Xmas Traditions in LBJ's Family

Merry (Happy) Christmas.  We had an enjoyable Christmas - the kids are enjoying playing with all their presents.

Although I cannot speak to all Irish Christmas traditions, I will explain how a typical Christmas day works in LBJ's family.

I am very happy to say that our girls will wait quietly in their rooms until 730am on Christmas morning, before exploding into our room to ask permission to go downstairs and see what Santa brought.  Here is what Santa brought in 2014:

Santa's offerings 2014

FABJ got a magician's trick set and magician's costume.  ORBJ got a Princess Palace Pet (Beauty - Aurora's cat).  (Note the old-school antenna in the upper left - yes, we use it to watch Irish TV.  We also have a satellite for UK TV.)

The stockings had several enjoyable items and only one filler - a clementine (i.e. "easy peeler").  They got gloves, hairbands, crochet sets, and I forget what else.

Anyway, back to the LBJ family tradition.  We opened our gifts, then had breakfast.  LBJ's family came over for brunch around 1130.  After that, two of LBJs family (her mom's cousin, I believe) hosts a noonish (i.e. early afternoon) gathering with munchies and beverages.  The girls get to see two of their cousins as well as ORBJ's fairy godmother (LBJ's cousin).

Then, we go to LBJ's parents' house for the afternoon.  With the arrival of the girls, LBJs dad has started dressing up as Santa and delivers presents (with the help of his elves):

Santa and his elves delivering presents

LBJs parents went all out this year, as you can see.  Santa had a new onesie suit and new beard.  I think the sack and beard are new, too.  Maybe the hat, too.  FABJ is wearing what is supposed to be a scarf / neck warmer.  If you're 7 and really thin, it can be a totally inappropriate skirt!

Then, we had Christmas dinner around 5 or 6.  Smoked fish and shrimp are the starting course, followed by a main course of ham, turkey, potatoes, red cabbage, cranberry sauce, and stuffing.  Dessert is the traditional plum pudding, although the girls and I had a chocolate ice cream cake that Santa, I mean LBJ's dad was not impressed with.

We spend the evening recovering from dinner.  Aside from being the designated driver, I had an enjoyable day.  The rest of the family did too.

Now, I am frustrated by technology.  My stupid Mac has no ethernet connection, so I can't hook up our internet booster (lousy signal in the kitchen).  Had similar problem when trying to hook up the wireless printer (which didn't work - have to print with a USB cable).  Sigh - I sure have a lot of Apple devices for not being a fan of their products.

December 2014 home update

Progress has been made in the house.  In fact, the only remaining renovation is to put down the flooring in the living room and sitting room.  Instead of what's not done, let me list a few of things that have been completed in the house.

The kitchen looks great.  We're quite happy with all of it (well, except for the loveseat, which is on back order and apparently won't arrive until January).  However, we've found something to fill the space in the mean time:

Getting into the holiday spirit!

Apparently, Christmas sweaters (called jumpers over here) are quite the rage.  My brother-in-law and sister-in-law got me this last year, and the girls like to see it.  In fact, they asked for Christmas jumpers of their own!

Our bedroom is nearly done as well.  We got handmade closets (called wardrobes here) that look great.  J&J did a fantastic job.  Of course, waiting a month for them helped with the anticipation and excitement for them once they arrived.  In fact, because they were half-installed for a week, without door handles, it took me a few days to get into the habit of using the door handles.

Custom closets, shelving, and headboard

For the first time since moving in with LBJ, I finally have enough room in the bedroom for all my clothes!  The dream has come true!!!!!  The small closet on the left in the above photo is my closet space.  The photo below shows LBJ's closet space, and her dressing table.

LBJ's closet space and dressing table - note the sunny day!

The garage is also finished, so I can store my bike there.  LBJ is getting a bicycle for Christmas / birthday (although it hasn't arrived yet - I've had some troubles with presents this year, particularly in my orders from Amazon in the UK), so there will be room for hers as well.

All in all, we're thrilled with the house.  Sure, we'll make a bunch of changes over the years (such as the upstairs bathroom), but we love the location and the views.  Sorry that a photo won't do justice to the view - you'll just have to visit.

Finally, I close with a photo of ORBJ from her school's Christmas play.  She was one of the wise men, the one who brought gold.  Note the evil grin!

Evil King ORBJ (who acquired a sheep as well)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Scotland 2014

Over the October Bank Holiday weekend in Ireland, we spent a long weekend in October.  When we bought the tickets, we thought it would be good to get a break from the unpacking after the move.  HA!

Instead, it was a needed break from the stress of the upcoming move (which occurred the following weekend), as well as a change for LBJs parents to get a much needed break from us (without having to leave their house.

We had a great time in Edinburgh, aside from the kids whining every time we were in a restaurant.

Getting the kids excited about economics!

Needless to say, I was quite excited to come across this statue!  I hadn't realized that Adam Smith was from Scotland and had lived in Edinburgh.

We enjoyed the touristy spots - the Castle and the Queen's Scottish residence.  LBJ and I enjoyed the food - had some excellent surf (LBJ) and turf (me).  I even found time for a "wee dram" of the good stuff.

A windy moment atop Edinburgh Castle

There were a couple of keys to success for the trip.  First, either a guided tour or a self-guided audio are very useful at entertaining the girls (and, to a lesser extent, me) - kids' version are particularly good.  Second, having a kids' focused area is a big plus, especially if there are costumes where the girls can dress up.  We found these at Holyrood Palace and the National Museum of Scotland.  Third, a separate bedroom for the girls is very important as well; a separate room for each would be even better but usually not worth the extra money.

Audio tours are the key to happiness in our household

The real reason for the trip was for me to present a paper at the University of Edinburgh.  I enjoyed meeting people and got some good feedback on the paper.  Not to mention a pint, a good meal, and the afore-mentioned wee dram.  It was a just a little strange that there were no Scots among the staff, and at least half the staff were from outside the UK.

One happy kid (no, the beer is not hers)

Oh, that reminds me, the above photo shows another essential part of a good trip with the kids - coloring books.  Keeps the kids entertained in restaurants.

We'd definitely return to Edinburgh, as there are plenty of sights that we didn't see.  The flight was short - under an hour - and cheap - around 70 euro per person, round-trip.