Road trip and New Years Eve Plans

Yesterday we decided to go on a road trip with friends to the East Coast

My tan lines.......think I need to get rid of them asap lol, taken at lunch

Miss S and her bestie Miss G

My gorgeous gorgeous baby girl, Miss I

the family chatterbox, Miss E

Someone needs to work on her tan lol

and we have made plans for New Years Eve

we are off up the coast managed to book the LAST 2 CABINS

in Tasmania phew

going away with great friends for lots of laughs, lots of food, beach fun

lots of drinking, just lots of fun in general.

Can't wait......roll on Friday

We took our christmas tree and garland down today,

wreath is off the front door, but I have left

the christmas quilt hanging in the hallway and the lights on

the tree out the front.......

But thats OKAY isn't it lol

SSCS and other stuff

On Christmas day after the girlies had done the present thing, I had showered and was about to head into the kitchen, I comment to man of the house that I hadn't received ANY sewing goodies......then the penny dropped in my bedroom was a box of goodies that I have received for Chookyblues Secret Santa Christmas Swap, I raced in to the bedroom and grabbed the box and here is what was hiding inside

a sewing machine mat, and I have been meaning to make

one for so long just never got around to it

Some quilt patterns and a cross stitch bookmark

scissors, a scissor fob and a thimble holder thingie

a covered tape measure

a pincushion which I guessed what it was as I stabbed myself

with the pins when I was opening it lol

and here they all are together.

Thank you so much Miche'le

I Loved it all :)

and onto the other stuff

meet Ralph the rooster from Miss E

Orinoco the Owl from Miss I

and Percival the penguin from Miss S

our christmas tree BEFORE the girlies got to it

and Miss I with her Bitty Button doll

now toI need prepare myself and my liver for New Years Eve lol

Boxing Day 2010

and I have learnt that I am not the best turkey cooker lol, might give turkey a miss next year.

We ate fr to much food, I didn't drink to much though, unlike Thursday night lol, tonight will b  different story
though.

We are having a boxing day bbq here with some wonderful friends, there will be 9 adults and between us we have 11 kids.

Man of the house is at the skate park with our girlies so they can ride thier scooters I got left at home with the potato salad, homemade burgers and the rice salad, he has a list of things to get on his way home from the supermarket.

Expecting mum and dad at some stage to collect the rements of crockery from yesterday.

I only took 2 photos all day too, 1 of the tree and the pressies and 1 of Miss S opening up something.

Santa was very good to me, I got my kitchenaid, a ds game, perfume, books and the girlies bought me some glass animals Miss I insisted apparently oh and I got an electric carving knife.

Girlies got way to much as usual

Man of the house got 2 four wheel drives (matchbox ones as he didn't specify the size lol) the Top Gear challenge dvd's and Top Gear adventure dvd's also, fishing lures and a fishing/butterfly net again girlies insisted he needed the net lol

we had a fantastic day and I am looking forward to celebrating again tonight :)

Merry Christmas

The jolly man in red has

the excited girlies of the house have opened their pressies

the man of the house is about to watch Top Gear (oh joy lol)

the kitties loved their VIP collars, for very important pussy

the naughty puppy has a new toy

the turkey is in the bbq cooking

do you think its too early for a drinkie lol lol lol

Have a wonderful day wit your families and friends.

Hope Santa spoilt you all

Mwah xxxx

Christmas Bunting

made by me, with only the odd naughty word thrown in

Had to shut the blinds for the photos....and it just fits the window, phew

think I might go into the bunting business lol

and see what I contend with every morning, Henry cat has taken

a liking to sleeping behind my head on a pillow of course

this is where he is at the moment, asleep on the chair

its a tough life he leads

Final Pre Christmas Sewing Mission

The girlies and I called into Spotlight this morning

because last night while I was doing my nightly before bed cleaning of the kitchen, whilst my hands were in the sink washing the girlies cups up I decided we NEEDED a christmas bunting

So we bought the most divine gingerbread man fabric and deep red bias tape to make said bunting.

I have never made bunting before so wish me luck lol. photo to come today

Vegie Shed shop was insane, sooooooo many people there,

Coles was almost as bad

Kmart was remarkably sane, and I snuck in santa sack pressies without them catching me lol.

Plumber is here and YIPPEE today all will be done, now to fill the trench and re-route the path.

Pork is out defrosting,

Turkey is in shed fridge defrosting, although will need some bench time tomorrow to assist in the process

christmas drinkies here this afternoon

and Webby arrives home tonight

roll on Saturday

and Grandpa has requested some 'guess the shape shortbread' for him to take home

Fairweather Friends

who needs them

not me

that decision was oh so easy to make today

if she wants to see me she knows where I live.....

my guess is I'll see her next on the 1st day of school in 2011

unless she wants her youngest looked after......

Over it

over her

I'm moving on!


phew that feels soooooo much better getting that off my chest!

Oops, oops oops

I guess I didn't 'chanel' Nigella properly

Today I made shortbread

actually today I made 'guess the shape shortbread'

can you guess what shapes the shortbread is

supposed to be, from this picture???

Thats right the shortbread shapes are

Star

Heart

Flower

Gingerbread Man

you can see them can't you lol lol lol

Oh if only I had channel-ed Nigella properly lol lol lol

other than our shortbread adventure

the girlies did some christmas craft

and the plumber has been, all that is left to do is to re route the stormwater, so it

seems we will get to spend our christmas with the trench

lucky us lol lol lol

Hope your baking was better than mine lol

I'm ready

well as ready as I'll ever be for the Big Guy to climb in the window, to leave his goodies

Did the LAST of the present shopping today, hid some goodies in the boot of Mum and Dads car

Yesterday the girlies and I did the Christmas food shop, just need to pay a visit on Thursday to the Vegie Shed for the salady stuff we need for Saturday

Yesterday the littlest girlie and I bought my christmas present, which is now sitting on my bench waiting to be used. I was very spoilt this year because look what Santa has given me, the twice a year baker lol ok maybe I am the 4 times a year baker, girlie birthdays x 3 and Christmas



Tomorrow its getting a workout as I am going to attempt to make Shortbread, got mums biscuit forcer today as Grandmas recipe demands a 'biscuit forcer' wish me luck

then Friday it will get another workout as I am making pavlova not sure whether to use the pavlova egg or a recipe though, I am thinking I will attempt to make it from scratch and if that fails, I'll use the egg.

Mmmmmm pavlova

and tomorrow should see the return of the plumber to finish the work, after a not so nice phone call to them this morning they have promised it will be all finished tomorrow.......we shall see about that though, because that is what was said on Friday.......

its hard to get good help these days.

Oh and received a present in the mail from a gorgeous girlie in WA who I miss so much,

Meet 'Dead Fred'

Oh didn't I giggle when I opened the parcel up, and I giggle every time I stab him with a pen she also sent a magnet that reads,

'I tried to drown my troubles,

but my husband learnt to swim'

Love it Miss Toni xxx

I'm Not Here

I have pulled the blinds, hushed the children in fear of 'the knock' on the door, that I am afraid is going to come soon.

I am pretty sure I am going to be charged with 'Cruelty to Gingerbread Men'

the girlies and I have been assulting baking poor innocent gingerbread men,

our  victims gingerbread men have suffered

Some are missing limbs

some have crispy toes, arms, heads

some have broken necks

here's our next batch of victims gingerbread men

fingers crossed the shortbread survives tonight!

Happy Baking :)

and for the record, I have NEVER made GBM before and I am

pretty sure I never will again lol

Do you

like my new header photo?

I found it last week when I spent 2 hours transfering all my photos over to the external hardrive.

There were some pearlers in there

many moons ago when I was'into' scrapbooking, I would take a christmas photo each year for our christmas cards.

This was taken in 2006, in the middle of a North Queensland downpour in December.

The twosome were 5 and my baby had just turned 3

Makes me giggle when I look at it.

would love to know what Miss I was thinking, Miss E obviously wasn't doing what Miss S wanted, hence the smack on the head with the H lol lol lol

Hope your 'old' christmas photos still make you giggle.

I've been stitching

In my Garden, in random order

Down in the Garden by Leanne Beasly

block 1

and I am working on Block 2

and my girlies

Miss I

Miss S

Miss E

and the handsome boys

Harry Vincent

Henry cat

and finally a terrible shot of

Grandmas crystal cabinet

all the Jasper Blue wedgewood was her's

and the dolly on the bottom shelf has been handed down

through Mums family for ever, I just need to decide

WHO

gets her next.



Photo Heavy

I have lots of photos to share today

1st up are the gorgeous presents I received in Maree's 6 items christmas swap from the equally as gorgeous Miss Deb

a christmas decoration

a felted bag

candles

mmmmm M&M's, and a lil tin too

a needle book

a stitched tea towel, (purely for decorative purposes only in this house lol)

and I received a NZ quilting magazine

thanks Miss Deb, you know I LOVE them, and Miss Deb also

sent presents for the girlies, they were so excited when they got them

Love you lots Deb xxx

and there have been some changes with the furniture too

this hutch is now in the kitchen

this half a hutch was in the kitchen and is now in the

living room

the plates were in the other full hutch love my wall of plates :)

We found this sign yesterday, how could I not have it

sums me up perfectly

it lives above the doorframe into the dining room

and the cat scratching post has been modified and fixed

and can you see I can now use the footstool, because I also got a

basket to sit beside the couch for my night-time sewing bits and its got

a lid so the kitty's don't get in it

and I have the girlies santa pressies to get off layby next week and

my christmas shopping is DONE and DUSTED, except for the bits and pieces

I need to get from the supermarket on Thursday we are

ready for Santa to visit.

Told you it was photo heavy lol