HOW WAS IT FOR YOU?

Christmas that is? Andrea has been asking everyone.

Our Christmas Day was quiet fo a change - just us 4 and my parents. But still too much food. Man, we cater for about 10 times as many people as are coming - every time. Boxing Day we headed to Palmerston North - had a lovely couple of days with my sister,J, and her family. Home for a couple of days.

Off camping on 3-5 January (but can we put the tent up?). This is a first for the Thorns. Wait a week and I'll tell you all about it.

10-16 Jan we're off to Mapua (out of Nelson for those not in the know). Heaven on earth. And thanks to the lovely Evana for hooking us up with her friend whose house we're hiring.

Now I have to ask - what's the one memorable thing you got for Christmas? Mine gobsmacked me. And no. It wasn't anything to do with scrapbooking.

About a week before Christmas I'd been shopping with both my sisters, my Mum and my niece (an unusual event as we don't all live in the same town). I'd seen and admired a gorgeous red jacket in Jacqui E but didn't try it on as I was determined not to fritter more money away (you know what it's like at this time of the year). That night I briefly told D how good I'd been not buying it and he laughed.

On Christmas morning I got a few parcels from D. The best one was THE JACKET. He bought it for me! From a women's clothing shop. And knew what size to get. And it fitted. Gobsmacked!

(Edited - And, I must add, I love every gift I am ever given. There are no dud gifts in my mind. I love everything because someone has taken the time to choose it for me. I have never exchanged anything because I didn't like it. One other precious gift this year was a squirrel from E. Yep, an eight inch stone squirrel that E knew mama needed for her garden. Delightful!)

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Every year we walk round the road to visit the Christmas lights at a home not far from us. These were taken last night (unedited - don't have time to Photoshop them tonight!)

Merry, merry!

CAT LANGUAGE

Maxie fighting Cait for bed space


"Mama, how do you learn cat language?"
"What do you mean, Elliot?"
"Well, you always know what Maxie (our cat) wants."
"Well, Elliot, it's like this:
When Maxie sits by the door and meows - she wants out
When Maxie sits outside the door and meows - she wants in
When Maxie sits in the kitchen and meows - she wants food
When Maxie sits in the bathroom and meows - she wants water
When Maxie butts your head when you're in bed and meows - she wants under the blanket
When Maxie rubs round your legs after any of these things and meows - she is saying thank you"

If only human beings were so easy to decipher.

DONE

I'm happy. My Christmas shopping is done. Christmas baking done. C has finished school. Tomorrow E finishes. A sleep-in beckons on Thursday. Christmas functions done. I don't have to venture to the shops anymore (except for food). Happy.

But secretly I'm just a little disappointed. I like the bustle of last minute shopping. I love the hustle on the street. The Christmas carols competing on the shop sound systems . The buskers. The impulse buying. Spending just a bit too much on something frivolous.

Maybe I need to go buy myself a gift on Christmas Eve?

SCRAPPING?

It's a good couple of months since I've scrapped and I keep thinking I must get back to it. Then it hits me - I have been scrapping, well kind, of. Remember those boots? And last night I made tags for our Christmas presents - here they are. Amazing what you can make in one hour with some Heidi Swapp chipboard letters and some Basic Grey paper offcuts.

OK, now you might be wondering about some of the strange names you see on the tags.

"Fur" is the nickname my family calls my sister, Katrina. It's the name my father bestowed on her when she was born with a mop of beautiful dark hair.

"Vat" is what we call my father. Pronounced 'fart' it came about when I was in the 3rd form studying German for the first time. I was delighted to discover that the German word for father is "Vater" . Sometimes shortened to "Vati " (daddy) but I took it a step further and he became "Vat" sounding just a bit rude. More than one person has asked me "What did you call your father?". It's stuck though, for nearly 30 years!.

I call my mother "Bumble" but when I owned Tuatara Tales and she'd help out with classes etc I got used to referring to her as Fay (which, after all, is her name). Can't recall quite where 'Bumble" came from but I was around 12-13 and driving her nuts with a silly rhyme I made up (that I still remember)

"Mumble, Bumble, rough and tumble

Made a cake and it did crumble

So our poor old tums did rumble

Mumble, Bumble, Tumble, Rumble".

Totally random and no reflection at all on her cooking as she is a great cook.

Collectively my parents are known as "The Bumbles" - as in "We're just going to visit The Bumbles".

Are other families this weird?

MISSED PHOTO OP

How many of you, like me, miss photo opportunites?

On Saturday morning we had over 60 people at our home for D's work kids Christmas party. The weather was crap. The bouncy castle cancelled (not safe in the rain). Zappo the magician entertained. Reindeer Dave handed out gifts. Sausage sizzle. Make your own icecream sundaes. Soft drinks. Wines. Beers. Biscotti loot bags for all the adults. Most people left by 2pm. More wines. Impromptu dinner. Few more wines. Friends stayed 'til 10pm. Did I mention the wines?

But where are the photos? These are the only 2 I took. Crap.




Gotta do better.

Christmas is coming.

Remember the camera.

CHRISTMAS PUDDING

We don't eat Christmas pudding in our house. I'm the only person who likes dried fruit so I am deprived of the pleasures of Christmas pudding. Until this year when D chose a Christmas pudding costume to wear to give out gifts during the AMR Consulting Christmas party. Luckily he only wore it for an hour or so and changed before hitting the dance floor!

Elliot loved trying on the costume. Cait preferred being a reindeer.


(Oh, and the white bandage on Elliot's head? A meeting between a stick thrown by a friend and E's head. Unintentional. Lots of blood. Visit to the doctor. Bits embedded in his head. Anaesthetic. More dressings. Time off school. No swimming lessons allowed. One of the reasons boys shouldn't play with sticks!).