And so this is Christmas

I thought this was a fitting title given that another year is over and a new one has just begun and I am only just getting this Christmas post finished. My excuse? It's a good one - lots of white paint. Yep, the long painting hiatus is over and there are some rooms getting finished over here, but that is a whole other post.

This Christmas was kind of compressed into a whirlwind few days as we arrived back from Wooli the night before the night before Christmas and needed to fit a lot in. We squeezed the suburban lights in on Christmas eve. This house  had an alternating light show every 15 minutes with a matching musical soundtrack.

We went to the winning street for our side of town which was good but just quietly we think probably not as good as last years winner. There were still some amazing displays and the kids loved the fake snow bubble machines mounted on the roof that would  start intermittently and cover their heads.

Inspired by the map pavlova in the Aldi Christmas catalogue I decided to make my own version. I took progress shots as I suspected the chance of actually pulling this one off without a collapse were slim.

We dug out the Christmas books including this vintage masterpiece I found at the oppie last year but packed away until this year.

Even big kids love pop up books, I just love the vintage colours and pictures.

Liongirl set herself up a cosy chair to peruse the whole pile but this was her telling me she is a big girl now and can read chapter books. She looks convincing for someone faking it until she makes it.

Incredible that after making annual pavlovas for about a decade, this is the first one that did not collapse on removal from the oven. Unsure if that is due to finally having a decent oven or the structural integrity of our glorious continent. There was a dash of continental drift as Tasmania merged back with the mainland but that was easily fixed.

 Despite being up past nine the night before, the kids were up at five, beyond excited to unwrap their presents. It seems that sending Santa a letter requesting not just lego, but the specific numeric lego code for the galaxy squad set that you want, does pay off.

Liongirl was just beside herself with the arrival of that light up pillow pet and the Sylvanian families caravan. We virtually didn't see her for the rest of the day.

Of course given that it was Christmas day and we had both a roast pork and a pavlova in the oven it was the hottest day we have had since we moved home. It's never a proper Christmas until the togs and water pistols come out.

Meanwhile I got to play with my presents,

which were highly coveted by others I might add,

and set the table.

 The new paints were put to good use to create  a painting for Grammy who has her birthday on Christmas day.

Christmas baking was light on this year but we pulled out a last minute effort.

 And finally, we sat down and gobbled that pavlova. I might just have to pop out another one for Australia day I think.

 And that is how you compress a month long ritual into just two days. Happy New Year!

What it's all about

Last night we decided to soak up the last of the Christmas festivities before setting out the little plate with the cookies, milk and carrots.  We went to a nearby suburb that hosted the winning street for Brisbane's best neighbourhood Christmas lights. I had no idea such places existed. Hundreds of people wandering the footpath with their tiny children, well past bed time, basking in the lurid glory of a zillion  lights. This house was the ultimate in splendour.

There were about 30 houses in this street decked out in their finest fluorescents. There were singing polar bears, penguins doing the macarena, igloos with built in bubble machines, driveways turned technicolour dance floors courtesy of garage door mounted laser projectors, numerous nativity scenes and the expected smattering of glow in the dark reindeers. Some savvy parents had the foresight to cover their own children in glowsticks too, sure makes them easier to keep track of amidst the crowds.

And today? Well that was pretty much what every decent Australian Christmas is all about. We ate cold ham, salads and of course pavlova. The house is littered with lego bricks and some of the one million accessories that come with a Sylvanian Families hospital. It was hot so of course there was quite a bit of this,

and it seemed just the right kind of balmy weather for a little ukelele accompanied singing of jingle bells

And that is what it's all about. Hot sunshine, pavlova, thongs, togs, bling'd up nativity scenes, obscenely large water pistols and happy kids. The only kind of Christmas us Aussies know anything about.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Two more sleeps

It finally feels like Christmas over here at Betsy's. The last of the party parephenalia has been packed away and the ornaments box has been cleaned out and displayed. Christmas styling at our place seems to  involve covering every available horizontal surface with an ever expanding collection of crafted and collected festive goodies.

The Christmas books have been rounded up and read, and re read. I cannot find the vintage prize Christmas themed book recently brought home from the oppie, no doubt stashed somewhere that I thought I would remember.

 The tree is up, every last scratchy frond unfurled and  laden down with ornaments. The kids are too big now for Legoman to lift them both up to do the star, it was Roboboy's turn this year.

I have packed away most of my milk glass now with a renovation looming in the new year, but these new finds were small enough to escape. The little bowl is not like any I  have seen before and another two more of the tiny vases/candle holders to add to my collection. Further proof that Betsy and I do not subscribe to the less is more decorating ethos.

I have hardly been to the oppie in weeks but I can never walk past a lovely old tin (for $1) or vintage pyrex for about the same.

And in an amazing organisational feat, we even made it into town for the lighting of the second largest solar powered tree in the world. One advantage it seems to celebrating without snow and in sweltering humid summer weather.

Now all we have to do is visit Santa, ride the Christmas train, buy a couple of last minute prezzies, and squeeze in some Christmas lights if we have time. And why are we leaving all this to the last minute? Because this week we've all been taking turns surfing the gastro wave instead. Hopefully, with two more sleeps under our belts, we'll be all sorted by the big day.

Happy Merry New Year

Well you won't believe what we have been up to. Although you may have suspicions due to the extensive blog hiatus. We did the unthinkable and absconded for Christmas. To the beach no less. And I must say, I would highly recommend disappearing for a week from Christmas Eve, the only negative being the process of having to stuff all the presents in the car. Feng Shui Nonna came and stayed for few nights and brought a teeny tree for us to redecorate on arrival so we didn't miss our house or the Christmas lego too much.

Roboboy was quite concerned that Santa may not realize we were at the beach and would leave the presents at home, but gosh that Santa seems to be switched on.

Santa had obviously taken note of the school work book complete with detailed drawing of the requested item. With accompanying text just to be sure, "Aleene Con Cwest" (Alien Conquest). I myself just breathed a great sigh of relief that the most wanted item back in June was still highly prized come December (one wouldn't want Santa to not hit the mark of course).

And Liongirl, well anything pink and she is pretty much happy. The prized items appear to be a toy manicure set from her cousins which she wields with gusto on any set of nails she can find and a talking My Little  Pony Fairy wand with my all time favourite cracker of a line " I'll be the best looking pony in the library". The Duplo hospital that she has been coveting on every visit to a Target all year appears to be providing therapy of sorts as she provides medical care inter mixed with periods of  Time out for various infractions.

I did make a pavlova of course, it's completely traditional and pretty easy. Unfortunately due to an incident best described as an implosion, this is the best photo I can provide.  Can I add that before I dropped that very large dollop of cream on the top, it did look perfect. Liongirl thought the whole event was for laughs and frankly any pav disaster can be recovered with a slathering of cream and fruit and no one is any the wiser when it comes to the eating part.

We had a barbeque lunch and then spent the rest of the day playing with our Christmas cracker racing Santas,

as well as a lot of this.

Liongirl suddenly worked out how to swim a few weeks before her third birthday and is just like her brother- completely fearless in the water with no awareness of her limitations whatsoever. She can easily swim 3-4 metres now but would probably then sink like a stone when she had to stop and take a breath. Makes for constant parental vigilence but so pleased she is a water baby too. She was not so at ease with the ocean waves though, which meant some quality time for Roboboy and I to hang out and make some sand creations.

Mother and baby dolphin of course. There is always time for a moustache, and a general horse around.

And how about rounding the day off with a spot of ocean gazing from the bedroom window.

While getting stuck into reading some delicious Christmas presents as the kidlets collapse with icypoles in front of the Octonauts Christmas special on ABC kids. Could life be more blissful than this?

Actually yes, it can be more blissful. Just wait until you see the spoils of regional coastal town op shopping! Back soon, and wishing you all a very happy merry New Year.