Be still my soul.

Yesterday, my friends asked me to go with them to the beach...after school, on an actual school day, in the evening, on the spur of the moment.

And I did.

And my H did.

He took his shoes off.

There was the glorious feeling of doing whatever felt good at the time...

There was walking....

And capturing of memories.

And running .....

And finding treasure, like dead crabs.




And stinky fish....

Sandy snot....

And glorious people.

There was rock climbing and exploring....

And LIVE crabs and little fish. Big boys to show them....

And there were a few moments of perfect bliss.

And we stayed, on a school night, until the sun set.....

And I know, really know, that this is what I need.

How lucky I am that it is all here and I am here.....gratitude by the bucketful.

Sometimes the good bits just keep coming, don't they?

So I took Jordan shopping at 6am and we did it all, no need to buy anything else ( except potatoes, how does a person forget potatoes?)
I then decided that it was time to take Eli to see Santa, Seth insisted on coming too, though who knows why he wanted to go and see fake Santa, no accounting for taste I suppose.
We got to Fermoys early, a garden center that always has a good Santa and also delicious Deli foods , hard to lose unless the boys are revolting as they were yesterday, I love this place.
We arrived 20 minutes early, Santa was due at 11 am, so we picked up some little gifts for H and Grandpa and right on time we went to the Grotto, only to see Santa was late. There were his Elves ( surly faced teen-aged girls who looked as though they were dying of shame and were praying that the boys they loved did not ever see them in those outfits) shuffling awkwardly and blushing because they were SO the center of attention.
At 11.05 we heard Santa, we heard bells jingling and suddenly...yelling!
"YES!!!! I can hear CHILDREN! Where are they? YES...Alright, I am here! YES, I say YES!!! Here I am!"
And he came hurtling through the shop, arms flailing and he was yelling and charging towards us.



Eli wasn't at all sure what to make of this, he pulled his arms into his sleeves as if that might protect him from the rampaging Santa,



At last he got to the gate of his grotto,



And he was completely splendid, he beckoned and questioned, he hummed and hawed and then told the boys he was sure they hadn't written to him yet ( they hadn't) and so they had better tell him what they wanted.



Elijah kept backing away because this Santa was SO loud....every time he did, Santa would call him back in close and his voice was so dramatic and so interested, Elijah was spellbound ( and a little afraid if truth be told!)



He spoke to Seth and said that he knew Seth has had a few 'wobbles' this year with his temper and that was fine, Santa himself has that problem but this next year, he was going to work on that and be kinder, think before he lost his temper.



HE asked Elijah what he would like and when Eli said Ben 10 toys, Santa said " ELIJAH! Gimme FIVE boy! Ben 10 is FABULOUS, very popular good choice young man!"



The whole visit was just glorious, magical and the boys were so excited, they had wonderful gifts and when we got home, Isaac said he was desperate to go too. I told him I would take him tomorrow and since then he has been asking if we can go but he wait outside, he will watch me go in...then he agreed that he would go in but he wouldn't be able to talk, he would whisper to me and I could tell Santa. Then he said maybe he would write what he wanted to say and I could give the list to Santa. So we'll see.

We chose some gifts for H from the boys, Seth chose a packet of plant ties, those plastic things that hold branches together. What a bizarre thing that must sound to buy but in actual face H does sort of have a thing for these ties. As a matter of fact they are holding the garland to the banisters as we speak. H likes to have some of every size, I am just surprised ( though should I be?) that Seth knows this. Of course it was a case of *sigh*
"oh....THOSE, get those, those will do, he likes those!" so it might well be just that they were in front of his face and for heavens sake get me out of this place now my needs have been fulfilled.
Eli chose some carpenters pencils because H does so like to work with wood.
Then we left, talking about how splendid Santa was.
Me. " So Seth, NOW tell me Santa is fake!"
Seth " well I think he is a bit fake"
Me " How can you SAY that? He knew you hadn't written to him and that you lose your temper when you really shouldn't!"
Seth " Yes, he also had a white beard and ginger hair on his arms"
Me " ............................................................well, hmmmmmmmmm"

They came home and Seth was keen to write to Santa.
It is in card form, picture of Santa on the front and MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Inside...
Dear Santa, this is my christmas list.
1 San Diego chargers kit. ( check)
2. Head gear and shoulder pads ( helmet check, pads nope)
3. Mouth guard ( no but easily found we hope)
4. A really great football ( english)
5. A really good Football hat ( San Diego chargers) Not check, no hope.
A ho ho ho and a Merry Christmas and a happy new year, from Seth

Elijah, poor Elijah, he is a shoe person, loves shoes belonging to anyone but himself, I fight him when he puts floppy great hodclopping shoes on when we are going out, H doesn't, he doesn't mind walking through town with Coco the clown, so he lets Eli wear whatever shoes he likes, no matter who they really belong to. Now he has a big blister on his instep, it is sore and even at bathtime he sat in the bath with his leg hanging over the side ( not easy when you are 5 and small for your age)

His list.

Dear Santa. IWONT for chystmas I wont a BEn10 omitrix a I WONT a new foot. I love this boy.

Merry Christmas, mine is already better than I can remember for many years. I have made so many memories and have been surprised with such acts of love and kindness, this year is perfect in all the right ways.

They should sleep well tonight.

( that's my dad's face right there, incredible to me to see such a likeness!)








And um...sometimes, when snapping a shot, you may capture more than you bargained for!

There's always a but....

So today was one of those days that was all fluffy and dreamlike, where it all seems to have worked out well, to my good. Life is fine.
Dan is down and he and Jordan said that today, dinner was up to them, they shopped and were going to cook, no need to lift a finger and my goodness, they were true to their word. They roped Sophie in as kitchen runner ( for a fee you understand!) she was to clear and run and be general dogsbody because chefs do not do the menial business. Oh no.
It went beautifully,

One chef,

two chefs

and a runner.


It was so good.
We ate, little people at little tables,



Big people at the big table



We had good conversation


And we had 2 roast chickens, one citrus and one garlicky, roast potatoes, honey roasted parsnips, broccoli, swede and carrots mashed, we had stuffing balls ( sausage meat, sage and onion and raisins) gravy and for dessert we had Lemon Possit, with cherries on the top. Does it all sound too marvellous for words, well it was. I tell you what. Delicious.
I felt a little giddy. I am so used to lovely family gatherings, living at grandpa's house we were always bursting at the seams with cousins and inlaws, friends and neighbours, file 'em in and fill 'em up, that's how we like it. My mum does a great family do, all the kids and grandkids. Heaven on earth I tell you.
What was strange and kept making me feel a bit spaced out and freaky was that I was the grandma, I was the matriarch, the person...the hub.
ME!
That'll make you feel old and also more than a little special and important.
Have no fear though because there is always a 'but'.
The 2 chefs? Totally ruined, completely precious and used to having some poor little school leaver as their pot washer. Now the plan was that Sophie be that person and she did indeed earn her money moving tables, fetching and carrying but we, H and I have a reputation ( he more than I) for being particular about how dishes are washed and being swished about in a sink of of tepid greasy water and then flung willy nilly into the drainer? Won't work in this house, so because the thought of dishes after a roast dinner is enough to stop H enjoying said meal, I said I would do the washing up today .
When I cook, especially a roast, I wash up as I go, I use one saucepan and cook 2 vegetables with it ( boil potatoes, steam broccoli) Chefs, used to having a lackey to wash up, well they could care less. Make a sauce...oh pan isn't big enough let's use this one...uh oh still not big enough. Can you see where this is going?
14 plates.
7 saucepans.
5 roasting dishes.
4 platters,
3 jugs,
2 mixing bowls,
16 glasses,
Every single whisk, fork, knife, spoon in the kitchen.
Sophie cleared the table and piled it all...ALL in the sink and drainer, like some hideous kind of monument to cooking.
It took me a loooooong time to do all that washing up but it was worth it. Today was such a gift.
Oh of course, while the cooking was being taken care of, grandma got to take pictures....






( I know that's the header picture too but it may not always be so it gets to be in here too, could it be any more perfect with that little curled lip? )
Today was a good day, a beautiful day.
Eli is sick again which is annoying, I wish he could just get well and stay that way, nothing too drastic we hope but the endless sickness that goes and comes back and an ear ache to boot.
Apart from that it has been a glorious day.
We love those. A lot.

Just a snippet...

I am home, all Boston'd out.
You know when you are planning something and you are excited and you imagine how it will be and hope how it will be and DREAM of how it will be...and then it is and well, it can't ever be as good as you imagine?
This was everything I imagined, just to think about it gives me goosebumps, a lump in my throat an ache in my heart.
I am so tired, if I try to post about the weekend now I won't do it justice.
I can honestly say that this has been a life changing event, I will never be the same again. I have learned and understood, felt and held onto, laughed and realised.
I knew I liked these ladies, I knew we would have fun and we did...oh how we did, but I brought home with me much more than the suitcases that were so over the allowed weight, it may take a while for me to get it all straight in my head so that I can write it here, I can barely type my name tonight.
H has cleaned and rebooted and reset everything on my laptop and as yet I don't have a photoshop programme and do I have pictures to share with you? Shall I give you a taster?
Oh alright then....just a snippet.





















You so wish you were there, don't you?