclaims "The girls are here!" and throws her arm up in the air and Millie immediately grins and dimples all over and throws her arm up, too.  To see the two of them do that is like looking at mirror images.

Hailey sits the way Jd used to sit on the floor, crossing her legs and resting her feet upon her knees.  Both his boys do the same blink and one quick nod when they are in agreement with what is being said to them, which is how Jd has always acknowledged comments with which he agrees.

More critiques of our holiday home and we've decided that since we don't have twin beds in the guest room we'll purchase a third twin sized blow up mattress.   

Daniel took his turn on the pallet bed this visit.  All children were well supplied with heavy quilts so they wouldn't take chill sleeping on the floor.

I woke very late and with a stinking headache.  John, bless his soul, had put out cereal and made toast for the children.  I took coffee and a piece of toast in the kitchen in relative peace.  The children are at the stage now where they all help clear up, which is lovely, too.

We had a nice visit.  The children never touched their tablets at all yesterday evening.  Instead they took their imaginations and put them to work for hours of play which went on and on until bedtime.  Frankly I LOVE when children play, using their own minds to create scenes and circumstances.

Today proved to be damp, since we had rain this morning.   The children did eventually get on their tablets but they didn't stay on them.  Again, they played and enjoyed each other's company.   Josh and Isaac nor Taylor were able to come today as they all had other family obligations.

Jd and his children left about 2pm today.  The house needed only 15 minutes to bring it back to par.  I'm telling you having older grandchildren who do tasks is a huge help.   

I continued with the headache and a bit of ick feeling.  I think I was having a small migraine.  I decided to skip afternoon coffee and drank water all afternoon.  That seems to have done the most towards helping me feel better.

Our supper tonight was breakfast for supper.  It was delicious and easy and just what I wanted after a weekend of richer foods.

Monday:  Not one picture of today's cookie baking with the three children.  They were off the wall, the baby was screaming mad because he'd been put down for a nap, a phone call came in as I was in the middle of things, and it just plain got hectic.  Hectic means Gramma never thinks even once of picking up her phone to take a photo.

It went.  The day flew right by.  The trouble was that every time we'd get Caleb asleep one of the kids or John would suddenly come through a door or speak and he'd go to screaming once more.  After two hours of that and trying to herd those children outdoors, I ended up shaking with nerves.  I was never so relieved as I was when everyone was ready to head home.  Isaac wanted a nap.  Josh was bored.  Taylor had to meet up with her daddy.   I took Caleb out of the bed and let him play all afternoon long.  Little stinker took two steps today and then sat down every time he decided to move after that.  I say anyone who can jump (and he can!) can surely walk...

Tuesday:  John took a CPR class this morning.  That meant I had a few hours alone and I did all I could to make the most of them.  I had the house cleaned and laundry flapping in the sun and fresh breeze before he'd been gone an hour.  I had an uninterrupted Bible study.  I went out to fill the bird feeder.  I drained the apple scrap vinegar and then bottled it to age...It was a good and peaceful morning.

Then I settled down to read mail and had an upsetting phone call that twisted my gut into knots and made my head pound painfully.  Which was followed by my calling another to share information that does affect them but which  might well cause their stomach to churn and panic to rise.  All because of one person intent on getting things done in all the wrong ways possible in order to create as much chaos as possible, sigh.  And not one thing is designed to allow us time to get things accomplished but is being forced into the small space of hours prior to the closing of many offices for the holiday season.  As one said to me, "Why couldn't all this have been put in motion six months ago?"  Indeed....

Thursday:  I didn't sleep last night but don't tell John...I was up until 4:30a.m.  I have no clue why.  It was cool enough and I was tired enough but there I was.  I think it was the aching knees from incoming weather.  Once the rain finally started, I began to have relief and was able to lie down and go to sleep but four short hours later I was awake once again.

Never mind tired today.  I was on a mission to make desserts and prep a little food ahead for our dinner tomorrow.  I have Venison Back Strap that I plan to pan sear and then slow roast.  I'll make Scalloped Potatoes (a recipe Mama used to make with potato and onion slices and mushroom soup between layers),  Brussels Sprouts and I'm have tempted to make more rolls to go with it.  I'm making a chuck roast for Katie as she didn't mention that she felt she mightn't be able to eat the Venison until Wednesday evening and I wasn't going back to the grocery.  

Never mind.  Any leftover chuck roast and all the broth will be translated into soup for Saturday night soup for supper.  It's plenty cold outdoors and soup and cornbread will be perfect.

The big deal for Christmas Day is dessert and for me that means Carrot Cake.  I make my cake from scratch and frost with a special cream cheese frosting.   To me it is the one food that I would feel I'd missed if it wasn't served for Christmas.

Everyone has that one special food memory that they carry into every Christmas with them and for me that is the carrot cake Mama used to make.  The frosting is what makes it so special.  I've shared all about it before and won't go into details again, but it literally makes the cake for me.  So that was mission number one today.  Mission number two was to make a simple dessert that John loves called Cherry Delight.  One of his former work partners used to make it for every EMS Christmas dinner and he just loved it.  Kelly kindly gave me the recipe one year as she neared the end of her EMS career.  

That is not the one food that John would miss though if Christmas passed without it...Nope, his is Stove top Cookies.   That is his big Christmas must have.  

While our family was always biggest on cakes for Christmas and I've shared my memories of all the cakes made each year by each of my Grandmothers, Mama only made Carrot Cake.  Her big Christmas baking push was cookies which she gifted to family members and carried to gatherings.   But Carrot Cake is one of my first food memories related to Mama  I must have been about three or four and I remember her making the cake and how good it tasted.  All these years later, it still tastes just as good to me.

Happily my cakes turned out beautifully today and it's now resting in the fridge overnight.

Friday:  Traditions...Christmas breakfast of Orange Danish (canned) and baby sausages (Lil Smokies).  Carrot Cake for dessert.   A quiet dinner.  A pretty table.

There were just four of us here today, well 5 because I hadn't counted Caleb!  But littlest boy ate a good roast dinner and carrot cake, too, so of course, I must count him.

He was very verbal today.  Mostly he chirrups and squeals and exclaims in his own gibberish way and today he was in full spate.  Usually he's a quiet child but I delight in his being a little bit talkative.

Dinner was delicious.  I made Venison Backstrap and used a rub on the meat, not a dry rub but a paste type rub that had Olive oil in the base.  I read up on various cooking methods and Field and Stream online magazine was the best source overall.  They recommended a dry rub, hot searing and then slow roasting at 325F for about 40 minutes.  I used a roast rub I'd used in the past and knew tasted delicious, but followed their methods and found the back strap to be as tender and flavorful and not gamey as I'd hoped.   

I used Tracey's trick of deglazing my pan with 'mock wine', grape juice with a dash of vinegar.  I reduced that and then added in mushrooms and poured in over my backstraps.  This made a delicious sauce.  

Katie forgot the Brussels Sprouts but I'd opened a can of green beans for Caleb and we just opened a second can and let that be our second vegetable.

Caleb did not eat venison, he had the softer chuck roast with his potatoes and beans.  I had cooked a chuck roast for Katie who was unsure if she could stomach the venison. She tasted it as I sliced it and was quite pleased with it.

Yesterday I mixed my soft bread in the bread machine but only to the risen dough stage.  I made a small loaf for Shabat and made up the other half of dough into rolls.  They were so delicious, but too few for dinner today, so  I mixed up another batch of dough and made them into a dozen rolls.   They were just as good and soft.   Chad absolutely loved them.  I happily sent home the rest with him.

I wanted a pretty table but after doing too many dishes yesterday both by hand and by dishwasher (2 loads!  I NEVER do 2 loads!), I was not keen to spend my afternoon handwashing china.  I used the dishes I bought at the first of this year and the Bavarian Crystal tumblers I found in the antique mall last January.   

I went outdoors to cut cedar and pine.  I had a white cloth and napkins.  I think it turned out lovely.

I told John this evening, I hate our fake garland that I used this year on the mantel.  I just never have been happy with it, fluffed or not.   I am going to make my own fresh garlands next year and maybe wreaths too, using our homegrown greenery.  Yes, it will mean waiting a little longer to decorate perhaps but well worth the wait.

It was cold, today.   Given that we've had Christmas Days that were in the mid 80's, I was more than happy to have a chilly day.  It feels more seasonal when the AC doesn't have to come on, lol.   

Tomorrow I'll walk over to see what the little boys got for Christmas.  We had Shabat coming right up tonight after Katie left so no time to run over before dark today.  

All in all, it was a lovely day and a nice week.