so much to say so little time

There's so much I want to tell you all. But all I can say is this...

I dreamed up these little angels for our Christmas party table toppers. Then I made 6 of them and I adore them.

We hosted a Christmas party for 34 family members for our Great Big Family Christmas.  We have an enormous backyard but every time we hold a backyard function it rains. This time, thunderstorms were predicted.  So on Saturday when tBG and I were erecting the first of three wall-less marquees I convinced him that we would be wise to play table tetris indoors and see if we could have the party inside.  We moved the furniture into our bedroom and had seating for 36 people in our dining room and lounge room.

I went overboard on the Christmassyness of the decorating and I loved it.

That's my desk over on the right, when I'm blogging, that's where I sit :)

 Everyone had a lovely time at the party, it's so nice that we all get along so beautifully - such a blessing. And it rained cats and dogs - so praise be that we managed to fit everyone and everything inside.

We're off to Italy in 2 sleeps. Backpacks packed, waterproof hiking boots purchased and broken in, 16 kg spare luggage allowance to buy lots of pressies and bring them home. Praying that Fiumicino airport doesn't get closed and that no more of Pompeii collapses.

For the next little while I'll be off enjoying our we-didn't-manage-to-have-a-baby-so-we'll-have-a-fucking-great-holiday-instead jaunt. I hope you all have good Christmases and that 2011 fulfils all your deepest desires.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

Her birthday

Today was one of my mother-in-laws' birthday. I have had the pleasure of three mother-in-laws, all of whom I love. My ex has a lovely mother with whom we happily lived for a while. Then there's the Big Guy's mothers. His Mum, who is a kind mother-in-law and his second mother (step-mama), a most excellent mother-in-law.

Today should have been her birthday, she should have turned 64. Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm 64. Instead we've spent the last three days planning her funeral.



On Sunday morning we got the phone-call. As everyone knows, calls at 7:30am on Sundays are always bad news. And it was. We got to the hospital by 8:30am and then we waited. And waited. And prayed. And soothed. And loved. And finally at 5pm, I kissed her warm forehead and asked her not to be dead.

:(

I don't talk much about our step-families. That's plural because tBG's parents divorced when he was a teen and they both remarried.  Each of tBG's step-parents had teen children of their own and both tBG's Mum and Dad managed to extend their families and open their hearts to their step-children and blend quite beautifully. So when tBG and I got together, there was no question of us not blending happily and well, of course we would and so we have. All family occasions are big blended affairs and everyone gets along so well - even the Xs (mostly).

My MIL was an open-hearted woman, a wise and kind woman, a generous and practical woman. She was down-to-earth and funny and always up for a drink or a laugh. She cared adoringly for tBGs father when he died slowly of motor neurone disease in 2007 and she'd not healed from that loss yet (none of us have). There were 16 people in the hospital loving her when she died, all of us torn and devastated and disbelieving. How can she be dead? Why does death come unexpectedly? Why the fuck does it have to happen at all? Funeral is on Friday. The Great Big Extended Family Christmas is happening at our house in 3 weeks and there will be a huge hole where she should be.