Has it been a month already?

I realise I haven't been back here for a month. I have had a very unpredictable month. I have had visitors staying with us. Boys finishing Kindy and Missy E finished prep.

We have also had end or year concerts, Father Christmas parties and work break-ups, committee end-of-year round ups and the dreaded last minute Christmas shopping. The boys also turned five and had their "Samuri Power Ranges" party

 

 

The house construction was moving along with great gusto...and it didn't end up being finished before Christmas (which in hind sight I am very grateful for). To top off the month Mr Gastro came to stay for ten days. I have had all three kids sick with Gastro then to finish it off I was sick on Christmas Eve. I was bed bound for 24 hours and then I felt like I had a hangover for four days and I have had an upset tummy for about 10 days. Today is the first day I have felt normal. Why is it when you are due to go back to work you actually feel better. I should off guessed we were in for a shocker when even the GP said we should not come in to surgery and stay at home...it is evidently causing a lot of problems.

So Christmas was interesting for me this year. The sight and smell of food had me gagging. So my wonderful BAM and Auntie Kate (who also was visited by Mr Gastro) had to cook for me. Christmas day I spent on the couch looking at the festivities. We had for Christmas lunch ten people, four dogs, two hermit crabs and one cocky (we are normally 5 people and 1 dog).

So in all this I have managed to be creative? I have finished the advent stockings. I made all the teachers rocky road.

 

I have worked on my crochet bed cover and I have done some more on my platted mat and I have even done some more on my Georgetown turn around. These are the half blocks.

I have also started to make three dresses for Missy E.  Here's the start of them.

I have coordinated and marshaled the gingerbread house competition (BAM refused to do this and luckily for the "littles" the smell of lollies didn't have me running to the bathroom).

 I have also made Banoffi Pie (which I still can't think about without a wave of nausea hitting me). I also made Christmas decorations for the tree. The "littles" were bringing home lots of art work and a lot of Christmas colouring -ins. So I cut them out and laminated them and hung them from the tree.

Laminating is one of those activities that I think is like chicken soup for the soul. I always feel very relaxed when laminating...and in our house if you sit still too long I will laminate you.

We have also had trips to Echuca (on the paddle boats), Castlemaine (to the Botanic Gardens with it's excellent playground with it's very own vegie patch for the kids and it's 150 year old oak trees) and to Threadbare....and yes I purchased. Corliss was there and we had a great chat. I brought along Auntie Kate (who didn't purchase) and I also bought along Auntie Anja (all the way from Germany - who did purchase).  No pictures though as I forgot camera

We also went to Melbourne twice. One for a huge shopping day at Doncaster (which I love) and one trip to Auntie Helens for a BBQ lunch.

The house has about three weeks work left on it and then we should be in. BAM spent many days over Christmas working on the storm water system. He hired a Kanga and spent the day trenching and mucking around in stale dead pipe water..needless to say he smelt lovely when he returned home. The boys loved it and they got to ride with Daddy on the Kanga. The veranda is now on the front of the house.

All the tiling is now done in the house. All the cabinetry is complete with all the shelving in all the cupboards done. The remaining bits to do are the grouting of tiles, shower screens, few bits of outstanding plumbing, electrical fit off, slab under alfresco and veranda and then flooring and touch up painting. So they say mid Feb now. Well that's the plan at this stage anyhow. BAM is yet to construct the carport and get someone to do the 700m of fencing we need for the sheep.

And for Christmas what did BAM get? A jack hammer and a generator. So when I am looking for BAM I will presume he is off in the paddocks with Jack and Genny some where???