I'll be honest with you because I'm a little merry. I go to my mum's house every year because it makes her happy. I eat her roast lunch. I eat her pudding. There will be a day where I'll miss doing that but I'll also be at home eating prawns and pudding and barely leaving the couch. You are not alone. Hugs to you. 🫂
Me too. If not for my kids being so excited I'd have given up long ago and spent the day in a hotel or something. MIL and Mr Peeler have never gotten along consistently well and always seem to have a ripping argument on Christmas Eve and I'm the meat in the sandwich, trying to soften things up and focus on the kids not getting upset about it 😕
I was invited to join the lead tenant and his family at a Chrissy do down in Corinella and it sounded like a good idea 2 months ago when I agreed to it, but now I'm doing that whole overthinking and stressing thing that I do well. I don't know that I really want to anymore, it's a long trip away in a teeny tiny car to a place I've never been to meet people I've never met in a situation where everybody else is very familiar with everybody else there, and I'll be the odd one out
I'll definitely be going, I'm not going to cancel this late, but I'm just nervous about it and also wondering why the fuck I signed up to go do something on like the only day of the year I don't have to do anything
Tell us how it went after, you never know... Sometimes our gut is right, sometimes these stressful and dreaded events can turn out to be a lot better than expected and change our brain wiring :D at the very least, you'll see a very different and lovely part of Vic that you wouldn't be able to go to otherwise.
The christmas tree made it to work in one piece. And I was able to separate the biscuits out to eat, so I am declaring the Christmas Cookie Tree a complete success. Much of it has already been eaten 😁
Arsehole ex landlord has not let out house yet. Went to neighbour's bleating aww i don't know why they moved, aww they shoulda put in an offer i woulda sold, awww the agent told me none of this
Thing is, said neighbour is the tree-swinging little old indian dude. Who i've basically been the surrogate daughter to for the past decade. And knows every intimate detail of how it actually went down.
Suffice to say, Don was pissed and that narrative-spinning conversation did not go as hoped.
Very satisfying coda to the saga of the shitty ex-landbastard. Surprising he can't let out a whole house in a good area in this housing crisis! Mayhaps it wasn't fit to be rented out...?
He can't. The roof issue means it fails minimum standards - as officially stated by a CAV building inspector - and has already been flagged with VCAT as such. He's gotta do those repairs we were on his arse for for fourteen fucking years first
Getting in early as I'll be flat chat tomorrow...
Hope everyone is safe and healthy and either has a great day tomorrow, or is able to get through the day and make it to the next one. Much love.
If you're inclined, this station from somafm is good to have on in the background....
Good stuff. I was sitting here ignoring the last of the cleaning drinking a beer and listening to Hendrix. Just thinking that it's nearly time for Christmas tooons. Have a great one. Stay safe and go gently.
Every Christmas my aim is to do less and less. This year I have out done myself. I make no apologies. Now could someone please wrap these 3 gifts that I forgot to buy gift bags for.
I bought 4 random gifts (big fancy gingerbread candles) and I'm so disinterested in wrapping them, I'm just going to put one of those stick-on ribbon things on the top. They come in fancy Christmas themed boxes anyway so screw it.
I was today days old when I learned why Die Hard is an xmas movie...
Somehow I'd completely blanked out the entire massive chunks of the movie that reference xmas and only remembered Alan Rickman, and Bruce Willis crawling in vents
Dearest Santa, if you read this could I please get a new fence cos the one I have is hanging by a thread and it may not last much longer. I don't wanna see the neighbour's putrid yard. I've been good I promise. Love CEO. oxoxox.
Prawns are in the fridge, pork is wrap up for an overnight dry out, beer has been opened!
So on a final festive note I will say, Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or neither and all at once to the DT! I hope your pants stretch out comfortably, that one weird family member doesn't approach you, may no spikey seafood stab you, and if you want the day just to end may it do so swiftly.
I have managed to make my summer pudding without turning the kitchen into a crime scene, so that's a win. Bit of lunch, then off to pick up seafood, then all my Christmasly duties are done and I can curl up with a book.
It involves bread, berries, and sugar syrup. The bread soaks in all the berry juice & syrup overnight to turn into a gorgeous spongy mush. I use defrosted frozen berries for extra juice, so it can get messy.
Just some basic cleaning to do, will put up tree, then the christmas cooking commences. I'll be doing a big loaf of olive bread, a few dozen iced shortbread biscuits and double amount waldorf salad. 😊
I’ve seen some ridiculous footwear choices in this gym. But none more so than this guy who is currently walking barefoot around the gym. Isn’t that an OH&S issue? Also, it’s gross.
I normally squat/deadlift in socks but sometimes my socks are too slippery for the platforms so I need to take them off and i'm too lazy to put them back on in-between sets if I need to grab some water. They do however stay on for every other exercise!
I thought I was on top of everything, but I decided to leave making the cheesecake until today, but now I've realised we don't have the right kind of pan. Recipe calls for a 22cm round spring form, we don't even have any round pans, let alone a spring form one :/
We also only have baking trays (like what you'd make cookies on), so I can't even substitute it for a rectangle or square pan
The only thing I can think of is we have cupcake trays, so I'm wondering if I should try to make cheesecake cupcakes instead. I realllllllly don't want to have to venture on the bus down to Kmart
Cupcake cheesecakes will be madly delicious. Just use a packet biscuit of some sort on the bottom and fill up the cupcake with the cheesecake mixture and set overnight in the fridge. As per @[email protected] 's recipie from a few weeks back. Might help to line the cupcake tray with clingfilm to make getting them out of the tray easier. That is, grease the cupcake tray, then put the clingfilm on loosely and poke it into the holes until it's tight up against the sides. Or use paper cupcake cases if you have these available. Easy to serve too - one each. Maybe put some berries or jam on the top of each one for fancy.
Thanks for the tips. Apparently we did have a circle cake pan hidden away so we used that. Before I was told about it, I had actually greased up the tin with butter and used baking paper rather than glad wrap. Unfortunately we realised that the base on the one we were making was too thick (I was following a rocky road cheesecake recipe) and even spread as thinly as possible it still took up 3 quarters of the (very shallow) cupcake tray
It's all good now though. I'll post a pic in today's dt
My old Melbourne Kmart was 24hr. I wonder whether it stayed open for Christmas?
Edit: just looked them up - no longer 24hr. Can't say I'm too surprised, I always wondered who would visit Kmart at 3am and why. They're open 8-Midnight these days. And yes, they close at 10pm tonight.
Sometimes I think dating and relationships is a bit like getting pregnant. There's a certain time window when it's ideal to go for it. But after that it just gets harder and harder.
I for one am liking this rainy Christmas Eve. Feels like I could be overseas having a winter Christmas. Also having the oven going tonight was not sweaty work. I did want to go look at Christmas lights tho, not going to happen.
Got some Christmas lights in the yard and wrote cards for everyone at work, that's as far as I've gotten with Christmas this year. Still enjoying the season and am happy to be spending tomorrow with the boyfriend's family for lunch before indulging in my own tradition of mac n cheese in my jamis... if the house survives the night and we don't even up in Oz!
I've got a sore throat and am feeling a bit stressed out... I probably won't go to Christmas at my sisters. Maybe just send Merry Xmas texts. Lemmy gets to deal with me instead.
I finished a practice piece, challenging myself to just do the work and not get it perfect (ie get bogged down). It is done and I learned a lot on a couple of skills I set out to practice but I still hate it in another way. Also it was digital not traditional so I worry that I'm just taking shortcuts rather than training muscle memory and learning properly.
It's rained 33mm so far and is 11C feels like 1C here in Ballarat. I think that's enough, surely. Alas, no. And I didn't bring any warm socks. Stoopid...
Ballarat pulled a swifty on me in Jan when it somehow went from 35+ to 10C within a couple of days and I had no winter clothes. Because it was bloody January. I'm treating all future trips there as though it's the middle of winter and packing accordingly, even if I'm just popping in for an hour.
I've made a boo boo. I bought Chardonnay to have with limoncello but I've realised it's pinot noir which if not mistaken is red bubbles. I do have lemon, lime and bitters mineral water so I could just use that instead.
All I saw was the green bottle and the gold covered cork and went yep bubbles. Luckily for me it's Aldi's award winning top shelf fizz so I should be alright.
What's the worst that can happen? An atrocious colour. Meh.
Christmas pudding icecream made, roast turkey done and carved and carefully stored, last of the presents wrapped, arguments between the other adults in the house mediated. Tablets taken for sudden migraine caused by the arguing. Minipeelers and I went to bed, a little subdued and somewhat downhearted about the arguing. Could they not even have one Christmas without it? Just for a change? Just once?
The Minipeelers really got involved in the food prep this year and I enjoyed sharing my knowledge with them. A treasured family member who lives at the end of our street came to visit in the afternoon, which I thought worthy of cracking open the Bailey's Tiramisu I received as a gift from a colleague. Bloody nice, so smooth.
There is a bird on a nest just outside my loungeroom window and there is a baby bird. It's only a blackbird, but they're not a problem in my yard and far from pestiferous. I find myself hoping they're ok in all this rain, and worrying about them a bit.
You get your favourite rich creamy vanilla icecream (I like Streets Blue Ribbon) and any dark fruitcake or rich Christmas cake or pudding you like (has to be a dark style of cake, rich and fragrant). You break up the cake/pudding and crumble it up as best you can while allowing an equal amount of icecream to soften slightly. You then mix them with a fork until well combined. You have to take another bowl the appropriate size for the quantity you're making and line it with cling wrap (I've got a favourite ceramic mixing bowl that's kind of pudding shaped that I always use). Spread the icecream mixture out as flat as you can into the bowl and freeze until ready to use. When ready to serve, take the bowl out of the freezer, allow to sit for a moment, then invert onto a serving plate, remove all plastic and cut into slices. It became a tradition at Christmas time after too much dithering and debate (and a couple of doses of awful cheap clearance microwave puddings MIL got from NQR) about whether we should bother with Christmas pudding at all. The kids aren't huge Christmas pudding fans, MIL can't be bothered, Mr P insists on a sweet and I like tradition with a twist. This way everyone gets what they want.
I think there needs to be a conversation with one or both of them about the arguing, because it's just rude to ruin the day for everyone else. Especially every year. Buttt... I'm aware some people who are unaware or uncaring enough to do this stuff will only double down and make it even harder on you for having tried to have the conversation/set a limit. So then you're left with the original problem plus being punished with passive aggressive butthurt.
A more subtle way might be in order.
It could be that there's a blanket rule about not arguing at the dinner table (make sure others back you up). And there's conveniently some post meal activities for you and the kids to remove yourselves to if they start beefing. A Christmas movie is a good one because it's obviously gonna be rude to argue during a movie. Or perhaps you and the kids 'found the meal a bit heavy and need a post prandial walk'.
They're adults. They choose to get into conflict. It's not your job to mediate and make things easier for them. It's not your problem. Your duty of care is to yourself and your children.
Potatoes are prepped for tomorrow, which is my contribution to Christmas dinner done.
I tried to interest Miss Meow in the festive season, however as a black cat who is still rather fond of her Halloween house she has decided to continue with her Halloween celebrations indefinitely instead.
Mr Woof has declared that if some fat guy and a herd of raindeers land on the roof he will be barking them on their way just like he does with the possums, so I don't think he can be said to be getting into the spirit of Christmas either.
I guess experiencing the joy and magic of Christmas through your children's eyes does not really work with fur kids.
Batteries - purchased, along with stuff I sorta needed but didn't want to make a trip solely for.
Tree - up with large lights after the original ones failed.
Last batch of chocs - made.
Loungeroom - to be tidied after I have a breather.
Decorating - will be done tonight as is traditional chez ours.
Hoping you're having a good one, DT.
Surprisingly, ones from eBay hold up pretty well. I have 3 and have not had an issue with any of them. If you’re testing any in person, like at the shopping centre stands, turn them up and press them with some force against yourself. If the motor chokes a little, that means the quality isn’t quite there.
But most friends I’ve known who’ve bought various brands have not had any issues with ones up to $100. Also just be mindful of where you press. Hitting areas of inflammation (burning/electrical feeling) can aggravate the area.
Edit: Also, make sure you have a good knee strengthening routine. A lot of good free information out there.
True facts. Carols by candlelight started in Melbourne in 1938 after some dude (can't remember his name) saw a woman in the window singing Away In A Manger by candlelight in 1937. The next year he got the neighbourhood together to sing in the park. Awww.
I don't think it is possible for it to have been getting worse every year for the length of time people have been saying this. I've been hearing this for at least 30 years, I can only assume that it is people's nostalgia that gives the past a warm glow rather than the show itself deteriorating.
I used to love it so much, but it's become some overly sponsored commmericalised crap that I just can't be bothered :( instead I'm thinking of watching the X Files Christmas episode with the ghosts because why not.
I used to record short clips of me singing Christmas songs each day in December in the lead up to Christmas and send them to a bunch of my friends over Facebook Messenger for a laugh. I called this event my Bradvent Calendar.
This weather is reminding me of the first year I did it, 2017. This was the second Bradvent Calendar clip I ever made which I recorded while it was piiiiishing down rain. It flooded pretty bad that year.
Watched The Holdovers last night. Now that was a good film and an Xmas one no less. Aside from the setting and characters feeling very authentic, the film's writing and direction really had the solid and unpretentious feel of films from the 70s. It's a slow burn and there's no jawdropping twists or anything, but the characters felt so real. And there's no pat, easy endings either.
I've been curious about this stuff lately. My Italian boss said he'd bring some homemade stuff into work sometime. Apparently his family have been making it for a long time.