I know we bring this up around this time of year, but my kids are already looking forward to holiday meals and talking about them constantly. I guess 2 months to Christmas is going to go by very fast, though!

Sarah saw French bread at the store and it reminded her of our Christmas Eve lasagna. Last year, I left the kids with the instructions on how to assemble the lasagna, along with all the mixtures already mixed up (marinara sauce and the ricotta cheese mixture.) It starts with one cup of the tomato sauce spread on the bottom of the pan, then noodles, then more tomato sauce, 1/3 ricotta cheese mixture, then a layer of noodles. Repeat 2 more times, ending with tomato sauce on top and some cheese. Anyway, they got confused. REad the instructions wrong and only put 1/3 cup of the ricotta cheese on all the layers! LOL! We didn't realize it until the lasagna was all cooked and some of it eaten!

The kids tell me now they know better and won't mess it up! We were laughing about it tonight!

We are also looking forward to Christmas Day at my SIL's house.

Appetizers:
Chips and dip, Salsa and chips, cheese puffs, cheese, sausage and crackers, little wienies in barbeque sauce (picked up with colored toothpicks!), and some veggies and dip.

For supper, ham, buns, baked beans, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, some jello (I brought a red and green jello last year!), cole slaw, and a frozen fruit salad made with cranberries, pineapple and cool whip.

After supper, we are pretty full. While Joan was getting the appetizers ready, the kids go upstairs to bring Joan's presents downstairs and then arrange all of the presents by where everyone usually sits. We don't really have assigned seats. Everyone just ends up in the same place every year! I always sit by the fireplace! (There usually isn't a fire in it, though! It would be too hot to sit there otherwise.)

So, after supper, we all sit by our presents and open then in a circle, one by one! When Gary's dad was alive, we had to let him open all of his at once, because he could never wait until it was his turn to open a present!

AFter presents, we have Christmas cookies! Okay, we don't have to eat for a week after Christmas! LOL!

It's harder to look forward to Thanksgiving, because the arrangements are much less routine! LOL!

Red and Green Jello Mold
Oh, and where it says to SPOON in the last layer? They really mean to SPOON it in, GENTLY! I got impatient and poured it, so my layers got a little deformed! LOL! Not that it mattered with how the jello tasted, it just looked funny!

By Eve on Monday, October 17, 2005 - 10:20 am:

I love Holiday traditions! It sounds like you have some nice ones!

By Dawnk777 on Monday, October 17, 2005 - 10:44 pm:

Thanks! I guess I have been thinking of Christmas Eve Lasagna myself! It cooks while we are at church and it's such a nice meal when we get home! I really don't make it any other time!

By Conni on Tuesday, October 18, 2005 - 08:39 am:

All of that sounds delicious!! Your girls remind me of my sisters and I when we were young!!

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, October 18, 2005 - 04:58 pm:

Yeah, and the more everyone talks about Joan's food, the hungrier we are getting for it! LOL! I'm thinking we should start Christmas shopping now!