Good Bye 2017, Hello 2018...

Welcome 2018 !!!

Firstly I'd like to say....

             Happy New Year!


There are three things I'd like to tell you about. One: our Christmas break. Two: Our house and Three: Creatively Beautify.

Here is a long rundown on our last few weeks.

We had a very relaxing wet Christmas at home followed with a visit to Nana JuJu's house for a late lunch feast. The boys loved riding around on their scooters from Santa. Michael was being a handyman hanging a frame and making a floor for our car boot and I gave Kiara a good wash for her road trip with Judy while Sebastian played with the hose just before the rain came!

The last week of December for 2017 we stayed at a caravan park in Port Macqaurie for 4 nights. While we stayed in a Villa, my siblings and their families were camping. To give their boys a true camping experience they slept on un-powered sites. It sure was an adventure for the kids as it was absolutely pouring down with rain the day we arrived. Setting up the tents in the rain was a real treat (lol) and the thunder storm left most of the ground flooded! The tents were luckily pitched on slightly higher ground but the meals and seating setup were unfortunately under water. This didn't stop them from enjoying their adult time with alcoholic beverages to keep them warm under a tarp wanting to collapse under the pressure of a fantastic storm! It did however add to the excitement of camping and despite the ladies displeasure they all had a good time. I believe it was a good experience and story to reminisce.

The first three days were spent feasting, catching up with family by the pool and watching ten Juveniles run a muck with water pistils and water balloons. We played a secret Santa unwrapping game much like the Double Dice Game which was loads of fun!! 

Our last day we decided to be tourists and go for a skate in Port Macqaurie. We took a drive around Westport and wow what big houses do they have! After our brief residential exploration we headed back to town for ice cream (Yum). We eventually found gelato at Blue Cow Gelato and took a walk along the boardwalk all the way to the foreshore. It's a lovely long walk! We stopped by the park in front of Chop and Chill for a while. Sebastian was entertained by a friendly pelican who was waddling up and down the esplanade.

 After a little play we took the scooters and skates for a ride on the esplanade. Meet up with family; this is when my sister decided to try out the skates lol then we decided to take the walk further and check out a nice caravan park which we spotted on the esplanade. It's called NRMA Port Macquarie Breakwall Holiday Park. It has now joined our holiday must try list. The esplanade wraps around the park which is perfect for our skating!
It was very windy but such a pleasure to stroll. We were amazed at how far the path goes and all the boulders that are decorated along the way. Riley and Connor were impressed with all the artworks but most of all the skate park at the end of our walk to Town Beach Park!
Instead of backtracking against the wind we walked up a track on the hill (with a stroller I must add) and down Stewart Street on the hunt for dinner. There are many places to eat in Port Macquarie. The decision was difficult at first until Michael spotted Suzu Japanese Dining nestled next to The Beach House on Horton Street. The kids ran around in the courtyard and played in the park while we waited. Suzu is a must try! We enjoyed our meal, the staff were lovely and would definitely eat there again. The park in front of Chop and Chill is a dart across from Suzu Japanese Dining so after dinner we climbed the fig tree and played in the park till around 9:30pm.

It was raining the day we came in to Port Macquarie and the day we left so our last meal was brunch before our trip home at Cafe Churro Fondue. We shared a pancake stack which was plenty of sweet for the 5 of us. If you are a chocolate fiend like I am than you will find their hot chocolate to be very satisfying!

Pancake stack at Cafe Churro Fondue, Port Macqaurie

As much fun it is to be on holiday it is nice to be back home. We had a great time being tourists and look forward to our next holiday there!

Our New Years was also a wet one and after our holiday fun we were content to stay in this year. The boys had an early night and Michael and I chilled with a movie. The most relaxing New Years I have had!!

We've had more fun since we got home.. building our house! Michael is amazing.. I am often blown away by how clever he is! It can be frustrating building your own house especially with children but so rewarding. I helped him put up our cladding last week.  One might think it is easy; it is not. There are lots of things to consider and without all the gadgets to do the work for you, there are calculations that need to be made. These things seem to come naturally for Michael. I'm so proud of the progress he has made and look forward to making more with him. Riley and Connor start at their new school in the town this year so the pressure is now on! More on our house soon...

More family time was due after a full week of building so we explored the new look Coffs Harbour Jetty Foreshores. We finally have somewhere pleasant to ride our blades.. yay!!!
We started at Moonee Beach Reserve with a long swim followed by our favourite ice cream at Eric and Deb's Ice Creamery on Coffs Harbour Marina. Then we headed for a scooter and blade along the Jetty foreshores. This was another windy skate but was just as much fun. Riley was off exploring the path. We intersected here and there. We would love for the path to go all the way to the Jetty Foreshores Playground. Next skate we'll explore further. We ended the day at Brelsford Park.

Now that you know what the family have been up to, let me tell you what I will be getting back to... Sewing of course!
I finally have a working sewing machine yay!!! In a previous post I mentioned my Janome had died (insert sad face). After much deliberating we decided to bite the bullet and buy a Bernina. It is a Bernina 215 and it will be my work horse. I had initially thought I should fix my machine or find one with all the fancy stitches I could play with. Then the Bernina went on sale for Christmas. I am so stoked my Husband told me to get the one I wanted!! It's such a strong machine and outweighs the fancy stitches I began to use on my Janome.

These machines on sale however aren't cheap so along with some pounds I had saved, the credit card was handy. Then my beautifull Nan sent us a Christmas card with a gift that covered that cost. Many kisses blown to Ireland!!!!
Now I have a sewing machine and an overlocker, again with the help of Nan's pounds towards a present from my amazing Mother In-law! Woohoo here comes the sewing, there is nothing stopping me now.. accept when my boys need their Mum of course!

So.. cheers to family, fun, creatively beautifying and a new year for more!

Love Samantha and the Aird Clan xx