Our Christmas "Picnic"

Jamie and baby Nora

Our family had a second get together on Friday and Saturday.  School was out on Wednesday for Laurel's but Clare's and Kirk's went until Friday afternoon.  We had decided on a simple menu that the kids would enjoy so  we went with BBQ hamburgers and hotdogs along with salads and home made ice cream with Christmas baking for dessert.  We were just ready to sit down to our meal when the lights blinked a few times, then went off for almost two hours in the Estevan area!

We quickly rounded up candles for every room.  Kirk had a "headlamp" to help him finish barbecuing but wasn't happy about the burgers that were on the burnt side.  We had extras so not to worry. I had made a kettle of hot "puns", a drink with grape juice that I first tasted at the Gilbertson home in Frontier after Christmas carolling. It was still hot so that hit the spot!  Here's the recipe taken right from "Gilbertson's Goodies" on page 47.

PONS (PUNCH)

Boil 6 cups water and 1/2 stick of cinnamon (or a bit more)

Boil at least for half an hour.

Add 1 cup sugar (I use 1/2 or less) and boil a little longer.

Add 2 cups grape juice (unsweetened)

        2 TBSP lemon juice

        rinds of the lemon (I used bottled juice so no rinds)

Boil again.  Before serving remove the lemon rind and the cinnamon.  Serve hot.

As a side note, Kristine said to add more water if it's too strong, more grape juice or lemon if it's too sweet, etc. till your family says it's O.K.  It's part of the Christmas ritual.

We enjoyed our meal by candlelight and it made for a very memorable evening.  No TV, video games or CD's, just playing games together.  They ended up playing what the boys called "the Hurren games" as they remembered playing them when we got together with Bob and Phyllis and family.  No game boards or cards needed as these were "mind games"!   The guys also played a few hands of Rook and others enjoyed playing crib.  Abbey and Dawson were introduced to that game for the first time and did very well.  "Pit" was also a noisy favourite.  I think everyone was a bit disappointed when the power came back on!  I was glad that it was on again before bedtime.  It was midnight before the last ones were in bed after a very special Christmas gathering.  

For breakfast we enjoyed "Baked Cinnamon Apple French Toast" that the girls prepared the night before and put in the oven this morning.  We also had garlic sausage as that was a favourite of Howard's.  

Some of the gang decided to make a Crosby run and also picked up mail in Ambrose.  They were back for our lunch of taco salad along with the home made ice cream and more baking to sample.  The stockings had been filled by Santa's helpers, so opening them was another highlight for the kids.

All too soon it was time for the families to pack up and head home, or for Todd, Kristy and Nora, back to Brooks to spend Christmas with the Ledene side of their family.  It was especially hard for Todd to leave and he put it off as long as he could, stopping at Salem to light a candle one more time.  This was the first Christmas in eight years that he had been at home and our first one without Howard.

Grandma with Nora and her Christmas stocking

 Our weekend also included birthday cake and gifts for Carter.  He will be eleven on December 26 but it worked out better for the Johnson family to celebrate this weekend.  I don't think Carter minded having an early start to his birthday celebrations!  Now we have three eleven year olds in the family.

Happy 11th Birthday, dear Carter

I was up at two for a bathroom break so checked the computer.  I was glad to find a message from Kristy that they had gotten as far as Swift Current and were spending the night there.  This afternoon Todd phoned from Ledene's to say they had arrived safely. Nora slept from Torquay to Swift Current yesterday and from Swift Current to Brooks today.  What a great traveller!   Roads were "dicey" in places.  The passing lane on the divided highway had lots of snow on it.  When a vehicle passed them, there was virtually a white out in front of them.  A car ahead of them went into the ditch, kept driving at the same speed and came back on the road again. Todd had pulled over once to let a line up of traffic by. Good driving, Todd!  Kristy's sister Jenny is celebrating her birthday today so they made it in time for her birthday supper.  Happy Birthday, Jenny!

I drove to Torquay for morning service and a very fitting Christmas sermon by Pastor Danny.  I came home after coffee fellowship and spent the afternoon in the office.

  Clare spilled some durum last fall and it has been a popular spot for winter birds. Here's a picture of pheasants and sparrows sharing an early supper tonight.

My annual Christmas letter is still on the computer, not in print yet.  I'm planning to put it on my Christmas Day blog so those of you online will get it for Christmas.  The Christmas season on our church calendar just starts on Dec. 25 so even my mailed letters should reach their destination before the season ends with Epiphany on Jan. 6.