Season Updates!

Christmas

This year, Christmas went off with only minor hitches. Everyone converged on our place...about an hour early! You can imagine what that did to me! Sheer panic set in as the food was only half prepared and all visitors were in the lounge room opening presents and Dear Husband was still cleaning the air conditioner filters! Arrrghhhh! Despite this, a good time was had by all. Lunch was a mammoth effort: ham, turkey, roast veges, honey mustard carrots, cauliflower and broccoli au gratin and an assortment of salads. Not to mention desserts of Christmas pudding and pavlova! Yummo!

Presents

Santa came again this year (am still trying to work out that naughty/nice thing!). The Superteen was delighted with a replacement for his original PS2 which died a sad death earlier in the year (Hey, cheaper to buy new than get fixed!). He also got his longed-for golf club as well as books and cds. Miss Nine found a new camera in her sack along with a cd player and High School Musical cds! Both children also received new clothes in their brands of choice (HSM and Fred Bare for Miss Nine and Canterbury for the Superteen!). As for me.....I just love the water filter and chiller that my mum and dad gave me. We have a non-stop supply of cold drinking water on the kitchen sink these days!

Dogs

Jasper continues to settle in well. He had definitely grown but is still a little ball of white fluff. We are still working on the toilet training, which I hate! It is honestly, the worst part of having puppies! These days he is hitting the pergola more than the house but still doesn't seem to get the whole 'go outside' thing! Argh!

Ruby went to the doggie day spa a few days before Christmas and looks just so cute. I think she's happier with less hair in this heat, too.

Cricket

I admit that parts of this week have been drowned out by the sounds of the second test coming from the television. As much as I love cricket, I have to sadly admit that the boys just aren't sparking any parochial enthusiasm from me atm! Apart from a century (and almost a second!) from Ponting and some pretty nice bowling and batting from MJ (hey, fave player never disappoints!) the rest has been a pretty sad indication of the state of our team at the moment! Let's pray that some gun players start demonstrating their ability soon! And by soon, I mean in the next couple of weeks cause we have tickets to the 20-20 game at the Gabba (watch this space for details after the event!)

New Year

I have no idea about resolutions! I think that my resolution these days is to just survive sometimes! However, we are planning to spend new year's at a friend's house sipping cocktails (hmmmm....maybe soda, lime and bitters for me!) and chatting the night away.

And after that.....

After that, we are going on holidays. We take off just after new year's so my blog may be quiet during that time (unless I can convince sweet, lovely family members to loan me a computer while I'm away! ;) ) For my kids, it will be their second time on an aeroplane. And for me, it will be visiting a part of our gorgeous country that I haven't been to! And fear not, house sitters are moving in to mind the dogs and all!

So.....if I don't get to post here until I return, I hope that you have a fantastic new year's! Stay safe, don't drive (if drinking) and make sure that you make resolutions that you can keep!

It's Christmas!

This is my opportunity to wish you all a very restful and love-filled Christmas and a peaceful new year.

Thank you all for visiting my blog this year and for continuing to leave comments and take time to read my words.

My Christmas this year will be once again filled with spending time with family, eating turkey, ham and prawns (yum! And did I say that I've bought a pavlova to make for non-pudding eaters! Can't wait!), watching children open presents and going to Christmas Eve mass tonight which is always a beautiful experience at our local church.

I have left the final word to one of my favourite singers, Josh Groban, on my imeem player singing what is probably my favourite Christmas song. His version of this song is brilliant and the words really do relay the true meaning of Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Will The Real Santa Please Stand Up!

Miss Nine came up to me the other day and exclaimed that "the santa at the local Westfield Shopping Centre is not real!"

"How do you know?" I asked her.

"Because he isn't the same one as last year!" she replied.

Fair enough, I thought. She is getting a little old to still be a believer.

"But the real santa was there last year!" she concluded.

"Why do you say that?" I asked again.

"Because he knew me!" she continued.

"He did? How do you know that he knew you?"

"Because everytime he saw me, he waved to me!" was her reply!

The innocence of Christmas is not lost, I say!

My Christmas Pressie!

Well, actually, I asked Dear Husband to purchase it for me and he did! Lol!

Now, I am a great believer in the theory that if you are blessed with certain assets then you make the most of them! And, if you can do so and raise money for a great cause then it's all the more perfect!

Australian cricketers, along with 3 Mobile and the McGrath Foundation have produced these very hot (someone pass me a fan, please!) calendars to raise money for breast cancer nursing support.

Interestingly, Australian cricketers have never really had a reputation for for anything other than playing cricket and wearing uniforms that almost cover them from head to toe! That is about to change however, as the current generation of players prove that they are just as appealing physically as they are in game abilities!

And FYI that is my very fave ex-Queensland and now Australian cricket player on the front cover, Mitchell Johnson, who abondoned his Bulls status to follow his heart to Western Australia. Awwwww! You gotta love a bloke like that, haven't you (see my love of romance is still satisfied!)!

*sigh* Now I just have to work out where to hang it! Suggestions anyone???

Really Rockin' Rocky Road!

I have never been a Rocky Road fan. I have always disliked glace cherries (those horrible little coloured things that taste like sticky rubber IMO!). But I love this recipe and I have solved the 'Blerrr, glace cherries!' problem by substituting them for lollies. Yum!

Now, everyone who tries this loves it, so I hope that you do, too!

Ingredients:

180g arrowroot biscuits, crushed
120g butter
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1 pkt marshmallows (I use those mini cooking marshmallows)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup coconut
60g copha
1 pkt slivered almonds
1 pkt red and green jube type lollies (I chop snake lollies....and I also add the orange and yellow ones!)
1 pkt dark cooking chocolate (I used a large pkt....sorry, can't remember the quantity)

Method:

1. Place the butter, sugar and cocoa in a saucepan.
2. Cook gently until dissolved.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Add eggs, vanilla, biscuits and coconut.
5. Press firmly into a slab tin.
6. Chill in the refrigerator. (I only did this for a short time but it really depends on how busy you are, as to how long you leave in the fridge!)
7. Place marshmallows, toasted almonds and lollies on top.
8. Melt chocolate and copha in a bowl sitting over boiling water.
9. Pour chocolate mix over rest of ingredients in tray.
10. Chill and cut!

Oh and I often serve this on a dessert chocolate platter which includes rum balls, biscotti, nuts and fresh fruit!

Yummmmy!! Who says that Christmas isn't for kilojoules!

Question.....The Renamed Dog!

Question: What do you do when Superteen and Miss Nine fight for 2 days straight over dog names!

Answer: Throw your hands up in the air and say 'Well stoof it! I will name him then!'

And that, Dear Readers, is exactly what happened!

Hence, Archie/Max is no longer and I introduce you to Jasper!

Ok, it does have a little Twilight ring to it (encouraged by a couple of visiting friends of mine!) but as puppy was asleep all day, awake all night and was very pale, I figured that it fit.

It is a worry though that I know a Jasper in real life, but I'm trying to not make comparisons!

And I am pleased to report that Jasper is settling in well. And Ruby is playing the perfect host. Tonight, Ruby decided to drink out of Jasper's water bowl (we still have them in separate rooms at night) and Jasper took one look and decided to share with her.....the two of them sipping out one bowl....oh so cute!

As for Jasper, he loves to play tumble and roll with Ruby. He growls and jumps and nips at Ruby and Ruby just rolls around and chases him! Oh my God....I'm in love with a couple of dogs!

So life in our house will never be the same again! Now we are a proud two-dog family and loving it!

Twighlight Movie!

I couldn't wait to write this post cause I've just come home from seeing the movie and things are all so fresh in my head! Finally, after months of waiting, I have been able to see Twilight at the cinemas for myself. And to top it off, it was in Gold Class.....a special treat for this long-awaited movie!

When the movie first began, I was a little worried. There was so much storyline and it seemed to be rushed. I have read the first book of the Twilight series so many times and one of the joys of the book is that the romance between the two main characters takes a quite a while to evolve. Ok, it took up a good part of the movie, too but in that first quarter it just seemed like things were rushed through to fit the whole story into the allotted movie duration.

By the time the second half of the movie came though, I had started to believe in the characters and the honesty of this story to the book. Sure, there was an extra scene (interesting!) and there were bits left out, but on the whole, there wasn't a lot of departure from the story.

One of my on-going concerns has been that the two lead actors would not have chemistry between them. This is vital, I think, if the movie is to capture the essence of the novel. Once again, in the beginning, I had concerns that this was not the case....I just didn't feel the connection. But as the movie progressed, I did start to feel it.....that indefinable quality that gives a story 'ooomph' and has us viewers on the edge of our seats....feeling the love sparkle (not just on Edward's skin but) between the two characters.

As for the characters, there were some predictable ones, some disappointments and some surprises! I totally bought Jackson Rathbone's Jasper although never in a million years pictured him to be like that while reading the book. And the same could be said for Elizabeth Reaser's casting as Esme. The Alice, Charlie and Emmett characters were all pretty much the way I imagined them to be, give or take a bottle of hair dye. My jury is still out on the Carlisle and Jacob portrayals and I'm sorry but Rosalie just wasn't as I'd pictured her! As for Bella, I can see why she was cast but she is still growing on me. And Edward, naturally, was a perfect fit (although his faux accent threw me a few times and I have no idea why cause it was probably pretty good but it just didn't seem to fit the timbre of his voice!).

And I also have to say here that I just loved the dark feel that Catherine Hardwicke gave to the movie and the way that Bella narrated throughout the story. The vampire running and leaping scenes were not as enjoyable as I thought they would be however. And that cameo of Stephenie Meyer's (did you spot her? I did!) was a treat!

At the end, I walked out of the cinema feeling satisfied that the movie was a hit. And I really want to see it again. I'm sure that there are bits that I missed and bits that I just want to revisit.

The nineteen year old daughter of my friend came with us to the cinema tonight. Before the movie, she told me that she read on the internet about all the different
'categories' of people who loved Twilight. According to her, I fit into the category of 'Twilight mum' which apparently, is also the 'oldies' category! Just great! So perhaps my interpretation is from an old-ish perspective. But I will repeat what I've said all along....Twilight is not just a teen story. It is a story for multiple ages and the movie is no different!

I Must Be Mad, Mad, Mad!!!

I am blaming the Christmas-slash-silly-season! That is the only explanation I can think of!

When Dear Husband rang me at work to tell me that he was offered the most adorable, gorgeous, cutest, lovable dog that he'd ever seen, I naturally told him to forget it....we already have a dog.

Then something happened.....over-work, stress, moment of weakness, rush of blood to the head....that's what I'm blaming! And next thing I know, we have this!

This is one hellova cute Maltese-cross-Shitzu-cross-Silky and it's a boy!


Obviously, we were very concerned as to how Ruby would accept a new four-legged addition to our house. I did all of the right things...bought puppy all new stuff, introduced them gradually, gave Ruby all of the attention....and you know what, it seems to have paid off. Ruby didn't even raise a growl. She sniffed, she circled, she looked searchingly and then she licked him and laid down at my feet for a nap! Go figure! All of that sleep that I've lost over the last few nights has been for nothing!

This afternoon, pup has been taken to the vet's for needles, a good check over and probably a microchip (wouldn't have a dog without one!).

And despite all of the misgivings of a few nearest and dearest, I am pleased to report that pup is fitting in.

Now, there is the small problem of a name. You see, the Superteen has demanded that as Ruby was named by his sister, that he should have the right to name this dog. You can imagine what he's come up with....if it's the name of a basketballer, cricketer, soccer player or Rugby League footballer then it is in. I told him to write a list and I'd pick from his choices. So at the moment, puppy is Archie. No, not my fave choice either. The rest of us like Miss Nine's choice of Max but the Superteen is blocking that at every turn. Great!

So now, our animal family is complete....and I've told Dear Husband that he is not allowed to bring anymore stray home! *sigh* If only they came toilet-trained though!

It Must Be Hot!!

You know that it must be hot when you walk past the toilet door and see this!

In case you are wondering, this is the cord to the pedestal fan which the Superteen connected to an extension cord so that it would reach into the toilet while he was in there! Nothing like doing your business in comfort now, is there!!!

I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time until I saw that!

It's That Time Of Year Again!

The weather is getting hotter.
Work is getting demanding cause the end of year is coming.
The kids are finishing school and then on holidays.
Christmas parties are everywhere.
The tree is up.
The lights are flashing.
I'm busy buying presents.
I'm busy organising Christmas plans.
I'm busy organising holidays.
Every night there is something on, someone to see, somewhere to go!
Life is hectic!!!!!

So, to fill in my blog space at this hectic time, enjoy this year's Australian Idol winner, Wes Carr and his first single, You, which is currently number 3 on the Australian Aria Singles Chart (with a bullet!)!!! See, I told you he would win!!!! The man has talent!