Catching up......

So ....the end of December and the end of another year......I didn't stay up to see the new year in last night...I usually do, but was just too tired ....gosh, could it be age catching up with me???  No....more likely the result of some frenzied cleaning and tidying around the house.  It started with the packing up of the Christmas tree and decorations for another year and just continued on from there really....the pantry was next and it was amazing how much stuff was in there that didn't need to be......I think I am just about done now and the weather hasn't been great for manual tasks........but since this post is all about catching up....a few Christmas pics.....

I wasn't going to make Christmas cakes this year (sorry last year now!) but a few days before Christmas I decided I really should....so out came the apron..........

The ingredients (and that was the second of the brandy bottles).....

.....dusted off the Mixmaster and away we went.....

the kids came home Christmas Eve and it was fantastic having them here .....(stay with me here).....I love these guys!!

some decoy wrapping from Rhi disguised a Brooklyn Nets cap for Mark......

Rhi sampling the Christmas cake....

.....and the tree before present opening......

Later in the morning we headed off to Terri's sister's house for lunch......

Terri got to play Santa's helper......

.........and Mark had his hands full with these two.....

Terri made Santa hat cupcakes to take for dessert....a big hit with the kids.....

Boxing day and the rest of the week flashed by in a minute it seemed.......and yesterday when I should have been doing this......

I took time out in the sewing room to finish putting this together.....it has been languishing in the corner of the sewing room for the past few weeks, and yesterday was the day I decided it was time......the points and the meeting of said points was putting me off, but  it went together like a dream in about 15 minutes......now for some quilting to finish it off.....

Before I fired up the vacuum I sewed the binding on the blue and white quilt that has also been languishing in the corner of the sewing room......now it's ready for some hand stitching when the weather cools down a bit....

And last, but certainly not least.......the fabulous bag I received in my online stitching group....from Jen in Qld......(nicely modelled by Terri)...

There were also five advent gifts to open in the lead up to Christmas.....they were to spell SANTA....

Santa......

Antlers......

Nativity....

 Treat or Tree....

and Angel

Thanks Jen!

So there you have it....I am all caught up......the kids have come to spend the night with me tonight which is great so I am off to catch up with them now.......there will be a need for me to do some more catching up next week......but for now I have to go make some lemonade!  :( 

'Til next time.....................Lorraine