Christmas recap

I forgot to mention that after our black out the other day, my old computer seems to have died. I'm so sad. I have my computers networked and that's where I keep most of my music.

I keep forgetting to tell you all about my Christmas! I've decided I'm going to scrap this year's festivities in 4x6 pages because I got a nice Christmas photo album this year. So I want to write a lot of this down because who knows when I will get around to scrapping it all!

I stayed up late on Sunday night and got all my wrapping done. Is it just me, or did anyone else have a hard time finding classic Christmas movies on TV this year? I didn't see White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, It's a Wonderful Life or any of the other movies I'm used to seeing! Mostly just made for TV movies on Hallmark Channel, Lifetime or ABC Family, which my mom had on constant rotation.

Since I had just about everything done by Monday, I had saved some time so I could work on crafts. Here's what I made...

Credits

Credits

They were pretty fun to make! Mom had to help me figure out how to roll the cones and I had some trouble getting the candle wrappers to lay flat, but otherwise I think they all turned out nicely! I wasn't sure what to put in the cones, so I ran out to the dollar store and picked up some flowers.

When I got home, it was time to make my Chicken Enchilada Casserole for Christmas. The menu my aunt had sent out didn't list anything with chicken, so I wanted to bring something I would like since I'm such a picky eater.

Now, I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen this weekend and there were a few disasters. First, when I went to start my cookies I realized our flour container was empty! So I had to run to the bodega around the corner. Well, when I got home and opened the package, I saw that I bought sugar and not flour! D'oh! In the meantime, I had put butter in the microwave to soften it and I put it in for too long and the butter melted all over! So I had to clean that up and then had to run back out and had to go to two different stores before I finally found some flour.

Well, while I was making the chicken, my electric can opener wasn't being too cooperative. I was opening a can of condensed milk (which I had dented while trying to unlump the brown sugar the night before) and well the whole thing exploded all over me! I had milk all over my shirt, my face, my hair. But somehow, I got the whole thing done and had time to change my shirt, put frosting on my brownies, finish up my crafts and stop at the store for bread before heading to my brother's house.

We had Christmas Eve with my dad and his wife at Mike's house. They had some traditional Cuban foods - pork, rice and beans, plantains, yucca - and chicken for me.

Kylie got this car that played a really annoying song! But she loved it. Taylor got some videos and both girls got some new clothes from my dad. I got money - which I loved LOL! And Mike an I got dad the same thing - a digital photo frame. The girls wanted to watch movies in their room so they missed dessert - which helped since they needed to get to bed!

After leaving there, I had to stop yet again to pick up some scratch off tickets for Mom and Randi. Good thing 7Eleven was open. I caught up with them at my mom friend's Teri's house just in time for more dessert and presents. Randi had made cheesecake - and was very proud that it didn't crack. Teri and her sons are like family too us and they all had me laughing so hard.
Some of my friends had called, so I stopped by the bar to bring them some cookies and I got some more gifts too! Since there were only a few of us, we loaded up the jukebox with our favorite songs and I ended up staying out a little too late.

It was hard getting up Christmas morning. The poor girls had to wait for me to get dressed and then still had to wait for Randi and Rocky to come over. So we decided to make breakfast first. Mike traditionally makes us eggs, and we also had bacon, rolls, cinnamon buns. I miss coffee - I was drinking chocolate milk with some flavored creamer mixed it to make up for it!

Well, the girls looked so very cute in their matching green dresses. And Rocky wore his jingle bell collar too.


Kylie was just too cute this year. She sings her own version of Jingle Bells - you can't understand the words, except for hey - but at least it's in tune! She also helped everyone open their gifts. She was walking around with a black purse that I later found out was mine!

This was a scaled-back Christmas for us - which I know is hard to believe looking at the photos! All the gifts were hits. I got Kylie Diego's Talking Rescue Pack and Rescue a Friend - Baby Maned Wolf, and an Elmo book. I got Taylor two outifts (which she called a box and gave to her mother) and a Disney Fairies book. Randi and I also got Taylor some Littlest Pet Shop stuff and I got the girls the Digital Art Studio, all to play with us when they visit Grandma's house. Mom got Taylor Amazing MyKayla - a creepy talking doll - and Kylie a carriage/crib/swing set for her new doll. Kylie had the baby flying in the swing.

It was a whirlwind of wrapping paper and I didn't even get to see everyone open their gifts or get as many photos as I would have liked. Randi, Mom an I usually open our gifts before the girls come over but we didn't have time this year. We were a bit rushed and then the girls had to leave to visit Vesna's parents and we had to get going down to Aunt Eileen's farm.

I'm glad the weather was sort of nice so we could spend some time outside. I did a little photo shoot of my aunts and uncles and their horses. Not easy to get four people and four horses to look your way at once. Randi was shaking these giant jingle bells and I was trying to use three different cameras.
Here I am with the cameras.
We also tried putting the hats on the horses but don't think they were too crazy about that.
Here's a page I did of one of the photos I liked...

Back inside, Grandma read "The Irish Night Before Christmas." She usually reads a story called "Little Miss Stitches" but no one could find it this year. But her Irish accent was pretty funny. Then we exchanged gifts. Everyone loved the calendars. And we ate and ate and ate. We had to much food. My chicken enchilada casserole was a hit. I still felt full when I got home. We all went outside to see a comet - we couldn't tell what it was but there were so many stars. It was really beautiful!

I made out great with the gifts! :) I got Guitar Hero 3 and the Simpsons game for my PS2. I also got a bunch of DVDs, including the Simpsons Movie, Knocked Up, Music and Lyrics, Borat and the Office Season 2, some sweaters, a new purse, paper scrapping stuff so I can make a Girl Scouts album, new pillows, some gift certificates and tickets to see a show about an off Broadway show about Celia Cruz.

I still have most of my goodies sitting in a big bag in my room. I'm still waiting for things to slow down to unpack them all and put them to good use! The pillows are awesome - those I have used - and I've been sleeping just great with them!

Hope everyone has had a really great Christmas too!!!!!