Tuesday, December 26, 2017

T Stands for Christmas Merriment

Hello everyone. Hope those of your who celebrated Christmas had a wonderful day. I had a fun Christmas Eve Day (the 24th) visiting at my sister-in-laws where she was having a BIG family brunch. And then Christmas was the perfect day at home.
On Christmas,it snowed a lot. I was glad I didn't need to go out.

We kept a cozy fire going in the fireplace all day.
The stocking were filled with goodies and treats. This one of the dog's stuffed some yummies and some new toys.
 And I won the change count by 1 penny. (Pardon the dog hair on the blanket). It's a tradition from my husband's childhood to put a handful of change into each stocking. Then we have a competition to see got the most. I had $5.97 and my daughter got $5.96.  The poor hubby only got $4.72, but he had a lottery scratch ticket and won $20 so I don't feel too bad for him. 
 (And I know these coins don't add up to $5.97 for those of you into doing the math.)
We had a big delicious breakfast. Those are some homemade cinnamon buns which we had with eggs, bacon and sausage.
Santa was good to me this year. I got a pack of new black Sharpies and some new Faber-Castell markers as mine are starting to wear out. I also got some bluetooth headphones so I can listen to my audiobooks in bed when I am wide awake at 3 AM and the hubby is asleep. Now instead of tossing and turning or getting up I can stay snuggled under the covers and listen to a story. Plus I got a Patriots shirt (sorry to you Pats haters to even mention this) that I wanted-just in case we get to the Superbowl but at least it will be good for the playoffs. And my daughter got me a poster sized National Park map with a frame, so I can mark those parks I have visited on my quest to visit all 59 of them. I've made it to 20 by my count. She also got me a National Park Geek T shirt. 

One of my goals for 2017 was to hit the 25% point on my list of visited  National Parks, National Monuments, National Historic Sites, etc. And in 2017, I visited the 7 needed to meet that goal, so that shirt was a great gift to commemorate my goal.
And my daughter's boyfriend has reached keeper status in my book as he got me something I have wanted for a while.
An old typewriter. Now over my life I had 2 of these, both which we got rid of years ago, and now I have watched some of you type away in your art, and I wished I had mine back. Zach likes to go antiquing and he remember what I said about the typewriter and found one for me! My daughter was quite confused about the whole thing and wasn't quite sure how to use it. I guess that's what happens growing up in the computer age.
Good thing I got Zach a couple of Star War drones to fly around as he is very into both Star Wars and boy toys too.
The hubby and daughter were both happy with their gifts too.
And other than Miss Maddie here eating too much junk and doing a walk through throw up while we were opening gifts, there were no other snafus. 
 And for T Day, be sure to stop by Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog and join in the fun. For the holiday we tried a drink that Jo showed us a few Tuesdays ago called a Poinsettia. If I remember correctly in her post, it was made from  prosecco, cranberry juice and some orange liqueur. 
Cheers to you!
And it was delicious too!
And finally today, one last holiday photo.
From my family to you.
My daughter is home for a couple of days and the hubby had to go to work today, so we are off to meet him for lunch and see what post-holiday bargains we can find. 
Happy T day ladies, and I hope everyone did have a fantastic holiday. And, since next T day will be on January 2, Have a Happy New year also.

17 comments:

kathyinozarks said...

Sounds like a very awesome Christmas!! I love the national parks too but do not have the opportunity to go now adays-so I am cheering you on to meet your goals-I love that typewriter!! how sweet and thoughtful of him
Loving your winter wonderland-perfect for Christmas
Happy T Day and thanks for sharing hugs Kathy

kathyinozarks said...

Oh and I forgot to mention I made Jo's poinsetta cocktail too we loved it

jinxxxygirl said...

So good to see you and your family Erika! What lovely pictures you shared.. That one of your dog in the window with the snow is a keeper for sure. What a great capture. And the one with the vapor in your bottle is cool too.. Jo's Poinsettia Drink really seems to be a hit this year and sounds yummy too.. I remember taking a typing class in school but it was on an electric type writer... I'm glad i had the class.. it taught me to type without looking at the keys.. a skill i've managed to maintain.. lol Happy T day! Hugs! deb

CJ Kennedy said...

We got snow, too, I could have done without it,but was glad that The Eldest got an email last week telling her she could have the holiday off. Didn't have to worry about her being out on snowy roads. So yes, it made for a perfect Christmas Day. Your fire place looks so inviting as do your cinnamon buns. What a fun tradition of the change in the stocking. Do you win just the change in your stocking or do you get everyone's change, too? Love the typewriter. My Dad had a nice one and now I can kick myself from getting rid of it when cleaning out their house. I just thought I'd never be able to find typewriter ribbon for it. Seems like you're feeling better. Enjoy your day out and Christmas break from school.

Meggymay said...

A lovely post Erika, great photos, the snow looks magical and it sounds like you had a lovely time with your family. The antique typewriter was a real thoughtful gift/Happy T day wishes.
Yvonne xx

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

What a fabulous Christmas you had. It seems you have gotten those antibiotics to work just in time. You certainly DO look happy. I could use some antibiotics about now. I got so sick last Thursday, I canceled my Christmas plans. I'm better, but decided not to go shopping today, as I had originally planned. I'm afraid all the bargains will be gone by now (it's not even noon here).

I LOVE your typewriter. I'm like your daughter and can't really get the hang of them. The last one I used, you had to use a sledge hammer to get the keys to depress properly. Or maybe it's just my weak fingers (grin). But you certainly lucked out.

So how many National Parks, etc. do you plan to visit in 2018? Will you ever visit Brown V. Board of Education? If so, I hope you'll drop down to Wichita and we can meet. I have two monuments in DC I still need to visit and one new Smithsonian Museum.

Jo's Poinsettia drink sure got around this year. Kathy made it for their T drink, too. Thanks for sharing your Christmastime fun and your Poinsettia drink with us for T this Tuesday.

And I won't comment on those Ps. Go Chiefs!

Divers and Sundry said...

Snow! How wonderful!

That drink looks so pretty and the hats so festive. Merry Christmas! and Happy T Tuesday :)

Eileen The Artful Crafter said...

Great post, Erika. Thanks for sharing your day and Christmas family photo with us. The coin count tradition looks like fun for kids of all ages. Love the National Park Geek shirt - lol - as well as the typewriter gift. I like to use typewiter fonts in my art, but that's certainly not as good as the real thing!

The photo of Miss Maddie with the white snow-filled backdrop is gorgeuos. She looks so elegant. Then I scrolled on and read about the walk through throw up. What a stark contrast.

I'm getting around late because I linked up late. Happy T-day! Hugs, Eileen

sheila 77 said...

Oh my gosh, Erika, what a great chatty blogpost, like a letter from a friend only with pictures too. I enjoyed reading all of it.
Great to see you and your family at the end and great to see the snow at the beginning. We've got a very heavy frost this evening, so maybe we'll get a little sprinkling of snow later.
Santa brought me some of those Faber-Castell markers too, isn't he clever!
Happy rest-of-the-holidays!

Let's Art Journal said...

Wow, it looks like you had the perfect Christmas! How wonderful that you had snow and a roaring fire, and also all those thoughtful presents - amazing 😁. I love the typewriter and can't wait to see what you create with it. Your Poinsettia cocktail looks so yummy, you got the recipe just right and I'm so glad that you enjoyed it 😁. Wishing you a very Happy New Year too! Happy T Day! J 😊

pearshapedcrafting said...

The snow does look lovely - so does your cosy fire! I am just slightly jealous of your typewriter but may get my eldest to look out for one for me for next year! Well done for using Jo's cocktail recipe! Happy T day!Chrisx

froebelsternchen said...

It does look like you had a wonderful Christmas!Love to see the three of you laughing at me - such a nice family!
Super gifts for you - I think daughter's friend is a very "good" choice when his first Christmas gift to you is such a super old typewriter! Clever man!
Enjoy the days between the years -
we call those days "Between the Years" before 2018 starts. I had a wonderful Christmas as well - now all is in frost here and it is very cold!
Happy belated T-Day - I was invited to an After Christmas Party at my neighbour's/ girlfriend's house - it was very nice - and I was too busy to come online!
oxo Susi

johanna said...

seems you had a WONDERFUL Christmas, with gifts so thoughtful! the typewrite for sure is a hoot!! and having a winter wonderland having around this season is a gift, too!
your poinsettia drink Looks great (i`m still on the lookout for the cranberry Juice...). would be a perfect drink for welcoming 2018 also:) wishing you all the best, xox

Jeanie said...

I think a poinsettia is definitely in my future!

Your holiday looks just wonderful, warm and lovely and filled with family and joy (and very fun presents -- and yes, he's a keeper.) Like you we were pounded with snow and it was beautiful. The glow will wear off but like you, when you live in a snow state, it comes with the territory and Rick is thrilled because he can ski!

Catching up on everything -- I'm so glad your Christmas was very merry! (I knew it would be -- you've had much to celebrate this year!)

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Looks like your family enjoyed a wonderful and warm Christmas celebration and living in Nashua, NH, we also enjoyed the white Christmas gift from Mother Nature and perhaps Father Christmas. We didn’t mind the weather as our cars are parked in the underground garage and we weren't going anywhere as we had just returned home after 3-weeks away (details in a future blog post). We were able to celebrate Christmas in our own place for the 1st time in several years and so we cooked a turkey dinner with all the trimmings and our next door neighbors joined us the holiday. Three other invited guests cancelled due to the weather, but that was OK because we would rather they be safe in their own homes than on the roadways and the mill apt parking lot is not cleared until a dat AFTER a snowstorm so parking would not be fun.

Thanks for your comments on some recent posts. I’m trying to catch up on blog reading as being away has left little leisure time. And coming home barely a week before Christmas meant decorating and other chores, like grocery shopping and laundry! While we were hoping to stay put until into the New Year, we will once again be "on the road" this week to attend a funeral in our native NJ (thankfully not a family member).

We send our best wishes to you and your family for a wonderful New year. And as we also live in NH, as well, here's hoping we can meet in 2018!

ps. the typewriter was a neat holiday gift (Zach is a keeper).

Anonymous said...

Looks like a perfect Christmas. I was so glad we got the snow. Nice typewriter there! Dog throw up, what's new in that eh? YOu won't believe Roxie, she's 40 lbs and counting....and a complete mooch/nut. xox

Gibby Frogett said...

Looks like a fab time was had by all.
Thoroughly enjoyed looking at your phots - thank you :)
What a great view of the snow through your windows - that would make a lovely Christmas card too.
Gill xx