We had a very odd mix of Merry and Miserable this Christmas!
Of course it was wonderful to be together and enjoy the special day, but we had a few worries thrown into the works resulting in a few mix ups as well
Poor Santa had to wait a very long time for us to go to bed on Christmas Eve as we were up to 3 am with a very sick puppy dog, lunch really became dinner with rushing around, poor BigJ ended up with an incredibly nasty burn when boiling oil splashed over his hand when he was helping in the kitchen, and littlej didn't sleep for days as she was stressed and worried about her furry friend.
Despite all this, we managed to find moments of peace and joy in the midst of it all- enough anyway to appreciate each other and count our blessings after all
Welcome to a brief glimpse of our Christmas 2013, Before and After...
Our room Before 7 am Christmas Morning...
So pretty and perfect, colour co-ordinated and everything
Our room After about 7.15 am Christmas morning!
Paper and presents everywhere, lots of fun and love and laughter
Roast lamb, pork and turkey; duck fat potatoes; scalloped potato bake; beans and greens with pine nuts and truffle oil; two tone dutch carrots; roast onions and garlic; pan gravy and various jellies and sauces
The dining table After lunch...
So much eaten, not enough gone! Just because it's for the four of us, I see no good reason not to go all out and cook enough for a feast. Nothing goes to waste, I promise you!
A dinner plate Before saying Grace...
The dinner plate shortly After...
The festive feast Before lunch...
The festive feast After lunch
Boxed up and ready for the fridge. What we didn't eat the next day was then sliced up and frozen into meal-lots. I'm planning on chicken pot-pie, pork rice paper rolls and lots of other yummies. I do like having a bit of a break over the the holidays and these leftovers along with the ham and smoked leg of lamb in the fridge, make life a lot simpler
Our dog Before becoming violently ill on Christmas Eve...
He went rapidly down hill which resulted in a frantic dash to the emergency after hours Vet on Christmas Day
Our dog After 2 days in hospital...
You can see how much weight he lost so quickly, although I'm sure he's much cooler now with a shaved tummy. He was diagnosed with severe pancreatitis and is now happily on the mend. We're not sure how it happened as he hadn't eaten anything unusual that we know of. The vet said it could have been a gradual build up of fatty foods over time, and I'm certainly guilty of feeding him that as we generally find it hard to get him to keep much weight on as he doesn't eat very much at all. He is a remarkably fussy eater, burying a cupcake, but stealing all the tomatoes and strawberries he can reach in the garden
My wallet Before the vet bill....
All ready for the Sales
My wallet After the vet bill...
littlej did kindly offer to return all her Christmas presents if it would help- which nearly broke our hearts. Thank goodness no operation was needed, or things may have indeed been a little dicey! It could have been a lot worse though, as our SIL had to rush her dog to the same vet on Boxing Day after it was bitten by a Tiger Snake. Despite anti venom, it just wasn't enough and she sadly lost her little friend. We are very blessed to have our doggie still, although I've said that instead of presents on birthdays this coming year,you get to pat the dog instead!
littlj's Gingerbread House
So Dear Readers, did you enjoy this Christmas, and did everything go according to plan for you these holidays?
Posts
