Closing off 2012

I completely forgot about Storytelling Sunday for December.  The weeks just turned into a blur of packing, painting, gardening, more painting, moving, unpacking, job interviews, and work!

We have bought a house with my mom (and her husband) and we are no longer renting!!!!  No more horrid rent inspections!!!!!  Here we are the day we got the keys to the new place ...

It just so happened to be the day before Thanksgiving and so we spent Thanksgiving cleaning and prepping the new house for painting.  It was the FIRST time in my memory that we didn't have Thanksgiving dinner with family and/or friends!  Everyone in the family was topsy turvy with moving and packing and work so we decided to not have the big meal.  I thought I was ok with it until the day arrived and I had to try not to cry.  It has always been my favourite holiday as it was the only one that my parents didn't fight over as my dad is Australian.  My Grandma always made the day so special even though we had to go to school during the day.  The dinner she made was spectacular and she would have rounded up all the stray Americans in town and invited them to dinner.  No year was ever the same :-)

For the first time EVER it was just the five of us.  Dirty and dishevelled from cleaning (you would not believe the sate the previous owners left the house in!), we sent the boys down the road to the local fish and chip store for our Thanksgiving Dinner.

It was exceptional fish and chips!

It will go down in our family as a good story to tell.  I think next year we will have a HUGE dinner with all our family and friends to make up for it!  We didn't even have plates or utensils ... just the paper it came wrapped in and our fingers :)  They do make great fish and chips and it was VERY delicious.

We are now all unpacked and have had our first Christmas in our new house ... all seven of us :-)  I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and have really enjoyed this year with you through all of life's ups and downs.  Here are the three kids about to open the present Santa left.  This year it was one big family present and it turned out to be a dart board for the new games room.  Santa also brought them all strawberry plants and a box of Lucky Charms (cereal) which they are currently rationing (he brought it one year before as it is a cereal I loved as a kid each time we visited the US and it is extremely unhealthy!)  As it is $12 a box here at the specialty store it is definitely a once a year treat!

New Year is fast approaching and I think we all deserve a terrific 2013!  One of my goals this year is to finish losing my extra minutes ...

Saw this and absolutely LOVED it!

I start a new job on the 3rd of January selling new homes for a local building company.  It is all commission based and hopefully we will be earning money in the near future :)  Lots of changes and lots of excitement.  I have a craft room in our new home and I am trying to finish unpacking and sorting it so I can use it!  Another goal for 2013 is to make up kits using my own stash and craft MORE!  I am also part way through a 50's inspired dress that I would like to finish.  I would also REALLY, REALLY like to find the time to do THIS online class and make the Lilly Rose Dress plus learn all the altering techniques.

See you on the other side of the New Year,
Love Chipper