If every day could be filled with this much
love
happiness
laughter
celebration
and most importantly, family
then it would be a Happy New Year indeed.
Just as well we brought it in, in style. 😁😊
Remember, it doesn’t have to happen on January 1st.
No pressure. The conversion of time into days and dates is a modern convention (not my quote, but I love it). 🙏
You can start again, and make it a happy new year at any time.
So happy days.
And Happy 2023. 🎊❤🎉🥰
Today was one of those great beach days.
It wasn’t just great because of the beach itself… that is plenty of reason to be happy, all on its ownsome.
Timing and temperature played a big part.
We got there late morning, while it was still heating up… low 20s. But of course, being holiday time, there were plenty of people about.
We stayed several hours, way into the mid 20s (where it sometimes felt like high 20s), and then came home before 3pm.
It was the best. IDEAL. We had spent a good chunk of the day at the beach, but were home early enough to chill, do some stuff, play some Nintendo (🤭) and enjoy the rest of the day.
It just felt perfect.
You don’t get a lot of those perfectly timed days.
Why, it must be the season. It must be summer. 🌞😎
I am trying to relax and have as much down time as I can these holidays.
So it kinda comes as perfect timing that we bought baby girl a Nintendo Switch for Christmas.
This was a BIG present, for her, and us. But we came to reason that a) she was old enough, b) she wanted it and outright asked for it, and c) we might be home a lot more over the next few months/year, so I want her to have something to keep her busy for when she’s bored!
Today she got to play it for the first time after we set it up. She was so happy, jumping on the couch and squealing with glee as she took her character around the maps in Mario Kart. After a while she said to me “can you play with me?”
You bet I did! I didn’t need any arm twisting. I love a good game as much as the next person, and though I’m not a child, those days where I played my sister’s hand-me-down Commodore 64, my bro-in-law’s Sega, the Gameboy my cousin passed down to me, or the Nintendo 64 I bought myself at Cash Converters, those days of gaming in front of the screen feel really close in memory, even though they are far away in years!
I used to love it, and today, I loved it!
We sat next to each other, playing competitively. Laughing as we threw things at each other, overtook one another, and raced through the finish line. When we were done with the 4 maps of the race, she asked for another round… and even though I had stuff to do, I agreed! 🤦♀️ I can see how one gets sucked into this kind of thing, and I dare say that won’t be the last time I say yes, giving a royal ‘stuff you’ to my chores!
I totally lost… one game out of all of them I won, but she won overall. I was so cranky, I was like “that’s it, I’m shitty, not playing again.”
Guess what happened tonight?
We were playing again! 🤣
Taking advantage of these laid-back, mother-daughter game sesh’s while I can…
It is HEEEEERRRRRRRREEEEEE-YYYYYAAAAAAA!
I am sooooo very excited that today, we finally purchased the baby room wardrobe!
Everything else we have… it either has to be cleaned, washed, looked over, or installed… just the wardrobe was the big question mark, until today that is!
The room that will be baby’s is more of a study type room than a bedroom, hence the small size, but it’s small size is actually quite perfect for a nursery, we just had to have a barn door installed (coming soon) and a wardrobe put in.
Having gotten this today is that final check off our list. Sure we still need to get the door in, and sure, we need to actually assemble the wardrobe now (Ikea, right? 🤣)
But just knowing that all the big things on my baby to-do list are ticked off or accounted for, omg…. the nerves, the excitement!
THE NERVES! THE EXCITEMENT! 😁💖🤰🥰
They are already starting, and I’m not even on holiday yet.
Working today, and being told I can clock off early, because things are quiet… holidays.
Deciding to put my feet up (I kinda have to) and watch me some Netflix during the day… holidays.
Catching up with some dear family tonight, on a weeknight no less… holidays.
It’s all holiday vibes, even if you’re not on holidays!
That’s what I love about this time of year. Even if you aren’t taking time off, you can feel it in the air. It is easy, free, no routine, no rules.
Only holiday vibes. 😎😎
The only remotely close thing relating to ‘boxing’ today, was baby doing some kind of gymnastic moves and boxing me about from the inside out.
There was no shopping.
There was no cricket.
There was no cinema release.
There wasn’t even, actual boxing (there never is, despite the public holiday name, lol!)
There was only, relaxing.
Ahhh.
And it’s so good to be on the other end of it. Christmas, the busy period, the running around, the shopping, the presents, all of the wild anticipation of the festive day.
And I LOVE Christmas. But it has been a busy time. Christmas lead-up, my baby-related catch-ups, and just general getting ready for baby has left me in a wild and crazy state at this time of year.
So I am happy it is over, and now I get to focus solely on other things.
Baby. Relaxing. Spending cherished time with my family, while relaxing. And just catching up with loved ones and on stuff, before baby arrives.
That is it.
I’m hoping now at 8 months, I get to finally put my feet up. 🙏💖
This is the aftermath of Santa visiting last night. (Kudos Hubbie 👏🤣)
This is the moment baby girl realised the very big present we bought her, where she started running to us for a hug. 🙏🥰
This is some of the beautiful lunch at my sister’s house, with my non-alcoholic sparkling so even I could enjoy. 🥂
Their gorgeously festive Christmas tree. 🎄 😍
Dessert time – my mango and white chocolate swirl cheesecake. 😋🍰
Dinner time feast! Nothing says Aussie-Euro Christmas more than a platter of prawns sitting next to a pot of sarma. 🤣🦐🫕
These are only small snapshots of a relaxing, beautiful and love-filled festive day spent with cherished family. ❤❤❤❤
Hope whatever you did today, it was good.
Merry Christmas. 🎄🎁🎅😍
Today was one of those mad days, as it usually is, the day before a big day.
I surprised myself early on when I made the smart decision (for once in my life) NOT to take on an extra thing that would have made me lose an hour from my day.
I tend to do this stupid thing, and I mentioned this in a post just this week, but I take on too much, and if my day is quiet, I just FIND STUFF to add on so I never actually relax.
I was going to drive down somewhere, but in thinking of the trip, how long it would take, all the other things I still had to do, I decided no, I would make do with the resources I had locally. Even with that hour not lost, I was still running around all day without a break!
But my end-of-day goal kept me going: at 8pm, sit on the couch, watch the Christmas carols, and paint my nails Christmas red.
I was 5 minutes late, but I got there.
The music was playing. The nail polish was drying for baby girl and I. The Christmas lights on the tree were twinkling.
I was slowly unwinding. Even baby could tell I was calming down, as usually when I sit down and relax baby wakes up and starts rolling and jabbing me every which way.
We somehow got onto the topic of baby girl’s list for Santa, and as we were pondering what she would get this year, Hubbie went and said, “I’m going to write my own list.”
I kinda rolled my eyes. He is always after something beer-related, car-related, or clothes/shoes-related. He has been intensely researching a pair of sneakers he wants, so I was totally expecting him to come back with that on the top of his list.
Instead, he came back with this:
I read it, and I burst out crying. Like big, uncontrollable, ugly tears. OMG, it hit me right in the heart.
Maybe it was the Christmas carols in the background. My tiredness from the non-stop day kicking in. But my emotions got the better of me, and I was so moved, so incredibly touched, and I had to admit, it was exactly what was on my wish list too.
He admitted he had thought of some other things to put on his list… 🤣 But after a second thought, realised this is what he really wanted. 🙏
I said to him “maybe this is why we’ve struggled to buy each other presents this year. Because we have what we really want.”
🤰💖
Merry Christmas Eve folks. Hope all your greatest dreams come true. Never stop believing. 💞💞
Night two of Christmas prep and tonight it was baking gingerbread.
The Christmas songs are rife… both from the radio, and the stereo courtesy of our Christmas CDs.
All presents have been bought! Well, except for two things, which really I don’t need to get, one is for me, I’m trying to find a special non-alcoholic wine that I heard about…
Of course, being the person I am, if I find there is a spare moment in the day, my mind immediately creates A JOB to fill the void and have me dashing around like a mad woman. 🙄
But, all else is good. I know my January work roster now, and so far I am working only 5 shifts… and then I am on leave! For a while!
😬💖🤰🥰
So the Christmas festive vibes are here, celebrations are nigh, and all I have to look forward to are really good things.
Feeling blessed. 🎄🙏
I’ll set the scene for you.
I’m in the kitchen this evening, starting off my Christmas sweets. Tonight it’s almond snowballs.
You know, the good stuff… condensed milk, almond spread, sugar and dessicated coconut.
I’m rolling them into 30 balls.
Baby girl has decided to put on Michael Buble’s Christmas album (I’ve taught her well) and DANCE.
And so here I am, roll, roll rolling…
While next to me, she is dance, dance, dancing.
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…”
carcrashgratitude 