BFF 79 Reflecting with a smile a night or two after Christmas...

Mama Sage.  Checking in.

Oh what a weekend it was. We kept busy from the time we got up Friday, Christmas Eve, until the time we hit the sack on Saturday, Christmas night.  I've got a TON of pictures to wade through.  You know me.  Can't let an event go by without recording it through pictures.  I wish I was as good about the blogging of it all.  I was.  I can be again.  And I should be.  Blogs are my journal.  Right now, it's not that important to people that I do it, but I know in years to come it will be.  They will look back and all those who have tisk tisked me, made fun of me, or dreaded my presence, will be thankful that I marked the memories for them.  Yes, I know for sure.  I've already experienced that in other things I've put into actual print for my family. 

The weekend actually started on Thursday night when Kennedy and I spent hours upstairs wrapping and wrapping and wrapping the gifts.  Even with just a couple per person, it was a lot to handle!  Five kids...twelve grandkids...a mother-in-law and hubby.  That's a lotta wrap!  And I enjoyed it.  I enjoyed cutting and taping and putting on a bow.  I have skipped the bow some years and have felt the packages were naked.  This year, we did bows.  I got lucky and was able to enlist the three oldest grandkids and youngest son and hubby to carry it all from the third floor down to the first.  Then once I drug myself down those stairs and I organized them by delivery schedule. 


Once the packages were handled, it was time to ready the stocking candy. I wish I was able to say "fill the stockings."  Sometimes plans change.  I did get the names cross stitched on the new stockings but didn't get the tops edged and stitched to the sock part.  sigh  Oh well.  When that happens, we made do.  We made candy bags up for everyone that was going to be with us for the holidays.  Huge bags!  (Missy, Papa and I shopped together and we sort of over did things)  I had to have the kids bring that down too.  Two HUGE boxes full of pounds and pounds of candy.  And it took even longer to fill those bags than it did to do the wrapping!  I try to evenly distribute the candy.  In the end, I had thirty gallon zip bags half full. 

To bed, to bed, to bed.  SANTA WAS COMING!!!!  He was loading his sleigh for the big day.  I know.  I saw it on the news!

Friday we slept in a while.  We didn't have the baby all weekend so we did definitely take advantage of the extra hours of sleep.  When we finally did get up, Papa loaded the car.  Yep, broken leg and all, it was Papa who took the boxes and crates of things and loaded them in.  We kept things separated so we could unload quickly as we made our stops.  Such a cold Christmas we had this year!!  But I had toasty hands.  Papa got me these awesome gloves, Agloves, that are thin like the stretchy gloves but they have something in them that makes you able to use the touch screen on the phone or car or computer with them on.  Cool!

We donned our special holiday hats and off we went.  The plan was that I would push the button on my hat when we arrived somewhere and Papa would push his on the way out.  Mine played "we are Santa's elves, filling Santa's shelves..."  and his played "have a holly jolly Christmas," pointy part flip floppin' back and forth a-ringin' our bells.  lol


First stop was to see little Melanie and give her and her mommy and daddy their gifts.  Daddy opened his jammy bottoms and Mommy her jammies and little Melanie opened up her shape sorter and clothes with a little help from Mommy.  Soft jammies, lots of socks and some super girl onsies in a pretty pink will look so cute on her.  Missy's family, in fact for all the kids' families, also got a zoo pass but we gave it to them in October so they could go to Boo at the Zoo.  After we visited a little bit and then got back in the van for stop number two. 

When we got to Mom Sage's, we called to tell her we were there.  We don't like to scare her when we come to the door.  She was excited to see we'd brought her gift and was as excited as the little ones are about opening it. 

She loved the soft sweater and tried it on right after opening it.  I was very glad it fit.  I hate returns!  lol  She got me an awesome bag!  A new purse!!  I think it must be the biggest bag LL Bean makes!  lol  Papa got one of those cool flappy ear hats with fur. 

Then on to Kris and Darlene's to deliver their gifts and have a bite to eat.  They had cooked up a ham dinner with corn and taters.  Mmmm good. 

Everyone got their jammies there except Kris who got an Ohio State shirt and hoodie combo, Casey got her DVD and we gave them the gifts for Dusty and Leon.  We got Kris' family a zoo pass too.  We got Brandi a part for her car and Dusty and Lee got a rice cooker.  Sadly we didn't get to see the two older girls.  Everyone was busy this year and it was really difficult to get everyone together at any one time. 

Next on our route was Rusty and Caitlin's.  Rusty was fixing a prime rib dinner and we were invited.  Just us four, the baby and Adam.  We took them their gifts and everyone opened things.  I LOVE my soft sockies.  VERY much!  They have shea in them and feel so good!  Papa got socks and coffee for the Keurig I got him.  He got me a totally gorgeous necklace!  We both got some cool DVD's too.  DESPICABLE ME!!  Yay!  I've wanted it a while!  And candy.  Yummy candy from Harry London's and little boxes of Whitman and Russell Stover.  The boys opened up their Ohio State shirts and hoodies, Cait opened her jammies and Emmi opened up her bag of clothes and her activity walker toy.  She'll be walking soon!!

Then on to Corry and Angel's.  All the kids were there, Kennedy, Mark, Natalie, Zach, Morgan, Haydn and Madison, and so were her parents.  I love the zoo of it all.  Brings back memories of our own house full. 

Kris and Darlene and Casey came too.  All the kids and big folks opened up their jams and then kids their toy/non-clothing gift.  Mark got playstation stuff, Natalie got a curling iron, Kennedy had already opened her DVD, Morgan got her crayon maker, Zach the operation game, Haydn the race track and Madison had a couple little toys. 

When we were done at their place, we came home and relaxed a little then hit the sack. Had to rest up for Christmas Day.

We got up early on Christmas day.  I had to make the strata and get a cookie tray ready.  Rusty's house was first on our list to watch Emmi open her gifts. 

When she was done, we had a very nice brunch.  Adam was there.  Lia and Dale were also there.  A little after we'd gotten there, Missy and Mike and Meli came, Kris and Darlene and Shirley came. Brian came late. The food was awesome and plentiful.  The kids did a great setup.  Pretty. 

We had Belgian waffles, my strata burned (forgotten in the oven sadly), turkey and cheese sandwiches, mini corn dogs, pigs in a blanket, sausage balls, sausage, bacon, breakfast tacos, candies, and cookies, cheese and crackers, tarts, veggie tray, drinks...  Can't remember it all!!  But people, this Mama thinks a mimosa is a waste of perfectly good orange juice!  lol

After we were done at Rusty's we went home to refuel.  Had to let the motor rest a bit before heading to Corry and Angel's for Christmas dinner. 

The house wasn't as full today as it was the night before.  Some of the kids weren't there.  We had ham, corn, potatoes, salad, and a huge dessert table.  Papa went home early to sleep for work.  Rusty took him.  Angel's mom and dad, sister and brother-in-law and niece and nephew came and so did Brian, Cait, Rusty, Em and Adam. 

So now it's Monday night.  We've had many calls from family and to family and we've still got more calls to make.  I'm shaking my head at how things have changed.  Shaking it feeling content yet still missing the way it was.  A lot. And just like we miss what was when we were growing up, the next generation will too.  And they will wonder when it changed.  And how.  And they too will hunger for what was still content with what is. 

Waiting for the day when it changes again.  Waiting for nostalgia to strike hearts.  And it will.  And I will smile remembering.  Oh remembering.

Hope you had as great a weekend as we did.  Be safe and God bless you in the New Year.

~~Mama Sage

To those wondering why I don't have full pictures of Missy and her family.  Mike doesn't want pictures of himself or of their baby on the internet.  If you want me to, I am allowed to email them to you personally.  Message me.  Holiday hugs...  ~~Mama Sage