Christmas cookie presents....................x

I'm thinking all parents across the land, and others that are far far away and all in unison this week.
The last week of term in a toughie, but I know it's the best week of the bumblebee's school calender. What with panto's, plays, parties, playdates ( not everything has begun with a "P" though, we've made decorations, and sung carols, wrapped gifts...I said "gifts" not presents ).......
Today is the Christmas party, and I dutifully dropped off some food this morning after school drop off, ok........I could have done better. Mummies with arms laden full of sweetly iced cupcakes, marshmallow snowmen, perfectly decorated homemade biscuits. I had swiftly made some swirly puff pastry ( yup from the shop ) pizzas, and plonked some mini carrots on a festive paper plate. You'd better believe it....

Yummy mummies 1
Nattie                  0

But listen, I have a saving grace. No one else bought in handmade gift for their teachers this morning did they?!!!!
I've been wanting to do this idea for yonks, and it was when I saw a really nice recipe in the Jamie Oliver mag, that I thought, ok this is it, the recipe to do this with.

Honestly, the BEST fun with the bumblebee's I've had making a present. ( and the dog's liked the fallen oats on the floor too )

If you click on the picture you might be able to read the ingredients!

Kilner jars.....£1.99 at a local shop.
Ribbons........£2.00
Ingredients....£2.00 ( as I included a cinnamon stick and a vanilla pod too )

We made 4 jars worth, and still had enough ingredients to make a batch for ourselves!

P.S.....I had to half the quantities of the recipe to fit in my jars!



I took a super wonderful delivery the other day. From the fantastic ACORN AND WILL ...........I felt the bumblebee's NEEDED some reindeer brooches for added seasonal kitch!!!! There may have been a bird that flew into the order too...for a special pal...hehe.

Aren't they sooo lovely? The reindeer have adorned the girls cardigans for the party today.......awwww think I want one now, how on earth did I managed not to buy myself one?????????


Any whooooooo....must fly..........xxxxx

sweet traditions..........x

While the windows shake and rattle, the wind blows down the chimney, and I try not to think about our sweet little cottage being swept up in the storm outside (  in a Dorothy and Kansas way.......I wonder if I'll see my naughty neighbour riding frantically in the wind on her bike???! )....

I wanted to share with you a little village tradition.

A Posada to be precise.

Each year, at the beginning of December, the local church sends a Mary, donkey and Joseph statue off on their way. They spend a night at each house ( that wishes to take part )....and on Christmas eve, the last family bring the figures to the service, where they are placed in the cattle shed, with all the other figures in turn.

This afternoon, some pals delivered the Posada to us, in it's wicker basket, complete with special prayer.

So sweet, so cute. The bumblebee's really enjoy this little ritual we have stumbled upon.

So we say our prayer, and off to bed they hop. Because, my goodness, it's going to be a busy last week of school for them, and my lovely sleeping beauties need their sleep.

POSADA.

A prayer to welcome figures into our home.

Eternal God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You are always present in our home, unseen and often not acknowledged.

help us to experience the joy of looking forward this Advent, and make it a time of new beginnings. We welcome these figures from the nativity and pray that you will bless this house and all who live here.

Amen. 

xxxx

You you have any traditions where you live? x

A win and a "how to"...........

I was a winner!!!!! The lovely Ellie at X JELLYJAM X had a Christmassy giveaway, and I won!!!!!! Am feeling super smug with my new stocking ( for the Q ) and keep admiring it from afar........soooo beautiful, and well made......THANKYOU JELLY JAM!!!!!!!!  Pop over and see her other bits, as she uses the most fantastic vintage fabrics.

This year, it's all about a D.I.Y Christmas for me. I also like the girls to get involved with decorations and wot not. I thought you might like to see how the tissue paper pom pom decorations we made last week work. ( we also made them for little bumblebee's birthday party....so very useful! )

You just need lots of sheets of tissue paper some garden wire, scissors and string.

We found around 10 sheets of tissue paper worked best to create a full pom pom.

Place 10 sheets of your desired colour on top of one another.

 tissue bow is stage 4.......

big bumblebee nearly at the end of her folding.

1. You are working along the longest length of the paper. At one end, start folding a strip about 2 inches, then turn over and repeat on the other side, and so on and so on until you come to the end of the sheets. ( try to be as precise as you can, however if children are having a go, don't be too hard on them!!! Just let them go with it....)

You should end up with a fat strip of folded tissue paper concertina styleeeee.

Make sense so far??????

2. Now wind a length of garden wire around the middle of your strip. ( find this by folding in half ). Keep it tight, as this holds it all together.

3. Then attach your desired length of string to the wire.

If you want, now is the time to shape the ends of the strips, I quite like them plain, but you could zig-zag, waves them if you wanted too.

I found hanging the pom pom up at this point helps with the shaping.

You are nearly there!

4. Fan out both sides of the soon to be pom pom. Start on one side by GENTLY pulling apart the sheets of paper, working from one end to the other....and so on and so on.......

Until you end up with a nearly pom pom....all you do is fiddle and titivate the sheets into looking like they don't part in the middle, like they are continuous layers......

That is your pompom Done! Ready to make more?!!!!

I think there are tutorials on the web about these, where people measure their strips, use craft knives and it is all very exact and precise....I couldn't be bothered with all that!

Happy pom-pomming!!!

xx

I just can't help but.........

...................................get all Christmassy..........weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

It helps having little people.

What can I say? The words just won't flow today.

I haven't done anything super.

Just day to day stuffs.

No making.

No doing.

What I can say, is tomorrow morning I'm back running with some schooly mums, the first time in two weeks.......and I'm worried. They've all been healthy, and we have.....NOT.

It takes a toll.......It's gonna be a toughie.

I'll do my blinkin best, but....................................any tips? Words of wisdom?...HEEEEEEEEELP!

Over.and.out.

xx

New knit loves.....x

This is the Mrs.Weasley cardigan I was telling you about....I.....HEART.....IT................I might pop some different buttons on it, wooden perhaps ( sorry mother, no offence I just like a wooden button )....
The face has been cover by the camera today...why? Because I look crap and make no apologies for that. I've no make up on , umm think I brushed my hair three days ago....that's how I am this week...It's nice not to care...but poor Mr.Q!!

My, how our bunny family have grown....from one pair of bunny slippers to three!!!! Soooo cuuute!!!! Good old Granna came to the rescue of the bumblebee's, knitted another two pair for them ( this was no easy task as the pattern we used was only for adults found here )...we are hippity hoppity bouncing with joy for them.....

They are cheeky little bunnies, hopping about the Christmas tree as I type today........

The bumblebee's are yet to see them finished with ears, eyes, and noses on........" mummy when we come home from school later, the bunnies might be finished "....." we'll see " ( I seem to say this alot, it's a great mummy saying, like a get out of jail free card )

Sorry about the ranting bunny love. They were just tooo precious not to share with you all.
Please have a look at all the scrumptious knitting patterns on offer over at TINY OWL KNITS if you haven't done so already.

Tis all about the knit today.

Happy Monday xxxx

This week.................................x

Awww can you believe it? The bumblebee' shave bought some new germs home, fresh from school. Urgh......and I have fallen foul to them......

I wish I could show you pictures of all the nice things that have happened this week.
Like Thursday evening saw us zooming off to wells, to watch big bumblebee singing with school at the Cathedral.........I have never felt so Christmassy in my whole life........goose bumps, teary eyes, shivers down the spine.......such a magical time, the most wonderful time.

So germs ahoy, Friday I sat, and slept, and sat and snoozed on the sofa, huddled in blankets and a dressing gown......

And low and behold........

Some friends have come to visit in the paddock opposite the cottage.

This cheered me up no end... I must say.......

What else could cheer me up? Well.........................................


if your asking.....

Christmas cheer, in the shape of a teeny weeny tree...oh so cute and perfect and lovely.

Decorated by the bumblebee's this morning, didn't they do a good job?
I might well move a few baubles, in a sneaky mummy manner one evening, it's lovely for them to get involved.......

I did giggle when they found their stockings, and stomped about the lounge in them..........thigh high and looking like diddy elves.

B.T.W....my parents have popped down for the weekend, my super Mother made a cardigan for herself, which she has kindly given to me.....a handknitted cardigan in a rusty red. ...I'm feeling so much like Mrs.Weasley, I can't tell you. THAT makes me ever so cheerful.........................she is a complete style icon in my eyes.

Happy weekend..........get that Christmas tree dressed...hehe x

My heart's a flutter....................

with the tinkling of new Christmas decorations.....................

Thank you Gisella Graham, you never let me down on the decorations, every year there's more sparkle, more whimsy, more fairytale like treasures to discover.....

I added my own ribbons to Father Christmas, The Frog Prince, and Birdy............just because.

Though the frog seems rather disgruntled......... perhaps because we haven't kissed him yet, and turned him back into a true Prince....who can say.


For now, they will live here........( you can get similar baubles from paperchase)

ALSO....and I am super excited about this, my heart flutters for these ickle little babies........

Bunny slippers!!! Eeeeeeeek, I literally could not think about anything else from the moment I discovered them at  X TINY OWL KNITS X along with Mr.Fox and all the other scrumptious designs ( which you can download for a very reasonable fee )........

I cannot claim to have done them though. Should I have just kept quiet?! " yeah, I made them, what about it?!"...........No sadly, I sent the pattern to my Mother, who with in a few days had sent the "skins" back to me, ready to be felted and adorned....Clever Mother........hearts you xxxx

I may have been talking to them while they were having their eyes and nose sewn..........and a big bumblebee did walk by and snigger at me ( though, now she wants a pair of her very own......you see.....????!!!! Do not mock me!!! )

Since being finished, these little scamps have been hoppity hopping around the house in a hap hazzard kind of fashion......

I found them reading my books,

hopping onto the piano for a kiss ( they do this alot.....eskimo kisses with noses.......CUTE! )

and I even found them on big bumblebee's feet

Right now they are watching The Sound Of Music snuggled in amongst the cushions on the sofa.......I think I can hear snoring.


Flutter, flutter, flutter xxxxx