Happy New Year

 

I've lost a day, I thought tomorrow was New Year's Eve but no.

 So, to everyone reading, whether or not you stay up to see the New Year in, I wish you all a fabulous 2026 filled with all God's richest blessings.

Diana

Merry Christmas.

 From our home to yours.

We wish you all the blessings of Christmas  

and all you could hope for in the coming year.

Diana & Bob

Sweet treats and Christmas trees.

My Christmas tree is up and decorated.

The family's presents are all wrapped and under the tree.

We'll take them over to Vanessa's place on Christmas Day and give them out after we've eaten dinner. She has the table set up so it will be a sit down meal. I think all the family from down this way will be there which will be nice. There's been one or two missing the last couple of years.

The first Sunday of the month we have a shared, pot luck, finger food lunch at church. We don't coordinate in any way so it really is pot luck and usually ends up being a good mix of savoury and sweet. This month we were gifted with some beautiful gingerbread Christmas cookies made by one of the ladies from our 'mother' church. There were enough left over that I could bring some home for my GKB, Bob. They were a nice, unexpected sweet treat :)

One evening I was checking the list of decorated houses for our little town and noticed that one of the houses was in a cul de sac just across the road from us. So instead of getting ready for bed that night I waited up until about 11pm, donned a jacket, it was horribly cold out, and walked over. The house was rather pretty and my photo doesn't really do it justice, but I think it looks a bit like a gingerbread house. And I love the way the background turned out. And yes that is the last of the sun setting further south.

And just for fun, I have been trying to put a photo of a different Christmas tree on my Story on facebook daily. It started out just for me and because I hadn't put up my tree yet I used family ones to start. I seem to have gathered a following though with people commenting and looking out for my tree so I'll have to do a big reveal on Christmas Eve I think. Just a bit of Christmas fun :)

Some of the trees I've put up, Some are big family sized and others are kids creations :) I need to find three more for this week but as the shops all have them it shouldn't be too hard :)

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Love came down ...

and stayed.

John 3:16   For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,

 that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

LOVE and Advent blessings to all.

Diana

Christmassing

One of my nativity sets. Can you see what's wrong here? Joseph has gone AWOL. My youngest brother, when he first knew Joseph was missing, said he'd probably adjourned to the local inn to get away from all the busyness in the stable what with all the visitors that keep turning up :)

A look at my eldest daughter Jacqui's living room where she is decorating for Christmas as well as entertaining her grandson, Arlo.  School is finishing this week for the summer holidays but Mum and Dad are still working.

I was a bit early with my third candle last week - so -

have another JOY filled week :)

Blessings,

Diana

Tuesday 4 meme - Christmas

  Thank you for joining in for Tuesday 4, begun by Toni Taddeo and kept in her memory. Here is the link if you'd like to join in. https://tuesdaysplace.blogspot.com/ 

Christmas is fast approaching for billions of people...

1. Do you have a favorite Christmas carol and if so is there a particular version you especially like?

I just like Christmas carols, I don't think I have a favourite.  My grandfather's favourite was Away in a Manger and when I hear it I think of him..

2. Do you have a special dinner for the holidays? What foods are included?

When I was young we had the full Christmas roast. Lamb, potatoes (roast and new), pumpkin, kumara, parsnip, carrots with peas. Mint sauce and gravy. Pudding was jelly, icecream and fruit as well as steamed plum duff (Christmas pudding), complete with thr'penny bits, with custard and cream. And don't forget that Christmas is the middle of summer here. These days it tends to be a barbecue or cold meats and salads. The desserts are usually a selection of cold goodies - trifle, fruit salad, ambrosia, icecream and you can't have Christmas without at least one pavlova. A much more sensible way of celebrating. No one slaving over a hot stove half the day. There's usually Christmas cake and little Christmas tarts to nibble on along with other sweet and savoury snacks. 

3. Holiday movies ... which do you like to watch?

I like to watch White Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life. After that I like anything as long as it has a nice Christmassy vibe. 

4. What traditions do you continue to keep year after year for the holidays?

We always gather as many of the family as can make it at one place for Christmas Day. I guess that's a tradition. Personally I like to go to the Carol service on Christmas Eve but sadly I'm not usually joined by any family members. We have a Christmas tree but at the rate I'm going this year will be lucky to get one up. But the girls both have one so I'll enjoy theirs. I used to decorate the sitting room but since the family have grown up and left the nest that no longer happens :)

Wishing you a joyful week as we draw near to Christmas.

Diana

A Christmas lunch

Today the volunteers with husbands and wives and friends from the bookshop went out for our annual pre Xmas lunch. I'd like to say it was an enjoyable time but apart from the company it was not!

Twenty minutes to heat a loaded potato and some of the meals were already off the menu and it was only 12:30pm.

 Our table was situated under a fan and the air con and it was cold. One couple stayed long enough to eat and then left. We had asked for the air con to be adjusted or, preferably, turned off but the staff member didn't seem able to do either! But on the plus side, I still got to enjoy my cup of tea from a pretty bone china tea cup. (And no, that is not a rather large insect in my tea, it's part of the pattern on the inside of the cup). 💗

We all left with a small gift and mine was a small

 hand held wooden cross.

There were some nice Christmas decorations

 and below is the tree in the foyer...

...and the wreath 

just down the hall from it.

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And just because I can - Caitlin and Brayden with their triplets :)

 

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Peace be with you this Advent season.

Diana

Baby has a name

My GKB was up and out of the house before I was out of bed today. I was wide awake at 5am and sound asleep when it was time to rise. He saw where the greengrocer had very cheap fruit today and didn't want to miss out, especially on the strawberries. It was all sitting on the bench when I went out for breakfast. I think we'll be enjoying strawberries and ice cream some time during the evening :)

It was a beautiful blue sky day last Saturday when five of us drove down to Gore for an Aglow leaders retreat. I'm no longer a leader but was invited to go, which was really nice. We had a lovely day enjoying each others company and eating lunch out on the deck. It was a bit breezy but warm and with a garden like this who cared? Not me:) During the course of the day I had some personal insights which were then affirmed on Tuesday evening by a lady who hadn't been there and knew nothing about me. Very encouraging.

This is a beautiful garden with several 'rooms', the one at the very end of the section with seats and a swing :) Good fellowship, good teaching and good food! What more could you ask for.

And as per the post title, baby has a name. 

Lucia (with a soft c) Carolitta. Very pretty I think.

This is Lucia after her first bath - which didn't happen until after the cord had fallen off! Things have certainly changed since I had my babies :)

It's been very warm and wet in the past week or so and so the growth around about has been lush. This is down the side of our driveway. The foxgloves are looking a bit shabby because of the wind, which hasn't really let up though it isn't so strong as it was. We're hoping eldest daughter's partner is going to come and cut bushes and hedges back before too long.

 I'm slowly getting what I call my garden into shape for the holidays. With the wind has come the pollen and I can only be out in it for about twenty minutes at a time then need to come in. Hayfever is a real bummer. I blame my lovely wee maternal grandmother :) she used to get it too and spent most of spring and summer indoors due to not having the access to antihistamines that we have today.

On the domestic front I have finally got cracking on my Christmas cakes. We bought the ingredients a few weeks ago but I've only just got started today. This is the GF one for Jacqui. I think I'll need to buy a new cake pan though as this is not quite as big as the normal cake so is not so deep. I think it would be a nicer cake if it was deeper.

And that is about it for now. 

Keep smiling until next time and enjoy this Advent season.

Diana