Finally!

Today was finally the day all of our children, their partners, Mom, Durwood and I had a Christmas meal and exchanged gifts. All of the planets aligned and no one had to work (thanks, Mrs. Boss!) and we had a leisurely lunch of ham, roasted root veggies, homemade cranberry sauce, and Mom's cheesecake after we opened gifts.




Lots of the gifts were handmade, the best kind.
DD & DIL2 made lots of jams and jellies that they shared with us, DS & DIL1 made donations to Heifer Intl. in our names.





Mom made aprons for the girls and gave DS & DIL1 the lace tablecloth her grandmother had made for her hope chest, she gave DD & DIL2 a gorgeous rolling pin her dad had made from a banister taken out of an old bank building in Evansville, IN.







I made all the ladies narrow knitted fashion scarves and bike helmet earmuffs for DS to wear when he rides his bike in spring and fall.



















DD knitted DS a beard hat for chilly morning bike rides too.






Mom struck a Theda Bara pose when she put on her scarf. She's so dramatic.










The kids got Durwood an Apple Master for peeling, slicing and coring apples and potatoes. He loved it; he's a real gadget guy.





DD embroidered a pair of pillowcases for me. They're morning glories and hummingbirds. Just gorgeous.




And DS, the newest knitter in the family made everyone a mug cozy--some with buttonholes!




It was a great day to have all the kids and Mom around for most of the day. The ham was good, the veggies a bit overcooked, the cranberry sauce was soupy, and the cheesecake a bit tough but it was all delicious, we had a lot of laughs. Stories were told and connections strengthened. I loved it all.