Merry Christmas from Calgary! This is the view from my window on Christmas Day, early in the morning. We had a wonderful time. The three kids were home on Christmas Eve, they came early to help cook and prepare for the evening. I picked Sabrina up at her friend’s at 10:00 a.m. and we went to get the turkey. It was a big one this year! I think it is the biggest one I have cooked so far … 26 lbs! It was so big that it wouldn’t fit the roasting pan I had at home, so I had to run out and visit a couple of supermarkets to pick up two where it would fit. Once home, I prepared the bird, put it in the oven, and left to pick up Sebastian, take him to the University (to pick up his books) and bring him home. He needed to finish writing an essay to send that evening. And finally the 3 kids were home again! It was so wonderful to have them all at home again …
Ale had prepared Gravlax for brunch on the 25th, but we couldn’t wait and so we had some sliced and prepared as an appetizer on the 24th, before the turkey dinner. Silvia, Guillermo and my two nieces, Carolina and Daniela, and our friends John, Robin and their children, Lauren and Gregory joined us for dinner.
We had drinks and gravlax while I finished putting the last touches on dinner. The Gravlax (cured salmon, as opposed to smoked) was so successful, it was gone in no time! Everyone loved it! Finally, the turkey was ready, gravy, caramelized yams, Caprese salad, and Duchesne potatoes made by Ale. Everything was delicious! We had a great time. The table looked beautiful; we laughed, talked and caught up on news of the last few months.
After midnight, we opened gifts for and from those present. The kids received lovely Vancouver 2010 blankets, gift certificates, and other stuff. Everybody left around 1:30 a.m. We finished cleaning the kitchen, loaded the dishwasher, and got everything cleaned and in order for brunch the next morning. Finally, at 2:15 a.m. we all headed to bed, planning on “meeting” again at 11:00 a.m. to see what Santa had brought.
The following morning dawned bright, white and sunny. A photo of the view from the window is above. With that view, I brought up the presents and put them under the three. It was about 8:00 a.m. and I was tiptoeing around so I wouldn’t wake anyone up. I had been working hard for about 6-8 weeks previous making tuffets for the kids. Each one would have one. I thought they would look lovely under the Christmas tree with the presents piled un on top.
Sebastian’s is purple, to match the curtains I finally made for his bedroom, which were also wrapped in a box and under the tree, along with The Beatles Remastered.
Ale’s is black and white, with a red button and red legs. He had his new knife on top, as well as other things he had asked for.
Sabrina’s is multicolored; every fabric used has polka dots, and each leg is a different color: one pink, one yellow, one blue and one green. She had the watch she had wanted from La Mer on top, as well as a couple of books, and other fun stuff.
Below is a photo of each of the tuffets. Aren’t they fun? As soon as I saw them at Out of Hand I knew I had to make them. The pattern is by Myra, and it’s called “The Tuffet”. It is 18″ in diameter.
This is Sebastian’s; the fabric was purchased in a sari store in NE Calgary.
This black and white with red legs is Ale’s:
And the multicolored one, with polka-dotted fabric is Sabrina’s:
And here are the kids (I keep calling them “kids” because that’s what they are to me LOL, but, as you can see … they are young adults already. How time flies!!).
I had promised to post photos of the tuffets after Christmas. Hope you have had a lovely Christmas with your loved ones. I wish you all a Happy New Year, and all the best for 2010.
And until I blog again, keep quilting!
Ana