Christmas Week

Well I did end up calling McDonalds!

…But on Christmas Eve, not Christmas day!

So here is what we did this week:

On Christmas Eve, C went and did some last minute shopping. We got a big package today of food goodies sent by our sunday school class! Just in time! E sure enjoyed the marshmallows! We also got some cards with it. (Seems like the wait until they have a bunch of stuff to bring because we haven’t gotten any single cards in the mailbox, just a bunch when they deliver a package.) I spent the later part of the day doing some precooking. We had plans to have lunch with friends so I didn’t want to be in the kitchen all morning. I wanted to be playing with my toys. So on Christmas Eve, after C went to the late Candelight service at a local church (which was apparently packed!)

I made Oreo Truffles (a friend sent the ingredients except cream cheese which we have here) on Sunday so that was to be our dessert. I made up some cornbread for the cornbread dressing. I assembled it and put it in the fridge so all I had to do the next day was pop it in the oven. (Thanks for the cornbread packet and celery salt!) I also started the turkey breast filet brining in some sugar and salt and water in the fridge overnight. It was a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen that I found and it tasted good on Thanksgiving so I thought I would do it again. It only said to brine for 3-6 hours but I hoped more wouldn’t hurt it. The amounts of salt and sugar were also for a whole bird, so I just threw some in the bowl. My fellow non-measuring cooks should be proud. It turned out fine.

I was exhausted by the end of the day and my throat was starting to hurt but I was hoping it was nothing. We ordered McDonalds (delivery) for dinner. I did not sleep well, partially due to that, partially due to the excitement that tomorrow was Christmas!

C didn’t sleep too well either and a little before 7 he woke up and got everything situated for E and I to wake up. At 7 he woke us up. We said “Merry christmas!” to E and she said “can I open my presents now?” C had the computer set up to skype with my parents and facetime with his mom. We called them and E looked at her stocking. Then we opened presents and talked with our parents. E had cookies that are sort of like snowballs out of her stocking for breakfast. Oh and a lollypop. The whole time we were opening presents, she kept asking to eat it and we kept saying when we were done she could or else everything would get sticky. Of course the grandmas on the phone kept rooting for us to give it to her already. My parents also opened their presents from us. (7 am here is 11 pm the night before there and 9 pm where C’s mom was.)

Wow, this is a lot to open!

Someone sent E a DVD of Dr Seuss movies that she watched while I finished cooking. I made a sweet potato casserole and put the turkey and dressing in the oven. Then I had time to get ready so it worked out that I didn’t have too much cooking to do that morning. I had also bought some cranberries and heated them with a little liquid to make a cranberry sauce. My friend had done that on Thanksgiving and E loved it, so I thought I would do that again. (She loved it again and kept asking for “red stuff”.)

Then the doorbell rang! Could it be one of our families packages that we hadn’t seen yet even though it had been a while? No it wasn’t, but it was still a fun surprise package from the preschool department with some books and pictures and crafts for E. We also got a bunch of Christmas cards! Definitely never recieved mail on Christmas before! It was super fun to look at the cards and E decorated a cute Christmas tree craft.

Our friends came for lunch and brought some yummy twice baked potato casserole and dessert! We also shared a Dr Pepper that C’s language helper brought him back from a recent trip he took to California. We each drank a little bit in a tiny cay glass!

After we stuffed ourselves, we opened a few gifts. Then it was time for E to nap. After she napped, we all went over to some other American’s house, some friends with three kids that E loves to play with.

It was still a little slushy out and they live on a hill, so it was quite the feat to walk up the hill to their house! Luckily no one fell. They had some snacks out on the table, cheese and crackers and cookies, so E grazed all evening but for dinner we had enchiladas! We enjoyed hanging out with them a while and then headed home about 8:30 when they were going to skype with their family. By then, I could tell the sore throat was getting worse. At least it had let me enjoy Christmas!

We came home and I talked to one friend on the phone before heading straight to bed. The next day I spent in the bed! My friend who came over had the same thing so it must be going around. The day after that was some better but not totally so I didn’t go to class that day and rested some more. Friday I went to class and then grocery shopping and all of that wore me out! Today is Saturday and somehow yesterday my nose flared up a little, but I am mostly better.