Christmas Eve & Morning

YAY the final Christmas blog.

Don't get me wrong I love Christmas but I also love when it's over.  I like to get back to my normal eating habits, no more junk and also the clutter of Christmas once it's over drives me insane...I don't mind everything in the lead up but afterwards I almost can't stand to look at it.

So anyway this was our Christmas Eve and Christmas morning

Christmas Eve both in their Christmas jammies and both looking and smiling at the camera.  Rat_boy was extremely tired and on his way to bed.

Photo taken by Rat_girl, her santa table.  Milo and Christmas goodies for Santa and some water and fruit and veg platter for the reindeer, all her idea and doing.

Santa has been!!  Mind you only a few presents are from him the rest were hiding in the back room from the Southern Counterparts

Christmas morning, the present opening frenzy begins!

 Thanks Nan! Such a big rat.

 My lame attempt to get her to eat her Christmas breakfast, Christmas tree egg, santa and bell shapped toast.  Didn't work!

 This is what she looked like all Christmas day.

 And the finale to Christmas my first ever home made pav.  Apparently I nailed it.  I wouldn't know I hate the stuff...blurgh but now that I've made 1 Concrete_man expects it more often.

 And finally a couple days later all packed away.  I love these boxes from Big W very cheap even before midnight sales.  I also got a big wrapping paper one that has lots of little nooks and crannies to stors cards, tags, ribbon, tape etc..it's massive!

 Labelled LOL love my label maker!

That's it Christmas is over now until next time.  I have so many idea and plan for next Christmas I probably need to start in January!

Oh 1 last one, my present from my sister in law

Rat_boy is a 'blogstar'

Rat_boy at Pepper Place

Naaaaaaaaw just gorgeous, even if I do say so myself.

Don't just check out his blog post though, jump on over to Pepper Place

Check out some of what she has in stock, obviously I reccomend her covers :-)  I'm now kicking myself I didn't get a dalmation one as well.  Rat_boy has 3 (flames, tie-dye and rainbow) and if I'm honest it's really all he needs but I'd love to have one of each of the prints lol!!

Oh and her wipes are great!  Just the right size and one small one goes a long way to clean up a lot of mess.  And the best part, just throw it straight in the nappy bucket with the nappy.  Much easier than having to put a wipe in a bag or dispose of it another way.

Anyway I'm procrastinating.  I still haven't finished my Christmas posts but I'll try do that tomorrow.  Then I can finally be over and done with Christmas for another year, not that I don't enjoy it but just want to move on.

Menu Plan Monday 28/12/09

Menu Plan Monday

at

I'm and Organising Junkie

It's the last one of the year so I thought I should finish the year on a good note.

Our meals lately have been very lazy and unplanned and I HATE IT!!!  I'm easing back into planning though with just basic meals to start with.

Don't forget to follow the links above to check out plenty more menus and recipe idea.

Monday

Jelly Ring Pizzas and salad

Tuesday

Slow Cooker Roast Chicken with some roast potatoes and salad

Wednesday - BBQ at our place with some friends

Menu

Nibbles - cheese, crackers and dip platter (all things already in the house)

Simple Easy BBQ

Steak & Sausages

Potato Salad

Asian Crunchy noodle Salad

Salad vegie platter

Bread rolls

Dessert - pavlova (made by me) some choccies and biscuits (left over from chrisco hamper) served with coffee (from the new Nespresso Machine my folks gave us!)

Thursday - New Years Eve

Dinner at a friends for his birthday.

I'll take yet another box of choccies that I have in the cupboard and maybe a cheese ball and cracker platter, haven't fully decided

Friday

Slow Cooker Corned Beef with steamed and vegies and white sauce

Saturday

Homemade Fish and Chips with salad - Concrete man hoping to catch some fish before thn

Sunday

Crumbed schnitzel steak with salad and mashed potato

Christmas, more of

I guess you could say that this year our 'theme' for Christmas was 'handmade.

We made some Christmas decorations and I made quite a few gifts and cards.  Mind you I can't say if I'll do it again.  I put a lot of effort into some of the gift yet of Christmas day when the southern counterparts spoke to Concrete_man on the phone they didn't even mention if they received them let alone say thank you!  And when he had a more in depth converstaion the next day he waited until the end of the conversation and when still nothing was said he asked and got the response "oh yes we received them, very nice thank you"  That was it.  Yet when Rat_girl didn't want to speak to her autny on the phone on Christmas day she chucked a wobbly staing "well after all that effort I went to with her present and I don't even get a hello or a thank you" and was upset that we didn't force her to speak to her.  And don't eve get me started on the present.  She gave her a Cabbage Patch Doll, yess very lovely and obviously she spent a fortune.  But a) Rat_girl is a little young and doesn't quite understand how special these dolls are and b) that is what I had already planned for her 5th birthday and I really would have rathered something special like that come from me or someone she actually knows not an aunty she never sees or speaks to.  Anyway just gotta let it go whats done is done.  The auntys kids all they got was gift cards from me, I tried to put the effort in and ask what they actually wanted or needed but she just sais gift cards...I tried.

Anyway some of our handmade items...

Our tree decorations.  I let Rat_girl run with these, I did the mixing and kneading and she rolled out and cut the shapes.  Then her and a friend painted and decorated. I think they turned out great, not sure if they will last for next year but you never know.  OH and the smell, I put some christmassy spices in and they smelt good enough to eat.

Christmas Decorations

The Christmas puddings that I posted earlier, these are just delish and so easy.

A couple things I made for myself.  We did a photo shoot with the kids early Nov especially for Christmas gifts and cards

Hanging frame

Start brag book

And another little glitter picture that the Rat_girl made

The presents I made for the inlaws on the Gold Coast

Hanging frame for 10yo nephew, from his trip here earlier in the year

Hanging frames for Brother in law and Sister in law

And a could star brag books for Nanny (mother in law) and Nanna (grand mother in law)

And the little gift bags I made to give out to some neighbours and some friends.

So there is still more to come on Christmas, I guess the next post should be about Christmas eve and preparing for Santa's arrival.

Christmas

We have done so much this Christmas in the way of gift and decoration making and baking etc that I just don't know where to start posting.

So i think after the BIG even tomorrow I'll post it all then and do a big Christmas wrap up.

But here is a preview of a couple of the things we did.

Mini Christmas Puddings for Kindy

Awesome little glitter pictures made by Rat_girl

Christmas decorations handmade and painted by Rat_girl, baked by me

Lots more to come...it's been very exciting this year getting in to the hand made suff for Chrissy but I do need to start and plan earlier next year.  I just got carried away and kept adding more things to my list this year.

Anyway speaking of getting carried away, I'm just doing up some more lil puddings, some green and red cake mix biscuits and some christmas bark....I'm searing for these recipes I'll link you up when I find them.

4th Birthday morning tea

The morning of Rat_girls actual birthday

Presents YAY

Costume change, new disco outfit and dancing doll (which I plan to remove the batteries from soon LOL)

Playing the new tennis came in her disco outfit

Wondering what all the fuss is about

Happy little Rat

She was very excited as she made the cake, well helped.  The little cakes, butterflies, lady bugs etc she made with a silicone mould and cake mix she got for her birthday.  I made and iced the main cake and she helped to decorate.  It was kinda sorta a fairy garden.

Happy birthday princess!!!!!!!!!!!!

The 4th Birthday Disco Party

The kinda disco ball cake

Happy Rat

Waiting for the friends to arrive at her special party table in her special birthday rat chair

Awwwwww

Excitment was just way too much for the lil rat

Getting in on some dancing action

Cake again

Ooooooo presents

Spoilt and very very lucky

"It's my party and I'll cry if someone else sit on my chair"

Happy Birthday to youuuuuuuuuuuu

MMMM cake!

I tried to get photos of all the cool party bags and stuff that I made up but it all happened so fast.

I made some playdough that I wrap in glad wrap then in the same black sequined material that is under the cake and tied with some pretty ribbon.

Then for the lolly bags, very few lollies but I made some marshmallows covered in white chocolate and sprinkled in some edible cake scatters there were sequins, flowers, leaves, hearts, very very very cute!  i put all these in ziplock bags with the top rolled down and secured with some cool clips.

Anyway the day was good and she loved it and was exhausted so that was very much worth it.