Dear reader, I have a problem, it's not a big one but it's a problem just the same. The thing is you see, I can't actually get a great photo of both of my girls together. It doesn't matter when you try and photograph them or indeed how many sweeties you promise to give them afterwards, they just can sit in the same place without it turning into random silliness and giggles!

I suppose really if I'm honest this is a pretty acurate description of their characters, i don't have the alternative photo yet, thats the one where they shout scream ang pull each others hair out yet, I fear dear reader though that it's not very far away!!

Not more Christmas photos????

Actually these ones are not specifically from Christmas, I took these ones of the girls yesterday, it ws my quest to get some new decent photos of them, however the Christmas tree is currently blocking out nearly all the natural light out of the livingroom and it was far too cold to go on treks outdoors so these will have to do until I get rid of the blinkin tree. I can't believe how much I really want to rip that thing down but hey ho it will probably remain there until atleast after the new year celebrations, Paul and I decided to have a very exclusive party where we would only invite our closest friend so that just me and him again then!! Alas thats the shame about having no friends in the very near vicinity, all my friends I have met through the internet and although i have been lucky to meet many of them in person, very few of them live just around the corner!!

You'll note that we're back to normal sized photos today, blogger just refused to let me upload any images yesterday so I had to resort to teeny flock ones, today we're back, thank goodness!!

More from a Very Charlton Christmas!

Yes more snapshots of our very lovely Christmas and boy do I need to be reminded of it, can't beleive it was only a couple of days ago, hubby went back to work today and I returned to my groundhog day of children, chores and more of the same!!

I always get a little sad at this time of year as I love Christmas so much I'm always gutted that I have to wait a whole year for more fun and frolics.

I've just tidied my desk in an effort to kickstart a little scrapping and I need to mail my boss and see if there is anything for me to do, atleast thats one great thing about working from home.

The kids have played out on their new bikes today even though it's freezing cold and Loobys nose looked a gorgeous shade of scarlet! I also decided that I should refrain from all alcohol, I was more than a little tiddly last night when I collapsed into bed at 9.30pm (I know last of the stay up and party crowd) I reckon I had consumed an entire bottle of red wine and an additional glass when were out earlier in the day so it's more than a small miracle that I have no hangover today, even so I thought after all that food and drink of the past couple of days my liver could do with a wee mini-break before we have to toast in the new year in just a few more days.




So todays photos are Abigail having her usual yearly Christmas day, dear reader it is a tradition now so I thought I should share. Also Iain receiving his prize present, a remote control Dalek.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.

We certainly did that dear reader for just one day of perfection we laughed, we joked, we did absolutely nothing, we regressed to a childlike state and played with toys, we watched Sing-a-long Wizard of Oz and Paul and Iain played X-Box games, the kids were happy, the parents were cheery and I don't think I heard anyone cry all day, usually crying is one of the most common sounds in our house having a 3 and 4 year old and that dear reader is usually me!!

Of course Abigail had her usual Christmas huff but we're used to that by now, I'll see if I can find the photos of last years Christmas huff and we can compare them dear reader!!

Even the cats seemed pleased with their new delux carousel house, or was that just because they could see Iains new mouse out of the corner of their eyes!

I had to upload of course Pauls "James Bond Villain" moment with Loobys new Fur real Cat for moments like that don't come along every day and I think it's a little priceless!!

The bottom photo I took myself last night and for a self portrait taken at the end of a long Christmas day, most of which you have spent tiddly with cava, I'm sure you'll agree was not half bad!

I hope you've all had a wonderful boxing day today, I know our friends in the states don't celebrate boxing day but for us it's been pretty much the same as yesterday, mostly relaxed and mostly on the silly side of sozzled and with that dear reader I'm off to finish my rather nice glass of red wine!!

Santa Claus is coming...

In the words of the classic pop stars Hi-5 "he's ready and on his way, time to put the stockings up, tommorrows Christmas day ay ay ay ayayay" Told you they were classic!

Yes tommorrow is indeed Christmas day and I'm blogging early today dear reader as once again, I was far far far far far too excited to sleep!

I have cookies, gingerbread and mince-pies to bake, fruit and vegetables to buy and much Bucks Fizz to be drunk before the day is old!

Yesterday I was star mum, we went to the local garden centre whereupon we bought Iain a pet of his very own, please welcome Stacey the mouse to the Charlton family everyone. No piccies as yet as Iain and Stacy in her very own travel palace went to stay with pauls dad last night, they're due back around 10.30am so i'll try and squeeze her in for her very first photoshoot at some point today!

We also bought our cats Poppy and Elphaba a new cat house, it's red and purple and shaped like a carousel complete with dancing horsies, its very cute but I'm not sure if they even like it, they just keep wandering past it, occasionally popping in but only for cat fights, maybe they think it's some kind of wrestling arena. Oh thats an idea, maybe I could sell tickets!!

Dear reader this has been my first year of blogging (my anniversary is in January) and you have been nothing but kindness to me, you've all left lovely comments and provided support when it's been needed and thats the thing dear reader, without comments a blog is merely a diary and I for one always hated a diary as it wouldn't give me advice!!

Happy Christmas dear reader, may Santa visit and fill your stockings with joy, your sacks with delight and most of all your hearts with warmth.

I'm So Excited!

You wouldn't beleive dear reader that I didn't get a wink of sleep last night, although dear reader you may have guessed that if you know me well, and the reason for my lack of shut eye, well I don't think I can control myself any longer, I'm just so excited because it's only 3 sleeps till Santas arrival and i'll be tracking him with Norad, yes it's a yearly tradition in our house we all get really excited on christmas eve we start tracking the big guy, then the kids lose interest and it's just me left acting like a 5 year old and crying out "OMG Santas just been spotted over the great wall of China" Yes dear reader hope for me is fast running out, even the funny farm gave up hope, so much so that they packed up and moved in between appointments!!

You know, this is the very first year we've not had to worry about the financial aspects, don't get me wrong up until Paul started work a month ago I was in a panic but hey I did all the christmas shopping by internet in 3 weeks, I may not have sent Christmas cards but apart from that i'm mostly the most organised I have ever been. I'm off to the supermarket this morning for last minute gifts and the grocery shopping, am I phased that it will be one of the busiest days of the year, why no dear reader, I am positively brimming with yuletide joys of the season and cannot wait and if all else fails atleast I have my 3 year old for protection. One mostly sensible thing is that the kids don't actually finish school till this afternoon so only 2 hyper-exciteable days instead of the usual week. tat my dear reader is what I call a blessing sent from above!!

Just some Random fun!

So it's darkest December and the weather isn't perfect for photography. Indoor photography without flash is not at it's best, still I tried to take just a few photos today and I thought I would share them as really it's a bit of a blogging lull as well, no doubt next week i can regail you with tales of my fabulous (or disasterous Christmas) but for this week dear reader nothing really is going on in my jam packed life!!

Todays photos are firstly my fabourite fish, I'm not a fish fan but you can't really escape them when your husband has 3 4 foot fish tanks, this fish Severum Ballesterios as I call him really does have personality, when I speak to him he comes over to listen and when I ask him if I can take his photo not only does he sign the release form but he stays in one place for long enough, the same cannot be said for our Oscar or T-Bar Cichlids, fi you want to see piccies of them you'll have to wait till a day when I have more time and patience or scroll back a wee while on hubbies blog, I think he has a few.

We also have today a photo of looby playing hide and seek, sadly her hiding place (behind the apple) was not the most sneaky of places to hide and it really didn't take too much time to find her!

Lastly for today, it's me, yes my festive visit to my own blog so that in 60 years I can remember just how young, gorgeous and glamourous and if you know me all very well dear readers you'll know that last bit was firmly with my tongue in my proverbial cheek!!