How much!!

I went food shopping yesterday, I only needed some veg, a few bits for our meals and some things for our Boxing Day - Christmas Day Mark 2. My pal is working Christmas Day so she and her wee lad are coming round to open pressies and eat lots of goodies on Boxing Day.


Anyway I digress, so there we were with our trolley just over half full trying to avoid all the mad one's with their overflowing trolleys with enough food and booze in them to feed probably their entire street!



Maybe I'm just out of touch as I don't have lots and lots of people to invite round for drinks and nibbles but I do wonder how much of that food ends up in the bin.



Right I better go get these Christmas cakes iced, as happy as I would be with just marzipan on them I think the small people would like something a bit fancier. ;)

Not many sleeps now.

In fact so few that I thought I better start making a check list.

* Cards written and posted. CHECK
* Presents that need posting posted. CHECK
* All Santa's presents bought. CHECK
* Xmas Cake baked and marinated in lots of brandy. CHECK
* Trees erected and decorated. CHECK
* Snowflakes made and hung. CHECK

* Paper chains made and hung. CHECK



Still to do.

* Finish Santa's wrapping.
* Ice the Xmas Cake.
* Buy Xmas dinner bits and bobs.
* Buy Boxing day buffet bits and bobs for my pal and her wee son coming round.

Oh and some 'friends' say I have to make myself a Xmas jumper!! Hmmm not sure about that one.


Plus I'm sure there are other things that my brain is currently chosing to let me forget but will no doubt remind me in a last minute panic.
But I'm not going to panic I'm going to enjoy this Christmas with it just being me and my girls. Their Dad is working abroad until January and this year it is my brother's turn to have Mother for Xmas and New Year. :D
All a recipe for a relaxed, happy and stress free holidays me thinks.

We can't see the wood for the...

TREES!

Is it just me that loses the will to live after unfurling all those branches after only doing the bottom tier?


All standing ready for action. One white, one black and one green.



One set of very old lights chucked in the bin, one set of oldish lights still working and two brand new sets of cheapo Asda lights later....





Next?

You tell the small people to go crazy with the decorations. Big one has only just finished off decorating the white tree as she's had a ton of homework lately. Roll on next Wednesday when school finishes for the HOLIDAYS!!!!

Thanks for all your lovely comments about our snowflakes, it's been a tradition I've had with the smalls for a long time. They are now snowflake creator's extraordinaire. :)

We made snow

And while we're on the subject of cold things, I thought you might like to see what my bedroom window looked like during this cold snap.

Mother Nature's ice poles. :)
Keep warm, there's still a lot of winter to get through yet. x

For our heroes

T'WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,

HE LIVED ALL ALONE,

IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE,

MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.


I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY,

WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,

AND TO SEE JUST WHO,

IN THIS HOME, DID LIVE.


I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,

A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,

NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,

NOT EVEN A TREE.


NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,

JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,

ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES,

OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.


WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,

AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,

A SOBER THOUGHT,

CAME THROUGH MY MIND.


FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,

IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,

I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,

ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.


THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,

SILENT, ALONE,

CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR,

IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.


THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,

THE ROOM IN DISORDER,

NOT HOW I PICTURED,

A TRUE BRITISH SOLDIER.


WAS THIS THE HERO,
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?

CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?


I REALISED THE FAMILIES,

THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,

OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS,

WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.


SOON ROUND THE WORLD,

THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,

AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE,

A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.


THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM,

EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,

BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,

LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.


I COULDN'T HELP WONDER,

HOW MANY LAY ALONE,

ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE,

IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.


THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT,

A TEAR TO MY EYE,

I DROPPED TO MY KNEES,

AND STARTED TO CRY.


THE SOLDIER AWAKENED,

AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,

"SANTA DON'T CRY,

THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;


I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,

I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,

MY LIFE IS MY GOD,

MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS.."


THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,

AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,

I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,

I CONTINUED TO WEEP.


I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,

SO SILENT AND STILL,

AND WE BOTH SHIVERED,

FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.


I DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE,

ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,

THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR,

SO WILLING TO FIGHT.


THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,

WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,

WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,

IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."


ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."
image - www.legionlive.org.uk

Friday night gig

Big one and I went to see Thirty Seconds to Mars
This is the lead singer..

a Mr Jared Leto.

You may or may not recognise him from films such as

Chapter 27
Fight Club
Girl, Interrupted
American Psycho
Panic Room
Lord of War
Mr Nobody

Or the TV series

My So-Called Life

No?

Ok he has dated (allegedly)...

Cameron Diaz
Paris Hilton
Britney Spears
Lindsay Lohan
Scarlett Johansson

Anyway it doesn't matter really. The gig was great, well to be honest the first support act, Funeral Party, were a bit pants - god only knows what they were singing about as the music was louder than the singer and only about five people in the audience worked up the energy to clap between songs. Me and my new pit friend, Chris actually cheered when they announced they were going to sing their last song. Ooops! :)

But then...

Enter Shakri came on



And they totally rocked! They looked like total chavs/neds but their music proved the old don't judge a book by it's cover.

Then the main act came on. Now I'd got myself all excited about seeing Mr Leto in the flesh and in the flesh we did see! He very kindly took his top off even if it was minus a million degrees outside. But I actually had my eyes more on a certain drummer boy. I've always been the girl easily swayed by a man that can beat a skin and sway me he did with just a kilt, several tattoos and the best kit(drum) I've ever seen.



Yep I prefer the big brother. :D His little brother is Jared.

I did have to giggle with big one though when Jared was being all tough and we're against the system man, as I said to big one....he's old enough to be your Dad!(Technically he's 3 years younger than her Dad but we won't split hairs.)

Mind you he's only a year younger than me and where was I? In the pit with the best of them. :D

More swoonage.... oh and big bruv is the same age as me ;)


Oh did I mention it took me over 2 hours to dig the car and drive out of all the snow?

World Aids Day 2010

I love books and these certainly caught my eye with their designer covers.
Penquin are donating 50% of the profits from the sales of each book to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.

Last year nearly half a million babies were born with HIV.
It is the aim that by 2015 every child is born free of the virus. Just think a whole generation born free of the virus.

While Dec 1st is often a day of excitement that Christmas is ever closer, please spare a thought for the kids who will never know a HIV free Christmas.

Buying one of these books or any of the other products by the companies taking part in the joinred.com campaign helps us towards that day. As they say this is the gift that gives twice.

UK Book Shop and Online Bookstore - Penguin Books

Penguin are also offering free downloads of some of the covers, I've already saved mine but now need to find somewhere where I can print an A3 sheet. :)

This post is NOT sponsored, I'm just someone who loves books and would like to see a world where all our children are born happy and healthy.