A Big Sigh of Relief

Did you hear it???
AAAAAAAhhh!  It's Over!

I am glad, it's been a hectic past few days.  Even though I tried to keep it simple and relaxing, it never seems to stay that way!

The Day Before Christmas...
I spent all day Thursday cooking so that I had the food prepared ahead of time and would have an easy day on Friday.  Everything was finished except the deviled eggs and roasting the turkey.  The turkey had set overnight in a pot of brine, awaiting it's time in the oven.

I got up Friday morning and was ready to tackle the turkey.  I had the brilliant thought that if I fed the kitties first, maybe they would leave me in peace.  I got out the canned cat food and prepared the dishes.  Tippy didn't eat hers.  Very unusual because she loves canned food.  She had thrown up twice in the past few days, but I didn't think much of it with all the food prep excitement.  Then I thought that with Christmas being tomorrow and the next day being Sunday, there would be no vet service except for the Emergency Clinic that's 50 miles away (and expensive!)

I called our vet and we took her in for a check.  They couldn't find anything, but drew blood and gave her antibiotics and anti-nausea medication.

Meanwhile back at the homestead, the turkey is not in the oven even though it should have been!  Our kitchen stove is an antique gas stove from the early 1940's.  We run it off a little propane tank like what is used on a grill.  It's amazingly fuel efficient, with a tank usually lasting about three months. 
Something made me think that with the turkey needing to roast all day, maybe I should check the tank.  Oh, No!  Getting very low!  Will there be enough gas???  We decided to roast the turkey on the grill instead.  I've never tried anything like that before, but it came out well and in a shorter time than it usually takes in the oven.

Meanwhile Brad, Kami, and Emily arrived.  Brad went to the attic to explore through boxes of old stuff.  Kami and I worked in the kitchen finishing the cooking.  Zip and Emmy played with the cats.

Christmas Eve...

This was a VERY informal dinner as you can see by the classy serving containers!  LOL!
We were trying for a German theme this year- potato dumplings, cabbage with spaetzel, bread stuffing balls, asparagus and the turkey and gravy.  We got a little starchy, I think!

But it came together fairly well for a dinner made by totally disorganized people!  hahaha!
And for dessert we had cherry and blueberry crisp made by Kami.  We had a fun time with lots of laughs and reminiscence.  The kitties were so worn out from all the company, they slept through dinner.

After the kids left, we vegged out in our favorite chairs and watched 'A Christmas Story' on TV, my all-time favorite Christmas movie.

Christmas Day in the Morning....
No, I didn't see three ships a-sailing.  Just a gray sky and a few paltry snowflakes.
It was quiet and peaceful, with just a cup of coffee and my own thoughts to keep me company.
Several weeks ago I had gotten a recipe for 'Air Buns' from the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog.  There's nothing I love more in the kitchen than baking bread.  My Christmas morning gift to myself!

This is an easy recipe with only a minimal amount of kneading.  Instant yeast is used so it rises quickly.

The changes I made were making only half the recipe and using an extra cup of flour because the dough seemed very sticky.  I used SAF brand instant yeast.

I had some dough left after shaping my pan of rolls so I made some quick pecan rolls with the remainder.

I'll have to see how well they keep, but I'm thinking they will make great burger and hot dog buns as well as dinner rolls.

Over the River and Through Chambersburg....
To Grandmother's house we go.  As usual Mom had made a pile of delicious food.  By the time we got there I was tired and not at all hungry.  Everyone else did justice to the culinary delights, though.

Mom is a Christmas afficianado!  She has trees in each and every room and hundreds of ornaments- antique, Old World, Christopher Radcoe and who knows what.  You will also notice that she is very organized, clean and neat, a perfectionist!  I think they must have gotten babies mixed up because I do not have any of these traits!

Trees in the living room:

Wreath of pipecleaner Santas in the kitchen.

Trees in the bedroom.

A cabinet of assorted small decorations.

Zip and Kami looking at Mom's Christmas postcard collection.

Mom and her tree.

The Aftermath of Christmas....
WARNING!!!  This next picture should not be seen by young children!
It may make you never want to celebrate Christmas EVER AGAIN!

Disclaimer:  There were NO drugs and alcohol involved in this frightful scene.
ONLY AN EXCESS OF FOOD AND FAMILY TOGETHERNESS!!!

Yes, it's over and now we can breath a sigh of relief!
Hope yours was as good as ours!