Rubble update

Three hours into the work and the first two layers are down. It will take a lot more cement than the three bags I had ready for this so we had to wait for another day... Now that its 43 degrees outside, I'm not in a rush...

I love the serpentine feel to the wall. So far, so good!

A barney with rubble

Well, here goes. Were about to try and turn this rubble heap into a modest retaining wall... should be fun. :)

Experiment

I've been blogging almost every day on my other blog, as an experiment for January, so head over there if you want to see a bit of what we've been up to.

Christmas Day (belatedly!)

Christmas Day 2008 for me was:

~ waking at 6.22am, just naturally, leaving me just the right amount of time to finish knitting Gord's present (a wristband with a beaded design on it, like one he lost a couple of years ago, which I had also knitted for him! Betta not lose this one!).

~ cream in my coffee from the top of a fresh bottle of milk.

~ sitting outside in the glorious sun.

~ scanning Supper of the Lamb (read this book, everyone!) for ideas of what to do with our leg of lamb.

~ home made sweet chocolate bread. I was very happy with how these turned out, just wished the chocolate inside was a bit sweeter!

~ eating Minties and other treats with Pippa and Poppa.

~ hand drawn books by Piper, the story of Finding Nemo for Poppa (see pics here on my Dad's blog), and the story of Beauty and the Beast, with assorted lions thrown in, for Pippa.

~ a gift exchange between the kids, a felted mermaid for Piper from Jasper, and a monkey for Jasper from Piper, both from Local and Global, a fairtrade shop in Belgrave.

~ a very leisurely opening-presents space. Typical Ackland style!

~ Piper's favourite gift, a jewellery box. Yes, with Disney princesses on it. From my Uncle Mon. (Piper's outfit: top from St Vinnies, a thrift store; skirt by me, inspired by the top, made on Christmas Eve!)

~ handmade (but not by me) ornate Christmas stocking for the kids, filled with lovely things from Pippa and Poppa. (Dad blogged more about these here.)

~ a feast!

~ my attempt at carving the leg of lamb!

~ a pear tree with no partridge.

~ crowns from the bon bons, of course.

~ children oogling the ornate gingerbread house, made by a friend of my parents. (More about it here.)

~ feeling overwhelmed by all the sugar on the table at dessert time. The gingerbread house was actually full of more lollies inside! (This is Piper's photo).

~ a spontaneous trip to Kurth Kiln Regional Park (about ten minutes drive away), just the four of us, while Mum and Dad relaxed at home. The kids had a splash in the creek and Gord was relieved to be doing something!

~ relaxing on the couch after Mum and Dad had left and after the kids were in bed, and watching not one, but TWO movies! Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Burn After Reading.

A very good Christmas.

Climbing a stairway (to the back yard...)

After climbing the bank into the back yard one too many times, we decided to cut up a large tree trunk from the Gembrook Retreat and create a bit of a staircase... its not perfect (one step is too high) but it sure makes getting into the back yard pretty simple...

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve: a day of errands and activity and anticipation. Last minute sewing - a Christmas skirt for Piper, and a rainbow headband. Last minute knitting - in secret in the library. Actually, a whole hour at the library, to faciliate said secret knitting, but also finding a whole pile of Christmas books to faciliate getting into the spirit of things. Cleaning up the house. Much gift wrapping, of course.

Making time for a treat, a Christmas movie - it was going to be Rudolph, but Gord accidentally downloaded a German version. So instead, Home Alone, a movie I enjoyed when I was younger - some quotes were still there in my head: "keep the change, you filthy animal!" A bit over the kids' heads, but Piper enjoyed the goofy get-the-baddies scenes. Laundry to be dealt with.

Buttery popcorn.

And then the arrival of Pippa and Poppa in the evening, right when the movie had finished. Very exciting, calling for some spinning about!

A Christmas pear tree, hopefully the first of an orchard in the front yard. A growing pile of gifts below, causing much anticipation. And finally to bed.

Pre-Christmas gathering

For those who are interested, we gathered last Sunday at the Gembrook retreat center with a few familes to go over the Christmas story and share a meal. 

Peter has written about the event here...

http://lightpathsupport.blogspot.com/2008/12/nativity-story.html