Christmas in Hobart

Well it seems ages since I blogged. But I am finally back from Hobart and have been through the hundreds of photos that I took. I have added some here of things we have been up to since Christmas eve. I have also realised that the photos have got the things recent first down to Christmas Eve. We are starting a new tradition on Christmas eve and started going out for dinner with Mum on Christmas eve as we have found that the Christmas lights are not as good as they use to be, plus we have seen most of them and they don't change too much from year to year. We went to the Prince of Wales in Battery Point and had a lovely counter meal. Amelia and William had a HUGE plate of food. After dinner we drove home and had the kids get things ready for Santa and his Reindeers. William struggled a bit as he wanted to eat the food we were putting out and as a result he got very crabby. The kids went to be around 9.30 and 10pm and slept really well. Amelia was the first one up at 5.15am and she did a great job waiting over an hour for William and the rest of the family to get up before she went to check out what Santa had brought everyone. Again lots of new toys, amelia got a digital camera this year and William got a bike, Charlotte got a CD player. Our family gift was a BBQ, which is great as we cranked it up just prior to Christmas and it was yummy. As usual lunch was t my mum's house and all the family arrived around 11 whcih was great but everyone wanted to give the presents all at the one time and it was chaotic. The kids were bombarded with wrapping paper and toys. After the unwrapping and a bit of a play we ate a yummy lunch, Roast lamb, turkey, hame baked vegies and steamed vegies. Desert is always my favourite mum's christmas pudding, with custard and rasberries. She also made a trifle and a pav but she always puts rum or something in the trifle and it is a bit too much I reckon. After a restful afternoon we went to Ryan's parents for tea and just a relax as it was just them and us with Anthony, much more quiet. We got home aroung 9 and the kids were in bed by 9.30.

Boxing day was an early one as we went to the Christmas after sales and had things we wanted to get in mind. Ryan got some clothes and books. We did some clothes shopping for the kids and also some brithday shopping for Amelia. It was a long day and we ate subway for lunch. We got home around 4pm after spending from 9am in town. Ryan and I got the kids ready for bed and did the 4k run up at the domain as we want to run it for the Mothers Day classic next year.

We also got to catch up with some freinds in Hobart this time as we didn't have to get back for Ryans wor as quick as we usually do. It was nice to see them as they have since got married in Novemeber so we got to see the photos and just chat about what we have been up to for the past few months. William loved the motor bike and the skateboard and they gave him the skateboard to bring home. We travelled home on Sunday as Ryan had to get to work on the Monday and we brought Mum back up with us as she is staying for a week and celebrating New Years with us. I suppose that wil be the next info I will blog about here.

William was wanting to sit with Mum's little bear on the dolls seat, it was rather funny to watch.

Amelia is just too cool with the shades.

We went to visit some friends while in Hobart and Garry has a motor bike which William (and Daddy) loved. William was lucky to get a sit on it.

Thanks to Austar Amelia was able to enjoy her shopping trip a little more as she got to sit in Eastlands and relax watching the Cartoon Network while Mum and I did some shopping.

Ryan did well to survivie shopping on the boxing day! Mid you he did rather well from it as well!

William was bribed with a lollypop to get him through the shopping expereince.

Amelia was not all that happy doing the shopping in town.

What more presents!

Whats that William?

This is what happens to the older folk when they have had a lovely Christmas dinner. Nan and Pa both fell asleep after eating lots of yummy Christmas food.

Charlotte enjoying her CHristmas

Opening the presents, I wonder what was inside?

Itwas a very Wiggly Christmas for William this year as he LOVES everything Wiggles!

A new bike to do wheelies on, I am sure that this will be sooner rather than later as William is such a dare devil!

Wow what has Santa brought us all!

All dressed for Christmas!

Mum's Christmas lights, very pretty!

Amelia left a carrot for Rudolph, Christmas Pud for Santa and some biscuits, along with a can of drink.

All I want is for Santa to come! William was soo tiered on Christmas Eve that he just couldn't get the idea that we had to leave the food for Santa and that he couldn't eat it!

Charlotte sampled some of William's ice cream.

This was the kids meal that they got, I reckon I should have ordered this as well! It was huge, plus they got icecream as well.

Hello William!

Ring ring ring, who is on the phone William, oh thats right it's mummy!

Hanging out waiting for tea

Amelia enjoying a glass of water, very sophistacted in her drinking!

A new haircut! I finally was able to get in to my hairdresser in Hobart and get the dodgy dead ends cut! I actually think I like it better curly, but shhh I didn't say that as I am always complaining about how I have to straighten my hair. I just might leave it curly for a while now.

Merry Christmas!

Well it has been a long day and I have finally got some peace to write a little here and say
MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone! I am currently with family so have no photos, they will come later. All I will say is that we have all eaten too much, all spent too much and I know that I will be going hard at the gym tomorrow! I will also be going hard at the boxing day sales as Mum wants to get into Myers at 7am when they open!!!!!!!! SO early to bed for all of us tonight! I hope that everyone has had a great day and that Santa was good to you!

Saturday Shopping

Well I had this great idea after reading your blog Lisa that our family would go into the city and look for the reindeer in the shop windows. Well over the past week I have been keeping my eyes open for them so that we could get a few out the way withot too much problem with the kids. We walked and walked to find the last 4. I must say that we didn't find two as the clues were good but I couldn't think of what other shops apart from Wills, Dick Smith and Tandy, and I couldn't see them in either of those shops.The other one I had problems with was a dry cleaners I could only think of one until just a minute ago and remembered their is one in George St. Oh well it was good excersises with the family as we had parked in the Kmart carpark and walked into town. We also were able to geta few more bits and pieces in the way of shopping for CHristmas out of the way. We also saw the life size nativity scene and as requested by Amelia I had to take a picture. It is nice to see that we can see such a big display in town about the true meaning of Christmas. After we had finished in town we walked back to the car and stopped at Banjos and got some vegemite scrolls they are really yummy and william loves them. We sat in City Park and enjoyed lunch, we couldn't get on the ground as it was wet under foot, they must have had the sprinklers on in the morning sometime. S after a big morning we finally came home where I made some more biscuit mix and finished decorating the ginger biscuits ready to go and deliver to people tomorrow.

Well over the past few days I have been a little busy baking in the kitchen! Yesterday Amelia took some cupcakes to St Gorges as I thought it would be nice as something different instead of candcanes or chocolates. I was thinking outside the square and keeping in line with Christmas we made little reindeers. They went down really well. I must admit that I did cheat on these as their is a boy in her class that can't eat gluten so instead of using the receipe that I have to make the cakes from scratch I brought a gluten free packet mix, I am totally ashamed to admit this as I feel terrible not to have made them from scratch.

Today I have been busy doing a batch of Christmas gingerbread cookies and makng some mini Chritsmas puddings! I made the puddings this morning and still have to either put a cut out star on each one or dust some icing sugar over them. The cookies are a mix of mini presents, stars and gingerbread men. I found an idea and went with it in using cutout icing and making the clothes for the men, I think they are cute. I still have a few to go but at the moment I am organsing things so we can go to the Library when Ryan gets home tonight.

Christmas Cupcakes

Well yesterday I told the family that I wanted to make a big batch of cupcakes and decorate them for teh girls to take to school. Ryan said that I should put Chocoalte gnache ontop as the white was abit sickly so I did just that! I did a count and made 73 Cupackes! 30 went with Amelia to her school today, 12 went into Charlotte's school and the rest went to Ryan's work at Beconsfield Mine. He rang me a little earlier and said that they were a BIG hit and that they were all gone before lunch! He then said a few of the staff wanted the receipe for the gnache, which I am sorry to say is a secret reciepe which I am not sharing, sorry! I decorated the tops of the cupcakes with spearmint leaves and glazed cherries to make it look like holly as it is Christmas.

I'm happy to take orders up until Saturday the 20th Dec. if anyone would like to purchase a batch, I am selling them individually or in packs of 6 and 12. If you would like to know more you can drop me an email at angelaweeden@hotmail.com amd put christmas cupcakes in the subject line.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well yesterday was my birthday and I am not sure if I want to tell my age maybe I should get you to leave a comment and guess it!

I was really spoilt, firstly my mum was visiting from Hobart which is always great to have her around when you are having your birthday cause if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be here so thanks Mum! Secondly Ryan brought me a beautiful Pandora bracelt with a gift charm, and Mum brought me a cupcake charm (I love making cupcakes for anyone that is not aware of my passion!) Ryan also cooked me a lovely birthday cake in the shape of a heart and then he decorated it with lots of yummy lollies and I LOVE lollies. I also was able to have a very relaxing day and just enjoy spending my time with my family!

The yummy lolly heart birthday cake.

This is my serving everyone else can get their own!

Amelia was a great help on my birthday as she was supervising to make sure that I blew the candles out right.

On Saturday evening the West Ward had our Christmas get together. It was planned to be held at a park, however due to the weather we had to end up having it at the chapel. Pauline is the activites person and she did a excellent job with the organisation of teh evening. We had a BBQ and their were games put on by the Young Men for the children. One of the games was pass the parcel, which sneaky Will one, I say sneaky as he was up and down all the way through and at the last he positioned himself in the winning seat. He one a Giant Freddo frog!

Charoltte sporting her new hairdo! very stylish! I wonder who is the fantstaic hairdresser you get to do your hair?

Like father like son! I did say that teh camera sees everything!

Amelia enjoyed an ice cream. The Young Women also decorated some little pavs, but I didn't get a photo as I ate mine too quick!

William winning pass the parcel!

Madagascar, Santa and a BBQ with school friends!

On Friday Amelia had her final assembly and school BBQ with a visit from Santa. her class did a great show of Madagascar. Amelia played the hippo nd she was very groovy with her dance moves. All the kids loved the visit form Santa, and they also loved the BBQ. Amelia ate 3 sausages and a hamburger, she must be going through a growth spurt or something!!!!!!

This is Amelia's teacher from St Gorges this year, it is a little sad as she is leaving the school this year and is of to West Launceston to teach the Preps. She has been such a wonderful teacher and we will really miss her :( We wish you all the best Sarah and thanks for all the work you have done with Amelia over the past 2 years, she has come along way.
Santa arrived to the St Gorges BBQ in a police car, the kids thought it was great as the light were flashing and all.

This is one of Amelia's friends from school, Brandon. I am pretty sure that just before I took this photo that he actually grabbed her bottom!!!!!! All I will say is that he has alot more experience in the flirting department than Amelia! I must note that Amelia did actually grab his hand off her bottom and put it up around her waist.

This is Allan, he is also a Teachers Assistant at school. Amelia also knows him form church. She loves Allen, every time we arrive at school she rushes up to him and is excited to see him.

Amelia got some bubbles from Santa.

William slept through the whole BBQ, Santa and all.

Santa came and visited Amelia's school on Friday!

Mum enjoyed chilling back and watching the kids have fun.

Amelia played the hippo from Madagascar in her classes performance for their end of year assembly presentation.

Amelia got a biscuit and slices book as an award. Her award was for a more settled approach to her work this year, well done Amelia!

Amelia and Roxy, Roxy is one of the Teacher Assistance that works in Amelia's room and Amelia really loves her, and she really loves the kids!