Christmas Tree 2008

The tree is up. BC (or before children) we had classy trees. They were themed silver or blue or silver and blue. Now our trees are colourful and garish.
I think I like the after children trees better.

Top picture was taken by the 4 year old daughter.

Christmas Prep

Advent has begun and we have put up the Advent's calendars. We have four this year. Auntie H. decided not to check with us and sent them calendars. Nice thought but I had already bought them one each. I don't think the girls mind. The more Playmobil the merrier.

It is difficult to celebrate Sinter Klaas with just us. It seems a bit flat. No one else gets it. There is a Dutch society in Oxford. Mr Yoastie looked into joining but felt he had nothing in common with the people who went there other than his passport. Normally we have pepernoten etc. but my father-in-law is in hospital. Understandably sending Sinter Klaas stuff to grandchildren isn't really foremost on my mother-in-law's to do list.

But on a more cheerful note CS is one of the angels in the Christmas production. Apparently during rehearsals Mary was worried about the lack of hospital facilities in Bethlehem. The angels at least stick to the script. Mummies and Daddies are allowed to come and watch. We are a little worried that younger sisters are excluded, well CE is worried. Mr Y. will do his best to work from home on the opening night (lunch hour), so that he can see our eldest perform.
Luckily the school provides the costumes. I am not sure I could have mastered angel wings.

I will get on with some baking later. We have new biscuit cutters in the shape of reindeer and they need to be used.

Things I have learned

Here are some things I have learned over the last few days:

• Do not try to whip single cream. It will not form "soft peaks" even after 25 minutes of whipping. You need whipping cream or double cream.
  
• If the recipe says that it makes 48 peanut butter cups it will. Do not try to use large muffin trays with small muffin cases - they deform - the cases not the trays. (I only have two 12 hole mini muffin trays, hence the large ones)
  
• Hide the peanut butter cups from Mr Yoastie and my parents otherwise you will not get any.
  
• The cat can not pass his bowl over to you even if you insist. Unfortunately the three year old daughter has not learned this. Neither has the cat learned to stop meowing at the three year old with the cat food and rubbing up against her.
  
• Father Christmas uses the same wrapping paper as us. This has made number two child very suspicious. Not even her big sister explaining that Father Christmas must have bought it at the same shop convinced her.
• Do not trust Woolworths to get the ordered present to you by Christmas. It still hasn't arrived.

Christmas Princess

The girls got Christmas / Princess dresses today.

The following was overheard.

"Pim Pom went the doorbell. Who could that be? wondered Princess CS as she went to answer the door. It was the Prince.! He had come to marry her!"

Presents

CS: "Mummy, Daddy and I bought you a present. It's a secret. It is to go on your bracelet and it has green dots."

Mrs Y.:"Well sweetie, if it is a secret you had better not tell me."

CS: "CE got you a pink one."

CE: "Can you help us wrap them? you mustn't look though. Promise?"

I promised not to look. So the wrapping paper may not be straight. Hope I won't mind.

The presents have been wrapped and hidden in Daddy's office drawer. A place so incredibly out of bounds even Mummy won't dare to look there.

Work Christmas Party

It is Mr Yoastie's work Christmas party. Mrs Yoastie dislikes office Christmas parties. I will probably have nothing in common with anyone. I can't decide on an outfit and Mr Yoastie says I can't go as Goth-girl. Apparently I am now a responsible mother of two and need to dress accordingly. Hmph.

Nativity Play

"Mummy, why did they stay in the stable."

"There was no room at the Inn. All the rooms already had somebody in them, so there was no room available for Mary and Joseph."

"Maybe they should have booked a hotel room before they left."

"Yes, but in those days there was no telephone or internet, so it will have been more difficult."

"Could they have written a letter maybe?" Pauses to mull this over "Maybe they did write Mummy and it was stuck in the postal strike like the very old Oma's card. "

"Maybe"