3rd Friday Self Portrait

Yep, it's Friday again, and here is my next installment into the pixelated webcammy world of Kylie! At least this time it has been taken during the daylight hours! If you look carefully you can spot the 3 year old chubby legs of Phillip on the lounge. They're having a bit of a TV day today because it's been raining on and off... They've also been doing heaps of drawing at the moment. You can't see it, but the coffee table behind me has a big box of pencils and their little notebooks which are rapidly being filled with drawing after drawing!

2nd Friday Self Portrait

Week 2 of my weekly webcam shot! Wow - look at those bags under my eyes... I think I need an early night... LOL

1st Friday Self Portrait

Hehehehe, you guys get to be subjected to a weekly webcam pic of myself! So here I am, warts and all, in a beautifully pixelated bad quality picture every Friday... :D

The post dedicated to Christmas lights

Hehehe, so the photo inundation just keeps on coming!

It's a tradition for us at some stage in that last week leading up to Christmas to head out and view all the pretty lights. The kids get to stay up late, we get to see the prettiness, and sometimes people are collecting for charities too.

It was sooo funny this year now that Phillip's talking a little more. He just about went crazy every time he saw a slight flicker of lights! I think he got excited at some porch lights at times! LOL







So, that's the post dedicated to Christmas lights. I'm sorry the photos aren't too great. I still haven't had the flash fixed on my camera, so I had to make use of ambient light. Which at night isn't too much!

Did you look at lights leading up to Christmas? Maybe you put lights out yourself. Let me know!

The post dedicated to gingerbread houses...

OK, so I have a thing for photos. I apologise in advance for the photo overload, but I guess if you're reading my blog you're probably interested in my life, so I guess I then retract my apology...

So this Christmas seems to have been the Christmas of the gingerbread houses. I bought a couple of house kits from IKEA at the end of last year after Christmas with the idea that I could make them this year with the kids (I of course checked their use-by dates! LOL). But then I was invited to the church's gingerbread house making afternoon. I couldn't turn that opportunity down! I did one a few years ago when we were at Ryde and it was soooo much fun! So off I went and made a house there with all the prettiness of cool lollies and cellophane and curling ribbon and friendly friends to make it with.

But what to do with the 2 kits I had left over?

Why, let the kids go mental of course!

So one day we had Alyssa and Stella (and their mum Rachael) coming over, so we planned to have a gingerbread house making day! We stocked up on lollies like M&Ms and Skittles and licorice allsorts and snakes, etc... I made heaps of royal icing, and away we went!

I haven't included the photos of Rachael and her kids cause even though she said it was fine to put them on Facebook, putting them out there on a blog is a different thing, so better to be safe than sorry! So you'll have to put up with photos of my kids instead! :D

The icing was a big hit - it got eaten straight out of the zip-loc bag piping bags...

Phillip was an expert at creating big enormous piles of icing all over the place...
Elizabeth and Phillip's creation...
Alyssa, Stella and Rachael's creation (Rachael did a good job of making it look a bit more organised than my kids' one!)...
And of course the eating part! We ate it after breakfast on Christmas morning after cherry and white chocolate pancakes...
I can see you... :D
How is it still standing???
And of course, my masterpiece! I am quite proud of this in the end. I think it looked great!

The pretty wrapping (which made sure the kids didn't pick bits off it while it was on display!)...
And all unwrapped and ready to eat...
Butter wouldn't melt in their mouths of course... ;D

Matt enjoyed pulling it apart too. It tasted pretty yum!
It took a bit, but it did fall down eventually...
And all that was left was put in a bowl to eat over the next few days...So, yes - that's the end of the post dedicated to gingerbread houses.

I'll be back in the next few days with the post dedicated to Christmas lights, and then the post dedicated to Christmas Day. Of course you are all waiting with bated breath for those posts, aren't you??? hehehehe