Christmas Night

The rest of Christmas day was spent taking a long walk with Gretel, doing a bunch of laundry (how festive) and relaxing. We enjoyed a few of the treats given to us by friends -- including an amazing milk stout and Troubadour yule log. Some of us (...H) didn't even get out of pajamas all day. For dinner, we made Spaghetti and Meatballs and enjoyed our last bottle of wine from our Italy trip a few years ago. We finished the evening watching Jingle Jangle. Very different holiday from past year, but festive for sure. 

Christmas Festivities 2020

Christmas 2020. Definitely looks a little different from past years. I keep imagining how speical future holidays are going to be. We started our celebrations with visits to Racine on the 23rd. Then, on Christmas Eve. we stopped by my sister's for a few minutes and met Bluey. He is seriously the cutest thing ever. We haven't seen my sister since the summer, so that was nice. Next, my parents had the four of us over for dinner. My dad made ravioli -- so good. They head back for Florida soon, so it was great spending some time with them. The rest of the crew will go over today -- we are going to lay low. In fact, it's after 1pm and I'm still in my Christmas PJs. (By the way, no, we didn't have masks on for the group photos, but the P4 did most of the time.) This morning we waited for the boys to wake up, and had a leisurely opening of the presents. Santa spoiled us all, that's for sure. 

Moments 12 20 :: Week 04

Cookie baking day. We typically go to my sister's. Hopefully next year our tradition can continue. The nice thing was though, that Brian joined us for the first time this year. 

C also had a couple friendly soccer games scheduled all weekend, so I'm glad we fit it all in. 

Gretel is always a big help. 

Cookie baking success. H also made Buddy the Elf cookies the next day. 

I took on a rowing challenge this past month. Row 100,000m between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. I ended with 109,100. Definitely something you have to plan for, but I love having a challenge during the holiday months. This was a good one. 

Moments 12 20 :: Week 03

Every year, we go to a German market or holiday store and the boys pick out an ornament. Well, none of those traditions were available this year, so we ended up at West Elm. Fortunately, they found something that worked. We took advantage of being out and had lunch at Bavette. It's one of our favorites, and I can't believe we've never taken H&C there. This was a cauliflower and roasted grape salad that was so delicious. We also had beef carpaccio, deviled eggs, and the guys all split a beef tongue reuben. I love that we have adventurous eaters. 

The last two Sundays, Brian has come home from the grocery store with tulips. My favorite. Love how they caught the light the other morning. 

Best seat in the house during the holidays. 

(Not ours! Gretel would eat him). We have a new doggie family member. Meet Bluey Vuitton, my sister's new Frenchie.

 

The reality of high school virtual learning. Messy desk. Missing airpod. Dog begging. Kudos however, for the fabulous lunch he made. Halloumi, blackberry jam and truffle salami on toasted baguette. 

Moments 12 20 :: Week 02

St. Nick came and brought us all slipper socks. 

This is why we can't have nice things. Gretel got a stuffed pheasant. It's not often she gets new stuffed toys, and this is why. Within 5 minutes, it looked like this. Fortunately, she loves the unstuffed versions just as much. 

Seriously Trader Joes, could this be any cuter? 

Morning magic. The sun usually shines on the disco ball in the evening. I can't remember seeing morning sparkles like this before, but I love it. 

H came for a walk with Brian and me, and we came across this amazing sunset. Arrived home to find a bottle of wine waiting for us from a friend who normally throws a big holiday bash, but decided to bring the party to their friends. Such a sweet thing, especially this year. 

I'm lucky to be doing some work for this cute little shop. It's an amazing wine store, but my favorite part is that they offer a wonderfully curated selection of market items like local cheeses and specialty items. 

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In other exciting news, C got his drivers license! He was cruising around today and it was terrifying. He's actually a good driver, but for some reason, this one makes me really nervous. It was also very uneventful. Due to COVID, the state is waiving drivers tests, so all we had to do was submit a form online and he got it. The actual license will be delivered in the mail.

Moments 12 20 :: Week 01

We got our tree! And decorated the house. Honestly, I wasn't feeling in the spirit at all. But I'm getting there. Always love having the tree up. 

Moments 11 20 :: Week 04

Sweetwaters donuts, courtesy of H and Kalamazoo. 

He stopped at the Mitsuwa on the way home and picked up some Popin Cookin sets for himself and C. Cute. 

The squirrels are messing with her!

Funny story. We had some cleaning people stop over quickly on Thursday. I had just finished the pumpkin pie, and put it in the stove to get it out of the way. Not sure how, but when they were cleaning the stove, they turned that oven on. To the highest temperature! Ugh. My perfect pumpkin pie. I almost just went with it, but ended up tossing this one and making another. 

I had sent care packages to some family and friends, and loved getting the photos with everyone wearing their goofy glasses. Figured we could all use some smiles.

Leftover Day prep. Every year, the Elsmo's host leftover day. Sometimes we make it, sometimes we don't, but we are always invited. This years festivities were virtual. 

We started with Trevor Noah, Son of Patricia. And Rosemary Gin Fizz cocktails. And our leftovers.

In between each movie, we zoomed with the crew. Second up was Whip It and a crazy cocktail Emma created (Bourbon, Frangelico, blackberry jam, lime juice....). Last, The Big Lebowski and White Russians. What a fun day!

Thanksgiving 2020

Happy Thanksgiving from the four of us, plus Gretel of course! 

We started our day with a long family walk. The boys loved it! Just look at C's face. Ha! Afterwards, we had the whole day to finish cooking. I prepped a bunch yesterday, and it all came together really well today. My parents typically host, so this was the first year in a long time that we've actually cooked Thanksgiving dinner. It's actually my favorite meal to cook, but it was still strange not being with everyone. We tried to make it special, and hopefully things will be back to normal next year. Plus, we have SO much to be thankful for, even during this weird year. 

P4 COVID Thanksgiving Menu:

Sparkling Spiced Pear + Ginger Cocktail (and mocktails)

Cheese & Crackers (Jasper Hill Harbinson & Carr Valley Mobay)

Fried Turkey

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

Oyster Stuffing

Apple Cider Brussels Sprouts

Pull-Apart Sour Cream & Chive Rolls

Cranberry Sauce

Pumpkin Pie with Rum Whipped Cream