Yup - that's Christmas.
We had a lovely lunch with the extended family. Everyone contributed, making it pretty relaxed for all concerned.
We all ate far too much so The Date & I made a pact to eat raw for the next few days. But I've just broken a tooth...nothing'll put you off your food faster than that.
Hope you had a great day & got spoilt by the fat guy.
This post originally titled "Christmas bites".
I gave myself a laugh & then thought better of offending the nearest & dearest.
I fashioned these the other day in order to please the wheat free, gluten free, no tomatoes, no capsicum, no this, no that, no the other eaters in the family. They were very well received by all but the vegetarian (but she's used to fending for herself).
It's a scorching day in and around Melbourne today so I thought some of you might appreciate these little tastes of Australian Christmas.
I just chopped up the cucumber & scooped the seeds out then topped with turkey, cranberry & brie. Delish!
The beach has totally zoned me out. As a classic speedster, always multi tasking it's a complete break & absolutely lovely.
I did just want to pop in & say...
I'm wishing you all a safe & happy holiday. May the pretty drinks be plentiful & the company delightful.
There is absolutely nothing original about this idea but I think it's a goodie.
I nicked it from the gym coach who filled them with the fabric used to make the girls' leotards. When I told her I was going to pinch it she said ... "Go right ahead, I stole it from Cirque du Soleil"
I love the idea of souveniring elements of a year gone & I'm pretty pleased with the way they turned out.
The baubles were purchased from Spotlight a couple of years ago & the little reminders of 2009 were knitted, typed & shaved by me.
A super last minute gift methinks.
Edit...
The teeny knitting is suspended using invisible thread which I taped to the rim of the bauble.
Right...it's all caught up with me.
Family from interstate, christmas functions, pre-christmas catch-ups, water damaged phone, going away, presents to buy, blah blah blah. It's the same for everyone I know, but today I've been landed with more than I expected & I'm having to move like lightning!
This little beauty picked up at The Mill Markets in Geelong. I love it!
I picked up a setting of 6 (very ugly) placemats from the Op Shop/Thrift store during the week. The upside of them being so ugly is that they were cheap as chips.
Now I've made reversible covers for them. I did a bit of free motion text last year & frankly found it took me longer than embroidery by hand. I'd decided 'twas best left to the experts.
But as this "design" is pretty simple I had another go & I'm thrilled to say the least! If you've no idea where to begin with this sort of thing you should pop in here.
One side for fun & the other a bit more fancy. Best of all they can just be slung in the washing machine when they get a bit grubby.
I think these would make meal time fun for kids if you had a novelty print on one side & the plate on the other. Easier on the eye than anything you can buy at Kmart.
If you don't have any luck at the Op Shop I think that Bunnings &/or Spotlight sell MDF circles about the same size.
x marks the spot!
I reckon I've got this year's Christmas gift sussed.
Embroidered & stitched entirely by hand so it's a good "kit craft" for taking along to kids activities.
I've used a couple of little stick on magnets (which I picked up at Reverse Art last time I was there) to make sure my handwork stays with the book & not on the tram.
7 OCTOBER - EDITED TO ADD:
I've just posted the tutorial here. Thanks all for your interest.
& all through the house not a creature is stirring.
we're back for the big day so I just wanted to pop in & say...
Have a very Messy Christmas.
May it be filled with goodness of the family & friend variety, the pretty drink, good food & good time variety & the chocolate variety too.
I've seen some really lovely advent calendars around:
elsie marley
maya*made
& whipup have featured some lovely links
This is our advent calendar - ten decorations/days down.
Simple but super exciting for whoever is the colourer for each day & pretty effective.
it's taken me a bit longer than usual this year.
But I've officially caught the Christmas bug. I blame this girl for her constant stream of Christmassy goodness. Every time I hit "next" there's another bit of viral Christmas cheer.
The trees are up & the 2009 decorations were purchased from Mikes & made by Emerge - the kids love them & they are hanging front & centre on each tree.
I've had a crack at making some decorations of my own using wooden discs I purchased from Reverse Art & embroidery floss. I think my favourite is the tree.
just about to shut down. Still going with a couple of things which is a bit disappointing but unavoidable this year.
I enlisted the help of this charming little elf. I'm really glad I did or I'd be rocking in the corner about now. Her workmanship is incredible - "Elf of the Month".
I'm looking forward to the morning & the excited smalls.
Wishing you all a wonderfully happy Christmas Eve & an exciting Christmas Day.
the fat guy has made his list, checked it twice & he's packing the sleigh right now.
If your fat guy is anything like ours he is getting just a wee bit frustrated with the constant changes to the "Please Santa, may I have...." list.
I posted about my December giveaway a while ago but it was buried in amongst the 12 days of Christmas. So I thought I'd better issue a little reminder as I'm going to draw the winner first thing Monday morning.
Let me assure you that the fat guy will be HUGELY popular if one of your kids pulls this little baby out of the sack on Christmas morning. It's a v-smile & 6 games. All the games have an educational element.
The giveaway is open to Australian residents. Comment on this post before midnight 16 December to be in the draw.
my true love sent to me:
12 days down
11 candy canes
10 rolls for pencils
9 bad jokes
8 plates for turkey
7 twinkling lights
6 stuffed mushies
5 glowing gifts
4 waiting sacks
3 chrissy trees
2 drinks with bubbles
& a sp...i...i...i...i...ng santa
Is anyone else feeling like Christmas has really snuck up on them this year?
I am totally disorganised. Twelve days down & only twelve to go - yikes! I'd better get a wriggle on...
my true love sent to me:
11 candy canes
10 rolls for pencils
9 bad jokes
8 plates for turkey
7 twinkling lights
6 stuffed mushies
5 glowing gifts
4 waiting sacks
3 chrissy trees
2 drinks with bubbles
& a sp...i...i...i...i...ng santa
I know, I know there are supposed to be 12. I had to sample didn't I?
The candy cane doesn't really do it for me. I'm always disappointed in the peppermint. I don't reckon that they look like they should taste minty.
Candy canes are so much a part of Christmas that you have to force yourself to like them as they are always in plentiful supply this time of year.
I remember sticky taping candy canes onto cheap cards when I was a kid in primary school & now my kids do the same. I think just about every kid in the class does the candy cane thing so that means about 25 canes per child!
my true love sent to me:
10 rolls for pencils
9 bad jokes
8 plates for turkey
7 twinkling lights
6 stuffed mushies
5 glowing gifts
4 waiting sacks
3 chrissy trees
2 drinks with bubbles
& a sp...i...i...i...i...ng santa
A lot of kids on the nice list are getting these pencil rolls.
The children who have already been given these for birthday gifts absolutely love them. I think that they have been as well or better received than a new tin of Derwents. The kids seem to really like the named pockets for each pencil.
I got my tin of 72 Derwents was for my 10th birthday. Oooh how I loved those pencils. I didn't lose any & I always made sure that they went back in the tin in the right position. One of my girlfriends still has her original Derwents. I'm guessing a couple of you crafty girls might still have yours too.
my true love sent to me:
9 bad jokes
8 plates for turkey
7 twinkling lights
6 stuffed mushies
5 glowing gifts
4 waiting sacks
3 chrissy trees
2 drinks with bubbles
& a sp...i...i...i...i...ng santa
You've gotta love a Christmas cracker. Tacky trinkets, dorky hats & bad jokes read out by drunk, dodgy relatives.
We are lucky. We don't have to get together with any undesirables on Christmas day.
I do get a good giggle out of the stories told by my brother & his gorgeous wife about some of the goings on at their Christmas events. I kind of wish I had a few stories of my own...
My true love sent to me:
8 plates for turkey
7 twinkling lights
6 stuffed mushies
5 glowing gifts
4 waiting sacks
3 chrissy trees
2 drinks with bubbles
& a sp...i...i...i...i...ng santa
We made these as Christmas gifts a couple of years ago. Each year they get brought out for our Christmas feasting. Somehow, I've become the custodian of a couple of extra plates because certain people (& you know who you are) insist on living thousands of kilometres away in the stickiness that is Darwin.
In other news...the light tour didn't disappoint.
Each house was rated by the tour leader:
c. best viewed at high speed
b. slow down & maybe brake a second or two
a. park car & mill about admiring the months of work by the owner/operator of the show
The kids had their own rating system:
Action scored points
Quantity of lights scored points
Appearance of cartoon character scored points
Bonus points were awarded for the appearance of "baby Jesus"
Mega points awarded if owner of house was handing out lollies
"TOP JOB" was awarded to this house:
This pic shows the small girl jumping for joy in the "snow" which cascaded from the balcony onto the crowd below at 30 seconds intervals.
My true love sent to me:
7 twinkling lights
6 stuffed mushies
5 glowing gifts
4 waiting sacks
3 chrissy trees
2 drinks with bubbles
& a sp...i...i...i...i...ng santa
These gorgeous Christmas lights belonged to my Grandma & now belong to me.
Tonight we are going on an Xmas Light Night Tour (& it really is XLNT) with our ACE friends. It's a driving tour & Jo does heaps of research & plans the tour perfectly.
We are starting at Jo's with a couple of drinks & then heading out in convoy. Can't wait!
my true love sent to me:
6 stuffed mushies
5 glowing gifts
4 waiting sacks
3 chrissy trees
2 drinks with bubbles
& a sp...i...i...i...i...ng santa
Stuffed mushies are pretty popular. They look festive & pretty with their red & green filling. I wouldn't know if they taste any good or not because I don't eat mushies but the mushie lovers in my life reckon they are great.
Stuffed Mushies
Bite size mushies (as many as you like)
Jar of good quality pasta sauce (I use spiral foods organic pasta sauce with basil & garlic)
Pesto
Toasted pinenuts
Parmesan cheese
Brush the mushies & remove the stalks. Place on an oven tray upside down.
Fill each mushie with a teaspoon of the sauce, a little pesto, a few pinenuts & then sprinkle with Parmesan.
Bake in a moderate oven for about 15 minutes.
Enjoy.
my true love sent to me:
5 glowing gifts
4 waiting sacks
3 Chrissy trees
2 drinks with bubbles
& a sp...i...i...i...i...ng santa
Yep...that's the kootoyoo tribe. These tealight holders are gifts for someone special this Christmas.
I'm feeling a bit hamstrung by the "brilliance" of the 12 days of Christmas idea. I've got lots of other stuff I want to share & I'm lacking a bit of inspiration for the 12 days at the moment. It's OK at this end of the song but what about when I get to 10, 11 & 12?
Oh well...I'm a finisher that's for sure. If I commit to something I'm going to see it through. So if you nod off over the next few days I'll try to make sure that the wake-up call at the end is nice & loud.
Don't forget to check out the December gift. It really is a beauty. It plugs into the TV & all the games have an educational element. Take a look here.
my true love sent to me:
4 waiting sacks
3 chrissy trees
2 drinks with bubbles
& a sp...i...i...i...i...ng santa.
The sacks have been laid out since Saturday. To say the kids are excited would be an understatement! The fourth sack was made under top secret conditions in the bedroom before school today. I've told them that santa won't be coming to the dog but they are MOST insistent that Buddy needs his own sack.
If you have kids make sure you check out my December gift here.