Stuart Ablett
Member
- Messages
- 15,917
- Location
- Tokyo Japan
Another 30 minutes and Christmas day will be over for us here in Japan, we had a very busy, but very good day.
I got up early and started on our food preparations, we bought a nice 13lb turkey at Costco the last time we were out there. I started with making the stuffing, as that takes the longest, got the bird stuffed and in the oven, cooking time was right around 4 hours. the girls had school today, the last day of the year, they were to come home, with their report cards, around noon. Once the turkey was in the oven, cooking away, Emiko and I went to the L shop and did a bunch of work, around noon, the girls phoned to say they were home. I got them to remove the tin foil on top of the turkey for the last browning.
We FINALLY got home around 2:30 PM for our late Christmas Lunch. Man, the whole house smelled so good
While the potatoes and sweet potatoes cooked, we opened presents. I got my lovely wife the complete DVD set, both seasons of the TV show "Bones", I like it too, but she REALLY likes it, she was shocked, as she did not ask for that, she asked for some kitchen ware, I told her to go buy what she wants for the kitchen, I wanted to buy her something for her, that I knew she would really enjoy. For our youngest daughter, we got her the newest Harry Potter DVD, which she wanted, and I found out that a book series that she really, REALLY likes was just out in time for the Christmas season, I had to go to about 10 stores to find a copy, but I got one. She was tickled pink, as she knew all of her friends were wanting the same book, but it was impossible to find, well, ALMOST impossible Our eldest daughter got the iPod classic she has been wanting for some time, boy she was happy, and I think even more so because we did not just "Give it" to her, as it is not cheap, but we made her earn it through school marks, and by giving up her half of the Nintendo DS game thing to her sister (I own the other half). That is why I mentioned the report cards, we had a really good look at them before any gifts got opened, and both girls have improved.
I was honestly not expecting much, I've gotten a lot of stuff recently, so when my wife handed me a small box, about the size of a billfold, I was not expecting what was in side. She had printed out a hand made coupon for me to buy a new MacBook A buddy recently got one, and I was drooling all over it, it is so very cool, and the experience we are having with the MacMini is so very positive, she decided what the heck. 
I was stunned
We talked it over, and as much as I'd like a MacBook, my needs for a portable computer are almost nonexistent, so instead, I'll be getting an iMac.
I think the higher spec iMac 20" unit will be what I need, I don't really have the space for the iMac 24", seriously, the space in the home that the computer lives is just not that big
The largest monitor to date I have owned is a flat-screen 17" so the 20" iMac will be a big step up.
Those presents are all find and dandy, really they are sweet, but what I got from my two daughters are just priceless. They both gave me handmade tickets to help out, things like 1 hour of help doing whatever I need them to do, or a "Wash the dishes" coupon, or wash the truck coupon. These are special My eldest daughter has become something of a baker, so she gave me tickets for some cinnamon buns
ONce we had opened all the presents, we then sat down and had our Christmas dinner/lunch, man oh man was it good!
Some pics!
Cheers................. the Christmas kind!
I got up early and started on our food preparations, we bought a nice 13lb turkey at Costco the last time we were out there. I started with making the stuffing, as that takes the longest, got the bird stuffed and in the oven, cooking time was right around 4 hours. the girls had school today, the last day of the year, they were to come home, with their report cards, around noon. Once the turkey was in the oven, cooking away, Emiko and I went to the L shop and did a bunch of work, around noon, the girls phoned to say they were home. I got them to remove the tin foil on top of the turkey for the last browning.
We FINALLY got home around 2:30 PM for our late Christmas Lunch. Man, the whole house smelled so good
While the potatoes and sweet potatoes cooked, we opened presents. I got my lovely wife the complete DVD set, both seasons of the TV show "Bones", I like it too, but she REALLY likes it, she was shocked, as she did not ask for that, she asked for some kitchen ware, I told her to go buy what she wants for the kitchen, I wanted to buy her something for her, that I knew she would really enjoy. For our youngest daughter, we got her the newest Harry Potter DVD, which she wanted, and I found out that a book series that she really, REALLY likes was just out in time for the Christmas season, I had to go to about 10 stores to find a copy, but I got one. She was tickled pink, as she knew all of her friends were wanting the same book, but it was impossible to find, well, ALMOST impossible
Our eldest daughter got the iPod classic she has been wanting for some time, boy she was happy, and I think even more so because we did not just "Give it" to her, as it is not cheap, but we made her earn it through school marks, and by giving up her half of the Nintendo DS game thing to her sister (I own the other half). That is why I mentioned the report cards, we had a really good look at them before any gifts got opened, and both girls have improved.I was honestly not expecting much, I've gotten a lot of stuff recently, so when my wife handed me a small box, about the size of a billfold, I was not expecting what was in side. She had printed out a hand made coupon for me to buy a new MacBook
A buddy recently got one, and I was drooling all over it, it is so very cool, and the experience we are having with the MacMini is so very positive, she decided what the heck. I was stunned
We talked it over, and as much as I'd like a MacBook, my needs for a portable computer are almost nonexistent, so instead, I'll be getting an iMac.
I think the higher spec iMac 20" unit will be what I need, I don't really have the space for the iMac 24", seriously, the space in the home that the computer lives is just not that big
The largest monitor to date I have owned is a flat-screen 17" so the 20" iMac will be a big step up.
Those presents are all find and dandy, really they are sweet, but what I got from my two daughters are just priceless. They both gave me handmade tickets to help out, things like 1 hour of help doing whatever I need them to do, or a "Wash the dishes" coupon, or wash the truck coupon. These are special
My eldest daughter has become something of a baker, so she gave me tickets for some cinnamon buns ONce we had opened all the presents, we then sat down and had our Christmas dinner/lunch, man oh man was it good!
Some pics!
Cheers................. the Christmas kind!
