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!