Ellie received some lovely presents and the focus was about the shine behind every ooooh and heeeeeeeee! (Dont ask why she is wearing her fake Uggs but we think she has a secret worry that Eddy might chew her socks and I agree - Eddy loves socks!)
The pooch received a number of doggie treats too but was more interested in chewing up the discarded wrapping paper! We opened our gifts at my parents house where Christmas gone-by brings back the best memories from my childhood. Dad delivers the presents in turn and we save our pile up until each present has been given and then we let rip. Mark and I only exchanged little tokens because we both didn't want anything in particular and would rather splurge in the sales anyway. I likes a bargain for my money, after all - we work so hard to earn it. My brother, Leigh and his wife, Kerry arrived in the afternoon (obv not in their beach walk attire!)
Snuggling with my lubbly bro :)
and before the mighty feast we went to burn up some room in our tummies on the beach with the hounds. My mum and dad shone with the brightest of colours in this terribly drab day, which really cheered us all up.
Just look at that typical British weather! My bro, SIL and Marko brave the stench of millions of washed up Mussels from a storm two weeks back. We sensibles ones tread the promenade in a relatively fish-pong free zone!
We love the beach notices here - espesh the bit about footprints......isnt it a lovely reminder?
Ellie in her "Im a bossy little madam - take me here and there...NOW" chair, carefully chauffeured by my father!
And so home to Christmas dinner, which is always my favourite part of the day. Except the sprouts - YUCK. Sprouts are food of the devil. 
Bucks fizz and bubbly all round to toast the occasion.
Why my brother cannot be serious is always the topic of conversation - my scrapping opportunities are marred....but secretly, I like it! (oooh, shame on us having diet coke at the dinner table!)
Mums roasties were the bestest ever. Im a massive roast potato fan and I loved them more than the turkey!
And lest we forget the fammus pickled onion - silverskin, of course!
I love to sit round the table with my family - even the pooches. My bro's pooch played with my pooch throughout although, if Im honest, they did more than play (if you know what I mean and they are both boys so figure that out). Not exactly the scene I was looking for around the dinner table but they were happy, so why interfere?After dinner is another favourite of mine because this = board games. I love playing games espesh with my brother who makes me laugh with his ultra sharp sarcastic wit. Trivial Pursuits is a game that must be played in teams. This means Girls vs Boys. It is funny to see how scruples and tempers fray when the final cheese is in sight but alas, the girls lost ....... quite only by a whisker, I may add.
As the seating arrangements around my mums small table meant that the emergency chairs and stools had to come out, it happened upon the fact my brother was sat on the black leather computer chair. We all squealed with delight when it was suggested we play "mastermind" sitting in the chart and each being fired off a round of questions from our chosen category from Trivial Pursuit. Mums spotlights in the kitchen had to shine on the contestant whilst sat in said chair to make the whole debacle look relatively life like. Dads round resulted in lots of laughter!
I love my mums face here!
Mark resorted to cheating by asking the dog for help with his questions.
Kerry won the game but her questions were DEAD easy!
My father is a stern quiz master - he takes no prisoners!
Whilst the fun continued, photo opportunities got ridiculously ridiculous
And I fancied tattooing my brothers arms whilst rounds on the quiz were taking place! I dont think Ill take the job up in a hurry, its hard work!
I love it when stuff like this happens though. We had such a giggle.The dogs got plenty of walks on the beach this christmas time as mum lives practically in the sea! The wind in Bridlington is bracing at this time of year and even when you are wrapped up to the max, the gusts always find some little nook or cranny to freeze you to the bone.
Look - even room to take in some geocaching!!!
The dogs dont mind of course and carry on regardless. I think I aged 3 years from the ice cold zephyrs that took my breath away and my eyes haven't watered so much since I sobbed at Steel Magnolias. Although, come the end of the day - they look like this after a days blasting on the beach.
Mums excellent christmas dinners also turn out to be the best buffets. No family christmas is complete without the Boxing Day turkey leftovers 
and to help weigh the balance with the savouries we brought our chocolate fountain. My brother of course does not take too kindly to a gentle dip in the goo. No, he prefers head first gorging. 
Still, a feast was devoured followed by the most hilarious round of Balderdash and then so to bed. My mums house is so tiny and cute but there is hardly any room at the inn. Its a case of find a space, lay there and wake up with aches and pains. I don't think I'd like it any other way!After Boxing day, my sister came with her clan to make the house even more cramped but happy. Mum secretly revels in the luxury of all of us at home (its rare, i can tell thee) but its hard to hear each other over all the conversation, kids screaming and dogs running round after each other bums (nice). It was chaos and lovely all at the same time!!! Christmas is chaos, isn't it? Another trip out to Baltic state of the beach got us out of the house for a while - Ellie was frozen solid and not in the mood to play!
My nephew, Harrison went paddling and the rolling tide went over the top of his wellies which my sister helped rid the flood my turning him upside down as my brother in law went back to the car for emergency changes of attire!
My fun sister always makes me laugh but I have no idea who that silly man is behind her!
Now we are home and the tree is doing my head in. Im christmassed out but then again I don't think I ever felt like I was Chistmassed in. Im going to take it down today and get back to the daily routine of running round like a headless chicken with odds and ends galore. Love it. Ive already decluttered Belles room to make way for the 3 million bath time items she received from family and friends. She is the queen of bath time and luxuriates herself in deep bubbles every bath time. Only when she scanned over her gifts again today did it dawn in her that she had, in fact, received a great deal of bubbles, fizzers and oils. She innocently asked "Do people think I stink?". I dont know how I kept a straight face at that exclamation but I reminded her that bath time is her favourite time and they were making that a little bit more fun for her. Little love.Anyway, we cleared out 3 bags for the charity shop and one bag for rubbish. Ellie was quite nonchalant about giving stuff away when lots of it hadn't even been used (even a pile of stuff from last year that still lay in the same pile as when I put it aside last year!). This is what is driving me crazy about the spendage at Christmas time. I think people have a set budget and when it can't be filled, they expend it on stocking stuffers which really do not get used. I mean, its aprreciated but somethings are just "there" arent they? So when she got lots of bubblies and fizzers for the bath this year, she will at least use them. Im just so glad that a charity shop can benefit from the lovelies that Ellie kindly parted with. Saying that, cleaning her entire room by shifting and trying to find space plus cleaning and dusting and hoovering - it took a precious 5 hours to do so. We did have a giggle watching on-demand music videos and I can't tell you how many times we listened to x-factors Hero song.......... fun day, really.
My parents have decided to come over to ours for New Years (last minute) and my sister wants to pop along on Tuesday for a stay over which means a houseful at this end. This means I must get my bakery and cookery head on. I do like to cook but just in recent times I have had bugger all time to do it. However, with some careful planning Ive sussed out what Im baking for their visit to make their stay as welcome as possible. What the hell is wrong with me? Im cooking?!!! Ive already earmarked a home made chicken liver pate and some more mince pies so Im up at the crack of a sparrows botty-cough to get those babies made. With all this domesticness, anyone would think Im turning wife-ish. Which I am not. No way, Nuh-uh....ever never ever.
Ok, realising Im waffling now....soz. Will part with my DT images from the one and only Studio Calico kit who - every month, surprise me with their genius. This month they have their own papers (exclusive of course) with some natty little stamps (again, also exclusive).
Firstly I turned this Poundshop ($1.46) ornament thingy into a photo stand
Go and bag yourself a kit like no other HERE. Literally like no other. I say this because they have their own range of exclusive stamps in their very own shop which is growing progressively. The kits looks a little like the image below and I got the main kit plus the second add on plus the project kit. Its too delictoble to pass by...honest - cross my heart and hope to die.
This months stamp is this very useable baby! Must go and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz - this cookery lark requires alertness and time to tie a pinny in a neat little bow.
