IT'S ALL ABOUT FAMILY!

MONDAY:
Wash day, pay bills, what ever.
After supper, I looked for my Power Sorter Box (scrap booking) and brought it and my 2011 Christmas photos upstairs to the dining room table.  I spread out the plastic pages and preceded to sort and place the photos in the page format that I wanted in the album.  That only took about an hour. 

MY PAGE LAYOUTS.

Then I went back downstairs to scrap in my tiny cubbyhole.  I decided I wanted to make a wreath with date on the first page.  I wanted to use the family faces as ornaments on the wreath.  I had a group photo that I started to punch out circles of the faces.  Oh dear, some are so close that I need more of the same photo developed.  Hay Bob! 

While scrapping, Debbie called.  Rocco's uncle from Toronto passed away and that will change dinner plans for Thursday until later.  The funeral was Thursday.  Canadians do not celebrate Thanksgiving.  She asked if I would mind fixing both turkeys.   I didn't mind but I'd need her roaster too. 
Since Bob had a doctors check up tomorrow, I told her we could figure things out when we get there.
TUESDAY:
I was up with the lead bird this morning.  So I whipped up my banana bread recipe (I added nuts & chopped dates).  I did all the dishes while it baked.
I like it made a couple days ahead of cutting it  so the flavor goes all around.  The recipe makes 3 mini loaves,  Umm good! 
Then I drove over to Michael's with my coupon to buy more scrap booking supplies.  Plus they had 12X12 paper pages on sale; 6/$1.00.  I wanted to change the color used this year which is how I separate the years in an album.  Just looking at Christmas baskets gave me an idea...they were pretty in Burgundy, black and gold.  I didn't have any other idea so thought I'll try that which meant that I had to cut another circle for the wreath.


After lunch, we drove to Lockport.  Bob had a good report from the doctor.  Doc doesn't like our current insurance or the one that we had picked out to change too.  Hoya Hoya.  He suggests Independent Health.
We visited at Debbie's, enjoying coffee and left over cookies from the party.    Bob worked on an outdoor speaker that had quit working.  He had to go for fuses.  Then the white lights on Debbie's  Christmas tree  wouldn't come on so the two of them crawled under the edge of the tree and figured out the problem there. 
On the way home, we called Tulley's for  orders of chicken tenders.   Betsy was picking Sarah up at the Rochester airport and they would be home shortly.  After the meal, we had birthday cake made by the Cake Boss of NY City.  It wasn't worth the money!
WEDNESDAY:
A real quite day.  I was home alone again.  Betsy had work and Sarah had plans.  Bob went fishing again with David and Eric. 

ERIC AND BOB

TIME OUT TO FIX THE LINES
  DAVID & ERIC

Fishing wasn't good as there was an emergency at the dam and they stopped the water from going over; with low water, not many fish coming up stream.  David caught one fish.
I chopped celery and onions to have ready in the morning.  I just did lots of little jobs.  I've put the turkeys in cold water to finish defrosting, then I made a bee line to do more scraping. 
Aunt Phyllis sent this photo of a reindeer that her daughter, Susie, made.  Susie is an artist, living in Alaska and she constructed the body then covered it with paper mache.  Doesn't it look real.




Clever art work.

THURSDAY:
Betsy and I had the two turkeys all stuffed and ready to go in the roasters by 11:00.  I cut the banana, date & nut  bread and buttered it; ready to go.  Then I fixed the creamed green beans; ready to go.  Then we sat around until time to shower and go.  Christianna called about 3:20pm to say they were back in America and would be home in about 30 minutes. (They had the funeral in Toronto)
Once at the DeVoe home, everyone pitched in to make the salads and potatoes.  Christianna's table looked so elegant with her new china and crystal.  Geesh, everything in her kitchen is brand new! 



Even the turkey platter is new.

 

Rocky & Joe


 

HAPPY LOVE BIRDS

 

 

 

BABY MASON WAS A JOY!
JOE'S BROTHER, ANTHONY, (SL) TAMMY, AND GRANDMA ROSALIE.

We all had a wonderful evening, with food, football, children's movies, and great company.  We talked to Alex on Face Time again.  He says that he and his roommates made an 18 pound turkey; which I just can't believe.

 FRIDAY:

Today is one of those days where it's hard to get going; tired, too much food, and just a slumpy day. 

 

We played around with photos; deleting the bad ones then posted them to Face book so the relatives in other states could see them.

 

Bob and Betsy brought up the Christmas trees for the living room and dining room, plus all the boxes of decos.   There they sit!

 

I hadn't seen Eric yet so the girls made plans for the family to go out to dinner at the Olive Garden up near Galleria.  Everyone talked about Black Thursday shopping.   David, Donna, Debbie and Rocco had gone out for it.  Dinner was followed by the movie, SKYFALL (James Bond).   The current James Bond is just to short for the part; he isn't good looking, he isn't suave.  Bring back Sean Connery!

SATURDAY & SUNDAY:
This was a real holiday weekend, sit around, eat, sit around.   I started the washing early so I have time to go with Bob to the eye doctor on Monday. 
We enjoyed visiting with Sarah.  She has found an apartment in Boston and just hired a moving company. 
I made the apple pie in the cookie sheet recipe so I could give some to Eric to take back to Utica. Other than that, I put up the Disney Loony Toon houses on the flower planter wall by the steps.    Betsy decorated the living room tree so now it's just my tree with the glass ornaments to decorate. 
We watched the Bill's game.  Steeler's and Brown's wasn't on here.
And soon the shopping will begin.  We exchanged names on turkey day so everyone would have them for the Black Friday extravaganza!
 
About it for now.   I'm ready to post and go sit some more.  Have a good week and again; thanks for clicking in.

GOLDEN GRAM