A Norfolk Christmas: Part II

Christmas Day
What a truly special time of wonderful memories this Christmas has been for our family. I know we will always cherish the year we spent together -- just the two of us -- in Norfolk. A time before kids; quiet, cozy, and perfect.

Our little family took full advantage of Christmas morning and slept-in, including our little "bear deer," who had to be coaxed from our warm bed to join the morning festivities. :)

Chris started our morning off with a family prayer, offering thankfulness to our Lord in celebration of His birth, giving glory to He who is glorified!

While I am only an occasional coffee drinker -- love it, but limit it -- the pot of french press coffee Chris brewed that morning was perfect. I always say a cup of coffee is like a sweater for the inside: warm and cozy. Think about it, it makes sense. ;-)

If you've never enjoyed your coffee this way, I highly suggest it. Our press was given to us as a wedding present, and we've gotten so much use out of it over the past year. They are so affordable, and add an extra special touch (not to mention fabulous flavor) when entertaining.

We've switched from regular sugar (or I guess I should say Chris, rather, as I never did take sugar in coffee) to using raw stevia. It adds the perfect amount of sweetness with only a half of a packet, and has a very mild taste. It's a great substitute if you're looking to rid your kitchen of sugar, but need a good alternative for coffee.

Coffee in hand, the "boys" got to work heating up some of our fresh, local sausage, while I began working on our egg nog french toast.

Two very happy and relaxed chefs. We are so blessed, and thank God each day for each other. Marriage just doesn't get much better than this -- and we've only just begun!

Christmas Brunch: egg not french toast (using challah bread) topped with a homemade, fresh berry sauce, raw almonds, coconut, and a touch of maple syrup. For our beverage we enjoyed a "sunrise" mimosa: fresh orange mixed with a Brut champagne, with a little splash of cranberry-pomegranate juice for color. The pretty stemware are the glasses we used during our first toast at our wedding.

Quite happily stuffed from brunch, we attempted a self-photo of our little pj-clad family.

After living in our pj's for most of the early afternoon, we dug up some real clothes and hit the theater to see the latest installment in the Narnia series, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader."

 Growing up, my family never was one for getting up at the crack of dawn to rip open gifts, and apparently that tradition continues on into our family, too. We didn't touch gifts until nearly 5 p.m. that day!

With the desire to simplify and focus on each other's company instead this Christmas, Chris and I decided to forego giving each other presents. Instead, we enjoyed savoring all the sweet gifts and goodies sent by our dear families. (P.S. Had I realized there were wrapped gifts inside the box mailers, I would have opened them to create a prettier setting around our tree. Oh, well!)

Yes, I put pj's back on when we returned home from the theater. Don't judge. You're allowed to do that on Christmas.

Chris cheated. Yes, after finding the latest version of Fable on sale (the only XBOX game I really enjoy playing), Chris sneakily purchased it for me and hid it behind the tree. 

Truth is, I think he has just as much fun watching me play the game and bragging about his wife who plays, as I enjoy playing it. It's the little things, wives, that make your husband thoroughly wild about you. A little effort on your part to find interest in things he has interest in can mean a lot. And you might just be surprised at the fun you end up having in the process. :)

Thank you, thank you to all of our family for the very loving gifts given. Chris was quite happy to display them so I could grab a photo -- wearing his very schnazzy bow tie. ;-)

Can't wait to play this: a game from my parents on social etiquette, food, and entertaining! Right up my alley, I'd say!

After presents, it was time for us to don the aprons and get to some serious cooking on our Christmas dinner. Well, almost time. Chris had some pre-dinner prep to attend to first. ;-)

Nothing says a "happy wife is a happy life" like a hubby ready-to-go with a butcher knife. My mother-in-law gave me this apron last year -- love it. Kudos to my husband for being a good sport and playing "dress up" with me in the kitchen. Only a real man can do this. And believe me, mine is all man. ;-)

Trying my hand at cornish hens! P.S. Thanks to my sweet friend, Jessica, for my cute apron. Love every opportunity I get to use it in the kitchen.

And...dinner is served! Thrilled with the outcome -- a true five star Christmas meal. Half the fun was spending several hours in the kitchen together cooking and laughing, and the other half enjoying a beautiful candlelit meal together, savoring the fruits of our labor and lovely conversation.

Dinner: Cranberry-stuffed cornish hens drizzled with a maple and port glaze, gourmet green bean casserole topped with coconut oil-crusted shallots, maple and ginger glazed baby carrots, cauliflower and gruyere gratin, and cheddar and cayenne biscuits.

Beverage: Christmas at Biltmore Rose Wine (purchased this October during our anniversary trip)

A Norfolk Christmas: Part I

Throughout our time as newlyweds, Chris and I hadn't yet spent a holiday in our own home. With wonderful family (on both sides) located close enough for a weekend visit, we've naturally taken the trip (up or down, respectively) for every holiday and special event.

However, as it has been an especially busy last few months for us, we decided to enjoy a cozy, quite Christmas at home this year. We love all of our family dearly, and while we enjoy every moment we spend together, we appreciated so much knowing that everyone understood our need to just be with each other this year in our own home. Following is a little look into our McLean Christmas. :)

Christmas Eve, Eve
In lieu of being just the two of us (and Bear) for Christmas this year, we thought it would be fun to go all out and enjoy cooking a true gourmet Christmas dinner together. We wanted to try some new recipes, and together we got to work searching the inter-webs for just the right meal. As a true Martha Stewart fan (her cooking and crafting that is, not the insider-trading ;-) I quickly found all I was looking for under her special holiday recipe section at marthastewart.com.

McLean Christmas Menu

Brunch

Egg nog french toast

Spicy sausage (from the local farm where we also get our milk)

Beverage

Cranberry-orange mimosas

Dinner

Cranberry-stuffed cornish game hens

Glazed carrots and ginger

Green bean casserole 

Cauliflower gratin

Cheddar biscuits

Beverage

Christmas at Biltmore Rose Wine 

(we purchased this bottle when we toured the Biltmore winery and estate on our anniversary in October.) 

With our ingredients list in tow, we made our way to the grocery store to pick-up any last needed supplies.

Note the sign Chris is standing under. Quite appropriate. He's my sweet goods. ;-)

Upon getting home, I quickly whipped up some homemade chewy molasses spice cookies, to take with us later in the car as we drove around looking at Christmas lights. These cookies turned out AMAZING, by the way. Best spice cookie recipe I've ever used. 

Dinner? A Digiorno pizza. Yep, not so gourmet, admittedly, but we jazzed it up and given the "McLean touch" with some extra special toppings, spices, and a drizzle of olive oil for the crust.

Our dear friend, Megan, was joining us on our adventure for lights that evening, so I packed up our freshly-baked cookies and a thermos of Chris's special french press coffee for some treats on-the-go.

Growing up, my mother never let us go out looking at Christmas lights without some home-baked goodies for the car-ride, and the tradition continues in our house, too. :)

P.S. My mom's pretty awesome. She's one of those amazing women who always made every occasion that much more memorable with all of her special touches. If you appreciate my love for cooking, home-making, and decorating, you have my beautiful mother to thank.

Our little bear didn't want to be left out, so he was tucked in quite cozily in the backseat to enjoy our Christmas light adventure.

We drove around most of the city it seems in our search for great lights, and ended up at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront for their yearly Christmas Light Extravaganza on the beach. They block off the entire boardwalk area for cars, and deck several miles with lights. After an hour of waiting in line to get to the beginning (most of our city was there with us!) we finally began...

For those of you in the area who considered taking part in this, it's a bit pricey at $10 a car, however, there was something special about enjoying lights with the sound of the ocean in the background.

Christmas Eve
With all of our preparation for Christmas finished the night before (yay), and no additional errands to run, Chris and I started our day off with a yummy protein shake before heading off to the gym for some Body Pump (me) free weights (Chris) and a Body Combat class (together).

Little Bear is best friends with our mailman, and as a little thank you for all the doggie treats he brings Bear throughout the week, I wanted to give him some Christmas goodies: A bag of the molasses spice cookies I'd made the night before.

We have a cozy, independent theater (built in 1930) located right down our street, and we were delighted to find out that they were showing "It's a Wonderful Life" during the week of Christmas. We decided to make the afternoon showing our Christmas Eve outing.

I never cease to be touched by this movie, and yet again walked out with tears in my eyes. It was special to enjoy it in all of it's original  glory on the silver screen -- seated in the balcony (our favorite spot!) This was also Chris's first time seeing the film all the way through. Shocking, I know! Especially considering that I've probably seen it 20 times.

We were invited to a friend's home for a Christmas Eve dinner party, but as my back started acting up some (I deal with chronic back pain -- usually manageable, but it can flare up at various points) I ended up opting for pj's and the couch. Our friends insisted we enjoy some of their party food to-go, so Chris trekked out to bring me back some incredible chili, homemade salsa, and delectable desserts. What a blessing and so incredibly delicious!

After learning that I'd never seen "A Christmas Story" (it's true, I think I'd only seen bits and pieces here and there over the years) Chris insisted we watch it that evening, and luckily found that good old TBS was running a 24-hour marathon. Favorite part: "Fra-gil-e. Ah, it must be from Italy." ;-)



So, how did our Christmas meal turn out? Stay tuned...Part II coming soon. ;-)

The baby that changed the world

It's so easy to get distracted from the true reason we celebrate this time of year: the world-shaking birth and life of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. I encourage you to really set aside time this Christmas to rejoice in the miracle of His birth and life, and give thanks for God's grace and goodness to us.

(Image from listentogrammie.blogspot.com)

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this." - Isaiah 9:6-7

While too often we settle for desiring monetary and physical blessing, God instead chose to give up his beloved son -- giving use the ultimate gift. He sent him to earth to become one with mankind -- still God, yet able to experience fully the emotion and pain of man. 

While we work hard to "give up" sweets, or "sacrifice" meager, meaningless things in our lives, Jesus sacrificed His everything. He shed His blood for us, taking our sin upon His shoulders, so we might know the gift of eternal life, and reign forever with Him in heaven. 

Tell me, what is Christmas a part from Christ? The world works so hard to remove Him, erase Him, hide Him. Yet, without Christmas, all we are left with is a meaningless holiday. What are presents a part from his ultimate gift? Do you know why we even have the tradition of giving gifts? While the date we celebrate on is arbitrary, the symbolism of Christmas is so deep, and no matter how hard the world tries to push Him away, we can take confidence in knowing our King does indeed reign.

May He reign in your hearts this season and always. May you be a beacon on the hill for others. Knowing His kindness, may you also show kindness to others. Knowing His forgiveness, may you also show forgiveness to others. Knowing His deep love,  may you also show love to others. Knowing His great mercy, may you also show mercy toward others.

Being human is hard. We make mistakes -- boy, do we ever. But just remember the price paid (in love!) for your life, and rejoice in God's gift to live victoriously! 

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." - John 3:16-21

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Here in the McLean home, the Christmas spirit is indeed merry and bright. After enjoying our freshly-cut Christmas tree in all it's green and natural glory for several days, we realized it was probably time to "deck the halls" and get a move on putting up the decorations before January rolled around and it was time for it to come down.

Here is a festive look inside our home as we prepare for the true reason for the season's celebration: the birth and life of our savior, Jesus Christ.

Our cozy living room.

This beautiful vase was the "guest book" at our wedding. I've loved continually re-purposing it throughout our home, and for Christmas it makes for a beautiful centerpiece in front of our (non-function) fireplace.

I love the beautiful simplicity of this nativity set. It was given to Chris and I as a wedding present, and it is something we shall cherish for years to come.

The Christmas tree farm we purchased our large tree from this year also had these adorable miniature live trees. At an incredible price of $8 I just couldn't pass it up. It's been a fun edition as a centerpiece this year on our very large dining room table.

While I haven't really been an ornament collector, I couldn't pass up this cute porcelain piece with our family initial when I attended a Christmas fair in Richmond last year.

Enjoying some holiday glow atop our lovely, handmade wine bar (gift from the in-laws) in the dining room.

Okay, back to the kitchen...holiday baking coming your way soon! In the meantime, go enjoy some special time with your family or friends today. Presents and lights and trees come and go, but God's blessing of loved ones in our lives is something to be cherished every day.