4th Day of Advent, Christmas Reading and veiwing

I don't think I have ever read a Christmas related book, my reading usually slows down this time of year, no idea why, it just seems to be that way.

  

I been watching Nicky Winterton and her November vlogs, she is a new-to-me vloger / podcaster

and she talked about her love of reading and books and mentioned that every year she reads 

A Christmas Carol and suggested a read along through December.

I've read some Charles Dickens, years ago not recently and not this one, so I ordered myself a copy from Amazon, just a paperback copy, a rather large paper back copy! with illustrations.

The read along started last Friday but I decided that I would start at the beginning of the month, I'll have to check back on her vlog but I'm pretty sure the plan is to aim to read the first two Staves, then she will do a discussion vlog about a week later.
I'll let you know if I enjoyed it when I'm finished.

Have you read A Christmas Carol? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it.

When the girls were little we all used to sit down on Christmas Eve  with our picnic style tea and watch Miracle on 34th Street, (the one with Richard Attenborough).
For me this is THE Christmas film, if you get to the end of this film and don't believe in Santa then there is just no hope for you, lol.

There are no children at home to sit and watch with us now, but on Christmas Eve we will still put Miracle on 34th Street on and eat our picnic style tea, it's not the same though without excited children, so if you have children still at home, just make the most of this magical time while you can, they grow up so quickly.

Now that the girls have homes of their own they have their own traditions, (which still does include a picnic style tea) but they watch Polar Express as 'their' film.

I like to watch a festive film in the lead up to Christmas and my first one was last week, It was on Amazon Video that I watched A Christmas Wish.

It was a quite an enjoyable film, if you like a Little House on the Prairie type film I think you would enjoy this.  I haven't got round to watching any more Christmas films yet, hopefully I can at the weekend.

A gorgeous mix of minis in today's Advent :-)

At the top - Lay Family Yarn
Middle - Craft House Magic
Front, From Jo
Jo also included a lovely galaxy hot chocolate drink, I do love a hot chocolate, thank you Jo :-)

There was also a little extra in Ellie's Advent package today, a cute little snowflake progress keeper :-)

My Body Shop gift was a large nail file, just what I needed actually because mine are worn down :-)

I'd love to hear any recommendations you might have for Christmas reading or any films you have enjoyed, or your Christmas Eve traditions :-)

-X-

3rd Day of Advent, A stocking for Arthur

I shared some of my progress when I was stitching Arthur's stocking but not since I finished it and made it up.

I decided to go it alone with the making up, scary stuff!   I had watched Vonna's Shepherd's bush stocking tutorial several times beforehand, she makes it look so easy and I am not a confident sewer but I'd made two previous ones up, with help, so I thought if I took my time I would be able to manage it.

This is Reed's Stocking by Shepherds Bush

Not perfect but on the whole I'm happy with it.
I love how these stockings stitch up and I love that my grandchildren will have something that I made especially for them, for years to come.
 I like to think that these stockings will still be around long after I'm not, (fingers crossed that I've made them to last, lol) and that they will get them out each Christmas and perhaps think of me.

 Today's Advent minis are just perfect :-)

Top - From  Lay Family Yarn
Middle - From Craft House Magic
Bottom - From Jo
Jo also popped in a little Lush hand & body butter, I've never tried any Lush products, it smells lovely :-)

In my Body Shop box today was a little Juicy Pear shower Gel :-)

Are you going to be hanging stockings on your fireplace?

-X-

2nd Day of Advent, the ornaments🎄🎄

We actually put our tree up yesterday, I know it's early for some and we haven't always put ours up at the beginning of December, it was always around the middle of the month but then when I started stitching ornaments and I'd put all that work into stitching and making them up I wanted them to be on show for longer.  So it's been the first day of December for around ten years or so.

Some of my favourite previously finished ornaments

The Blackbird stocking I stitched earlier in the year and made up just last week, not perfect, I found it very fiddly to do.

Bonnie liked the Frosty Forest one I stitched earlier in the year and it's now hanging on her tree.

Our tree is a mixture of stitched pieces and various ornaments I've bought from places we've visited, there is no colour theme on this tree, it's just an eclectic mix of what I like and memories, just how I like it.

This years additions
A little jointed teddy I bought from the gift fair a few weeks ago

A little ceramic robin bought at Yarndale in September

Our tree has seen better days really and I think when it comes down this time it will be retired.   It has done the job for a good ten years and looks ok when it's filled with my stitching and decorations, but I really would like a taller one with a fuller figure, lol

Advent Goodies
I opened some more lovely advents today, (please forgive the shadows, the light was not good this afternoon)

On the left, Craft House Magic
Middle, Lay Family Yarn
On the right from Jo. :-)

I love them all :-)

And a bath bomb from my Body Shop Calendar :-)🛀🏿

*************
Normal service resumed for me this morning after being off work with a bad back last week. 
My back is still sore and I don't bend very well, (that could be my back or my age, lol), but it is much better than it was.
It was a cold and frosty start today but I'm not someone who is bothered by cold frosty mornings, I really quite like them, I find the fresh air wakes me* up :-)

It's also the first of our family December birthdays, Joanne turned 32 today. 
I usually make a cake for the girls birthday but I think we are still all a bit caked out from last weekends afternoon tea

I hope your second day of December went well, do you have your tree up yet?

-X-

Happy 1st Day of Advent

Happy 1st of December🎄🎄🎄

1st day of advent, can you believe how quickly this has come around?  One minute is seems ages away and the next, here we are, on a count down to Christmas!

 I've never bothered buying an advent calendar for myself before, it seemed more for the kids than the adults.  But look around now and you can get almost anything in the form of an advent calendar from tea, wine and beer to beauty products and even stationery, and why should kids have all the fun, lol.

I saw this one in a local shop when I went for a walk after work one afternoon and thought it was just lovely and just had to bring it home with me:-)

I knew fairly early on in the year that I wanted an yarn advent calendar from Kelly of LayFamily Yarn and was so pleased when I managed to get one when she put them up for sale. 
It arrived sometime ago and I've had it hidden away so as not to peep!

I'm a regular viewer of  Ellie's podcast, Crafthouse Magic and when she put up her yarn advent up for sale I just had to get one of those too, she dyes the most beautiful yarn.  (if you haven't checked out Ellie's podcast you should, she has such a lovely bubbly personality)

I wouldn't have gone out looking to buy a beauty calendar buy my youngest daughter started selling Body Shop products and to get her first sales up I said I'd buy one from her.  This is the medium one and it's quite big, I love the design.

I received a really special package in the post last week which was a complete surprise.

Jo, who blogs at Throughthekeyhole had made me up an advent calendar!
Not only that, but she also included something for me to open on Christmas day and something for my birthday too!
I feel really spoilt, you really do meet the loveliest  people through blogging, so thank you again for your kindness and for thinking of me Jo!

I've got my packages sitting under the tree and I'm going to enjoy opening them each day through advent.

Lay Family Yarn on the left, Jo's in the middle and Craft House Magic on the right

And here are my lovely yarns.
Craft house Magic on the left, Lay Family Yarn in the middle and from Jo on the right. Jo also popped in a Twinings tea which I shall enjoy later :-)

My body shop calendar contained a face mist

I love how these are in little individual boxes, I'm being very careful when I'm opening them because I have plans to re-use it next year :-)

What about you?  Did you treat yourself to an advent calendar this year?

- X -

Naked cake, and anyone fancy doing Blogmas?

We organised a little afternoon tea baby shower for Joanne at a local cafe, just some family and a couple of Joanne's close friends.  I wanted to make a cake for her, but something simple, so I watched lots of you tube videos about how to decorate a naked cake, I'm a bit heavy handed when it comes to working with icing so I thought this would be perfect for me.

I used the cake recipe that I always use and which turns out perfect every time, it's absolutely fool proof, everything goes in the bowl and is mixed with the hand mixer, you just add flavouring if you want to, I made a lemon flavoured one this time.  

The icing is mascarpone which I would definitely use again, it's so creamy and not at all sweet and sickly like buttercream icing.  

I used full fat mascarpone, double cream and icing sugar, whisked all together until it was thick and creamy, perfect!

It does not set in the same way that buttercream icing sets, but it does hold it's shape perfectly well and personally I thought it was much better to work with when icing the cake.

The afternoon tea was at a local place called Mad Hatters, which is all decked out with an Alice in Wonderland theme

Stevie had a Gentleman's afternoon tea, we were all drooling over it when they bought it out, wishing that we had gone for that option too!

We did enjoy our tea though, sandwiches and cake were all lovely and freshly made.

 When I got up this morning I wasn't sure I would be able to make it, I've been in such pain with my back for the last two days, this morning was even worse than yesterday.  I can only think that I've pulled something, I did clean the windows this week, so perhaps I've over stretched.  I had trouble getting in and out of Stevie's car so have already called to let someone know I won't be in work tomorrow, I just don't think I would be able to drive.  Hopefully it won't be as bad in the morning.

  

Can you believe that It will be advent next Sunday?  I've got my advent calendars all ready and waiting, I'm so excited to open them!  This is the first time I've treated myself to advent calendars, I loved seeing everyone open their yarn advents last year so have treated myself to three :-)

If you are a podcast watcher like me you will know that quite a lot of them do Vlogmas starting on December 1st, I do love to watch the little daily Christmas vlogs and thought wouldn't it be nice if I  could do the same here and have Blogmas :-)

So If you would like to join me in a little daily blogging during advent please let me know and perhaps we could all link up and share a little bit of what we do in those days leading up to Christmas, we might even discover new blogs to read and follow :-)

See you in December :-)

-X-

Wet and wild

Yesterday was just awful, I don't think it stopped raining all day and the temperature only reach 3° all day.  There are flood warnings in many places throughout the UK, thank goodness we are not in one of those areas, it must be just terrible for the people who are though, my thoughts go out to them.

I took this photo through the kitchen door yesterday, the grass is just covered in leaves but with it being so wet we haven't had chance to get out there to clean them up.  Mark swept all the path last weekend but it was just too soggy to attempt to clear them off the grass. 

Marlene, when I see the grass covered in leaves like this I think of you saying that you don't like to see leaves on your garden, I think my garden would drive you nuts at the moment, lol

You can't see from the photos but the boarders are full of water up to and at some points, extending onto the grass.  It's going to take a while for that to dry out!

There are still plenty of leaves still to fall, I just hope that by the time we can get out we won't be knee deep in them, lol

I do love both Autumn and Winter, I don't even mind cold mornings, but rain, ugh! hate it.

There were a couple of days last week when it didn't rain so when I finished work at lunch time I went for a walk around the local park.

When I think of Autumn, this is what I want to see, beautiful colours :-)

Beautiful gates to Mary Stevens Park, Stourbridge

I've been taking along some bread to feed the ducks and geese on the pond while i'm there, they swim alongside as you walk, I felt like the Pied Piper, lol.  You can help yourself to food (for a very small donation) to feed them but I recently saw a post on FB that said that ducks were starving because people were no longer feeding them bread because they had been told it was bad for them.  I suppose it's better for them to have bread than nothing at all, especially in the Winter.

It's felt like a very long week this week, three afternoons looking after Oliver and Bonnie after work and not getting home until after 6.30, make for very long days when i'm out of the house at 8am.  Joanne will be on maternity leave in a couple of weeks so at least I will only have Oliver to collect from school then.  

Not sure what's going to happen when this new baby comes.  

Don't get me wrong, I do love having them and I'm glad I'm able to help out, and I know I'm lucky that they all live close by and I can see them regularly, but I'm not going to lie, it's hard work, especially all the toing and frowing and In and out the car with two of them. 

There is a reason why Mother nature stops you having children when you are older, they tire you out, lol

Tonight I'm going to the cinema with my girls to see 'Last Christmas'  and on Sunday we are going to the Christmas Gift Fair at the NEC in Birmingham.   I've persuaded Mark to come with us this year, he is the original Bah Humbug when it comes to Christmas, so that should be interesting,  but I've told him there is free cheese and wine so he might just survive it :-)

I'll be back soon with a couple of stitching finishes, once I can get enough daylight to take photos.

See you soon

-X-

Secret

That's a misleading post title as it's not really a secret, and I haven't intentionally avoided saying it in a blog post, but as time is marching along so quickly I should tell you that I am soon to become a Nanna again :-)

Grandchild number 4 (I know, 4!!!) is due to arrive very early in January.

Bonnie will have a baby brother to fuss over, she is a proper little girl and loves anything to do with babies so I'm sure Joanne will have plenty of "help"

Joanne posted this on Instagram a while ago now to announce the happy news, Bonnie looks in shock, lol but she is already talking about her baby brother and I know she will be a wonderfully kind big sister.

So next years stitching will be much the same as the last few years, lol.  Another 'baby's first Christmas' ornament, another birth sampler and another Shepherd's Bush stocking, (did you wonder why I bought another shepherd's Bush stocking chart last weekend?? :-)

I haven't done a lot of knitting this time round because Joanne still has lots of little cardigans that I made for Bonnie, and Jenny has passed on the ones I knit for Arthur. 
I have made a new  crochet blanket though.

The first photo is probably more true to the colours

I wanted to use up some Stylecraft Special DK from my stash so came up with this rather than a granny square.

I think it came out ok, and it's different to the other blankets I made for her last time.

I also made a little cowl this week.  This was a kit I bought from The Cotton Pod at Yarndale last year

I'm not sure I will get much use out of it though, I don't really like the way cowls sit, but it might be ok under a coat.  It worked up really quickly after sitting there waiting to be done for over a year, lol.

Can you believe we are in November?  This year has really flown by, they do say that the older you get the faster time goes, and I think that's so true.  Christmas is just around the corner, again, I have already made a good start on present buying, I would like to have it all done by the end of the month so that I can enjoy a stress free December.
I always aim for this every year but it hardly ever happens, but we'll see.

Hope you all have a good crafty week

See you soon
-X-