happy new year!

we're going to spend New Year with friends - here.

4 adults, 4 children (9,7,7,5) Miss K is the oldest and the only girl so she gets to boss everyone around, or at least I think that's the plan!

lots of good food, good fun, good friends, and fireworks on the beach to celebrate the coming of the new year.

when we get back reality might start to kick in, and it will be time to starts lists, and resolutions like reddy made. I like the idea of a list of books to read, and maybe I should also resolve to make one thing from each of my craft books, and my recipe books ( of which I got several new ones for Christmas - yippee!)

hope you all have a lovely New Years Eve, whereever and however you celebrate.

Happy New Year. xx

christmas festivities

could it be that we were the only house where the carrots had to be individually labeled for each reindeer?

do you think someone was delaying going to bed?

can you believe that I was finishing presents at quarter to midnight - making that is, not wrapping?

how long will it take for my 2 year old niece to understand that not all dolls are called "baby jesus" after going to church on Christmas eve?

we had a truly magical day, the kids were adorable, I'm assuming the good behaviour will wear off now that father christmas has visited, meanwhile I'm enjoying it, and playing with lots of star wars lego.

hope you are all full of Christmas leftovers, and too much chocolate, we're heading off to the grandparents tomorrow-

- wish me luck.....

happy Christmas

I wish you all a very happy Christmas, thanks for making my first Christmas in "blogland" so special.






thank you for all the lovely comments on my last post, it was great to hear all your ideas, and so many people commented - thankyou!!!! I'll let you know what I decide on, just as soon as I decide........... but if you have any more ideas you know what to do!

I'll be back in a few days, hope you all have a magical Christmas


Happy Christmas!! xx

what's in a name

I need some help today.

I've very recently been in touch with a little local shop ( they visit craft fairs etc as well) that sells handmade items made by local mums, and takes 25% commision. I took in a few little tote bags, some Christmas hearts, and a few Christmas brooches. They liked what I had and would like some more.... and some patchwork, and some felt flowers, in fact anything I want to take in, you get paid if it sells, if not you get it back.

so here's the problem, everything they sell goes under the name of the shop primarily, but you can have your own labels if you like as well.

so what do I put on, if it works out well then maybe I might open an etsy shop one day, and driftwood is taken on etsy (by someone who has nothing in their shop..) and would people think the things were made of driftwood?

ideas I have so far;

handmade by tess - not very original, but does what it says on the tin..

or as my hubby always just calls me t something like

t and .......

or tea and .....

or patchwork pear - in homage to this,

possible other relevant things,

I'm very fond of cake and roses and tea, and my middle name is Kathryn (Kate, Katie....) and... no can't think of anything else.

please leave a suggestion, including all those people who've never commented before, I know you're out there with just the right name, and I could have a prize draw if I need to bribe you to comment....

let them eat cake

after seeing so many pictures of snow and cold it was a delight to see this on Gina's blog, it amazes me that she can be having such different weather!

meanwhile here in England it's grey and chilly, just as well we have more smiley faces to cheer us up!



2 more days of school, E has his school party today so could go to school in "party clothes" - he chose a pair of trousers of which the elastic button waistband had come undone, so I've just spent 10 minutes sitting in the corner of the class with a safety pin threading the elastic back through...





we took the teacher gifts in this morning, mostly because they were in danger of being eaten by J, who insists that as its now Christmas ("well we have the tree up don't we"), that any Christmas related food is fair play, including any cakes that might be on the kitchen table.





I'm not sure how well it would go down at school if they turned up saying "daddy ate your present" - it might make the next parents evening a bit tense..

oh christmas tree

little pixie hanging on the tree



the tree - I'd never realised how difficult it is to photograph a christmas tree, I tried several times, the ones in the dark are just a blur of colour, quite pretty actually, but unrecognizable!!!

getting into the Christmas spirit

here comes Father Christmas in his sleigh, no make that a light aircraft..



and his fire engine....



this is more like it, a fairy grotto, (inside a plane!)



now we are in the mood for writing Christmas cards

christmas tag

Lina tagged me for Christmas randomness

mmm lets see.

So far this week I've been to 4 shops to find replacement bulbs for the Christmas tree lights, and have bought 2 sets that didn't fit. Today I found some that did fit but they were coloured, so we have 2 sets of white lights with a random pink blue or green sparkle here and there.
oh and they work when they're lying on the carpet, but stop as soon as they're on the tree....
2 small children keep saying "can we put the decorations on..." and they can as soon as the lights stay on for more than five minutes.

every Christmas morning we drive over with my brother and his family to my parents for a Christmas breakfast feast, which is a long and casual affair during which the children are itching to get at any presents that might be under the tree. I remember the waiting being torture as a child so we always let them have a few at home first, but we don't tell Grandma!

we don't always have turkey for Christmas, but we always have a baked ham for Christmas Eve, and then left overs for Christmas breakfast with scrambled eggs.

there's a photo every year from when I was little standing by the christmas tree with my brother and sister, it's so funny to look back at them and watch the fashions and the decor change. we've been doing with our family too, following on traditions is part of Christmas.

my mum still makes me a Christmas stocking and she always puts a sugar mouse in it.

and today I finally made the Christmas cakes - better late than never i suppose!!

if anyone wants to share their christmas thoughts please join in, and leave a comment so I know where to come and look.

happy birthday E

my little one is 7 today!



he decorated the cake himself, can you tell?

holiday traditions exchange part 2

this was in my parcel from Carolyn at Laughing Duck.

beautifully wrapped gifts



little pixies for the tree



a sample of teas



little notelets to organise me!



A signed copy of Carolyn's fantastic cook book for children
- check out her website, American Baker



a holiday music compilation



which is filling my house with Christmas spirit



I can't believe how generous it was, thank you again Carolyn.

happy birthday miss K

9 today!

Happy Birthday Miss K.

a fairy castle cake.

an early lighting of the cake because Grandad, Nana and uncle D were here last night.

lots of cards

a tree for jewels or decorations.

beautiful wrapping paper, I know it ends up in a scrumpled heap in 2 seconds but I couldn't resist it.

she opened some of her presents from the pool party this morning (well there were a few opened yesterday too), and will wait for the ones from us till this evening, because getting up at 6 to open them before daddy went to work wasn't a good plan, and opening them without daddy wasn't either.

the pool party was a great success, an hour of very loud splashing and jumping about, no one bumped their heads on the side, or got into mischief, we had some great water toys including some "sea weed" streamers which had one end that was weighted and sank to the bottom, and the other end was light and so they made ribbons in the water for little mermaids to swim through.


and then we escaped to the local pub for Sunday lunch!


It's the brownies Christmas carol concert tonight, so we've got a hectic day, I've told Brown owl it's miss K's birthday so I'm hoping they'll all sing!!!

and even though it's Miss K's birthday the postie brought a parcel for me today! From my holiday traditions swap partner Carolyn. It is fantastic, I feel incredibly lucky to have such a generous swap partner, thank you Carolyn, photos tomorrow, meanwhile I have a huge grin on my face and am just about to put part of my parcel on the cd player now!!!!

the calm before the storm

today was a respite in the midst of a crazy busy weekend.

last night was our nct group christmas dinner, 14 of us drinking eating and talking till late into the night.
tonight is a friends 40th birthday party
the inlaws have come to stay to baby sit for tonight
and to be here for pool party tomorrow...
at some point before Monday I really need to wrap miss K's presents
and make her a cake (she has requested a fairy castle!)

but today I had a lovely day with Beth on one of her felting workshops. I went with my sister in law and we drank lots of tea to revive ourselves after the excesses of the night before and we spent the morning making lots of samples, and in the afternoon we made two fabulous nuno scarves.
photos when I get a chance, and it's not dark which maybe never... Beth had an amazing little pop up tent to photograph inside which acts like a sort of light box, can I convince myself I need one??

soup

it's grey and wet and I'm full of cold.
it's a soup day.
this is my favourite recipe, but we don't have all the ingredients, so I'm making do with a tin of Heinz tomato.

Butternut squash and potato soup.1 oz butter
1 onion chopped
1 butternut squash peeled and chopped
1 large potato chopped
pinch of ground nutmeg
2 pints stock (chicken or veg)
salt and pepper

melt butter, soften onion
add squash, potato, nutmeg
cover and sweat for 10 minutes
add stock, bring to boil,
reduce heat, cover, simmer for approx 20 minutes till soft.
puree/blend.
season to taste.

garnish with crispy bacon bits, croutons, roast chestnuts, whatever is in fridge.

enjoy.

happiness is a pot of beads.

picture the scene, wet cold sunday morning, house looks like a tornado went through it at 200 miles an hour, E and hubby are feeling ill and very sorry for themselves, what I really want to do is go back to bed with a cup of tea and hide under the duvet.

Miss K "mummy can we do some sewing"
me "groan"
Miss K "can I use my beads, and make something Christmassy"

so we go for a rummage in the fabric box, and we find this little remnant that I bought several years ago, and after applying some wadding and backing, and making a few suggestions off she went.
all day there were requests to thread needles, but that was all I did,
and several hours later there was this!






Miss K you are way too clever to be my daughter!

holiday traditions exchange

here are the things I sent to Carolyn as part of the holiday traditions exchange.
you had to send Christmas decoration, so I sent some hearts,



and a mulled wine scented pear



and a Christmas recipe, and a tradition. I also sent her some Yorkshire Tea, as she said she was a tea drinker, and that's all we drink in our house!

other parcels that got posted last week were from the pay it forward challenge, so this felt flower went to Lina



and these went to Megan and Katie





Now to start making Christmas presents, can we say Christmas yet, we got our first card yesterday and it was still November!