Our Christmas in Photos
Christmas 2014 was a good one for our family and hopefully for yours as well! We narrowly escaped the flu with Andrew (he was better by Tuesday), spent lots of time with both sides of the family (though I missed my brother, SIL and nephews), and celebrated all the beauty and magic of the holiday in warm and cozy homes surrounded by the people we love most. There was lots of candle light and Christmas music and joyful faces. I'm so grateful for the memories we made and that a few were captured on film. As is our tradition, Christmas Eve dinner is spent at my parent's house and Christmas Day brunch is hosted by us. We went to Jimmy's side of the family for dinner on Christmas day. Thankfully we only live about 40 minutes away from our extended family so it is manageable without feeling like we are spending all our time in the car. Here is a little peek...
^^ Fresh Juniper smells INCREDIBLE! I dried lots of orange slices this year in an attempt to find the best technique. What worked best for me was slicing oranges into 1/4 inch slices, placing on a rack over a baking sheet in a 170 degree oven, set on convection bake for 3-4 hours. I let them sit at room temperature for an additional 2 days and then sprayed with a clear top coat to preserve and set their color. It didn't make them shiny or alter the look. ^^
^^ The plan was to open "just one" and save the rest till after brunch. That lasted all of 5 minutes. :) ^^
^^ The chandelier was decorated on Christmas eve with greenery from our yard. The kraft stars are from Michaels^^
^^ Paddington, Baymax, new slippers and a WiiU for C^^
^^ Christmas Eve at my parent's, my Dad + Emma^^
^^ We always have Christmas crackers on Christmas Eve!^^
