Christmas 2016

Sunday December 25^th, 2016

I had contemplated staying in SC one extra day and driving back on the 24^th.  The weather was supposed to be so beautiful there on Friday.  But, I’m glad we got back home on Friday and had the next day to prepare for Christmas. 

The first thing Russ and I did when we got home is stepped out back to take a look at our new screened porch.  It was always our least favorite component of the house, a homemade disaster designed by the previous owners and not up to code.  Finally, we started having leaks and mold so we knew we needed to remodel it.  I had wanted to do some work on the kitchen and floors, but that will have to wait now.

Old Cardboard Ceiling and Outdoor Carpet

Yet, outdoor spaces are a passion of mine.  I love being outdoors and hate the fact that I’m in an office building all day long.  I feel like a trapped animal at times.  So, given that the screen porch needed to be done, I decided to go ahead and design my outdoor paradise.

New slate floor and ceiling beading with fan

Well, maybe not paradise.  I didn’t plan for items of desire, but just looked for what I needed to sit comfortably on the screened porch.  I got us an L-shaped couch for comfort and a fire pit to add warmth and extend the length of time of year for enjoyment.

The firepit I bought was too big so I ordered a smaller one which should come soon.  That said, even without the furniture, the screened porch looked amazing.  We added beams to the ceiling and a slate tile floor.  It looks light and bright with the doors painted white now, and the slate tile adds a naturalistic element.

To give us more usable space, we had to move the door closer to the house, and it’s funny to see the dogs go to the old location for the door.  They have to learn the new placement.  It’s amazing how patterned they become.

After a day of hard work (and Russ doing some last minute shopping), we relaxed with a Christmas Even dinner.  The dinner was nothing to speak of since I am restricted due to the gallbladder.  Russ had the eggplant parmesan I had prepared before we left.  For dessert, though, we did eat the apple pie (the last of the orchard apples from this past fall).  And then we finished with a cheesy Netflix movie I downloaded call the Spirit of Christmas.  The storyline was entertaining but the acting was horrible.  I suppose that's why the dogs slept through it and I double-tasked with playing on the ipad.

I was excited for Christmas this year, and especially having Logan with us.  I set up their new slumber ball bed in the living room and prepared the stockings (some treats we got at the Wolf Gang Bakery in Celebration, FL and some toys we’ve collected from dog shows over time). 

We took the dogs for a morning walk and it was a beautiful walk.  Great weather, just a little cool, and gorgeous orange and pink shadows in the morning sky.  Truly the boys had the best time on this walk.  Logan ran down hills and did some flyby zoomies on the trail just before the big bridge on squirrel loop.  When we let Braddock off down by the creek, he ran up hills and would come flying back to us with a big smile on his face.  We even gave Frye some Christmas sprint work in the field and she loved that. 

When we returned home, we had Christmas breakfast of popovers and omelet.  Then we gave the dogs their stockings.  Braddock and Logan were the first to discover the stockings.  We always commented how much Logan loves his stocking.  But I will say that Frye enjoyed this the most.  She went crazy over her toy, then grabbed her stocking for the treats inside (I had to hold her mouth and pry it out).  Logan was the first to lay on the new slumber ball.  He looked so comfortable.  Within 15 minutes after the dog stocking party, the dogs crashed, with Braddock sitting next to me on the living room couch, Logan on the new slumber ball, Cadia in the kitchen, and Frye on her usual slumber ball in the den.  All creatures of comfort.

Russ and I then opened our gifts, some new earrings for  me and then stuff I already knew or had picked out for myself (a turtle neck from anthropologie, socks), and for Russ some Lucky Brand kakis,  NorthFace and REI pullovers, and socks.  It was a nice, simple Christmas.  We both felt the peace and love of the day.

Then we left for his sister Melanie’s house to spend Christmas with his family.  We brought the dogs along to wait in the car and let his family meet Frye for the first time.  She came inside for a brief moment but spent the whole time trying to get to the food in the kitchen.

On the way home we stopped off at Powhatan State park to walk the dogs before dark.  We took the cabin trail but turned around when we got to Big Woods trail.  Next time we can just take Big Woods trail back to complete the loop.  That said, it’s not a pretty park so we wouldn’t seek it out unless we were in the area.