a holiday recap

Tomorrow I return to work.
I'll take down the tree today and do some ironing.
It's been a long, good break but I'm excited to go back to work as I'm further into the business of my company move and there are, finally, things to see and imagine about.
We did lots of fun things while I was home, though...




We had countless delicious sweets including two versions of this whiskey-apple-crumb-topped pie -




and this (not glamorous-looking) homemade toffee sponge dipped in chocolate -




as well as the now-famous Christmas Tits.
(Background: these pink cookies are made with cherry Jell-O powder and sugar and butter. The original recipe was found in TV Guide in the sixties and the dough is supposed to go through a cookie press. My mother and I have broken many cookie presses over the years - the dough is too heavy and dry and now I simply roll it into logs and slice it and bake it.)




K has made lots of beer and had a good time naming and labeling all of it. There are stories and reasons behind every name and picture.
We visited a brewery with our archery friends and had a swell time tasting flights.




And they taught us how to play Euchre, which we need to practice more.




We saw our Christmas movie:




Star Wars, which I did not expect to like but which I liked very much.
And then, we had Chinese food, as one does on Christmas Eve.
It was, probably, the most fun evening.




I think Christmas was a hit for all.
I got bootsbootsboots and some other wonderful things like a Magpul Daka pouch and a Nora Ephron book I'd been wanting.
The boys and I bought K a Phantom 3 drone and he's been practicing his flying.




K and I were treated to a very lovely sushi dinner.



Things rounded out nicely.
Champagne, a pirate movie, lots of laughs with our boys.




Seventeen is our lucky number so this year will, absolutely, be a good one.