Christmas

Hello there friends! It’s great to be back today to share a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day recap. It sure was fun! I was super excited that this year Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday. So that meant that my husband could celebrate Christmas with us as Sundays are his day off and he didn’t have to go to work. It was also a big bonus for me because I could go to my usual 10.30 am church service and enjoy singing the carols. I love Christmas carols, don’t you? Typically, I miss out on the Christmas Eve carol service because they are always on at around 6 pm. This is the time that my family gets together for our big Christmas celebration. But this year I got to sing my heart out in the morning at church and then enjoy Christmas Eve with my family -win/win! Christmas Eve Carol Service The church was packed for the Christmas Eve carol service and I don’t think I have ever seen it this full. There was a fun ‘Lego masters’ challenge where contestants had to build the nativity scene out of Lego pieces within a certain time frame of two Christmas carols. After church, I went home to prepare the Lime and Macadamia Glazed Ham to take to my cousin’s house as this year she was hosting. I was so happy that it turned out great and tasted so good! I also took a cheese and bacon Cobb loaf which had three types of delicious cholesterol-inducing cheese as well as cream and of course bacon. My clever cousin and her creative daughter (our youngest cousin in the family). They made everyone personalised glasses and mini cheese boards. How cute!! We enjoyed some delicious nibbles and cranberry cocktails to start with. We had a naughty table and a nice table. Then we tucked into the most amazing Christmas spread! On the menu, we had turkey, ham, potato salad, Waldorf salad, beetroot salad, and caramelised sweet potato. After all that delicious food it was time to open presents. Followed by a bit of karaoke and then the highly anticipated party games! Every year I think to myself how on earth am I going to come up with new games? But sure enough, thanks to scouring through Instagram and YouTube I always find some hilarious inspiration. This year my little cousin helped me with the games. She read out the instructions and started the games with a ready-set go. She was also a champ at keeping score. My skills as a preschool educator came in really handy for crowd control! Geez my family are such a roudy bunch and so hilariously competitive too! I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in a long time! I love to play music for each game and I picked out a playlist full of fun dance music to get everyone pumped. Not that anyone needed much pumping up! There was so much laughing, yelling and chaos and we had the best time. I think the musical candy cane game was my favourite. Everyone had to dance around a table with their hands in the air. Then as soon as the music stopped they had to grab a candy cane. The last person left with no candy cane was out! Rolling up the toilet paper with a glass of water sitting on the end had us all just about dying with laughter. Once all the toilet paper was rolled up you had to drink the water. One of my younger cousins was so desperate to win, that he tipped the water all over the front of his shirt as he tried to chug that water down fast. Now that’s commitment! It was such a great night that finished in the early hours of the morning and went by all too soon. Christmas Day Christmas Day we slept in and then opened our stockings. At around 2.30 in the afternoon, my husband went to work. Ah…the joys of working in hospitality! In the evening Sam and I went to my oldest son and his partner’s apartment. They live about 30 minutes away and now Sam has his license he drives us there. I’m too chicken to drive on the motorway and it feels so strange having my youngest son drive! I might have had my eyes closed the whole time even though he is a very safe driver. We don’t go to Luke and Bec’s apartment very often as they tend to come over to our place more. They are both into high-tech gadgets, Japanese anime and Lego. I love how they have decorated their apartment to reflect their tastes. I couldn’t believe how neat Luke’s desk was! I’m laughing now just thinking about the state of his room when he was living at home. Oh, how things change when they move out into their own place! We had dinner while we watched “It’s A Wonderful Life” the old black and white movie starring James Stewart and Donna Reed. I had purposely never watched it before because I’d heard that it was sad. But I absolutely loved it and even though it was sad (yes I cried), it had a happy ending(phew!). Now I’m thinking that I will have to add it to my list of favourite Christmas movies. After the movie, we admired the pretty view from Luke and Bec’s big apartment windows. Then we had pavlova for dessert before Sam and I went home around midnight. Can you believe that Christmas is over? After the big build-up to the day. As well as a sense of panic because the days had flown by and I wasn’t prepared. Everything came together beautifully and I am so grateful. It really was a wonderful Christmas! I hope you had a great one too. Linking up with Andrea.

Hi friends! I wanted to pop in today and extend my warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas to all of you! But firstly, I wanted to say a huge thank you for stopping by to read my blog throughout the year. It means the world to me, especially knowing how busy life can get. I would also like to say thank you for your lovely comments. They brighten my days and make my heart sing! Being part of this friendly and inspiring blogging community has been amazing! I love the connections and new friends I am making as I get to know you better. What a blessing you all are in my life! I look forward to another year of blogging in 2024 and can hardly believe that the year has flown by so quickly. I will be taking a few days off to enjoy all the fun festivities and I will be back next Friday (that’s the plan but I’ll see how I go). For now, I hope you all enjoy time with your precious families. If you are like me and struggling a little with all the emotions because you’ve lost some of your favourite people. Or life is tough for whatever reason, I’m sending you a great big warm virtual hug. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas! Much love

Hey there friends it’s great to be back after such a fun weekend and I’m so excited to be heading into a very short work week and the start of the summer holidays. Yay!! Today I am recapping a very fun and busy weekend. Thanks so much for being here! Friday Night Party Night! Friday night was the Bayside Council Community Christmas dinner hosted by the Mayor. I had been looking forward to this night for weeks ever since Steve and I received our invitations. It’s always great to have something fun to look forward to and this was definitely it for me. The venue for the party was decorated in all the traditional Christmas colours of red, gold and green. Walking in felt almost unreal and I was in awe of the table decorations. Everything was so beautiful!  We sat with some of our friends and we had one of the best nights ever. The company, food and the whole atmosphere were amazing. Appetisers were dips, antipasto salad and bread rolls. For my entree, I had ravioli followed by a fall-off-the-bone deliciously tender lamb shank. Then chocolate mousse for dessert. Steve had prawn linguine for an entree, chicken for the main and passionfruit panacotta for dessert. I wore a one-shoulder red dress. Even though I don’t normally wear red I love this particular dress and I think that it was perfect for this festive occasion. Saturday Saturday morning I was back to reality with a big thud. Haha, after such a fun night with the drinks flowing aplenty. I woke up craving a simple breakfast of cereal, juice, a big mug of coffee and lots of water. It was such a hot day so I decided to wash the sofa covers because I knew that they would dry fast on the clothesline. I’m not quite sure where I got my motivation to do this as I was feeling tired after a big night out. Everything always looks worse before it looks better when it comes to cleaning and organising. Hmmmm An iced coffee break pepped me up and kept me going. Then in the evening after I vacuumed all the dust and crumbs as well as some of the feathers that had come out of the cushions everything looked and smelled so fresh! I sat down with Sam to watch a Japanese anime called ‘Attack On Titan’. This is my first time watching Japanese anime and I’m really enjoying it. What I love most of all is that Sam asked me to watch the series with him. I’m so happy my big 19-year-old boy still likes to spend time with his old mum. Sunday Sunday we spent the whole day at Oatley Baths with my husband’s swim club. It was a day of swimming races and after the competition, we enjoyed another Christmas party with more food! We got home around 5 pm and enjoyed a glass of wine while we watched Blue Bloods. We’re almost done with season 12 and I’m feeling sad that there are only two more seasons left. Now we’re on the lookout for another series Steve and I can watch together. We tried (yet again) to watch Game of Thrones but I don’t think Steve was keen after the first episode. To be honest I’m not so keen either although I am tempted to keep going as everyone I know who watched it, loved it. Today was our staff development day at work and it meant enduring a super long meeting. But tomorrow is our cleaning day and honestly, I’m looking forward to it. Not just because it’s the end but because it’s also a special treat day! We order lunch which is a big deal for all of us. On top of that one thoughtful parent gifted us a bottle of Moet to share. So tomorrow’s menu is McDonald’s and Moet for me – always keeping it classy around here! Haha. I’ll be back here on Wednesday and I’m sharing my Lime and Macadamia Glazed Ham recipe. Trust me you don’t want to miss this as it’s absolutely delicious! Happy Monday friends! Linking up with Holly and Sarah

Hey there friends it’s time to share some festive favourites today. Staff Christmas Lunch This past week has been a real whirlwind! We kicked things off with our staff Christmas lunch last weekend at a restaurant called Nola’s in Barangaroo. This was my first time going to this part of the city, here’s a pic of The Crown Casino in Barangaroo which is right near the restaurant where we ate. Isn’t it tall and shiny? I don’t know why but I didn’t think I was going to love the food as much as I did. Sometimes restaurants that are located near the water are very expensive as well as fancy. But they don’t always serve the most dazzling food. The restaurant we went to last year for our staff Christmas lunch was very beautiful but the food was just ok. I think that I still haven’t gotten over the fact that I ordered the steak which cost probably as much as a whole cow. Then I had to choose between chips and salad as a side. I wasn’t allowed to have both!! Nola’s But Nola’s was a completely different story. Nola’s is a Loisiana-inspired smokehouse and their dishes contain flavours from Cajun and Creole cuisines and Southern BBQ. I’m not at all familiar with these cuisines but I loved every single dish and there was so much food. Yum! I want to go back. Here are pics of some of the delicious dishes. See what I mean by so much food! These are only some of the dishes as I didn’t get a pic of all of them. I was too busy eating! We finished off with some sensational brownies. I was glad that the dessert was small because I’m pretty sure that none of us would have been able to eat more than that. After lunch, some of us kicked on at a pop-up bar. Aperol spritz-incredibly refreshing especially on a hot day and after eating such a hearty meal! Sunday Night Burgers Luke came over on Sunday night and we went to eat burgers at a nearby food truck called Chebbo’s. Sam had been wanting us to try out these burgers for ages. He kept telling us that they were the best he had ever tasted. Even better than the turkey burgers I make I asked him. Haha! He kindly said no but after tasting these burgers I’m not so sure as they were pretty amazing! After burgers, we came home and we watched The Vicar Of Dibley Christmas Special. So funny! I say this every year and I’ll say it again…you have to watch it!! Preschool Concerts and Celebrations This week we had two Christmas concerts and parties at preschool throughout the week. Everyone is feeling hyped up and giddy because of all the fun festivities. That’s exactly why this is my favourite time of the year! Christmas Presents Here are some of the presents I received from our little students. The families are so kind and generous! Inside this cute apple is a candle that smells like apple and cinnamon. I love it! At the preschool Christmas parties, the parents kindly brought plates of food to share. I took a photo of one of the Christmas cupcakes because it was so pretty and delicious too! Christmas Doormat My last festive favourite for today is this Christmas doormat. Hehe, I wrote the sign on the doormat quite a few years ago so it’s a bit worn out now.   Now that this week is over the children have finished preschool for the year, leaving us with just two more days at preschool for 2023. On Monday we have a staff development day and Tuesday will be dedicated to cleaning and packing up for the year. Two days! Only two more days left and I’m so excited! Thank you so much for being here today and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Happy Friday everyone! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

Hello! Welcome to the November edition of Monthly Musings with Holly and Patty. This month we are exploring How We Holiday and sharing some favourite holiday traditions, recipes, treats, holiday fashion tips and a whole lot more. Thanks so much for being here. How We Holiday FAVOURITE HOLIDAY TRADITION I love putting the Christmas tree up with my family on the first weekend in December. My kids are all grown up and one flew the nest a few years ago. So it’s just the three of us now. I can’t say that we still have that childhood excitement about decorating these days. I wish I could go back and bottle up all the excitement from when my kids were little and all living under one roof. Those days go by way too fast! But I do love that my husband and son are happy to decorate with me. Sam gets the honour of putting the star on the tree and these days I don’t even have to lift him up to reach. FAVOURITE HOLIDAY FASHION ITEMS OR ACCESSORIES I can’t say that I have favourite fashion items or accessories. We don’t do ugly Christmas sweaters or matching flannel PJs because it’s summertime over here. Although I don’t have any particular favourite holiday fashion items. I do love that this is the time of year when I get to dress up the most. We have a few holiday parties during this season so it’s the perfect opportunity to wear some of the things from my wardrobe that I don’t normally wear during the year. If I don’t shop my wardrobe then the holiday season is also the perfect excuse to go clothes shopping! FAVOURITE HOLIDAY RECIPES My favourite holiday recipe is my fall-apart roasted pork leg as it’s super easy to make and tastes delicious. I usually make it for Christmas Eve and if I am entertaining a crowd any time during the year then it’s also the perfect recipe. I like to make some festive drinks to share on Christmas Eve and this year I will be making some pretty-looking White Christmas Margaritas! HOW WE CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS We celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. The whole Cousin Connect crew get together for a night of feasting. We have a big turkey, ham, and pork with all the delicious trimmings. Then after we eat so much that we can hardly move we get into some hilarious minute-to-win-it-style Christmas games. HOLIDAY LIGHTS We usually go out and see the Christmas lights. It’s a bit of a hunt when it comes to finding suburbs in Sydney where homes are decorated with lights. You don’t really find entire streets filled with light displays. But there are some pockets of neighbourhoods and suburbs in Sydney that are very impressive. You just have to find them! There is a house near where we live that has an amazing light display so we usually stop there for a look. HOW I DECORATE MY HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Some years I like to go all out and add decorations to every room of the house. Other years I keep it low-key, it depends on my mood and energy levels. I’m not feeling the decoration vibe this year so I will probably keep things minimal. That’s the plan at the moment but I may change my mind and get enthusiastic. Here is a 2021 Christmas home tour. CHRISTMAS TREE – REAL OR FAKE Definitely fake all the way! The only time we ever got a real tree was when we were first married and living in a tiny unit. Once Christmas was over we didn’t know what to do with the depressing dead tree. I think we had to wait for ages until the next council clean up and I vowed that I would never get a real one ever again. FAVOURITE HOLIDAY TREATS Definitely nougat, egg nog and shortbread biscuits! GIFTS FOR PETS Ummm no……sorry Mochi and Sushi. BEST TIPS TO MAKE THE HOLIDAYS LESS STRESSFUL I think my number one tip is to try not to get caught up in making everything perfect. Instead, enjoy the time with your family and friends because life is too short to stress over the small stuff. Hosting Christmas Eve in our small home used to stress me out as trying to squeeze everyone in was a challenge. But with a few adjustments and following some tips for entertaining in a small space, we made it work. When I think back on those gatherings, I highly doubt any of us remember the nitty-gritty details. We just remember the joy, fun and laughing until our stomachs hurt playing those crazy Christmas games. Happy Holidays!    

You know it’s Christmas when David Jones decorates their windows with festive displays. David Jones is an Australian department store that has been around since the 1800s. It’s very much an iconic place in Sydney. There you can find fashion, home decor, beauty products and anything else that you would expect to find in any big department store anywhere in the world. I love going to David Jones any time of the year! But during Christmas time it’s an extra special place to visit. From late November through December, David Jones transforms its storefront windows into magical displays. They become like big storybook scenes with moving characters and colourful decorations. Both kids and adults will be captivated by these imaginative scenes as if they’ve stepped into a fairytale. These window displays aren’t just a visual treat; they offer festive inspiration that might spark ideas for your own holiday creations, like custom Christmas patches. These custom patches can be used in window decorations, clothing, or other holiday items to add a personal touch. So, if you’re into holiday decorations or DIY projects, displays like this can give you loads of inspiration for adding your own creative touches to your home or gifts. And if you get the chance to see these windows in person, you’ll really appreciate how impressive they are! David Jones Christmas Windows 2023 Every year they have a new theme and the inspiration for the 2023 David Jones Christmas windows comes from the children’s book ‘The Twelve Dogs Of Christmas’. This happy, colourful book was written by Alison Ritchie and illustrated by Marisa Morea. I think this book is the ideal source! It’s full of happy, bright and colourful pictures, just like the cheerful Christmas windows at David Jones this year. They both radiate that same childlike joy. Come and join me to take a closer look! Rediscovering the Magic of Christmas Windows I absolutely love the whole festive vibe the Christmas windows create during the holiday season. For me visiting these windows is a nostalgic experience because I used to take my kids to see them when they were younger. The beautifully decorated windows were always a perfect background for some fantastic photo opportunities. I have some really treasured photos of my kids standing in front of the Christmas windows. Another reason I love visiting the Christmas windows is because I’m pretty much always impressed by the creativity of the displays. However, I have to admit that last year’s Christmas windows were not a crowd favourite. And let’s not mention the disaster of 2015 when the windows were so underwhelming that it left everyone totally disappointed! I believe David Jones has once again reignited its Christmas spark. The window displays were spot on with the right amount of vibrant colour, and captivating moving elements. David Jones did more than decorate their windows this year. They also created an experience and brought back the Christmas spirit that transported me back to the excitement of feeling like a kid again! The Enchanting Essence of Christmas There’s just something about Christmas that brings back that innocent excitement from our childhood. From the freshly decorated surroundings to the traditional festive food and music, every little detail radiates the magic of the holiday season. It’s a time when we remember eagerly awaiting Santa Claus, the twinkling lights hung with care, and the joyous moments spent with loved ones. Imagine capturing life’s most beautiful moments in custom keyrings. These keyrings aren’t just practical; they become symbols of affection and cherished memories. Each time you glance at them, they will bring a smile to your face and remind you of the love and joy shared with the family.   Disclosure: This post includes links to Patches Co. and Keyrings.com.au, which may be part of a sponsored arrangement. I only feature products and services that I genuinely believe in and think will be of interest to my readers.    

Hey there festive friends! It’s the most wonderful time of the year again and Christmas is just around the corner! So that means it’s time to get decorating! Whether you are ahead of the game and already have your tree up or, like me, prefer to wait until the first week of December. It’s finally time to sprinkle some Christmas cheer and bring those decorations out. Let’s dive into the world of Christmas tree decorating, explore some amazing styles and find some inspiration to make our trees sparkle! Let’s go! Classic Elegance Timeless classic Christmas decor is all about rich reds and deep greens with shimmering gold or silver accents. Classic never goes out of style and is a perfect choice for a traditional holiday feel. Winter Wonderland If you want to turn your living space into a magical winter wonderland. Then go for a cool colour palette of whites, icy blues and silver. Decorate your Christmas tree with big white frosted ornaments and silver and blue ribbons. Boho Bliss Let your Christmas tree reflect your carefree spirit of boho chic and decorate your tree your way! Mix and match vibrant non-traditional colours and decorate with unique and quirky ornaments. This style of Christmas tree decorating allows you to express your personality big time! Minimalist Rustic Charm Create warmth and coziness using a minimalist rustic style. Use natural elements such as burlap, wood and pinecones. Earthy tones and soft lights bring a calm cabin feel. For a fun nostalgic touch, you can add some plaid ribbon. This is a simple, minimal, cozy and clutter-free Christmas tree look. Candyland Delight Christmas is all about enjoying sweet seasonal treats such as gingerbread and candy canes. The Candyland delight theme is a mix of classic elegance with sugary sweetness. To achieve this fun look for your Christmas tree, decorate with traditional reds, rich greens and gold. Then add some whimsical candies and playful decorations to turn your tree into a scrumptious feast for the eyes. DIY Extravaganza If you are a sentimental soul with a creative touch then now is your time to sparkle! Craft personalised ornaments, and string popcorn garlands. Add one-of-a-kind touches to your tree that reflect your personality and tell your story. Decorate with hand-painted ornaments, handmade beaded treasures, family photos in festive frames, and those adorable decorations your kids made in primary school. The DIY Christmas tree is a canvas for your precious memories. When it comes to Christmas tree decorating, there are no strict rules. Only endless possibilities waiting to be explored! Each style brings its own magic turning your tree into a fun holiday masterpiece. Happy Christmas tree decorating!        

Hey there friends! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and are feeling ready for a new week. I’m thrilled that you have stopped by today because I’m really excited to share the wonderful moments from our weekend and our Christmas in July celebrations with my family! Why Christmas In July? I’m not really sure if Christmas in July is popular in other parts of the world. So you might be wondering why we decided to celebrate Christmas in the middle of the year. As you know here in the Southern Hemisphere, our seasons are opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere. So while our friends in the North enjoy a cozy wintry Christmas in December, we always have a sweaty hot Christmas bang in the middle of summer! It’s not uncommon over here to celebrate Christmas with a pool party eating seafood and salads. We don’t have a pool but we do have air conditioning which is usually cranked up really high to keep us cool! Celebrating Christmas in July means that we get to experience a touch of winter nostalgia and enjoy all the festive cheer without sweltering in the summer heat. It also gives us a chance to wear ugly Christmas jumpers (or sweaters) and pretend that we are in a Hallmark Christmas movie. Hehe. Monthly Family Gathering On Saturday we got together for our monthly Cousin Connect. And it was my cousin Jessie and her family’s turn to host. She was the one who came up with the brilliant idea to make it a Christmas in July celebration. They did an amazing job hosting and we had such a fun night eating, laughing and catching up. There was even a Christmas tree! Jessie’s sweet daughter (our youngest cousin who is 11) decorated the tree with dog balloons that she taught herself to make. Haha, red and green dog balloons! Look at these incredible rose ice decorations made with cranberry juice. These beautiful ice roses made the Prosecco taste even better. Yum! Delicious appetizers! For dinner, we feasted on delicious turkey with gravy as well as ham, potatoes, corn and beans. Everybody wore Christmas colours with headbands or hats. I was really excited that I managed to find a Christmas jumper for only $20 at Big W. Amelia, my cousin’s beautiful Golden Retriever even wore a Christmas headband. We finished with strawberry cheesecake and gingerbread cookies for dessert. As well as hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. It was such a fun family night and it was the first time that we celebrated Christmas in July together as a big family. Back in 2021 during lockdown, we had a very small Christmas in July with just us at home. But we have decided that from now on Christmas in July is going to be an annual Cousin Connect tradition. I love our monthly family gatherings and look forward to them so much. Having a set first Saturday of the month when we all get together has been such a wonderful way of making sure that we stay in contact regularly.  Today is the first day of the school holidays and we have two weeks off which I am very happy about! Even though I have already been off for two weeks, I haven’t really been out very much. But I’m feeling well and so I’m ready and keen to get out and about during the winter break. Already the holidays are off to a great start as I got together with my lovely friend today and we had high tea. I’ll be sure to tell you all about it later this week. Thank you so much for joining me and I hope to see you back here on Wednesday! Happy Monday!