A Merry Pookie Christmas!

Christmas in Chi-town

Yesterday I kicked Manicotti BUTT! A meal that is normally a huge multi-person, Christmas Eve only, entire morning production was accomplished solo in a mere hour and 15 minutes while Alexandria took her morning nap.

After the wonderfulness of our Thanksgiving dinner party, Eric and I decided to have a Chicago Family Christmas since we and our dear friends will all be gone for the holidays. We stole a Christmas tree from the apartment upstairs (think Grinch-style), piled penguin-wrapped presents underneath it, filled our apartment with tea candles, broke out the china (for the second time in 2 1/2 years), invited our friends, and served the traditional Crino Christmas Eve meal: Homemade Manicotti (complete with homemade noodles and sauce), Italian sausages, garlic bread sticks and a garden salad.

I should be on Iron Chef.

Ok, just kidding.

After an evening of good Italian food, fellowship with the best friends anyone could ever ask for, ripping open presents, gently falling snow, and outrageously delicious Christmas cookies, I've decided that Chicago is an OK place to be.

I also managed to completely surprise Eric with his Christmas present, which was a lot of fun, although I have to confess that I had to momentarily suppress my nostalgia for physical books and Lo and Behold, bought my husband a Kindle.

He loves it. And has been reading ever since!

Confession #2: I was gifted with 2 Glee soundtracks and the entire Season 1 on Blue Ray. I am very GLEEful!!!! :)

Conversations with Eric

Last night.

Me: Eric, do you want to watch Pride and Prejudice with me? [the 125 minute version]

Eric: Do you want to watch me stick needles in my eyeballs and then bleed to death?

Me: No.

This morning.

Me: Eric, are we going to church this morning?

Eric: [looks out the window and sees a blowing blur of white] How about we don't go outside until at least March.

Me: Hmm, I'm gonna take that as a No.

Here's to the Gluttony of Christ-mas

The UPS man banged on the door.

Moments later, Eric walked into the living room with two boxes, one of which looked very much like it might have delicious things inside.

He cut it open and began exploring the dark interior.

Behold! Goodies for Pookie and her parents from wonderful Grandma Cheri!

Buried underneath layers of yummy chocolates and homemade cookies, Eric pulled out stuffed fabric forms of the nativity which he sewed together when he was just a little tyke. I handed them to Lexi, whose eyes were as big as dinner plates with excitement.

She looked at Mary, squished her a bit, grabbed the sheep, licked them just to see, and then squealed with delight as she grabbed baby Jesus and promptly stuffed him in her mouth.

Eric and I laughed, and then greedily over-indulged in festive treats for the next half hour.

Finally finished with my gluttony, I began picking up the house and found poor stuffed baby Jesus underneath a chair in the living room, sopping wet and just a little slobbery.

The Scriptures do say, after all, "Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Ps. 34:8). Lexi just happened to find him to be exceptionally delicious.

1/3/10

Two things:

1) Teething. Lexi now has two little pearly whites to brag about (amidst the slobber and fussing and night waking).

2) A pumpkin bread that came out of the oven looking like Mt. Vesuvius and weighs as much as Lexi.