Sophie, unfortunately, hurt her neck this week and has been cowering around the house. We decided to give her Christmas presents to her early and here is a photo of her enjoying one! Isn't she just adorable?
Friday morning, Christmas Eve, Tommy kept tempting us to open presents early, and I finally gave in. I got him a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker with digital thermometer (It's super heavy duty) and a money clip, since he loses stuff quite often and will not carry a wallet. Funny thing, my dad went to Lowe's that same day and bought the identical smoker without me telling him which one I got Tommy or where. My dad and I have to research everything prior to a purchase, so sounds like we both made the accurate decision.
Tommy got me a KitchenAid 600 Series Professional Stand Mixer! I am so excited to start using it! He even got me additional attachments to go
with it. It's a really cool metallic greyish color. I've always been a huge baker, so this was an awesome gift. I also got a Soda Stream, but Tommy accidentally bought it in red, which doesn't go with any of our decor, so we had to order it in stainless/black. I should receive it this week. I'm so excited to start making my own beverages. The Soda Stream allows you to make all natural drinks and it's lower in calories, so a big plus in my book!
Later that evening, we went over to my in-law's home (Ray and Sandra aka Ray-Ray and So-So for the kiddos) for Christmas dinner and our gift exchange. The night started out with a traditional Christmas dinner that included: tenderloin, sweet potatoes, asparagus, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, etc. For dessert, we enjoyed cheesecake bites. It was so delicious! I could barely move after I finished eating.
Next, we moved onto the gift opening portion of the evening. We received generous gift cards to our two favorite restaurants, Park Cafe and Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse from Ray and Sandra. We actually already made reservations at Park Cafe for New's Years Eve...so that was perfect! They also gifted me the cutest umbrella and evening bag and Tommy a Home Depot gift card (which will get a lot of use). We also got a Viking Cooking School gift card, which we are so excited to use from Lance and Shellie. We've been wanting to take a professional cooking class for awhile. I received a Kiehls gift box from Matthew, an awesome candle from Stan and Carol (this candle smells amazing), and a few other gifts on top of that. Needless to say, we racked up.
Tyler and Katie were so cute opening their gifts. I forgot to take photos again...whoopsy.
On Christmas Day we headed over to my parent's house and went straight to unwrapping gifts of course. I received workout clothes, pajamas, Dolce and Gabbana's perfume The One, some shopping money (Yay - I do love to shop) and a Clarisonic Mia. Let me tell you, this Clarisonic Mia is amazing. My face feels as soft as a baby's bottom and I'm all glowy. I highly recommend it this to everyone!
Tommy got a new wardrobe and some shopping cash, too. Once again, we were spoiled rotten! Next, we had our not-so-traditional Christmas Day lunch. We enjoyed my mother's homemade chicken and dumplings, which are one of the most spectacular eats on the planet. I love them and could eat them everyday! Also, my dad cooked a brisket on his new smoker, which was also scrumptious. For dessert, we had my mom's homemade chocolate pies which are a necessity every Christmas. I love non traditional meals on Christmas Day. One year, we even did a fish fry that was awesome. We're just random, I guess!
Later that afternoon we headed over to Tommy's late mother's side of the family's home. We had a great time catching up with everyone, playing with the kids, and the doggies.
By the time we got home, I was exhausted, took a bath and got comfy on the couch. For dinner, I had left over chicken and dumplings and chocolate pie.
This morning, we got up and took the Christmas decor down, cleaned the house, and cooked brunch. I'm about to go eat a late lunch (once again, chicken and dumplings) and then head to the YMCA for a workout.
We are truly blessed and so thankful for everything that we have. We are so lucky to have such an amazing family! Thus far, this was the *best* Christmas we've ever had and it had nothing to do with the gifts (although a bonus). I can't tell you how happy we are right now and we're excited about our new adventures in 2012!!!
I hope everyone had a blessed and happy holiday!
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