Hello blog friends!
I know two posts in one day is CRAZY but it is the silly season.
This is a little test to try the Blogpress app.
Here goes!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, December 27, 2010
Happy Holidays
Happy Holidays from the H's! Thanks to Jessica for the wonderful card (apologies for the weird smudges! We had to take our names out).
Hubs and I have had a lovely Christmas. In Australia this year it is a four day holiday! We are both off until Wednesday.
right now we are relaxing, watching cricket and enjoying our amazing Christmas presents.
I will do a full Christmas recap later on.
xx elle
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Ballet Concert
Last week was my ballet concert! I attend a ladies class in a beautiful ballet school. Class is twice a week, and we started the year with about 15 ladies. We ended the year with 4 in the concert!
The theme of the concert was Once Upon a Time... The first little babies class did the cutest dance in pyjamas and the teacher (Miss Jessie) pretended to read a story to them. Each dance after that was a page out of the story. We had dolls, penguins, a Lion King dance, Heidi, superheros. We even had a ballet dance to Thriller!
Our dance was The Witching Hour. The dance itself only went for about 2.5 minutes and was quite simple. Let's be clear - none of us are Rockette material!
On the day before the concert I was beside my self and sick to my stomach terrified.
What in the name of everything holy was I doing? I am in my thirties. What business did I have in a ballet concert?
Let alone the costume. Way more Lycra that any voluptuous lawyer needs to wear in public! We did have really beautiful sparkly red scarves attached to our fingers. That was fun.
On the morning of the concert we had a dress rehearsal. G helped Miss Jessie's husband and parents putting out chairs in the hall.
A lot of chairs.
About 400 Chairs.
400??? I cannot do this in front of 400 people!
As all the little children arrived we were put to helping out. We were assisting the little students with their costumes and getting on and off stage.
Show time rapidly approached and my terror turned to butterflies, which were manageable.
Suddenly, it was the dance before us. I ran to the other side of the stage where I was to start from. The dance before us were Dolls. My heart was pumping so hard in my chest I was sure I would fracture ribs. If a giant meteor had obliterated planet earth at that moment I would not have been disappointed!
When our music started and I ran on all the terror was forgotten. I had an absolute ball! I was instantly transported to my own childhood ballet concerts. Bygone years where I was the doll, the flower, the fairy.
I feel so blessed to still have ballet in my life and my heart. I has been with me my entire life. I know few adults get to indulge in hobbies and passions like this and I am so thankful!
Here are some snaps G took. I know we look a bit ghoulish and spectral! I am so glad to have this blog to capture this special memory.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Christmas Questions
Whtiney did this fun task last week and invited us to join in - so I did!
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. Shiny shimmery paper that matches my theme. (yes I am a little OCD about it.)
2. Real tree or Artificial? REAL. REAL. REAL. Did I say real? I adore the smell. To me, it would not be Christmas without the smell. Yes, it sheds needles, but come on! I own a vacuum!
3. When do you put up the tree? Around the end of the first full week in December. I would love to do it December 1, but it is hot as all get out in Sydney in December and Hubs is always worried the tree won't make it to the 25th!
4. When do you take the tree down? In the first few days of January usually. It depends if we are going away.
5. Do you like eggnog? No. Raw egg? eek.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Barbie house or bike.
7. Hardest person to buy for? It is a tie. Our friends Tanya and Jess.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Hubs
9. Do you have a nativity scene? No
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Real mail. Our cards are beee-yutiful! Thanks Jessica!
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Stinky cheap soaps.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Miracle on 34th street (the original)
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? October usually
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes. I got a horrid 'lolly tree' in a staff Secret Santa one year and regifted it as a joke to a friend. It was then passed around all my friends for about 2 years!
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Darrall Lea nougat pudding.
16. Lights on the tree (colored or clear)? White lights!
17. Favorite Christmas song? Carol = Calypso carol. Song = Santa Cause is Coming to Town
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Last year travelled to Boston to see my sister. This year staying close to home and lunching with my parents.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes. I think??
20. Angel, star or ribbon on top of tree? Star this year. One year we went the unconventional route and stuck Humble Bumble from Rudolph up there. This year he is keeping his feet firmly on the ground.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning. Anything else is cheating!
22. Favorite children's Christmas song? I guess I already answered that!
23. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The anti-Christmas lobby (and the heat).
24. Favorite ornament theme or color? We do something different every year. This year - A White Christmas (all silver and white and lovely).
25. Turkey or ham on Christmas day? Ham for the fam, but I am a vegetarian. People keep promising / threatening to make me a tofurkey but I am yet to see one!
26. What do you want for Christmas this year? After the KitchenAid for my birthday I feel that I shouldn't get anything else!
27. Does anyone in your family dress up as Santa? No. It is like 40 degrees Celsius here!
28. Age you discovered who Santa was? 8. I remember it vividly. I convinced my parents to tell me, persuaded them I was ready, then had a tantrum and was so mad that they did tell me! I was DEVASTATED. I am so glad that I know now my parents were wrong and that they just stopped believing. Thanks Polar Express!
29. Eggnog, hot chocolate, or apple cider? Hot Chocolate (or Frozen Ho-cho from Serendipity!) and also holiday coffee from Starbucks.
30. Traditional colors (red and green) or other colors? Traditional with a twist - one year we did red gold and purple.
31. Do you have any Christmas decorations on your roof? No. They would interfere with the sleigh.
32. How does Santa get into your house? Magic Key.
33. Do you prefer gifts or gift cards? Gifts if they are not random!
34. Favorite children's Christmas Cartoon? Frosty! Although we own and LOVE all the Rankin Bass cartoons.
That was fun!
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. Shiny shimmery paper that matches my theme. (yes I am a little OCD about it.)
2. Real tree or Artificial? REAL. REAL. REAL. Did I say real? I adore the smell. To me, it would not be Christmas without the smell. Yes, it sheds needles, but come on! I own a vacuum!
3. When do you put up the tree? Around the end of the first full week in December. I would love to do it December 1, but it is hot as all get out in Sydney in December and Hubs is always worried the tree won't make it to the 25th!
4. When do you take the tree down? In the first few days of January usually. It depends if we are going away.
5. Do you like eggnog? No. Raw egg? eek.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Barbie house or bike.
7. Hardest person to buy for? It is a tie. Our friends Tanya and Jess.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Hubs
9. Do you have a nativity scene? No
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Real mail. Our cards are beee-yutiful! Thanks Jessica!
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Stinky cheap soaps.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Miracle on 34th street (the original)
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? October usually
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes. I got a horrid 'lolly tree' in a staff Secret Santa one year and regifted it as a joke to a friend. It was then passed around all my friends for about 2 years!
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Darrall Lea nougat pudding.
16. Lights on the tree (colored or clear)? White lights!
17. Favorite Christmas song? Carol = Calypso carol. Song = Santa Cause is Coming to Town
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Last year travelled to Boston to see my sister. This year staying close to home and lunching with my parents.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes. I think??
20. Angel, star or ribbon on top of tree? Star this year. One year we went the unconventional route and stuck Humble Bumble from Rudolph up there. This year he is keeping his feet firmly on the ground.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning. Anything else is cheating!
22. Favorite children's Christmas song? I guess I already answered that!
23. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The anti-Christmas lobby (and the heat).
24. Favorite ornament theme or color? We do something different every year. This year - A White Christmas (all silver and white and lovely).
25. Turkey or ham on Christmas day? Ham for the fam, but I am a vegetarian. People keep promising / threatening to make me a tofurkey but I am yet to see one!
26. What do you want for Christmas this year? After the KitchenAid for my birthday I feel that I shouldn't get anything else!
27. Does anyone in your family dress up as Santa? No. It is like 40 degrees Celsius here!
28. Age you discovered who Santa was? 8. I remember it vividly. I convinced my parents to tell me, persuaded them I was ready, then had a tantrum and was so mad that they did tell me! I was DEVASTATED. I am so glad that I know now my parents were wrong and that they just stopped believing. Thanks Polar Express!
29. Eggnog, hot chocolate, or apple cider? Hot Chocolate (or Frozen Ho-cho from Serendipity!) and also holiday coffee from Starbucks.
30. Traditional colors (red and green) or other colors? Traditional with a twist - one year we did red gold and purple.
31. Do you have any Christmas decorations on your roof? No. They would interfere with the sleigh.
32. How does Santa get into your house? Magic Key.
33. Do you prefer gifts or gift cards? Gifts if they are not random!
34. Favorite children's Christmas Cartoon? Frosty! Although we own and LOVE all the Rankin Bass cartoons.
That was fun!
Friday, December 3, 2010
The Festival of Christmas
I am a Christmas-crazy. For as long as I can remember I have dreamt of December. I have pined for pine trees (sorry, that was terrible!) I have counted the sleeps until the return of carols, the special holidays drinks and foods.
To this end I am the odd one out in my family. My family wasn't anti-Christmas, but almost!
My parents have always been huge gift givers. My sister and I would explode from our bedroom on Christmas morning to see half the living room covered in shiny wrapping and bountiful gifts. We always had a real Christmas tree - never plastic. It would not be Christmas for me without that heady aroma of a pine tree. As for Christmas traditions, it ends there.
We are a cold lunch family. It is usually horrifically hot here in December, being summer and all! We do cold chicken, pork (with crackling) and a huge Christmas ham. This generally lives in a vinegar soaked pillow case in the fridge well into the New Year! Potato salad, cole slaw and a trifle.
My parents are strict atheists so we were never a Church going family. Christmas was a purely secular event in my home.There was no nativity and we had Rudolph atop our tree. There were no carols, but plenty of Rankin Bass cartoons in our home, and Frosty and Rudolph were my annual Christmas companions. I envied my friends who got to sing in choirs and play in pageants. I always craved the spiritual element of Christmas that I saw others experience.
For as long as I can remember I have bucked the family trend. I would choose a theme and decorate my room. I would wrap all the gifts I gave in co-ordinating paper with ribbons and bows. I would play carols in my room until my parents went mental. On Christmas Eve I watched Ray Martin hosting carols every year.
As a child I yearned for my own home to decorate with love and care, to fill with beautiful Christmas music and the wafting smells of cookies and gingerbread.
As an adult I have embraced a faith and spirituality that I never knew as a child. I am so blessed to have married a man who shares this faith.
This is my first Christmas at home as a wife. Last year we spent Christmas in Boston with my sister (which was also wonderful and I will post later on).
I am so excited to live out my Christmas dream. In our home there is room for faith and for fun. The materialistic crass side of Christmas is banished. Our decorations are meaningful and (hopefully) elegant. I will make my husband all his favourite Christmas treats - pudding, fruit mince pies, pumpkin pie and this year..... a ginger bread house!
Stay tuned for the 2010 Festival of Christmas in the H House!
To this end I am the odd one out in my family. My family wasn't anti-Christmas, but almost!
My parents have always been huge gift givers. My sister and I would explode from our bedroom on Christmas morning to see half the living room covered in shiny wrapping and bountiful gifts. We always had a real Christmas tree - never plastic. It would not be Christmas for me without that heady aroma of a pine tree. As for Christmas traditions, it ends there.
We are a cold lunch family. It is usually horrifically hot here in December, being summer and all! We do cold chicken, pork (with crackling) and a huge Christmas ham. This generally lives in a vinegar soaked pillow case in the fridge well into the New Year! Potato salad, cole slaw and a trifle.
My parents are strict atheists so we were never a Church going family. Christmas was a purely secular event in my home.There was no nativity and we had Rudolph atop our tree. There were no carols, but plenty of Rankin Bass cartoons in our home, and Frosty and Rudolph were my annual Christmas companions. I envied my friends who got to sing in choirs and play in pageants. I always craved the spiritual element of Christmas that I saw others experience.
For as long as I can remember I have bucked the family trend. I would choose a theme and decorate my room. I would wrap all the gifts I gave in co-ordinating paper with ribbons and bows. I would play carols in my room until my parents went mental. On Christmas Eve I watched Ray Martin hosting carols every year.
As a child I yearned for my own home to decorate with love and care, to fill with beautiful Christmas music and the wafting smells of cookies and gingerbread.
As an adult I have embraced a faith and spirituality that I never knew as a child. I am so blessed to have married a man who shares this faith.
This is my first Christmas at home as a wife. Last year we spent Christmas in Boston with my sister (which was also wonderful and I will post later on).
I am so excited to live out my Christmas dream. In our home there is room for faith and for fun. The materialistic crass side of Christmas is banished. Our decorations are meaningful and (hopefully) elegant. I will make my husband all his favourite Christmas treats - pudding, fruit mince pies, pumpkin pie and this year..... a ginger bread house!
Stay tuned for the 2010 Festival of Christmas in the H House!
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