Of parties and paperchains

I decided on a tartan theme for the Christmas party we held for a couple of very lovely people that help with Sam.

Paper chains are an easy decoration to make and can be themed for any occasion and topic. I searched for various tartan colours and patterns and got hubby to print these out before cutting into strips.

A bit of glue or (staple them together) and hey presto, a lovely garland to decorate your room. Here I added a few pom-poms in matching colours.

 

Below are some other examples of lovely chains. They could also be made out of other materials too, such as stitched fabric, knitted or crochet wool scraps.

stitchlily.blogspot.co.uk

 from belladia.typepad.com

from spottedcanary.com

We had a fun evening with much laughter, a rather loud rendition of the 12 days of Christmas (goodness knows what the neighbours thought!) and few vociferous rounds of  the game 'Animal, Vegetable or Mineral'!

Santa decorations from the Knickerbocker Glory dessert having a Xmas hug!

Wishing you a lovely Christmas!

xXx

Teachers and presents

We have well and truly entered the busy pre-Christmas period. Only a few days until the schools break off for the holidays and there are many preparations yet to be finished. Having two boys at different schools means two sets of teachers and two sets of presents.

 

As Sam's class is small, I made each child a little gift bag with three gingerbread cookies, and the teachers and support staff got one with a few nice chocolates and a Christmas tree decoration.

Today BB gave a talk at school; he was quite nervous. He had to tell a story in 5 minutes, and had been agonising over this for weeks.  He had tried reading various books, and even writing his own story. In the end I advised him to keep it simple, and perhaps try to inject a little Christmas spirit into the story.

He eventually chose an old classic: the Gingerbread Man. BB turned the little old lady character into Mrs Santa, and the cow and the horse into a reindeer and a snow hare. The fox became a sly wolf, and he took a large Gingerbread man into school as a prop (and ultimately to eat!) and gingerbread Santa biscuits for all 27 of his class mates.

Presents for BB's teachers -  a bag of our pollinator friendly annual seed mixes!

The story went down really well (and so did the Gingerbread biscuits) and his story ended up in the class' prestigious 'Hall of Fame'! 

Well done, my lovely Christmas elf!

The Christmas Tree

This weekend BB and I put up the Christmas tree, with Sam watching on in amusement. In a break with my usual tradition of using the Nordic colours of red, green and white with lots of natural textures on the tree, I opted for multi-coloured ornaments, and added a bit of bling!

BB holding a gorgeous ball of coloured fairy lights

After a lot of hassle finding a string of lights where all the light bulbs worked, I finally got them wound onto the tree. Why on Earth don't they find ways of making it easier to detect a faulty light bulb?!

I think it's very important to include treasured bits and bobs created by the boys, no matter what the theme is. In the meantime the boys got on with what they do best...a huge tickle fight!

Final result - very colourful and not at all Scandinavian...just for a change...but still got the thumbs up from all my chaps.

Have a lovely, and hopefully not too frantic, pre-Christmas week!

{this moment}

From Soulemama: 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Boys can sew too!

As time is hurtling towards Christmas, it's also time to get creating home made presents for loved ones. BB decided he'd like to have a go at learning to sew on my sewing machine, and so he cracked on with gifts for his grandparents.

Being an 'engine', I thought he might well engage with the sewing machine, and, actually you know, I think it's good for boys to be able to sew! He quickly mastered the art of straight stitching and zig-zagging too.

First of all cutting all the pieces needed for the project

Zaf being his usual helpful self!

Here sewing pieces of fabric together

BB used offcuts from my fabric stash and odd pieces of lace to create something I hope his Grandma and Nana will like! So, obviously, I can't show you the finished items yet!!

I think for a 10 year old computer-mad boy, small projects which he can easily finish, is probably the best option for him. Making presents also teaches him the value of giving, which I hope will bring pleasure and pride to him when he gives his creations away on Christmas day.


I hope a few home made presents make their way under your Christmas tree too!

ahhhh, Christmas is coming...

So, as the days are on a count down to Christmas, excitement grows in this household, and although we haven't seen any snow yet (much to BB's disappointment, on hearing the snow frolicking his cousins are up to in Denmark), there is much to do and create before the holidays are truly upon us.

Although we are as yet not fully decked out for Christmas (except each boy receives a small daily present in his advent calendar), we do now have our advent wreath hanging up. This year I decided to make mine a little more simplistic and rustic (or should that be rusty!).

However, if you choose to make a hanging wreath, do make sure the candles are far enough away from the ceiling so as not to burn it!

Christians use the Advent candles to celebrate this period with one lit every Sunday of Advent so that during the last week before Christmas all four candles are lit. The circle of the wreath reminds Christians of God, His eternity and endless mercy, which has no beginning or end. The green of the wreath speaks of the hope that Christians have in God, the hope of newness, of renewal, of eternal life.

A traditional fir wreath

They can, of course, be made out of other material too. Here pine cones, chestnuts and birch bark have been used.

This one is particularly pretty (madogbolig)

Traditionally it  begins with the first Sunday in Advent, when just one candle is lit, then two on the second Sunday, and so on. Many wreaths are made out of fir with silk bands and other decorations.  In England you are most likely to see this custom in churches, whereas in Denmark it is also a common sight in homes as well.

They make lovely table decorations too (Little Scandinavian).

I am a bit of a traditionalist, and like to keep customs going in my home. I also think it's important to pass down these traditions to the next generation.

Do you have an Advent wreath this year?

The Christmas Fayre

On Saturday Ardingly held the Christmas Fayre. BB had decided to have a toy sale to sell his unwanted items, clearing his bedroom to make space for new Christmas toys!  So toys in boxes in the garage and in the loft were gathered together and squeezed into the car, and we hotfooted it down to the village hall to set up a stall.

The fayre was on from 12 to 5pm, so it was a long day

My lovely friend, Nadia, helped out on the village school's fundraising stall

The crowds just came and came...

Lots of home produce and hand-mades

Lots of children and grandparents in the market for good quality second hand toys

It wasn't always easy persuading BB to stay at his stall, as there were many school friends to catch up with! And despite selling toys for between 20p and a couple of pounds, BB made £60 towards his new lego.

The ladies on the Church stall having a sneaky lemon cupcake

And ho ho ho it was time for Santa to leave his grotto, no doubt children at other fayres and fetes awaited his attendance

And to round the Fayre off, we switched on the lights on the village Christmas tree, sung carols and had a mug of hot mulled wine and mincepies..

There are definite benefits to this time of the year...

All curled up

As the outdoor temperature just plummeted last night and the first frost of the year appeared, whitening both grass and borders, look who's curled up enjoying the comfort of his favourite chair!

This is our lovely Milo, he is a five year old tabby. He originally came from our local branch of the Cats Protection when he was just 10 weeks old. Milo has always been a character, so loving and easy to be around. Bless him, he even puts up with being regularly nuzzled, knocked over and pounced on by Zaf.

I wonder whether you have a feline friend who makes your home just that little bit extra cozy?

Have a happy weekend....

and the rains continue...

The Brits always have more than their fair share of conversations about the weather, but at the moment it does seem justified. The weather has truly been appalling this year, we have faced many floods already due to heavy downpours and yet the sky is more often than not grey and looming.

According to today's Telegraph, more than 500 flood warnings and alerts were in place yesterday, with the Environment Agency warning home owners in North-East England and North Wales to “remain vigilant” in the face of further heavy rainfall.

Picture: REUTERS/Darren Staples 

Forecasters said up to 2.73in (70mm) of rain, nearly a month’s worth, could fall in the North of England, with temperatures expected to drop sharply by the end of the week. Further persistent rain is predicted in Wales, the North and the East today. Surface water, slow to drain from saturated ground, could prove treacherous when combined with freezing conditions later in the week.

Picture: Robert Timoney / Rex Features

Three people died in flooding over the weekend. A 21-year-old woman was crushed by a falling tree and a 50-year-old man fell into a canal. John McNair, a 77-year-old retired company director, also died after his 4x4 vehicle was wedged under a bridge in a swollen ford following heavy rain in Chew Stoke, Somerset.

Picture: Paul Kingston / NNP

Fire and rescue services have received hundreds of calls to flood incidents, with the AA reporting hundreds more breakdowns as a result of the wet conditions. Many roads were closed or impassible, or downright dangerous to travel on causing hours of delays.

Some residents kayaked down the streets of Malmesbury, Wilts, while some home owners in Williton, Somerset, sealed their homes from 2ft of encroaching water using Plasticine. The RSPCA has reported more than 500 calls from people worried about animals in danger since Thursday. Officers yesterday rescued a horse, sheep and a chihuahua from a cut-off farmhouse, whilst residents in Broadway, Worcestershire, were being warned to boil their tap water amid fears that it could have been contaminated by floods and emergency supplies of bottled water were being distributed to more than 2,000 homes.

Luckily, we haven't as yet been too badly affected by the downpour. Yes, it's not good for the bees, who are totally confined to the hive, but on seeing the occasional blue sky do come out for a quick cleansing flight. Our garden is pretty soggy, and muddy!  Zaf, enjoying the puddles, brings about a kilo of silt into the house each time he is out for a walk! And getting clothes dry is a hopeless task without a tumble drier.

But mostly, having to get up early in the morning when the rain is lashing down from a dark and heavy sky, and it truly should be a 'duvet' day, is really not much fun...

Have a listen to this tune and watch the pitter patter roll down the window pane...