Today....I Relax!

The past 48 hours have been a blur of cooking, being the perfect hostess, etc. Today, we're off to Mass and then to Carrie and Joe's for lunch. I've cooked the turkey (or maybe I should say that Mr. Turkey is roasting at a comfy 350 degrees as I type). We'll stop back here and pick him up after Mass and go to Carrie's. I'm looking forward to an afternoon relaxing at their beautiful home and watching my grandkids wade through what Santa brought them.

As for last night, here's Bobby (holding Ben), Kelli, Kevin, Katie and Angela.



....and Kelli with her two nieces - Anna and Grace.



...and me with Grace.



Nolan got a "FROG" Webkin.



Ben and Jack got remote control cars and could have cared less about the rest of their presents.

One of the hi-lights of the evening was hearing Nolan sing "Silent Night" to Anna. Her eyes never left him and she made little "baby noises" - like she was trying to sing with him.



Here's the grandkids wrestling with "Rock Star".....





....and the grandkids getting the BEST of "Rock Star".





Here's ALL of us, crowded around the Christmas tree. Looks like we need a bigger room, or a bigger tree. I look at this photo and realize how truely blessed I am. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

'Twas the "Day" Before Christmas....

....and all through the house, not a creature was stirring (except for Kevin who had to be at work at 7 a.m.). AND of course ME! I have to admit to lying in my nice warm bed, longing to just roll over and snuggle in for another couple of hours, but then I knew what awaited me in the kitchen. I've been a prisoner to that room since Sunday afternoon and today doesn't look to be much better. So far I've managed my tortilla rollups, sausage stars, cookies, buckeyes and bacon/sausage/brown sugar wraps. Today's agenda includes my taco dip, party mix, the thawing of the shrimp, a banana-rum cheese ball, and the final arranging of various cheese/salami and cracker platters. Enough to feed an army you say? Well, that's a fair description of what will invade my house later this afternoon.

Photos will follow throughout the day....

It's now almost 1:00 and it's time to get out of my flannel pajamas and make myself look "festive". The dishwasher is being unloaded for the third time in 24 hours - much to the despair of my "elves". The Buckeyes were Kelli's contribution and she did a great job!!! Her special addition to the recipe - Rice Krispies.

I made the Tortilla Roll-Ups yesterday and just finished slicing and arranging them. It was hard not to eat them while I was slicing - OK, I'll admit to maybe just a couple. I LOVE these things!

Homemade Party Mix is a holiday staple in this household. I've already had to chase "Rock Star" away from the bowl and listen to his whining, "but I'm HUNGRY".




And of course, my taco dip - another family favorite. I can remember when Bobby was a little boy, I'd get so mad at him because the first thing he'd do was to dip RIGHT out of the CENTER - and mess it all up!



More photos to come - as soon as I'm looking presentable and the hot things come out of the oven.

OK - it's 3:00 - one hour until my peaceful house will be bursting at the seams with children, grandchildren and enough wrapping paper to wrap my house! The shrimp is thawing and the Sausage Stars just came out of the oven. I think I can actually sit down and relax for awhile!

Christmas Survey

1. Do you send out Christmas cards? Yes - sometimes homemade. This year - a photo card of our grandchildren.
2. How soon do you start shopping? September/October
3. Who do you shop for? Children and Grandchildren and of course my husband and my mom.
4. Do you put up a Christmas tree? Yes.
5. If so, is it fake or real? We bought a beautiful FAKE tree a few years ago and I love it.
6. Do you like tinsel? Yes - I use a very thin rope tinsel and beads.
7. Do you use homeade or storebought ornaments? A combination of both. Some are very old - made by the kids when they were in school. Some of my favorites were given to me as a wedding gift - since we were married at Christmas time.
8. Do you put Christmas lights outside your house? No - just a lighted wreath on the front door and white candles in each window. Kind of simple - but I think it's pretty.
9. What color lights on the tree? White
10. How about popcorn and cranberries? No
11. Is there a wreath hanging on your door? Yes
12. Do you hang stockings? I used to when the kids were all smaller - but now, I've given the stockings to them for their households.
13. Favorites Christmas Movie - "White Christmas" - makes me cry every time.
14. Favorite Christmas Song - "I'll Be Home For Christmas" - another one that makes me cry.
15. Ham or Turkey? Turkey!!
16. Star or Angel? Angel - I made her when I was pregant with the twins and she still looks beautiful atop our tree.
17. When do you open your gifts? Christmas Eve
18. What's the best gift you've ever gotten? I'd have to say the birth of Ben and Jack - two years ago - two grandsons born a week apart just before Christmas. I remember sitting there on Christmas Eve holding a baby in each arm. Brought back memories of my twin girls 27 years ago.
19. Do you like wrapping gifts? Yes - I love to wrap - just wish I could make those big beautiful bows.
20. Can you name all the reindeer? Yes
21. Do you bake cookies? Yes and now that Kelli works at the Bed and Breakfast, she has lots of new and delicious recipes.
22. Have you ever gotten a kiss under the mistletoe? Yep!
23. Do you go caroling? It's been a VERY long time since we did that.
24. Do you drive around and look at the Christmas lights? Something else we used to do years ago.
25. Have you ever left Santa cookies? Yes - but not since we got the dog.
26. Have you ever sat on Santa's lap? Of course.
27. Who do you celebrate Christmas with? Our children, grandchildren, son-in-laws and sometimes a few neigbors stop in. It's always a full house.
28. Where do you celebrate Christmas? At home.
29. Have you ever had a white Christmas? We almost always have a white Christmas here in northern Indiana.
30. What part of Christmas do you look most foward to? The look on the faces of my kids and grandkids when they get something special - or when I've really surprised them.
31. Does your family always take a picture at Christmas? Yes and before long, we're going to need a wide angled lense!
32. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Some of each
33. When do you take the tree down? Usually New Year’s Day
34. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes
35. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Shrimp cocktails on Christmas Eve.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas....

I was up at 5:30 on Saturday morning - a woman on a mission! My in-laws were on their way and my house would be decorated for Christmas before they arrived. I was at Meijer at 6:30. (You know, that store is actually enjoyable at that hour of the morning). I grabbed a few more decorations and a carrot cake for my father in law, then it was home to tackle the tree, the stairway, the fireplace and the front door. I'm proud to say that except for my Christmas Village, everything was done and a pot of vegetable soup was simmering in the crockpot by the time they pulled into the driveway. The weather turned nasty and we had a relaxing evening, curled up on the couch with the Christmas tree glowing and enjoyed some great conversation.

Thankful for Monday.....

The last four days seem somewhat of a blur in my mind. After spending Wednesday evening up to my elbows in pumpin pies, cornbread casserole, brocolli salad and party mix, we were up and on the road at 6:30 Thursday morning. Traffic was light and we arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's house at 11:00 (their time). Needless to say, little Anna was the highpoint of the day for many family members - getting their first chance to hold her and kiss her. I just couldn't believe how good she was - being passed from person to person and hardly a nap all day. Here she is about 9:00 on Thanksgiving evening - passed out!

It's tradition for all of the Knight children to pose in their "oldest - youngest" photo too.

After lunch, my group headed to the retirement home to visit Aunt Mabel. The sight of this BUNCH brought tears to her eyes.

Some of our kids had to work on Friday, so they journeyed home after our visit with Aunt Mabel. The rest of us relaxed and stayed until Friday afternoon before starting home. The girls did some shopping and the boys spent the afternoon visiting the old neigborhood where Bob grew up near St. Louis - and of course a stop at a favorite bar for a couple of cold ones. It was late afternoon before we started for Indiana and well after midnight before getting home.

Saturday morning, it was up and out the door for Allegan, Michigan for the wedding of Jessica Gibson and Brandon Mock. Jessica played softball at LMC with the twins and Katie was a bridesmaid in the wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and reception - held at The Silo Banquet Facility. It was decorated for a "country Christmas" and really put us into the holiday mood.

It was fun to see the girls celebrating with all of their old college friends. I remember when these kids would show up on my doorstep and would sleep on the couch. Now, they're all grown up and college grads and making their way in the world.

And of course, the hi-light for some of us was having Bob's band play at the reception. This was a first for the band - never had played at a wedding before. The bride was insistant on the fact that she wanted his band to play. All I can say is that it was a great success!! The band was supposed to stop at 11:00 and at 11:30, the dance floor was still packed and everyone was chanting, "ONE MORE SONG - ONE MORE SONG".

Happy Thanksgiving....

Two carloads left from South Bend early this morning and two more carloads will leave at 6:00 tomorrow morning - for our yearly trek to the St. Louis area for Thanksgiving. I'll be spending my evening cooking and packing and then Bob and Kevin and I, followed by Bobby, Angela and little Anna will be on our way bright and early in the morning. The rest of my children were lucky enough to have today off of work and should be arriving at Grandma's house as I type this.

So, to all my friends - have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving and enjoy the blessings that surround you.

Six Days and Counting...

Happy Birthday Carrie!!! I'm not saying how old my oldest is - because it makes me feel VERY old!!! But - I'm still a "cool" mom and grandma!

We had a great 4th of July - spent with a bunch of baseball/softball friends. Lots of great food, some entertaining games of horseshoes, a refreshing pool and great friends. Can't get much better than that!

Seven Days and Counting.....

This time next week, I'll be on my way! My diet is in overdrive this week!!!! Lots of walking and counting my points!

But, today - it's celebrating the 4th with Tommy, Joni and friends at a big cook-out and pool party.

Happy Birthday America!!!!!!

Easter

We celebrated Easter with our children and grandchildren starting with 8:30 Mass and then on to Brunch at the South Bend Country Club (thanks to Carrie and Joe's new membership). It may have been cold and wintry outside, but our hearts were warm surrounded by our family.

Christmas 2006

Here's all of us on Christmas Eve. Our family grows each year. We are so very blessed!!! All of us were together on Christmas Eve - including Angela (Bobby's girlfriend and Brock (Chrissie's boyfriend). As our children grow and marry and start their own families, I realize that I've got to share them - so I feel very lucky to have them with us - under one roof on Christmas Eve.

Nolan and Grace kept things hopping. Grace was the designated elf - handing out the gifts, tripping over packages while wearing her new Snow White dress. Jack and Ben just sat there in awe of everything!!

Christmas Day was a relaxing one. We spent it with Carrie and Joe and their kids, having a nice lunch and curling up with a good movie.

This weekend, I'll try and get the majority of my decorations put away and get my house back to normal. I have 6 weeks until my Florida company arrives and I have a weekend project planned each of those 6 weeks. High on the list: clean my closets, shampoo carpet, and organize my basement and my craft room.

Family Thanksgiving 2006

The Knight children ...and their spouses.



Dozens of Cousins!! (...and this isn't even all of them.)

Happy Turkey Day to Everyone!!!!

We'll be on the road EARLY tomorrow morning - our little family caravan to southern Illinois. Our weekend will be spent eating and shopping and sharing memories with all of the Knights. For some of Bob's family - it will be the first time that they've seen Ben - who is almost a year old. Tomorrow will be a full day of food and family! Then on Friday, the girls will all head to St. Louis for some shopping and my sister-in-law (Patty) and myself will make our annual Thanksgiving trek to the Scrapbook Factory. We only get there once a year, but we make it worth our while! Friday night, I think a bunch of us adults are going to a Piano Bar on LaClede's Landing in downtown St. Louis - should be a great time!! Then on Saturday, it will be more lounging around - reminiscing in our little home town and attending our 35th high school class reunion on Saturday night, before heading home early Sunday morning.

Let the Hunt Begin...

Last Easter, she had to be carried through the yard in search of the eggs - but not this year. Even though she found only one to her brother's ten, she was on her own, and very satisfied with the results. 

Just wanted to say...

HAPPY EASTER!! 

Spring Break 2006 - St. Patrick's Day

Well, we started the afternoon with an exciting come from behind win!!! The same team who couldn't hit yesterday came alive this afternoon!!! Then, we turned around and faced the AWESOME team from Iowa. As of Friday, our record is 5 and 3.

Once I could see that the second game was not going to be pretty, I hopped in my car and headed back to Melbourne to spend St. Patrick's Day with my brother and sister-in-law at Meg O'Malleys. Felt like I was right here in South Bend on a home game weekend - complete with bag pipers. The green beer was flowing and the Irish band was playing in the street. Lots of fun and MUCH CALMER than Bike Week!