It was a relaxing Christmas yesterday.  I, of course, got an earlier start on the day than the guys.  The turkey was not completely thawed when I went to put it in the oven (even though we’d moved it from the shop fridge to the house fridge on Sunday) so I was unable to remove the neck bone or plastic leg tie.  (Good thing the instructions specifically said it could be cooked with the plastic left on!)  Then I peeled and diced a 5 pound bag of potatoes so they were ready to boil ‘whenever’ for the mashers. 

 

Alex wandered over mid-morning to ‘check in’,

wearing a festive blinking holiday hat.

I took this selfie! (Possibly my first....)

Alex didn't stay long... 

he had to head back over to his place to wrap the rest of his gifts. 

Once he returned we had just started opening presents when Lisa called before all of her company arrived for the day.  We chatted a bit and of course plan to catch up more on Saturday when she and Logan are here.

All gifts yesterday were much appreciated.  

Among my pile of goodies were cozy fleece-lined mukluks (it’s been wet/cold so far this season and they'll be a big help keeping my tootsies toasty), a quilt license plate frame, wireless earbuds (very good thing Alex was here to help me figure them out…), an Ott lamp (my quilting needs all the help it can get), a soft VelociReader tee, as well as numerous other goodies - with even more reportedly on the way.  And of course there are more nights of Chanukah...

Tom seemed happy with the books I’d gotten him (though the one he started last night, Flatland, has started out somewhat confusing to him) and was extremely happy with the two pairs of snuggly sweatpants (to replace his old baggy ones I can’t wait to throw out!)  He hasn't yet tried them on - maybe today? - when we'll find out if they're a truly good fit. 

Brownie was sure funny with the gift he got from Frannie & Stubby.  He hadn’t shown interest in any of the packages until that one, which got him very excited.  It turned out to be a package of “doughnuts”, and he went wild over them.  



Maybe you heard us laughing at all of his antics?  

His behavior got me to wondering if there is a dog equivalent of catnip.  
So I looked, and this is what I learned -

There is in fact a catnip equivalent for dogs, and it's called anise.  And though catnip is a stimulant for cats, the plant has the opposite effect on dogs and is sometimes used as a sedative or nerve tonic for them.

Maybe that package just had Frannie or Stubby’s scent on them?  
We may never know – but it sure was a huge hit with him!

He was very protective of his new toys,
chasing them and then trying to keep them to himself!

Our mid-day feast also turned out well. While there were not quite as many different dishes as we’d had on Thanksgiving, plates were piled high yesterday and nobody left the table hungry!  Alex and I enjoyed the green bean casserole recipe I chose (there were a surprising number available) and he even went back for seconds.  Afterward we watched some TV to let things settle. There were no NFL games on, but I found a football-themed program forTom and Alex to watch and actually found it quite interesting. It delved into the history of the game and touched on a myriad of social issues. 

Alex headed home for a bit of a break later, returning in time for candles. He was happy with last night’s gift, his annual Roth contribution, and I was happy to receive a trip to Vegas (in January?) to see Terry Fator.  

None of us ever got around to eating any of the leftovers for dinner (I was certainly still stuffed) though the guys did nibble on chocolate (from the mega- tub that Ben & Estera had brought over the other day) while we played three games of Rummikub.  I, of course, eschew chocolate at that time of day but in truth was so full I wasn't even tempted.  Alex won the first game, I won the second, but despite my help with a move (which Alex found “unfair”) Tom did not win the last game, Alex did.

Alex has a hiking trip in Sedona planned for today (should be gorgeous up there with all the new snow) and then snowboarding in Flagstaff on Friday and Saturday.  We should see him on Sunday (at least for the 8^th night of candles) before I head to my “sleep-over” that night and he heads out on Monday.  He’ll get to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Vegas after all (as he’d hoped) before heading to Colorado to work a ski/snowboard event at Breckenridge.

Not surprising that we have NO New Year’s Eve plans here.  (Even when I was much younger staying up late had no appeal.)  These days it’s usually jigsaw puzzle time, though none of the gifts this year turned out to be a new one.  Will keep my eyes open for one this week, or could always borrow a "new" one from someone.

This morning I got back to working the wedding quilt since January 2 is my target date to take it to Cindy to be quilted. In theory that is easily doable IF I concentrate on one column per day.  So far (and this is NOT a challenge to the Universe!) I've only had one block that isn't easily resizing.