Saturday, December 22, 2007

Productive Days

In between making my cake, biscuits, chutney, stuffing, truffles, gift cards, Christmas card newsletters, wrapping gifts, and the normal day to day cleaning/washing/tidying/cooking, I have realized that I have achieved a lot this week.

I have also managed to go out a few times, had my hair done, spent hours with my bestest friend, chatting, eating dinner and chatting until well after midnight last night. Last night was fantastic, not only was it good because she'd been away, and I was happy to have her back - we were the only ones in the store!! One lady came to shop and a couple of other ladies, came chatted, shopped and then said they would let Barbi have an early night. So we got virtually the whole night to ourselves - bliss!!

I should log, on a daily basis what I actually achieve. It's not until someone emails me and says 'what have you been up to?' that I take a moment to recap and realize with amazement that I have done an awful lot. I am feeling very smug at the moment. It's also a strong reminder, that my medication is helping me do all this. The last few months have been a stark contrast to the previous several. I am so thankful that I took stock of where I was at, and that I did something about it!

Today I have also scrapbooked a layout. I even got my sewing machine out for this one.
The photo is Mickey in his safety gear after he got his scooter and gear for his birthday in July of this year, with Sammy hugging him from behind. I haven't actually journalled on this layout, because I have already journalled the fact that he got the scooter in another layout, but I loved the photo and didn't want it going unscrapped!




My Christmas Menu



High Tea
Served at Midday on Christmas Eve

Vanilla Kipferl
Linzer Augen
Rich Christmas Cake
Chocolate Fruit Mince Truffles
Chocolate Dipped Stars
Stollen



Dinner
Roast Rolled Turkey with Fig and Hazlenut Stuffing
Cranberry Chutney
Roast Potatoes
Roast Sweet Potatoes
Roast Pumpkin
Roast Onions
Balsamic Glazed Carrots
Peas with Mint and Garlic
Warm dinner rolls









Tuesday, December 18, 2007

It's beginning to feel like Christmas

It took me an hour and a half to wrap and label our gifts today. I am nearly finished, still have a couple to finish wrapping. I have them all safely stowed away. I have never had them done this early before.

Dancing is on tonight, and I haven't decided whether to go or not. I want to go, but I don't want to go. It's a Christmas supper afterwards too. I know I will be happy when I get there, it's just the thought that I don't like. Plus I hate going out when it's raining, and it's been threatening rain all day long.....so far there's nothing though. Last night we had quite heavy rain. The grass is growing like mad. Dh will have to cut it before the red suited one arrives, so the yard looks nice. I am getting my hair done tomorrow. I have to get the colour re done, might do something different as it looks too close to my natural colour (pre kids). Mickey is going shopping with my parents tomorrow. Billy-Joe will go to a friend's house, and I will get my hair done at my sister in law's place. Sammy will enjoy being on his own, playing with is cousin.

I might still do some baking. I have truffles on my list and I also might make some more biscuits, just a small batch though. I have enough sweet stuff in the house to sell. As it's Sammy's and my birthday on the 29th it certainly doesn't go astray.

I am still betwixt and between with my editing software. I can buy an academic version of Photoshop Elements 4 (Mac version) for about $100. The new one PSE6 (for which the release date hasn't been announced yet) will cost about double that........unless they have an academic version then it will be considerably cheaper. I am not sure how PSE4 will run on Leopard os x either.

I will go and get my kids soon, they are always really good when they have been out all day, as they are happy to be home, which is good.

Santa's elves, turn chaos into order!







Monday, December 17, 2007

Busy and happy

Gosh I am so happy that the school year is at an end. I am feeling busy, but relaxed and happy. A couple of times, though I have had the racing heart thing again - just like I did last year, but it's nowhere as bad. I have been making good use of ical and putting things down in the diary (I know Michelle, I hear ya!) and it's making me feel organized and not stressed. The Christmas cake is done, the Vanilla Kipferln are done, and today I made some shortbread stars half dipped into chocolate. My new kitchen is making everything a gazillion times easier. I can prepare the evening meal, and then just move over and roll out biscuits and have two trays out ready to take it - just heaven. I was thinking back to a few years ago, probably six years ago, our first in this house. I had the bright idea, (amongst others) that to make the Vanilla Kipferln really authentic I would make my own vanillin sugar, rather than buying it like I normally would. I had never done this before, so I got dh to buy the vanilla beans (poor boy nearly had a conniption when he saw how much they were), I cut them in half (I'd seen that on a cooking show) and then placed them into a Tupperware sieve (that had a base and a lid for storage) with icing sugar. This is where instructions would have been handy (or common sense) - as when I went to use the vanilla sugar, it was as hard as a rock!!!! I should have done it for maybe an hour or two, not a week lol......... So then I am trying to dust these hot biscuits with the Tupperware sieve when of course nothing came out. I bashed the container on the sink, because at this stage I had a crying baby on my hip........ Needless to say said container's lid and base fell off and I had icing sugar everywhere. At one stage I was dusting said biscuits with child on hip, vacuum cleaner on the floor and icing and crap everywhere..... I asked myself why am I doing this?? Back then, I did it mainly for my Dad, now I do it because I would not only have him to answer to, but it's become such a tradition, my whole family, especially my own kids just love them. So they remain a Christmas favourite. This year, however, after I have been making them for about the past 14 or so Christmases, they were quick and easy! No hassle at all, I finally have them wired, and my deluxe kitchen is just the best place for baking.

Like I have posted before, I am missing elements! I have found a widget though, that can resize my pics, so at least I can post them on my blog again. There is a facility within iphoto where you can upload photos to a blog or web page, I will investigate that further too. I am loving my imac, and learning much. I am also getting myself into stuff that I can't reverse, but I have always learnt best by my mistakes! I am so glad there are forums and groups out there where people are only too happy to help.

I have some photos. The boys at a girlfriend's house this morning. Just sitting down and being quite happy about having their photo taken. A scrapbooker's dream. I was complimented by a couple of the girls there how well mannered and lovely my boys were. I was very proud. They are such a handful and drive me around the bend nearly,but all the hard work and peristence on my part is well worth it when I get remarks like that. I thanked them for their great behaviour and said how nice it was to take them to someone's house. Billy-Joe noted that it was much better taking them to someone's house than a shopping centre - amen to that!! Tess had an above ground pool and the boys just had a ball. I didn't have to worry about them. There were other boys there, Tessie's two boys and yet they played with their own siblings.....strange.

My good friend Noeli from Springbrook was coming on Saturday, but he can't come now, hopefully he will come early in the New Year.







The yummy Vanilla Kipferln after they've just come out of the oven and are freshly dusted.

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