Christmas - Oh, the food!

How about you? Have you been eating - way too much - this festive season?

Finally the last of the leftovers have been eaten. This morning I cleaned out the fridge and we are ready to start again. As the calender clicks over to a new year, it seems like as good as time as any to start a fresh - healthy salads, more fish, less meat, less cheese (always a problem for me at Christmas time) more fruit, less tea and more water. Time will tell.

Tonight, New Years Eve, will be quiet, unlike any other year. A simple barbecue with just us. There is a street party in our street if we want to join in or drinks at a friends house nearby, but right, now I am wanting to stay close to home. Some sparklers, a glass of wine and maybe a 'dance party' with my kids.

I really am such a homebody and as fun as going out can be, I couldn't handle another big night of socialising. This is some of what we have been eating over the last few weeks, with a lot of cheese and wine 'get togethers' and cake and coffee dates in between.

A pre-Christmas dinner with Mum on the 23rd at our place

a cheese platter with smoked salmon, capers and creme fraiche

baked italian chicken and potatoes

a green salad 

italian green bean salad

my famous rum balls and lindt balls

lots of wine and two cups of coffee (at 11pm!)

 Christmas Eve dinner at my Sister-in-Laws House

fresh local prawns, sushi and a cheese platter

poached fillet of beef

baked snapper with a macadamia and herb crust

home-cured gravlax

nectarine and bocconcini salad

'from Grandma's garden' garden salad

my 'take everywhere' potato salad

foccaccia

raspberry and pistachio semifreddo

Grandmas plum pudding

mango and fresh blueberries

bubbles and red wine

Christmas morning at our place

mangoes, cherries, panettone, rum balls, coffee

Christmas lunch at mum's house (served at about 2pm as is traditional in our family)

Christmas drinks platter - semi dried tomatoes, dolmades, marinated olives, blue cheese, french brie, duck liver pate, smoked salmon, hommus, vegetables sticks and water crackers

mum's famous brie with macerated figs and drizzled with caramel and walnuts 

white wine

roast pork with warm apple and onion chutney

baked salmon and potatoes with capers and lemon

baked vegetables 

a garden salad

red wine

after a sleep

coffee and rum balls

And I haven't even mentioned the 'hands down' loveliest night that I had this Christmas. To my family reading, please don't be offended here.

Early in the month I invited just a few close friends for dinner. I cooked a very simple menu, not unlike the one I cooked for Mum (on the 23rd) but with the addition of a to-die-for chocolate cake. The reason this night stands out, is because it was something that I hadn't done in years (I'm talking... 9 years) The night went smoothly with good simple food and great conversation, I was shocked when someone mentioned that it was 10:30pm. The backyard was filled with twinkle lights and we sat out on the back deck while soft rain sprinkled throughout the night. I had candles everywhere and my music playing in the player. I dressed up pretty and felt very much like ME. No husband, no kids, no interruptions. Truly, I had forgotten that this person (me) had ever existed. Doing things 'just for me' is rare thing, I always feel so guilty if I am not doing something for my family, even when I am alone. I realised on that night, that doing things 'just for me' is vital.

I totally recommend it!

Sadly not everyone could make it that night, don't worry, I am planning a monthly dinner... it has to be done.

Happy New Year to you all! 

...whether you are keeping it quiet or partying into the night, whether you are doing something 'just for you' or spending it with you family.

Have a good night!

And that was christmas!

 Ready for the Christmas Eve festivities.

 Our local Christmas Carols - Miss Moo Moo singing this year - a cheese platter with friends - happy, big kids - great fireworks!

A new book on Christmas morning - thanks Santa.

The cubbie got a touch of tinsel.

I love my carved wooden Santa's dotted around the house.

 This year even my bedroom looked Christmasey.

 Wrapped.

Flowers - an early unexpected Christmas gift. The scent was amazing.

A Christmas pageant at Grandma's church.

Some wine for Christmas.

Family memories of Christmases past, hang on our tree.

Christmas morning - breakfast.

 Chokos from our garden - mangoes from the side of the road - green and red.

 A Christmas Street Party in a local town - with friends - the yummiest Vietnamese salad ever.

 Reindeer Poo and Rudolph Noses - every Christmas!

 Christmas morning - long after my 4:50 am wake up call (thanks Spunky Monkey) and just minutes before the frenzy of paper ripping began.

It's been a busy couple of weeks, but oh, so very fun. Today we have enjoyed a quiet day at home and it has been wonderful. Soon there will be more socializing to do, but for now... these next couple of days, we are taking it slow.

The weather has been dictating our rhythm, it is hot, exhaustingly so. We have moved from eating to reading to resting to reading to 'screen time' to eating to resting. I picked up the broom and lazily swept, just the kitchen. I filled the washing machine ready for another load... tomorrow. I cleaned and tidied three shelves in the pantry, but have left the other two for another day. Mr Moo has started sanding back our 'new' craft cupboard, he has gone back to it three times, stopping when the heat gets too much.

Leftovers for dinner, surely one of the best things about Christmas and an early night tonight.

Oh my, the hours we have been keeping, I think the word 'bedtime' disappeared with November. As a result, we are currently living with some very tired children, and I am not loving it. Lots of tears and yelling and general bad attitude. Hopefully a good nights sleep will begin to remedy that.

Here's to the return of peace and joy, after the busy Christmas period.

Merry Christmas

(thanks to Miss Moo Moo and Mr Moo for this lovely drawing that is now stuck to the fridge)

Merry Christmas Everyone!

A golden hour

These photos were taken on our recent (October) holiday to Orange. 

Mr Moo and I spend a lovely afternoon in Cook Park with our kids and their cousins. It was the last hour of the day, just before sunset... some people call it the 'golden hour', some people call it the 'magic hour'. It certainly was both golden and magical, 

as I watched the children run about with pure unhurried joy. 

Laughing, exploring, collecting, climbing, smelling, skipping, dancing,

giggling, singing, posing, chatting.

Cook Park is a special place to me. The air was crisp, the light was dappled, the earth smelt damp. I am sure that the fairies were hidden within the blooms on that wonderful afternoon.  

Some of my favourite photos from our trip are amongst these pictures.

For my cousin

 

Beautiful, inspirational, kind, funny, generous, wise and a pretty good cook!

Happy Birthday Karen!

I believe you have truly found your place in the world. 

I am wishing that all of you dreams, can now become realities. 

You deserve it, more than anybody else I know. 

xoxoxo

Love you and miss you.

Farm kids

One of the funnest things to do on the farm is to go for a trailer ride - always a crowd pleaser.

Exploring and flower picking - everyday.

Rain? no problem, so much to do, so much to see, why let a little rain stop you.

Did someone mention building a treehouse?

 Bored... never, plenty to do on the farm - how about a tyre swing!

 Picking wildflowers.

 Lets go... quick - this way!

Lunch time.

 Why not make another tyre swing for the little girls near the house.

 Always something to amuse yourself on the farm - no time to sit idle.

 But sometimes you just need some down time - a snuggle with teddy and The Wiggles.
 

"I know, if we add some rope we can make this swing better!"

 These two again... always exploring... every paddock must be checked out!

 Morning tea - always apple slinkies at the farm.

 Yes... every paddock must be explored.

 Ice-blocks - the fun kind that we never have at home.

Now, that's trouble if I've ever seen it.

The perfect farm breakfast - dippin' eggs.

And a farm stay would not be complete without a bonfire... and super giant 

and super sticky marshmallows.

My cousin used to live on a beautiful little farm, just 2 hours away, now she lives on a BEAUTIFUL big farm, 2 days away. Do you think that that is going to stop us from visiting every chance we get?

No way! There is too much fun to be had!

(these photos were taken during the last school holidays in October)