Christmas is Coming

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Time to put the tree up.

2012-12-08 01Miss O and Izz with everything ready to start.

2012-12-08 02We had to learn how to assemble the pieces.

2012-12-08 03Then there were all of the decorations to put on, but finally it was done.

2012-12-08 04Tonight we went to see some Christmas lights.  There was lots of wonder as we took it all in.

2012-12-08 05It is a real joy to share the delight of Christmas with children.  Do you have any particular activities or traditions  that you do every year?

A Christmas List

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I have started to get my Christmas list which was in my head, down on paper.  It is not a list of what I want but a list of Christmas related activities and tasks.  I need to check that nothing gets forgotten.

Over the last few years it has become an unwritten rule that nothing overtly Christmassy happens until after 3rd December.  The significance of this is that it is Miss O’s birthday and I think that it is important to be able to focus on her special day and not let it become overwhelmed in the lead-up to Christmas.  Our darling turned 5 yesterday so has the adventure of starting Prep and the whole new world of school next year.

But back to the list…………

Plan menu for Christmas lunch
Put up Christmas tree
Finish Christmas letter
Write Christmas cards and post
Finish hand-made gifts
Check gifts complete for immediate family
Take granddaughters to see Christmas lights
Check for carol service appropriate for granddaughters

I am sure there will be other things to add to the list but that is the main focus for us.

Christmas lunch will be for 4 adults and 4 children (aged 6, 5, 5 and 3).  It will be gluten-free/ grain-free (in line with my eating plan).  I will write more about this in another post.

The Christmas tree will go up on Saturday afternoon when Miss O and Izz are here.

I need to get serious about finishing the Christmas letter which is half-written.  Many of our Christmas greeting are sent via email but I would like to get the cards in the mail by the middle of next week.

The gifts are an ongoing project which is coming along nicely.  I think I have planned gifts for everyone – just need to check the box in the spare room again.  Nothing is wrapped yet.  In fact, I will not be wrapping gifts this year as I have made re-useable gift bags in assorted sizes from Christmas fabric.  I won’t miss the piles of ripped wrapping paper all over the floor on Christmas morning.

We will be going the see the Christmas lights on Saturday evening when our granddaughters come to stay.  Once I find the time and date of the carol service I will organise to go with Miss O and Izz.

Writing everything down helps to clarify exactly what I need to do and when.  We have a fairly simple, low-key Christmas which is naturally focused on enjoying it with the children.

Over the next week or so I will post about each of the things on my list in more detail.

When do you start your Christmas preparations?  How are you going?  Please share your plans.

Meeting a Deadline

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No real time for blogging just now as I have a deadline to meet.

We are going to lunch at our friends’ place on Saturday and we have been requested to bring our photos from our USA trip.  I had nearly 1000 photos from our 4 week trip but the first cull brought that back to just under 600.  I have now got them in order and am looking at them critically  and culling them further.  I hope to have them in a presentable state to show as a slideshow by Saturday.  Wish me luck.

Christmas is presenting other deadlines and the next thing on the agenda will be finishing our Christmas letter – I have some general notes so it just needs to be padded out a bit.  Then I will write the cards that I still send and organise my Christmas email which is actually the majority of my Christmas correspondence these days.

What deadlines do you have looming as the year draws to a close?

Simple Decorating

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Yesterday we hosted a Christmas gathering for our neighbours.  We live in a semi-rural area and often the annual Christmas function is the only opportunity we have to get together.

We were mostly on the verandah, however, I had cleaned and set up the living area in case of inclement weather.  Although it is still November I did want to have a simple, Christmas-themed decoration.

2012-11-25 01 I put this centrepiece together using a crystal salad bowl and some silver balls which are normally used on the Christmas tree.  It looked really pretty and effective.

2012-11-25 02Here you can get a good view of one the tablecloths that I have converted from a rectangle to an oval to suit the table.  You can read more about the project here and here.

Christmas Countdown

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It is exactly 7 weeks until Christmas Day.  We are planning a relatively simple Christmas .  Belle and her family will be arriving in time for lunch and staying for a night or 2.  We will have 4 children under 7 with us so I am looking forward to sharing the true spirit with them.  We will also spend some time with my mother, sister and brother on either Christmas Day or Boxing Day.

Gifts – I have a couple of small items for the children and will be adding some handmade gifts as well.  None of us need more ‘stuff’.

Meals will be special but definitely not excessive.  It will also be a gluten-free menu and as much as possible,grain-free as well.

We generally do not get involved in the many Christmas parties as our focus is a small, family celebration.  The one exception is Christmas drinks with the neighbours.  We live on a long rural road and this is the only time during the year that we see some of the neighbours.  This year we are hosting the event which simply means that I will sweep the verandah and set out some extra chairs and glasses.  Everyone contributes a plate of finger food and brings their own drinks.

In the meantime, life goes on as usual.  Miss O has a birthday coming up, I have a conference to attend interstate, Missy is relocating to another city and I have deadlines to meet at work.  This is all aside from the day to day routines.

Do you have any special plans for the coming weeks?  Do you celebrate Christmas?

Back Again

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Blogging has taken a back seat this last week as my ‘real’ life has been rather busy.

We have been away for the weekend to catch up with friends and celebrate a ‘milestone’ birthday for my girlfriend.  We had a fabulous time and I have returned refreshed and with renewed enthusiasm after our short break.

I am working through a pile of mending/alterations of clothes for Missy which I have promised I will finish before she moves interstate in a couple of weeks.  I have spent some time helping her declutter and sort some things prior to her move as it is an ideal time to rationalise exactly what you have and what you need.  There is no point in paying to move things that you really do not want to keep.

2012-11-05 01Speaking of things you do not want to keep, this is a pile of fabric that a friend offered to me last week as she did not see the possibility of using it any time soon.  I have accepted it and have space to store it until I start creating.  I think that may be next year as the next 7 weeks are looking pretty busy in the lead-up to Christmas.  However, I already have some plans for some of the fabric and am looking forward to using it.  Thanks, Sandra.

I mentioned that it is 7 weeks until Christmas but my busyness is not really related to a crazy shopping frenzy or significant over-indulgence in food.  It is more about a self-imposed deadline for projects that I want to complete both at home and at work before the end of the year.  More about that in tomorrow’s post.

Still On Track

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My tandem challenges for October are both still on track.

Frocktober – I have accepted the challenge to wear either a dress or skirt each time I leave the house.  In order to add a degree of complexity to the challenge I am trying not to wear the same outfit twice during the month.  So far this is going well.

Stoptober – in conjunction with Frugal Queen I am endeavouring to spend as little as possible this month.  In addition to my haircut and fruit and vegetable shopping which I mentioned in an earlier blog, I bought some hem binding to complete a false hem on a skirt for Missy.  My total spend in 9 days has been $59.70.  The Duke has ordered a new DVD player online since our old one simply ceased to work.  He searched for a good deal and this one is less than $5o, including delivery.

My organising has been fairly limited recently but I am working on completing mending and sewing projects.

I am busily making lists of what I need to achieve before Christmas which is only 11 weeks away.  Composing my Christmas letter and writing cards are things that I like to get done fairly early so will be starting those soon.  I am also keeping an eye out for recipes to include in our Christmas menu.  It will be a little different this year as I am eating a gluten-free diet.  I try to make it grain and sugar free as much as possible, too.  Creativity will be the key.

Have you started thinking about Christmas or do you have your head buried firmly in the sand?

Party, Party, Party……..Now For *STOPTOBER*

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We have been home for 2 weeks now and life just seems to have been an endless whirl.  I feel as though my feet have barely touched the ground.  The whirl culminated yesterday with taking Miss O and Izz to a friend’s birthday party, then we headed off to a picnic for a belated celebration of Belle’s 30th birthday and finally dinner with our neighbours.  These were all enjoyable but now it is time to stop and take stock.

There are jobs to do at home which have been neglected so now is the time to get organised.  The everyday stuff that keep the wheels running smoothly – making sure the washing and ironing is all up to date, menus planned so that we have meals ready for when we arrive home from work, gardens prepared for summer vegetable growing and so on.  My sewing and other creative pursuits are waiting for me and I am itching to get back to them.

I also read this post from Frugal Queen and I am definitely joining in *STOPTOBER*  While I am not sure that I can spend NOTHING for the whole month I intend to spend the absolute minimum, stop and think before I spend and generally make do with what we have. To keep me accountable I will post each day about my success (or otherwise) of not spending and keep a tally of how much I spend and what I buy.

I am really looking forward to this challenge and sharing with you.  Please consider joining in (you can make your own rules) and let me know how you go.

Planning Ahead

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We will be going to a wedding in March 2013 and while that is still 6 months away I have begun to consider what I might wear.  In fact, while we were on holidays I did look to see if I could find something suitable.  I do not even know what I am looking for which does make shopping rather difficult.

While I was sorting out some items in my sewing room I came upon this skirt which needs to be mended.

2012-09-27 01The skirt is fine – it is the lining that is the problem.

2012-09-27 02The lining is much narrower than the skirt and it has split at the sides.  I had only worn the skirt a couple of times before this happened and then I gained weight and it was a bit tight.  Now the skirt is fine and once I replace the lining with an underskirt that matches the shape of the outer skirt it will be fine.

2012-09-27 03This is the top which I originally bought to wear with the skirt and although I have worn it with other outfits it definitely looks best with the skirt.  The photo is not very flattering and the top looks better in real life.

I tried the ensemble on last night with black heels and have decided that it will be suitable for the wedding.  I am thinking of making a black jacket – possibly velvet and also having a black shawl/wrap.

My only concern is that the wedding is in Canberra in March (early autumn/fall) and the weather is totally unpredictable.  I could wear a camisole under the top and an extra slip if it is really cool.

I need to start looking at replacing the lining and choosing a suitable pattern and fabric for the jacket so that the sewing does not get left to the last minute.  A little bit of lateral thinking and planning may have saved me  a significant amount of money.

A Unique Gift

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I have been making a gift for Izz for her birthday.  She has a doll’s bed which has been passed down to her but no bedding.

I bought 2 u-shaped pillowcases recently from the op shop.  Here is one that I have unpicked ready to use.  Note the roll of fabric which is the dismantled and pressed frill.

2012-08-06 01The Duke bought a piece of foam cut to size for the mattress and I have covered that using some of the pillowcase fabric.

2012-08-06 02The next step was to make a patchwork quilt.  I worked out the size and number of pieces I would need.  The plain pink is more of the pillowcase, plain mauve from a piece in my stash of fabric, Dora pattern is a few leftover scraps from the doona cover and curtains that I made for Miss O last year and the pink patterned fabric is from a blouse I picked up at the op shop.  The frill is the one I unpicked from the pillowcase.  The hemmed edge remained intact so I simply regathered it and reapplied to the quilt edge.

2012-08-06 03I bought a large piece of cotton/bamboo batting for a bed quilt I am working on for Izz’s bed so I used a small piece for this quilt.  (I think this is a rather spoiled doll!)  The backing is more leftovers from some op shop fabric.  I quilted it by simply machine stitching along the seam lines which is nothing fancy but seems effective.

2012-08-06 04The finishing touch was to make a matching pillow.  A couple more fabric scraps and some salvaged filling from an old cushion and I had a complete set of bedding for the doll.  Here is the mattress with the pillow.

2012-08-06 05The total cost of things I bought specifically for this project was $6.60.  This is a gift which I know will be loved regardless of the cost.  I am looking forward to seeing Izz’s face when she opens the gift.

Now I need to work on the the bed quilt I am making as well since her birthday is in 2 weeks and I want to be able to give her the present before we go on holidays.