Mexican

Here are a few more photos of our Mexican Christmas.
I still haven't got my hands on mum's photos yet, all in good time!

Merry Christmas

I hope you have all had a safe and wonderful Christmas!
Mine has been full of family, cooking and craft. We had lovely warm weather and no rain which was wonderful!
Christmas lunch was at my house this year. We started with 12 guests, by christmas day I had accumulated 21.
The more the merrier, I tend to over cater, we could have fed another 10!

I will slowly get my photo's up, my mum took a lot so I will have to wrangle her sim card.

This year my sister and I decided that roast food and Australian Christmas don't really match. I'm not the biggest fan of roast meats and I decided that spending two days preparing and cooking food that I didn't love was not going to fly.

After a few wines and some home made burritos we decided Mexican themed Christmas was the plan!
I purchased a great book and everything we cooked was fantastic, fresh and delicious.

You might guess from the poorly inscribed photo I got a Bamboo tablet from my dad! Thanks!
It was on my list and we have a kk system in our immediate family as we all have everything we need and christmas was getting a bit excessive, so between my parents, my sister, her husband, Alex and I we all get a name picked out of the hat and you get one gift for that person! Much easier and you can put more though into it rather than trying to find something for everyone.

Simone xoxo

Because I am a little crazy!

I think this may become a regular feature! I don't know why Christmas becomes a deadline, things must be done before Christmas or else!
Yesterday after working a 10hour day like a mad woman I insisted on starting to paint the courtyard area of our house.
Alex knowing not to protest smiled and nodded and joined my in a trip to the hardware store!
We started painting at 7pm... Lucky we have daylight saving!
We got one coat on one wall which was the trickiest as it was brick and needed a lot of paintbrush prepping and soaked up soo much paint!
I am very impressed with the result, no more salmon pink!
I will do a before and after once we have finished!

Xoxo

Pink and gray

I have started wrapping! It really fells like Christmas now that we have the tree up and its getting hot.
I can hear the thunder rumbling ready for a summer storm after a 35 degree day!

Here is a sneak peak of my wrapping theme, if you care.. I get tres excited about wrapping!
Next year I wonder if I will go a bit more christmas themed... probably not!

I had hairy helpers (Toby and Henry). Alex was banished as they were his gifts I was wrapping!
The bigger gifts I stacked and wrapped wool around them with one pom pom in the middle. There is also a little gift in the stockings my sister and I made!

The smell of fresh Christmas tree!

The first Christmas Alex and I lived together we had a minor disagreement...
When I said let's go get a tree he thought lets go buy a fake one for $100 that will last us for years...
What I really meant was let's pay $60 for a beautiful shaped real tree that will drop stuff everywhere and will have to be sawed up to fit in the green waste bin after Christmas!
Not suprising to anyone who knows us, I won that battle.
I am like a child when it comes to trees!
Are you a real or faux tree kind of person?

This is not the tree we got. There was no way it was fitting in my hatchback or our front door! 

Christmas is coming... fast

Christmas is speeding towards us rapidly.
I have started my Christmas shopping and am planning the Christmas feast.
It will be our first christmas in our own home and we are having all the family over for lunch.
The best thing is we don't have to travel this year!

Last year on our way to Melbourne we got caught in a freak hail storm. Hail stones the size of gold balls and lemons attacked us while driving on the ring road.
Alex's car was looking pretty sad after that and I was pooped from driving!

This year we will go to my sisters in the evening which is only a few blocks away!

Friday night my sister Kate and I made an advent calendar. We used seed envelopes, letter stamps and scrtachies as the daily surprise 

Its the first tie I have had a real advent calendar and not just the ones with the cheap chocolate in them!

The hand stamping took a little while, we made two sets, one for Kate's house as well! 

We haven't won any money yet... I will let you know when we do! Fingers crossed for $10,000.

Simone xoxo

Christmas+Shopping+Bike

I love hosting Christmas at my house but every year as our town expands town gets a little bit busier.
One thing I do look forward to is many shopping trips by bike!

last year I got a new Pashley Poppy for my birthday! She is PINK and styled like a britannia with a big basket, curved handle bars and shiny light.

I did get a message from a friend one year asking if it was me he spotted riding up a hill with a turkey in my basket!

Happy Christmas Shopping!

Simone xoxo