Again with the pictures, already?

Look at me, posting again so soon like a big girl!

Oh, before I forget, here’s a public service announcement regarding the difficulties some of you are facing when you attempt to register to leave comments: I HAVE NO IDEA WHY IT IS REFUSING YOU, but I have emailed The Computer Genius about it, so hopefully I will have some instructions to share with you soon. Or, perhaps we will all join together and have a ‘bloomr community WordPress exorcism; time will tell.

Thought I’d throw a few more Christmas photos at you…

*** First of all, you should know that my family’s holiday table was greatly enriched by several of my beloved readers–  Momma Lloyd sent us to Arkansas with another gorgeous red velvet cake, Jolene and her mom made the most unbelievable cookies (Jolene, seriously, my sister Carolyn really wants the potato chip cookie recipe– help a sista out!), and we even still had enough of DELIVERED’s fabulous jalapeno jelly left over from Thanksgiving to put over some cream cheese and serve with crackers (What? Jelly keeps forever, it was delicious!) Here is a shot of some dessert platters we were assembling that included Jolene’s cookies (the powdered sugary white ones AND the toffee) and a bunch of stuff my mom and sisters made as well. We had so many sweets we ran out of counter space and had to use the laundry room as a staging area:

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**Here is a sweet picture of my Dad with my nephew Andrew. I love Daddy’s expression here so much! He is wearing one of the three new hats I brought home for him– yeah, you know me, if some is good more is better! Russ is worse than I am, though. Once he found out that Dad was feeling cold a lot of the time he just KEPT going shopping and bringing home all kinds of warm clothing –jackets, sweat pants, wool socks, fleecy slippers.. It was hilarious! Between his extensive hat collection and Russ’ wardrobe stylings, if Daddy decides he wants to spend a weekend at the Arctic Circle, he’s good to go.

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**Our annual Christmas Eve celebration at Momma June and Daddy Bud’s house was better than ever. Here’s the food:

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**This is the best dishtowel I have ever seen:

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**Here I am loving up on my grandniece, Brailyn– i could eat this kid with a spoon!

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** Russ brought his guitar and we sang some carols before we opened presents. There are some really good singers in this group, especially Russ’ brother of choice Stuart. He’s sitting next to his beautiful wife Berna (in the purple top) and somehow I managed to completely cut him out of this picture.

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**Char is studying her Dad. (Her fashion statement is a Christmas ribbon and an old necktie from an entire collection of them that Russ “won” in a round of Dirty Santa.)

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**Here’s Madi rocking her baby… (OK, I know that putting clothes on a dog is ridiculous, but Thea did get a very short haircut and she was shivering when she went outside and that is a hilariously cute $5 Chanel knock-off dog sweater– oh who am I kidding, IT’S RIDICULOUS!)

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**This is how Mom wakes us up every Christmas morning of our lives– she plays “Silent Night” (verrry badly, because she only plays it once a year) on the organ REALLY LOUD! Char served as her personal assistant and page-turner this year:

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**Maddie got just what she asked for– a gigantic blue Snuggie that totally swallows her!

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**And lastly, here is an action shot of one of our famous Nertz games. Please note the fact that my lightning fast technique has not only blurred the camera but has apparently left everyone else at the table completely stunned into submission. I feel sure I totally won that hand.

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15 Responses

  1. delightedabroad

    Wow, I’m the first to leave a comment ?!
    Actually, I’m not completely awake by now but nevertheless I’m overwhelmed by this delicious dishes and the obvious joy on the faces!
    You’re right, Tori, your Dad looks totally pleased and ‘present’. (How do you say that ?)

  2. bettyrwoodward

    Thanks for the pictures again, Tori. How you stay so slim with all that food I don’t know. I am still trying to lose the excess of Christmas. It is a long time since we had such an extended family Christmas although I suppose we did manage 4 generations this year, just don’t have such a large family.(thats what comes of being an only child!)
    Love all the photos – keep them coming.

  3. jonny

    Well, sounds like your dad’s ready to come visit me here in Finland!! = )

  4. swerchon

    Hey great new snaps!!

    Nertz game – that looks like fun (never heard of it) maybe you should have video-taped it in slow motion so we all could have seen your gaming “technique”.

    Loved the snap of your Mom and Char !!! Don’t you love Christmas “traditions”. We traditionally open our gifts on Christmas eve @ 6:00 (don’t know why, but we always did and hey – why the heck NOT a day early Yahoo). But prior opening our gifts we gather around the tree and sing Silent Night.

    Oh my those COOKIES look amazing – I have a huge sweet tooth and they caught my eye – yum !

    The singing gathering looked like everyone was having a blast.

    Wow your Christmas looked amazing and it must have been WONDERFUL to have both parents there!!

  5. DELIVEREDJEPARKER63

    I KNEW WE WERE OF KINDRED SPIRITS! The camera can never keep up w/ me, either! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
    (see – no giggler here!)
    Glad you are still enoying the pepper jelly, though I am actually VERY tired of it now. Glad I have some put up.
    Peace.

    (Wish me a happy belated 47th bday! I pray yet another year of glorifying and servitude and joy and peace!)

  6. jonny

    Happy belated, D!! I’m up for another one myself in a month, FWIW = /

  7. LindaB

    I am dying to learn how to play Nertz!!!!! And I want to go to dinner at Momma June’s! Soon!

    What’s “Dirty Santa”? And can ex-Baptist girls play?

    Aren’t those potato chip cookies to die for!!! Jolene and her mom sent some to me and they were gone in three days—-and it was mostly me who ate them. And MommaLloyd’s red velvet cake is a party all by itself!!! You folks didn’t lack for good food, I see.

    Thanks for the pics! We love ‘em!

  8. LindaB

    Oh, and your dad looks so good there!!!! Do you think he’s improving any?

    And I want to let all you kind folks who are praying for Betty know that they removed her ventilator and the feeding tube today and she asked for some ICE CREAM!!! She feels good enough to eat, and that’s a good sign to me!! Praise the Lord and pass the Hagen Daz!

  9. swerchon

    DELIVEREDJEPARKER63

    Happy Belayed birthday – a fellow January baby, my B’Day is on Jan. 20th..

    Hope you had a great birthday

  10. DELIVEREDJEPARKER63

    Praise the Lord for Betty’s recovery & progress! Please let her know that we are all praying for her. Thanks for the update!
    Tori – I saw that string bean casserole in the spread of awesome foods for Christmas Eve – my daughter’s fav.

  11. jonny

    Wonderful news, Former!! Thanks for sharing = )

  12. BrownEyedGirl

    How fun! thanks for sharing , Tori! Love that dish towel :o)

    Wendy

  13. MostlySunny

    Yummy and fun! Great pictures; I haven’t played Nertz in years. It’s always wild, though.

    Love the look on Char’s face.

    I love it when families love being together. You guys are blessed indeed!

  14. Cynders

    Ok…Nertz looks like it probably is fun. You want to give us instructions? I’d like to blow my family away with it too :)

    I wish my family were more like yours… We used to have so much fun at Christmas time, being together, playing games, and just have a great time. People change…and people in their lives change – and it isn’t always a positive change – and I miss the good times.

    Want to adopt me, my parents, my youngest brother, and my nephew? LOL

  15. tori

    Yes, I am currently taking applications.

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