Christmas: The Celebration

We spent Christmas in GC with Brandon's family and we totally left our camera at home.  In the rush to get everything packed into our car we completely forgot about it.  However, I should clarify that we didn't take any pictures of our celebration with my family either...we relied on our sis-in-law to carry the photography load (thanks Nat!).  Anyways, needless to say we have developed a bad habit of not documenting our lives via the camera (sounds like we might have a good New Years resolution) so I apologzie for the lack of pictures in this post.

We headed out on Friday with Brandon's sister so we could get to town in time for her baby shower that evening.  We had a fun time celebrating the upcoming birth of a new niece or nephew and seeing the Brungardt's friends and family.

Saturday morning we got around leisurely, enjoyed a yummy breakfast, ran a few errands, prepped food for our Christmas Eve dinner, went to church, ate dinner with Brandon's grandma and uncle, and opened gifts.  Pam and Craig definitely went above and beyond this year!  I received a beautiful quilt that Pam quilted herself (once I receive pictures from her camera I will post them for everyone to see) and Brandon received a new GPS which will come in handy for road trips.  Oh, and Koby got a cute stuffed duck that you can launch like a rubber band!  It was a total hit!!

Sunday morning we got up and enjoyed yummy homemade cinnamon rolls and got around for the big Christmas celebration with Pam's family.  I didn't count, but I would say we had roughly 30 people gathered together for the day.  We ate great food (again), played games (Brandon and I were at a table playing Uno Rummy - whoa!  It takes Rummy to a whole new level), opened gifts, and just enjoyed each other's company.  I think I heard Pam say this was the first time all of her siblings and most of their kids had been together for Christmas in a long time.  FUN!

After a few stops in GC yesterday, we made our way home.  I always hate the after-Christmas crash.  The build up all through December is so fun and then all of the sudden Christmas is just over.  Now, it's time to take down the decorations and start the prep work for our house projects that are set to begin this week.  We are both working this week and then we have one more Christmas celebration with the Bohn family this weekend so I suppose we still have a little Christmas to look forward to.

I hope your Christmas was filled with special memories!

Christmas: Early Edition

We celebrated the first of our two Christmases this past weekend with my family...and I hosted!  One of the main reasons we purchased a larger house was because we wanted to be able to host family gatherings and be comfortable rather than crammed.  And, the new house served that purpose well.

We did a lot of eating (more on this in a different post), a little game playing, walked through Illuminations (we had perfect weather!), had a birthday party for Jesus, watched Lifetime movies (the ladies did anyway), went to church, and then cleaned up the mess!  It was a whirlwind of a weekend, but we had a great time together.

{The girls were very excited to help everyone open their gifts :)}

{Christmas Koby!}

{Christmas Koby and his momma}



{Christmas dinner table.  I love using my china!}




{The whole family at the entrance of Illuminations}




{Aww...how sweet!}




{Happy Birthday, Jesus!}

 After everyone headed home we took a short breather and then headed to our very first neighborhood Christmas party!  It is safe to say we were one of two "young" couples in attendance, but it was fun to meet everyone.  As we were walking home we were talking about how nice it is to socialize with neighbors and how we already felt so welcome in the new 'hood. 

Christmas 2011: Baking

I mentioned yesterday that I had Christmas baking recipes swirling in my head.  I'm planning to make up a few trays to deliver to our new neighbors and a few other friends and since December 1 is Thursday I decided that I should do a little less swirling and a little more list making.  So here I am with a list of recipes that I want to try out this year.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles: I made these for Thanksgiving and got compliments from my 4 and 5 year old nieces so I know they were a hit!

Soft Gingersnap Cookies: A new recipe this year.  I love gingersnaps and figured a soft gingersnap couldn't be terrible :)

Candy Cane Marshmallow Sticks: I'm thinking of setting up a hot cocoa bar when I host my family for Christmas and I think these guys would be a perfect addition to the bar.

Peppermint Bark: One of my favorite Christmas treats.  Speaking of Peppermint Bark, have you tried the Dove variety?  They are delicious!

Oreo Pops: Because they are festive and easy.

Banana Bread - Mini Loaves:  My friend Ali has a great banana bread recipe that I plan to use.  And, I'll probably add chocolate chips. 

Peanut Butter Blossoms: A Christmas staple.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies: I made these for Valentines Day and liked them so much that I'm making them for Christmas too.  Plus, they are very cute and festive.

Lemon Shortbread Cookies: Another new recipe.  I've developed a strong love for all things lemon and I think these would be a nice Christmas cookie.

Chocolate Crinkles: Because these should appear on every plate of Christmas cookies.

Looking at this list, it would appear that I need to start baking!  The beauty of most of these cookies is that they will freeze well so I can make them ahead of time and pull them out when I'm ready to assemble the plates.

What are you baking this year?  What are some of the Christmas baking staples in your house?