Christmas Holidays 2010

As usual, we all had a great time visiting the old homestead.  As usual, too, we had a very busy December.  Now, as you know, I'm no slouch when it comes to using many words where only a few might do, but since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will abbreviate my post by using pictures.

Here, then, is our holiday in living color starting with QT's company's family Christmas luncheon, where the kids and I enjoyed getting our faces painted.

That evening, we traveled to North Houston to QT's brother's house to celebrate an early Christmas with Grandmas T & R.

A few days later, we celebrated Christmas (again) at home with the kids.  We told Pumpkin that Santa Claus delivered their gifts early because he knew we were going to be traveling.  They were both excited, and they got some good loot too!

 

 After we were done opening gifts and getting dressed, we went outside to enjoy the day.  Pumpkin and Giggles were excited to try out their new helicopter cars, I was excited to try out my new camera, and QT was excited to watch the trains go by.

Our arrival in Ldo was mostly uneventful.  We arrived just after midnight on Christmas day, opened a few gifts, visited with the family for a bit, unloaded the car, then went to bed.  That weekend, we enjoyed the 1st of Pumpkin's various birthday celebrations with QT's dad and family.

The rest of our trip was mostly spent shuttling back and forth between "home base" (i.e. Mom's house) and my brother's house.  When we weren't at one of those 2 locations, we were at the park or at the museum or dining out.  In this collage, you'll also see pictures of Pumpkin's 2nd birthday celebration at my parents' restaurant.  Unfortunately, he had a very painful ear infection on the day of his dinner party so he was a bit down in the dumps.  Like a trooper, though, he refused to postpone his shindig.  :)

When the Going Gets Tough...

...the tough go home.  This Christmas, with so many amazing deals available online, I decided that I would try to do the majority of my shopping from my computer.  As many of you know, it's not always easy to go shopping with 2 little ones in tow.  In fact, I'd rank that particular unpleasantness right along with having a tooth pulled, haha.  Worse actually...because I can cope with dental procedures as long as necessary, but my ability to cope with meltdowns and whining in the middle of a crowded store definitely has a half life.  Besides, I never know what to get QT's parents or mine, and wandering aimlessly around the mall during Christmas shopping season (or anytime really) in the hope that inspiration will strike is more than I care to bear.

Enter Shutterfly.  QT and I haven't lived in the same town as our families since before we were married.  It didn't really matter when it was just the two of us, but once Pumpkin came along, it became important to me to foster our link with the folks back home.  Shutterfly fit that bill for me perfectly.  Not only is it a great place to store my pictures, share them with our loved ones, and order prints, it's also very handy when it comes to finding the perfect gift for the person who has everything.  With just a few free minutes, I can easily go online and choose a funny Halloween picture to make into a nifty mouse pad for QT or choose 12 pictures from my collection to make into a snazzy calendar for Grandma Tone or order a cute coffee mug for Beautiful Grandma (she loves those) or create an awesome snapbook of Pumpkin's 1st trip to the beach for Grandma Q.  So many options!  Such fantastic deals!  So many Grandmas!

So little time!!

There are just a few days left to have your custom photo gift shipped standard in time for Christmas (a bit more time if you choose 2-day or next day shipping).  If you've been sitting on the fence about what to get your loved ones, you'd best hurry along.  Free shipping ends tomorrow.

Santa Sighting

Last Thursday, Pumpkin threw up at school.  He's doing much better but still gets a stomachache whenever he eats so I didn't send him to school today either.  Instead, I took the kids to Bass Pro Shops in Pearland to check out the Winter Wonderland there.  The store was just opening so there was hardly anyone else there besides us and the employees when we arrived.  The kids enjoyed the aquarium and riding the elevator over the waterfall and all the cool stuff there is to see.  Eventually, we made our way to the Winter Wonderland area, and the kids sat down at one of the coloring tables.

Imagine my surprise when Santa Claus walked in right by our table!  Pumpkin was agog.  It was like a rock star sighting for the Kindergarten crowd, haha.  Giggles maintained her poker face--she didn't know who the bearded dude was, after all.  Santa stopped to chat with us, and he invited the kids to go see him at his house to let him know what they want for Christmas.  I wasn't aware Santa would be there...heck, we weren't even supposed to be there...so I didn't have my camera.  I also hadn't dressed the kids for pictures.  Fortunately, Bass Pro Shops takes and prints the pictures for free, and who cares what my kids were wearing.  It was Santa, for crying out loud!  We even got coupons for free kids' meals at their in-store restaurant, which was cool.

Pumpkin was so excited to finally see and talk to Santa that he decided he'd also write him a letter.  There weren't any other kids around (we were the last to visit Santa that morning) so he ran back up to Santa to hand him his letter in person.  Then, he colored a picture for Santa and wanted to give him that as well, but he settled for putting the picture with his letter and putting both in Santa's mailbox.  Then, for good measure, we went back to say goodbye to Santa when we were finally ready to leave.  Santa was a good sport throughout and kept chatting with the kids and waving at them and laughing "HO HO HO!"  I'm kind of glad we hadn't seen Santa anywhere else before today because it was a lovely experience for all 3 of us.  No crowds, no rushing, no stress.  Thanks, Bass Pro Shops.

Pumpkin's Letter

I took pictures of the kids' letters before they "mailed" them.  Pumpkin wrote his own letter, and then he and I helped Giggles write her letter (I did the writing, and he suggested a few things, but Giggles came up with the last 4 items on her list on her own).  Cereal!  HA HA HA!

Giggles' Letter

What Part of Forever Don't You Understand?

Back in the summer, when the kids and I were squatting at my parents' house in L-do while our house in Denver sat vacant, and QT was living out of hotel rooms all over the country, and our stuff was sitting in a warehouse near Dallas, the 3rd Twilight movie Eclipse opened in theaters.  That week, I happened to catch a couple episodes of "Twilight's Got Talent" on George Lopez, which featured stars from the movie performing tricks and stuff.  It was pretty funny!

One of those episodes also featured a song from the movie written and performed by an artist named Cee Lo Green.  I'd never heard of Cee Lo Green before I saw him on the show, but I was mesmerized.  Here was this big ole' tattooed guy with an awesome voice wearing a chain mail helm on his head and accompanied by a sexy all-woman band, who appear to actually be playing their instruments!  And...the song was awesome and lovely....and has been haunting me since I heard it that night.

In fact, I loved the song so much that I went out the very next day to see the movie (the first Twilight movie I've actually seen at a theater.)  Turns out Cee Lo Green was/is in Gnarls Barkley so I had at least heard him if not heard of him.  And the backup band is called Scarlet Fever, and they are real musicians.

Months later, I still haven't gotten that image or that song out of my head.  I don't own any of the Twilight movies or soundtracks (and only one of the books, which I bought at a discount store), but because of that song, I am definitely going to buy this movie when it comes out on DVD...and maybe even the CD soundtrack to boot.  I just love watching this video.  :)

Christmas Cookie Recipe

I won't be in Denver to attend (my) moms group's annual cookie exchange this year.  In lieu of sending over some of my "famous" Mexican wedding cookies, I'm sending over another recipe that is sure to delight.  Enjoy the party, ladies!!

p.s. Perhaps this will help to explain why I always found it so difficult to finish my cookie baking every year. ;)
Love and miss you all!

Tequila Christmas Cookies

1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup (two sticks) butter
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups dried fruit (dried cranberries or raisins)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
2 cups all purpose flour
1 bottle chilled Tequila

First, sample the tequila to check quality.  Take a large bowl.  Pour another 4 ounces tequila in a measuring cup and drink to ensure it is of the highest quality.  Turn on the electric mixer.  Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.  Add one teaspoon sugar.  Beat again.  At this point, it is best to make sure the tequila is still OK.  Pour another 4 ounces and drink.

Try another 4 ounces tequila, just in case.  Turn off the mixerer thingy.  Break two leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit, picking the frigging fruit off the floor.  Mix on the turner.  If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers, shust pry it loosey with a drewscriver.

Sample the tequila again to check for tonsisticity.  Next, sift 2 cups of salt or something.  Check the tequila.  Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.  Add one table.  Add a spoon of sugar or somefink.  Whatever you can find.  Greash the oven.  Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.  Don't forget to beat off the turner.

Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the teqwiuilia and make sure to put the dirty stove in the dishwasher.

Cherry Mistmas!  And remember, limes are for wimps!