it’s three a.m. on saturday night. the wind has been howling outside for the past hour and a half. or at least that’s how long i’ve been awake listening to it. it was so loud that i was sure it was going to blow all the siding off the house, as well as major chunks of house itself.
so far everything seems to be intact.
except, oh yeah, i’ve been awake for an hour and a half.
it’s partly due to the dinner we had last night.
we were going to go to kevin’s parents’ house in northern illinois on saturday morning to celebrate christmas with his family, including a brother-in-law who i have yet to meet, and spend the night and come back tonight (sunday night). but then kevin started looking at the weather forecast and it sounded unbelievably horrible up there in northern illinois – lots of ice covered with snow plus 40 mph winds and it sounded like once we got up to their house, it wouldn’t be possible to get back.
so instead we stayed home. it was warm here, in the 50’s, and we walked to bed bath n beyond. mollie couldn’t go inside of course which is always a disappointment for her. not going inside places, that is, i don’t mean that she has a special affinity for bed bath n beyond. although i’m sure she’d love it if she was inside.
anyway, a beautiful day.
then, instead of having a very healthy dinner last night at kevin’s familys’ house, we went to our friends’ house for the most richest meal i’ve had in a very long time.
you know those articles in the paper every day where they warn you that you’re going to gain FIVE POUNDS BETWEEN XMAS AND NEW YEAR’S? well i think i gained them all last night.
jonelle made sauerbraten and homemade noodles, and some creamy delicious mushroom dish involving lots of heavy cream. plus mashed potatoes and delicious gravy and green beans cooked with bacon that was crispy and wonderful.
for dessert, jay brought a homemade apple pie.
five pounds. in one meal.
afterwards we played a game involving words and cards and three of the baskett’s five children, although rarely all three at once because periodically one of them would stomp away, up to their room where they’d been sent because they were yelling a little too much, or they were just mad and had to get away and stomp upstairs and slam the door. it certainly was a lively game, but mostly not because of the game itself.
when that was over, ashton, who is 10 i think, and i played a game in a book. it was full of interesting scenes and we had to find stuff hidden in them. the scenes were composed of all kinds of weird things, and they looked like real photos except they were filled with things like a giant tea bag. let me tell you, the game was hard. we had to move to the floor under a bright light in order to try to find all the stuff on the pages, and we never did find all the stuff.
i’m not going to eat any more food between now and new year’s eve.
randy is having a party tomorrow night. he’s going to have his chocolate fountain (i have to set it up), but i promise i’m not having any of that chocolate. xmas eve we’re having the family over here and i’m not going to eat any of the four million cookies i’ve made. xmas day, brunch at mom and dad’s, dinner at amy and jim’s…
oh, what’s the use. eat eat eat, there’s no way around it. we’re also going to some movies in the next few days, unless of course we’re going to be stranded here at home because of the storm and are forced to eat all the cookies in the freezer.
i’m looking forward to the gifts i’m giving. i’m also looking forward to making amy listen to “i want a hippopotamus for christmas,” so that she can love the song too.
ok then,
almost christmas grace.