27 Dec 2013

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE



more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

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1. As usual I take care of the neighbor's cat when they are gone on holidays. Unfortunately this time the cat was sick and had to take medication. That is normally no problem only that the cat didn't eat !

In the middle of my Christmas preparations came the worries about the cat.

2. After three days he hadn't eaten, I decided to call his vet and he asked me to come over.



What I did. The cat was very good, didn't protest when I put her in the carrier and then she got two antibiotic shots. The afternoon I had some last shopping to do and at the exit there were 21 people before me and two cashiers open ! On top of that the whole bank card system in Belgium had broken down and people had to leave their shopping because they didn't have enough cash ! A real mess which we could see in the evening in the News. I had a lucky hand when I payed with my card it suddenly worked, somebody told me that I had a fairy hand and was applauded because now they all could pay with their cards. To my knowledge I am not a fairy godmother, so it must have been pure coincidence.

3. Unfortunately my DIL had to work on the 24th so that they arrived quiet late from Amsterdam for the Christmas Eve supper.



Grandson Toby discovered immediately his toys which I keep for him and started to play. Then we had our Christmas Eve meal, a Pierrade



A very easy plate to prepare because everybody does the cooking himself, on the top you roast different kinds of meat and underneath you can melt cheese. It's served with baked potatoes and vegetables.

4.


When Toby was in bed we put all the gifts under the Christmas tree and the next morning at 8 am we gathered half asleep around the tree, we even had to wake up Mr. G. He didn't like to celebrate on Christmas day early morning, he was always used to open the gifts on Christmas Eve when we are a little more fresh. It didn't bother me, but honestly I agreed with him. Toby didn't seem to be very interested in all the packages either but then he started to look and was in charge to give the gifts to everybody. I had put little photos of us on the packets so it was easy for him but he also could read his name !



Once everything unpacked he was happy and played with his new gifts, our cat Arthur helped him. He is the only cat who loves little children. The others were hiding !





As the weather was quiet nice we did a little walk through the Waterloo park and Toby had a lot of fun on the children's playground.

5.


After a brunch the men looked very "fresh", except Toby who refused his afternoon nap and played !



Late afternoon a friend of our son came with his wife and the two kids and they played while we were chatting. That was a real nice afternoon.

The Christmas meal, as starter scallops, was less cozy. Toby was very tired and was not hungry. So between the starter and the meal a roasted Guinea hen with vegetables he had his bath from which he didn't want to get out and got very angry.

We ate the main meal, when he was finally in bed. Then we too were quiet tired and we finished the evening talking a bit and then went to bed too.



The next morning before they returned to Amsterdam my son made this picture of us while Toby was watching "The smurfs", and Arthur played with a mouse.

Late afternoon I went over to Dominique who was happy to see me and report what a wonderful Christmas she had for he first time since her divorce and then the death of ex-husband, her 93 old mother, the youngest son with girlfriend and her eldest son with the three little once (5,2 and 1 1/2) came on Christmas Eve. And while they had a glass of champagne the little once stormed on the gifts. She said  it was the best Christmas she ever had since a very long time. I reported her mine, and she knew how hardly I had tried to make out the best of this for both of us new way of Christmas celebrations and she laughed when she saw the pictures of us hanging around the tree so early in the morning, fresh like roses ! Toby with his old age of three didn't anyway understand a single thing and was happy, and finally that was the most important. Mr. G. was completely "out of work" and collapsed on the sofa when they were gone. Ilona had no problem with her children, they are more Flemish then Waloons and had more celebrated St. Nicolas. Christmas they don't celebrate although she had brought them up celebrating Christmas. She went to her sister with her mother and rest of the Waloon family. I remembered my childhood Christmas and also the Christmases with my little son, and was a little nostalgic.



13 comments:

  1. It sounds like Christmas was a bit tiring for you and Mr G. Toby sounds like a typical 3 year old. Not wanting to eat and not wanting to get out the bath. Fox does those things sometimes too. We had a lovely time with Fox and Banjo and all their aunties, uncles and cousins. It was so different to our usual quiet Christmases. We said goodbye, with tears in my eyes today as we left for the 2 hour drive to the airport. We are staying in an airport hotel tonight as our plane leaves at seven. The others return to LA on the 31st.

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  2. Your pictures look like Christmas the world over, toys everywhere and the men collapsed as if the had done all the shopping and cooking.

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  3. I get tired reading about your Christmas! And I wasn't even there!! Hope you get some rest now.

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  4. We also had a wonderful time with Savannah! Mandy made wonderful shrimp and steaks and I did the vegetables, so no one was cooking too much! Now to prepare for my cruise in two weeks!!!

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  5. Sounds like a sweet though tiring Christmas! It's fun with a little one there. One of mine hated to get out of the bath, too. Glad you had such a good week! Hope the cat is feeling better.

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  6. A pretty tiring Christmas but you must be extremely happy to celebrate with the family. I envy Toby on his presents. :)

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  7. Hi Gattina .. lots of cheerful photos of the family - so pleased you all had such a good time ..

    Happy Christmas and now New Year to come .. cheers Hilary

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  8. You look like a Fairy Godmother/Queen in that beautiful wine colored gown. Very Elegant. Why didn't the card machines work? Thank goodness you got through. I'm glad that Dominique had such a wonderful Christmas. Time for you and Mr G to take it easy now... (((hugs))) Jo

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  9. Love the story about the bank cards... you must have the magic touch!

    And little children can easily get overwhelmed by the holiday. It was the same with my two boys when they were small.

    Thank you so much for sharing at Random 5 Friday this week. I so enjoyed reading about your Christmas celebration.

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  10. What a marvelous christmas time! You did the best you could and the pics speak by themselves! I'm not surprise Mr G. was tired after festing! So much joy make you finish your day on the knee! But Xmas time is only one time in a year! Now relax before the New Year!

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  11. hope the cat will continue to improve. glad to hear you don't find it difficult to deal with. i would be so concerned that something was really horribly wrong. we have friends who give their cat shot for diabetics. i think it is twice daily. amazing that a cat can be so similar to us humans. ( :

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  12. Gattina, I think you must be a fairy godmother. You made the cards work AND you delivered all those toys for Toby.

    It sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas!

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  13. It sounds like you have been quite busy with the holidays. Hope the neighbor's cat is doing better now.

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