Almost ready for Christmas

I stayed home from work today and cleaned and cooked for Christmas.

Luke 2:8-14 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Merry Christmas!

Dessert table. Only one dessert. LOL
The living room. Katie loves that rockin' Santa. Do you see that I have a pillow fetish?
The snow village. My newest addition this year was Super Wal-Mart. I didn't put all of them up this year. It's too much work, but I wanted to do a little for Katie. She loves the village. The swing set up front has been hot glued back together. That seems to be her favorite piece.

I made traditional Thanksgiving Day food, really. Turkey, yams, stuffing, asparagas (yum), mashed potatoes, broccoli, and rolls. My mom is bringing a ham. Mary is supposed to bring the drinks.

Sweet potatoes are my favorite. I still have to add the marshmallows. I like them browned and crispy. I made them the way my mom does. Pineapple, orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, cinnamon.....except I added a few pecans.

The rolls are self-rising. They came out really light and fluffy.

This was my first time making a turkey. I didn't like pulling out the giblits or stuffing his little feet inside the skin. Made me kind of sick. One of the reasons I don't eat meat is because I used to watch my mom cut up poultry and it made me sick. I haven't gotten over that yet. Because it's my first time making a turkey, I did it in the bag. I thought it would be the safest way. I don't eat it so I have no idea if it will be good, but I hope it is. This is what I dread making most.

I am worried about you birdie. Please don't be dry or bloody.

(a couple years ago my brother brought a bloody turkey for Thanksgiving. yikes)

I forgot to add butter to my stuffing initially. I cooked it half way and plan to do the rest after the turkey, but noticed it was umm...dry. What in the world. Then I realized I didn't add any butter. Duh. It is good though. I basically followed the way my mom makes that too, but just didn't add as much sage. Hers is usually green. People always ask "WHY IS IT GREEN?"

These are cheese hashbrowns with sour cream and cream of chicken soup. Got the recipe from wowpinkroses

Glazed carrots.

The bird. It looks done. I don't know if it is. hmm...

I stuffed it with an apple. Hope that it has a good flavor.