MERRY CHRISTMAS

Oh my goodness where has the last week gone?  Truly I looked and I haven't posted since Sunday where have the days gone.  I seem to remember last year having so much more time.  This year well the days have rolled together and here I am a week after my last visit here.  I apologise but such is life.  Last year on Christmas morning we received the absolutely wonderful news that Paul and Alicia were having another baby.  I remember having distributed the gifts, all of us trying to be happy while we had this niggling pain that our little Lucas wasn't with us.  Then after the gifts were given they gave us the best gift of all.  The gift of a grandchild. And we all know Princess Elle don't we.  By the way it's Friday today as I write and I am not having my darling come visit today.  Tomorrow I will get to spoil her once again and together we will all enjoy our day together.

We are sharing lunch together tomorrow and after a morning visit to church we will gather and eat, laugh, share, cuddle and open gifts.  Yeah gotta love the gifts!!!! It seems to get harder to buy as the girls get older, a little more discerning and a little fussier.  When they were little the $2 shop was a treasure trove and they were delighted with their pile of booty.  Now well let's just say the $2 shop doesn't quite do it anymore.  

Can you see Elle's big green dragon under the tree?  He is gorgeous, spotty on his back and he makes crinkly noises and is covered in different textures.  I'm sure she'll love him.

I can remember years ago, my Mum giving each of the girls one of these little baskets, each has a different character on the front and we have over the years, put all sorts of goodies in them.  This year just a little chocky Christmas ball.

I do know though that this Christmas will also see some of us not so happy.  Some alone and not able to be with family.  I feel for you.  I wish you could join us.  I give you a hug.  I send my love to you.  I think of those that are grieving this year, I know your pain.  All I can say is that I pray the pain eases for you and it does, but it takes time.  So this Christmas day I send my love to you all.  Thanks for the last year and I am looking forward to seeing what 2011 brings.  Here our land which has been in a drought for nearly 15 years is flooding, things change from one day to the next.  Hang on, keep breathing and keep believing.  Let's take the journey together. 

Lots of love to you all

Kim xxoo

This, That and the other

Eight weeks today until Christmas Day eeekk!!!!  Really how did the year fly by so fast.  I can clearly remember last Christmas Day, after opening the presents Alicia and Paul gave us the news they were having another baby.  Of course we all cried and cheered and laughed and cried again.  So here we are again almost another year gone.  Baby Elle is here with us and you know how happy that makes us.  So I think of Lucas again, not so sadly but with a longing to know what he would be like now, walking and chatting and falling down and getting up again.  Smiling and trying us for all he is worth.  He would be 17months now.  Whenever I water my boy in the bowl for some reason I am reminded of Lucas. I know we will never forget him.

I know I must seem like such a flibberty jibbit, all over the place with regards to my projects.  I have begun the vegie patch and my studio and headbands for Elle and her mobile and I start and then you don't seem to see the finished project.  The story of my life at the moment and it drives me nuts.  So Adrian and I started and almost finished our chook pen on the weekend.  We have this old shed, insulated and with a cement floor and roof and all in the back yard, actually kind of the front but seeing as there is 9 acres it isn't exactly the front.  Anyhow we dug holes hey I actually used the post hole digger for the timber post, amazing I know.  We ran the wire round and the vermin mesh on the bottom, I hate mice and snakes so we are trying to keep them out.  It looks cool I think and I can't wait to get some hens and have our own eggs.  This is hilarious cause I am so not the country girl, but I am loving this.  Next weekend we'll do the perches, take the pots to the dump, they were left here by the last owners, and get some chookies yeah!!!

Like I said it's nearly Christmas and the stores are in full flight again with their decorations taking up a huge space near the entry of most stores.  I smiled to myself when I saw these very Australian themed pieces.  A surfing Kangaroo..he he!!

So we have Santa on a crocodile, crikeys mate, who are they kidding here!!!! and very Australian the Santa in thongs and hawaiian shirt and can of soft drink, very funny.  Oh and the sunnies yep gotta have sunnies at Christmas well summer anyway.

Actually we are looking forward to summer here, we have a pool now and this will be our first Christmas here, so I'm sure we'll all enjoy the swimming.  The weather bureau is predicting a wetter than usual summer though so who knows.

Cannot wait to get all my African friends over for a swim, the kids love the water.

Oh here are Elle's headbands too, found them while scouting for other shots, see I do finish most things.

Lastly another photo adjusted for Kim Klassen's Skinny Mini e-course.

When you go to court, you are putting yourself in the hands of 12 people who weren't smart enough to get themselves out of jury duty.

Christmas soon upon us

My goodness I am such a tourist......haha i look at these photos and seriously I just wanna laugh and cringe too.  When Adrian & I went to England for Christmas last year, we met up with the girls who by this time had been gone for over 6 months.  We of course did a lot of London, well we thought we had done a lot until we went back in May this year and spent a week there and realised we had and still have only scratched the surface.  What a city it is.  So we of course did the red telephone box pictures, everyone does. 

This is my all time favourite, an absolute mistake that Ade took and I love it.  I think we look like we are trapped in there, sort of ghost like and trying to escape.  You can see Ade's hands holding the camera as well.  So cool.

We did the rounds of the old churches as well.  This is the Old Wool Church in the Cottswolds somewhere.  Sorry I just can't remember at the moment.  And it was cold, I mean freezing and it hadn't even snowed yet.  I think we might have been lucky it didn't actually even though we were soooooo hoping it would.  We missed the first fall by 12 hours oh well, maybe in France in May next year, fingers crossed.

We left on the 23rd December last year and arrived in the UK on the 24th, it was a long trip, boy was it long.  We really are down under you know. 

The Cottswolds I adored too, it is like a cluster of little story book villages, typically English and oh so cute, and old really old.  

This year it snowing already in London and everything is in chaos, I think we were lucky in a way, at least we got to stroll, briskly I might add around, Cambridge, which is snowed in at the moment and Oxford, Bath etc.,   While I long for a white Christmas, I have a feeling the idea is maybe better than the reality.

I am still trying to get into the Christmas spirit and with only 3 days to go I better get a wriggle on.  I actually have been in a bit of a funk for several months now, probably since Lucas passed away and last week I went to the doctors.  He tells me my Seratonin levels are depleted and has given me some medication to make it right.  I am not one for taking anything much, but I know I am not myself and I really don't want to stay like this much longer.  Hopefully things will be looking up shortly.  I went to visit Taban, Jane and the children today to organise a time on Thursday night to take in the Christmas lights display and to my great disappointment, they were on their way to Brisbane and won't be back until around the 30th December.  A relative has had some bad news from Sudan and the families are gathering to comfort each other.  So Christmas day will not be the same without visiting them this year.  The children were given their gifts from us today and of course couldn't wait until Friday to open them.  The 4 eldest got ipods and the younger 2 handheld games that are somewhat educational, and baby Kim a stroller and bay doll.  Such fun.  Kids just love Christmas.

Noble Pig posted this amazing looking recipe the other day, I am going to try and find a large wheel of Brie, I have yet to see one here, but I am looking if no luck I will just use two smaller ones, pop over and take a look, seriously doesn't it look delicious. 

So it is nearly Christmas day and I really want to wish youall the most wonderful, happy and blessed Christmas possible.  I have so enjoyed meeting you all and look forward to many more encounters in the future.

Christmas movie fest

This time of year lends itself to a movie festival, a marathon of those wonderful, corny, predictable, weepy, happy, warm & fuzzy Christmas movies.  I started buying some a year or so back and I have a few now, some still unopened, one day I will actually have the movie marathon I envisage.  All this week the midday movie on the telly has been themed round Christmas, I have recorded them, not sure when I will actually sit and watch them umm!!! sometime before Christmas hopefully, or maybe after all the eating and visiting and unwrapping of gifts on Christmas Day, maybe!!  I really enjoyed Christmas with the Kranks, I could see Adrian and myself planning the big Christmas cruise, though I have never cruised and actually don't like the idea much, too much time on the boat and too confined I think.  I could see all the preparation happening and then us just going oh no we can't do this, what about the kids, I wanna be with the kids, yeah I know silly but Christmas is about being with the kids, even though the kids are growing up and making their own lives and don't necessarily want to be with us anymore.  I think I will struggle with some of these changes in our routines, the way we have done things before.  I never realised how much my mum and dad probably missed having my sister and I and then my children come and spend Christmas with them.  We used to do a roster thing where one year we were with Adrian's family, then one year with my mum and then one year with my dad.  So it would be at least two years between visits.  Then some years we just wanted to go away as a family and do our own thing, so we would head off to the beach for Christmas and see no one.  Arghhh they say you reap what you sow, maybe that is exactly what will happen in the coming years.  I don't want it to, I loved Christmas when the children were small, all the presents under the tree, all the early morning wake ups, really early morning, I have to admit I didn't really like that much.  I loved putting out the carrot for the reindeer and the cookie and milk and then beer for Santa.  I loved all the torn open paper littering the floor and all the squeals of excitement and the hours of trying to make things work, and being annoyed I forgot to buy enough batteries for whatever gadget they had received.  I loved the bon bons and the set table, glittering with gold covered chocolate coins.  I loved popping the little streamer bottles and wearing the hats.  I don't like change no not one little bit.

Back to the movies, It's a Wonderful Life, love it, Elf, so funny, kids favourite, The Holiday, a newie but a goodie, The Grinch Stole Christmas, different and I like it, Nativity Story, well there's no Christmas without it really, The Forgotten Toys and Prancer returns, yet to be watched, so I'll hold my verdict.  The Santa Claus is another favourite, I must look out for.  What's your favourite Christmas movie, do tell so I can add it to my little library?

New Traditions

My girls well the twins Ashleigh (in blue dress) & Danielle (in grey top) have their own Christmas tradition.  They began about 5 years ago with their friend Amy, to have a phot with Santa taken.  It makes me smile, sometimes they seem so grown up, so independent and so I don't know is the word I'm looking for old or what, you know kind of to big for Christmas.  And then off they go and get their Santa photo taken, it's so sweet.  Last year when the girls were in the UK for 8 months, they missed out on their Santa photo with Amy, that's when her and Will her boyfriend had their photo taken with my rag dolls, dressed in the Santa hats pretending to be Ashleigh and Danielle it worked I guess, but still a shame the girls missed that year.  I really like that they have their own traditions, they also get together, which they did last weekend and watch the movie Elf.  They love it, it is funny.  It's important to have traditions, something to root us to certain times of the year, to memories of things, something to bring back memories of years gone by, to somehow retain a link to the past.  These days everything seems to be made to last a few years be thrown away and then go buy a new one.  In the past things were made to last and to even be handed down generation to generation.  Ade and I have been married 28 years this coming March, we bought a refrigerator when we married and it just stopped working a few weeks ago.  Now that's lasting a long time.  Ha ha.  It looks old, and admittedly it's been our party fridge for quite some time now, up in the shed in the back yard, ready to be filled with those extras, watermelons, salads, bottles etc., now what will we do?  The refrigerator we are using now is about 7 years old maybe, and already I have had to get a new motor and fan put in it, not as well built as in the good old days hey!  I have had in the past few years a, well I don't know if you'd call it a tradtion but I began making my own bon bons, maybe you call them crackers for the Christmas table.  We would decorate them ourselves, well we did for a few years when the girls were a little younger and I would buy a little gift to go in them.  Earings or a necklace, keyring for the men, just something little to make it a bit more exciting.  Always the paper hat and the corny joke, a bon bon isn't a bon bon without the hat and joke.  But I don't know this year I just don't feel up to it.  It's hot, really hot at the moment and I just can't seem to get into the Christmas spirit.  I'm with Char ladies, lords and birds beware.  I'm in a Christmas funk, yuk and I don't like it. 

So I better throw in a little Christmas joke here I think......before I go all bah humbug on everyone...

What's the best thing to give your parents for Christmas?

A list of everything you want!

Why is it so cold at Christmas?


Because it's in Decembrrrr!

What kind of Christmas tree comes from Hawaii?


"O Tanning Palms"!

What do wild animals sing at Christmastime?


Jungle bells, jungle bells, jungle all the way!

What's the favourite Christmas Carol of new parents?


Silent Night!
Where do mistletoe go to become famous?


"Holly" wood!

Ok okay don't boo me out of the house, corny I know, but you have to admit a little funny too!!! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Let's walk

I love to walk early in the mornings, I've said it before it's my little bit of the world all to myself.  Lately more and more people are joining me on my morning wanders.  It is hot now and if you walk much later, it's too hot.  This morning though oh I loved this morning, it rained.  I am excited, it has been a long time since it rained and a little while ago I would have put off the walk in case it rained on me, but not today.  It was wonderful, cool, damp, the air still moist, the road puddled and washed a little cleaner.  This tree is across the road from our house, it flowers for a long time throughout summer and it's flowers have carpeted the footpath this morning, such a lovely sight.

I love these little puddles of red, washed along by the rain.

Truly so excited i have to take a picture of the tiny puddle left in the road, oh I wish we saw more of them.  This gorgeous Bouganvillea brightened up our walk also.

Last weekend Adrian and I went to the cemetary, not to mourn for anyone but to take photos, sounds kind of ghoulish doesn't it?  But cemetaries have such great things to photograph.  Oh and the history there, the stories waiting to be told of lives lived and lost.  I am going to go on one of the cemetary walks the local council runs next year, our big old cemetary  has so many old grave sites.Some beautifully carved headstones, rich with history and tales of days long gone.  We found it so interesting, sad, beautiful, ugly all wrapped into one.

The ornate decorations on some of the graves are quite amazing, this lovely angel keeping watch over the sleeping occupant.

Markers to make sure you can find the plot you are looking for.

I love these keys, plot markers, there are hundreds, thousands probably of them, old rusted, broken, clotted with dried earth.

Row upon row piled high.

And then we stumbled across this grave, a 24 year old man speared by the aborigines back in 1843.  I wonder what happened, why they killed him, what was he doing that, that happened.  I know there was a very turbulent time in Toowoomba back in the early years of settlement.  This was a very well populated site for the aborigines of this area.  When the white man came there was an incident where rat poisoning was mixed with flour and given to the local aborigines, with the sole purpose of ridding the area of many of them.  There as another incident of fighting on Gowrie Mountain, the story is taht many aborigines and white men were slaughtered there, the ground was red with blood.  This apparently happened as little as 100 years ago, amazing how could anyone do that?  Then of course we have what is now known as the stolen generation, a whole generation of aboriginal children who were taken from their parents and sent to live in homes for children of black families and orphans.  Some were sent to live with white families, for no other reason than the authorities and churches of the day thought they would be better off.  I cannot for the life of me imagine what it was like for the mothers to literally have the children taken from their arms and watch them driven away by the whites.  Horrific. There are still some aboriginal families living in Toowoomba, unfortunately they have not the best reputations around the town.  Many of the men find it hard to find work, the children are difficult at school and I am generalising which I hate to do.  But it does seem to be the way for most of them.  I can imagine that for them it is still very painful as some of these people are the same ones taken from their families and their lifestyles as littls as 40 years ago.  So the cemetary is an interesting place and I look forward to wandering around again and finding more stories to ponder.

Now here is my little Christmas spot for the day...

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

A Russian couple was walking down the street in St. Petersburg the other night, when the man felt a drop hit his nose. "I think it's raining," he said to his wife.

"No, that felt more like snow to me," she replied. "No, I'm sure it was just rain, he said." Well, as these things go, they were about to have a major argument about whether it was raining or snowing. Just then they saw a minor communist party official walking toward them. "Let's not fight about it," the man said, "let's ask Comrade Rudolph whether it's officially raining or snowing."

As the official approached, the man said, "Tell us, Comrade Rudolph, is it officially raining or snowing?"

"It's raining, of course," he answered and walked on. But the woman insisted: "I know that felt like snow!" To which the man quietly replied: "Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear!"
 

Wreaths and memories

The origin of the Christmas wreath dates back to the ancient cultures of the Persian Empire. During that time, wreaths were believed to be a symbol of importance as well as success. They were much smaller in size than the present ones and were known as 'diadems'. People used to wear the wreaths as headbands, sometimes along with jewels also. Somewhere around the 776 BC, Greeks started placing wreaths, made of laurel, on the head of the athletes who came first in the Olympic Games.

Even in ancient Rome, the chief of leaders, like Julius Caesar, used to wear wreath on his head, just like the crown of a king. The transition of the wreaths from a headgear to a wall/door decoration is not known with much accuracy. However, it is believed that once an athlete decided to save the headgear as a souvenir of his/her victory. From then onwards, started the tradition of using wreaths as a Christmas door/wall decoration.

I bought a new wreath this year.  I haven't had one before instead I have hung a little strip of tartan with bells on it, cute really but not a wreath and I love them so finally I deceide it was time.  I like this one, it is quite Aussie I think, what with the bright red poinsettia.

Wow Christmas Day is upon us just 12 days as I type.  Alicia and Paul are coming for breakfast this year, mum and I think her husband Bruce for a couple of days.  We will visit Taban and his family after breakfast and then have lunch when we come home.  This year I am preparing Chilli Mango Chicken salad, Spinach, Raspberry and Fetta Salad, Hot Potato and Chorizo Salad, we'll probably have prawns fresh and crisp, some Turkey rolled and stuffed and desert I haven't decided on yet.  I am beginning to realize that our Christmases are changing.  As the girls grow up and either have boyfriends or husbands, we won't be the centre of their world anymore, they will make choices to be with other people.  How did this come upon us so quickly?  Don't know if I am really ready for this.  I was recalling a Christmas years ago, I was about 5 or 6 and we had gone with our caravan and the local caravan club to Coffs Harbour.  A lovely beach town in Northern New South Wales about a 6 or 8 hour drive from Toowoomba, maybe 6 or so from Brisbane where we lived at the time.  I loved it at Coffs, it was a holiday centre like the one in Dirty Dancing.  There was a lagoon for the children to swim in, horse riding, arts and crafts.  I remember the time while on a rock pool exploration we found a seagull.  His wings all covered in oil and he was exhausted.  Dad scooped him up carefully in one of our towels and we took him home and cared for him in a box.  I was told he got better and flew away, but thinking now I'm not so sure.  We would write our names on our backs with our zinc cream, so we would all get around with a white tattoo like brand on us.  We being all the kids who gathered every December with the caravan club.  The last time we went to Coffs Harbour was not a good one.  Christmas Day came and just after lunch, when everyone was stuffed to the limit, a young boy went out for a swim in the lagoon.  He got into trouble in the middle of the lagoon and started waving his arms around.  My Dad who was his school champion swimmer and a friend dashed out into the water to rescue the boy.  They swam as fast as they could, but the boy disappeared under the water and couldn't be found.  Mum was running through the park calling out for people with dinghy's to come to the lagoon.  The boy unfortunately couldn't be found and it was quite a while before he was discovered.  I think mum and dad just decided they didn't want to revisit this awful day and we never went back.  About 4 years ago we all went to Coffs for a week, Adrian drove me around all over the place trying to find the site of the caravan park.  The best we could come up with was that it was now a huge resort and housing estate.  Funny how some memories linger.

Nativity Scene

I posted a few days ago about having lost the baby Jesus from the white ceramic nativity scene we have.  Still haven't found the little guy unfortunately.  I'm sure He'll show up somewhere.  In the meantime I found this cute little set in the decoration section of Big W (similar to Walmart).  It's actually meant to hang on the tree, but I just cut the strings off and I have placed it on my mirrored tray on the table I decorated.  I thinkit's so cute.

St. Francis and the Christmas Creche

FR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS
What is the origin of the Nativity Scene (creche)?

The story of the origin of the Christmas creche rests with the very holy man, St. Francis of Assisi.

In the year 1223, St. Francis, a deacon, was visiting the town of Grecio to celebrate Christmas. Grecio was a small town built on a mountainside overlooking a beautiful valley. The people had cultivated the fertile area with vineyards. St. Francis realized that the chapel of the Franciscan hermitage would be too small to hold the congregation for Midnight Mass. So he found a niche in the rock near the town square and set up the altar. However, this Midnight Mass would be very special, unlike any other Midnight Mass.

St. Bonaventure (d. 1274) in his Life of St. Francis of Assisi tells the story the best:

It happened in the third year before his death, that in order to excite the inhabitants of Grecio to commemorate the nativity of the Infant Jesus with great devotion, [St. Francis] determined to keep it with all possible solemnity; and lest he should be accused of lightness or novelty, he asked and obtained the permission of the sovereign Pontiff. Then he prepared a manger, and brought hay, and an ox and an ass to the place appointed. The brethren were summoned, the people ran together, the forest resounded with their voices, and that venerable night was made glorious by many and brilliant lights and sonorous psalms of praise. The man of God [St. Francis] stood before the manger, full of devotion and piety, bathed in tears and radiant with joy; the Holy Gospel was chanted by Francis, the Levite of Christ. Then he preached to the people around the nativity of the poor King; and being unable to utter His name for the tenderness of His love, He called Him the Babe of Bethlehem. A certain valiant and veracious soldier, Master John of Grecio, who, for the love of Christ, had left the warfare of this world, and become a dear friend of this holy man, affirmed that he beheld an Infant marvellously beautiful, sleeping in the manger, Whom the blessed Father Francis embraced with both his arms, as if he would awake Him from sleep. This vision of the devout soldier is credible, not only by reason of the sanctity of him that saw it, but by reason of the miracles which afterwards confirmed its truth. For example of Francis, if it be considered by the world, is doubtless sufficient to excite all hearts which are negligent in the faith of Christ; and the hay of that manger, being preserved by the people, miraculously cured all diseases of cattle, and many other pestilences; God thus in all things glorifying his servant, and witnessing to the great efficacy of his holy prayers by manifest prodigies and miracles.

Although the story is long old, the message is clear for us. Our own Nativity scenes which rest under our Christmas trees are a visible reminder of that night when our Savior was born. May we never forget to see in our hearts the little Babe of Bethlehem, who came to save us from sin. We must never forget that the wood of the manger that held Him so securely would one day give way to the wood of the cross. May we too embrace Him with all of our love as did St. Francis. To all of the readers of “Straight Answers,” I wish you a very holy Christmas.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Saunders, Rev. William. "St. Francis and the Christmas Creche." Arlington Catholic Herald.

Yesterday I posted about my hope that some of you would like to give me your opinion on the pendants I have recently made.  I am just having a fiddle with them, something to just keep me doing something.  I have made a few though and I just don't know that many people to give them to, so maybe I will start an Etsy shop and hopefully sell some.  BEFORE that though, I being the perfectionist and great procrastinator that I am, if I don't get some real honest feedback about the quality of them I will probably never offer them for sale.  So if you would do me a favour and let me know if you would like one, even choose one from the ones I have posted and I'll send you one for your critical evaluation.  PLEASE I really do want some honest opinions of the standard before I set up a shop.

A White Christmas

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas,...oh that would be soooo nice right now.  A white snowy, cold, frosty, fire warmed Christmas.  Instead I am sitting with the shades drawn to keep out the heat and sun, the fan is on high, I could have the air con on but I am trying to do my bit to reduce my carbon footprint and only turn on the air late in the afternoon.  I bought a white tree though, and sprinkled it with blue, pink and purple decorations.  It is my attempt at a white Christmas.

Bing Crosby was just like me and he dreamt of a white christmas too, remember?

White Christmas !

The song White Christmas is undoubtedly the most famous and popular of all the Christmas songs. The music and lyrics for White Christmas were written by Irving Berlin in 1942 and originally featured in the movie Holiday Inn starring Bing Crosby. The lyrics of White Christmas struck a chord with the soldiers fighting in the Second World War and their families who were waiting for them back home. The song and recording of White Christmas by Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter's orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers was so popular that it was later reprised in the movie called after its name - White Christmas. The film White Christmas once again starred Bing Crosby together with Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen.

Sing a long with me now.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

Just like the ones I used to know

Where the treetops glisten,

and children listen

To hear sleigh bells in the snow

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

With every Christmas card I write

May your days be merry and bright

And may all your Christmases be white

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

With every Christmas card I write

May your days be merry and bright

And may all your Christmases be white

Classic Christmas isn't it!

Now if you would be so kind, I have been having a little fiddle with some pendants, tell me what you think please?  I am wondering if maybe I should sell some, but I'd like to give a few away first, I just love giving stuff to people.  I'm not sure if they are good enough yet to sell so I really would like to send some to you if you'd like and give me your opinion.

Some of the images like the little birds above and the boy and girl holding hands in the first set of photos, are vintage from old childrens books.  Others are beautiful crafting papers, some I have embellished myself.  The glass discs are lovely and clear and the bails (clasps for chain) are sterling silver.  I really would love to send you a pendant, get your totally honest opinion and just have a bit of fun, this close to Christmas.  Post a comment if you would like a little gift.

An Australian Christmas

I have found it very interesting this last week as I have dug around on the net for the customs, traditions, myths and legends of Christmas around the world.  It seems that the climate of the country involved has quite a lot to do with how the people celebrate on Christmas day.  Well particularly what they will be eating.  For instance in those countries where it is winter in December, they will be having the roasted Turkey, Chickens, Ham, with all those wonderful baked goodies, potatoes, pumpkins, chestnuts, hot toddies, egg nogs, brandy etc.  Here in Australia it is hot, I mean really hot.  At the moment the temperature in Toowoomba, Queensland is about 35 - 40deg Cel that's up round the 100deg F.  So no roaring fireplaces, framed with stockings, no making snow men, snowball fights and roasting chestnuts while sipping those eggy nog drinks.  We will be having prawns, big, juicy, fresh from the ocean prawns, drizzled with lemon juice and devoured in no time.  We'll have cold meats, chicken, ham, turkey, or maybe a bar-be-que.  Hmm what beats the smell of sausages cooking on the barby.  Oh I must say that our sausages aren't like the sausages in the states or the UK either.  Our sausages are either, beef, pork, or chicken meat spiced up with seasoning and sometimes herbs and piped into sausage skins.

Often the sausages are served on a roll, similar to a hot dog bun, but the taste is nothing like that.

Then we have salads, oh boy I think we must be the head of the salad countries, seriously we do salad like no others.  We have a multitude of lettuce varieties, we have dozens of tomatoe varieties.  Cucumbers, lebanese, non acid, continental, yellow, green and white, yep I think we have the market on cues too. Onions we have green, white, red, brown, salad, shallots you name it we've probably got it.  Where I live is just a few miles from what is known as the salad belt.  An area of farming land that produces vegetable for most of the state and is sent interstate also.  So we are spoilt for choice and for quality.  Australia is also very multicultural now and more and more you see families of different nationalties ,celebrating Christmas, perhaps not from a Christian perspective, but from the angle that Christmas is a time for coming together with family and friends and sharing a meal and gifts. As such the food is changing.  But the variety is wonderful too. 

That's fine with me I love the fact that I can go to town and eat, Indian curries, African casseroles and bread, Italian pastas and meats, Asian noodles, stir fries and rices, oh what a treat.  Oh and by th way the picture above is myself and Adrian, Paul and Alicia last year before Ade and I flew off to the UK to catch up with Ashleigh and Danielle.  Since the girls couldn't be in our Christmas hat photo we made use of my handmade dolls, I posted about them recently.  We put a hat on each doll and they stood in for Ashleigh and Nelly.

Even their best friend Amy and her friend Will got in on the act.  How cute see you start something and everyone wants to join in.  We thought it was hilarious the girls perched up on Wills knee.  

So back to an Aussie Christmas Day.  We usually start early, with coffee, tea, juice and some fresh fruit or muffins, pastries.  We all gather round the tree which is usually surrounded by gifts piled high.  We choose a gift giver and that person hands out a couple of gifts to one or two people and we wait while they open them and that way we all get to see what we each get and we know who it's from.  When the girls were little we used to go to Adrian's parents and it was a free for all.... the kids all getting their pressies at once and everyone else getting handed things one after the other.  I didn't like it much.  It was fun for the children I guess, but when we would go home and I would ask them who gave them what they had no clue.  So we refined it a little and it's nice to see what we are all getting and to see the reaction on each face when they get their gift.  Hopefully it's a big smile and a lot of excitement.  Sometimes because it takes a while to give everything out we have a little platter of cheese, nuts, crackers, just to keep us going.  Then when we are finished we check out the things we got, try on the clothing, put the batteries in the gadgets, try and work out how to use, set up, de code, recode etc etc all the bits and bobs, play the cd's videos, or games and by then it's usually pretty close to lunch.  We have had barbies over the years and we have had indoor meals more recently.  I'm not a real fan of meat cooked on flames outside with the flies, ants and insects.  Plus my house is airconditioned and until recently my hot flushes were enough heat for me, so indoors has been my preference.  I love to decorate the table, I couldn't find any pics of a nice table I've done so this year I will make sure to try and get some.  Then after dinner which includes bon bon cracking and eating those gold chocolate coins and popping the little plastic bottles filled with tiny streamers, we watch, play, do, sing a long to and just enjoy all the gifts we received.  Well that's the way we do it in my house.  Others go to the beach, play cricket, tennis, swim, Christmas in Australia is hot, sunny, beautiful and heaps and heaps of fun.  What do you do on Christmas Day?

Christmas Hats

One of our family tradions has been to have the red hat photo taken, the number of hats started at 5 now is 11, yes the family has grown.  This is the first Christmas Alicia had at her house.  She'd been married 11 months this is December 25 2007.  By the way Paul is ducking down he is about 6feet 6inches I think or close to it anyway. 

They are just so darn cute together.  Totally made for each other, faults and all they just blend.  Since Lucas passed away, we have seen them just grow more and more in love.  I guess a tragedy can either make or break you and thank the Lord they grew together and not apart.  We knew, Alicia's dad and I, that they were going to be together, as little as a month after they met, we knew.  I asked Paul one day around the 4 week dating mark, why he thought they would marry.  Yes, even he knew that early on and his answer to me was, "I want to spend the rest of my life, every day with my best friend, I just want to be with Alicia every day for ever".  So ok all you mum's what do you think I did when he said that.......cry, smiled, blushed yep all of it.  We adore him.

He's the clown though, really quiet and then he can be very funny.  I am sure we totally overwhelmed him whe he first started coming round.  We talk, all of us, yeah everyone, well me I talk ok and the others try and get a word in, when I take a breath.  Paul is quiet, really quiet.  He has changed heaps in the past 3 years, since they have married, he will actually chat back at me now, quite funny too.

Now for a litttle more Christmas Trivia, just to keep to my task for the month...

Christmas Stockings..

According to legend, a kindly nobleman grew despondent over the death of his beloved wife and foolishly squandered his fortune. This left his three young daughters without dowries and thus facing a life of spinsterhood.

The generous St. Nicholas, hearing of the girls' plight, set forth to help. Wishing to remain anonymous, he rode his white horse by the nobleman's house and threw three small pouches of gold coins down the chimney where they were fortuitously captured by the stockings the young women had hung by the fireplace to dry.

photo from http://www.allthingschristmas.com/traditions.html

Now that would be nice wouldn't it?  Waking up on christmas morning with a stocking full of gold, oooh lovely.