Christmas in the Rearview

Hello, dear friends.  I hope that you all enjoyed your holiday.  My only complaint is that it was far too short.

For two weeks, I never knew what day of the week it was. I almost missed Trash Day which is celebrated like a national holiday in our house.  I also didn't watch the News and never missed it.   

We made some wonderful memories during our visit with the girls and our future son-in-law.  Btw, this was our first Christmas with Adorable Jonathon.  

It's my first post of the year, and I already have a confession to make.  Here goes.  Many At times, I felt that I liked Adorable Jonathon more than my girls.  Don't worry... my girls are fully aware of this fact and no feelings are hurt.

I learned that Adorable Jonathon only has one mood - happy.  No walking on eggshells early in the AM with this guy.   And he is every blogger's dream... he will pose at a moment's notice for the camera!

Even first thing in the morning!

As a reward... I let him use a couple of favorite mugs.

Both Chowdah and Chili were in their glory having everybody home.

Believe it or not, the hooligans had baths days before the holiday.  You'd never know it by the time our guests arrived.

We had lunch and caught up on some last-minute shopping in charming Hingham on Christmas Eve day.

We also played a new game called Cards Against Humanity.

It's a bit racy.

Can you tell by the Mister's blush?

The Mister has his own reasons for enjoying Adorable Jonathon's company.  It's not easy being outnumbered by women constantly riding an emotional rollercoaster.  Until AJ came along, the Mister's only ally was Chowdah.

Dear Santa... please send over some floor-refinishing elves this year.  Ours have been destroyed by doggies.

Gift giving went well.

Everyone was pleased with their gifts except for one person whose wife wanted to surprise him with something he supposedly said that he didn't want, but she thought he should have.

  As you can see, he was a good sport.

The rest of the evening was spent with the Mister flexing his muscles like this.  

By the way, I have good news.  I mentioned to the royal couple that some of you were interested in hearing more about the wedding details.  Well, you asked for it - you got it.  Our #1 and AJ wrote a blog post giving you the deets on their big stay.  Stay tuned.

As you can imagine, the Mister spoiled us rotten with one delicious meal after another.

It has been our tradition to feast on all of our favorite appetizers on Christmas Eve.  Toasted Naan chips, chicken wings, steak tartar (my fave) and Canadian bacon, Swiss, and Spinach Quiche were on the menu.

Last Christmas, our #1 gave the Mister a Sous Vide, which he got a lot of use out of during the year.  The first night the Mister served the most tender steak, lobstah mac and cheese, and asparagus with pancetta. 

I skipped the asparagus and helped myself to an extra helping of pancetta because I was watching my waistline. 

I told you... the kid never stops smiling.

The roving photographer better sit down before Chow inhales her dinner.

The Mister's apple crumb tart ended the evening on a sweet note.

Before we knew it, our girls and AJ were packed and ready to get back to the Big D.  Their trip was anything but smooth - the flight was due to depart 4PM, and they landed in Texas at 5AM.

I always hate the emptiness I feel after the girls leave. At least I have some things to take care of on my to-do list.  The first item is to see if I can hire an elf to come and take down all my decorations.  While he's at it, maybe he could refinish my kitchen floors.  

A girl can dream, can't she?

The second item is to make an appointment to have my jaw wired and after that, book a reservation at the Betty Ford clinic.

Until next time...

I'm on Team Chili.  

She wants to keep the tree up because it's her favorite place to nap.

Linking up with:
Amaze Me Monday
Mix It Up Monday
Inspiration Monday
Hello Monday