Hmmm.....

We found this carnage just after Christmas day. Poor poor chocolate reindeer.

I'm curious to know why they chose to start eating at opposite ends! LOL

Handmade gift exchange

I took part in another of craftaholi\c's anonymous' handmade Gift exchange. This one was for Christmas. I exchanged gifts with Tess from New York.

Unfortunately my gift hasn't quite made it's way there yet, but I'm not surprised! The state of Royal mail at the time I posted it was pretty poor! The snow wreaked havoc for weeks!

I excitedly opened up my gift, I received two handmade Christmas pins and a very sweet scented pillow.

My only mistake was to allow K to help me open the package! The beautiful pillow is now hanging nicely in her wardrobe!

Thank you so much to Tess. We got there in the end!! xx

December catch up - Christmas day edition.

Tired, happy and very very full.

Our house still looks like it does in the picture above but we are all enjoying our week long holiday and are making the most of being extra lazy, getting even more full, watching films on tv and playing with all our new toys.

We are  looking forward to this weekend and the start of  the new year ahead.

But we are ever so glad that in 361 sleeps, we get to do it all again.

December catch up - Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve. That special special night. The magic just captures the child in my heart and makes me jump and wriggle and giggle with excitement.

This Chrstmas Eve was spent, as always, enveloped in the warmth of my family.

We spent the morning preparing our veg for our Christmas dinner, cooking for the evening and doing last minute chores like some cleaning and clearing the snow (yes snow!! woo hoo a white Christmas!) from our path.

K and I baked some gingerbread cookies for Santa. These also added into our collection of baked goodies to give as gifts and for us to enjoy.

The whole family had booked tickets to see Fraser in his Panto! Grannies , Grandads and Aunties! It was so much fun! I could only take one pic of the stage before it began as no photography is allowed during the show. Not even for family blog purposes. What's up with that?? lol

One of my favourite parts was when Beauty was kissed by Prince Charming and didn't wake up. Then her best friend Jester thought she was dead. So he leaned down and kissed her goodbye. Then sadly made his way through the audience. Beauty began to slowly stir and wake up with the kiss form her best friend, her true love!! Our little Princess was just on the edge of her seat!! She jumped up and, in her little anguished voice, shouted across the theatre!

" Jester!! Jester!! Jester! Sleeping beauty has waked up!!"

My heart was in my mouth for her and her little proud face when he turned back around and embraced his love just melted me into a puddle.

Well done Kirsten, you saved the day. Aha! (complete with panto land thigh slap!)

It has become a Christmas Eve tradition for everyone to come to our house for some form of dinner. This "dinner" has taken on many forms over the years, sometimes it depends on how much wine it took to help the meal cook! This year it had to be a re heatable, easy dish. So I made some traditional scottish stovies with Roast beef. We used plastic plates and so the clear up was simple. Perfect.

Another Christmas eve tradition is the gift of new pyjamas, given to all four of us , from me. I love this tradition and my kids are real jammie kids, so they are always really excited to open these gifts.

It was all just a little too exciting to look at all of the gifts under our tree!

Santa hadn't even been yet and there were gifts for everyone under there!

So just to take the edge off of my  their excitement a little, we let them open another gift each, the one from Murray and I.

They were more happy and excited by these gifts than I could have ever imagined!!

We gave K her very own, real actual working, mini sewing machine!

Fraser is our budding chef. I made an apron for him and wrapped it up with a cookbook, written by a teenager for teenagers. And a giftcard for tesco so he can by some ingredients.

They loved them. So we were very happy.

We prepared Santa's snack

2 Gingerbread cookies, beer from Fraser and hot cocoa from K. We hope it stayed warm for Santa in the flask. And of course a carrot for the reindeer to share.

All too soon it was time for our Christmas eve bedtime story

Which is , of course, the night before Christmas.

Once everyone went home to begin their own Christmas preparations, I prepped our Bird , ready to go into the oven in the morning. 

I pulled on my very own brand new Christmas PJs! And settled down to watch The Holiday .

 It was perfect.

Then we tucked ourselves in for a warm winter's nap, to allow the big man in red  to get on with some very important business.

Merry Christmas to all and to all, A good night.

x x x

December catch up! Part one.

Phew!

Finally I have 5 minutes to catch my breath! My house has stopped long enough for me to sit at the laptop and take stock of the madness that has been happening here the last few weeks!

Fraser has 2 performances left of his panto. Thursday night is the last night. I am looking forward to being able to relax in the evenings without it being cut short. Christmas has been and gone and we have loved every moment of it. I will be updating with all of our Christmas pictures over the next few days. I have taken lots and lots. I will get them all on here eventually !

As if Christmas time wasn't exciting and busy enough. We like to throw some Birthday celebrations into the mix aswell!

On 18th December my first born, my baby boy turned 12!

12!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How did my beautiful little 6lb 1oz (and a bit) baby grow up so quickly?? I feel like I have missed it!

 It has certainly accelerated in the last 4/5 years and it seems he is just racing into his teens (oh yes we are having quite a bit of "teen spirit" around these parts!!)

His Birthday was very different this year. Usually he is at school and is used to everyone coming to visit before and after school. But this year it was a Saturday, which seemed to drag the time between visiting for him which he didn't seem to apprecate. At all!  LOL.

Throw in a pantomime performance and some blizzards and you have yourself some pre-christmas Birthday madness!

I am going to organise a get together with friends/ pizza/wii  once we are into January and his performing schedule lets up!

So there wasn't really a theme to his day. Although a touch of  Doctor Who sneaked in.

K likes to help out with the opening of presents on Birthdays. Luckily she has a kind big brother who let her help out a little.

He wanted an ipod touch for his present this year. Being the mean mum that I am I told him we would only give him part of the money towards it and he could add to it.
 So to make it a little more exciting than jut opening an envelope full of money, I sent him on a treasure hunt.

But of course the ipod was waiting for him at the end of his treasure hunt. Told you I was mean! LOL

Check out his amazing cake! Made with lots of love by Lor Lor.

And his Birthday "banister" painted with lots of love by K and myself.

Thanks Lor. It was perfect!

Making a big wish!

All 12 candles in one blow! High five!

I wish you could see K's face here, it lit up with a great idea!

She attacked Fraser's cake sideways!!

Munch!

Happy Birthday Fraser

You are a loving, funny, fun loving boy and we hope to have lots of fun together with you before you blow out your candles again next year. We are super proud of you for everything you have dealt with and acheived this year. We love you ten.

x x x x