One Week of Holidays

I have finally found the energy to turn on my laptop and upload the pictures I have taken over the last week. So here we go...

To begin with there was a lot of driving.

And a lot of roads.

When we stopped in Canberra, there were a lot of Christmas lights.

Some of the stops along the way were rather pretty (this is the photo SJ was taking in the photo I included in an earlier post).

Just before we arrived in Toowoomba we passed a field of Sunflowers, they looked stunning as we approached (the strip of bright yellow on the horizon) and looked just as good up close. I also picked some wild daisies somewhere near Armidale to brighten the car as well.

I arrived home to a beautifully decorated house, my mother has great taste. The candles on the top left are always a part of the decor, I get my love of red from her and she made the Santa hat seat covers last year.

And of course, a ridiculously huge Christmas tree. Mum wasn't as bothered with the decorating this year (didn't get much help from the other Miss' in the family apparently) so the working train isn't set up beneath it. It's another tinsel free year as well.

As I mentioned on Christmas Eve, I spent most of the day making Christmas 'baking' with some young cousins. It wasn't true baking since we didn't use an oven, but we went through 14 packets of chocolate melts and enough condensed milk to make me hope I don't have to see any again until next Christmas.

I'd include the recipes for all our slices but this post will be long enough as it is. Most are available with a simple Google search, but if you do want details, send me an email at missdirections@gmail.com and I would be happy to send you a copy of the little book MissT together for the kids.

Speaking of MissT, this is the gift she put together for all of us for Christmas. She scanned our preschool handprints and found 'autographs' from preschool paintings and put them all together. Something I will definitely treasure. Wasn't going to hang things in my apartment but I might have to invest in some of those removable hooks.

Christmas Day was 'traditional'. Present opening, followed by a late breakfast, followed by an even later lunch...we didn't start lunch until 5pm!

My favourite food part of the Christmas season, our second breakfast I supposed you'd say.

On Boxing Day I went shopping (bought this dress from Myer) and visited more family (meant a lot of running around with little ones and throwing them around in the pool).

Today, I took Possum to the beach with MissT and Mum. She's still getting used to being submerged in the water. Silly dog.

Oh last night my best friend (up from Canberra) came over and we chilled in the spa for a while. I'm hosting a small 'do' for New Year's Eve, we intend to spend all evening outside in the spa and hanging around the fairy lights. Everything beyond the lights in this photo is bush (you can see the green chair I posted from in this post), I am loving being home.

PS. This is last year's tree, just so you can see the train track around the base. So cute!