CHRISTMAS AND THE DAY AFTER

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday.

Mine began with wrapping gifts.  I had wanted to get everything done earlier, but you know how that is. I had fallen asleep on the sofa.  I woke up at 3:00 a.m. and kept right on wrapping.  I finished around 7:30 a.m.  Then it was breakfast, shower, dress, pack, and Joe and I opening gifts from each other.  Joe gave me a beautiful sterling silver locket and a beautiful sterling silver cross.  I love them!  I gave Joe a homeowner's tool kit with 51 tools and a bag and adjustable wrench.  He was surprised and so pleased.

We wanted to leave for my sister's about 10:00 a.m., but didn't get on the road until 2:00 p.m.  That's about par for us.  So we got up there around 4:00 p.m.  MUCH later than we wanted to.

My sister's house is magical at Christmas.  You would think you had entered the North Pole.  I love going there.  Look at her beautiful tree!

We started opening our gifts.  I got the new Martha Stewart cookbook, "One Pot."  It was one I had asked for and was really happy to get it.

Joe got Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album.

Elaine had asked for this cool clock and Joe got it for her.

My brother, Larry, had sent our gift to my sister's house.  He had two of his photographs framed for us.  Now I just have to decide where to put them.  I think I know.  You can see his work on his blog, "Exploration Photography".  It's listed on my sidebar.  Check it out!

Joe got Elaine a cocker spaniel garden stone when we were in Lancaster in September.

We got a breakfast sandwich maker.  I can't wait to try it out.

Elaine also gave me a hair dryer which I desperately need since mine broke and to Joe a scarf and gloves.  I got Elaine a sweatshirt that she had asked for.

I put a little bottle of sparkling cider in Joe's stocking.  I'm hoping he shares it with me.  (I know he will.)

I love Elaine's new wreath.  Her girlfriend was going to throw it out.  She took it and refurbished it.  It's beautiful now.

Elaine's house is always beautiful with things to look at no matter where you are.  This is one of my favorite things in her bookcase, a little Hummel nativity.

A little Santa doggie.

The top of her desk.

Little elves hang from her kitchen cabinets.

We always have Christmas crackers at dinner time.  When you pull on the ends they bang and pull apart.  Inside is a paper crown, a groaner joke and some kind of toy.  Elaine couldn't get the ones from England this year so all of these had fake mustaches in them.

Joe held his fake mustache over his real one.

I like his real one better.

For dinner we had crab cakes, green beans, mashed potatoes and crescent rolls.  Everything was wonderful!

Later in the evening we had cookies and tea.  It was a lovely way to end the day.

We stayed overnight since I had off from work today.  I wore the locket that Joe had given me.

Elaine celebrated my birthday today.  She gave me two gifts.  One was a teddy bear cookie jar from England with cookies made in Spain.  The other was a "table topper" that my mom had started to make for me before she died.  Elaine had finished it and gave it to me.  In this picture I'm trying to smile through my tears.

Little Cody is so cute.  So is Spike the cockatiel.

After lunch Elaine surprised me with a birthday cake.

Elaine and Joe sang to me and I blew out the candles.

Well, I thought I did, but they were still lit, so I blew again.

Again, they relit and then I realized they were the trick candles.  I gave them a pouty/sad face.

The cake was delicious.  She gave me half the cake to take home.

Joe took some pictures of Elaine and me, but none of them turned out.  But the one Elaine took of me and Joe was really good.

After this picture was taken we left and got home around 5:00 p.m.  It's been a lovely holiday.  Back to work tomorrow.