Christmas Day

Our son, Drew showed up about 11:30. He looked very sleepy. I asked him if he had just woke up and he said that someone called off work last night so he got drafted to stay and work a double shift. That's 16 hours in the prison and he had to be back to work today at 4pm. I told him to go lay down up on my bed but he didn't want to.
Bill and Starla came home about 5 minutes later. And then our other son, Tom, came right after that. I had just checked on the scalloped potatoes and they needed about 15 more minutes in the oven so we just visited with each other until time to eat.
Pops returned thanks to God for our food and our chance to share the day with our children. I was already so very happy. It wouldn't have mattered if I didn't get any gifts. I love being here with my family. We all ate until we could eat no more and than carried the dirty dishes to the kitchen.
Okay, presents!
A few weeks ago I texted my kids and asked them what they would like to have for Christmas. I knew shopping time would be extremely limited so if they would just tell me what to buy for them, it would be easier and they would get what they wanted. Only one of them texted me back, that was Drew. He wanted new dishes for his new house. Thanks, Drew. So when we got home last time, he and I went to the store, he picked out dishes he liked and I bought him 2 sets so that he would have service for 8. Do you have pots and pans, Drew? No, okay, I bought a set of those as well and then grabbed silverware too. There, he was done.
Next Starla told me that her husband, Bill wanted a meat slicer. A meat slicer? Really, Bill? Okay, so off to the mall and after looking around we found and purchased a meat slicer. Starla asked for a good set of knives. That was easy, but I also caught wind that she would like to have a stand mixer so she got one of those as well and also a food processor because when I'm here that will come in handy.
Tom never did give any clue as to what he wanted. Well then he will just get money in the same amount as to what I had spent on the others. But he needed presents. So I wrapped his bills up with different kinds of candy and placed them in all different sizes of boxes and wrapped them.
We all had a good time opening gifts.
The kids always give Pops money for any gift occasion. He saves it up so that when hunting season comes he has money to buy his license and pay for his trip. That is what he received from them again this year.
Starla and Bill got me a set of one of my favorite perfumes. It came with a bottle of perfume and a tube of lotion in the same scent. Tom and Drew went together and bought me a pair of Nike sneakers (black and purple) they are really nice. But that's not the best part, They have my name on the back of the shoe! Not my name, but my nickname....Noni. I love them.
Not long after we ate and opened gifts, Drew took off so that he could rest for a little bit before going back to work. He looked so tired. Oh my, I wish he didn't have to work like that.
Starla and I went to start to clean up the kitchen and it wasn't long until Pops, Bill and Tom were out there with us. It was nice having everyone talking away in the kitchen and it made our work seem shorter too. Of course we were still grazing around with all the food.
I guess it was around 5:30 or 6:00 when Bill and Starla went to pick up the kids. Tom was showing Pops how to play games on the computer and I decided to sneak in a quick power nap. I figured I had about 25 minutes. It seemed like I no sooner closed my eyes when I heard the kids come in. Time to get up.
They were so wound up talking and going from room to room trying to tell everyone everything all of them all at once. I love these kids. Of course Kailey grabbed Pops' phone and started taking pictures and messing with his settings. She always does that. She will fill his phone up with hundreds of pictures of herself. What a kid!
Starla tried to get them to eat before they opened their gifts but they said they weren't hungry. So I took pictures while they opened their gifts. They each got several Steeler items. Pops and bought them each a pair of designer pjs and a cowboy hat from our travels. (They liked the one I had bought for my dad on our last trip out.) Hunter got a new bow with arrows and Kailey got a bunch of games for her handheld gadget and Starla had taken Allison earlier in the week to get her nose pierced. That was their gift to her.
After opening their gifts and getting them somewhat settled down, Bill decided he wanted to try out his slicer. So he was slicing everything, deer meat, apples, whatever, look out. I suggested potatoes since we have so many and then an idea was born. Homemade potato chips. So he and Kailey sliced, I fried and Allison salted. Wow were they good! We had a pretty good thing going, a nice assembly line. They really were good. Last time I was home and the kids were here we popped popcorn to go with our movie, but we didn't have any microwave popcorn so I popped some on the stove in a pan with a glass lid (the old fashioned way.) Well, those kids had never known you could do such a thing and they were so amazed with me making homemade popcorn and now the chips. Allison wanted to know what we could make next time I come home. We finally decided it will be funnel cakes. I can't wait. That will be fun too.
Now it was time to clean the kitchen again. And then everyone kind of settled down. It wasn't long before everyone started drifting off to bed.
What a day, what a family! How very fortunate I am. I love them all so much. Thank you, God for my family.