Happy Thursday! (Dec 26)

[jennybee1018]

Anyone around? Happy Boxing Day to anyone who celebrates it!

How was your Xmas?

QOTD: Favorite xmas gift? Favorite gift that you gave?

[mrsukyankee]

Hi. It's my birthday! So my DH is cooking dinner for me and my in-laws tonight. Christmas was lovely (with a bit too much alcohol) as we celebrated with another couple who I know from work.

QOTD: we abstained from gift giving this year with family and each other...we did give stockings, so my fav stocking gift was a pair of touch-screen gloves.

[jennybee1018]

Happy Birthday UK!!! :-) Hope it's a great day!

Xmas was nice! DH and I didn't do any major gifts this year (just got back from an Xmas cruise), but we opened what we did have, and some things his parents sent us, and then headed to brunch with friends. It was a great day.

I'm back at work today! It's nice and quiet and we plan to go to lunch every day next week while we can!

QOTD: It's not yet purchased but I'll be buying myself a KA mixer finally. Well it's coming from DH but I need to go pick out the color I want.

My mom really wanted a wind chime to remind her of my grandmother (her mom who passed away last October) so I ordered it. I know it's very meaningful for her.

[irish]

Happy birthday mrsukyankee!

Chilling out today. Had Christmas cake for breakfast (choc biscuit version!) Will probably call in to my parents shortly - we are out with my brother etc at the moment (well, I'm feeding dd2 in their car while they have fun)

It was a nice day yesterday and both kids were in bed by 9 and the earlier one this morning was dd1 at 8.40... Sweet!

QOTD: dd1 is loving the dr set Santa gave her so I'm glad I went off list on that one... And dh loves his DVDs (breaking bad x2 and House of Cards).
I live the gift voucher for a cookery school that dh gave me. After me suggesting it when he offered a composting bin as a gift.... I'm going to do a bread making course - always wanted to do one AND it's a day off!!

[dorothyinAus]

Happy Birthday mrsukyankee!  It's my Dad's birthday as well.  I was up early on my 26th to call him.  He told me his long-time best friend gave him a snow shovel -- not much use in NOLA, but a funny gift after last year's unexpected 17-inch snowfall in Arkansas trapped us in the house for 2 days with only a 50's tv tray and a WWII Entrenching tool to dig our cars out.  Since they are moving to Arkansas, it was a suitable funny gift as well.

Not much is happening around here.  Christmas was good.  We had a relaxing day and then a nice meal with my in-laws.  I didn't really miss my family until I called them for Dad's birthday -- sometimes calling them helps the homesickness, sometimes it only makes it worse.

For the rest of the week, we are planning to begin the Great Hunt for Black-Eyed Peas for New Year's Day dinner (no, helpful supermarket person, snow peas are not the same thing!) so that may take a few days.

QOTD:  My favorite gift was Operation -- the game.  DH knew it was the tone thing I had wanted since I was a little kid and never got (my mother outlawed battery-operated toys so I was never allowed to have it).  I know it's silly, but it was the perfect gift for me.  My favorite to give were the stockings I made for my in-laws.  There again, silly, but I spent so much time on them, I was very pleased they were well-received.

[Deleted]

Happy Birthday mrsukyankee!

My sister is here and we went for a short run together this morning. Really fun but made me a bit sad that she lives so far away.

Christmas dinner was great thanks to Marks and Spencers. I'll outsource a few more sides next year after the ease and success of my trial this year. I roasted the turkey, made mashed potatoes, steamed brussle sprouts and premade a cauliflower and broccoli gratin. Then I heated up M&S "fresh" turkey gravy, red cabbage/apple/cranberry and stuffing and sausages. Fantastic and so easy.

QOTD: DH did not stick to the agreed upon spend limits and spoiled me. Again. I will have a more serious talk with him later but I am a bit pissed - is that really ungrateful of me? I got some really nice things but the one I am most excited about is my FitBit. A digital of pedometer but it also tracks your sleep. I need some reminders to walk a bit more and take the stairs when I can - writing is a sedentary occupation!

[blushing]

Dec 26, 2013 17:12:11 GMT -5 @bandwife said:

Christmas dinner was great thanks to Marks and Spencers. I'll outsource a few more sides next year after the ease and success of my trial this year. I roasted the turkey, made mashed potatoes, steamed brussle sprouts and premade a cauliflower and broccoli gratin. Then I heated up M&S "fresh" turkey gravy, red cabbage/apple/cranberry and stuffing and sausages. Fantastic and so easy.

 Snap! I made our lamb and potatoes and then got our veg from M&S. We also had the red cabbage, lol. It made life so easy and the dishes were minimal. I will be doing that again.

QOTD: I got a pair of leather gloves that I love. I had asked for driving gloves because the steering wheel is so cold in the morning when I take DS to school. My favourite gift that I gave was to DH. I gave him a Star Wars light saber. Its really cool. It lights up red and blue, your choice and makes sound effects. DS got one for his birthday on Friday so they have been having light saber flights. It looks really cool in the dark.

[jennybee1018]

Dec 26, 2013 17:12:11 GMT -5 @bandwife said:

Happy Birthday mrsukyankee!

My sister is here and we went for a short run together this morning. Really fun but made me a bit sad that she lives so far away.

Christmas dinner was great thanks to Marks and Spencers. I'll outsource a few more sides next year after the ease and success of my trial this year. I roasted the turkey, made mashed potatoes, steamed brussle sprouts and premade a cauliflower and broccoli gratin. Then I heated up M&S "fresh" turkey gravy, red cabbage/apple/cranberry and stuffing and sausages. Fantastic and so easy.

QOTD: DH did not stick to the agreed upon spend limits and spoiled me. Again. I will have a more serious talk with him later but I am a bit pissed - is that really ungrateful of me? I got some really nice things but the one I am most excited about is my FitBit. A digital of pedometer but it also tracks your sleep. I need some reminders to walk a bit more and take the stairs when I can - writing is a sedentary occupation!

I love the FitBit! I accidentally washed my first one, and lost the second one luckily my mom is sending me the Fitbit Force (wristband) for Xmas. I can't wait to get it!

[crimsonandclover]

Hi! Christmas was alright. DD1 was so excited that she didn't nap on the 24th or the 25th, which made Christmas Eve (actually in the afternoon) service a joy. She also figured out on the 24th how to climb out of her crib. I'm sure she has been capable of it for quite some time, so it was only a matter of time before she figured out she could.
On the one hand I find Christmas with little kids brings back some of the magic, on the other hand it's more stressful, as well.

QOTD: DH surprised me with some DVDs that weren't on my list. One is Season One of House of Cards. I've never seen it but he says he thinks I'll like it based on the description. Anyone watch it? I have to admit I'm a little skeptical because even though my field is political science, I don't necessarily like watching movies or shows that are highly political. We'll see.
My favorite present otherwise was pretty boring - an amazon giftcard to get books for my Kindle. I'm so excited to read some more books from one of my favorite authors

The favorite gift I gave... I also surprised DH with DVDs that weren't on his list. He's a huge Die Hard fan, so I got a 5-DVD pack of the movies and gave it to him "from the girls."

[Deleted]

crimsonandclover we watched House of Cards on Netflix and really enjoyed it.

Totally agree on the kids making the holidays more enjoyable but also more work/stress. DD1 was a bit of a mess on the 24th and 25th. Tearful and overly excited. We opened a gift on Christmas Eve and it was slippers, not the Diesel train he had been asking for, and he got very upset.

[loira]

Happy belated Boxing Day! Sometimes I think I enjoy Boxing Day even more than Christmas day, since there's no work involved and I can just lounge around eating leftovers and enjoying my gifts.

QOTD: I am loving the neckie (snood? big round scarf thingy?) my parents sent me from Canada. It is so soft and warm. It's going to be great for the office since I am always cold at work. Fave gift I gave was H's present this year. I spent more than I intended to, and got him a really nice leather bag from Fossil. He seems to be enjoying it so far, which is rare, as he's one of those annoying people who doesn't immediately get excited about his gifts - it usually takes him a while of using them before he starts saying how much he appreciates them.