Christmas Recap, Part One

Clearly, things have been busy and I haven't managed to finish a post in quite some time. Hopefully, this week I can catch up!

Card handmade by Sarah. Love!

Thanksgiving to Christmas is always a busy time of the year for us. This year was no exception. Around the second week in December, Robert left for New Orleans for a week and then traveled to Boston the following week which added a bit of extra stress since Layla and I were on our own. Luckily, we got most of our Christmas shopping done early so we spend a good bit of time wrapping presents and decorating the house. And of course, we also spent a lot of time in the kitchen, baking cookies and candy for co-workers, friends, family and neighbors.

Almond Cream Cheese Cookies, Salted Dark Chocolate Peanut Brittle,
Classic Sugar Cookies, Mint Chocolate Cloud Cookies 

We celebrated Christmas with Robert's parents two Sundays before Christmas. This worked out well with all of our schedules as opposed to trying to "have Christmas" on a weeknight. I am so excited about our big gift from them, a new buffet. I love to entertain and we're working on getting the house furnished so that we can have a proper dinner party. The buffet is beautiful and looks great in our dining room!

On the 23rd, we made the trip up to Decatur. That night, we cooked steaks, made a grocery store run, and hung out with my family. I am so appreciative of the time we get to spend with my parents and two sisters, as they seem to be few and far between as we get older.

Monday, we hosted my Dad's family for Christmas Eve. All the little kids get gifts and the adults play dirty Santa. We walked away with a wine fridge and some Kate Spade earrings. Not too shabby! And yes, I brought the earrings as my gift so I was thrilled to take them home! After the festivities ended, Nat and I went with Dad to take my grandmother back to the nursing home. While we were there, Dad and Nana had a discussion about how to make homemade biscuits that was just priceless. Maybe I'm overly sentimental, but as I get older I'm realizing how important it is to treasure these little moments.

I'll be back with a post on Christmas day, goodness what a long day!