my daybook - monday 28th dec

outside my window - it is now dark! cold and wet :( the snow has now melted so at least it isnt so treacherous on the paths and roads

i am thinking - bout my sis in law and her hurt and how i can possibly help her.

i am thankful for - a lovely family christmas, and the fact we are all healthy and able to look forward to 2010 with enthusiasm and happiness

i am wearing - my jeans and a new green top i received for christmas.

i am remembering - that 2009 has been a traumatic a

nd difficult year for us as a family, but we have shown amazing strength and have gotten thru all the tough times together. i am proud of us all.

i am going - to get a mince pie to eat with my cuppa :)

i am currently reading - breaking dawn the 4th book in the twilight series - its brilliant!

i am hoping - 2010 is gonna be a successful and happy year for us and everyone we know

on my mind - my friends who are struggling at the moment with loneliness or heartache. they are never far from my thoughts

noticing that - my daughter is still up when she should be in bed by now!

pondering these words - 'everything happens for a reason, and sometimes bad things are really good things in disguise'

from the kitchen - mmm roast beef dinner today

around the house - lots of tidying up and sorting out in an effort to get the house back in order and find a place for all the christmas presents. its not an easy job lol

one of my favourite things - my beautiful real log fire. how cosy!

from my picture journal - my little star :)

read more daybooks here hosted by peggy

recycled t-shirt yarn

I saw a tutorial ages ago here about making yarn from old t-shirts, so when hubby decided to clear his closet out this afternoon, and i saw the pile of t-shirts, i couldnt help but have a go! now i have 5 lovely little bundles of 'yarn'. any ideas what i could make from it??

christmas time!

Happy day after boxing day lol :)

we have had a super christmas as always. it started on christmas eve with the arrival of aunty sue and carol and Bob. we went to the christingle service with the children where daniel did his usual centre of stage performance (honestly hes such a character lol) and had everyone in stitches with his antics. good job his grin isso cheeky he can get away with it! we then had a fish supper, and tucked the kids up in bed.

christmas day was the usual blur of presents and wrapping paper. santa was very good to the children once again - so many packages! Daniel loved his 5 ft crane (santa didnt think about where that would be housed exactly) and the girls got DS's. Jess got a double pram for all her babies and olivia got a special pet panda which she needs to feed and make better.

nanna and grandpa arrived and i prepared the christmas dinner. we had turkey and goose this year - our first taste of goose and i think everyone enjoyed it! a little drama when i managed to tip hot goose fat down my arm - quick stripping and cold water have meant my arm didnt blister thankfully. after dinner, everyone settled down - the children with their toys, the adults with tea and mice pies, infront of the big log fire.

boxing day was spent tidting at least some of the mountain of presents away (to be continued today!) befoe t mving camp to my mum-in-laws where the party continued! the children received yet more toys and we ate until we were stuffed :)

all in all, a very enjoyable christmas time! hope yours was just as enjoyable.

happy christmas everyone!

hoping everyone has a happy and peaceful christmas time :)

we have snow, the house looks magical and the children are excited and giddy - what more could we want?

oh yes - my hubbyhas been seen by the consultant and signed off - he is now fit and well - just in time for christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!! all our christmas wishes coming true at last.

hope everybody elses are too

A H'artfelt christmas blog PARTY!

ok, so its more like lunchtime than morning now, but hey, i dont get the chance of a lie-in very often!

i'm so loving being part of the H'artfelt christmas blog party - have you taken a look at those blogs? wow they are fantastic!!

i'm starting to feel all christmassy :) the tree is up - all 8 foot of real pine tree - sweet smelling and green and cheery - and i love nothing better than decorating it wth lots and lots of homemade and handmade decorations.

i started a tradition when my children were born of buying or making them a special decoration each year which when they leave home into their own homes, they can take with them to decorate their own trees. here are a few of those:

here is a really really simple way of making a handmade tree decoration of your own. these are hearts - to symbolise the love we all share, especially at christmas time.

using some recycled materials (these were some shirts of jess's she had gotten too big for) cut some heart shapes out in varying sizes and styles - big and fat, long and thin etc. they dont have to be perfect because we are going for a handmade feel to them.

then just sew them round - i did mine by hand as some of them were a bit small and fiddly for machine sewing, but leave a gap somewhere and turn them and stuff them - i used a bit of pillow stuffing from an old pillow.

then attach a string or embroidery cotton, and sew a sweet little button where the string attaches to cover the knot. such a sweet little decoration which takes maybe ten minutes to sew up :)

craft neutral bauble swap

this is the fantastic swap package i received from kirsty of www.felinedream.craftyblogs.net she included a sparkly felt chrsitmas tree decoration, two lots of buttons and a piece each of red and white sparkly felt. such a lovely parcel - thankyou kirsty!

and this is a photo of the package i sent to her. a knitted santa decoration, and a little plastic zipper bag with a selection of ribbons, some salvaged fabrics and glittery netting, and a little assortment of beads, embroidery floss and buttons.

a little xmas present

here is a little xmas present i have made for a friends little boy. it is a drawstring bag with half a dozen bean bags (filled with rice and lentils for different weights) for him to throw around and play with. i'm making my son one also but will save it for his birthday - just incase he or the girls cotton to the fact it is made out of the same materials mummy made his bedding from.