Christmas Day Festivities

Christmas morning, Jason and I were up a fair bit earlier than Ben (who was staying with us for a few days), so we weren't waiting, and opened up our respective presents and stockings. Jason bought me exactly what I asked for (with the exception of World Tour, but that was just wishful thinking). I'm pretty sure Jason enjoyed the contents of his stocking (see photo above).

The dogs received their new soft chew toys. While Sam took to his with great gusto, it seemed a little too early in the day to be overly excited for Jessie. It ended up that Sam much preferred Jessie's 'lamby', and I don't even know where his is.


Frank & Imelda came over for Christmas lunch. It was lovely to have only the five of us. Although Sam thought he deserved a place setting. We had red claw cocktail for entree, turkey mignon and couscous for mains, and chocolate self-saucing pudding for dessert. With the exception of not pre-defrosting the turkey, it all went off without a problem.


After our long lunch we all lazed around for a bit, and spent some time playing Wii Sports. I hadn't really played it much up until that day (distracted by Guitar Hero and Wii Fit), but it was lots of fun. Ben loved the boxing (and we had to keep reminding him to step back from the tv). Frank loved the bowling, and tennis is still my favourite. I ended up with a really sore shoulder the next day.

Later in the afternoon Frank and Imelda left for home and Grandma came round for an early dinner, which neither Jason, Ben & I were ready for, given the amount of lunch we put away. I roasted some pork, and we had that with some roast vegies. After dinner we called Tamie and Daniel in Paris. It was great to hear her voice after a number of weeks, and I know Tamie was glad to hear someone else's voice, other than Daniel.
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Christmas Decorations

This year I made the decision to not put up our large Christmas tree. I wasn't in the mood, I don't usually have any help in putting it up or decorating it, and it's usually only me who appreciates the effort. So, I decided to stick with our little fibre optic number that I've had ever since leaving home. My other decorations consisted of a bit of a display along the front of the kitchen bench.


For our cards, and my photo decorations (usually hung on the large tree), I used some thick twine and really cheap wooden pegs. I really liked how it looked, and will definitely do this again next year. Our stockings (courtesy of Tamie last year), then hung from each end.


I wanted to hang a few icicle lights, and finally convinced Jason that hanging them along the top of the bifold doors was a good idea. Actually I don't know whether I really convinced him, but I started hanging them anyway.


The other tradition I started this year was 'wish lists' for Jason & I, where we could write down anything we might like for pressies. It was then up to the other person to go through the list, and decide what to buy. We could also give these ideas to family. After much coaxing, Jason finally filled out his list. He just didn't have as lofty goals as I did (an no I did not get Guitar Hero World Tour).


The other tradition I stuck to this year, was wrapping all our presents in brown paper, and then adding Christmas decoration and ribbon. I loved the sculpey trees that I used with our Christmas cards, so I decided to add that to the presents as well, using a slightly different tree stamp.
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Sad News
My thoughts are with Ammie Scott's family today, after hearing the news that she passed away on the weekend. Ammie had a long battle with cancer, and was the local ambassador for the Relay for Life. At this year's relay, Ammie stood up and told us her story. It was very emotional, but you could be nothing but inspired by how strong she was. She will be greatly missed.
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House of Cards

Last Friday night, we had a Kroll-family meeting at Wests, to discuss the plans for Christmas. All plans were sorted while Jason occupied Ben & Toby (& himself) by building houses of cards. Ben really enjoyed it, and had no problem at all going around to all the surrounding tables stealing coasters. When they had finished a particularly large house, one of the waitresses walked past and complemented them on it. Jason suggested it might be worthy of a free drink. Instead, Ben and Jason had their photo taken for the West's "party wall".

Linda tells me that the next day, Ben and Toby were trying to make these at home but with little success. While Toby gave up, Ben asked if he could ring Uncle Jas to find out what he was doing wrong....
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Meeting Roxy

On the weekend, during our quick trip to Townsville, we caught up with Ben and his girlfriend Mandy (who we met for the first time). We also got the chance to meet Ben's new addition, Roxy; a playmate for Rogue. She's gorgeous. About the same size as Sam but a third of the weight. Rogue seems to tolerate her, and seemed more interested in the whereabouts of her ball the whole we were there.


Ben bought Roxy a full-sized dinner bowl, and because its a little too big for her, Roxy puts her front two feet in the bowl while she eats. This is ok, but she also does it when she has a drink. Then realising how cool the water is (to play in, and temperature wise), she creates all sorts of mess. Given the current size of her paws, Roxy will undoutedly be a hell of a lot bigger next time we see her.


We also were very suprised to see a roadworthy, registered, newly painted, and most importantly, functioning vehicle in Ben's driveway.....
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World Cup Road Trip

In a last minute decision we decided to go watch the Australia vs Papua New Guinea World Cup game in Townsville. Free tickets were the catalyst to the quick 24 hour round trip. The tickets were for great seats (Thanks Mick). We were in the second row, just off the 20m line. While the game wasn't at all close (Australia won 34-6), the atmosphere was great.


I bought an Australian supporters shirt before leaving Mackay, and on entering the grounds, I started to wonder if the game could be considered an Australian home game. There were so many supporters for the New Guinean team. I must admit, by the end of the game, we too, were baracking for them. Don't ask me what exactly the New Guinea mascot is in the picture below. We were really close, and still couldn't tell what it was. The only downers were the long queues for drinks, the oppressive heat, and that I nearly had my camera confiscated. Apparently you can't have 'that' sort of camera at the grounds. The lady who checked my camera bag on the way in obviously wasn't aware of this rule. On the plus side, there was a Dreamy Donuts stand. Finally a reason to go to the footy!


On the way up to Townsville, I was a little bored and started practicing some photography. Quite pleased with how the rear view mirror shots turned out. Jason was a little sick of the camera after a while, being the only human subject in the car besides myself.


The mother ship was calling Jason, when we walked into Flinders St mall and found 'The Brewery'. It was a great pub, and the nachos were excellent.

We stayed at the Quest apartments, which were nice, but we were only there for an extremely short while, and had to head back to Mackay early Monday morning, to start work around lunch time.
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Moonlight Cactus
Sometimes I forget about the moonlight cactus that sits out by the back tap. Every now and then, though, I get to see it flower. It flowers only briefly (at full moon, hence the name), and today the flower was particularly stunning, even in the full heat of the morning sun.
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Charlie's 1st Birthday

This little pumpkin turned 1 on the weekend. Well, she actually turned one on Thursday, but her party was on Saturday.

Daddy better look out, because Charlie already knows how to work a handbag, and was oohing and aahing at any new clothes she unwrapped.


The cutest thing on the day was Charlie's insistance that Kaleb keep giving her kisses. The only problem was that the princess had a bit of a cold, and Kaleb wasn't willing to give snotty girls kisses on the lips, so he kept kissing her forehead. No girl's coodies for KK.


Emma did such a great job of the cake. She hand-cut the shape out of a sponge cake and also iced and decorated it herself (with a little help from Andrew and I).
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Word Up!
Having a play around in WORDLE, using the contents of my blog to date, and this is the result:


I am inspired to possibly use this as a way of journalling on an upcoming layout.
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Beach Themed Layouts
Here is a couple of beachy-themed layouts I've finished recently. Both lots of photos were taken on Easter Sunday down at Eimeo Beach. Both layouts also use a RW Laser Cut for the title. The "Lifesavers" title I inked with multiple colours and then used dimensional magic for a gloss finish. The "Splash" title has a RW Bazzil top deck in 'North Sea'. I also love the TLC papers that I used on that layout. I've had them in my stash for an eternity, and finally found a layout to put them to use.


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Off and Racing

On the weekend we attended the local race meet for Caulfield Cup Day. Leah organised a marquee in the McGuires tent, and a fun day was had by all (from what I can remember).


What I do remember is how sunburnt I ended up. Considering I stayed under the tent the whole day, I don't see any reason I would have ened up this burnt, but I did, and I am now going through the lovely peeling process (lovely eh?). To top that off, I walked home barefoot and now have feet that feel like they have been ripped apart. But that's better than wrecking my lovely red shoes.

I also remember spending a good majority of the day trying to help Karen steal Josh's hat. Why? Well I can't remember that....
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Congrats to Kirsty & Luke
Kirsty rang to tell me the great news today that Luke proposed, and she said yes! I am so happy for them both, and even happier with the prospect that they may be making the move to Mackay. (BTW: Luke was asking Kirsty's dad for his approval last week when they were up. Very sneaky....)
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Wellbeing
A little story on wellbeing from the Total Wellbeing Blog:

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 Hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “yes”.

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions -- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.”
“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.”

So, pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
Play another 18 holes.

“There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled. “I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”


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Belly Up
Before Jessie, I had never seen or heard of a dog who loved to sleep on their back. This is Jessie's preferred sleeping position, and if you were to move her, you would be growled at. She also enjoys cuddles in this position, although not as much lately. I think she's getting even grumpier and less patient as she gets older.
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Look who's finally turned 30
Well, it was finally Emma's turn to celebrate her big 3-0. She celebrated with a bbq lunch on Sunday afternoon at her place, with lots of family and friends. It was a lovely and relaxed afternoon, with lots and lots of food. There were also lots and lots of babies. We worked out that of all the girls between the ages of 20-40 that were there, if someone didn't have a baby under the age of 1, they were pregnant (except Kirsty and I, of course). Actually Kirsty and I started to worry about drinking the water or sitting on any chairs....

One particular little girl did not stop all afternoon, and loved the loads of attention she was getting.


It was also great to catch up with Kirsty and Luke, who were up for the weekend.
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Surveying his Domain

Testing out the camera on the weekend, and Sam was gracious enough to pose patiently for me. I love these two photos of him, surveying his 'land', and taking in the Sunday morning sun.
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We're Going to BALI!

We're going to Bali. Can you believe it? This will be our first overseas trip - ever!

This does mean we need to get passports, and most likely injections and stuff, but it's still pretty exciting.

We're going for one week mid-January, to help Renee celebrate turning the big 3-0. The day of her birthday, we're going to go for a full day elephant ride. How cool is that!
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The Tiger Cubs!
Last Sunday, Renee and I went to Dreamworld to see the tiger cubs up close and personal. The previous week I had to get online to buy the tickets, and really didn't think I was in with a chance. Only 20 tickets each day are up for grabs, and I scored two. So then I had to convince someone to go with me, and Renee took up the offer. So the 'experience' was 20 minutes, with 20 other people, and what was supposed to be only 2 cubs, ended up being 3! They were absolutely gorgeous. The trainers tire them out beforehand, otherwise they are too much of a handful. One of the photos below show the constant bite marks in the trainer's hand.


I was suprised at how rough their coat felt. I suppose I was expecting them to feel like Jessie, but they definitely didn't. Also, unlike Jessie, their paws are not ticklish. The trainer said this was because they are not tactile animals. We got to play with their paws, but were not allowed to go near their faces, because they are in training. Seeing the marks on the trainer's hand was enough of a warning for me.

When the time was up for the cubs to leave, the trainers picked them up. Because two of them were so tired, they were happy to go, but one of them screamed its head off. I've never heard a sound like it.

Afterwards, we had a quick look at the tiger island enclosure to check out the big cats. This whitish one was actually in the back enclosure when we were with the cubs, sleeping on his 'kennel', and we were within a few metres of him. They are such beautiful creatures, and I am so glad I got to get up close and personal with them. It is by far one of the coolest things I have ever done.

PS. Check out the new hardware hanging around my neck in the shots above. That would be my new digital SLR camera, and happier with it, I could not be.

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While on a roll
While I was scanning completed layouts, I thought I add three others that I've completed lately. The first one is using photos from Easter Sunday down at Blacks Beach. I ended up getting a lot of great photos that day, especially of Reed (layout to come), and of Imelda & Frank (used in the layout further below).


I've had this layout of Sam in my head for a while, but was waiting until I had the right photo. I'm still not entirely happy with the photo itself, but it will do. I love this patterned paper from Cloud 9.


I love this photo of Imelda & Frank. I took a series of photos at the time that were all pretty good, but this is my favourite.
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