December 2018

Finally, it was the time of the year that I love - CHRISTMAS TIME!! and I was looking forward to decorating my new home with all the Christmas stuff I had. But before I got stuck into that, Kristian and I had to once again MOVE!! This time we were helping our old neighbour Laura move house. So the 1st December found us moving boxes and furniture again.

Once the big move was over, I got stuck into decorating for Christmas...

We were holding Christmas at home this year and a lot of Kristian´s family were coming to hold Christmas with us. We were so looking forward to it. Nearer the big day, we went and got our Christmas Tree from the cosiest Christmas market. 

We had such a cosy time together getting the tree. 

In school, I had the chance to dress up and spread a little Christmas cheer together with another colleague. We had some fun at the morning assembly while delivering a Christmas tree to the school for the kids to decorate.

 To get in the Christmas mood I went to a Christmas concert that my friend's gospel choir was holding. It was such a good concert and it was good to take an hour or two out of all the preparations to focus on the real reason for Christmas. 

We would be 24 people together for Christmas dinner on the 24th of December. We decided it would be good to eat the meal over in our annexe and then come over to the main house to open the presents and dance around the Christmas tree. So a week or so before Christmas we started the preparations in the annexe, I had to borrow chairs and tables from work and I bought loads of fairy lights to pin all over the ceiling. I was having so much fun getting everything ready. I got Kristian involved in the fun too - I bought some stupid masks for us to wear while decorating haha

We had such a lovely Christmas Eve together with Krisitan´s family.  One family arrived at 1pm for lunch. We then headed to church together. When we arrived home at 3pm the rest of the family arrived. We all helped each other get things ready for the evening meal. Some of the young people played games and made sweets from marzipan and nougat. It was all just so cosy. We had a wonderful evening together. 

 Christmas Day it was just us 5 together. 

 After opening presents we made brunch and then headed of to the beach. It was a cold, blowy but beautiful day. 

 We finished of the day with a delicious dinner....

 Sara headed back home after dinner on the 25th - Andrew stayed a few days longer. 

For New Year all the kids had plans and we had Kristian´s cousin and his daughter coming for dinner and New Year celebrations. They would stay the night. We had such a cosy evening with them. Half way through the evening I started to feel really ill - I had a fever and so ended up starting of 2019 sick. Wonder what 2019 would hold for us.....

November 2018

It was amazing how quickly we settled into life in our new home, although we couldn´t get our minds around the idea that it was actually ours. We kept thinking we were house-sitting for family and would soon be moving back to our apartment.  Kristian and I spent many an evening just walking around the house feeling very amazed and very blessed. 

A week into November and we had our first guests for dinner. It was Kristian´s colleagues. We had 10 people here for dinner on a Friday evening after work. We had a great evening together with them. 

The weekend after we had our friends Line and Tonni here for coffee and cake. It was great catching up with them.  Then the weekend after that we had yet again people for dinner. It was Kristian´s friend Keld and his wife. Just before they came Kristian´s brother rang to see if we were home, they were in the area and wanted to see where we lived so we told them just to come to dinner along with our friends. We were 9 people for dinner. Luckily I had made a load of Beef Bourguignon in the slow cooker so there was enough food for all. 

We also moved house for Andrew in the middle of November. He had gotten himself a wee apartment near were he would study in the new year. The apartment is so cosy and the monthly rental is cheap. The only down side - it is an hour and a half drive from us. 

I had a few days off work at the end of November. I started my mini holiday by heading to Copenhagen for an afternoon and evening with my friend. We met up after work, had a massage and then went for dinner. The best thing was to come home and know that I didn´t have to get up for work the next day. 

I spent a few days relaxing at home watching films and reading. 

Leah and I went Christmas shopping on Black Friday and got a load of Christmas pressies at bargain prices. We literally walked miles and had a great time doing it! 

The last weekend in November and we were entertaining again. This time my old neighbour and good friend Laura was coming along for dinner with some of our other old neighbours and friends. We were holding Thanksgiving together. Once again we had people around the table. (we were 8 this time) The food was delicious and the company just wonderful. We all felt that we had so much to be thankful for. It's good to take time out to count your blessings from time to time. 

 

October 2018

The month we had been waiting for finally arrived. This month we would get the keys to our dream. We had for years dreamed of owning our own home but because the area in which we lived was an expensive area we were always just a little short of what we needed to buy a house there. ( I was also more interested in being at home with the kids than having a career and working long hours, so we prioritised that.) Now that the kids were grown, we felt that we could move to an area that was not as expensive. 

We would be moving about a 30 to 35 minutes drive from where we had lived for 18 years and we could hardly wait. The only downside was that I was leaving behind my great neighbour and friend - Laura.  It had been wonderful being her neighbour for 6 of those 18 years. (She, however, was also about to move - she too had bought a house in another town.)

Saturday 13th October we got the keys to our new home.

We could hardly believe that this was ours. We felt so grateful, thankful and blessed. 

A few weeks before we moved I posted the photos of our coming home on Facebook. A friend wrote to me to say that the house we bought was just across from where his good friends lived and they were  Christians. I thought that was pretty awesome - we had Christian neighbours. Then another message came from him. He said the girl actually came from Ireland! WHAT!!!!

So a few hours after we got the keys and were cleaning away in the house, someone knocked on our door. When I opened there was a couple dressed up in wigs and false teeth. They put their hands out to shake hands and said "hello we are your new neighbours" in Danish with a Ballymena accent haha

 I wish I had taken a photo! 

I was so excited to meet these neighbours, I was dying to know if the girl came from the South of Ireland or the North. Well, she came from the North, just outside of Belfast!! I could not believe it!!! A Christian and from my homeland - now only God could work that one out!! 

Now that we had the keys we spent the first few days working away on the house getting it cleaned and painted, ready for the furniture. Kristian and I both had the week off work.

Leah and Andrew were a great help too - Sara not so much haha (Sara was also moving that week to an apartment in the middle of the city so she had enough to see to.)

Before long we had the place cleaned and painted and ready for the furniture. 

We worked like crazy and before long we were arranging furniture and seeing what looked good where. 

This was beginning to feel a lot like home