Christmas

Silent Saturday

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Christmas Craft Fair

So, Scary did a bit of painting,

I've been doing a bit of sewing,

and finishing a few projects from ages ago,

and we had a little pretend layout in the kitchen (every other surface in the entire house was covered with detritus).

Eventually we were ready.

Everything was finished (well, apart from the Christmas stockings that I intended to make),

a reasonable profit was made

and we still have some things left over to use for Christmas presents!!

I think some major housework will have to be done tomorrow!

Hello December

Welcome to Crazy Season!

Preparation is The Key

Aaaaahhhhhh!

Why do we take on so much?  Correction, why do I take on so much?  You're probably all out there in Blogland with your presents handmade and wrapped, with Christmas cards poised for posting and Christmas puddings aromatically maturing in larder cupboards!

I am not.

Nor ever likely to be.

There is no more productive time like 'The Last Minute'.

Anyway, just thought I better drop in and play catch up; at least, prove that I haven't been spending all my time on Pinterest (ahem).

That strange red thing I was making a while ago here was eventually finished, along with a couple of others and they now reside on my bookshelves.

See, it wasn't rude!  Unlike this thing I saw [click here], which please don't look at if you are of a nervous disposition.  But do you think the Runner would like me to knit him a pair?

The two main things I am in a panic about are a cake stall on Saturday (you know what I will be doing from dawn til dusk and later tomorrow don't you?) and a craft stall the following Friday.

Lots of making projects going on at the moment, most of them half-finished!

Wish me luck!

Ripplelicious!

Just about managed to finish this last night!  Happy Christmas Scary.

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Look what we had delivered today!

No, not Starfish!  She's been with me for a long time!

We are now the proud owners of an old but trusty piano.  It's for Scary really but she's either with tall boyfriend or my weird God-daughter; sometimes I lose track of where she is!  Thinking about it, I reckon she's with Weird God-Daughter tonight, back tomorrow with the promise of being home Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

Things have been a bit hectic of late; just about got my cards in the post yesterday along with my last ebay sale, battling through the snow to the Post Office and waiting 25 minutes to get served; spending ages on the phone trying to get a taxi to take us half a mile down the road so that Starfish can get to the chiropodist to change the dressing on her toe (she had another operation on Friday); trying to finish all the knitting and crochet for Christmas along with all the other paraphernalia associated with Yuletide.

I did manage to make Scary a badge for Christmas though ....

She usually can.  Whether you understand it is another matter!

Hic!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I'm now off to watch Strictly!

PS  The cider's ready!

To Do List

I've been a naughty girl.  I've started something new.  And it needs to be done for Christmas! 

Some wrist warmers for Starfish.

The wrist warmers for Scary are half done, ie I've finished one!  (Still got the ends to sew in!)

Shhh, I've also bought some more wool to start something after I've finished the ripple.

Not sure whether it's going to be for Scary or for the living room.

The ripple is coming on and I'm on the 80th stripe; only 10 to go (and about a hundred ends to sew in, yuk!)

I don't know how I managed it, but I've landed myself with mending tall boyfriend's shirt.  It's lined with fleece so not the easiest thing in the world to mend.

And I've also got these trousers to shorten for Scary.  I hate shortening things.  They've been hanging around for a while now so I guess I'd better get on with it.

We've also got another Christmas Fair on Saturday, so a few badges need to be organised.

Good sentiments but I am beginning to panic.

Is what I've been saying until recently, but I do seem to have found a little enthusiasm for the season.

Well, maybe not completely, but I am getting there ....



Freezing

Wow, 30 days in a row!  Not much crafting done this month but I have managed to blog every day.

The Runner has just been up to the attic to get down the Advent Calendar, I've found the chocolates (Thorntons) I bought a month ago to put in each individual pocket and Scary says that she wants to fill it this year.  I still cannot comprehend how it's December tomorrow!

And, wey hey, The Newly Married Boilerman is due tomorrow!!!!  Not sure what time to expect him as we haven't heard anything so I suppose I'd better get up early and tidy the utility room, so that he can actually get in the door!  We probably won't have any heat until Thursday or Friday but at least the process has started.  Even with the open fire in the living room, I don't think I have EVER been so cold.  We have several electric heaters but unless you are actually standing right beside them, they don't seem to make much difference.  And certainly, as soon as you turn them off, you are freezing again.

Poor Starfish has moved into the small office on the put-you-up bed because her room is so cold.  (It's the biggest bedroom at the front and has three outside walls.)

Oh I am so looking forward to being warm.  Having a shower without shivering all the way through.  Washing my hands without them freezing.  Being able to wear less than 6 layers of clothing.  Maybe even having a bit of hanky panky because I can bear to take my clothes off!!!!  Shhh don't tell anyone.

And Having A Bath!!  Do you think I might persuade Eric to share it with me?

Christmas Fair

Thank you for all the good wishes for the Fair.  It went very well, thank goodness and was certainly worth doing.  We made a reasonable profit, which always makes you feel better, and our stall seemed very busy.

I knew I'd forget something and I did.  I left behind all the signs and price tags!  Duh!  So our stall looks a little bare.

Scary and Starfish helped out as well and a good time was had by all!

Now I'm pooped!  Night night.

One Month To Go

How did we get here so quickly?

The other day I mentioned I was going to try some wrist warmers for Scary from this magazine:

I was doing quite well, then I rushed to answer the phone and realised too late that my foot was wrapped around the wool and some of it had unravelled!

Anyway, here's one motif and the pattern is basically six of these joined together (I think!)

Back to my fire now.  I don't stray very far from this at the moment!

Wish me luck at the Fair tomorrow!

Bah Humbug!

Well, I suppose I'm going to have to think about Christmas soon.  Maybe tomorrow.  I guess it will have to be tomorrow because on Friday The Runner and I are doing a Christmas Fair!  Ooops, better get going then.

I'm feeling very lazy tonight, having spent the whole day trying to gather together every little scrap of money to pay for our new boiler next week!  Finances are so wearing!  I've even been trying to sell a few things on ebay for the first time ever, but perhaps I'm doing it wrong because no-one is bidding!

Anyway, tonight I just thought I would mention a lovely little Christmas project I found on a blog called Crafty Helen @ Home.  I have been trying to post a picture of the really simple but effective Christmas puddings made out of felt but for some reason, it won't, so you'll just have to go and have a look yourself!

Grrrr; what's the matter with Blogger?  It won't link or preview!

Crafty Helen

Hopefully the above link will work!

Humph!  I'm in a huff now!  Going to bed!

See you all tomorrow.  Bah humbug!

Panic Attack

Okay, I seem to be getting in a bit of a pickle.

Marathon Runner has booked a stall at the local primary school Christmas Fair in three weeks and it is becoming increasingly clear that he expects me to organise everything.  Having read quite a few blogs and seen things like That Crafty Fish and Sal's Snippets, my expectations are high but I fear that my capabilities are sadly lacking and with so little time, I am feeling a little panic-stricken.

So I guess I need to be getting my ass in gear!

Wish me luck!

Sweeties

Anyone fancy a sweetie? Mad Child needed some 'focus' today so we made some Christmas truffles (with rum), peppermint creams and ginger truffles (with whisky). Hic!

We tarted up some old chocolate boxes

and hey presto, we had a couple of presents! One for our neighbours, who help us out such a lot with those technical things that Marathon Runner doesn't quite understand, and one for a hamper for my Godmother, who we went to see this afternoon.

I wasn't planning on doing a whole hamper; it just sort of escalated from the sweets. Bet she'd like a jar of your marmalade! What about some of that pickle? And those chillies we dried in the summer! The only thing we included not homemade was a small bottle of wine which had been bought for something none of us can remember!

Anyway, it looked lovely, even if I say so myself!

Hope you're all having a well deserved rest!

Feeling Stuffed!

We opted for a big chicken this year as there was only the four of us.

Fancy a bite?Nom nom nom!

Hope you've had a merry Christmas!