Merry Christmas Everyone...

The weather is freakishly cold and snowy in Dublin, and whilst we are looking forward to getting home and soaking up some sun, we are still having a fun time!

There was a visit to Santa's Cottage up in the north - a wonderful experience for us all, but the kids especially loved it!

There has been a few trips into Dublin city to meet up with Zoe's school friend and her family, who is also visiting Ireland. Dave and I also had a couple of nights in town together..and we took the girls to go into the National Leprechaun Museum and to see the Christmas windows and lights.
Of course there was the whole reason we came to Ireland at this time of year. The wedding of my brother in law John to his gorgeous fiance Sinead. A spray tan, central heating and a short one shouldered dress almost lulled me ito a false sense of security that it wasn't actually sub zero temperatures..that was until we went out into the snow for the official family photos....
Of course there have been lots of cups of tea and red wines with friends and family. To keep me sane I have read 5 books, worked on my Pies and Tarts blocks and been going to the gym a few times a week.
I was also delighted to find a Little People Nativity Set, and the girls have had a great time re-enacting Jesus' birth.
I got the best early Christmas present ever - we are the proud owners of a black AGA cooker that is ordered and will be shipped to Sydney. To buy in Sydney it was way out of the budget but with the exchange rate the way it is it was nearly half the price, even paying shipping costs and duties. I can not wait for my new kitchen!!!

Now we have Christmas day to look forward to, and Zoe's 6th birthday on New Years Eve and then a couple of days later we wil fly out to go home.

I'd like to wish you and yours peace and love this Christmas, enjoy your day and may Santa bring all your dreams true. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas Traditions

Reading the lovely Kirsty's blog the other day, she has listed all of her wonderful family traditions...as we are away this year there are many of our usual tradtions that we can't partake in but I thought I would list them all anyway!

1. Our Christmas Tree is put up on 1st December. Read about our tree tradition here

2. We read Christmas stories, ALL the time, not just bed time. My girls are huge lovers of books (which delights me) so at all times there are piles of books scattered through the house, this goes for Chistmas too when it is highly likely that any time I am trying to get something done or finished I will be asked (nagged into submission) to sit down and read stories. Not often do I resist them. The Little Golden Book Christmas Story is a huge favourite as well No Room at The Inn and An Aussie Night Before Christmas. But we have loads of christmas books and we try to get through all of them.

3. We have a gorgeous timber advent calendar house I bought a few years ago. This is usually filled with chocolates to have after dinner each evening. Although going forward I think I will fill it with Advent fun things to do, I have seen that on a few blogs this year and it is a much better idea than sweets every night, though the kids may disagree initially!

4. Santa photos at our local Westfield shopping centre.

5. Our local village has a fabulous community spirit. Each year we go with family friends to our local green for Fish and chips (and wine for the big kids) for the Christmas Entertainment and the Christmas Tree lights being turned on.

6. The kids choose a gift, wrap it and place it under the Kmart Giving Tree. We really feel how important it is for them to realise and understand that they lead a blessed life and that there are others who are not nearly as fortunate as they are.

7. We have a selection of Christmas movies and Friday nights in December they get to stay up later and have popcorn and a christmas movie! Always on Christmas Eve we watch Polar Express.

8. Christmas Eve Childrens Mass and then depending on how the kids are coping, dinner at the village with friends/family or sometimes just us!

9. Local Carols by Candlelight - the 3 churchs in our area come together and put it on, always a fun night. When the girls are a little older I would like to start taking them to Carols in the Domain. Perhaps next year.

10. Bus or train into town to see the Christmas windows at David Jones and Myer.

11. I make Rocky Road and attempt Mince Tarts. My granma made exceptional Mince Tarts and every year I try to equal her greatness, so far I have failed in each attempt. I will keep trying, perhaps the Aga will make a difference ;)

12. Christmas Eve - a letter to Santa is written, the carrot, beer and mince tart left out, the front door "key" is left out so Santa can get in as we have no fireplace and the Santa Please Stop Here sign is left at the letter box.

13. New traditions that I am starting - last year the very same lovely Kirsty as above sent me reindeer food to scatter outside...which we did on Christmas Eve last year, this is something I would like to do with the girls as part of our Christmas Eve rituals. When our reno is finished (that is my catch phrase to everything) we are going to buy exterior lights and decorate the outside of the house.

I am sure there are other traditions that we do but that is all I can think of. It is such a magical time of year and we love it. I am not looking forward to the day when the whole Santa thing is exposed but in our house we live by "You have to Believe to Receive". I am often the biggest kid in the house!!

Merry Christmas to you and yours, enojy this special time of year and may it be filled with peace, love and laughter. Let me know if put your traditions on your blog so I can stop by and take a look!

Christmas Tree Tradition

We have a little tree from when we lived in a unit, this is the 3rd Christmas in our house and still we haven't bought a huge big new tree like we always planned, must be too attached to this one.

Our tree is very eclectic...and daggy! We have collected ornaments over the years on our travels so it tells a bit of a story for our family. This year the girls made 12 new baubles - we had so much fun doing it!

My mum joins us when we can to put the tree up and decorate it. It seems to have become a bit of a tradition over the past 4-5 years that she actually puts it up and decorates it, first it was just with Zoe and now with both the girls!
Here we are with the finished result last Sunday afternoon!
And here's Zoe + Ciára with some of their handiwork last week, making the new baubles.

Hoping to get some sewing posts in here over the next few weeks, time seems to be scarce at the moment and I haven't touched anything quilty for a week or two now! So Sad!