Tree Finial

I had a few people over this weekend and my tree attracted a fair bit of attraction, particularly its topper.

No star or angel for me, I have a finial on my tree.  Based on the architectural look of a spire on European churches, it is a different look but one that is very familiar for me - it is what we always had on our family Christmas tree.  It took a lot of searching to find one, although they seem to be becoming more and more popular.

For me it is normal but my friends think it looks somewhat a spaceship!  What do you think?  And what tops your tree?

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one thing I would be perfectly happy to adopt from the US.  I'm not talking about the big meal, the football, the holiday stress, I'm talking about having a day where you actually give thanks for the good things in life.  It is something we don't often take the time to consider.  I'm thankful for so much, I truly feel blessed in the life I lead, but here is the list of things that are really making me thankful today:

I'm thankful for the love in my life.  From my amazing family, my fabulous friends and my absolutely gorgeous boyfriend. 

I'm thankful for my health.  It is easy to take for granted but good health is of unquantifiable worth. 

I'm thankful for my education.  Education is everything in my book.  With education the world is your oyster, without it, the paths are closed.  I'm so grateful to my parents for ensuring I got it and the wonderful teachers who gave it to me. 

I'm thankful for my upbringing.  For growing up in a house where I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was loved and safe.  Where I was taught everything from manners to critical thinking.  Where I was (and am) loved and supported in all my efforts.  Where I was taught to respect money but not revere it.  And where laughter was a part of every day. 

I'm thankful for being born in Australia.  I live in a country where I am free to express my views and elect my leaders.  I am not denied opportunities because of sex, marital status, age, religion or ethnicity.  I go about my everyday activities without fear for my safety.  I have enough to eat, a warm comfortable home, a well paid job.  I know that not everyone in Australia has access to all these things, but vastly more people here do than in other parts of the world.

And last but not least: Today I'm thankful that it is almost Christmas and the German gingerbread is in store!

What are you thankful for today?

Christmas tree time!

This year has rushed by and seems to be picking up speed as we head towards the end of the year.  There is lots to get done and not much time to do it.  However the end of the year does herald my absolute favourite time - Christmas!!!

Last night I decided it was about time I really got into the spirit and I put up my Christmas tree.  It still needs some work, it is feeling under-dressed to me (as far as I'm concerned more is more with Christmas trees), but it is standing, sparkling and the sight of it makes me very happy.

I don't do tinsel on my tree.  I feel it takes too much space away that could be filled with baubles.  I also don't do much silver, I'm more gold themed.  And it is white fairy lights only on my tree.  I have 8 settings, but I prefer solid on, I'm not much for the twinkling look.  In other words I'm rather fussy when it comes to tree decoration.

I do have some beautiful decorations though.  Most have been gifts from my Mum.  She loves Christmas as much as I do and has always made it a wonderful time.  Most of my strongest childhood memories revolve around the wonder that was Christmas in our house.  I think we would both pick Christmas over our birthdays if we could only celebrate one of them. 

This angel is so sweet, although heavy, you need to pick a good solid branch for her.  The gold ball below her came from the wonder that is the Bredbo Christmas Barn.  Well worth the drive for anyone in the ACT region.

I think this lovely snow bubble of a bauble was originally a decoration on a Christmas present.  I always try to hang it where a light will shine though.

And what about this gorgeous fat Santa?  He is actually a bell.  I love his chubby little face and shiny round body.  He always gets a position of prominence.

So be prepared for many Christmas themed posts in the next few weeks.  I warn you now, I adore this time of year, the decorations, the food, the present selection and best of all, relaxation time!  It may be early, but Merry Christmas everyone.

Gratuitous Food Shots - AKA I went to the Flute Bakery this morning

It has been awhile since we have had a post filled with gratuitous food photos of something delicious I ate from The Flute bakery.  But yesterday was a colleague's birthday, so instead of my usual 15-20 minute commute, this morning I did the hour long trip to come to work via The Flute.  As I've mentioned before, it is stuck in an out of the way location, open odd times (8-3 weekdays) and only takes cash, but by the time I arrived at 8.30am most of the outside tables were full and supplies of popular items like chocolate crossiants were already running dangerously low.

Every time I go, the temptation to take one of everything is massive.  But I was restrained and just picked up this delicious flourless chocolate terrine and a few extra macaroons for the birthday boy.

As with many of Flute's creations, you don't get a full appreciation until you cut into it.  The terrine was a rich and fluffy mousse, topped with toasted hazelnuts.  But inside was a hidden layer of flourless orange cake on a raspberry jelly.  The flavour and texture combination was superb.

And luckily for the rest of us, while birthday boy had his own macaroon supply, the cake was decorated with a row of vanilla and orange macaroons for the rest of us to share.  It certainly made Monday morning at the office a bit easier to cope with.

And lets finish with a macaroon close up.

Vaguing Out

I love a funny t-shirt.  But is it just me or do the boys get all the good ones?  I don't know if it is because the words/pictures end up over our boobs, but more often than not girls "funny" t-shirts seem to lean towards the slutty side of the humour spectrum.

There are a couple of great websites that do feature genuinely funny t-shirts for women, however I've also found that those seem to end up being on high necked, non-fitted t-shirts.  The kind of thing that as amusing as it is, I would never wear.

As  result I generally continue to admire the t-shirts of my male friends while wearing unadorned ones myself.  The exception to the rule is my hot pink Mambo t-shirt.  I think the genius lies in the fact that the font and layout are just exactly like a Vogue cover and with only one letter different in the main word, I've had many people see me in it for a considerable period of time before they actually absorb what it says.

The other thing is that it is so perfect for me.  My ability to vague out is pretty well universally acknowledged - to the point where this t-shirt was actually bought for me by my mother.  I love the reaction that it gets and that the bonus that it is a really flattering cut.  So well done Mambo, feel free to make more genuinely funny and flattering t-shirts for women.

P.S. Can I just add that it is surprisingly hard to take a photo of your own top?  However I did feel that asking one of my male colleagues to take a photo of my chest might just be deemed inappropriate office behavior.

Draw a Stickman

One of the things I like most about Facebook (other than it reminds me of people's birthdays which makes me look like a good friend for remembering) is the cool stuff people post up.  This may be that I have some very cool friends, but whatever the reason, it means that I often get sent to fun and fantastic places on the Internet.

Like Draw a Stickman.  An extremely cute website where you draw a stickman and it comes to life.  Really it is that simple, but absolutely gorgeous.  And quite addictive, I keep thinking of different types of stickmen that I could draw and how cute they would look doing ... well I'm not going to give the punchline away, you will just have to go and draw a stickman.

Listography - Top 5 Random Things I Like

This week's listography on Kate Takes 5 is the "Top 5 Random Things I Like".  And not random like the first random things I thought of, random as in, other people probably think it is weird to like them.  So here goes:

1. The smell of tomato leaves warm from the sun.  I have no idea why I like this, I also like the smell of geranium leaves. 

2. Salt on chocolate.  Ok, I know I'm late to this bandwagon, but I've just discovered it and it is extraordinary what it does to the flavour. 

3. A cup of hot water.  Yup, just hot water in a cup, no additives, just hot water.  I discovered this when I was trying to cut down the inordinate amount of tea I drink each day, particularly in the freezing Canberra winters and I've found that I really do like hot water.

4. Reading my horoscope.  I particularly like to read multiple horoscopes in different publications and decide which one sounds the best so I can believe it over the others.

5. Pate.  This one divides the masses, you probably love or hate it.  All I can say is that all the haters are lucky for me because on more than one occassion I've got to eat several people's hors d'oeuvre.