Making dinner for my Parents

Wow.. considering my parents and sister came an hour early, dinner went surprisingly well :)

I overbaked the meringues I had spent all morning on, but it didn't matter much because everyone was too stuffed from dinner :D I had to double check the tenderloin recipe with Jo, I had the cooking time wrong - 325 for 45 mins, then 400 for 30 minutes to brown the outside and make it look purdy. My sister even asked for the recipe - Jo should be proud :D My Mum suggested splitting the tenderloin down the middle and then hammering it, to make it even thinner so it rolls better.

My parents also brought over my Christmas gifts (I forgot to run out to the Big & Tall store to get a GC for my DH from my parents, so he only got to open the candy my Mum and I picked out last week). I finally get to wear my brown boots and coat :D Mum bought me a cream pashmina - very nice, and oh so soft. She was worried I wouldn't like cream (it was the only thing she picked out by herself).

DH doesn't get my family's tradition of shopping with the giver beforehand. He thinks the gifts should be a complete surprise. Surprises are nice, but surprise clothes rarely fit or are the right style/colour. For the last decade, the bulk of my siblings gifts have been clothes, so surprises just don't work for us. My parents are much more happy to give us what we would really like, rather than something they might have to return because the fit is off. Besides, Mum usually shops so early that we forget what we've picked out. This year, I knew I had found some sweaters with her, but I had completely forgotten which ones, so it was a surprise afterall :)

I'm just so glad I can finally wear my stylish, yet comfortably flat winter boots :)