All Over For Another Year...

Well the family Christmas dinner is over for another year.  There were 10 adults, 1 teenager and two of my little great nieces.  My daughter and her family all have the icky flu so none of them were able to come.  My oldest niece had to work and her husband took their two kids and spent the afternoon at his folks house and my youngest niece was in route from Denver to Seattle-Tacoma airport while we were eating so she wasn't there either.  I think everyone had a good time and they was no excuse if they left hungry.  The menu included;

Ultimate party meatballs, pasta salad, cranberry molded salad, escalloped potatoes, escalloped asparagus, french sliced green beans, baked salmon, lemon bundt cake, apple pie and berry pie.   Bob has several 4-5 pound salmon in his freezer, so I cooked one...I think about 5 pounds and everyone that wanted a taste of salmon...got some.  It was all gone at the end of the meal.

It's a big job to load everything up and haul it up to the clubhouse, trying desperately not to forget anything.  I use throw away plates, but I take my own silverware, serving pieces, pans, serving dishes, etc. And I do a lot of the cooking up there, as the clubhouse has a full kitchen.  And I wash everything up there, so when I get back home, all I have to do is put it away.   But...there is no way I could have that many people in my home.  And I love to cook for a crowd ......the more the merrier I say.  

This afternoon I'm going with Bob to get gifts for his to youngest grand-angels.  He's already purchased Old Navy gift cards for the teenagers.  But we get to go to the toy department for Lance, who is 3-1/2 years old and little Marin Rose who is 6 months.  He's agreed to buy her a newborn Cabbage Patch doll...so I get to look at them again.  LOL

It's pouring rain and about 40 degrees here this morning.  I've been reading the stories about the horrible weather in the mid-west and on the east coast.  They are really getting hit hard.  Yesterday, it rained also but when I got the car loaded and got to the clubhouse it had stopped and it had stopped when we loaded the car to come back to my house.  I was thankful for that.

 I'm hoping to go to a little church up the street at 5pm today.  They are having a Christmas Eve-Eve service.  

Have a wonderful Sunday and if you haven't started your Christmas shopping yet...there's not much time left.

Until next time.....Linda