Merry Christmas

(This post has been backdated!)

Merry Christmas everyone! We had an ok day considering the evening before! Although there was lots of discussion about the incident. My little Brother slowly came out of his shell once we went to the farm for lunch - allowing us to see the bruises on his face.

The morning started with Coffee and sleepy eyes. It was a reasonable time, but we were all bleary from being awake quite late. We migrated into the lounge with our cups and our slippers and introduced Tara to her Santa Sack and Stocking.

"ooooh. wow." she kept saying. She slowly pulled everything out piece by piece. Here is a quick rundown of the Loot.

*Big Girl Knickers
*Little Mermaid Helmet
*Streamers for the bike
*A princess/ballet party dress
*Clothes... lots of clothes
*A dolly seat for her bike

I can't recall the rest ha!

She also was given a My Little Pony and some hair clips from her Uncle David, a tambourine from her Auntie Alice, Maraccas and a Sax/Trumpet from Nanna, A teddy bear from Granddad and Nanna Yvonne, A bike from us, some sneakers and that'll do I think!!

Ally scored quite well with a fishing chair and a tent, and some other stuff. Oh, and we were given a sandwich press as well. I got a couple of Photo Boxes.

We had a seafood breakfast (At 11.30am) where we ate cray and prawns. Then we moved to the farm where we ate more seafood, salads and roast meats. It was lovely. Dessert was had at around 6pm. One huge afternoon of eating. Finished with a hit of backyard christmas.

Fantastic.

So there is the wrap up!

A Christmas Eve to remember...

I have heard some people mention that ever fateful christmas that people would never forget. I knew that many people suffered tragedies, triumphs, highs and lows. I don't think our family had experienced one quite like that. Until Chrismas Eve.

We had a lovely dinner at my mum's place, then we all headed down to the local pub for celebratory drinks. It is bit of a tradition to bring in the festivities at the pub. We have been doing it for years. Lots of people were there, many who I knew, but did not recognise. It is funny how a mind can get stuck in a time warp. I remember what they looked like 15 years ago, but many had morphed into adults who I could not pick even if I tried.

A few beverages flowed. Most try not to drink too much, afterall, they'll be up at dawn with Santa's Been induced squeals. Though it probably would pay for someone to remind the local lads that too.

At 9.30 or so mum, my sister, Tara and I all went home. Tara was fast asleep - totally buggered. Alice's boyfriend was coming home a bit later. My brother would be home when he stumped there.

Santa propped some pressies into some stockings and everyone went to bed. I remember laying in bed thinking "Please let Tara sleep through - then it will be chrismas when I wake".

The next thing I hear is slamming doors. My mother screaming. My brother swearing and screaming.

"Look what they've done to me" "They all jumped me" "These are my so-called mates!" "Look at me! Would you F**king look at me!"

It was intertwined with my mother's cries.. "Who did this to you?" "Sit down!" "Let me look!" "Who was it?"

I flew out of bed like you would not believe. My sister followed, then her boyfriend and then Ally.

My little brother had been beated up at the pub. By is apparent friends. This is not the first time these people had done it. The main culprits had broken his nose less than a month ago. His mouth was bleeding. He had blood all over him. His jaw was red and already swelling. Teeth had gone through his lip a couple of times and he had scratches down his chest.

For ages he screamed "Look at what they have done to my face". The pain of his face was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. These were the people who were supposed to be his friends. They had once again taken to him.

We tried desperately to calm him down, but he was fuelled by anger and alcohol. Not a great mix. The next thing we knew was he took off back to the pub to try and get back at them. Mum and Ally tried to stop him in the driveway but he was gone before they could get him. Alices boyfriend went after him and dragged him back to the house and once again we started to try and calm him down.

At one point I grabbed him by the hands and started yelling at him to forget them. Forget these so called friends. Friends, real friends, would not do this to their mate. I told him he needed to shift his focus and realise he is with people who really do love him and care for him. Screw those at the pub, who cares. He did he kept saying. Over and over "Look at me though! Look at what they did to me! At Christmas! I'm going to look all beated up for Christmas!"

After a while longer we got him into bed - still swearing (which, despite my blogging, was scattered through ever second (or less!) word and could be heard down the main street. Ally and I guarded the hall way so that we could stop him if he got up again, and make sure he did not take off.

By this stage my Mum and Sister had taken off down to the pub to find out what had gone on. Alice's boyfriend was with them simply for protection in case they needed it.

They found out more of the story. David did not know why they did it but we found out it was him and one of the Culprits brothers who were messing around with bubblewrap on their hands. The guy hit David softly on the face and David did it back to him. However one of the Guys saw this and thought David was really hitting him. Came up and confronted David and David told him to go away and mind his own business. The Culprit guy kept asking to be friends and to shake on it. David told him to go away (in more colourful terms!). The Culprit Guy turned away then swung back with an elbow to my brother's face. Culprit Guy's Big brother saw this and jumped in. Their mother tried to break it up and another friend tried to hold David back to protect him. They all lost balance and the friend holding David and my brother went through the pub's glass door. The Culprit's mother caught the table on the way down. When David was on the ground they got stuck into him until he could get away. That's when he came home ranting and raving.

We are hoping that the pub has it all on camera, but the guys are new in the bar and probably forgot.

It would hopefully prove David was not in the wrong, but he is probably going to be banned from the pub, he'll be blamed by the other "Mates" and they'll all stop talking to him. And he'll once again get depressed and upset and abandoned by everyone.

The next morning his face was swollen and red. The bruising is coming out now.

Anyway. There was christmas eve. I'll do another post on Christmas Day later.

For now... hug your family, tell them you love them.

Maybe (not) Baby.

Sometimes my body really confuses me. After my post the other day about Ovulating, charting and getting things wrong prior, It seems I may have just gotten it all wrong and may have ovulated earlier on in the month.

Feeling a little crampy and nauseous. Period crampy nauseous. I swear, if I get my period tomorrow I'll cry. I wanted a BFP (Big Fat Positive for those who don't understand) for my birthday. And a sewing machine. But more importantly I want that BFP. Really wanted to give Mum and Dad a card for Christmas announcing a new grandchild.

Guess that's not going to happen now.

Bah Humbug.

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas!

I've been baking.

Here is my shortbread recipe for those willing to try it. I have a fondness for rice flour in shortbread and think it adds that special something!

Kristie's Festivus Shortbread.

1 part castor sugar
1 part rice flour
1 and a bit parts butter
2 parts plain flour

Chop room temp butter into cubes and add castor sugar. Beat until creamed well. Really well. It needs to be "white"
Add the rice flour and continue the creaming procedure.
Add the plain flour in two parts, beating really really well in between.
Press into a baking tray either greased or lined with baking paper.
Use your fork and some castor sugar to decorate
Cook very very slowly (150c for 45-60 min) until slightly golden (if it is turning brown it is too high or cooked too long).

Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.

Resist the urge to eat immediately.


Kristie's Brandy Butter.

Cream equal parts of butter (pref unsalted but does not matter TOO much) and Pure Icing Sugar (MUST be Pure!). Sifting the icing is VERY important.
Cream it until it is white and fluffy.
Add in Brandy to taste - slowly - checking at each extra added amount. I add LOTS. For 300gms of butter I add about 50 - 150 mls of Brandy).

Put into decorative cups. Wrap with Cellophane and put into the freezer. Great as gifts.


If only I had time to do my gingerbread house this year!

Charting. It really is gross.

TMI post. You have been warned!

There is something so weird about actively TRYING to have a baby. I mean, Tara was a beautiful surprise blessing. She just arrived. I did not have to think about it. But now that the wedding is gone and we are (shhhh!) trying for another it's really odd to be following the whole charting side of things.

Since my cyles are all over the place (av 37 days, though 32 - 76 has been recorded) it does not make it as simple as saying "Oh, 10 days in, let's boink for 48 hours and wham bam, baby jam!"... Predicting (or even working out) the time to just go for it is really hard.

And don't get me started on the whole Cervical Mucus thing! Makes me cringe having to describe and understand the goop. I mean, I *like* knowing what is going on with my body, but having to do the midnight tango because of the consistency kind of makes me a little erkie.

So, having said all of that, I thought that I was having a really odd cycle and that when I thought I was ovulating was strange, but I plotted and charted and did what baby-making couples do (that's sex people), I was wondering if I was in the Two Week Wait (TWW).

Then I started bloating the other day. Feeling horrible in my belly and generally just meh. Oh yay, thought I. The Aunt is back. But I think I am wrong. Following the CM today, and the left hand pain I have had today, it seems I am actually Ovulating Late (day 30 by my chart). So unless I am pregnant now (ha!) the earliest I could find out about being PG is on Cycle Day 40 (and that is at a push!). That would be christmas morning.

We'll have to see.

Before that happens, I've gotta go upstairs.

How cute would this be?!

Tara could have a matching fairy costume for "Baby" (her new doll)

eep!

The end is near - and so is a new beginning

So the end of the year is coming very quickly. I cannot believe how close it is.

There is so much to be done in the lead up to christmas. I wish there was more time (and money!) but it's just speeding along so quickly! I have worked out what I am doing for pressies for most people, but I still need to finalise it - and buy them all!

Today we had a lovely party at the park with our playgroup friends. It was a lovely day, switching between slightly overcast and hot. The afternoon ended with a pretty fierce storm complete with thunder and lightning. We had lots of fun with all of our friends and it was so lovely to sit and just relax. I did nothing much at all (other than eat and talk) but was utterly exhausted when I got home. I even managed to keep Tara away from the playground most of the day without much trouble (no hat, no shade, very hot and it was too far away from the conversation!). I loved catching up with S, M, P and baby A. So much time flies in 6 months.

I need to do some hefty work on Mamaluna in the next week. I need to sew and send out my tester nappies. This is a lot more possible now that I have official branding cloth tags! whoo hoo. very exciting. Mental note: need to call the printers about my business cards! The website is almost done - kind of. I need to get some photos and start making some of the other merchandise. Oh, and I need to get my tins, fleece and PUL. Soooo busy. I would love to get a lot more done however 'cause I am really feeling the need to bring in some extra money. Hopefully it is not too unrealistic to want to sew and make around 150 nappies over a 4 week break. Scrap the week of christmas, so that is 50 nappies a week... I might be pushing it, but hopefully it can be done!!!

Tara is doing wonderfully. For her birthday she received some money from Granddad and Nanna-Yvonne and some money from some friends. We got her a new doll and a necklace from Nanna and Granddad, and from our friends we used the money to get a book. Well, the book is by far the favourite pressie out of everything. It is called "My Little Word Book" and is wonderful!! She carries it around and reads it over and over again. She can point out about 60% of the photos in the book. She can say "s-ooooos" and "bay-bee" and "mummy" and "tar" very easily. We just need to get her to start pronouncing some other words. She talks non-stop, and most of the time we know what she is talking about. The fact she uses her hand signals so much is a big help too!

All in all, everything is going pretty great.

Now to just remember to update this blog some more!

Christmas Gifts.

This is what I want Tara to get for christmas. or at least. This is what I want *someone* to get Tara for christmas. LOL

It is Le Van Toy, Fairy Tea Set. you can buy online

Catch Up Post

So... I have not posted since before christmas, so here is a brief rundown...

Blah Blah Blah

Car Trip in 16 hours

Blah Blah Blah

Christmas came, Tara was spoiled

Blah Blah Blah

New Years at a private party

Blah Blah Blah

Trip to Melbourne

Blah Blah Blah

Ally proposed

Blah Blah Blah

Wedding plans

Blah Blah Blah

Car trip home.


I had a great time away seeing my family and being with friends and such. It was lovely.

And yes, you did read right - Ally and I are engaged and I have a wedding to now plan! I am pretty organised at the moment - just gotta work out a dress! Exciting and scary all at once!

So for those of you that are bored easily with wedding preps.... this blog could become your worst nightmare!

*giddy with glee*