Christmas - pre, during, post

December is nearly at an end - when and how did that happen?

I hope you've all had a wonderful December - enjoying the build up to Christmas and enjoying a happy, memorable celebration on the day with friends and family.

It's been a lovely Christmas time here at our place. Lots of handmade presents, sewing summer clothes for the girls, Christmas cooking with the kids, interstate family visiting, significant birthday celebrations, touring Tassie and lots of pots of tea. We made two Christmas cakes - thanks to the wonderful Nanna recipe from A Farmers Wife over at Life in the country. It was very easy and yummy. I just had to make a second one to send home to my family with their presents. Apparently, Dad loved it, so thank you AFW.

And now for that wonderful summer holiday for those here in Australia - long days and weeks, with no school, home days, beach days, holidays at the shack, picnics and BBQs, touring around the countryside and maybe a little summer sale shopping! Ahh, lovely. For those of you in the north half, I hope you are all warm and cosy and enjoying the winter pleasures in the same way.

Oh, and for those of you wondering about this year's gingerbread house. It was a lot smaller than previous designs, and there were a few construction issues (mainly due in part to the homemade icing, I think!) but it is the most wonderfully yummy gingerbread ever.

I'll be posting some of the Christmas gifts I've been making very soon.

Till then I hope you are enjoying a little more holiday time, too.

Brown paper packages...

...tied up with string, or maybe red wool, finger knitting or crocheted chain stitch.

Well, this is the plan anyway. We made a start on Wrapping 2010 yesterday.

I thought we'd make a return to our painted brown paper from the days of one pre-schooler and a sleeping baby. Surely we could manage it now with all four girls?! It was quite successful, but thankfully I was sensible enough to only have two girls painting at a time.

Hannah and Ruby started out with a paint brush and a lovely array of Christmas coloured spots.

Sarah and Alice had a play with a few cut potatoes. Straight cuts through the middle gave us round, bauble like circles.

I was amazed that Sarah could remember doing it so well. She must have been no more than 3 when we did it last time. Alice got the technique right pretty quickly. 

Our triangle cut potato gave us cute little Christmas trees. As bedtime was approaching, this was a team effort - Sarah green, Alice red and Mummy on the yellow stars.

We've replenished the paint supply today and plans are underway for star-cut potatoes over the weekend. That calls for a dramatic rise in the level of skill required with the knife!

Here's hoping I'm up for it or we could have some very wonky stars.

Have a great weekend and I hope your list gets a few ticks, too.

x

Three, or four, bags full

Just a little more Christmas present making to share with you.

More little bags. These are small, simple bags using up a few scraps I had. Love it. They've got chocolates inside for now. I'm sure one day soon they'll find a new purpose in life.

These are a Christmas and farewell gift for the twins' Bible Study teachers on Tuesdays. The girls will be at kinder next year on Monday and Tuesday so won't be going back to our CBSI group. Thanks so much to Mrs A, Mrs W and Mrs A. You've taught the girls so much and they've loved every minute of it.

And a little Christmas and thank you gift for Sarah's piano teacher. Her effort and creativity is just wonderful and Sarah loves her time with her. This leftover music fabric seemed just the thing.

There's been a flurry of creativity from the girls here tonight. Think paint, brown paper and fun.

Will share their efforts tomorrow.

Take care till then. x

Gingerbread house #3

Meet Gingerbread House 2009.

It wasn't as good as our 2008 version - and typically, I don't have any photos of that one. Why, you ask? I don't know. Too busy pinching lollies off it, I think.

For the past two years, I've shared this project with a good friend of mine. With her four children, and my four, we spend a morning with two houses worth of panels. The eight kids are paired off (one young, one a little older), the bowls of lollies are set out, and us mummies run around the table with our piping bags of icing.

Then after 24 hours of setting time, the mummies get together with more lollies and a little wine. The house assembly has provided many moments of panic, more panic and some laughter. It's also involved half a dozen cans of corn and beetroot to hold everything upright.

We still maintain that our difficulties in 2009 came from panels being cut on strange angles. There's a lot of icing used as filler under the eaves of this house. It was just a bit draughty in places.

Now for the 2010 version. I'm picking up two houses of panels tomorrow morning. We've changed architects so hopefully the pieces will fit together better. We have the same builders though, so anything could happen!

If all goes well, I'll show you what we come up with. If not, I think I still will. I'm sure you won't judge too harshly.

x 

Some handmade Christmas ...

....but there's more to come. This year I've wanted to make the majority of the Christmas presents on our list, or at least part thereof. Progress is being made and a few finishes have been achieved, but I can't show them all just yet. I don't want to give anything away, now do I? Here's a couple of little bags I've made for friends and the girls' teachers.

I seem to have made so many of these little bags now. Another then went to a five year old friend of the twins' the other day. I always like to pop something inside like a book, glitter pens and a notebook for the girls, handcream or other toiletries for the grown ups. We find they are really handy when we're away. The girls like to use one for socks and one for clean underwear - nothing worse than struggling to find the last pair of clean panties in the suitcase!

These will have hand creams or chocolates - the girls are yet to decide which is best for their respective teachers.

Then today Sarah came home from church with a plan. One of the girls' friends turns 7 on Wednesday and Sarah wanted to make something for her. So off to her room, found her wool and buttons, cast on 3 stitches, knitted, cast off and sewed on her little buttons. I was rather impressed.

But then more. Looking through her DK book Made by Me she found little felt brooches to try. And so this little cup cake was added to the parcel. Rather sweet, don't you think?

Well, that's it for today. I think my late night sewing while Daddy was away is catching up with me.

Will share more soon.

Hope you all have a great start to the week.

A little Christmas trimming

How's your weekend been going? We've had a very relaxing, but productive girls' weekend here. Daddy had a trip to Melbourne as his Christmas present to see a rather successful Irish band in concert. You don't get many chances to see U2 live, I guess. He's had the weekend catching up with my sister and brother-in-law. We're looking forward to him coming home, though.

There've been extra decorations made for the tree: lots of recycled card chains, lanterns and angels. Last year, Sarah made this gorgeous little calico Christmas tree, hand sewn and without any help from me. I actually wouldn't mind a few more!

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There have also been questions this year (for the first time) from the twins about the Christmas stockings: 'Are you going to make one for us, Mummy?' Despite my good intentions at the start of the year, the twins' stockings have not been made. To make up for such slackness, I do have Christmas fabric versions cut out and ready to sew for this year. With a little letter embroidery, ribbons and bows that will have to do for 2010. Their Shepherds bush stockings will definitely be up for Christmas '11! (NB I made these while pregnant with said twins!)

Each year, the girls get so much pleasure out of our little nativity scene. It came from Koorong bookshop when Sarah was just little - I'm so pleased I bought it when I did, as the girls have always had it to enjoy.  It hasn't always been down low on the TV cabinet, though!

Despite loving the ceramic version, I just had to show you what Alice made yesterday. She came up with her own craft idea with our large supply of old Christmas cards. How cute are those wise men, celebrating with such joy on their faces?

After seeing so much of it around blog land, I made our first bunting yesterday. Last year's January Christmas fabric purchase came in handy. Add red bias binding I inherited from my Nan and it was done. Great photo of my ceiling, don't you think? Photographing a whole length of bunting is tricky, it turns out. Now I don't have a pinking shear-shaped rotary cutter (but I would like one!), so I cut them straight with the rotary, and Sarah used Nan's pinking shears on the edges. Then she pinned two matching triangles together for Mummy to sew. She had so much fun! Now the entire floor area of our house is covered with minute threads and triangles. :)

The production line of Christmas lanterns has been going strong, too. This brings back so many memories of my childhood and Sunday school years, making these by the dozen. They are a great reminder to us of the gift of Jesus and his purpose here on earth:

John 8:12 "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life".

John 12:46 "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness".

I'll be back soon with photos of some gifts we've been making. Sarah has even been busy this afternoon, coming up with a very sweet birthday present for a little friend.

Till then, have a lovely day.

Let the festivities begin....

And so begins the month of Christmas! Our first year using our advent calendar in full. Last year I only began making it around the 1st of December. It saw a couple of weeks worth of December but we're excited about giving it a full workout this year! Saw a few versions like this on line so set to making our own. Think I need a number or two in the last couple of lines, though.

With the 1st of December arriving it was out with the Christmas tree and all our little December treasures last night. Daddy was at school late for a production so it was serious 'girl business'. Christmas music up loud, decorating when we should have been eating dinner, eating when it was the normal story time.

We deserved a leisurely evening! Since 2.45 this afternoon we had done 10 single, one way trips in the car around our town plus suburbs - supermarket milk run, school pick up, piano drop off, home, piano pick up, home, Guides drop off, home, Guides pick up, home. We certainly missed Daddy helping out tonight! He was home in time for cuddles though before bed at 8. I had a chat with Daddy while he ate our homemade egg and bacon quiche (it was good!), washing in, fed dog, a shower, then down the road for our gospel community gathering for church. Pete normally goes but justifiably needed some home time. I was just happy not to have to drive far.

Off now for a little Christmas shopping while the girls are at school and Puddleducks. Hopefully, that list will get a few ticks today!

Being a little sustainable

There's been another couple of finished projects here this week and I'm feeling very happy with them. I've finally started using the vintage sheets I've been collecting and came up with some summer pyjamas for Sarah and Alice. We went with 3/4 bottoms for the many mild Tassie evenings but we've talked about making a pair of shorts as well for variety and hot nights. They chose the fabric they wanted and the shape of the applique. Rather thrifty too - the plain t-shirts were $4.80 at Big W. You've got to love that!

Now, ignoring the creased t-shirt, I think they look rather cute. Sarah told me she is so proud to have such a sustainable Mummy! (Science has been her favourite this year!)

Now ignore the weeds in the paving - aaahhhhh!

Alice is enjoying our Pierre de Ronsard rose now that it's flowering - how cute does she look?

Alice's applique you might ask? Well, she wanted a love heart and that's what she got, but at this time it was sporting a tomato-based stain from dinner. Will share that another day!

Now that we're having some lovely, warm and sunny evenings the girls are loving going outside after their bath or shower. This was a favourite thing for me growing up. The promise of a play on the trampoline in a nighty has worked wonders getting the twins into the bath! And a play before dinner, or between dinner and bedtime, is working wonders in burning up the last of their energy before bedtime.

Oh, I do love summer and daylight savings!

So too, I love realising that all the girls are wearing 'Mummy made' clothes in this photo.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

x

Loving November

No, I haven't been away - just a little busy with 50th year school celebrations, more trips to the dentist and a little spring gardening clean up. No doubt you all know how time speeds up around about now!

One thing I know is how much I love, love, love my Bechtel's 'Plena' crab apple tree. October sees it covered with round, pink balls the size of plums and then turns to this rather impressive show of pink and white blossom. I brought it home as a bag of sticks some 9 years ago - one of my best planting decisions!

I love November in the garden - my blue ixias are flowering, the Viburnum snowball tree is covered with huge white balls and granny's bonnets have popped up and flowered everywhere. To make it even better - the grass is still green and there's no sign of the weather drying off anytime soon.

I just need to find the balance between a) playing and pottering outside, b) playing inside (read: sewing, baking etc) and c) working inside (think towering piles of ironing and vacuuming under beds)!!!

Here's hoping you all manage to find the balance, too. x

A family tree treasure

Well, I guess you could say my treasure this week is a mix of old and new.

A newly constructed project showing generation after generation of our girls' family tree.

Sarah's mission was to document her family tree for a Girl Guide badge. And what fun we had! She wanted to work on it every chance we had. It became a great way to spend our free afternoons while dinner simmered, stewed or baked away.

Some branches of the family have been researched more than others so our information was a little limited in places. But with more time, phone calls and reading the published family trees tucked away in our parents' cupboards, we could no doubt add even more.

Late one night I went in search of suitable photos to finish it off. The next morning, proud as could be, Sarah carted it off to school and then onto Guides the next day.

A treasure in many ways.

Be sure to visit Clare's craftroom to see what others hold dear.

Today I'm nursing a sore mouth that's adjusting to life without wisdom teeth. There's lots of sofa time, interspersed with little bursts of (slow) energy.

Have a great day whatever you're doing.

x 

Two little peasant tops

Well here's an achievement for little me - two sewing projects finished in two days. And what makes it such an exciting achievement, you might ask? Two more items of clothing sewn by Mummy without any need for a zip or button hole! Do I need be so fearful of such things? Please tell me that once I try and do it alone I'll wonder what all the fuss was about!

After seeing many little peasant tops and dresses in my blog travels, I've been wanting to make a couple (or maybe 4!) I considered trying a tutorial, buying a pattern online or just making one up when I found...........a neglected pattern in my plastic pattern box - Simplicity 5695. It's actually a pattern for little dresses but I just missed the gathered frill off the bottom to make a top.

I didn't have enough material for two complete tops but the different sleeves serve a very useful function!

The girls are happy they can both wear this floral as they just loved it. Everyone else is happy because they know that rubies are red so - pink sleeves Ruby, green Hannah. Mummy is happy cause she used up more scraps!

   

And the added bonus? It seems that with a pretty new flower top that 'sticks out like a dress' we are happy to wear our jeans.

But now there's a challenge. I have two older girls asking for a peasant top, but this is a size 2-4 pattern. Will I be able to make it in size 7 and 8 without ending up with some very wonky lines and shapes???? A job for another day.

In the meantime, Sarah and Alice have their own treat this weekend anyway. I'm taking them to the ballet at the Theatre Royal on Saturday night to see The Nutcracker. Dressing up with Mummy and being out late for a special night will keep them very happy, I think.

 Here's hoping you all have a lovely weekend too.

Summer sewing

Well the girls and I are off on a little adventure today. No doubt there'll be some serious peace and quiet for Daddy.

 Here's a little of what I've been up to lately - some summer sewing for my big girls. Thanks to Corrie at Retromummy I've been able to make up her sun dress pattern that appeared in Notebook recently. You can still get the pattern on line and it is sooooo easy!

The girls both asked for a swing top first, and they've worn these with a white top underneath and jeans and they look so sweet.

Soon they'll be wearing them on their own with denim shorts - very cute.

The purple floral was material from my Nanna's stash. She made mum a long sleeved 'blouse' back in the 80s with it. Round, self frilled collar and little mother of pearl buttons. You can't quite see the material of the ties - a patchwork style floral/gingham from Spotlight - but it complements the floral so well.

Sarah then wanted a dress in the same pattern. She chose the green trim for the ties. The girls love being able to contribute their own ideas to our sewing. Wearing something they were involved in gives them such a buzz.

Well, there's one more load to hang out and some packing of the car to be done. Have a lovely weekend. Here's hoping it will be a good one for you all.

x

Weekend wonders

A busy but lovely weekend - lots of fun for all our girls

Alice went to Parliament House for a Guides reception, met the Premier, had a chat with him and then ate and enjoyed lots of his food!

Sarah was at her Guide unit's camp Saturday and Sunday and had a ball. They made tables out of sticks and rope at the beach then used them to eat their lunch from. Both girls enjoyed a Guide day on Sunday also, cooking damper on sticks in the campfire. Apparently the hole made by the stick is then filled with jam! Yummmm!

The twins got to wear their new skirts on Sunday and picked flowers after church for the dinner table.

The simple things

I just love the concentration on Ruby's face here - arranging the forget me nots and lavender sprigs in her hand!

How wonderful to find such delight in the simple things!

x

A treasure from Great

Well, dear readers, it's Tuesday again, so I thought I'd share something special with you today for Clare's Tuesday Treasures. Make sure you have a look at the loved belongings of everyone else who joins in - I know I love seeing such priceless things being treasured by others.

Now before you think I've been crocheting a new blanket into the wee hours I'll reveal that this is not my work. Firstly, I can only do one stitch and this little blanket is quite the sampler!

When I was about 18 or 19, my grandmother and I thought that it would be nice if her mother, my great grandmother, crocheted a little blanket for me to put away for 'later'. Great Granny jumped at the chance to get her hands busy, and so the boy/girl wool was purchased and work began. There were no immediate plans to start a family of course, but I was thinking ahead to such a time, I guess. Now at this time, Granny, affectionately known as Great, was about 91 or 92, and still a very keen crocheter. This is what she came up with - I'm sure I've counted at least a dozen different stitches running from one side to the other. Sadly, Great, otherwise known as Alice Victoria, passed away in 1995, aged 93, so this was no doubt among one of the last projects she finished.

To think I am now crocheting my own blanket, albeit a much simpler version, 15 years later! Maybe one day I'll be able to do some of the fancy stitches that Great Granny did. One thing for certain is that Great's blanket is not going anywhere.

x

Guides and apples aplenty

Another busy week is wrapping up and I have a decent list to get through today. We've had family visiting, dinner out for me, Daddy out singing in a concert and again in an eisteddfod, Sarah in a piano duet at the eisteddfod, Alice having an xray on her sore neck (which was all clear) and an evening with the pastor from our new church. Throw in all the usual weekly activities and you've got a full diary!

We've had the lawnmower at the doctor, as well as my sewing machine (but at a different doctor!). In it's absence I've been learning to use my mum's machine which she kindly brought south on the weekend. The twins should be in a new skirt each by Sunday.

This weekend is all about Guides for our girls. This afternoon Alice is heading to Parliament House for a reception with the Premier to commemorate the centenary of Guiding in Australia. She was chosen from her little guiding group so she's very excited. How is it she is old enough to eat canapes and drink chilled orange juice with the Premier, and not need her mum or dad? When did she get so grown up?

Sarah is off on a Guide camp tomorrow at the Guide Hall so she is very excited. I need to get out that list and start collecting all the goodies she needs to pack. Alice is off for a play date tomorrow with one of her lovely friends from school.

Then on Sunday all the Guide groups are spending the day at the Hall for a 10/10/2010 'Flying the flag' day so Alice will meet up with Sarah and have the day together. Wow.............I think there'll be an early night on Sunday for a few little people here!

Friday has become the day for our fruit and veg trip to Merediths at Margate. The prices and largely local produce are terrific! I picked up some overripe bananas for 50c so the twins and I are making our favourite banana cake. Royal gala apples were $1.50kg, bananas $1.50kg, pears $2.00kg and 1kg bags of carrots $1.95. I also grabbed this box of granny smith apples for $2.50 - there's heaps in there so I'm pulling out a few apple recipes this weekend. Should be fun and yummy!

Have a wonderful weekend, whatever you may be doing.

I'm off now to get through that list!

x

Granny progress

Spring has officially begun? Well it seems winter has been extended here in Tassie - there was more snow on the mountain and surrounding hills this morning than I've seen for a while. Snow on Mt Wellington is a regular thing, but snow on the grassy, tree-lined hills towards Huonville means it's very cold!

And so working on my first crochet blanket has been no big ask. It's big enough to keep me nice and cosy while I'm making it even bigger. Today it covered the twins and I for story time which was part of the plan. I think up to another 10 rounds and I'll be happy. This view of the blanket gently draped over the bed, however, is misleading.

Now to be very honest with you. Let me show you what happens when I lay it out flat. Do you like the slightly fluted edge of the last few rounds? Well, people, I don't think a press is going to make it sit flat. 

I'm guessing that it's caused by a variation in my tension. It seems that so often when there's a problem on my sewing machine Mum and Dad say it's the tension that's causing the problem. Why is it always the tension?????

So I have two questions for those of you who can crochet with your eyes shut. Firstly, is this a common problem when doing a giant granny square? And is that the benefit of sewing little granny squares into a blanket to avoid a wonky, wobbly shape? My other question may not be so easy. How on earth do I keep the tension consistent and end up with a smooth, flat blanket?????? I hold the wool the same way all the time and try very hard to hook with the same tension on the wool.

Having said all that, I doubt I will often have my blanket laid out flat for all to see! Once it's folded on the end of a bed, or snuggled with on the sofa, the wavy edges won't really be noticed now, will they?

Oh, and please don't judge me on my wavy, fluted edges!

Here's hoping you're finding time to work on a project or two as well.