A Very Merry Weekend

We are in full holiday swing around here, and it is lovely!

 

Saturday morning, Daddy made figgy pudding for breakfast:

 There are apples and figs in it, so it totally counts. And...that is a rum sauce, which makes any morning a very happy one. Christmas on a plate right there.

After much needed hair appointments, we headed to our museum. Good thing Daddy is a beast:

 After a quick visit to the barnyard, we went to see the holiday train. The kids loved the bird's eye view of all the trains:

 Issa was also thrilled to see the Wright Brothers' plane:

 She takes being a Wright's Flyer very seriously, you know.

That afternoon, Brad took me out for a Christmas themed date. I truly was clueless. I thought we might be headed to Raleigh, but then he hopped on 85 South and I was lost. He planned an afternoon is Saxapahaw. I had never heard of it, but we started our date at a little winery. We opted not to taste the sweet wines, but they had a couple of really nice wines and a seasonal spiced wine that we fell in love with.

After our tasting, we headed to a cute Christmas market in an old mill. There were lots of local artists and some really fun jewelry. We enjoyed holiday coffees on the patio, and then headed to a fabulous dinner at a little pub. We had a wonderful local cheese plate with quince paste and the best almonds I've had anywhere. We shared the shepherds pie, which was incredible and very authentically British, and then we ended the meal with apple cider pana cotta. It was all wonderful...which lead to a stage production of "It's a Wonderful Life." It was staged as a radio show, and it was a fabulous performance. It was a perfect date, and I loved the surprise of the whole day.

Yesterday, the kids and I created our Christmas gingerbread house:

 This time, they actually wanted a little help. I think Christmas brings out the more traditional houses in them. Evan wanted me to make frosting swags for him:

 Issa wanted me to put the snow along the roof line:

We never tire of this little house, and it was the perfect ending to a festive weekend!