Saturday 12 January 2013

Christmas in our Family - Part Three

A lovely thing about Christmas is the new traditions that evolve over the years.

My Mum is incredibly talented at handwork, her creativity and stitching is enviable.  Two Christmas's ago she started a new tradition of hand stitching her grandchildren a Christmas decoration.

For Christmas 2011 she made the round tasseled ornament, each one had their individual photo on it.  This year she made the Gingerbread men which each child hung on a small wooden tree she took to Cairns.

When they are grown up and have their own trees they will have a collection of heirloom decorations that have been lovingly hand stitched for them by their Nana.

Precious!

Rachael xo

Thursday 10 January 2013

Christmas in our Family - Part Two


I know it's a little late to be posting about Christmas but I wanted to share our family Christmas this year.  We spent it in tropical Cairns, Northern Queensland, Australia and for the first time ever my Mum had her seven grandchildren with her on Christmas Day and for the first time in many years me and my two brothers.  

It was big because we all traveled to Cairns to spend Christmas together, my brother, his wife and three little children flew and drove down from Weipa.  My other brother, his partner and their three big boys, my Mum and her boyfriend and the Princess and I flew from Auckland which is a five hour flight. 

It doesn't matter where we celebrate Christmas or how hot it is, we always stick to some of our old traditions such as dealing with the cooked turkey on the ground, why this happens I don't know but if you click here you can see the same thing Christmas 2008! haha  


We always have a nicely set Christmas table, this one was done by Mum and suits the tropical weather.

                           

We added new elements to our family Christmas such as this starter of prawns that my youngest brother cooked on the BBQ with sweet chili sauce and served on banana leaves.



Our main meal was a combination of traditional Christmas food, ham and turkey, gravy and cranberry jelly along with non traditional salads of hot roast vegetable salad, roast beetroot and feta salad, curried egg salad and new minted potatoes. Delicious!!!


And as per tradition there was plenty left over for Boxing Day food.

Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I love spending it with my family.  I am so blessed with my family as the Princess and I would not have been able to go if it had not been all of them contributing by paying for our flights and helping us with money while we were there.

Rachael xo

Thursday 3 January 2013

Happy 2013

Trinity Beach, Cairns, Australia

Wishing you health, happiness and good fortune for 2013.

Rachael xo