Season for Celebrations!

It’s The Celebration Season!

It’s November! And hallelujah, because the birthday season is upon us here on the farm. And by us, I mean Mr 7 and myself. So I suppose it’s not really a ‘birthday season’ as such, but rather a busy time of year where all sorts of celebrations are upon us, and as such, I occasionally feel like my birthday celebrations drag out for a few weeks at a time.

Last week was Halloween. We don’t celebrate it here on the farm, mostly because the logistics of it are a nightmare unto themselves. The scariest part of trick or treating would be the good hour or more spent driving around in the pathetic bid to trap the nearest five unsuspecting families into handing over their goodies. And given where we live, I’m assuming by ‘goodies’ we would be receiving scones or biscuits left in waiting for uninvited guests. And the cost of fuel itself would actually be the most horrific part of this freakish event. Instead we headed to a Halloween themed Disco for the kids. Much less scary for mummy.

This week Mr 6 turned 7. I pride myself on making my children birthday cakes that are fun and interesting. This is a tradition passed onto me from my own mother. This year there was a request for an ‘army’ themed ‘camouflage cake’.

The finished product!

 

After the original one stuck to the pan it was so camouflaged it didn’t even look like a cake. It didn’t stop me though. The second attempt was much better, and now we have a camouflaged cake AND trifle.

This week was also the Melbourne Cup. I was working, though my colleagues still managed to put on quite a lunch, and we all dressed up which is always fun!

Next week it’s my birthday. The Farmer isn’t big on birthdays, and that hasn’t really stopped me from celebrating in the past, but this year it doesn’t matter. Next week we are heading to the city to see a concert with some friends, so it’s a win-win for everyone.

After that it seems that the end of year celebrations all start to kick off with a vengeance. Work break up parties, club events, school presentations and *gasp* Christmas gatherings all start to snowball.

I do love a good celebration though. Any excuse will do. I’m off to dust off my heels and straighten out my party frocks.

What events do you have on the horizon? Let me know on facebook!

Christmas: Blink and You'll Miss It

The silly season is done and dusted... 1000 rum balls have been consumed; nectarines, plums and cherries have been digested at rates fast enough to guarantee we all stay regular until well after New Years. I have personally eaten enough M and Ms, chocolate, mango smoothie, pavlova, trifle, ham and salad to last me a lifetime. And I have two big family functions coming up faster than I can say 'loosen that button please!'

Our Christmas Tree is still up and decorated. It will probably stay this way until school goes back. We have our house decorated. And it will stay decorated. Indefinitely. Several years ago, my mother bought us a fake Christmas tree, after I whinged and moaned about the ongoing clean up that a real tree necessitated. This is why I feel justified in keeping it up for about 3 months. The clean up is minimal. Eventually I will come to look at it as a giant pot plant. Only without the pot, or water, or soil.

This year we had Christmas at home. And the day began at 4:30am. We alternate Christmas between our families. My brother, sister and their partners joined us for three days of Christmas fun on the farm. We all squeezed into our little house, stocked up the cold room with drinks, fruit and meat, (in that order), and sat back by the pool and killed time. It was wonderful. And the weather was superb!

As far as tradition goes in our family, it's always about food. I ALWAYs glaze a ham.

Glazed Ham

We ALWAYS make a potato salad. We ALWAYS make a pavlova and trifle. We ALWAYS eat about 4kgs of prawns. SOOO GOOOD! So we did all those things. And we washed them down with a cool room full of alcohol - which we ALWAYS do. Daquiris, Mojitoes, Martinis and Cider were the beverages of choice this year. Mmmmmmm.

The children were over indulged again. Being the only children on both sides, they are spoiled terribly. And thankfully they are still buying my lies about the man in red. Or lady in red, as it actually is in our house. Santa Claus really outdid herself this year at our house! The lies get harder and harder.

"Sorry he got that swim suit size wrong girls... I'll email him and check his returns policy."
"I know the wrapping paper is the same as those presents from us over there... Santa must buy his paper from the same shop as us!"

Kids are so clever! (And now - two days later, also cranky and tired)...

Liv, out cold after the longest Christmas dinner wait, ever. It's all a bit much for little people.

The funny thing about Christmas this year was not having any parents in our house with us. Sometimes I felt like a child pretending to be a grown up. But more than anything, it made me realise that it's family that makes Christmas, 'CHRISTMAS' for me. It's the love, the laughter and the happiness I love. And the 'Christmas play' the kids put on. Yes, Sam is in a dress. Yes, Olivia bossed everyone around and told them what to do and say. Yes, Darcy is Lady Gaga. And not because Olivia told her to be... I love Christmas.

And now it's all said and done for another year. And I'll start the online shopping frenzy right after New Years. Only this year I'll have to hide my presents in better places. We had a few close calls this year...

What did you do for Christmas?

It's Only A Game...

Many moons ago, CP and I were attending a party at a friend's house, when the game PICTIONARY was pulled out. We were dating at the time. Invincible as a couple. We thought we had this game in the bag.

We were wrong.

The night had been going so well up until that point. Since we were only dating at the time, let us assume that we were probably holding hands... Possibly indulging in public displays of affection or whatever else it is you tend to do more frequently when you are dating, than when you are married. I digress. But things were good.

If you are familiar with the game, please read on. If you are unfamiliar with it, I suggest you click on the link above before reading on. This game is competitive. The aim of the game is to WIN. That's pretty much it. You need to be able to draw your way (or 'guess' your way, depending on which half of the duo you are) to that result. I consider myself quite good at both roles. I am very good at the drawing section, but even better at guessing. And since people had possibly been consuming excessive amounts of alcohol beforehand, I figured this would be a case of WHAM BAM THANK YOU MAM - in our favour.

Round One:

The timer has turned. Everyone is drawing frantically. Their partners are guessing just as quickly. CP puts his index finger thoughtfully on his chin, whilst glancing up pensively at the ceiling, as if some fantastic drawing hand might drop from above, bestowing him with the ability to draw an amazing image that I will be able then guess the answer before all other teams can get in before me!

Other teams are still drawing frantically.

Someone answers correctly. All other teams have pages strewn with a myriad of images; some crossed out, others mini works of art. CP's page - empty.

Maybe we'll have better luck next round?

Round Two:

As above. This round however, CP actually did manage to draw something (and let's - for arguments sake - say it was a circle). I got all excited. My palms started sweating; I was breathing faster. CP paused. Looked deep into the circle he had just drawn, and then scribbled it out and started again. Time over. Another team won. 

I furrowed my brows. How could this be? I am SO GOOD at this game. This kind of result is simply unheard of with me.

Round Three:

As above. This time I glanced furtively at the drawings of everyone else at the table. I didn't even bother to try to look at whatever CP was or wasn't doing. Surely it would be a waste of time anyway?! So as I stared at all the other teams around me, spurting answers left, right and centre. I STILL didn't get it right. I start to wonder how long a relationship can last when one person is so clever at board games such as this, when the other is so phenomenally BAD?!

Round Four:

This time I am the artist. CP is required to guess. The phrase is 'camel toe.' I draw THE best camel you have ever seen drawn in 5 seconds. I draw THE best toe you have ever seen drawn in 5 seconds. I draw an arrow connecting the two best drawings in relation to this phrase. I wait triumphantly for CP to guess the answer. I smile smugly, pointing at the drawings as if the answer is staring him in the face.

Nothing. Not a guess... not a murmer. Not a BURP!

My blood was officially boiling by now. My anger erupted into a blaze of name calling and ability challenging verbal slurs. It was completely out of line, and I fully deserved the backlash that ensued from CP.

Of course, I'm exaggerating.... I mean, since when have I let the truth stand in the way of a good story? But rest assured, it was a pretty heated discussion. It was bad enough that I probably ended up crying and storming home to bed. Alone. I was angry at CP for not being a better drawer. Or a better guesser. Or whatever I wanted him to be. But more to the point, I was angry at myself for being angry at CP.

This was supposed to be a game. I wasn't making it a game. CP had never played before, and I expected him to be either a Picasso or Einstein or something he clearly couldn't be at that time. I felt like I had disappointed him.

If he dragged me out to the sheep yards and demanded that I dench and worm 100 sheep in a matter of hours, and expected I not only complete that task, but that I do it successfully, then I guess the shoe would well and truly be on the other foot.

In any event, we decided not to play Pictionary ever again. It was better for the ongoing serenity of our relationship. Actually... I don't help with the sheep work (yet) either. Maybe it really is better that way? Maybe CP figured that out when he saw what a terrible sport I am when it comes to us working as a team (and screwing up), he decided not to encourage that kind of behaviour.

Now flash to this Christmas just passed. Pictionary reared it's ugly head again. It was a Secret Santa gift.

I wanted to play. I think CP and I can handle it. Apparently the rest of the family feels differently. And in the name of law and order and Christmas cheer, the game was banished. So we played 'Cranium' and 'Jenga' instead. And sometimes CP and I lost. But sometimes we won. And it actually felt nice to just be a team. To have a go and do our best. It felt awesome to win too... but it taught us a lot about who we are as a couple, and how we work better as a team. And basically (with us at least) this comes down to several things. We should avoid anything that involves any sort of creative or dramatic element, and stick to the language and factual aspects of any tasks.

And maybe never, ever, EVER, play Pictionary ever again. Just for arguments sake.