Over the years I’ve become very slack at sending christmas cards. It’s not because I don’t care or I’m not thinking of you, I’m just slack. I leave everything until the last minute then realise it’s too late to get everything done. I also hate sending a card with Dear XYZ lots of love from all of us. We haven’t heard from each other for a year wouldn’t it be nice to be filled in on what’s been happening? So then I decide I’m sending a Christmas Newsletter – but that takes longer to get together – and you want to put your best face forward – which is sometimes difficult if the year has been crap. So again, it becomes an unfinished project.

Well today via the amazing technology of the blog, I’m sending a Christmas Newsletter to you all, family, friends old and new.

Dear Everyone,

Another year come and gone. They say with age the years speed up and boy are they right.

The year began with a trip down memory lane when I headed back to Mudgee for a reunion with school friends. We gathered at the local Chinese Restaurant (there hadn’t been a lot of choice in eating establishments back in ’85 and we’re creatures of habits so went with what we knew – I was disappointed the red felt wallpaper was gone, but you can’t have everything I guess). Having been the designated driver back in the day, because I was a non-drinker, I was determined not to drive this time around. I drank too much wine and so we walked home. I thought I was highly entertaining but according to my friend I was just loud.

We’re still got the common link of similar childhoods, cemented in memories of the schoolyard, we’re older, probably not wiser. There’s been a lot of living gone on, marriages, children, divorces, lousy jobs, great jobs, illness, grief endured but we were still laughing and that’s the main thing.

We discovered the world of orthodontics this year. Youngest daughter’s mouth is now the most expensive thing we own, followed a close second by the dog’s back leg which cost $1600 to mend a year or so ago.

Work continued on Shambles Manor this year but we still can’t proclaim the project finished just yet. We are all over this building a house thing and I’ve promised the family never again.

I’ve issued a decree that 2012 will see NO extra-curricula activities for the children. Which of course I will abandon once the new year starts. The year went by in a flurry of soccer, clarinet, flute, band, dance, touch-footy activities that saw me spend most of my time locked in a car transferring from one event to the next.

I went on a competition entering frenzy and managed to win us $6000 in Bunnings vouchers – we’re still working our way through the paper towels I needed to buy to enter but by 2020 I’m sure they will be all gone.  Also scored an I-pad which Mr Shambles (bloody waste of money why would we want something like an I-pad) absolutely loves – in fact I struggle to get a turn on it. The fact it was free was probably an added factor in his adoration.

Mr Shambles managed to get a job in Port Macquarie so no more two hours travelling time per day on the Pacific Highway yayyy.

I did my usual insanity and put my hand up for a new job at my current workplace – more stress but that seems to be what I like.

I discovered blogging and now my family live in fear of what I’m going to say next – it’s good to keep them on their toes.

The children worked hard and delivered personal bests in all their subjects – go girls! They head off into Year 9 and Year 6 next year .

Nana Shambles is still going strong – luckily because she ends up doing as much driving as me with the kids – although apparently Grandchildren get better treatment than children – the fact that she won’t allow them to walk home from the bus stop in the rain fails to recall her own children did many a walk in the rain, frost, sleet. I blame dementia, she says I’m forgetting how much driving she did for me, children say be quiet Mum we LIKE getting picked up when it’s raining.

All in all we enjoyed a good year.

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas with lots of love and laughter.

Cheers

From all of us.

(Imagine Christmas photo of family inserted here – haven’t got around to taking it yet).