This was our Christmas.

We've changed beds 6 times in as many days, packed and unpacked suitcases, loaded and unloaded the boot 7 times and seen every single member of our family that we love.

We hung stockings, (including my childhood knitted one!) laid out sacks and suitcases and for the first time in about 6 months both boys slept all night, and in the same room, on Christmas Eve!

We've had 3 "Christmas Days", travelled hundreds of miles, watched the boys adore their first Pantomime, clinked plastic glasses of champagne in a hot tub, swam in the dark, made "Baby's First Christmas" crackers, played on penny machines and created our own chocolate coins with the bravest boy in the world.

I will always treasure hearing 2 little boys screaming "Has he been? I think he's been!" and being transported back to my own childhood Christmas mornings.

My brother in law cooked, almost single handedly, a spectacular Christmas lunch for 11!

As always we toasted to absent friends.

To Granny's and Grandpas, to Grandmas and Grandad's.

After one of the most relaxing Boxing Days I have ever had with the Heath clan, my family joined my in laws for another festive day of fun.

There were times I had to pinch myself that this was real. This was one.

This has been the year of families coming together and I am so lucky that we all spend these special times as one. The boys went to their first pantomime and it was adorable seeing them both open mouthed and shouting "It's behind you!"

On the 29th something special happened. My brother and sister in law had flown home from America on Christmas Eve and my cousin and his wife and their baby daughter flew back from Kenya. 

And this was the result. Times you will never forget.

Thank you to everyone who has shared their home with us this year. And hopefully next year we can return the favour in a new home of our own!

I made an extra special effort on Christmas Day to make sure we took a photo of the four of us. 

And that is down to 6 other like minded mothers.

I am so proud that all of us have completed a whole year of our Family Portrait Project!

I love seeing how my little family has changed, Ollie from baby to boy.

If you joined in with us thank you so much, and I hope more of you will join in next year!

Head over to Becky's blog for some festive cheer! And don't just read her December portrait post, scroll back. You'll be besotted. 

I've shown you me and mine, now show me you and yours! 

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.dearbeautifulboy.com/p/me-and-mine-family-portrait-project.html" title="dear beautiful" target="_blank"><img src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll320/looby_boo/meampmine-button_zpscc9f6437.jpg" alt="dear beautiful" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

It has been terribly quiet around here.

I am sinking in boxes. Everywhere I look there is a half packed box. Rich and I are both having moments where we cannot really believe we are moving, especially as we officially have no where to move to.

An hour before we were due to exchange on the new house in Dorset our solicitor was sent a 40 page planning history document.

On page 22 was an agreement which essentially restricts any form of development on the majority of the land surrounding the house.

In 10 minutes our dream of an idyllic life in the country with parties in the paddock and a new timber office for Rich to grow his new venture were shattered. 

So we are on the hunt again. Firstly for a rental house in Weston and secondly for a new dream house in the Dorset countryside.

This week all my best ones have been on hand, on the phone and on email. We have a place to stay at one of our best friends this weekend (if our sale completes on time on Friday) and I am not so secretly hoping the completion ticks over into the new year!

We know who we can count on in a crisis and I am so grateful for our family and friends.

I feel so sorry for the boys. Festive cheer has been distinctly lacking this year. We have no tree, no lights and everyone will be getting a voucher this year. Father Christmas did very well at an NCT sale last January so at least that is one thing I don't need to feel guilty about!

So we were thrilled to have spent last Saturday at Longleat. My cousin in law and her family took us for a day out as a thank you for the family photos I took of them a little while ago.

I couldn't recommend a day at Longleat more. The safari, the Santa train, the beautiful house. We could have easily spent 2 days there! Standing around the singing Christmas tree, watching Sammy and his cousin dance without a care in the world, made me smile, and for a few moments all the stress and worry disappeared.

Treasure the little moments, they help you get through the tricky ones.

Merry Christmas lovely readers. I will keep you posted on the house hunt.

I have a few Christmas posts from last year to remind you of later this week and next year I will attempt all the ideas that for now, will stay in my little blog notebook.

Linking up with Country Kids and Coombe Mill

I always say I must be the easiest person to buy for. Everywhere I go I see something I love!

Top of my list this year is a sweet granddaughter clock, a Diana lens for my Canon, a calligraphy course (yes I know I have loads of time at the moment to practise - but hey a girl can dream) and a raft of cookery books. I have an incredible photography job coming up in the new year and the more I look for inspiration, the more I hone in on my own style. 

I love surrounding myself with pretty and inspirational magazines, books and prints but all it does is make me more sure that following your instinct is the best way to go. Have confidence in yourself and your own creative eye.

I constantly rip out pages from magazines, I have cuttings I have carried around in an old Filofax for years. So here are a few on my wish list!

My go to sites are

Pedlars

Scarlett Willow

Cox and Cox

Graham and Green

Dibor

The plate section in Ikea

and I would also love a floristry workshop place with Daisy Lane Floral Design and any of the art work by the illustrators showcased by 19 Alexandra Road.

What's on your wish list this year?!