Best Christmas ever

It could've been worse. Really?! It could've been a catastrophe.

We held Christmas dinner for my family (a dozen of us this year). Food bought, house cleaned, good part of food prep done the day before Christmas, table set. An almost 25 pound turkey. Dinner scheduled for 2 p.m. So that means turkey needs to go in the oven around 5 a.m.

Alarm set for 4:45 a.m. I get up and stumble to the kitchen to turn the oven on then continue to the basement fridge to pull the turkey out and prep it for the roasting pan. Come upstairs and... notice "light" coming from the oven. Hmmmm, still in a bit of a fog but I register that's just not right. Put turkey on counter, open oven and... kinda flame/sparks and sizzling coming from the bottom element which lies in pieces on the bottom of the oven floor.

Are you kidding me?!

Breathe. Walk upstairs to wake hubby and say "Honey, Merry Christmas... can you come and help me with the BBQ 'cause the oven is broken". He wakes up fast (always does anyway, but I think he realized I WASN'T kidding). Outside into the snowy morning he goes to pull the BBQ closer to the stairs, take out the racks and get it lit. Then a lightbulb moment. We can't call anyone at 5 in the morning. It's an emergency but it's not a death or illness so we don't want to freak anyone out... hmmm, his Mom is out for the day and we have keys. Off goes the BBQ... for now... we'll need it later for the stuffing and pies, and we hurriedly get dressed and load the turkey in the car and take off into the cold, snowy morning. All is well, we're in a good frame of mind and figure we'll just "run with it" and do what we can. Hey... it'll make a good story... someday, lol. We set the turkey to cooking in his mom's oven and go back two more times to check on it (at least a 40 minute plus round trip [not including the time spent there] each time. And the steadily falling wet and heavy snow along with the wind makes the driving steadily worse each trip - we pass more than a few cars in the ditch). Need to make sure it's cooking, pour off the drippings so they don't overflow the pan and get back to our place to get the rest of the meal cooking. Our last trip was 1'ish to pick up the turkey and bring it home. Kinda like meals on wheels, lol.

My best friend calls around 9 to wish us a Merry Christmas. We chat and of course share our fun/predicament. They have two portable roasting "ovens". Yahoo. Of course we won't say no. She's saved the day. We probably could've managed with the stove top, BBQ and microwave but this is even better. And she delivers, lol!

Dinner was just about perfect as was the company. My hubby spoiled me rotten (as usual) and was there by my side sharing all the load (mental and physical). The extra "spice" of having an oven break at a totally inopportune moment just made for an interesting day and table conversation. This will be the Christmas to remember and it was actually the "bestest" for me as I was home and believe-it-or-not relaxed and enjoying.

30 years and our first Christmas at home. But you know what? We still haven't cooked a turkey for Christmas dinner at home! So... we HAVE to do it again next year at the very least.

And me? Well, I'm going to kick back and relax with my brand new Keurig coffeemaker (WOOHOO! as the guy in the commercial exclaims) and my new scrapbooking dies and puzzles and magazines and... yes, I am spoiled and loved. It was a good day.

~Shelley

Visitor

We had a welcomed visitor yesterday morning. One of our friends, Derry, came to visit with his "new addition".

Derry was the proud owner of Domino and Checkers, two of our "babies" (from Ripley, Hunter's mom; and Hunter respectively). Sadly, they have passed to the Rainbow Bridge and after several months of an empty house, Derry and Patty brought Sammy home.

What a sweetie (Derry too, lol). Now, while my gang is not so used to puppies anymore, they tolerated Sammy pretty well with only a couple leaps outta the way and snaps when he got too silly with them. The "photo shoot" went off without a hitch and we actually got about 7 or 8 shots before Sammy had had enough, lol.

Derry, thanks so much for sharing and bringing a new furbaby to see us. So looking forward to watching Sammy grow up.

~Shelley

Recalculating...

Jeannie let me down.

Yup. Good thing I printed from "Google Maps" 'cause my new GPS didn't seem to have an "app for it", lol.

Armed with my print out and secure in the knowledge I had my "Jeannie", I headed off for a stamping technique day an hour and a half away last weekend. I knew about where I was to go, so felt pretty confident. But of course, I also had my new toy (GPS) to keep me company.

"We" argued the first half of the trip, lol. I was determined to head East and South and she was darn-well-determined to have me go East and North before heading a bit South. Oh well. It was nice thinking I wasn't just "talking to myself" but to something that would kibbitz back, lol.

So, finally having won the battle (I thought), Jeannie directed me to the correct off ramp and in the direction I "knew" was right. Until we got to Vankleek Hill, about 20 minutes from my destination, lol. It was rather funny. I "thought" I should go straight through the town; however, "she" felt I needed to start turning north. 'Kkkkkkk, I'll humour "her" but I think she's wrong. So, turn left she says. Turn left again. Turn left again. Turn left again. And of course "she's" actually indicating the streets by name and they ARE correct, but... yup, you've got it, "she" was in an endless loop, lol. Wanted to keep taking me "'round the block".

Okay... "she" had her chance so I ignore the chatter coming out of the GPS and head off in the direction I want to go. Then "she" tries to tell me to head back onto a ramp which indicates it's going to send me back the way I came? Nope, I am NOT gonna listen to "her" anymore . I head off where Google Maps has told me and reach my destination no problem (Jeannie also picked up about a couple kilometers from the destination and was fine with that, lol). Told my hostess what had happened and apparently my "Jeannie" is not the only GPS that has had this hiccup, lol. Many of her past visitors have cited the same issues.

Took the "other" way home and Jeannie was quiet most of the way. Happy with the fact I was following "her" way. Go figure.

I did have a good day. Created a whole album of 20 different stamping techniques and just enjoyed my creative get-away. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Jeannie or no Jeannie, lol. It was comic relief.

All this to say, don't necessarily trust yourself to the technology of a GPS.

~Shelley