Christmas 2014

So we found ourselves back on the coast again, for Christmas this year. Dr decreed that Mum wasn’t allowed home yet, so we and the family took ourselves to her (not Dad, he thought some one might steal the place  - eyeroll – so he stayed home to ensure everything was secured). Initially I tried to book a nice big air-conditioned holiday house with a pool but none wanted us for  short stay. So instead I booked into Seagulls “resort” which did have aircon, a very nice pool and didn’t care how many nights we stayed.I suppose if we are going to have a coastal holiday it should look proper tropical.

And yes, I did take a (skinny drought ridden but sparkly!)  tree with us.

Noisy toys were given with glee to small nieces that like to press buttons. Kids were spoilt and got lots of lovely things. Much food was eaten. The aircon was set at artic and full blast. A Pommie friend of my sister in law was part of the family, and a cousin dropped in for lunch as well. Full house.

After lunch had subsided it was decreed that we needed to retire to the fancy pool that we were paying a bomb for. Water guns were dragged to the pool. Uncles that thought they were going to blast small nephews away were sadly disappointed when it appeared his newly purchased water canon had some plumbing issues.

After swims and more food, super tired kids were sent to bed and the rest wandered off to their own accommodation slowly. Mum was taken home (albeit reluctantly, even though she was drooping) and The Husband and I were left clutching our overfed selves, and wondering how doing very little for a day can be so exhausting.

And so that was Christmas.

And so that was Christmas

It seemed to roll around far too quickly this year! The kids were super excited, notes were left for Santa (beer in the fridge) and children were hunted back to bed well before daylight Christmas morning. 

We spent the morning at home, with my parents coming in for awhile and neighbours popping over. Then off to thein laws  place for another round of presents and food....and more food.

Pants selection has been of the stretchy comfy sort; Boxing Day being spent doing very little full stop (apart from eat some more, watch a movie and read a book dusty from being untouched)  at home, as the kids played with their haul (Santa bringing an iPod, a last minute decision of a small sewing machine, and an infernal remote controlled helicopter).

Sadly Santa missed my letter with the bit about RAIN, but perhaps the requests for the same were overwhelming?!

Funnily enough, all of this eating and doing nothing has been totally exhausting. 

So that's Christmas for another year, done and dusted. 

** this post brought to you totally by lazy over fed person on couch using iPhone, including new collage making app that has been downloaded. 

Merry and Manic

Drawing breath - slightly - in between chasing weaners about, and questioning my sanity for even contemplating heading to the city and the shops at this stage (why do people who have access to the shops 24/7 leave their shopping until the last minute, why oh why?!!)

I wonder why my pants feel tight?!

Ah, Christmas Day has come and gone and the day of over indulgence in both food and present form has been just that. We had pretty much an all day smoko yesterday, with friends and family coming and going, and the plates of delicious nibblies appearing on the table. I even drank a beer (well to be accurate, it was Apple Cider, but same difference) which was witnessed by husband who thought he may have to wheel me off for a nap (not a big drinker am I). It may explain the wicked headache I ended up with later in the day? or that may relate to the over consumption of many rum balls, choc almonds, cob loaf and mini quiches.

Anyhow, we had the place looking all festive:

with what my dad reckons was the drought version of a christmas tree ;-) and I found a use for that old window, it made a nice centrepiece AND table weight in one.

The kids were very very excited and finally put to bed on Christmas Eve, although that little boy kept reappearing with odd requests way after he should have. (and the tree was even wonkier, after the cat and boy incident knocked it over more than once...cable tied together, its bound for the rubbish dump post Christmas I am afraid).

 

Santa left a letter for the kids that had to be read before the paper fest began...

Little boys were bleary eyed when bigger sisters could not wait any longer - one was hunted back to bed at 4:45am by what might be called a slightly cranky mother - but at 6am we finally gave in.

And I put the camera down, although did take a few more snaps on instagram during the day.

(didn't the old sofa bed/couch downstairs dress up nicely for the occassion!)

The lego fest began, with all kids, big and little putting their minds to construction. I think the big boys were enjoying it as much as the little ones (and being in the aircon helped, although my pretty christmas table did not stay that way for long, making way for little piles of lego!)

And that was it, some kiddies slept very very soundly last night, and are happily playing with the new lego and other lovely presents friends and family gave them today. Watching a new movie is also on the plans for the day (sadly dad had to go and put out lick and give a non performing pump a good talking to, but plans on being home tomorrow)

I hope your day was full of food, family and fun as well.

PS no family photo on christmas day :( but have plans over the next few days to take family off down the flat and have tuned husband to be co-operative AND happy when the time comes!

in need of a bex and a good lie down

the kids, now old enough to read the calendar and realise the date, were well aware that the 1st December had come upon us. Yesterday morning, as soon as they got out of bed, began pestering me to put up the Christmas decorations.

Finally, after giving them jobs to do every time they asked about the wretched (oh yes, feeling the cheer) tree, I gave up.

And then, as you do, instagrammed it all. Clearly not embracing less is more this year, the slightly wonky tree is quite loaded, but the kids are happy. Anyone coming to the front gate will be blinded by the sun reflecting off the tinsel wound there, and then soothed by the gentle glow of the lanterns draped along the louvers on the front veranda

That's before we even drape the long strand of coloured fairy lights along the front fence - the bit I love the best. Sadly now, as the garden has grown so thick (as was intended) we hardly even get to see these in their full glory unless standing on the road, so to counteract I hang some icicle ones from the gutter of the back patio. Which I can see from the kitchen sink.

But I'll save the fairy light extravaganza for another afternoon, for now just the finding of the tree and its trimmings and the creation of this little random Christmas vignette was more than enough Christmas Fun.

Please admire my new china reindeer, picked up for the princely sum of $3.

Hope you're finding the HO in your own ho ho ho...I will say this: it was a rather good excuse to be in the air-conditioning today! Its more like Hot Hot Hot in these parts!

jury's out

Inspired by this:
and this
Today I did this...AND ordered some prints.

And now I don't know if I like it. Lesson learnt. One should always sleep on ones design choices before ordering.
 
Oh well. Too late now. Look for one coming into your letterbox sometime between now and new year. I'm becoming a fan of the letter arriving in the new year, just cause I am so slack that is how long it takes me to get posted!

random observations and not so profound thoughts

In case you hadn't noticed, we are rapidly approaching the pointy end of the year, and the silly season. Where did the year go?!

I went to the city early last week. Solo. No kids, no husband. Unfortunately, I did take with me the head cold thing that the kids brought home from school, which I am still dealing with a whole week and a bit later. And while it did take the shine off my trip and made me squint with glazed eyes at my shopping list, I soldiered on. Coka Cola has saved me on many a trip home and this one was no different.

Our old dog Sally is on heat. Thankfully she seems as interested in having another litter of puppies as I am. Our other dog, a teenaged Jack Russell who is still in full ownership of all of his dangly bits, is obsessed (can you imagine it?!!). So much so, that after Sally's morning run, where all she wants to do is complete her ablutions (as you do), she puts herself back into the pen to get away from Wally's constant "attentions". Jack Russells are nothing but determined, and a bit dense, he hasn't worked out from the snarky snarly snaps in his direction that she is just not interested. Highly entertaining.

Its dry. And it busy. And its hot. Combination of which makes for tired, cranky husbands (and wives).

We have a week left of school. Given that we are struggling to even get inside by 7pm, lingering outside to enjoy the coolness of dusk, it can't come sooner - having tea cooked and eaten then having to be in bed on time to get a good nights sleep for school the next day. To be honest, we've struggled with bed time all term. Bring on the summer holidays...

I have yet to start thinking about christmas cards and letters...I love getting them (anything more than a few lines on a card) and I love skimming through the years worth of photos to include on my letter. And honestly, sometimes its only way I manage to remember what happened this year.

This boy lost his second bottom tooth. Tooth fairy finally remembered to visit. They are used to her absent mindedness in these parts.

Santa lists have been written, at least by the two younger ones...I think the biggest one is getting slightly suss about things.

We went to the first Christmas BBQ this week. Hosted by OUR BANK!  As one of the other clients said, he has been waiting 84 years for a bank to give HIM something. We are very happy with our bank and its manager, and we had a lovely evening, eating a lovely meal provided by their caterer, and chatting with friends and neighbours. Bank manager seemed disappointed that his clients did not drink all of the beer provided.

Speaking of BBQ's and christmas cheer, the fridge door is getting quite overloaded with upcoming functions...am already feeling the desire to stay home in my jarmies in front of the tv with a packet of maltesers. Festive aren't I?!!

And finally: when did my kids get so grown up looking? my baby is SO not a squiggly, snuggly little boy any more. Although still has a wicked sense of humour. last night he hid under the bed to scare me, and giggled his little head off when I squealed. (I did know he was there, one thing he does not know how to do is hide successfully!) He was still snickering to himself when I turned the light off.

Righto. Off to find some festive cheer. Ho Ho Ho!

all over til next year

the paper has been collected and binned, cardboard boxes and packaging rounded up, nerf gun bullets lost and found again by the dozen. Christmas 2011 done and dusted...here is a little pictorial tale of the past few days of fun.

the kids helping dad roll rum balls. And eat them too apparently! (I use plain crushed biscuits, the standard coconut and cocoa and condensed milk, a hefty dash of rum, and this year instead of mixed fruit I used dates that I processed. Can't really taste the dates in the finished product but it DOES make them yum yum yummy.  I ended up processing the whole lot in the food processor, which with the voice of experience I would recommend doing only one batch at a time, instead of a double batch)

  Some of them prettied up in a glass jar from the discount store with brownies for gift giving.

the table set for Christmas morning tea with my family...

continuing down the simplistic route, I plonked some festive coloured flowers from the garden in little glass bottles and called it done. Added food...(more was added after I took this photo, slices and other yummies from the fridge)

The kids were VERY excited about the parcels under the tree...

after being sent back to bed around daylight (which is rather early in these parts) and allowed up at a more reasonable and sustainable hour given the big day ahead.

I think he was excited about what Santa brought him, a topic of much discussion and thought over the past few weeks.

This is my youngest brother. He obviously got up that morning and thought, self, lets dress like a clown today. I enquired whether there was a jacket to match and thank goodness, it isn't. He is a bit of a clown so I guess it probably was an appropriate outfit.

After we caught up with my family and ate ourselves a bit silly, we headed out to Trevor's parents property for more of the same. More gifts (thoughtful and fun) and more food. More groaning bellies. More photos.

all of the grandkids, including the newest little bundle, just 26 days old. obviously a bit squinty and glary for the monkeys in the front row.... 

and then, before dark, with poddies and puppies and pigglies to feed, and some tired droopy kidlets...we packed up and came home. And had toast for tea.

Christmas for another year over and done. How was yours?

pretties

these came in the mail the other day, a lovely gift from a lovely friend.

Given that I went the lazy simplistic route this year and simply used some branches pruned from the mulberry tree, decorated with lights and just one pack of bells, they have added a sweet touch to their branches.

The kids are a little disappointed that the green plastic monstrosity has not come out of storage, along with the tinsel and the other tree paraphernalia, but they will get over it. Santa will still find them!

Although sometimes when I do look at it, simple does look a bit on the too-modern-for-this-house style!

The kids got all excited about the presents under the tree, until they realised that a good deal of them are not for them but in fact for friends and family! I am mean like that! but they do look all pretty wrapped up.

And so the countdown continues....just two more sleeps!