Thursday, December 26, 2013

Boxing Day... In which Wendy has eaten too much, drunk too much and just generally enjoyed herself....And blog giveaway winner - ShopwithM


I certainly hope you all had the most fantastic day yesterday!

We had a lovely day. 

Barry woke up at 5:30 and insisted that we all get up at 6:00 am!  You can't take the Christmas out of the boy, I guess!

Up we got, did our stockings, had a big breakfast, and then opened our gifts.

I did just the right amount of well - some good books, a couple of nice pair of earrings, a white and warren cozy cashmere cardigan and a fabulous picture I will show you in a moment.


The early hour was too much for my son, who immediately conked out after opening his presents!

The big gift for our children was that we are taking them to Disney World and to Universal Studios (most specifically the Harry Potter part) over their winter break at the end of February.  This was a big surprise to them, as we told them no trip this year. 

In reality, it was the last gift from my dad; we wrapped up his estate a couple of weeks ago and divided the last little bit of his money amongst my brother, sister and I.  We decided we'd like to do a family trip, as my dad used to travel with us all the time after my mum died.  His favourite trip was when we took him to Disney World for the first time when he was 72 and he was thrilled.  So back to Disney we will go, but it will be a very different trip with a 19 and 22 year old (and a girlfriend too), though perhaps even more fun - who knows? 

We will also go out to the Gulf while we are there to see my uncle, so we will have touristy time as well as down time.

It was fun to surprise the kids and last night at dinner we had lots of fun planning which parks we would do when (the resort reservations and plane tickets have long been purchased).

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One of the presents I liked best was a photograph that Barry had framed for me:

The picture is of my mother and her brother, also named Barry (who died tragically at age 16) posing with friends at the end of a marionette making class in the late 1940s.

The picture is interesting on many levels: my grandmother taught the course and took the picture,




and between my Uncle Barry and my mother is one Donald Sutherland, who was a close friend of theirs growing up.



 It is great to have this picture of them framed, and will be something I will cherish.  Thanks Barry!

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The great thing about the excesses of Christmas and seeing photos of yourself with double chins is that it is the perfect incentive to begin the post-Christmas diet, so one can look thinner when one finds oneself posing beside Winnie The Pooh at Disney.  A gal has got to have her priorities straight!  Will try and take a couple of photos of myself in my new frippery today, but only if we can achieve perfect lighting and photoshopping that eliminates the - ahem- excess...  sigh...  Well I did need a kick to get going!

So yes, we had the most wonderful Christmas and today is all about relaxing, reading, leftovers and maybe a movie.  We will go see Barry's family on Saturday, so on to round 2!

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I have an update on the blog giveaway: in my scatterbrain December 24th shenanigans, I mistakenly entered Cate in the giveaway, though she advises she did not enter the giveaway and she is indeed correct about that!  Thanks Cate for catching that and being so honest! ;-)

Luckily, I had all the names still and after another draw, ShopwithM is the winner of the $25 J Crew Card!

Have a lovely Boxing Day!  And of course - stay safe out there!


 

43 comments:

  1. Your Christmas sounds perfect and that photo is WILD. I didn't know your mother knew Donald Sutherland! Or maybe you told me but I was drinking Ste. Germaine cocktails at the time? How kind of Barry to have that so beautifully framed. And I absolutely love that B woke you all up at 6am!!
    Have a great day... we're tucked in with leftovers (it continues to snow here, we have SO MUCH snow) and boardgames all day. Perfect.

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    1. well I wish I was there as Mr. B hates boardgames!!!! I will see if I can talk the three who are still sleeping upstairs to play scrabble with me!

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    2. I would play board games with you guys if I could! I loooooove board games (and card games)!

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    3. Oh Cate we are opposites, I loathe both, a) because I never understand the rules and b) because I don't care if I win or not.

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  2. That is a great pic. They are taking that marionette business seriously. Your grandmother must have been one stern taskmaster.

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    1. It is funny, because my grandmother was just like me (or more accurately, I am just like her) so I imagine it was a hoot. However, she would have probably said something to them about "posterity" since she had a flair for the dramatic....

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  3. What a cool picture! You should mail or forward a copy of it to Donald Sutherland, can you imagine what that would be like for him to receive?! After spending September through November on a diet, I blew it mid-November and have been eating poorly every since. I saw an unflattering photo or two of myself and now It is time for me to do better! I am so jealous you are going to Disney World and Universal!!! That is an awesome thing to do with your family in remembrance of your dad. Glad you had a great Christmas!

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    1. Thanks Cate! I wonder if Donald doesn't already have it? He has been back to NB once or twice. We are so excited to be going away and somewhere warm - we usually go to NYC as the kids love it there!

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  4. What a wonderful present from Barry and thank you so much for your present - it made me smile so widely, it's just utterly perfect. Homework will begin today.
    My Christmas was rubbish, hubs worked all day and mum wouldn't come over because the TV wouldn't work, ( !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I also volunteered in the morning which gave me a bit of a 'what if that's how I'll end up?" dark afternoon of the soul!

    Lovely day today though, sunshine, and I am gutting the kitchen, everything is out on the kitchen floor but I'm so in the mood for it.

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    1. Blue Booby - howling! You just want me to come and clean your kitchen don't you?

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    2. well Barry and I tried calling you maybe 10 times during the day, so if you have a call have hubs email it to me and I will call and cheer you up with my stupendous wit! sydforry@Hotmail.com (since I know you do not have access to email!)

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    3. That's why we had kids...to do those manual labor jobs we didn't like doing. You can come watch It's a Wonderful Life. No one wants to watch it with me :(

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    4. Ha! I watched it Friday night but could be convinced..

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    5. WMM - Excellent, I can email you now from my work email but I didn't have your email written down - oy the modern world!

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    6. I had a stupid moment when I realized you wouldn't have my home email on Tabs!

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  5. It looks just like Donald, or Kiefer for that matter. We are off to see American Hustle this afternoon. I will have to find my most comfortable pair of pants. Hunter literally blew the button off his pants this morning. It is weird, the thread does not break, the button does. I need to take a picture. Needless to say we may need to start the "cleanse" a bit sooner than January 2nd.

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    1. Oh Barry and I right there with you and Hunter. I thought I was doing well, but have blown it! Ah well - regrets, I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention!

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    2. Hahaha, "regrets, I've had a few" made me giggle. I've been really grateful these last 2 Christmases to have home exercise equipment around -- nothing can really stem the tide, but I've been able to do at least a tiny bit of mitigation as I go. Your Xmas sounds lovely!

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  6. What a lovely day you had, surprise trips are our most favourite gifts for kids (and us!) but nothing along those lines this year for us. I certainly need to join you on the post Christmas diet!! The framed photo is a superb gift, I love it.

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    1. Thanks Jay! We would have gone nowhere this year without my dad's legacy - we owe too much to the universities!

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  7. What a thoughtful present from Barry and what a great way to honor your father! You are going to be a wonderful mil, making the gf feel special and included already.
    Enjoy your day of relaxation!

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  8. love all the photos of your christmas at home. what a lovely home and family you have W. i gave my sons framed photos i had taken of them thoughout the year that they had not seen. love the one barry gave you!

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    1. Janet - what a fabulous gift for the boys!!!! I love personal gifts like that!

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  9. Hooray!!!!! I'm so excited!! Thank you Wendy, what a fun treat!!

    Your Christmas sounds wonderful, and I can't get over that photo!!!!

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    1. Hi Melissa - will send you a note with the card deets in next couple of days!

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  10. Looks you had a fab day! 6 would have been so early I would have given up the pressies!! Exciting to look forward to a trip tho :)

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    1. CSW - I hear you! Although we usually are up at 6 regardless!

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    2. PS Wendy you should have a email address so people can contact you! Like i want to - would you mind giving me your email address? mine is couldashouldawoulda9@gmail.com
      Ta!

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    3. weird - I thought I had it on there, but obviously forgot it! it's sydforry@hotmail.com

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  11. Your mother is adorable, Donald looks - like a character he might grow up tp play. What a delightful Christmas. I'm exhausted, me.

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    1. well I just woke up from a nap on the couch mind you...

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  12. The Day of Reckoning is what a good friend here calls Boxing Day. I've always thought that is more suited to New Year's Day but maybe I'm still not Canadianized enough yet!

    Glad to hear your Christmas was wonderful Wendy. We were all talking about how people "down East" were without power. It was a good reminder to count our blessings and have gratitude for the most simple things.

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  13. Your Christmas sounds warm, loving and full of great things!! The Disney trip sounds perfect and will add to the memories you have being there with your Dad!! On another note, true SCORE on the a White & Warren cashmere. They make beautiful things. My diet starts tomorrow:). One must rest on Boxing Day, after all and I can just eat leftovers from yesterday. I've been quiet lately, Flu then Bronchitis so off my game. Glad to read through and catch up. Congrats on the writing score too!! I'm so happy for you.

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    1. Oh that is awful about the bronchitis! Did it impact visiting with the baby? I hate being sick over the holidays!!!

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    2. No I saw the munchkin, just didn't have a lot of energy for him. He was the bright spot of our holiday.

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  14. Sounds like a wonderful day! And that photo: love DS. Six degrees of separation is one of my fav films and I'd listen to that man read the phone book!

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    1. He does have a wonderful voice and we always have considered him one of the family because of my mother!

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  15. Good Lord - I thought we were the only ones silly enough to be up so early, although we beat you and it was 5.30. But definitely not through choice. One child woke up the other 2, and then it was all on. Needless to say, it felt like a rather long day, especially with a grumpy 3 year old by about 3pm...
    Your presents sound fab. I love a good Christmas book on the bedside table (and now have a stack of 5! to get through), and that photo is just brilliant. What a fab gift. xx

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    1. 5:30! We need to link Barry up with your children!!! I have a nice stack too, though today I must go get some exercise!

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  16. So when I was in your home you had a Donald Sutherland original!! somewhere out of sight. That Barry is such a thoughtful fella (except maybe for the board game thing)!

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  17. Double-chins... ha ha ha oh I know, it's back to the green smoothie detox for us after our "Happy Carb-Filled Christmas" - both of our sides have Polish/Ukrainian ancestry, so you can imagine the dishes we ate constantly (crepes, perogies galore, cabbage rolls, everything with cream and white flour.....) excellent but I need to detox badly!!

    Love the photo! And thrilled to hear you are going to Disney World with the kids, you will have a blast.

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