French Knots

Clearing the decks

With the arrival of 12th Night it was invigorating to pack up the Christmas decorations and have a quick tidy up. It had to be quick as the school is still closed so the children are at home and grumbling at each other!

The main job is getting the tree outside with out sprinkling too many pine needles everywhere. I love a real tree and couldn't imagine Christmas without the tree scenting the air. As we have wooden floors downstairs it's fairly easy to brush up but the key to making the job easy is a duvet cover. I use an old king size one and drape it over the top of the tree, tucking in the lower branches all the way round and then do up as many of the buttons on the bottom of the duvet cover as I can.

Once you have got the triffid outside it can be recycled.

It feels like we've moved into a bigger house now all the knick knackery is put away and most of the furniture is back in it's usual place, just need to get life back into it's usual rhythm and the year will feel like it's under way.   

Merry in Melrose

We had a few days away just before Christmas in Melrose visiting family and friends after carefully trekking through the snow.

We took the sledge and hadn't even got the car unhitched before the children were trying it out!  More snow than we ever get here, a magical start to Christmas. Luckily the site was just of the A7 so we could get there and home again safely. We were having so much snowy fun that we stayed an extra night, the evening was wonderful with the children playing snowballing by moonlight as the snow continued to fall. Very special.

It was wonderful to see people that we rarely get together with, chatting, eating, catching up. We had a trip into Edinburgh, such a visual city with so much interesting architecture and the castle standing guard on the hill watching over everyone.

 Mr FK and The Big Sister braved the ferris wheeeeel! Me, no I had to look after The Baby Brother of course!!

 We made our way home through the winter wonderland just in time for Christmas. Lots of present giving, mince pie making, cooking and feasting. We had friends and family over both Christmas Day and Boxing Day which was wonderful, lots of chatting and tale telling, baby cuddling and lego making. A festive family celebration. Hope yours was all you hoped for too.xx

Festive Whirl

Goodness aren't the days flying by!? We have ramped up the activites with a Guide carol concert, choir singing at the Salvation Army toy service, school carol service, trip to the theatre and that's just The Big Sister!

We have been enjoying the advent calendar activites and I'm glad I planned the 'big' things well so we had time to enjoy them. Ice skating was a huge success with much squealing when the envelope was opened.

  It was such fun, much harder than I remembered - or maybe I'm just more nervous about falling over!

We made a flurry of flakes to brighten up the window and once all the lights were working decorated the tree.

Teachers' presents were made and delivered and in a little over an hour the children finish school, hurrah!

With the house decorated and Christmas music playing all we need is a little more snow. We had a mini snowstorm for half an hour yesterday but that was all, not enough for snowman building or sledging.

We made some more of those magazine trees that were all over blogland last year, a great way of using up all those brochures that come through the door.

Right, cards to write or they wont arrive till 2010!!   

Christmas Inspiration

What to  do on a grey Monday morning when your to do list is lengthy but you're not in the mood?

Ah ha what is this?

Many years of collecting, I fished out as many of the Christmas editions as I could see, but there could be more as quite a few boxes were piled up in front of them. Surprising I know for a minimalist non hoarder such as myself!

So many Christmas ideas, things to cook, make, sew and do. Lots of lovely pictures, the perfect antidote to a murky Monday morning.

And here's one I made earlier......

 

Mmm delicious Caramel Crunch biscuits, no there's not many left!

 

I found I needed to cook them for a bit longer than suggested and mine aren't quite such tidy shapes. But who cares they are very tasty!

Right I wonder what else I make from my hoarded Country Living magazines?

Thank you for all the Advent Calendar love, it's going down well and all the activites have been popular so far!

Simple Advent Calendar

Cutting it fine, I finished making my simple advent calendar this morning so the children could open the first envelope this afternoon after school. Phew!

I wanted something straightforward to make so chose to decorate a money envelope for each day of advent, with a slip of paper inside each. Activities, crafts, cooking and adventures for all the family. Yes of course they have a chocolate one too, there's be a revolt otherwise!

 
Some years ago The Big Sister was given a box of advent chocolates and I saved the wrappers as they had such jolly festive pictures. They were perfect for decorating each envelope, but if you are not an obsessive hoarder of stuff you could stamp the numbers on each envelope instead. Pegged to some ribbon they look super strung across the window.

 Here is the list of activities, carefully planned so the more time consuming things are on days when we will have the time to enjoy them

find the Christmas CDs and have a Christmas dance
Christmas crafting! Make paper chains

Make gift tags with old Christmas cards

Put the wreath on the front door

visit Father Christmas

Write our Christmas cards

Make paper snowflakes and decorate the window

Make place cards and napkin holders for the Christmas dinner table

Read Christmas books & drink hot chocolate

 Have a Chocolate fondue

Go ice skating

Decorate the Christmas tree

 Wrap a present for your brother or sister

games in front of the tree

stories in front of the tree

Give Presents to teachers

Make a giant mural by gluing on pictures of toys from flyers and magazines.

Bake a cake

Print & color winter or Christmas themed coloring pages

Print & do a winter maze

Make Christmas bookmarks

Stay up late and watch a Christmas film

Snowman Soup in front of the Christmas tree

Go to Christingle

Feeling very festive now, is it too early for mulled wine?!

Sew Christmassy

In line with my cheerful frugality approach to life these days I decided I would try and make as many Christmas presents as possible using what I already have. This is no hardship as I have boxes full of fabric, jars of ribbon and buttons and using what I have is more satisfying than just going out and buying more stuff.

So repurposing began, unused pillowcases - 70s perhaps?- bought at the jumble became peg bags

 

An old sheet in a funky flower pattern became a bed pocket, with the addition of an embroidery I saw on someone's blog - I can't remember where so if it is you please let me know so I can credit you properly (and it's a little present for my niece so I hope you don't mind me copying your sweet bedtime picture)

 

The bed pocket has a long flap to go under the matress and the pocket can hang by the pillow to hold a book, a torch or other special treasures.

Unlike the government I don't believe that borrowing and spending is the answer when times are tough financially, I would rather save my money and be a bit more inventive and creative when coming up with Christmas presents.

A rummage through my embarrasingly large fabric stash came up with a super selection of fabrics to make a Wee Wonderfuls robot, I've had the pattern for a couple of years so it was time it saw the light of day.

   

I had almost forgotten the lovely fabric I bought bought earlier in the year with a patchwork cushion in mind. I added a little pocket and made a matching neckerchief for the bear, perfect for cuddles

 

Sew ( yes I'm enjoying that pun, sorry!) my Christmas list has shrunk to just a couple of things, including an embroidered stocking that I started before last Christmas and I'll be really pleased if it's finished for next Christmas! 

Busy, Busy

Goodness how did I ever find time to go to work!? I love the bustle of this time of year but find I'm flagging by mid afternoon, which is a great deal better than a few weeks ago. Last week got off to a shaky start as the Doctor sent me to hospital worried that I might be loosing amniotic fluid, happily 6 hours later (!) I was home again safe in the knowledge that I was not but having leant that Tena Lady may well figure in the future and also to avoid sneezing!! Nearly halfway now, 18 weeks today.

The week took an upturn from there as I had been invited to sit on the Citizens Jury for Midwifery run by our local Primary Care Trust. It was a facinating three days, we heard evidence from midwives, obstretricians, staticians, finance experts and had some heated discussion amongst ourselves. It focussed on the fact that my local area is loosing it's maternity unit ( something to do with bringing services ' closer to home' - yeah right) and we were assessing the need for a Midwife Led Unit to serve low risk women in this area. Without that, the only place to give birth would be at home or by travelling outside the area to a big maternity unit at a hospital where it is already hard to park and people feel they are on a conveyor belt. Possibly I am biased, given my current condidtion, but I voted in favour of it and a report will be sent to the jurors in a couple of weeks before it is presented to the PCT. It was great to use my brain a bit more than usual, ok so I've been learning spellings and times tables with The Big Sister but that's not the same! It's an aspect of my working life I had not realised I missed, analysing information, questioning, probing, assessing - the lunches were pretty good too!

I've made some progress on my list of Christmas presents - how are you doing?  

 

A little quilt for a certain someone, the first I've made.Well more of a patchwork blanket reallyas I didn't actually quilt it, perhaps next time.

My Christmas Swap has arrived with Tracey my partner and hers is here too.........of course we couldn't wait to open them

 

This is what I sent, hopefully she is an apron person,the soft trees were all over blogland a couple of years ago and I decided to make mini yo yos for the baubles 

I really enjoyed the hand sewing and, time permitting will make one or two to add to my Christmas decorations.

Tracey really spoilt me

   

She is a talented needle woman, the bag is wonderfully made, so neat and absolutley perfect and the decoration is really sweet with it's embroidery. Thank you Tracey for being my partner, I hope everyone else is as happy with their swap surprises.

Christmas swap partners

Typing at top speed as this post has vanished into the ether 3 times already, my wonderful linktastic post lost when the flammin broadband crashed again....and again...!

I have a great idea for what I'm going to make and I hope you do too. I suggest something that takes two or three evenings of creativity to finish so everyones gets a similar amount of swap goodness.

Please post by 19th Novemebr at the latest to allow time for the international parcels to arrive and if you are anything like me it will free up December for making presents for family and friends as somehow Christmas always creeps up on me! It might be a good idea to get a proof of posting in case anything goes missing in the busy Christmas post.

Please take a photo of your swap before you send it and email it me so I can do a showcase of swap lovliness in the New Year.

ok here we go...

Lynda and Kiona

Lucy Locket  and Vanessa 

Diana and Maxine

Sal  and   Claire P

Rachel L and  Lesley 

Angel Jem  and Suzie 

Camilla  and Kat

Karen T and Tea and Cake

Monique and Nicola  

Leslie and Solorn 

Anne and    Julia 

Maryanne and Periwinkle 

Tracey and French Knots

Ginny and   Kali 

Elizabeth and Bagladee 

Mary   and Frugal trenches    

If you have any problems with the swap- missed you out,changed your mind, links don't work etc- please let me know. I will email the partners contact details for the people who don't have a blog.

Happy swapping!

I have amended the links that were wrong so hopefully they should be working ok now. I have also emailed the contact details for the ladies without blogs to their partners, if you've not had the email please let me know...I'll assume no news is good news!

Christmas Swap

I know it's a bit early for the Christmas word! I wondered if anyone would like to indulge in a little Christmas swap ? Hopefully I wont be the only one, but if I am it wont be much fun!

I thought it would be nice to send a handmade gift, a softie, mini quilt, stitchery, pincushion, bag or whatever you enjoy making, to someone else as a surprise present for the holidays. Getting started early and posting by mid November means that it should arrived in good time for the big day. I like the idea of presents made with love and care winging round the world to blogging friends. Tangible evidence of our virtual friendships.

If anyone is interested please leave a comment and I'll get organising.