Christmas 2013

 

I found this old time Christmas Postcard and it was of the Rows in Chester so thought I would open with it today.   Merry Christmas from Chester!  Oh, but we had a lovely day yesterday.  It was a quiet day in a lot of respects, as there was just the two of us here all day, but it was a really nice day.  We called Todd's brother and spoke to them for a bit first thing in the day and have made plans to go down and visit them in Essex in the new year at some point.   We've not been to see them since we moved back here to Chester in 2009.



Even though there was only the two of us here for dinner yesterday I still did the table up to the nines.   A special occasion is a special occasion after all!  It looked very festive.



I had done mos of my vegetable prep on Christmas Eve, so basically all I had to do was roast the turkey and then heat things up and then do just a few last minute things that you really can't do the night before . . .



Dinner was really good.  Before we sat down to eat anything, I did up a couple of plates and Todd drove dinner over to Doreen and Billy.  Doreen is a bit unsteady on her pins these days and it's too much to ask her to get out and about on Christmas Day so these past two years we have taken dinner to her.

It was nice having our dinner together, just the two of us.  I do so love my husband.

Today things will be a bit busier as we have the three Missionary Elders coming.  Todd will be going to pick them up at 1 PM.  There are two from Tahiti and one from Chili.   One of them from Tahiti doesn't speak very much English yet, so it should be interesting!



So what do you think of my little sock monkey?  Is he not the cutest little sock monkey you have ever seen???   A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E  That's how you spell Cameron, lol.   It was so nice of my daughter to take this picture of him wearing the sock monkey hat I made for him.   He looks so sweet in it.

I got to do Facetime with my oldest son and his family, watching the boys open up some of their gifts in their matching pajamas, which was nice.   This is the second year he has done that for me and I loved every second of it.   Then my second oldest son facetimed us and I got to see all of his boys as well!  This was a lovely suprise for me and I loved every second of that also!  So I got to see all of my grandsons on Christmas day.   I didn't get to see Maryn though . . . but I saw a nice photo of her on Christmas Eve!



That's her and Cameron in their matching pajamas.   I think they are so cute.

 

I can't forget Baxter!  It was his first Christmas as well.   So cute.



This is my brother and their dog Betty!  My brother and his family facetimed us as well, which was really nice.  We got the tour of their house (it's huge), and it was so nice to see the girls and speak to them and see all the snow!  Apparently Betty got a new pair of boots this year, balloon boots.   She is not fond of them I hear.   It was lovely to have a nice chat face to face with my dear brother.  We need to do it more often!  I love him very much.  I don't know what I would have done without him there with me last Spring in Nova Scotia when my mother had her cancer operation.  It was the worst of times in a lot of respects, but it was also the best of times in others.  We shared something very special and I will always cherish the closeness and feeling of togetherness we shared.

 

This is Pumpkin my mother's cat enjoying Christmas!  She had a great time this year with her other cat buddies (my sister's two cats Link and Gary).  My mom called yesterday as well and it was so nice to talk to her and Cindy.   Dan usually keeps a pretty low profile.  Mom sounded so happy and that was lovely.   She has had far too many Christmas's on her own and the best gift of all to me was in knowing she was not alone any more and I could hear the joy in her voice.  Her life has an added purpose now.  Having Cindy and Dan more there to be with her has added a beautiful dimension to her life and I know it has added years as well, which is a really special gift.    God willing Dad will be there in the Spring and his life will be fuller also.  I do wish I could do more to help with that.   My sister got a webcam and microphone for Christmas for her computer so I am looking foward to some Skype visitis in future with her and mom!



Christmas feet.   I think Bruce's are the ones in the middle with the very masculine looking dogs on the jim jams.  I did not get to speak to him yesterday but he left me Merry Christmas greetings on facebook. He and Sara went to NB to her family for Christmas and it looks and sounds as if they are having a fab time!



Love of family is at the heart of Christmas, and I felt very blessed this year to have touched in some way each one of ours in whichever way that we could.  To me, that was the greatest gift of all and last night as Todd, Mitzie and I snuggled on the couch watching the Call the Midwives Christmas special program I was very, very content.  Life may not always turn out the way we expect it to.  It is full of twists and turns and ups and downs . . . and love and blessings in abundance if we have the eyes and hearts to see them.

Life is good . . . very, very good.  

“Christmas, my child, is love in action.
Every time we love, every time we give,
it's Christmas.” 
~ Dale Evans Rogers



Cooking in The English Kitchen today . . . Cranberry and Corn Toaster Cakes.  Delish!

Happy Boxing day!