Hope everyone had a great Christmas! The festivities started on Chritmas eve for us with Leigh's parents coming up to stay the night. We had a great dinner of fresh prawns, roast turkey and vegies. For dessert we had Leigh's mums famous pavlova. Christmas morning Leigh whipped up pancakes with fresh strawberries and maple syrup and we all got stuck into the pressies.
We then headed off to Bilambil Heights to my Mum & Dad, we all visited my grandparents at the home then headed home for another turkey & veg dinner.
Speaking of pressies I did very well!!!
Leigh got me:
Tickets to Wicked, I have been dying to see this and now I will on the 2nd March
A Pandora Charm
The new Beckham fragrance Intimately Yours
Celine & Paris got me the following blu rays
My in-laws gave me pj's and some money and my Mum & Dad gave me a maxi dress, some shoes and a top, make up and the following blu rays
I started a tradition many years ago of buying myself a christmas present and this year I decided to get the LAMB bag I had been coveting, as luck would have it, it arrived on Christmas eve and it is even nicer in person.
Boxing day we decided to avoid the sales and the crowds (I just was not feelilng up to it) and instead we went to the movies as I had a voucher from my birthday I had not used.
Being fans of Meet the parents and Meet the fockers of course we decided on Little Fockers. The whole gang is back but the movies pretty much is all Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro. If you like the first 2 movies then you will enjoy this one. I needed a laugh after all the drama of late and I certainly got a few - the youtube clip at the end is one of the highlights.
Enjoy the time off over the next few days and if you get a chance leave me a comment and let me know what you got for Chrissy!
Lots of fun things to try here, you can track Santa and try the naughty or nice list! http://www.santaclaus.net/
Watch a Christmas movie:
My 2 faves are Elf & The Grinch
Play your fave Christmas tune!
LAST CHRISTMAS - WHAM!
DO THEY KNOW ITS CHRISTMAS - BAND AID
WE NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS
I hope everyone has a wonderful & safe Christmas, have lots of fun, laughs & food! I hope all your Christmas wishes come true.
I will close with something that has been a fave of mine since I was a little girl.
love to you all
Nic x
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!
"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.
His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"
After testing many,many shower gels/body washes over the past 10 years my holy grail has to be the ones by Philosophy. I had heard about these and seen them in Mecca but balked at paying $40 for shower gel. As soon as I touched down in the USA the first time back in 2004 my first stop was Sephora (really it was - we got to our hotel, showered & changed and headed to Hollywood where we ordered breakfast and while waiting I ran downstairs to Sephora!!) The body washes are only $16 a bottle over there so I grabbed 2 and decided on chocolate ice cream & strawberry milkshake. Not only do they smell divine and leave you oh so clean they have a fantastic lather, its like a bubble bath in your shower.
On our next trip the following year I stocked up with some new flavors, senorita margarita & vanilla birthday cake. I have been rationing out these 4 bottles for a little while now and as no trip to the US is on the horizon I decided to do some online investigating and to my surprise strawberrynet now has them!! They are $24 a bottle (still better than Mecca's $35) and with my various loyalty discounts they come down to $22 and of course the shipping is free.
I decided to treat myself to the following three:
This will be a nice treat to get in the mail post Christmas
This time last week we had to pack the girls up and head to a new residence for the week while the work on our shower began. We found a nice little place that was animal friendly up on Latrobe Tce and enjoyed a week of BBQ's and being within walking distance of some cafe's & shops. Paris & Celine were not impressed about the relocation at first but settled down just as it was time for us to leave.
Our shower pretty much just decided to fall apart a few months back, the tiles from a large section just dropped off one afternoon. When the insurers came to look we found out that there was large amounts of water damage and that the shower would need to be reapired as stage one then 2 walls and floorboards would have to be replaced in stage two.
We got to go pick a new shower head, hand held and tap and also the tiles, as we have done no renovations to this house it was quite exciting!
Stage 2 will be a huge pain as besides moving out again the shower backs on to our office and that is one of the water damaged walls to be replaced which means packing up the whole office (I have so many books it will take forever!)
Here are the before & after shots!!
BEFORE - Grotty white tiles, plastic taps, sad old shower head & the large hole taped over!!
AFTER: Large midnight blue tiles, funky huge square shower head, slimline handheld shower head & one flick mixer
The colur of the tiles is so nice in person - just a little hard to photograph
I am so excited! I just got front row tickets to see Belinda Carlisle next Feb!!! I love Belinda, she is in my list of female singers I love and I have never been able to see her live. I have been lucky enough to see other females I adore like Olivia Newton-John, Madonna, Kylie, Gwen Stefani.
I liked The Go-Go's but I became a huge fan when Belinda went solo, her first album Belinda I played over & over and I used to watch the video for Mad about you all the time. I admit I even dyed my hair red when she did.
Unfortunately she is not playing a great venue but I don't care as I am going to get to see her sing all my fave songs!!!
