An Amazona Christmas

How was your Chrissy?

Mine was lovely. Crazy hectic, but lovely.

Every year I tell myself that next year I'll be more organized and more Christmassy, and every year I barely get there by the skin of my teeth!

And when the magic day rocks around, I'm left a bare husk of a woman. Exhausted from all the last minute present buying & wrapping, house cleaning, cooking (although I didn't have too much of that this year).

This year that feeling was magnified as I was running around trying to do the one thing you really don't want to have to worry about on Christmas Day: KEEPING THE BLOODY HOUSE COOL!

In our Aussie Melbourne summers, we usually have ok weather. Mid 20s, sometimes stupidly rainy. 4 years back there was gale force winds which caused a bit of damage to houses in the north of the city.  But not really heat.

This year it was about 36 degrees.  And we were eating outside as my little cottage is not big enough to seat 14 people for lunch with any comfort.

But enough of that.

It was still lovely to have the Amazona Tribe come down to Melbourne.  Even my brother and his little family came to stay!

A few days before the big day, I decided to try and be all parental etc by getting Sonofagun No.2 to bake bickies with me.  We actually had loads of fun mixing and decorating with a little pre-made icing thingy that came in it's own piping bag. 

These are just the prettier ones. We actually baked about 25 which still all looked quite cute.

They were supposed to be for Christmas Eve to snack on whilst watching the Carols on tele.  But somehow the Sonofaguns managed to make the whole lot disappear!

And so to the decorating.

Last year I was super organized and decorated all the trees outside with lovely big baubles.

So I got out my super large tub of balls...



I probably only hung abut half of them in a fairly lazy way. I mean the weather was heating up in the Chrissy lead up. So my decorating meant I sat on the lawn under a tree, tied string to the ones which had lost theirs, and sent Sonofagun No.2 scurrying around to various trees and bushes to hang them. And of course he had his own ideas. He hung them from the bougainvillea, various door handles, the budgie cage, and some low branches.

Normally my tendency to be a control freak would walk along behind him putting them in the 'right' places, but I just let him do whatever and actually came to the realisation that he loved his choices, and I loved his choices because they were his.



Our Elf on a Shelf Sockso also made an appearance.



So how was my tree decorated this year?

Well I tried taking a photo of the whole tree but it didn't want to look good for the camera (it kept telling me its bum looked too big with all those bird decorations).

So here's a few pictures of my favourite decorations...

Favourite number 1s are the ones my Sonofaguns have made over the years...

Don't ask me what that that thing is on the left with a plastic iPhone cover attached. I don't know but Sonofagun No.2 told me it's for Christmas. So I hung it on the tree.

Because parenting.



When I was about 9 or 10 years old I used to make loads of things from Fimo. I made this little Santa and dog. I attached wire and cotton thread, and sent them to my Great Grandmother. Every year she hung them from her tree at Christmas time. And then when she passed away, they came back to me. I now I hang them from my tree. I love the feeling when I take them from their little box each year that I remember and think of her. She was a lovely soul.



Juicy Moosey (who's really a deer) got the Chrissy treatment.

Those super cute little porcelain owls and dogs are from my fave shop Typo.



Here's a few more of my favourites...



So the BIG DAY arrived.  I made those little cloche hats for 2 of my gorgeous nieces.

Instead of having the majority of the flowers on one side, this time I opted to decorate the hats lightly all around like a garland. All the flowers and the sweet little bee were sourced from the book 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet.

The love of my life (apart from the Sonofaguns) aka The Bear heard my whinging about a crappy sewing machine and how sewing and me don't love each other. And also how I had THINGS to sew and wanted a machine that would sew ALL THE THINGS, do it all by it's self and make me a cup of coffee which I could sip while I watched it sew all the things.
And gifted me this wonderous creature...

I am in love. I used him yesterday. I'm thinking of calling him Bob.

So with the temperature soaring up into the mid 30s (that celcius peeps!), we set the tables under a massive marquee, carried out 3 massive coolers and platters of delicious summer eats.

The Motherships amazing Prawn & Mango salad...

Apple, Ginger and Strawberry Punch

The kiddies played and enjoyed having cousinly time. See how many penguins you can spot...

All year Sonofagun No.2 begged for this $80 Lego Ninjago toy. He saved his coins (and got to $22.15). And so I bought it for him for Xmas (Sonofagun No.1 got a whizz bang camera).
And because he's 6 and the lego contraption is for 9+ year olds, guess who got to put it together?

Me. And after 3 hours, I finally finished. 3 hours. 6 labeled lego bags. 2 instruction manuals labeled Book 1 and Book 2. And over 110 steps. And I didn't even use the Craggle!

To his credit he's been super careful with it and loves it with all his big 6 year old heart.

And so to the pack up. I kind of had an urge to pack up early this year. And clear the decks for a fresh new year.
So the careful pack up began today.

I love wrapping the glass ones in pretty paper. Then next Xmas it feels like opening special delights!

All my special tree treasures!



All boxed up for another year!

I want to thank you all for reading my little ramblings, buying my patterns, following me on Facie and Instagram, sending me lovely photos of your finished projects and just being straight up gorgeous Creatures of the Yarn- lovin' and non-yarn lovin' kind!

And I hope you all had wonderful Christmas and a fantastic, yarny, healthy, happy 2016!