We've Been Making Memories

To all of you who celebrated the festive season, I hope you had the Christmas you wished for.

We were very fortunate and had a very relaxing time, making lots of memories with our little pickles, and the rest of the family. 

Mr Y has been on holiday for over a week now, how is it that holidays fly by so quickly?!  To be fair, it seems like he has been on holiday a lot longer as we have kept ourselves very busy.

As soon as my Mr had finished for Christmas, we popped out of the county and over the boarder into Norfolk to make a rather special visit to the man of season; a ride on the Santa Special on the North Norfolk Railway.

Although we’ve taken countless rides on the NNR, it was the first time we’d taken the girls on the festive special steam train.  The Black Prince did the pulling, and it was such a crisp, clear winter’s day, with stunning views, it was truly magical for them and us!! 

After sherry, a mince pie and a little bit of carol singing, we had a warming lunch in Whelks Copper and a brisk, blustery (freeeeeeeezing cold) walk along the prom before heading back into Sheringham for some last minute Christmas shopping and a trip to the fudge shop!!  The coffee fudge from there is divine!

A quick journey in the car to Norwich, where we were resting our heads for the night, an overindulgent dinner picnic and the final of Strictly Come Dancing, our weekend couldn’t have been better!

On the 22^nd, we made our yearly pre-Christmas trip to the local pantomime; this years offering was Cinderella.  It really was a great night, highly entertaining and engaging.  The evening’s entertainment was only slightly marred by the beastly man to my Mr’s left who felt it necessary to belch loudly after every sip of his seemingly never ending supply of Pepsi!!!  He looked like such a sweet little old man - proves you can never judge a book by it's cover!!! ;-)

Anyway, I finally managed to track down that illusive golden marzipan, so was able to finish my booze laden Christmas cakes!  We’ve made a start on the one for us; the others were for gifts and seemed to be well received.  I don’t eat Christmas cake, can’t stand dried fruit, so ours should last well into January.

For the first time since we’ve been married, we had Christmas Eve as just the four of us, and it was perfect.  Of course, there were some last minute preparations to be done, a mountain of vegetables to peel and chop, those last few presents to wrap, but we crammed the rest of the day full of family games, and festive baking to ensure that the little monkeys were tired right out! 

Watching Santa fly through the night sky at about 5.20, flying from West to East, added an extra special touch of magic to the day, before they tucked into a meal of roast gammon, jacket potatoes and pickles, then we all snuggled on the sofa to watch Arthur Christmas.  

Once offerings had been left for Father Christmas and his Reindeers, (yes, I burnt their cookies!), it was time for bed, and time for Mr Y and I to put our feet up with Foyle’s War and a box of Roses for company!

Christmas Day went smoothly, and all the days and weeks of preparation really paid off.  We spent it at home, cooking a roast dinner for my parents and brother, and the crackers that I made only a few days before went down really well. 

With the exception of my mum, everyone else spent the afternoon constructing some of the Lego that the girls had received for Christmas.  You’re never to old for Lego!   

I was lucky and was gifted some truly lovely things, including some scrumptious vintage goodies.  There were more knitting patterns from Mr Y (he knows me so well!), 6 brooches to add to my ever expanding 1940’s brooch collection (he had apparently been collecting these for months, sneaky thing!) and two new wool holders, one in a bright lemon yellow, the other grass green!

But my all time favourite gift was a Womens Land Army brooch, just like my Nan would have worn during WW2, given to me by my parents.

The tree is looking a little worse for wear, a few bald spots on its bauble heavy branches, and I’m itching to take it down, but it’s my birthday tomorrow, and I’ve never had a birthday without the tree being up, so I’m resisting the urge to de-needle everywhere; that can wait until New Year’s Eve!!!

xx

Exciting Times!!

Woohoo!!  Today marks the end of the school term, a glorious 2 weeks stretching before us.  As I sit here typing this, when I should really be wrapping the last of the presents, my girls are off on a jolly jaunt with their grandma for a trip into the town and a hot lunch somewhere.  C has dressed up for the occasion, with dress, petticoat, and cardigan; oh how I love her dress sense.

Can’t quite believe it’s the 19^th already?!  I promised myself last year that this year would be different, that there would be no mad last minute rushing and that I would have every card written and parcel wrapped before the middle of the month.  I haven’t!!  There are cakes to marzipan and ice, presents to wrap, a couple still to buy (hoping for divine inspiration!!) and a few handmade gifts to finish making. 

It’s not that I’ve been lazy; we’ve actually had a pretty busy month so far, with lots of festive fun, indulging in the magic of Christmas and making things special for my growing girls.  I've done a lot of shopping, most is for other people, but I couldn't resist a couple of knitting patterns for myself :o)

One of my favourite knitting models in colour!

There was a trip to a chocolate shop where tasty treats were bought, (the snowman is no more!!) and a visit to family for festive fun.

The girls and I made a gingerbread house where little fingers got a little trigger happy with the piping bag!

Each year we let the girls choose a new decoration for the tree.  This year C went for a sparkly glass polar bear, and M picked a mahoosive Santa! 

They have joined our ever increasing collection of decorations, some more special to the girls than others.

We bought the tree, a scrumptious smelling 7 foot pine.  It took me a while to choose “the” tree, it always does.

The girls thought their luck was in this year, as we got to decorate it twice!  Yes, twice!  Three days after the tree had been decorated, both sets of blasted lights burned out!  I was so disappointed and more than a little cross.  The air was blue!  So,  decorations off, lights off, new lights on and then decorations back on, and the tree was restored to full twinkling glory!

This lovely man of mine turned another year older; 43 this year.  Such a cute picture of him at a family wedding the in 1970’s with his velvet shorts and white shirt!

Yours truly baked two dozen cupcakes for him to take into school for the other science teachers to enjoy. 

The very next day this lovely little lady turned 7!

I can’t quite believe she’s 7.  Every girl deserves to look the best for their birthday, so I finally cut into this gorgeous Poppy and Fred fabric, and with the help of my mum, made dresses for both girls.

And as you can’t have a birthday without a cake, I made her a baby Toothless dragon cake.

The girls’ came down with a rotten cough and cold last week, which was rubbish for them but quite fortuitous for me!  It was a week of Calpol and Christmas films, their fuzzy little heads being up for little else, and lots of knitting time, and now I just have the one sleeve to finish on my mum’s jumper.  Will it be done in time for the big day?  I hope so! 

I better crack on with the wrapping before my pair of little peepers come home!!

xx

Christmas Swap 2012

Look what arrived through the post for me this week.

A while back, I signed up for the Christmas Swap which had been organised by Lakota over at Faith, Hope and Charity Shopping. 

Lucky for me, I was paired with the lovely Wendy who blogs at The Butterfly Balcony. 

While I know I should probably have waited until Christmas (and if Mr Y had been here I'm almost certain he would have confiscated the parcel until the 25th!) I couldn't help it.  With curiosity very much getting the better of me and with the added enthusiasm of two little, Christmas hyper, monkeys, unwrapping it all was inevitable!!

I did manage to hold the girls back just long enough to grab my camera and take a photograph of the neat little brown paper packages which had been adorned with little snowflakes (which served as a reminder to me that I haven't done that with the girls yet! - another thing added to the list!).

For starters, there was the handbag!  It's a really lovely blue, which the camera isn't doing justice to, and is big which makes it perfect and practical for carrying all my handbag tat treasures in.  A charming addition is a little woolly flower! 

The next parcel, selected by a small helping hand, contained a green velvet stocking with applique poinsettias!  As unbelievable as it might sound, I don't actually have a stocking!  Sad, but true :o)  This, my first traditional stocking, is now hung up, waiting to be filled by the jolly man in red!

Next was a carved bone gentian brooch which matches my gentian bracelet perfectly - now to find some earrings :o)  Yes, I'm jewellery obsessed!

Swiftly followed by some skillfully knitted foot warmers/slippers (don't know what to call them!!) and a rather splendid collection of knitting patterns.  Now, this is where the not so nice, pattern fiend, side of my might show because I think, well, I know, if truth be told, that I wouldn't have parted with these patterns for anyone.  I'm very impressed that Wendy managed to give them away!  Rest assured, they have found a loving home ;o)

The best, and most thoughtful of the gifts, were the little crocheted angels which had been wrapped separately, one for each little Y!  The girls were beyond happy that they had been included and immediately hung their new, special, decorations on the tree.  They are so delicate, and have been worked so neatly.  I know they will be loved for many, many years to come!

The fair isle tootsie warmers are doing a sterling job as I write this post and I wore the gentian at the open air (and darn chilly) carol concert that we went to last night! 

As to what I posted off, I know that I'm safe to show you because, like me, Wendy didn't wait until the 25th either :o)

1) A little jingly bell tree decoration that I made. 
2) An Odhams knitting book that dates from the mid 1940's (a total charity shop bargain!) 
3) A Cath Kidston cottage tin with pins
4) Chocolate because, lets face it, Christmas isn't Christmas without chocolate (well, not in my house anyway)
5) A very mini Keep Calm and Carry On notepad
6) A turban that I knitted from a 1940's pattern and a tube of hand cream for "Wool Weary Hands!" :o)

I know that I will get use out of each and every item and many, like the angels, will be enjoyed for years to come - thank you Wendy for the time you took in selecting and creating my wonderful gifts :o) xx  I have thoroughly enjoyed Christmas Swapping with you!

Thank you also to Lakota for organising the swap :o)  It's been great fun x

Birthday Bonanza & Give Away Winner

"One week today and it'll be Christmas Eve!", was the announcement made by C this morning as she eagerly opened her advent calendar!  Really?  Oh heck!!  Are you prepared?  I feel I'm falling behind this year and just can't seem to get everything finished off.  I've still got 7 days to sort it though, right??

This week in the run up to Christmas is, as I'm sure it is in many of your own households, an incredibly busy one.  It includes a trip to the cinema, a carol service, late night shopping and the girls first trip to the pantomime - I'm so excited having not been myself for over 20 years! 

Along with the mad Christmas rush, December is a busy birthday month for us.  Three of us celebrate December birthdays which means that come New Year, we're all a little "caked out!!"

Mr Y has the first birthday and he celebrated yesterday.  Did he spend it relaxing with a train book while being served tea and cake?  Far from it.  His "special day" began with a trip to the supermarket to do the weekly shop - not how I'd choose to spend any day of the week, let alone my birthday!

Today is littlest Y's birthday and she has turned 5 - my how the years pass.  I can't believe that 5 years ago today she was a tiny little bundle, it seems like only yesterday.  I don't wish to have my baby back, as I truly love to see her grow and develop a little more each day but the celebration of each growing year makes me want to hold onto her just a little more tightly. 

In preparation for the day, the evenings of this past week have involved cake making of the most complicated style following her innocent request for a Yoshi cake.  When I saw the smile on her face as she blew out the candle, I knew that the stained hands and late nights had been worth it :o)

I think the girls are partied out!  They certainly don't need anymore sugar for a while!  They stumbled sleepily into bed this evening and not a peep has been heard since. 

However, before the birthday girl headed off to bed, I got her to draw the winner of the Christmas Give Away.  We're not very technical here so no random number selection thingy or any of that complicated stuff, oh no, here, we went for the quick and easy names into a Santa hat and let little fingers pick the winner!  Congratulations to Jax Black, this little bundle of goodies will be winging their way to you shortly, just send me an email with your address and I'll pop them in the post :o)

:o)

1, 2, 3 Wartime Woollies!

It's decidedly nippy here this evening, it has been all day actually, with the mercury staying firmly below zero.  We've reached the half way mark on our advent calendars - how can that be??  December the 12th already yet there is still so much to do!

Things have been moving at a snails pace here.  Some kind and very generous sole (the finger of suspicion is pointed firmly in Mr Y's direction) has shared their germs with me so I've been feeling rather under the weather and haven't felt like doing anything very productive.
In a bid to cheer myself up (and because I've been having a little play with the immensely frustrating Photoshop) I've done a little collage of what I've been up these past few days!

1. A "must" at Christmas     2. A paper snowflake decoration (although we still don't have the tree up!!!!!)         3. Finally got round to writing my Christmas cards     4. Tiny Christmas cupcakes which were enjoyed at the home education party     5. Our sweet smelling Christmas wreath   6. Mini gingerbread men (they were tasty)

  Taking an enforced rest, I've spent a lot of time knitting and crafting and have almost put together my parcel for the Christmas Swap! 

Snuggled in the warm I've also finally been able to bring some kind of order to the snaps I took of my most recently completed woollies and so I have not 1, not 2 but 3 to share with you!!

First up is one from a 1943 pattern featured in one of my beloved Stitchcraft magazines. 

I've knitted it before in Stylecraft melon and a beautiful, unbranded, pale pink cashmere so you might think that it would have been easy.  Well, so did I and so I motored through the front and both sleeves before tackling the back.  Having reached the shoulders, I discovered that I'd gone 2 stitches out of sync which meant the nice neat "square" design was wonky!  Argh, I can't tell you how I swore.  Disheartened is an understatement, furious and frustrated with myself is closer to the mark. 

However, not to be defeated, I pulled it back and started again and am pleased to say that it "turned out nice again" ;o)  The yarn chosen for this one was Stylecraft 4 ply in pale rose and I used little clear patterned buttons.  It's a really pretty little cardigan jumper which I think, and hope, will be perfect for spring, although I know it's had a little outing already! :o)

Next up is another of the ever popular waffle jumpers which was originally featured in a Needlewoman and Needlecraft magazine.

Again, Stylecraft yarn was used, this time in shades cardinal, fern, cobalt and silver grey.  I really like Stylecraft for both quality and value.  You get good yardage and the 100% acrylic isn't at all itchy, which from my point of view, is a very good thing.

The waffle is quite a time consuming jumper to knit because the colour of the wool has to be changed every 4 rows.  It's also quite a time consuming one to sew up because the stripes get sewn together in the corresponding thread so lots of needle threading and snipping of wool.  It really is worth it though because it's such a pretty jumper in a really easy stitch - well worth a try :o)

Last, but by no means least, was a cardigan knitted from this Bestway pattern.

Knitted with King Cole DK in a shade called petrol, this cardigan actually ended up being my favourite.  The yarn is good quality, isn't itchy, gives a lovely finish and is wonderfully snugly - perfect for this chill we're currently experiencing. 

The pattern, again, was quite easy, just 5 rows of 3, 1 rib divided by a knit row.  The band was knitted separately and proved to be the trickiest piece of the entire thing because achieving the scalloped edge in the thicker wool was somewhat of a challenge!

From a button point of view, it was impossible to find vintage ones to match but luckily there were these 4 plastic faceted buttons in the stash which matched perfectly - result!

I have to admit that I felt somewhat relieved when I ran in the last thread because it meant I could finally get them posted to the incredibly patient customer.  The order had been going on for many months, far longer than I would have liked, and I was very frustrated with myself that I hadn't been able to get through them more quickly as I try so hard not to disappoint people . 

This was the jumpers, packed and ready to go.

Sending a jumper to the new owner is something I find really nerve wracking.  Silly as it might sound, I always worry that I've not got the fit right or the jumper won't have turned out as the customer had envisaged. 

Thankfully, this time, I needn't have worried because the knitteds have found a happy new home with the lovely Hen and if you take a peek at her lovely blog, HenHouse, you'll see that the pink cardi has already had an outing and looks amazing! :o)

That's it for orders for me now until January 2013.  I'm giving my fingers a much needed rest for the next few weeks so I can concentrate on getting rid of this blasted bug and can then focus on all things festive!!

If you haven't already entered, there are still a few days left to be in with a chance of winning the Christmas Give Away for the Daniela Turudich 1940's Hairstyles book, just click here for more details :o)