While I'm sure many of us here in the Southern Hemisphere have often wondered what it would be like to be lucky enough to experience a white Christmas, I'm also very surethis is not quite how we expected it to be.
Mind you all this rain and hail was dumped on us in a matter of an hour and during a balmy 29℃ afternoon!
We thought our street had been hit pretty hard…
At least it was, until we went down to check on my brother in-laws place and saw all this…
Hubby tried his best to make light of the situation, but of coarse there was no denying that the damage would be extensive.
Guys, clearly you need to be more specific if ever asking Santa for waterfront living.
So I'm pretty sure I may be getting a nervous breakdown for Christmas.
This Monday heralds the first of my fully booked 12 hour days right through to Friday - a feat which could well be the death of me.
I swore I wouldn't talk about work on here (conflicts of interest radi radi ra) but what the hey, lets live dangerously.
The thing is I'm actually not complaining (surprised? Me too), if anything I'm rather excited! A bit nervous, but excited.
All of my closest clients, who've become more like friends than patrons over the years, sharing their pre Christmas experiences while allowing me to primp and preen them all to perfection for the holidays.
Trailing in one after the other, filling my home with chatter and cheer.
Yes it's busy and I barely give myself time to stop and grab a bite in between but I love it!
I love the gossip, I love the smiles, I love the glistening array of freshly painted nails and glowing bodies parading out my door.
The exchange of Christmas cards and tokens of appreciation for each other are just the bonus star on the tree of contentment.
Yes, my dear friends, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas xox
So recently I've been getting all domestic and while in the festive mood I really wanted to try my hand at a spot of baking.
I can't say it's my forte but it certainly was a lot of fun making all this mess :)
I didn't have all the wiz bang tools so had to improvise a little when making my cloud, kite & button shapes.
Still, I think they turned out alright considering...
And the end result… drum roll please…
So what do you think?
Side note: A few months ago we had new neighbours move in next door.
A lovely young couple and their two adorable children.
As the weeks rolled by and I never had the chance to properly introduce myself, I feared what these people must think of their mysterious (rude) neighbour who worked long hours into the night, people coming and going from her house yet never taking the time to pop over and say hello.
It just seemed like every time they were home I was busy working and on the weekends I was free they always went away...
Before too long it just seemed too hard and in these fragile early stages of the relationship it already felt quite strained as we shyly waved our obligatory hellos and goodbyes every now and then.
Wracked with how to welcome them to the neighbourhood after so long I settled on baking them this little treat as a peace offering.
After all, who can refuse the allure of a good old fashioned sugar cookie?
No longer caring if the time was right I took my cookie jar over last night and presented it for better or for worse.
I think it must have worked as today, for the first time since they moved in, Lady of the House managed to stop and have a little chat with me in her front yard while the kids played hide and seek around us.
I miss the friendly days of old where everyone in the street knew each other and everyone got along, mostly.
I don't expect to become besties but I do think this has opened up a little path of friendliness in an age where communities are more disconnected than harmonious.
Regardless of what happens, I love to give and as yummy as these would have been to keep to myself, it felt so much more fulfilling to see the beaming faces of master 5 and miss 3 as they told me which of the cookies were their favourites.
Faves were the kites & clouds by the way. But only after they were finished playing with their planes.
❥The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies- By comparison this dough produced the fluffiest and sweetest result (perfect for my little clouds) but was a nightmare to work with. Super gooey, so have extra flour handy for dusting and manageability.
❥Shortbread Buttons- Looks like a great recipe but I used it more for inspiration rather than follow it to the letter.
❥Cookie Clouds - Couldn't actually download the PDF(and the blog owner never responded to my e-mail so couldn't get my hands on it) but the blog is still great for inspiration.
The only thing stopping me from putting my tree up this weekend and not after the 1st of Dec like any sane person, is my inability to get my hands on a real pine tree.
How long do they last anyway?
Will it be all brown and wilty if I buy one so soon?
Clearly I'm super excited about Christmas.
If this doesn't prove it go ahead and check out my Pintrest board of Christmas inspiration;
