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I love to brag about my gorgeous girl, my life as a teacher and the wonderful things my darling husband does that amuse and amaze me everyday. Please comment if something appeals to you, amuses you or inspires you.


Friday, December 23, 2011

A Bozzoli Christmas Menu

I thought I'd share what the Bozzoli family is planning for lunch tomorrow.

Nibblies include grown up and kid friendly rum balls, choc topped mince pies, shortbread, lollies, maltesers, choc truffles...yes, heaps of naughty nibblies.


Then entree's will be Margaret Fulton's salmon crepe rolls
and then Dan's chilli prawn skewers and oysters mornay



Mains will be roast turkey breast with cranberry sauce, roast BBQ leg of pork with apple sauce and leg ham.




accompanied by potato salad, prawn, mango, avocado salad and basil, roma tomato and bocconcini drizzled in balsamic and oil.




For dessert we will have a traditional plum pud with lashings of brandy custard and ice cream and mango and passionfruit trifle.



With all this there will plenty of bubbles flowing and a lovely fruity punch.



I'll be sure to take lots of pics, I think Santa might be bringing me a new camera! Fingers crossed.

Oh can't forget that tonight we'll leave a glass of milk, some cookies and carrots out for Santa and Rudolph too!

Not long now everyone!!

Merry Christmas from the Bozzoli's
xxx

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Christmas 2011- We love Christmas!

Most people who know me also know my love for this time of the year. I get so excited when I see the first decorations in the shops and I smell summer in the air. It means Christmas is just around the corner!

It also means making lots of lists!
I am indeed a bit of a list freak. Lists for menus, lists for shopping, lists of presents, lists of shops to buy the presents, lists of decorations to buy and so on.

Fortunately my patient husband, Dan is also a Christmas fanatic, phew!
His big thing is Christmas lights. Don't get me wrong, we don't enter the light competitions and we still have a way to go but we do make a pretty good light display.

So, this year I thought I'd share some images, thoughts and ideas for my Christmas blog.

Let's start with the lights.

Here are a few of the lights around the house this year. Although some new ones have been added...so I'll try and add them later.




Don't they look pretty?

We took Isabella for a visit to the Myer Centre in the city this year. It was something I remember doing with my brother and sister and my mum when I was a young girl.
It was a bit different now I'm grown but still magical! Isabella loved it but has started asking questions about why that Santa is different to Santa at our local shops where she usually has her photo.
Hmm, I think we got around it but perhaps that's a subject for another blog?



 Isn't her dress adorable? It's a label called 'Jelly the Pug' from the US, and was available through my gorgeous friend Emma at Miley Matilda, but I'm pretty sure these sold out super fast!




The window display this year was gorgeous!

Then it came time for me to start decorating the house inside.
This year I decided we would have a silver, red and white theme.
The Bozzoli Christmas tree is an exception to this rule...we add a new decoration every year. This is something Dan and I decided when we were first together. Isabella will take her's with her when she moves out as a grown up and begin her own family tradition.


I am really happy with the results of my many little treasures I have been collecting for months!






My Dad and step mum, Mary are visiting with my step-sister and us this Christmas so I thought I'd let them help Isabella prepare her Gingerbread train...it was such a sickly, sweet, sticky mess...but heaps of fun!


So, we have well and truly got Christmas under control! I have all my presents ready to wrap and food bought and ordered so what now?
Enjoy, relax and eat, drink and be merry!

Merry Christmas to all my beautiful friends and family!

xxx


Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Revisiting my Childhood- Meeting 'Crumpet' Again.

Last year I decided to buy myself a special gift for my birthday. I had been thinking a lot about my childhood in recent times and remembered with fondness my love for a special doll my Mum and Dad gave me one year when I was about 7 years old.
The doll was called 'Crumpet' and here is a special little link back to 1971.


I had this doll for only a short time. My big brother Brett decided she would be a great test pilot for one of his latest adventures and tied her to the Hill's Hoist in the backyard. By the time I found out and tried to save her she had been spun around so much her head had come off! These dolls didn't take well to being stunt dummies so she was broken beyond repair. I was shattered!

I'm not sure what became of my original Crumpet but I began a search for her replacement about 2 years ago. What I found was that they were difficult to find at all let alone in their original clothing or indeed in working order.

I found a few on Ebay in the U.S.A. but they were all broken and only one had her original dress.
Then I came across a doll collector and seller in South Australia who dealt with lots of vintage dolls from this era so I sent an email asking her to notify me if she ever came across a Crumpet doll in her dealings. I never dreamed she would find one in good condition as there seemed to be so few left anywhere.

In August last year I was so surprised to receive an email from her letting me know she had sourced a Crumpet in her original box, in original clothing and with her little tea set and table, in working order!

I asked to see some photos of the doll and this is what she sent me.




When I opened the first image my eyes filled with tears and I was in love all over again!
I had found my Crumpet!

I spent the next 3 months paying for this doll and she finally arrived in time for my 45th birthday. 38 years after I had first met her.

The day she arrived and I opened the box I couldn't believe how powerful the emotions were. She smelt just the same as I remembered from all those years ago. I held her in my arms and cried tears of happiness for a childhood I adored and so many other treasured memories. I guess you just have to have a special 'friend' like Crumpet to understand. I'm sure many of you can.

Crumpet is again a treasured part of my family and she sits proudly in my bedroom and smiles her pretty smile on my side table. I occassionally pop a size 'D' battery in her and she serves tea for Isabella and I. Isabella often asks if she can hold Crumpet and of course she can. I hope one day she has special memories of a treasured friend that will help her revisit a happy childhood as my little friend in the red velvet dress does for me.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Isabella's 5th Birthday Movie Party!


Well the grand event is over for another year!

I was really happy with how the party turned out. Unfortunately I just didn't have time to give all my ideas a chance to come to fruition, but it's one of those things when you're a full time working mummy...we just can't do everything.
I have to say a massive thank you to my friends and colleagues, Sarah, Tracey and Jessica who were there on the day to really lend a hand. Thanks so much girls!

So let the show begin...
 We started with a red carpet too...but the wind got the better of us.

Isabella trying out some of the dress ups in the photo booth.
The party room is almost ready!

 I am disappointed I only got pics of the start of the dessert table set up...I guess that's what happens when you don't hire professional photographers...

 I was happy with the little touches...like our personal D.I.Y. printables for the chocs and lollipops!


 The bunting and tissue pom poms were D.I.Y. My first attempt at pom poms for some years...my mum used to make them for Chrisymas decos years ago! I think I'll give it a go this year.

 I'm not sure overseas readers would know about the relevance of Jaffas in Aussie cinemas?



 Lovely goodie bags from Paper Eskimo but I did add the popcorn labels and ribbon.

 Birthday girl and friend being Hollywood princesses.

 The birthday girl doing some Tangled colouring in.


 All the guests ready to play 'Who Am I?'


 The kids are ready to watch the movie!

 My popcorn birthday cake did not turn out quite as I hoped but it was yummy! D.I.Y bunting again!


Isabella loved everyone singing
"Happy Birthday"

And so another birthday has come and gone...I wonder what next year will bring?