Hope everyone is recovering well from the holiday. I had such a great Christmas and loved enjoying it with family and friends. I am going to be taking down my decorations this weekend and as sad as I will be to see them go I am excited to have my house back together. So for this 5 on Friday I am going to outline my 5 favorites from these past few days.
One. Monday night I met up with Maddie from The Whimsy One at Toby Keith Bar and Grill for dinner. It is the second time we have been on a blate and it was just as fun as the first time. We had so many laughs and such easy conversation.
I had the Honey BBQ Chicken Wrap. Maddie also gave me a Christmas gift and it had such amazing stuff. Some BBQ sauce made in North Carolina to remember her by, a Pear candle that I am burning as I am typing this up, and the stamp is the Chinese symbol for friends. The pumpkin cheesecake lotion made its way into my purse and I have used it three times already, it smells so good.
Our obligatory picture by the Christmas tree to prove it actually happened!! 🙂 This was taken at the end of our 4 hour night so please don’t judge it too harshly.
I can’t wait for the next time! She is such a great person with a great heart, and I consider her a really good friend!
Two. Christmas Eve was spent at my brothers house where we had dinner with my sister-in-laws side of the family. So much good food was eaten I ended up passing out on the couch around 9:30 pm. Even so the girls opened a few gifts from them, and we snuggled up in the dark watching movies for a bit. My youngest niece is such a Daddy’s girl as you can tell.
Three. Christmas day was perfect. Getting to see the girls open their gifts from Santa and then waiting for my Dad to arrive. The girls helped me make some Cinnamon buns for breakfast which was fun.
My sister-in-law also made eggs, pancakes, and bacon. It was a feast.
Here is a pic of my bedmate too. Rosie kept me company through the night. She even stole the covers too!
Four. The girls opened the presents from my Dad and then my brother and me opened our gifts from him. I got some really great gifts including a vacuum that I wanted and already used. It is amazing.
I also got two new cookbooks that I can’t wait to try out. The Joanne Fluke cookbook is part of a mystery novel series where she sprinkles in recipes into the stories and I have made a good portion of the cookies and recipes from those books but glad to have them all together and easily available. I also got a new Fitbit and a remote car started that I need to get installed. I am so excited for that since I had one in my old car and when I replaced my car, it was what I missed the most especially in these cold New England winters. I also got a Veggie Spiralizer to make pasta out of veggies, so excited to give it a try.
Five. Halfway through the day I headed to my Dad’s to see Seamus since he was babysitting for me. We rested a bit and I got some nap time in with both pups.
I then popped over to my second family’s house (they live one house over from my Dad’s house) and opened gifts and caught up on how their day was going. I got a lovely scarf, a book called Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, a bottle of Red Moscato, and a dragonfly belt. I then had a ham dinner with my Dad before heading home around 6pm. It was such an amazing day and I am so grateful for everything I received and the time I got to spend with everyone.
I took Thursday off to recover from all the fun, and my house is almost back to normal. I hope everyone got to spend time with family and friends.
What did you get for Christmas?
Looks like fun! A nice vacuum is a great gift!
It was a blast! It was so needed thanks to all the puppy hair! He should be bald by now based on all the hair that was on my rug. Best gift!
Sounds like you had such a great Christmas! Isn’t it funny how excited we get over practical gifts now?!
It was such a great Christmas! I know right, at this stage it is all about practical gifts! I can’t wait to share some of the recipes from the cookbooks too for Taste of Tuesday!
a vacuum is an extremely exciting gift, sounds like a wonderful christmas!
I have never been more excited to vacuum!! It got all the puppy hair without clogging the whole thing. 🙂
I am so jealous of your vacuum. I need a new one! and I put five hours and you put four. it was actually 4 and ahalf, so we will say we are both right! haha Either way, I had so much fun!
It is such a good vacuum, I love it! I couldn’t remember when we actually left we were having too much fun! Can’t wait for the next time!
Ooooh that vacuum looks amazing! I know I’m getting domestic when I can’t help but lust over a vacuum! 🙂
It is amazing! Between the cookbooks and the vacuum I felt so domesticated! Welcome to the dark side! 😉
I’m so jealous of your new vacuum!! I guess that’s the sure sign of being grown up, huh?!
It is so good for picking up pet hair! I know right, we get all excited over the little things that make life a little easier! 🙂
I still haven’t been to Toby Keith’s bar but it is totally on my list of things I’ve been wanting to do for a while!
The food was really good!! The bar area was hopping which I was kinda surprised for a Monday night though kinda makes sense for Monday night football and it being a vacation week for the college age folks! You totally need to make it out there.
I love that you call it a blate!!! 🙂
A blogger date, haha! It was so much fun and lots of blogging conversations!
haha i love that we all get excited over practical gifts! the other year, i asked for a blender or cake mixer and shouted with joy when i opened up my kitchenaid mixer.
I am totally in love with my vacuum. I love practical gifts because I know I will totally use them. A kitchenaid mixer is a kitchen must have, I freaked when i got mine so I can totally relate! Such a great gift!
You’ve had yourself a busy few days, woman! I’m so jealous of your blate. I have yet to go on one.
It has been hectic for sure! I am not sure I know how to just sit inside all day. It was so much fun and you totally should. We talked for hours! Are there local blogger groups in your area?
Great gifts! I got a lot of lovely stuff. We’re mostly back to normal although I wish all of my decorations were down.
Thanks! My Dad goes all out. I was so itching to get the decorations down just so I could have a clean clutter free house again!
Remote start, I’m jealous! 🙂 Sounds like a great Christmas!
It is so necessary for the winters here. I had ice on my windshield today and would have been great to use. Can’t wait for it to be installed. It was a really great Christmas.
Looks like a blast. Those cinnamon buns looks absolutely AMAZIN!!
Thank you! I was a very fun day and lots of laughs with family! They were really good, I had to try really hard to limit myself to one! 😉
would you ever have thought the day would come when you would be excited about a vaccume? I sure didnt but so am excited about all things house related now haha
Nooooo!!! I feel so old and domesticated for asking for one but I love it!! Especially with Seamus and all his dog hair. It works amazingly. Besides the less I have to spend on house items the better! 😉
Kids make Christmas so much better! And I love that you met up with a blogger friend, obviously!
They do, the excitement and joy was overwhelmingly sweet! I love meeting up with other bloggers and Maddie is so nice. It was a great visit!