Gifts for this Busy Mom

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holiday. My son and daughter-in-law joined us today, along with my in-laws. We all had a great time and enjoyed some yummy food. I am so full I don't think I can eat another bite.

Books must have been on many minds, as I am now the owner of nine new titles thanks to my family and my Amazon Wish List. Here is what I received:

• The Alpine Path by L.M. Montgomery (Lucy Maud Montgomery's autobiography),
• Inside Laura's Little House: The Little House on the Prairie Treasury by Carolyn Strom Collins and Christina Wyss Eriksson,
• The Twelve Clues of Christmas: A Royal Spyness Mystery by Rhys Bowen (recommended by a literary agent whose blog I follow),
• White as Snow, Rock of Refuge, and In Green Pastures by Donna Westover Gallup. These are the three books in her Mysterious Ways series,
• The Christmas Cottage by Samantha Chase (Kindle version),
• Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley (Kindle version), and
• Christmas Carol by Michele Gorman (Kindle version).

My son and daughter-in-law bought me a new 4-quart slow cooker. I have a larger one, but it's old and difficult to carry around to church potlucks. I can't wait to try it.

I also received The Bonanza Collection, a five -disc set of the series starring Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Pernell Roberts, and Dan Blocker. I can't believe all of the stars are gone now. Did you know the Bonanza theme song actually had lyrics? The original version was sung by Greene, Landon, and Blocker. It was--well, to put it kindly--awful, so they went for the instrumental version for the rest of the show; though Greene recorded a version of it changing the lyrics. Johnny Cash also sang his own version with different lyrics.

The family also bought me Gettysburg and Stories of Valor, a Civil War Minutes™ III DVD. It is narrated by Keith Carradine and features interviews with Michael Kraus and David M. Neville, bonus trailers, and commentary. Other nice gifts were a Yankee Candle votive sampler pack and a gift certificate to the local spa.

I hope you had a lovely Christmas. What are some of the special gifts you received?