HELLO EVERY-ONE!!!!!!!!!!

We are home (sighhhhh)

I must say I am very pleased to be home,as 4 weeks is to long to

be away.

Just a quick blog to say hello and show some holiday photos.

I will be sitting up late tonight reading though.

Look at my husband he is so dark in this photo, the water was perfect every day. Life was hard swimming and lazing on the beach.

Life in the caravan park,

cricket every after noon of course with the dads sitting back and watching.


Be back on Monday, have a great week end all.

Mandy

Be Back In A Month........

Thank you for all the well wishes for Robbie, as you can see in this photo he

got his plaster off...........We are all very happy.

Lastnight was the last night the family will be togeather for awhile so we

celebrated Robbies B/day. His birthday is next Thursday on the 7th.

The money he has in his hot little hands are b/day presents from his 2 big sisters.

He thinks he is pretty blessed with all the money he has.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBERTSON

for Thursday.

David took this photo New Years Eve of the flame tree in our front

yard. It looks like a christmas tree dosn't it?

All the red flowers are starting to drop of and the new young leaves are comming on. I don't remember it ever looking so beatuiful.

I hope every-one had a Happy New Year.

We had family and friends around for nibblies to see in the New Year.

My big boy David left to drive home at 4am today. We all got up to wave him off, then I couldn't get back to sleep. Might be because I got my self into a bit of a state with all the

crying I was doing. Silly I know. I just don't do well being parted from him. He has been in Charters Towers for 2 yrs now and I'm still not used to it.

Karen celebrated the New Year in Germany, she is having a great time over there.

So she should this is a holiday of a life time for her.

All the Christmas decorations are all down and the tree is away for another year.

The house looks quiet bare with all the decorations down.

Every thing is cleaned and dusted though and when I get back I will

go through and put every thing back up that I took down to put the decorations up.

The caravan is all cleaned out and packed. I will take some photos of our camp to post when I get back. This after noon I will give the house a last clean up before we leave.

We had a lovely visit from our good friends on Tuesday. It was so good to see

them again, as it had been awhile. There are some people in this world that I beleive God sends into our life to make it richer and fuller. Well God sent Angie and her beatuiful family into our lives. No matter how far we are from one another I know that out 2 famlies will always keep in contact. Hubby and I think of thiese 2 beatuifull children as grandchildren, and love them to bits.

Well this will be my last post for about a month.

If I find time to drag myself of the beach I will go to the Libary

and drop in to say hello.

I will come home all reasted and inspired to start a new year.......

The children have opened there money tins while I have been blogging

to count up all there pocket money they have been saving for holidays.

Cassandra $124

Robertson $140

William $35

I think they did a great job of saving and am very proud of them,

they are also very proud of themselves as well and have learnt some life lessons

on money managment.

See you then and blessings to all

Mandy

Getting Ready For A Summer Holiday.

It has not been the best summer for Robbie having his arm in plaster.

He has been slowly driving me mad...which according to some family members isn't hard to do...

Tomorrow we go back to the hospital and God willing the plaster will

come off. Please pray that it does.

Then he will be able to go for a swim.

We leave for our summer holiday at the beach on Saturday, and I don't think

any of us would survive with that arm still in plaster!!!!!!

I love this holiday.........we tow the caravan to cotton tree and set up camp.

We are almost on the waters edge where our site is. I love the

relaxed atmosphere in the caravan park. Just swimming and lazy long

days. I have a bit of work to do around here first though.

David is staying in the caravan until he leaves on Friday so I will give it

a good clean out then.

I keep every thing I need in the van so all I need to pack in there is our clothes and food.

This year there will only be 3 out of 7 children with me.Less than 1/2 my family. I will have to learn to cook in smaller portions or we will be eating alot of leftovers.

Looks like today is going to be another warm day here. To all my overseas readers who are

in the middle of winter, keep warm ....

Getting Back To Normal.

Chloe, Alanah, Jessica,

Robertson, Cassandra, David and William. Here are all my children together on Christmas Day.

It's not often enough any more when we are all in the one place. Jessica has gone home to Roma now and David will leave for Charters Towers at the end of the week.

I am missing them all ready......My daughter in law left for a 3 week holiday to Europe on Sunday. How blessed is she? Karen has gone with 3 other teachers she works with. My son was not interested in going at all he bought a boat instead, he is his fathers son.........

I know that he will miss her though and I wish I was with her!!!!!!

This is a small glimpse of my lounge room Christmas morning. Smiles every where and lots of fun. We all enjoy giving presents to one another as that is the best part isn't it?

Below is breakfast out in the courtyard. My husband always makes a to die for fruit salad for Christmas. We had that with pancakes and ice cream washed down with champagne and orange juice for breaky. I know wicked but so nice.

Well Christmas is over and the New Year is nearly here!

I have cleaned the house and got all the washing up to date so I am very pleased with myself.

Now I can get the caravan ready for holidays...

Have a blessed day all.

Mandy

Did You Have A Good Christmas.

We did!!!!!!!!!!

Lots of laughter, food and family, what a better way to celebrate.

Here is our Christmas table all set and ready to go.

Look what I got for Christmas..........Marlie the mower,

isn't he handsome.

Boy is he going to be getting a workout around here and yes I have already mowed the lawn.

We had 15 for Christmas lunch. I had to bring an other table in. The family is growing
I had all my children, my parents MIL and my brother and his wife.
This was one of the best Christmases we have had as it has been awhile since my brother has been.






All the visitors left today so things will get back to a little
normal for a few days.
I am of now to do some catch up reading of my fave blogs.

Mandy

Storey Christmas Party......

We had our Storey Christmas on Sunday.

My husband is one of 10 children so it makes for a large family when we

all get together for Christmas.

7 out of ten families were there along with there

children and some grandchildren. There where 4 generations there.

Here I am with my girls.....

Cassandra, Karen, Jessica, Alanah, Me and Chloe.

It was so nice to have the family together,

I love being part of such a large family.

The children have lots of cousins to play with. So much catching up to do.

There was plenty of good Christmas goodies to eat and what would Christmas be without

water melon and a game of cricket.

Lots of pressies to open.

Grandma receiving all her presents as well.

Sunday was one of those days that you look back on when you get home and

know that it was a really great day.

Things have been busy here with everyone arriving home so my blogging has been a bit slow

but I'm sure we are all busy.

Today is lots of cleaning then tomorrow baking....

Only 3 more sleeps to go..........

Blessings

Mandy

6 More Sleeps.......

I have been experimenting with lights inside this year.

The end of our dinning room gets very dark down the end so I thought

that I'd put some lights down there.

I think it looks O.K need to put a few more decorations up yet.

I was thinking that I would like to see every-ones Christmas Table all decorated up for Christmas Day. Every-one get there camera out and take photos to post after Christmas.

I couldn't wait till next week to start my Christmas cooking.

2 new recipes Hard caramels and Chocolate Mallow Fudge, I just hope they last until Christmas week.

I have been given an award from Maree at On My Veranda http://mareew.blogspot.com/
It is

The Spirit Of Christmas Award.

What a great award to get as i do love getting into Christmas.

Here are the rules for this award. You must be a true Christmas lover to receive this award. The person whom you give this award to must also be a lover of Christmas. Link back to the person who you received this award from. List 5 things you love about Christmas and pass this award on to as many people as you like from 1 to 45. But please pass on to at least one person to keep this award going...

5 Things I love About Christmas.

1. Having family and friends around me. The more the merrier.

2. Christmas presents.....making or buying the right gift for the right person.

3. Decorating....love to decorate the house and tree.

4. Cooking....All the different things you make only at Christmas.

5.Party's.....What would Christmas be without all the Christmas Party's.

It is hard to list only 5 things I love about Christmas, but there is my list, now I want to pass this on to.

daisymum @ http://daisymountain.blogspot.com/

The vintage rose @ http://teapartyland.blogspot.com/

Cee Lew @ http://ceelew.blogspot.com/

I hope you enjoy going and looking at there love of Christmas.

Now of to do some more cooking...shortbread I think today....

Blessings

Mandy