Happy New Year

Well I have had a lovely Christmas holiday. Perfect.

Or more correctly imperfectly perfect!!!!

(I'll spare you the vomit, snot, nut allergy and christmas pudding no show stories!!)

We have had a fabulous Christmas, spent with family. As my mum is now living locally, my brother stayed with her, so we had no house guests...I think this made ours a stress free Christmas. I love having a house full of guests, but somehow the fact that we said goodnight (late some nights) kept it a pleasure....maybe its the fact we had our own space, who knows?? Christmas 2009 was the best one we have had in our 10 year relationship. We are really fortunate that both sets of parents get along..maybe this is normal in the real world, but my ex's mother wouldn't be in the same room as my family so this time round both mum and I appreciate the relationship between the families a lot.

So we shared meals and card games, competed against each other at the local bowling alley (I was rubbish as per!!), drank too much and ate waaa-yy too much.

The one thing we are all agreed on, well I say all, the inlaws were a bit quiet about it, next year we will not be having a turkey Christmas dinner. It is so time consuming. We can have a roast any day of the year. Mum and I really didn't want to eat much after 2 days preparing 8 billion different veg etc, so Christmas 2010 will be celebrated with a pot luck curry dinner!! And if the boys want pizza - they can have it.

The important part is everyone around the table...so you heard it here first!!

Father Christmas really spoiled us all.

We all got some fabulous gifts...

from my wonderful teenage son who says he enjoyed the Cath shop!!

From my friend - its a jug cover, but I don't have a skinny enough jug at the minute!!

(she got it from notmassproduced.com I believe)

The tracked down market stall was very well received.

My mum always does me a stocking of 'bits', this year she did me a trug of bits.

I got tons of goodies off my wish list too. I take back all I said to my sis in law about lovely husband being rubbish at gift buying lol!! I got a lovely new watch, perfectly me that he bought with no guidance!!

I didn't intend to stay away from blogland for so long , but I barely switched on the laptop. So all my internet 'committments' have been neglected!! I have to admit I did have to think twice about returning, I have read several books over the holidays, including 2 new books to inspire me for Christmas 2010, sat and leisurely chatted with my husband and boys, started a new sewing project.

I know I haven't been the only one having a virtual crisis...I read in the Daily Mail that Lily Allen has given up Twitter, FB etc (The only thing me and the lovely Lily have in common..although if I was 2 dress sizes smaller and had a flat stomach I would share her love of quirky fashion too!!)

I don't actually agree with the end bit. Surely giving up totally is not the only way to get 'real life' back. And isn't the internet part of real life anyway?? I agree my online life can occasionally get a bit too much, not an addiction per se but definately an annoying regular habit!! (Just one more check on Facebook before I log out..one more look at blogs... I know I'm not alone!!!)

Anyway, as I can't imagine not blogging at all I have decided to make it a New Years Resolution to get the balance right...so less tedious long posts and more quick update type's are planned, less facebook too (it annoys me anyway, but find myself drawn!!!). And a promise to myself - for housework's sake - that I'll have 2 or 3 laptop free days too!!

I also plan to keep my Christmas relaxed attitude about things, if it doesn't get done, it doesn't matter.

I do still plan on making a list of things I want to achieve this year. Crafty things mainly. But a no pressure kind of list. With no time limits. Although it would be nice to get a Christmas table runner completed before December 25th this year!! The list is in progress - getting longer through reading one of my Christmas gifts!!

So New Year, Fresh Start. Today is the last day I will have 2 preschoolers at home. The big boys went back today and C starts fulltime school tomorrow. He is ready but I'm not. And I am not relishing having to be up dressed and out of the house for 8.20 each day. I have had a very relaxed life since W started a new school that he takes himnself to last September!!

The tree is at the recycling centre, very sad about that...the house looks desperate for a good clean, but I have my priorities right and have put up the new bunting that Beki made me lol!!!

Still undecided if it will stay in the bay...I pass a house on the way to my friends, that has bunting up in the bay window and I have gone from, hmm I wouldn't put it there, to, hmm actually I quite like it!!! So naff or not??

Happy Christmas

..to each and every one of my lovely blog readers.

I hope that you all have a fabulous Christmas, and that Father Christmas visits you and brings you something pointless and frivolous that makes you smile!!!

Thank You so much to each of you for reading my ramblings and coping with the disappointment of expecting finished projects that never appear!!

I am pretty rubbish at replying to all your comments, or visiting the blogs of my new followers, so I'd like to say that I really do appreciate your friendship x

I'm ready to sit back now and not be worried about what hasn't been done, but to enjoy my family, I hope you all do the same!!

Have a happy happy Christmas xxxxxxx

A final pause in advent

Its the home straight now as far as preparing for Christmas. In fact all I have left to do is brave the supermarket...probably tomorrow. Let the fun and laziness can begin.....My husband works very hard for our family - most weeks he leaves the house at stupid o clock on a Monday morning, not returning until Friday night or Saturday morning. Christmas is the only time that he takes time off to do nothing. I look forward to his week or so off, probably as much as he does!

Sarah at Red Gingham has today talked about time as part of her pause in advent...and time is what is important to our family at Christmas. It is the only school holiday where there is no pressure to fill up the days with activities. The only time all 6 of us are at home together. The only time we feel no guilt at 'wasting' our days in front of the telly and fire in our jarmies...definately the best part for us!!We will plough our way through the sweets and goodies I have been squirrelling away for the past 3 months, not to mention the too many to mention bottles of wine that are in the wine cellar..ha ha.... we also call it the loft!!!

We will read together, play cards, play games - board and electronic....my brother is travelling from the north especially to (I quote) kick my husbands butt at golf on the wii!!!! We will walk together, eat together and very likely bicker together...but its precious time spent with my family, that is usually just snatched or rushed for the rest of the year.

I can't wait for Wednesday night :)

Before then I shall be catching up with friends, going to the panto with 2 of the boys and mum. It'll be C's first time, so very exciting!

All the presents are bought and wrapped, and sitting under the tree....

(I love my tree more this year than I did last year...said the same last year too!!)

This Christmas will not be 'the perfect christmas' , I haven't made all the decorations I planned to. I haven't shopped for new decorations like I planned. I haven't handmade everybody a gift like I planned. I haven't made a fabulous table runner like I planned. I haven't tested new recipes for Christmas meals like I planned. And I certainly haven't lost the stone in weight I planned!!! But I have had a relatively stress free advent. And I will have a very lazy, cozy and enjoyable Christmas - like I planned!!

alternative wrapping....

I bought a pack of red and white checky tea towels from Tesco to craft with but gave up after cutting out one heart as I didn't like the fabric....(as in its not the easiest to sew!!!)so I have discovered another use...

gift bags -sewn up 2 sides...tied with string...et voila!!!!

I have wrapped up little gifts and popped inside like a mini santa sack for the in laws, but I reckon you could just pop the gift in.....

Nearly there with the wrapping....I have used quite a few different wrappings this year - lots of brown paper though....and I have put lots of things inside cereal etc boxes before wrapping to make life easy for me....

bless the red and white wrapping done by my eldest....next year I shall show him a neater finish lol!!!

I do like it when all my pressies are wrapped...and sat looking lovely under the tree. But I wished I had wrapped as I went along this year, it all got a bit overwhelming..and I have lost a gift somewhere along the line..oh and one of the boys currently is totally unwrapped!! So Father C better get a shift on!!!

Hopefully after tonight I can sit back and enjoy the fact I am all ready?! Just a few to go......

this week..

As well as decorating the Christmas tree...more on that another day, watching Kirsties Handmade Christmas...more on that another day and wrapping up some pressies...more on that another day too, we have been opening our advent calendars and looking forward to our daily instruction card.

I have to say out of all the ideas I come up with this has to have been the best...and when I say I came up with it, I'm sure you understand I don't mean I invented it lol!! I just introduced it to our home....

Apart from a blip last friday where I had written that today we could tidy the toybox ready for Father Christmas, C has been very enthusiastic. It is also making me do something with him everyday..I find it too easy to leave them to play by themselves whilst I cook tea etc etc...but with these activities we have to interact at the kitchen worktop or dining table.

Tuesday saw us making Christmas biscuits using a Nigella recipe. (gold dust cookies from the Nigella's Christmas book)

It was a really good recipe, I shall be making up another batch of dough to make biscuits for the tree as they are a good sturdy biscuit once cooked. (I did add an extra teaspoon of ground ginger and a teaspoon of mixed spice for extra flavour...)

The recipe has an egg in so R cannot partake..if anyone has a gingerbread biscuit recipe that does not need egg please give me a shout!!

Like the card making I let him go freestyle...I just oversaw the flour sprinkling ;)

Wednesday was making a snowman decoration - so easy and earned me tons of fab mummy points!!! C even got unlimited access to my button box... and the ribbon scraps too and made 2 lovely little snowmen that are hanging in the hallway...
Today we collected pinecones ready to make decorations next week - well I collected them in the park over the road while C scooted around, and also having given up on the sad pansies I neglected and failed to plant out, we had a visit to the garden centre and bought some more plants..primroses this time and they were planted as soon as we got back so I couldn't waste more plants!!

The postie turned up whilst I was mid planting and brought me a beautifully wrapped parcel from Pat. We were partnered for the Homemade Christmas Swap. It didn't stay wrapped up under my tree for long.....so I'll be back soon to showcase Pat's talents!! x

Pause in Advent - week 2.

As I sit to write this post I am thinking this is a new tradition I would like - the choosing of the tree on the second Sunday in Advent.....we always do have a real tree, but I usually send out lovely husband to get it (with strict instructions obviously!!!) whenever we have a day that he is at home and we have no committments.
I like the idea that we will always know when we are putting up our Christmas Tree. I'm afraid I can't put it up in November. My mother would kill me for starters. Her rule was not before the 12th!!
So today (by sheer fluke that it is the second in advent...) we traipsed into the country to choose our tree. (we all wore wellies!!!!)The farm offered a tractor and trailer ride to the big fields to choose our tree to be chopped down. There were 2 very pleased little boys and a going along with it 12 year old one!! This will become another tradition in our family I think. It made the getting of the tree a much more special event than the usual getting in the car, collecting it, going home thing!!
(hmm this looks a good one...)(but I better check it fulfills mummy's strict height criteria!!)
The decorating of the tree will be done this evening when the small children are in bed. They can 'help' with their tree but not mine. I'm not precious about the tree, I like a rustic, traditional crossed with scandanavian style - ok anything goes!!! And although I lack the gene that allows me to decorate beautifully and with symmetry I don't like the 8 baubles on one branch look.

Here it is in situ after moving the furniture in my not overly big lounge around!! Lovely Husband refused to lug the very heavy chest that normally lives in the bay, upstairs..so its a long coffee table next to his armchair.So its a Christmas movie and mulled wine whilst trimming up the tree night tonight....
And of course the outing to choose a tree, gave me a more exciting activity to put in the calendar....which so far is working really well. A definate keeper for next years calendar!!

what do you buy the man who has everything??

Well more like the man who wants nothing!!!

I always get lovely husband to write me a list but he is so flipping practical, unlike his wife who likes pointless but pretty pressies ;)

We don't go overboard for one another but we do get each other a few little gifts to open and I was browsing here... and found, what I think is, a fab stocking filler...and its far from practical...

(click on the pic for a link to the decription)

pointless... but very cute and very apt following our trip....he'll love it!!

I aim to wrap up everything this weekend. Then next week I can concentrate on posting the swaps I have outstanding (nearly there ladies!!)

This week has been a busy one for me (more on that next time) but we are still taking the time to enjoy the activity the calendar tells us we must be doing today....

yesterday was watching a Christmas dvd -I have treated the boys to some new ones this year, including this...

if you like Madagascar, you'll love this...Happy Julianuary!!!

Today's is reading some new Christmas stories, we have been reading Christmas stories at bedtime all week, but the treasury on the right is new, and will be opened at bedtime tonight :)

The nativity book is great I bought it after W made his Jesus birthday gaff 5 or 6 years ago. He always liked the photographs of children acting out the story..

I have to say C was not particularly thrilled by the last 2 cards he has pulled out, but hey life can't be all about glitter and glue can it???

(wait til he see's tomorrow- tidying the toybox ready for Father Christmas coming ;) - poor boy......they will get better!!)

Tuesday 1st December

Its the most exciting 1st of the month in the year!! Chocs have been eaten....daily activity discovered...

And cards have indeed been made.....

Nothing fancy - pva glue on a saucer, plastic cookie cutters and glitter glitter glitter!!!

I even let them freestyle no mummy taking over, I don't usually do glitter or resisting the urge to take over - it was good just leaving them alone...feel sorry for my big boys now lol!! All those years of no like this - ooh mummy help you ;)

glitter is everywhere....thank goodness for an oilcloth topped table is all I can say!!!

And my family will all hate me when they open these glittery beauties ha ha!! Well so far I love the activity a day idea...and the next couple of days I have kept simple so hopefully it will be enjoyable all the way through.

I have received some parcels through the post recently that I haven't shared yet....aswell as the stitchery made by Hetty I blogged about yesterday, I also won a charity auction over on the forum I frequent.

This very clever lady had made a stunning pegbag, and as this was the pegbag in use at the time, I just knew it was destined to live with me....here's an action shot.... (taken on Monday morning..that blue sky didn't last!!!!)

and a close up....

Mary also sent me some lovely vintage fabric scraps which I shall use for patchwork, all tied up in a vintage lace trimmed hanky...the pieces on the left are conveniently cut into big bunting triangles so I shall be backing them in a plain fabric and making big bunting!!

I also had a bit of retail therapy in a fellow bloggers shop...

a little hanging cottage, which has found its home on my glazed cupboard in the dining room..the detail is fantastic.

Now it is December it is officially Christmas, and although I am holding out on putting up the trees for a few more days , the real one will be chosen on Sunday, I can now bring out some Christmassy bits and trim up slowly slowly. I have sadly realised that all the things I was going to make for this year are still on the fabric shelf..but I'm sure I can get the look I want with the assistance of a few new purchases!!

Hoping to blog more in December - its my favourite month and one which is never short of stuff going on, I am up most mornings way too early with the baby's itchy and scratchy show so I figure I can utilise that time....