Merry Christmas for Real This Time!

I'm just popping in for a quick post. There's been a lot going on.

 Most of the midwest and upper south have been hit with snow and frigid temperatures. We woke up on Friday morning with -4 degrees.

We had ice on every threshold in the house--that's 10 doors to the outside! And I do mean ice--not just frost!

That's pretty darn cold for us. We had just a little snow, but it was the ice that was the problem. I had to go out to pick up the caramel cake I"d ordered from Dessert Designs and tea punch from The Picnic. The roads were definitely slick! I took the long way to avoid the snow/ice covered backroads. 

That cold weather hit Morgan the day before us. She stayed in and did her baking:

We have so much food! I don't think I can fit one more thing in the refrigerator.

It's a good thing it's cold--although I'm not sure how I'll keep stuff from freezing. This is how it looked after our dinner on Friday night. 

And then, I had to use the garage steps for the overflow!

I woke up in the middle of the night thinking, "OMGosh! What if we have mice?" We've had mice in the garage before. Luckily, everything was fine!

Here we go--round four of meals in the dining room. Only 6 of us for Christmas Day--easy peasy.

I managed to make it through with the one tablecloth. 

Our "secret santa" exchange this year--organized by Stephanie--was a holiday theme--any holiday. Most everyone picked Christmas because that is what was most available. We have a $20 gift limit. This has become part of our Christmas Eve breakfast tradition. After eating, we stay in the dining room and exchange those gifts. 

I drew Butch for the 2nd time in about 6 or 7 years. Guys are too hard! So, I opted for something practical!

Who doesn't need another pair of underwear??

This was the most unusual gift. Justin drew Stephanie. Since she already had "elf of the shelf," he gave her "Snoop on the Stoop!"

Isn't that hilarious? Snoop dog!!

What isn't so hilarious? Looks like our freezer is out. So on top of cooking today and getting the house back in order, I get to clean out the freezer! No rest for the weary! Merry Christmas to me!!

Okay, Merry Christmas to you too! I better get back to it!!