Welcome to my home.

The Noel candles have hopefully done their job and the house smells like Christmas.

Top 3 cds playing:

1. 1. Christmas Classics - The Wiggles
2. 2. A Christmas Gift - Yvonne Kenny and
3. Ultra Lounge Christmas Carols - Various Artists

This year the fireplace has some of the twins handy work on it - you can guess which ones! And there are the knitted stockings I bought from the vollie shop at the Children's Hopsital and raced home to hang up - just in case we made it home for Christmas in 2004.

I made the advent quilt many years ago when Mum and Dad were living in Gympie. I used to love visiting and quilting with Mum. The nativity quilt was made by Mum and I put it together and it hangs on the wall in the lounge.

I have typed up little messages for the pockets of the advent calendar - things like Go to the park today, baking, Kit's day or Hannah's day, Hugo's party, a slip of paper with the lyrics to a carol which we then sing at the breakfast table ... etc

Would you like a cup of tea? I am drinking 'Spiced Christmas' at the moment - yummy! No Christmas cake yet though I'm afraid - I haven't baked it yet.

This bear is from the vollie (volunteer) shop at Westmead Childrens Hosiptal. Spending Christmas there was certainly an experience - one that is quite surreal now thank goodness. There are a host of vollies and staff who tried their very best to make the occassion festive. When Hannah was still very sick and not herself at all in ICU - one of the 'stars' from Hi 5 was visiting - so we could have had her photo taken - but it wasn't a picture I needed a hard copy of thank you anyway! There were donated gifts carefully chosen by the volleys and staff as being appropriate for 2/3 month babies. It wasn't easy as we were in a regular ward and they were more used to bigger kids. There were the therapy dogs who came to visit wearing their Christmas gear. On Christmas morning there was a present wrapped and left at the end of each bed. "Santa" came visiting - but I confess I nearly snarled at him as Kit had had another temperature that night and it meant that there was no way we were getting home for Christmas. Kit's pediatrician who called by to see how we were going - even though she wasn't meant to be working that day. A lovely man making balloon figures came by and did a poodle for me. Then there was the full Christmas lunch with puddings for about $5 at the hosptial canteen. A very welcome visit that night from Nan and Pop. A Christmas I'll always remember vividly - and this big bear with his lovingly knitted Christmas jumper is our memento of it - our reminder of how precious life can be and how absolutely generous people are.

So that is all ... I have a few nativity sets. A lovely wooden one that is hanging on the tree, a beautiful globe one that I bought years ago and this kitch one that my sister brought home for me the year that she was working in England. After all ... "Jesus is the reason for the season ..." so besides the star having a nativity set is pretty important to me.
So thanks for dropping by I must apologise for the poor quality of the photoes. I hope that you and your families have a truly wonderful Christmas.