Friday, December 25, 2009

It's Christmas!!

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How was your Christmas? I hope it was joyous, fun-filled, and that you were surrounded by family. Mine was all these things.

It's so amazing that we really don't start our Christmas that early anymore. Our children are now adults and they relish getting to sleep in as much as opening presents. I slept in until 9:00 and let my dogs out, made coffee and got dressed. After a leisurely breakfast of milk toast (for me - gentle on my diverticulitis), we gathered in the family room to open presents. It was lovely. My family showered me with Precious Moments figurines that they had gotten at a garage sale and I love them!

As a side note, I must tell you that our family is not insulted at all by receiving nice gifts from yard sales, thrift stores or the like. Many years ago, my husband and I went through financial difficulties that forced us to re-think our spending habits. We still have to watch every penny (remember, my husband is a realtor) and so we watch for things that each other would like through the year at all our favorite thrift stores and garage sales. For instance, my youngest son loves to collect sports cards and has for years. I watch all for them everywhere and hide them until Christmas or his birthday to give him. He loves them all and doesn't care where they came from. I'm the same way. My family has given me so many lovely things that used to belong to someone else. The Precious Moments figurines were still in boxes and everything - what do I care if I am not the first owner? We don't buy junk or broken things, of course, but you would be amazed at the wonderful, beautiful and useful things we have found. This allows us to spend within our budget but have more for our money. We do buy new things, too, but buying this other way, allows us to buy more and varied things.

After opening our gifts, we prepared the ham, cheesy potatoes, baked beans, creamed corn and green beans and popped everything in the oven. While this was cooking, we watched "A Christmas Story" and played games. After we ate our Christmas dinner, my husband and sons played poker while I napped in the chair. I'm still having pain so the nap was a welcome relief.

Now the guys are watching football and I'm just relaxing and watching TV. Such a nice day - peaceful and full of love.

God bless you - Julie

4 comments:

  1. What an awesome sounding Christmas Day! I really laughed when I read about your breakfast of milk toast, as it is one of my favorites too. Most people don't have a clue what it is, and aren't brave enough to try it. Our family also loves finding treasures at thrift stores and garage sales. I think I love your family, maybe because it sounds just like mine.

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  2. Sounds like you all had a great Christmas as family.We have three kids and four grandkids with one on the way, and a couple of years ago, we decided not to buy for anyone but the grandkids.
    Our kids don't buy for us and we don't buy for them, and they are fine with this. Our kids buy for all the kids in our family.
    My wife and I don't buy for eachother either, never have, but we buy eachother things through the whole year.
    I know it sounds confussing b/c I can't word it right, but all the grandkids get the gifts.
    Everyone has to watch their spending these days, and if they don't know that we love them after 364 days gone by, then they never know by one day, and a gift.
    I hope your feeling better, and God bless you and your family.

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  3. Sorry you aren't feeling the best. (BTW, what IS milk toast?) We are seeing a Christian naturalist for some issues (headaches, etc) and it's helped a lot.

    I liked your comments on gifting garage sale items. I'm learning more and more that frugality is not only a "sport" but a blessing. (http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/whirlwind/749810/)

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  4. Julie, I can't wait for your recipe for milk toast. (My recipe is homemade bread toasted, dipped in hot milk then served with butter and cheddar cheese ... yum!) Is this the way you make it too?

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