Christmas Blessings!

You know… I sat down to write this blog, and was like… how in the heck do I write down everything from the past 10 days?  I think going forward, I should have taken the time out of the day to write down all the funny moments.  Looking back, it’s hard to remember what made you laugh (or cry) and why it was so funny at the time.  So, down below I have listed out all the things we did on each day (which mostly included baking!!!) and try to throw in a few humorous anecdotes.

Saturday the 18th - pack up car, leave at 8:30 AM, randomly find my friend Diana (who lives not far from my parents in Arkansas… Fort Smith to be exact) on the road in Huntsville, TX where she follows us for a bit.  Lose her for awhile, but we meet up in McAlister for some ice cream so she can walk her dog.  Total fluke of luck that we found her and were able to have a quick chit chat.  Get to the house around 6:30 and just chill and unpack.  Mom made enchilada’s for us for dinner, yum yum!!!

Sunday the 19th- we all went to 11:00 church which boasted a fabulous choir and Christmas story.  We ate lunch at Mad Pizza, saw the Burlesque movie, Katie went back to Springfield, and we shopped for a new Christmas village at Melody’s Choices at the Pinnacle Promenade.  For dinner we just had regular ol’ sausage and crackers for dinner.  We ended the night playing the Wii. Robert spends an hour doing the Wii Fit Ski Jump (you squat down the hill then release to fly through the air… the goal is to go the farthest in the air).  Never fear… Rob did set the record.  As a matter of fact, he set all 10 places.  Funny thing is though… he did it as “Debbie.”  Poor kid, he’ll never be given the credit!

Me and my sisters before we see Burlesque

Monday the 20th- we slept in, Kirstie went to track practice, my parents worked and mom took off work early.  She graciously decided to eats lunch w/ Robert and I at Taco Bueno.  I freaking love Taco Bueno.  It took like 12 years for Arkansas to get them… and then I moved to Houston where they don’t have them!  It’s grossly unfair!!!  Two party burritos every time baby!  Rob rand errands for the afternoon (his parent’s weren’t back yet from their business trip… and as it turned out, the Maguires were busy, our niece and nephew were sick, and grandma Joan was sick..so basically Rob just ran around haha).  While Rob ran around,  mom and I baked ranger cookies.  These cookies consist of your typical cookie dough, oatmeal, and rice krispies.   The tough part was rolling them into balls… it was the funniest thing though, the cookies stuck to mom’s hands like glue, while they rolled off mine like water runs off a wall.  Kirk came home and then we quickly baked plain sugar cookies.  When dad got back from work, we all ate dinner at Guido’s.  I also freaking love Guido’s.  BEST PIZZA EVER.  I’m not joking here.  You can’t go wrong w/ it. Later, we iced the sugar cookies using new recipe we found on Google.  We wanted an icing that would dry hard and make the cookies stackable.  Kind of what you see at professional cookie icing places (haha).  Our recipe included: confectioners sugar, corn syrup, milk, and almost extract plus any food coloring you wanted.  For a future note:  X-nay almond extract.  It was nasty!!!!  It did harden up like we wanted it to!  Very shiny too.  You’ll see later that we re-do these using Vanilla extract.  It was much better!  While we were icing, dad found his favorite Christmas movie on TV:  Christmas vacation.  Dad laughed so much, it was hilarious.  It wasn’t just like a “Ha. Ha.”, laugh… it was more like a “HEHEHEHEHEHEHE” laugh.  The.whole.time.

Me, mom and Kirk working on our icing skills.  So, they
are a little pastel... we tried!



Dad getting his giggle on during the Christmas Vacation movie



Tuesday the 21st- We sleep in…again!, Kirstie goes to track practice, parents work (no take off early).  Me, Rob and Kirk make homemade rice krispie treats once Kirstie came back home.  They were delish by the way.  Of course, we played the Wii some more.  Kirstie and Robert took Scout on a walk by themselves so she’ll go “poo.”  I had dinner with two of my bestest friends in the entire world: Michelle Hurst & Lindsey Bain at Olive Garden.  We chatted about work and other amusing topics.  Dad and Robert went eat at Schlotzcky’s together because Mom and Kirk took off to run errands and then later made snickerdoodles (w/o me, tear).



Rob and Kirstie about to take Scout for her 'poo' walk!



Wednesday the 22nd- We packed up all our stuff and moved it over to the Meier’s house.  The Meier’s came home from their business trip late that day.  Mom came home early again from work.  She loves to see her daughter!!!!  This time we make peanut butter balls.  This includes: 2 POUNDS OF PEANUT BUTTER, 3 POUNDS OF POWDERED SUGAR, and 1 POUND OF BUTTER.  It was kind of disgusting.. but amazing all at the same time.  When mom put it into the Kitchen Aid mixer.. I was just waiting for it to all go ‘poof’ when she started it.  But it didn’t (I did have my camera ready though).  Turns out… the ol’ mixer could barely handle all that peanut butter.  It was awesome.   And you know… someone had to make all that peanut butter (can you even call it dough?? I don’t think so) turn into peanut butter balls.  Well, that would be me.  Then they had to be frozen.   Later that day, Nana & Pop arrived from Sinton w/ their extremely old dog, Susie.  How Susie is still ticking, I’ll never know.  Mom cooked up a hearty stew for dinner.  She even found the spare time to make Take 5 candies (pretzel, peanut butter, chocolate, and caramel).  Robert and I have dinner w/ Joe (Rob’s old college roommate and good friend) and his fiancé Laura and his family at Guido’s.  As stated above, I NEVER turn down a chance for Guido’s when I am home.  We head back to my house where Rob also eats stew.  Rob can never turn down a good stew (I usually can).  Then, we visit with the grandparents.  Mom, then dips the butter balls into chocolate.  The chocolate recipe called for Paraffin wax.. we all had a serious debate on whether or not that was safe to eat.  The ruling was:  Per Google, it is safe to eat!!!   After that, we headed back to Meier’s to visit w/ them and go to bed.



This would be the making of the peanut butter balls.
That is with only a pound of sugar.  We had to add it slowly.





Mom and I working on the Take 5 candies.



Thursday the 23rd- Not too much goes on… mom does not have to work, but dad does as well as the Meier’s.  We have brunch with grandparent’s Maguire’s at Cracker Barrell.  I love Cracker Barrell pancakes… though I do usually have to head to the loo afterwards.  But enough about that….    We played the Wii a lot and even get Nana and Pop on the Wii.  Funnies t thing ever.  Seriously.  Just look at the picture below.  They bowled and played the ski jump game.  Both were quite good bowlers.  We all took turns doing the ski jump… and rob had set the record so high, that none of us were ever able to make it into the top 10.  Neither could Rob.  Whatever he did the few days before was gone?  Hmm… did he cheat?!?  Never!, he says!!  Dad plays the bird game where he has to flap his wings.  Also funniest thing ever.  He just stands there w/ his arms a flappin’!  And afterwards, he’s breathing all hard.   Mom made chicken parmesan for dinner…which is also another favorite of mine (and Rob’s)!     Kate arrives before parmesan from Springfield.  With her, she brought really cute Christmas cupcakes.  We are talking almost professional iced cupcakes.  They were awesome… she even had a special cupcake carrier.  I was a little jealous of that.  However, I should probably not own a cupcake carrier b/c that would require me to make cupcakes and then I would just eat them all.  After dinner, we headed to the Fayetteville square where we walked the lighted square.  Sarah Johnson (family friend) gets proposed to on the square the very same night… only a few hours earlier.  We were sure sorry we missed it!  After that, Robert and I headed back to the Meier’s were we  baked even more sugar cookies… except this time we proceeded to eat almost the whole box as soon as they come out of the oven.  Ooops!  They were sure yummy.  They were the kind of sugar cookie that comes in the box w/ either the tree, snowman, or reindeer inside of the cookie.

Pop getting his bowl on!

Nana working on her ski jump skills!



The whole gang at the Fayetteville square!



Friday the 24th (Christmas Eve)- Rob and I helped wrap presents for Chris Meier, we visited the Meier’s at the store while they worked the Christmas Eve crowd, and later headed to my parent’s house where we iced a new batch of sugar cookies using Vanilla Extract instead of almond extract.  Two words:  WAY BETTER.  Dinner was Tortilla Soup, tamales, and chili.  A good Texas style Christmas Eve dinner!!  Around 7 o’clock we head to Christmas eve service.. first we stop in on Denny Bell (mom’s boss) and drop off cookies.  Then, we head to Johnson’s (family friend) where we watch Sarah’s daughter, Avery, open her Christmas present and check out their new puppy, Bella, a shih tzu.  Then, we finally head to the actual Christmas Eve service at nine o’clock. We all really enjoyed the church service, Robert Cupp was the preacher and Mickey Rapier the head worship leader.  Very low key and wonderful.  Ran into some old friends, too.  We then ended back at the Meier’s house to prepare for a three Christmas, Christmas day.

The Ladies on Christmas Eve

Saturday the 25^th (Christmas Day!)- There’s really way too much to document here so I’m going to do it in the Jessica’s shortest version:  Wake up early, head to my house for Christmas.  Open presents, eat a fantastic lunch consisting of ham, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit salad.   Have chocolate pie, pecan pie, apple pie, peanut butter balls, and sugar cookies for dessert.  Head to Maguire’s household around 12:15.  Eat lunch around 1:00.. eat the amazing noodles that grandma Maguire makes, watch a little kid run wild, visit with Ryan & Stacy, admire Grandma Lori’s Christmas Village.  Play dirty Santa w/ gift cards, open up presents from Kathleen.  Lori, Sam, Tristan, and Maddison show up.  Visit w/ everyone a little longer.  Head to Meier’s around 5:30.  Eat a dinner consisting of salad, steak, and twice baked baked potatoes.  Meet Scott’s new girl... Amy and her son Julius.  Open up a lot of presents.  Say goodbye to all the little kids as they go off to bed w/ their parents…  Play a game of dice w/ Chris, Randy, Jordan, Ryan, Stacy, and Robert… I win the first game and Robert wins the second.  I might have set a record w/ the longest dice roll of 6,300.  It was kind of amazing.  Should have headed to the Casino.  Take a bubble bath to unwind from the long day, and sleep blissfully.

On a side note:  Robert and I did get wonderful things for Christmas, I got a purple pea coat and a new James Avery ring (thank you Mama Hesseltine!), our first piece of our Christmas village, scarves, razorback shirts, Christmas decorations for the apartment, movies, gift cards, handy items for the kitchen, and assortment of other items and bags.  And probably most important…  cash!  J  We were truly blessed by the gift giving this year.  Thank you everyone!!!



All of us in our new pea coats!!



Lucy & Ricky on Christmas Day



Sunday the 26th-  eat a brunch w/ all of the immediate Meier family minus Scott (Rob’s older brother).  Chill around the Meier house, play some Wii games including, shuffleball, darts, and bowling.  I also won darts.  Maybe I should quit my day job??  Robert even played a Dora the Explorer game w/ Maddison and Christine.  Christine worked on our recipe book from our wedding shower and finished that up and then Stacy & I admired our new found recipes.  Later, we headed to dinner w/ Kathleen (one of Rob’s moms), grandparents Maguire, and Anne & Mike Newell, friends of grandparents Maguire, and Ryan and Stacy.  Robert and I split a NY Strip (11 oz) and a baked potato and salad.  Sour cream on the side, of course.  Filled up on wonderful butter rolls, too!  We had some excellent conversations and enjoyed catching up w/ everyone.  Head to my house where mom, nana, kirk, and I head to the NW Quad, Kirstie’s dorm so that Kirk can do her track practice in a long hallway.  Too cold to do outside.  She is probably the only person in the world who actually hard core practiced the day after Christmas.  But she did!  I saw her!  Mom also vacuums and cleans her dorm room… now I know why Kirk was so adamant about practicing at her dorm!! Hahaha!  We head back to the house where Kirstie packs for her trip to the Rodeo w/ Josh in Memphis.  I never could find evidence of this rodeo on the internet, so he might have been pulling her leg.  She tried on multiple outfits.  We finally decided on one for her to wear.. blue jeans, cowboy boots, white polo long-sleeve.. with a blue sweater.  You can even check out her facebook... she did wear it! And then we visited w/ the grandparents for one last time.  Later, we headed back to the Meier’s around 9:45 at night where we packed it all up and went to bed.

Monday the 27th- pack up the car, eat a breakfast burrito, and drive home!  Left at 8:45 AM.  Get home around 6:45 PM. 

The End.  Phew!!!!  I know, I know.  It was a lot.  But, it WAS A LOT!  Now that you read it, imagine typing that whole thing and trying remembering back!  But, as I read over it… I know I’ve left out some of the funniest things… for example, Robert and I have become so used to Houston’s humidity that we had to put lotion on ourselves every 2 hours b/c we were so dry.  I was telling Stacy (sister-in-law) this, and she looked at me weird… because we are going up there to Colorado to visit them on the 31^st and if we were dry now.. just wait until we go to CO!  I told her to have a jug of lotion ready!!! 

Or.. how my cute little niece, Maddy, went around saying “puppy.” For two days straight.  Maybe more than that.  She knows other words, but puppy was her choice of words.  Or how she tried to tell Uncle Bob and Uncle Ryan apart.  She couldn’t. But she did like to say Uncle Bob… to both of them! Or, if she just got too confused, she would say… you guessed it, “puppy.”

Overall, it was one heck of Christmas though!  I love my family.



I had to show Kate's cupcakes... AWESOMEness!



And of course, we had to get our pic by the hog on the square!