and baby makes 6!

We kicked off the Christmas season here on Friday night. Normally, I save all the activities for the week the kids get out of school, and never seem to have enough time to fit in all that we want to do. So, this year, I started a bit earlier.

The goal was to have a fun filled day and evening centered around decorating the Christmas tree. I know, most of you have had your tree up since the day after Thanksgiving. The story here is that, when I was a small kiddo, Santa used to bring the tree on Christmas Eve. He set it up, decorated it and left the presents. As we got older, it got earlier, but usually was up Christmas Eve or sometime during the week before. So, although we get ours up earlier than that, it is usually not before the second week of December.

Billy got off early around 1pm, and we got a jump start to the partay, as there were 2 kiddos home sick from school as well. Only problem was, I propped said tree up outside, and the skies opened, drenching it. Never mind! We still had pizza to make, gingerbread men to bake and decorate, and wassail to drink for kids, and of course adult beverages.

It was a great day!

What? You want pictures? Okay, but I do not take responsibility for any of them, as there was another behind the lens that day. Yes, I am actually in pictures. Thanks to my son, there is a chance my children will have photos to remember their mom before gravity and time won.

Pizza making in photos:

Roll out the dough

Toss it up to stretch it out….I look possessed here. It must be all the Dos Equis I consumed.

Now form it into a square (or circle, whatevah. I am not a geometric snob)

Ignore the prowling cheese eater.

Mandatory pizza making technique. You MUST sample the cheese. And the pepperoni. It is Italian law.

Be really generous with the cheese. Mmmmm.

Allow cheese eater into kitchen and make her day

Finished product. Sausage pizza. I used Jimmy Deans ground sausage. Mmmmmm.

My favorite. Some pepperoni actually made it on the pizza. Technically, the pizza would have 2 layers of dough to be authentic to the region of Italy we come from, but that much dough is soooo filling, and is also made with potatoes. I can! not! grate potatoes while drinking beer, so this will have to do.

Now what is it about boys that makes them decorate gingerbread men in the same way that they play with toy soldiers. We had Call of Duty gingerbread men, complete with “snow blood” and “X’s” for eyes. They even had war sound effects going.

Girls on the other hand, make sweet, alive gingerbread men. The only violence they participate in is biting off the heads of their creations.

We still have concerts, plays, sugar cookies, office parties, and the yearly Feast of the 7 Fishes on Christmas Eve, so I will post in between. Plus my mom is coming for a week. I have not seen her in over 2 years. This will be her first time to see our home by the ocean. Can! Not! Wait!

Have yourselves a Merry Little Christmas! Make your husband, kids and family your priority this season. Mend broken relationships. Give to the poor. And love with all your heart.

***And Baby Makes 6! disclaimer: Images of parents partying were not allowed. Dos Equis and red wine were on board. No driving was allowed during the making of this festive evening. Kids had wassail, and no matter how much they begged, we did not spike it. That is all.

• December 14th, 2009
• Life's good
• 5 comments
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