As busy as a little elf.

wow, why is it days fly by when you wish they wouldn't and seem to takes for ages when you wish they would go quicker?  I'm feeling like that, so looking forward to the Christmas holidays yet the days are going so fast.  More unexpected last minute things cropping up. A dear neighbour whose husband is very poorly , needing a hug and a cup of TLC , a morning disappears, of course I don't mind ,  another reminder in the post, a few cards that the kids need to write but little man writes so badly and with difficulty and oh yes I would take seconds to do it but no I have to let him do it however long that takes.  He would happily opt out, but no, patience is apparently a virtue, one I do lack at times but not on this occasion .  His grip is as light as a feather and his writing is so light and faint.  He uses a keyboard so quick yet pencils unless he is drawing , well he just doesn't seem to want to hold them??? Occupational Therapy, Physio, we are all at a loss as to why .....but all now agree being 10 he is unlikely to improve much more in this department.

well this is me this week...


Hats made for the Christmas concert,  and it was fun...never made one before let alone two!!

 

I forgot how I love making pom poms..

A few more squares sewed....loving the red and white

Loving the little mat...ready for a certain Christmas plant which I will buy this weekend.......probably

Still waiting for two presents ordered two weeks ago to arrive..irritating..... But not the end of the world


beautiful candles burning, filling the air with the smell of cinnamon and spice....


Children opening advent calendars and checking off the days...so exciting.


having coffee mid morning and looking at the radio times and although I am not TV mad , seeing some old movies
I may just have to see. ...hee  hee and drawing big circles around them..am I big kid or what! My choices in red  and look like Rudolph noses.  , DH more neatly in blue.....


and the elves on the shelves arrived (these little characters are from a story written I think somewhere back in 2005ish....) anyway....
I love them.  My brother born nearest to me was 5 years older than, but I still remember we had something similar.  When I saw these, well I could not resist..I have told the children they help Santa
unpack the sleigh..."oh!!!!!!' " And "but they are small......they must be magic " and they are now in
the playroom "watching". And the kids love them..maybe as much as me.....  I have told the children (like the story) they tell Santa whether we have been naughty and good and that's why sometimes
when we come downstairs they are somewhere different because during the night they have like
magic popped back to tell Santa all the news and sometimes they forget where they were last sitting!!
Every morning I hear a pair of little voices giggling shouting "mummy they've moved again!! Where are they?"  More giggles as they run around trying to find them.  I love it, I think it brings me more smiles and giggles then them!

Anyway here they are

a boy and girl elf

Here are the lovely decorations Pilar made for 

me in the Christmas in July exchange

this year.

Loving the holly theme

especially as our village has a holly 

theme too..bushes of them 

down lots of the lanes..

I must admit we have acquired a few bits this year...not intentional but the white China animals were all around £3 each.....the elves a bit more than I expected but oh I love them!, and I know every Autumn and Christmas they will reappear and be loved. well we are not having made parties or "going mad" on presents for us, so "why not" I tell myself .......it is Christmas after all and I never have much liked humbugs anyway!!!!!!

Christmas cushions ,and a couple of throws ,  a final touch ..... Now newly washed and on display...

Stockings hung off the staircase, we light the fire often and I always fear one stocking dropping onto it , so at this our still "new "house we hang them there...

Lists are not getting shorter yet!!! ....but they will especially when school finishes...

Presents still to wrap....

Mince pies  most days...

Tree lights still not to my liking!!! DH still laughing at me ...not fair!!!

Silly Christmas jumpers, hats and scarfs washed and ready to wear...even the kids this year rolling their eyes asking "do we have too? " !!!!


Little Miss first Christmas concert in her new unit... So proud, happy tears and two smashing kids running up to me out of the blue  and.  giving me a massive hug each for making the hats...
I sent in a few bits for the unit to have a little stall after the concert to raise funds for the new garden..
I think they sold most of it...more big smiles...

Loving reading blogs and seeing everyone else's Christmas , making  and anything festive in fact

I have received all my swaps now.... Exciting !!

and most of all we are healthy and happy and together...

See you soon

Oh dear!!' I wanted subtle but got bling!

The decorations are done, tweaked here and there and now everyone is happy.  Well now I stand back  and just potter my favourite thing... Nothing makes me happier than to potter.
We did consider getting a real tree this year, but memories of a certain spotty pupster made us rethink!!
Well dextie thinks every live tree is worth a tiddle against so old faithful artificial trees  again have been put up.  No doggie tiddles  inside thank you very much...puppy days are a pleasant distant memory , i do not want the repetition of when he was a pup and tiddles up again the Christmas tree again and again !!!
DH asked why we never have twinkling lights...so much to my regret ..oh my why oh why did I say go on buy what you want ?!?!  And so after DH Christmas shopping at Carmarthen , we went to Tesco.  Out of the blue I spotted a new lovely blogging friend who I met a few weeks ago dear Bovey Belle
we  had a huge hug , so lovely to see her, well her hubby and mine must of thought hey what's going on until we explained..lots of smiles and our men smiled when we explained, I am sure neither of us are up to embracing strange women in supermarkets !!!!! What were the odds of us bumping into each other? I don't know but it made me smile.
After a quick chat...
well  I let husband then choose new lights.....he asked what I thought and I said White or clear would be lovely.  I didn't take much notice what he chose. Well we came home and he was all smiles, said he just had to do the lights straight away!, anyway  he put the new lights on and I know he is a northerner but our lights would not have put Blackpool illuminations to shame. Green, blue, red and yellow, they have some sort of random sequence where they blink every now and then and then suddenly seem to explode a little time later into blast of colour like a soundless firework display...oh dear not my cup of tea,!!! but DH said they are the best lights ever!!!!! Oh dear!  Even now 6 days
later they still startle me ....  I will be happily sitting in my armchair, needle or hook of some variety
in hand and all of a sudden they are off again, a few dropped stitches have occurred as a result!!! And the worst bit..... The kids love them...they say they are the best lights they have ever seen....so outnumbered 3 to 1 I may just have to get used to them ......

Told you!!

What a week...  A lovely week.  Hats to be made still for the Christmas show...Pom Pom maker to find in the annex......need to find it to make bobbles for the hats..according to my internet "research" oh I hope they fit.   I have a few new projects to do with both children, one even little man I think will like, clay and cutters , so hard to find things Little Man may join in with... He might this time .   Next week is busy school wise , plays and concerts, parties and above all fun.  We are watching Christmas films and Christmas music in the background seems the
norm now at Breakfast and tea and when I fancy it in between . I find a Christmas jingle is keeping
me going on these dark school morning, when everyone is tired and so longing for the time off before
Christmas it seems everyone can still manage a smile and of course everyone who loves Christmas has a favourite song of course.

After all the Christmas making for gifts and the fair I have been so desperate to finish something
.....  anything that is just for us!!! Some new addition to our home, something ...anything!!!! Do you feel like that? Some non Christmas theme knitting is on hold..... The stitchery ongoing but that will take some time I expect ...so today I took the afternoon off to have a play........

Well that was after we decided to leave the house for some fresh air , because for the first time in days it had stopped raining.   We nipped down to Llangrannog .  The kids had ice cream!!!! I know!! It was perishing cold but that's what they wanted????? Then we had a wander on the beach...

2 surfers were out ..they must of been bonkers'

This stream leads down from all 

our villages

it was so fast flowing

We have had so much rain..I was not

surprised at the amount... 

during the week water has been pouring  off 

fields near the main road ,

some little lanes have been flooded 

and little streams also on others.

The beach 

 was deserted but a few people. 

were in

the pubs and cafe

so we too nipped into 

the Pentre Arms..

they have a huge picture window 

overlooking the beach

and we sat there for a while

I was naughty, well it was after 1 o clock

and had a glass of wine 

and DH was driving so had 

coffee and the kids

crisps and lemonade.

It made such a change 

not to be stuck inside again

Dextie 

stayed at home 

as he had tummy trouble this week

and we didn't want him

to get car sick 

or drink sea water like 

he always does!

Then...

I have quite a bit of Christmas fabric left...so once back home again I got
the  die cutter out, iron out (needs must very creased fabric!!!haha) big quilt square die out
and a hour and a bit later this little pile ready...160 in total enough for 40 squares....

lots of scraps too , (but another idea for those), usually these go in the reject bin but oh not this time

DH and Little Miss

made these while I was amusing myself .

Oh homemade baking smells

mmmmmmmmm

Coffee, coco , crumpets 

and these,

memories of December Sunday

childhood afternoons 

come flooding back.... 

A few more glimpses of decorations..

I love these deer, they  so remind me of 

my childhood in the 70's  when 

these  were in ours and my friends homes.

The elves on the shelves have arrived too

more about them another time

I just love 

the old style decorations.

Until next time .. 

Watch out, is Santa watching?

My children although 10 and nearly 12 are well probably half their numerical age in what they understand and believe  ...they believe with all their hearts Santa is looking, reading their letters, mummy is texting Santa when they are cheeky or naughty..santa is always checking magic hidden cameras because he loves them and wants them to be kind...they believe in the magic and kindness and love of Christmas ...so in their hearts they are probably both 6  but they believe in magic, sparkles, being kind, smiling, sharing , is that a bad thing? If only the rest of  us humans had that magic, wouldn't the world be a better place?

I asked my two what Christmas meant ..Little Miss,...... a baby born , being home and lots of fun and oh shiny sparkles and then presents and lovely food
Little Man......no school...playing lots...presents if I have been good  and oh steak!!!! Oh and leaving something for the deer and Santa
 Every year I record their reply and write it down in the planner and every year it changes , not a lot , but it does change.

I am still decorating ...... I had parcels that had to go off this week so the rest of the decorating had to wait... I still have to wrap our family gifts too but all the cards have been posted and I have one last parcel to send but I will do that this weekend.  Later I have to have a rummage for a suitable fabric for the hats I need to make.... I am happily stitching this

Nice to be doing easy sewing ,

no pattern as it is already printed on the fabric

and easy to pick up 

as I fancy without losing 

my place .

I have to line the back of the Christmas panel I stitched.....again need to find the fabric for that too. I may just may continue with the other Christmas quilt but no way will I finish it this year (again!!)

A little basket of knitting ...waiting

Little decorations .. 

A bit of crochet , I needed to make a little Christmas mat, it will be red and white.

A Christmas tree pattern

A easy little knit 

I have run out of filling

and need to pick some up, 

to finish it and 

a couple of other things..

I think the pattern was free on ravelry..

And in the post

Cards and gifts 

The above from Ellie my swap partner 

in a seasons swap 

earlier this year...

My card from Kimberley

..my "Love made my home"

Christmas card exchange

partner

And 

Jacquie "my journey" 

sent me this beautiful

little Christmas pud

This year 

my first doing swaps has been

great.

I have made lots of new 

"Blogging" friends 

I have had such fun and 

swapped with such lovely ladies.

Both children are having Christmas school dinners today....15 days to go and it will be our turn...oh my goodness.......
   Thinking of those poor people in Cumbria .......... and else where  ,  it makes me have a word with myself and get everything in prospective.....  hope this horrid weather stops so no more people have to suffer the loss of their homes, belongings and normality...

See you soon

Silver

this week DH and I celebrated our silver wedding anniversary.  The date on which our anniversary falls on is special for 3 reasons.  It was the date we started to see each other, then married on that date and then a few years later he had one of three  life saving operations on this date. So we celebrate this special date for not just one but for three  reasons and I always count my blessings that I met him and
still have him .  This year he also survived yet another life saving operation in March ....... So this
December and Christmas, well it means so much.  We always talk about our wedding day... It snowed so was a white wedding ...... Not only the dress and theme...... We were married in the church where I went with my Dad and siblings every Sunday , also where several of my siblings married too....lots of  memories .  I remember a few months before we married a colleague also married and she told me her wedding day went so quick and she just forget to "take it all in" I remembered that and I can say hand on heart , I enjoyed every second, I did have one of the best days of my life and remember it all.

We always buy something for our home on our anniversary, this year a clock to celebrate and record  the passing of time.  Unbeknown to me DH also bought me a silver miniature sewing kit....he knows how I love my hobbies , especially sewing and thought in time it might be something I might I like to add to and collect other miniature pin cushions.


Hard though it was I managed to stitch this throughout the last year....

It was hard doing it without him seeing it and it took ages. At times I had to hide it, then times ,I did not feel like doing it and times I did it because I had to believe this day would come, when things seemed likely to be turning against us, somehow I just had to believe he was a fighter and would get
better..  Thank goodness he did.
Funny how something so simple ,somehow for me ,helped me to remain positive ..... for a little bit of time , took my mind away from the day to day goings on.  Sometimes we all need that sort of distraction I think. DH loved it, he laughed and asked how I had made it without him seeing it...I told him it was part of a cunning plan!!!! we now have to decide where to hang it.


Elsewhere it is certainly beginning to look like Christmas .

My Scandinavia tree 

The kids tree in their playroom 

Decorated by both of them

for the first time this year, usually it is just 

Little Miss .

Ho Ho Ho 

has certainly arrived

Swaps have all been done 

the last one for posting tomorrow

two went via Santa express today !!!

And

just when I thought I was on a roll...

Little Miss came home 

to tell me she has told school I 

can make sleep hats for 

2 kids for the school play,

Ready for Monday if you please!!! 

something like Scrooge's  hat in the film...

and oh her costume 

she needs some sort of mop bedtime hat!

Just when I thought the sewing machine may 

have a day off..

and maybe me too!!

Never mind ..

now to draw up a pattern....

See you soon

Give them cake and we did.!!

As part of fund rising for Little Miss's new garden in the unit they held a cake stall in the main high school hall yesterday.

This is the intended space for the

new garden.

It is steep, muddy and totally waterlogged.

It needs drains, foundations

and a huge retaining wall built.

The quotes are enormous for this work

to be carried out.

It was so dark inside the hall that I have no pics but we filled 5 tables full.  I made about 70 cakes and DH  is already on Santa's naughty list as he kept "stealing"  them when I was trying to decorate them
! but 70 wasn't bad.  I got to the school at 10.30 with my contribution and at 11 we opened.  I didn't
realise just how much kids LOVE cake!  My Little Man won't touch the stuff and Little Miss is
very"selective" but these kids were like locust.

I kid you not there must have been 500 cupcakes and well the kids swarmed , every cake was 50p and   they flew.  Four children, me and 3 teachers helped and it was fun and I imagine a good contribution was made.  I have offered to donate a little table of goodies for the unit too, to sell at it's little Christmas show...I don't imagine the fair on tonight will be a big seller and well as you know I don't do the shows for profit, I do them for my kids and well as Little Man will be going to this unit too in 2 years (hopefully)
he too as well as Little Miss and all the other kids  will benefit from and enjoy a beautiful garden.  I can always make more  decorations next year!!! It's part of my preparing for Christmas tradition
now!!


   I drove home slowly the wind was strong and the roads muddy and the leaves causing
 their own hazard, but you know when you have that happy feeling......I had that.  I loved meeting  the
other kids in Little Miss' class and now can picture them when she talks so happily about school.

And then later a text.....a lady in a local shop wants me to pop in......????,
I was a little surprised and confused, then another text arrived to explain....
well a mutual friend told the shop lady about me (she works in the shop part-time) and my making and she wants to see me!!! She sounded excited and it would be a
proper order thing not sale or return.  I have now e mailed her and told her and clarified that I cannot
mass produce, that I enjoy my hobby and take time to make things as well as I can and with my home
life I cannot suddenly make 10 of anything.  I have said I want to continue  with the fairs and she is
fine with that.   So I will let you know how it goes...maybe another adventure?

Then today.....

After another school review we drove home and although bad for weeks driving home the winds were really high. Branches that  in the space of a couple of hours that when we drove through the lanes to the review had obviously still been attached to trees, had  had enough and fallen.  We counted one very large one and at least 6 smaller one, one I dragged to the side but there seems to be a few too that looked dangerously close to falling.  Then we came across two power cables down.


Thankfully arriving home we still had power.


Now my DH does not do "masterful"!! He is a happy , go with the flow sort of guy so when he said
"You're not doing that fair tonight!, these lanes are dark enough as it is, but with the bad weather and the chance of more cables coming down, well you don't need to go out and I don't want you out in it!"

I knew it wasn't a question and he was really worried.  As he said , if a cable was down and with only headlights to see, heavy rain and more wind I might not see it and well risk me and Little Miss having an accident.

I did think about it and had to agree it probably wasn't worth it.  I rang the organiser explained and
have arranged to pay for the pitch (the least I could do). So Christmas fairs have finished for us this year.  As I write this, the wind is howling all around us and the rain lashing against the windows so
hard ,  so I admit I am not sorry to be home, safe and cosy.


I have just read a very , very funny story on a email about a love triangle!!!  My friend has started a
small holding in April this year.....not far from here in West Wales..she and hubby and her boys are all new to this life and I love hearing her news.  So I thought it might bring you a grin or smile....

We visited them back in half term and met

Daisy

Margot (sulking!) 

Thelma

They were in the shed after having had some grooming and "inspections" and  were expecting the imminent arrival of "Jerry" ..yes named after a character from the old 70's show here in the uk "The Good Life"..sorry no picture of him, but apparently a young ram ready for "action" and destined to be Margot's " Billy ."

Anyway he was meant to be for Margot but he and the other girls had other ideas!!! Apparently there was lots of funny tongue poking, noises of the angry sort and head butting between the girls while
his lordship looked on , admiring his hareem !  She tells me the girls did not want to "share" him at all!! However nature has taken its course as it does .Anyway my friend suspects two of the girls are with kid now , she said they are just so docile and look "loved up" her words not mine !!! The other one she is not sure about but a scan by the vet in January will reveal all!

Until next time

How many sleeps?

Thank you all for your kind comments and wishes on the last couple of posts, Internet connection has
Been sporadic to say the least but I will reply as soon as I can.  I did feel for the stall holders
that need some additional income, it must be hard for them,  I am lucky that I do it for Little Miss and
the fun in making the bits is my reward.  Nice also to see the stash shrinking a little too..ha ha


And so it begins the countdown with this

And the little voices asking how many sleeps, and where they are on the naughty or good list, has Santa planted secret cameras to check what they are up to? and what are they getting??? Questions , questions...

The advent calendars have started and Little Miss is asking when we will decorate?  This weekend looks favourite ......we are going out with a friend and her daughter on Saturday and then I imagine
DH and Little Miss will get the boxes down.

I am sort of excited but need to find my Christmas oomph to really get in the spirit.  I know when memories flood back as each box is opened and the sparkle starts there will be no stopping me!!!
Next week we have our special anniversary and I have been promised a nice lunch overlooking the sea ...looking forward to that.

The Christmas CDs are being played, and the Polar Express was viewed last night by the kids....

Christmas cactus blooming 

and bringing  some colour to 

otherwise grey looking days.

Last year's  bulb waking up.

A few new ornaments too

I shopped around and all

these came in under £15 and 

I know they are nice to 

 display not only at Christmas time

but Autumn too. 

Two swap contents wrapped , just need 

a card and envelope 

and off they go.

See you soon

Ho Ho Ho. More like oh no!

sorry I haven't posted for a few days..the weather has been awful and my internet connection really dreadful that every time I tried to do a post well I would loose the page so gave up.  Today at last connection seems to be staying .

Well Saturday turned into a "wash out". It started raining at 10am as forecast and did not stop.

I set the table up and it looked nice and I had some compliments but so few people through the door.
Last year it was so busy but unfortunately that was not the case this time

This time there was no Santa, no Christmas music, raffle, Christmas food or lucky dip stalls and everyone noted that.  It just seemed rather flat and those that did venture out to visit seemed few and far between.


The fair was due to be between 10-4 but by 2.30 some stalls had already given in , packed up and gone. I packed up at 3 as by then no one new had been through the doors for ages.  Last time I didn't get home until 5pm .  A few regular stall holders said they doubt they will be back unless the organising and advertisement is better, but you can't book the weather and it was bad so as far I could see that was the major cause.  I do think a "Santa" is always important at fairs and some music too.  Little children that came really had little to see or do ..a shame.  I helped at fairs at the kids old schools and know it is hard work organising these events so it was a shame but these things happen.

Today I am busy baking cupcakes for a cake stall,  Little Miss' unit are holding in the main school tomorrow. I am also helping run the stall .  The unit are raising funds for the new garden in the unit which at the moment is small and a muddy strip!

Another busy week , another fair but this is for 2 hours in the evening, again I don't know how successful this will be.

I have been wrapping swaps and presents but nothing yet ready to post, but I imagine they will be by the weekend .  Then Christmas cards to top and tail and then the decorations.

The dining room needs to be emptied of craft stuff now as I don't intend to make anymore Christmas stuff as i want to just do some sewing or cross stitch now.

See you soon