The self-timer

So Christmas Day this year I wanted to get a photograph of Mike and I. It was a really nice day, I grabbed the hats, the tripod, one stool type chair to share (big mistake), and the camera and into the backyard we went. Mike indulged me, yeah right, as if he had a chance!

So I set everything up, focussed in on Mike, told him to get ready, the camera started bleeping and snap. Not ready, his arm is in mid air about to go round me. Either that or he thought I might like a whiff of the new body spray that his sister gave him! So try try again. Silly faces, kisses with his eyes wide open, is that man ever serious? Until the ultimate happened, I pressed the button, the camera started bleeping and I ran to take my position and didn't quite sit properly on my side of the stool and over I toppled. Well at least my hand got in that shot!

So finally got the shot I was hoping for and not a double chin in sight! Thank heavens for small mercies. Oh and note the reddish highlights for Christmas, courtesy of my hairdresser!

Credits here.

Well I supposed I should start to think about what I can rustle up for dinner. I think there's some tandoori chicken wings in the freezer, I think just picking over those for dinner will be the order of the night.

Back to work tomorrow!

Still rocking along

Still rocking along with the Christmas pages, still have a few other Christmas avenues to scrap though, so bear with me.

How tired is everyone from Christmas? I can't believe that one day can knock a person around so much. Today, two days later, I'm still exhausted, in fact had a bit of a granny nap on the bed this afternoon, only woke up because I was being nuzzled by a funny little dog giving me kisses! ha. Still tomorrow off here in this neck of the woods, don't go back to work until Tuesday, so one more day to recover.

Back to the Christmas pages, here's the next instalment. Firstly some of my very dear friends who I used to work with. We get together a couple of times a year, and lately have been having beading weekends, where we all pile in at Miss K's house and Miss N teaches us to bead, we stay the night, and very much enjoy each other's friendship. This particular day Miss N was teaching us to bead decorations for Christmas, and the theme was to wear a Christmas hat.

Not to be outdone on the facing page, another of Mike in the Christmas parade with Santa. Mike was an elf this year on Santa's float. I use the word "float" loosely, it was actually a trailer hooked up to the back of a ute! ha. That's how we do things in the country, right.

Credits here.

Boxing Day Sales

Usually I head to Geelong for the sales, but today I stayed close to home and headed to Warrnambool. Although only about 50 percent of shops were open. Never one to let that daunt me, I have now got all my paper and tags and cards for next Christmas 50% off !!

I did say my Christmas book was of Christmas past, present and future. Well here's a blast from the past, whoever would have thought these two innocents would meet and marry. Me with the really bad fringe cut and Mike in his oh so short shorts! ha.

Credits here.

Christmas night

Well the big day has come and almost gone. We've eaten way too much, and it's only 9pm and soooooo tired. Even as an adult it's such a huge day, the build up, the meal, the amazing dessert. Oh my goodness, pictures forthcoming, I made Nigella's chocolate pav again and this time topped it with strawberries and blueberries. The remainder is sitting in the fridge tempting me, but honestly there's not one spare inch of room to fit it in!

Christmas Eve was lovely. We went to church. That's not a usual occurrence in this house but during the week I had said to Mike that I would like to go to church on Christmas Eve and funnily enough he had had the same thought. So hand in hand we walked to our local church where we found four seats to sit with our dear friends. It ended up standing room only and was such a lovely service, also singing Carols. Needless to say I got so overly emotional and the tears flowed during Oh Come all Ye Faithful. I was probably the only person in tears in the whole church, it's meant to be such a happy time. I guess I thought of my dad and it all got too much.

We came home to have Mike make the famous Christmas phone calls. Oh such fun. Especially when Mike kind of forgot where Santa lived and said he was calling from the South Pole, only to be corrected quite politely by my bestie's daughter. Mike quickly recovered and said he had a workshop in the South Pole for the toys he made for the Australian kiddies. Half an hour of phone calls to four different families of children. He really deserves a gold star. But I know he enjoys it just as much as the children getting the phone calls.

Today has been cruisy. The sun shone with no rain at all today. To my overseas friends reading this - I had a sparkly tank top on all day, no sleeves! I've only just put a cardigan on now. It's been a beautiful day.

And I've been very spoilt. Right now I'm wearing the most exquisite blue topaz and diamond earrings and matching necklace. How lucky am I?

I'm going to continue these Christmas pages right through the remainder of this year so be prepared!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Two more sleeps!

Count down is getting closer. This page shows one of our favourite parts of our Christmas, tomorrow night is the big night that the ... err ... call gets put in again.

Credits here.

Three more sleeps

Only 3 more sleeps till santa comes. Yay! Remember as a child the complete anticipation we would feel. Magic times. Nothing like having children around to remind you about how exciting it all is. My niece and nephew here from last year, I was trying to get a good photo of them while they were here at our place. It was a riot.

Credits here.


About to enter quite a stressful time at work over the next few weeks, so no sitting back and enjoying the blissful Christmas feeling at work for me now. I see a few late nights in my future!

Inundating you with Christmas pages

Well if you can't do that in December, when can you, right? Moving right along with my Christmas pages here's another couple.

Credits here.


Must admit, I have scrapped that photo before, but it's such a nice one, it deserves a page in our Christmas memories book.

Whoosh

This weekend has gone so fast, it's gathered up speed as it's flown on by. Already Sunday afternoon.

Friday was our Christmas parade here in town and the weather held! YAY. Mike was an elf like no other, throwing out lollies on the santa trailer to all the kids (small and big alike!!). He had so much fun. We had a picnic dinner for Carols by Candlelight which was nice. They had a huge tree in the village green and donations to the Salvation Army got you a star to hang on the tree, it was lovely seeing the branches fill with stars. Only in the last 10 minutes did the rain start to spit, but my friend Penny from the up the road to the rescue, she had her umbrella at the ready. There's such a contradiction in sitting in the park, under an umbrella, balancing a candle and singing. But it was fun.

Saturday we headed to see Mike's family which was nice.

And Sunday I've done grocery shopping and worked in the garden. Yes me? Working in the garden, unheard of!!

Back to work tomorrow for the working frenzy to Christmas.

Continuing on with my Christmas pages, here are another couple, our absolutely scrumptious dessert. No plum pudding in this house!!

Credits here.

What a hottie

That's how the day went, not that a hottie has just walked in the door or anything. te he. My goodness our new AC has worked overtime here today. I got home tonight and it was so cool inside, bliss! Today got to 39C (that's 102F for my American friends). Plus there was a fire on the edge of town, which was a very close call it got to within a very short distance, like a couple of metres from two houses. Scary fire season ahead that's for sure.

Moving right along with my December pages to continue trying to get further into the festive spirit, the next instalment. Our pretty little Christmas tree with its very varied decorations. Yes it is only quite small, probably comes up to just above my hip, but a small house calls for a small tree. I have though run out of branches for all my ornaments so who knows what next year will bring. :-)

I must admit, I did do very well today getting all Christmasfied. I bought a couple of new Christmas CD's, nothing like a bit of Bing singing White Christmas when we're sweltering at work! haha I played it over and over and over in our office, I think everyone was ready to throw things at me.

Regardless of the hot weather today, still forecast for possible showers on Friday for our Christmas parade and Carols, urrrgh.

Time for bed, nighty night!

Continuing on

I'm tired tonight, too tired to scrap. I tinselled the front of the house, big silver tinsel and hung big red balls along the verandah. It looks just as nice as lights I think, as the sun set and it kind of twinkled the tinsel. Pretty stuff.

I love that Mike is as goofy at Christmas time, as I am. Kindred spirits and all. Here's another page from my December Daily book.

Credits here.


I have begged him to be a Christmas angel this year, can you even imagine? Bluntstone boots, footy socks, a tu tu, flannel shirt, wings (of course) and a slipped halo. I have talked his mate here into doing it, but he said he'll only do it if Mike does it. Mike says no way, if he says they'll both do it, Mike can see himself turning up to the parade in a tu tu and Tony wearing something else entirely. Funnily enough I can see that slight turn of events too.

Parade this Friday night, although it's stinking hot here now, it's forecast showers on Friday. Noooooooo. I know we need the rain, but not Friday, not the night of our parade and Carols. Please Mr. Weatherman.

Older and wiser

Well the man is now another year older and another year wiser perhaps. Birthday pav did not last long. We have his nephew with us at the moment so Mike was a little bit (privately) miffed he had to share with another person besides me, he loves the leftovers the next day. Ahh but he didn't do too badly, he still got his leftovers, albeit smaller than usual.

Here's another one of my December Daily Christmas pages, the menagerie needed to get in on this album too, naturally!

Credits here.


That picture of Lucky was taken this year, what a little trooper he was. Although out of a stack of photos I took, there was always something about each one. Yes the body was good but the eyes were shut. He's smiling, but he moved and is blurry. His face looks cute but his tongue is poked out. Always something. So with a bit of photoshop magic I merged the smile from one photo on the head and body stance of the other. Not bad huh?

Sunday arvo

Sunday arvo, but not just any Sunday arvo, it's the Sunday arvo that happens to be Mike's birthday. He's having a cruisy day, we're just enjoying being at home at the moment. Spent a huge day in Melbourne yesterday, left home around 6am and didn't step back through the door till around 6pm.

Got No.1 stepson checked out of hospital and home, we filled his cupboard with groceries and easy to prepare meals, so he didn't have to go shopping, plus of course all the essentials like Tim Tams, chips, chocolate milk, etc. They're the real foods that will make him feel better. And made sure his scripts were filled for the pain killers. It's a load off everyone's mind that the woman who he hit has admitted full liability and his bike will be fixed at the expense of her insurers. Now he just has to endure 6 weeks of the very heavy plaster that goes from midway between his elbow and shoulder down to his fingers.

I tell you what though, I'm going to get Christmassy if it kills me. I'm trying, I really am. I've decided to join in with the December Daily, but instead of documenting my December, which lets face it, has been pretty shitty to this point, I'm documenting how Christmas is to us, throughout lots of years, our traditions, how we spend the build up, the season, what makes this time of year special to Mike and I.

So here's the first, a pic from Christmas Day last year enjoying our lunch at my sister-in-laws. We had just cracked the bon bons so had the silly hats on. (To my overseas friends reading this, note the short sleeves!!!)

Credits here.

A very easy dinner planned tonight. Mike has requested BBQ chook (done courtesy of the supermarket), lots of mashed potatoes, peas and gravy. How easy is that? His wish is my command. Oh and birthday pav. Always have to have the birthday pav (not cake, not for him!!)

If it doesn't rain ... it pours

If I didn't think I was in deep with enough hurt/heartache with family, we get a phone call yesterday that step son number 1 had been involved in a motor cycle accident and had been rushed to hospital by ambulance. I'm just raising my eyes to the sky at the moment and wondering what is next.

He is okay, well in a "morphine induced okay" I guess you would say. Mike has been with him all day today, he's over the other side of Melbourne which is distressing enough as we want to be near him.

Long story short, a car pulled out unexpectedly from a park, didn't see him coming along the road, he has seen her and slowed trying to take evasive action, and she still not seeing him crossed his path and he's gone into the back panel of her car and thrown off his bike. Dislocated wrist, badly broken arm requiring surgery for titanium plates.

And to add insult to the injury, and this is the state of our hospital system everyone, he is in a two bed ward, sharing with a 70 year old woman suffering from dementia. Mr. W is only 19.

W...T...F ????

I think a Lucky photo is in order, it will help make anything feel better, don't you think? He's such a little scamp, I look at this fellow right now who is curled out about a metre away from me, on Molly's cushion mind you, but she's lying next to him on the floor letting him. He's brought such joy into our lives, we've had him just shy of a year now and I can't imagine life without him, funny little boy that he is.

Using creashens new kit, Three Little Birds, available at the moment at After Five Designs, but coming soon to twolittlepixels and Catscrap.

And by the way, thank you for the good thoughts about my mum and I. We'll get there. I hope.

Holidays are over

Back to work tomorrow, three weeks gone by in the blink of an eye.

I haven't blogged, my heart hasn't been in it. I'm arguing with someone I love and it hurts.

I know you won't read this because you don't even know how to turn on a computer, but I love you mum.