Christmas mood

First of all, I want to say thank you to all who have commented or sent me text messages giving me encouragement for this blog. It honestly surprised me that so many people would be interested! If you would like to follow so you can receive notifications when a new post is published, log in from a computer or go to "view web version" if you're on your phone. You should see "follow by email" on the right side of the page.

I was able to have off Saturday, Sunday, and today. Having a three day weekend every now and then is so rejuvenating! On Saturday we had the family over for supper. We're sixteen people now when we're all together, so we decided to set up in the garage since my tiny kitchen is full with 10 people around the table. Cliff did a super job cleaning out the garage, getting the tables set up, and stringing Christmas lights to add to the atmosphere. Burning my Bath & Body Works "Leaves" candle for several hours took away the garage-y smell very nicely. The menu consisted of ham chowder, "That Really Good Salad" (Schneider cookbook), fresh-baked French bread, and fruit slush.

Tonight we had our family Christmas at Dad & Mom's house. To keep it simple, we ordered Tony's Pizza for supper, which was delicious as always! Finally it was time for presents! This year the men and ladies drew names separately. Mom had my name and gave me a "CPhT" pin, along with some other items I had on my list. As of December 21, I am officially a certified pharmacy technician. This pin makes me happy! I'll wear it on my badge to work. Another gift she gave me was a new 1000 piece puzzle. I can't wait to start working on it one of these evenings when there's a fire going in the stove. When I get started on a puzzle, it's like a good book - hard to quit! Long winter evenings and puzzles make me happy too! The rest of the evening was spent playing Rummikub and doing some singing. Derek and Camille brought their espresso machine here all the way from Kansas and served us some top-notch lattes, iced coffee, and teardrops. Apparently the caffeine is still in my system.

In the morning we will go to church for a Christmas day service. I'm working 2:30 - 11pm so will be able to be with the family for lunch yet. My contribution to the meal is graham cracker fluff, which is my usual holiday dish. Cliff introduced it into our family and it's become a tradition. Thanks to the Smith family for the recipe!

Wishing you a joyful Christmas, and in the words of Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol, "God Bless us, everyone!