Sorry it is blurry but they have really subdued lighting in the Mom and Baby unit....
We did get to celebrate Joey's 42nd Birthday on Saturday with our traditional pizza and cake feast!!
Before Joe went to another Hockey game....
On Sunday morning, it was time to get ready to go home.....
Miss Gianna, Gigi
Miss Liliana, Lily
They both have full heads of hair just like both my sons did when they were born!!!
Bringing 2 babies home from the hospital in a small compact car was going to be an issue so Joe and I helped them out....
Joe drove their car up to the hospital which is where I worked for 25+ years before having my department moved to another location.....
Joe would drive Danielle and the babies home....
I drove our car and Jimmy with all the bags, gifts and freebies from the hospital......
Joe and I had already taken the pups home, walking them like we do every morning and then putting them in their crates.....
Even though we did not plan on it, we ended up going inside as the best laid plans sort of went awry...
Jim had wanted to introduce the pups to the babies with only the 4 of them present, understandably so....
I did tell him that he will get use to having the best laid plans shot to heck when you have kids!!!
LOL!
Long story short, we ended up going in and the pups stayed in their crates til after we left....
It did give us the opportunity to hold the babies....
Well, one of them for me!!
And NO!!!
We did not hold them in the hospital because when we did go to see them, they had just fallen asleep after being fed and I am a firm Believer in not waking sleeping babies up for any reason!!!
Here I am holding Lily with Gigi in the seat....
She was sleeping so I did not pick her up to hold her....
Before Jim and I got there ( had to pick up something at Target), Joe got to hold both of them.....
I took these pictures of him with Lily.....
I love this pic!!
And then we left so that the pups and this new family could get acquainted.....
Jim later posted on FB that it looks like Faye is going to be a Mama Dog just like she is with Azumi!!!!
Checking them out!!
And Azumi doing the same thing.....
I really can not believe that they are finally here!!!!
What a way to end the year!!!!
And with all that being said, we were ready to celebrate New Year's Eve!!!!
Again, I set a simple tablescape!!!
I started with a lace tablecloth.....
And since the Christmas Season is not over until the Epiphany, which is the Feast of the Three Kings next weekend, I left my gold poinsettia place mats on the table....
Again, 3 place settings, as Debbie Door Dash would be delivering New Year's Eve Dinner to the new parents....
A simple white dinner plate with a gold rim that I bought years ago in The Christmas Tree Shop for a buck a piece!!!!
I added a paper dessert plate bought last year at Dollar Tree.....
Kiss 2023 Good Bye with a Hershey Kiss!!!
My vintage Libby gold leaf glasses.....
And my gold flatware.....
Joe and I have small forks to dip our lobster in the hot butter in the warmers....
I bought these Butter Warmers about 40+ years ago in Boscov's....
The center of the table....
You may remember these solar lights that I had in the back yard....
2 of them no longer work but I saved the glass bottoms because I loved the way they look......
Last Valentine's Day, I made them into Hershey Kisses...
I made large Hershey Kisses!!!!
Also perfect for New Year's Eve!!!
To Sweet Beginnings in a New Year!!!!
And of course, some Kisses to have for dessert to Kiss 2023 Good Bye.....
As far as the food....
My
parent's tradition of Lobster and Scallops on New Year's Eve
continues....
1975 New Year's Eve, my Dad taught Joe how to make his
famous lobster tails.....
Joe became known for making a mean Lobster over
the years as we invited family and friends over when he made
them.....
Fast forward to New Year's Eve 2023......
12 oz. Lobsters bought at a local place, Malacari's....
Joe carries on the tradition of my
parents.....
Before going under the Broiler....
And after coming out from under the Broiler.....
Scallops for Joe and I......
Chicken fingers for Joey as he does not like seafood......
And shrimp and lobster for Danielle and
Jim....
My Dad cut and made his own fresh
french fries but our tradition is
Fries from McDonald's which is right down the street!!!!
Debbie Door
Dash delivered New Year's Eve dinner to the new parents!!
Plus an order of fries, a stick of butter to melt for the lobster and cocktail sauce....
Under $40 for the seafood from a local business where we always get it for the Holidays, Valley Seafood.....
Plus $73 for the lobsters and with fries and cole slaw, about $125
Not bad for a New Year's Eve celebration for 5 adults!!
I watched Rockin' New Year's Eve like I have every year ( I taped it when I had to work on New Year's Eve) since the first one in 1972!!
By myself as Joe crawls upstairs nightly about 8:30 pm to "watch TV' upstairs in bed....
At least when I worked, I would call him at midnight to wish him Happy New Year and I got to spend it with co workers and patients!!!!!
His parents never stayed up to usher in the New Year unless they went to a party where as my parents never went to bed on New Year's Eve until after midnight and never went to a New Year's Eve party.....
Oh well......
Another simple tablescape for New Year's Day Dinner.....
I started with this tablecloth with Trees on it.....
I started the place settings with a wood like charger plate.....
I
always use my vintage Old Curiosity Shop green dishes for New Year's
Day as the dinner plates are perfect for the lasagna that I make!!!!
My red handled flatware.....
I am using these plates with clocks on them as a bread dish.....
Paper napkins .....
And my Ruby Red depression glass tumblers.....
In the center of the table.....
Here in NEPA, Pork and Sauerkraut is a BIG New Year's Day tradition....
My mother did not like nor could eat sauerkraut so we never had it for New Year's....
I remember her making some sort of roast but I was not crazy about it as I am not a big meat eater.....
My Tradition that I started over 35 years ago, when I started hosting my own Holiday dinners for my own little family of 4, is to make Lasagna....
I always make a double batch as it is a pain in the butt to make so this way, we can get a few meals out of it....
Besides the Debbie Door Dash delivery to the new parents, I also took some over to my neighbor Ed.....
One pan is now gone!!
And that pretty much wraps up the Holiday Season for me....
I do hope to reschedule a few visits that were planned during the week between Christmas and New Year's that got cancelled because of the birth of our twin grand daughters....
However, a snow storm is being forecast for this coming weekend so some of those visits may not happen for Christmas this year...
I also did not get to do any after Christmas Clearance sale shopping either.......
As of yet......
So it looks like this will be my last post here on my Christmas Blog for the 2023 Christmas Holiday Season.....
If I do, I will provide a link to that post here...
I do want to wish you a very Happy and Healthy New Year....
And I hope you will stop by to visit again soon!
Stay safe, healthy and most of all, HAPPY!!
Thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!
If you do not have a blog, PLEASE
give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment. If I can not find a way to
reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check
back......
I am linking up to these parties:
THURSDAY
Please take some time to visit these terrific hosts and all those joining in on the fun!
