we committed to do a christmas market for the 14 days leading up to christmas. it was held in a lovely location (mt juliet in co. kilkenny) where we could leave the stall completely set up over night, and even keep the espresso machine on to prevent the pipes from freezing! which, compared to last years experience with the christmas market in waterford city, was a dream! anyway, with this market taking up the majority (11am-10pm) of my everyday, and clay being kept busy with various church happenings, our christmas season was somewhat lost in the, ironically enough, christmas season!
even after all that market madness, we had a lovely christmas. we managed to decorate our house before the market started, so to come home to a lit tree and a house full of shiny decorations, really helped make the season feel not so lost.
we also (and when i say "we" i mean clay) managed to play loads of zelda (clay's early christmas present) in all the other inbetween times.
christmas eve we had church, of course, which was lovely. we can never hear the christmas story too many times, nor can we ever fully understand the depth of the sacrifice Jesus made, even before the cross. his coming to earth, as a babe, is what christmas is about.
christmas day was wonderful.
we had a nice quiet morning together. starting it off with our yearly tradition of porridge with baileys and cream. yummm.
now, for the presents! (and for a little disclaimer). we live in the country now, which means we are kinda far from any convenience and must drive to get to anywhere. with us having a baby, and with clay needing to go to the office nearly everyday, we knew that a second car was going to be a necessity. we also knew, and was the reason we took on doing the christmas market, that we were going to need some extra cash to prepare for the babe's impending arrival! so, i decided that because i worked almost everyday of that market, i would get my husband the car that he has always wanted, but never thought he'd actually ever get! and believe it or not, in this country, with having to pay a monthly tax based on the size of your engine, and a flat (expensive!) rate for insurance, plus the rigorous nct test (vehicle quality test), an old beat up vintage car (25 years old or older) is cheaper to keep and maintain (vintage insurance, vintage tax, and NO nct needed) than an old beat up 90 something car. BUT its the vintage cars that cost more to buy to begin with. thus starts my scouring of the internets to find a suitable car! and so i did!
look at that happy little spoilt face! (dont mind the bed head, haha)
i think i came out on top though, as far as receiving the most awesome gift goes. do you have any idea how much easier my life is going to be with this thing?!
penelope got a big bag of coal (to keep the fire going for days), a free range chicken (because apparently thats all you can get in the shops around christmas), and plenty of used wrapping paper. i think she was pretty thrilled if you ask me.
made some really good eggnog. had to find a recipe that cooked the eggs first, so i could drink as much as i wanted, and was successful!
honey baked ham and a turkey. done and done!
got all of our vegetables from a local organic farmer.
brussel sprouts, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions.
and there is our table, all set and ready for some good eating and good company! though, i must admit, i made WAY to much for just four people. could have fed over 10! (and it did as leftovers!) after dinner and dessert, we were pretty much in a food coma.
and what better way to soothe a full tummy than a night full of cleaning up the dinner mess, doing some much needed laundry, watching my husband play zelda, see my cat rolling around in bliss by the fire stove, and feeling this bundle inside of me do eggnog cartwheels?
happy (late) christmas everyone.