It Begins...

Is it just me, or does Christmas seem to start earlier and earlier each year?

I swear that my local supermarket took the 'back to school' signs down at the end of the September school holidays and put the Christmas items straight up. Gah!

December is yet to start, but last night we had 'Carols by Torchlight' at school,

on the weekend we made a gingerbread house

and two weekends ago we went to a Christmas carnival.

That being said...Yay for Christmas!

Apart from the fact it comes to Queensland right in the middle of our (disgustingly sticky and uncomfortable) summer, it's my favourite 'season'.

As per family tradition, our tree will go up tomorrow without fail (though the decorations may not appear until the weekend!) and the shopping (online, of course - I do work full-time) is in full swing.

I am so excited that Christmas day falls on a Sunday this year - I will have all of Christmas Eve to get organised for the family visit and lunch. Oh happy day! *twirl*

Hope all your preparations are going along smoothly, and that you are enjoying every moment!

P.S.      “For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” Anon

Charity Begins at Home...

Hi All! (See, I am trying to post more regularly.)

For the past few years I have been participating in 'Operation Christmas Child' through our local primary school chaplain. (Check it out here if you've not heard of it before!) It's a great reminder to the kids during the festive season that not everyone is as fortunate as they are, and a chance to give a little something to a child who has very little.

This year though, I'll be adding a new charity to my Christmas list. 

A link sent by a friend of a friend introduced me to an amazing woman - Despina - who has started a home-grown organization that collects donated goods and puts together backpacks for kids who are taken suddenly into foster care. Often kids are taken from their homes by police or DOCS with only the clothes they are wearing and Backpacks 4 Aussie Kids wants to provide backpacks to these children so they have some essential and personal items that will travel with them from home to home, and just belongs to them.

While donations are not yet tax deductable (they are working on it),  I promise it will give you a feeling of well-being...and I think we could all use a bit of that.

P.S. “Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.” 

St Francis of Assisi

The Confessional...

Forgive me readers, for I have sinned. 

It's been 5 months since my last post.

Yikes! How did that happen? I felt that it had been a while, but not quite that long. It's not as if I haven't been doing anything. Life has just gotten in the way of reflection time again...that and lots of reading.

 I have managed to do a few blog-worthy things in those months...

Took the youngest one to the model train show at the RNA back in May...

and made two toy snails for him.

Did some sewing etc. at the Esk craft Retreat in June

Attended two school sports days also in June...

 Sewed a padded case for my new laptop in July...

Made 2 birthday cakes and celebrated the birthday of the 8-year-old in August ...

 (for school)

(at home)

Went to the Ekka...

 Went to Hervey Bay to visit the MIL for a weekend in September and had dinner on Fraser lsland...

Took the small one to the zoo...

Celebrated the middle one's birthday with another coconut cheesecake - double digits!

And I won Deb's giveaway of lovely little overseas goodies ...

 September was a big month! 

This month we have had the middle one at music camp, the big one getting a sports award at high school (go figure!) and some pretty gifts for World Teachers Day...

I made flags using the canning labels on the HP site here.

I have also read all seven of the novels (so far) in the 'Outlander' series by Diana Gabaldon, amongst lots of other things (don't get me started talking about The Slap - grrr). BTW, the next Outlander comes out at the end of November, so there's my Christmas reading sorted!

All things considered, not much to show for 5 whole months. But this blog was always meant to be a journal, and I guess it will be as full of holes as my memory is.

I promise to be more diligent in the lead-up to Christmas - now only two months away!

P.S. “Like the wind crying endlessly through the universe, Time carries away the names and the deeds of conquerors and commoners alike. And all that we are, all that remains, is in the memories of those who cared we came this way for a brief moment.”

Harlan Ellison

His 15 minutes...

Just some Mummy bragging today.

The middle child has had a brush with fame...

starring in a story in the local newspaper (The North-West News, 25/05/11) about a program his class is involved in...

If you'd like to check out the 'Wild Backyards' program info online, and join in, it's here.

P.S. "Good fame is like fire; when you have kindled you may easily preserve it; but if you extinguish it, you will not easily kindle it again."  Francis Bacon

A Belated Happy Mothers' Day...

Not sure what has been going on with Blogger over the past couple of days, but it finally seems to be fixed and now I can post what I should have put up on Sunday night!

Hope all the Mums had a wonderful day. Mine included breakfast in bed (they even made tea in my favourite mug)...

cute pressies from the boys...

flowers and some sewing time.

  
I made some new cushions for the couch from bits and pieces, which turned out really cute!

Hope you all got something that made you happy, whether it was something that could be wrapped or not.

P.S. "Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother."  Oprah Winfrey

Getting ready for Easter...

Thought it was about time to change the decorations around here, from the summery look we've had for months...

to something more fitting for our Autumnal Easter here in Oz, now that the weather has finally cooled down.

I used my 'Easter Tree' from last year with a few tweaks, and took my colour palette inspiration from the table runner I made a few weeks ago.

I needed a few little Easter treats for a workmate and her girls, so found some great free printables here and here.

They were very quick and easy, and look how cute they turned out!

P.S. A funny Easter list for your enjoyment...

Rules of Chocolate Easter Eggs

• If you get melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.
• Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.
• Diet tip: Eat an Easter egg before each meal.
  It'll take the edge off your appetite, and that way you'll eat less.
• If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you?
• If kilojoules are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge.  Kilojoules are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.
• Money talks - chocolate sings.
• Chocolate has many preservatives.  'Preservatives' make you look younger.
• The problem: How to get a kilo of chocolate eggs home from the shop in a hot car.
  The solution: Eat the eggs in the car park.
• Why is there no such organization as Chocoholics Anonymous?
  Because no one wants to quit. 

Winners are Grinners...

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I opened a parcel last week. It arrived during the work day to the office and I put it aside for later, assuming it was a book I had ordered from The Book Depository.

Imagine my confusion after work when I looked at the box...

Not from the Book Depository. And when I opened it up....

Shriek! A Kindle!!! 

I had all but forgotten entering an online competition back in January to win a Kindle eReader,  especially since I enter pretty much any comp that makes it to my computer screen. 

It's fantastic! I am an avid reader, and have a book with me pretty much all the time. This little baby will save me trying to shove various sized books into my long-suffering handbag. You can read all about them here if you are tempted! Now to find a nice pattern for a cover...

It just goes to show, you really do have to 'be in it to win it'.

P.S. “Just tell yourself, Duckie, you're really quite lucky!” Dr Seuss