the year that was 2010

Lots of people are doing posts about their favourite things from 2010 so I thought I would join the party.

1. Our biggest and best project and probably the one we had to do the least physical work on was the pool.

 2. I found a love of chalkboard paint, so lots of projects featured that.

3. Lots of things with letters and numbers too.

4. I finally actually decorated my bathroom.

5. Fell in love with vintage chenille.

6. Repurposed or upcycled lots of things I found at garage sales, op shops on the side of the road.

7. Revamped my little outdoor room and turned a veranda into a playroom.

 

8. Got VCH and the boys cementing.

9. Did this fab kitchen art that was featured in several places.

10.Watched these kids grow another year older!

click on the photos for links to original posts

christmas table

This is my table setting for our main Christmas meal.

For many years we have our main Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, usually because we spend Christmas Day running around or hosting things with extended family, so this meal is usually just us.

We always have roast pork, crackling, apple sauce, gravy and roasted vegetables, with a trifle for dessert.

Then after the washing up we head out to look at the Christmas lights.

So this setting is the real deal, no pretend version but the actual setting we ate off.

It is red and green, my intent was to have red and white as per our Christmas colours but Kmart had other ideas. 

Some months ago I bought a red table runner but they didn't have any red place mats, no worries I'll get some at Big W, but when I looked they were a different red, so when we went to Coffs the other day I thought I would buy some only they only had one set of 4, and as you know there are 8 of us, hopefully next trip they will have some more. 

In the meantime I had to do a table setting for our Christmas feast.

So going on my bedroom Christmas colours I decided to do a mix of the light green with red.

Going around the table I went green red, green red.

On the green placemats I placed a red check napkin and used a mini wreath napkin wreath.

I have used the candle holders as glasses for the kids.

 The red setting used a white napkin with some green embroidery.

VCH and I sit at each end of the table and we had two wine glasses, we don't even drink wine, but it looks fancy,  we also had silver napkin rings because I am missing a wreath napkin ring and now only have 7.

As promised we lit the candles on the tray.

I used Christmas bush in vintage bottles on the table along with the candles, and the green ramekins were for the crackling and apple sauce.

the sun is out

Today the clouds blew away and the sun came out for the first time in days. 

We were even able to have a lovely swim in the pool, so I took my new chairs up there and here are some photos.

 Here they are in their actual position on the grass in the pool area

and here they are turned around so you can see the beautiful blue pool in the background.

christmas 2010

Here is just a brief overview of some of the fun Christmas morning at our house.

We started by opening our sacks.

B3 was thrilled with his cooking stuff.

B4 couldn't wait to plug in his hot glue gun- he made a present for a cousin to take to his house on Christmas night!

B5 putting the hooks into his workbench so he could put his tools on it.

The Girl loved her sunnies and was disappointed with the rain because she couldn't wash her clothes.

B1 bought this bike from the dump and did it up for B5 as a Christmas present, B5 just needs to grow a bit before he can ride it!

The three older boys each got a ripstik as their main present.

The 3 little ones got this John Deere tractor to share.

VCH got a bike.

and I got three of these beauties for the pool area!

That's right we got lots of lovely outdoor things and guess what it has been doing- RAINING since last Thursday!

Hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas.

allergy free christmas

I am planning as much as possible to stay away from gluten and dairy this holiday, I feel so much better on the diet and after having a reaction to something I ate the other day I am not game to eat any wheat.

B4 who is still on the diet with me has chosen to indulge - but I think he will regret it tomorrow, but it is hard to be 8 and have to miss out on food you love!

This is a beautiful moist and easy cake, I just added 2 cups of gluten free self raising flour.

I have made it in the past so knew it would be a success and it doesn't have any dairy or eggs for those avoiding those ingredients.

I will post the recipe for this soon.

I also made these yummy bikkies, toasted almonds, toffee and some chocolate.

 B3 putting on some chocolate.

The finished product.

The gingerbread I made this year is gluten free although I did use butter (as I have a phobia about margarine!)

Woolworths homebrand icing mixture now uses tapioca starch so it's gluten free- but please check ingredients before buying as companies often change them without telling you!

I made trifle for dessert.

I made a GF cake and I made the custard with White Wings Custard powder and Oat milk

Another GF dessert you could make is pavlova but as VCH doesn't like it I only make it for crowds.

If I made it I would top it with just fruit or I would use the above custard rather than cream.

I plan to make blueberry muffins for breakfast while the others indulge in croissants with ham, pineapple and cheese!

Prawns for lunch so I am right there and tonight is a family BBQ at VCH's brothers. 

I think I should be OK with meat and salad, we are taking the befores so I have made sure I can eat stuff in that and I am going to take some of my trifle for dessert in case nothing else is suitable.

homemade christmas cheer

Each year I like to put a little homemade into Christmas where I can, often this is just in some form of baking, occasionally some sewing or making something else.

In our family each child has a sack under the tree where they get some small treats and goodies, books, games that sort of thing plus one main present from mum and dad.

This year we have gone with a bit if a theme for each child's sack.

Now I already showed you The Girl's sack present a washing clothes kit.

 B5 is getting a tool kit from Bunnings and to go with it VCH made a work bench out of stuff in the shed.

B1 stained it yesterday with some leftover stain from our table, and today he sprayed it with some clear gloss, this picture was taken before the gloss.

Here it is with the drawer out.

B4 is getting craft stuff including his own hot glue gun, so he will be doing the making!

B3 is getting  cooking stuff including a great cookbook and some lovely little gadgets I found at Kmart and some of the knives they used on Junior Master Chef.

Here is the apron I made him, being modelled by B4,
its a little too big for him but will be just right for B3.

The two older boys have missed out on something homemade this year, but at their age they are probably glad!

I wanted to make something for VCH and I saw this at gluesticks- a root beer sampler.

Now you can't even buy root beer in Australia but VCH does like his beer so I thought I might make one of these with beer.
I was contemplating going and seeing what individual bottles of beer I could buy in a bottle shop when I was flicking through a catalogue and saw I could buy a sample pack of 10 beers from around the world.
But I didn't want to just give him a box from the shop.

So I did this

 
I used a little wood crate I found at an op shop.
I painted the top strip with black chalkboard paint and then I wrote Bernie's Beer Sampler
(Bernie is my nickname for VCH, I am the only one in the world that calls him that!)

Now it has the homemade look.

I made these up for VCH brother and sister.
I got the idea from here.
I didn't make my own marshmallows though, they won't last long in our humidity before developing mould and I quite frankly couldn't be bothered!
 For one I am using a basket I found at the op shop, for the other a cut down box painted with chalkboard paint.

Here it is with the instructions added.

I will add a gingerbread (or ginger beer as my two youngest keep calling it) tree and wrap it up in cellophane before giving it to them.

For my older nieces I made these, to the original hot chocolate mix I made for the above I added malted milk powder, mini marshmallows, dark chocolate and white chocolate bits.

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