If I could be a fly on the wall (every day in May)

Today's prompt is: If you could be a fly on the wall at any time in history, where do you go?

Well, knowing my luck, as a fly on the wall I'd be swatted before I saw anything remotely interesting!

I'm a bit of a history nerd, I love to bore my friends with pointless facts I've learned from watching SBS docos (watched two on the royals just last week which *I* thought were fascinating). Having a history doco on in the background makes housework more bearable. I'm assuming that's just me ;) So, probably I am actually quite happy with witnessing history from a page or a box where I don't have to live with the stench of the olden-times or view anything gory and horrible up close.

But... if you really MADE me go somewhere back in time I guess (being a church-going Christian) I would probably have to say the first Christmas. It looks quiet and warm and happy. It would be cool to witness that particular turning point in history that has touched so many lives.

Christmas shopping ideas

I both love and loathe Christmas shopping. I love the presents that are easy to buy - the ones that seem to jump off the shelf in your direction screaming, "This is so (insert friend/relatives name here)!" It's the other half of the gifts that get me down - the ones you seem to spend the weeks up to Christmas stressing over. They also seem to be the more expensive gifts and I'm usually not quite what the recipient had in mind.

Each year, my shopping list seems to get longer - with the birth of new nieces and nephews and the introduction of special people I want to thank. I like to space the buying throughout the year if possible, lessen the Christmas 'crunch'.

Yes... it IS all extremely colour co-ordinated! Two colours per year, that's our rule!

If you think that's a bit weird, you should see my clothes line!

 

This year, I'm being proactive. I bought all the gifts that screamed at me from the shelf. Specialty board games, concert DVDs, cute clothing for my nieces, toys and funny books.  Then I bought a bunch of other gifts that would be cool 'just in case' gifts - a sort of one-size-fits-most for gifts:

* Recipe book
* Gum ball machine (although the kids found this and have declared it a family appliance)
* A reasonable chick-lit (Jane Green or something equally crowd-pleasing)
* Pretty glassware
* Long handled ice-cream spoons in a bigger box (waiting for me to add sprinkles, crushed nuts and two bottles of flavoured topping)
* Pretty brooch
* Assorted jewelry

Then I made a list of things I could buy 'last-minute' if necessary

* Movie vouchers
* iTunes voucher
* Restaurant voucher
* Bowling voucher
* Coffee voucher

And a list of experiences to somehow gift-wrap

* Trip to the driving range with one bucket of golf-balls
* An afternoon of kite flying (along with a kite)
* An afternoon chatting on the beach (complete with bottle of wine and a voucher for a kilo of prawns) - I'll admit, this is probably a gift to myself as well as my friend!

I wish I could cook confidently enough to offer a Mexican feast as a gift. Or if I was better with contact maybe offer to cover one kids' books!

Anyone have any ideas to add to the list?

I'm seriously hoping to avoid the Christmas panic this December. Now I've just got to work out who gets what... and where I've hidden all the gifts!


Linking up with Essentially Jess - IBOT. Trying to make it a habit. Apologies for the 'nothing' sort of post!!! Will start thinking about next Tuesday's post right away!

DIY Christmas stockings

We seem to have lost the kids Christmas stockings - I fear they might have gone out with the wrapping paper in 2009 - so this year I decided to make new ones with the kids.

They had a lot of fun - Miss Piggy and I went out to Spotlight to choose the fabric (that wasn't so fun, MP had a meltdown over 'too many choices') then I worked with them one-on-one to get the stockings done. Each one took about half an hour to complete, even with little hands assisting.

We cut a stocking shape from scrap paper

We chose fabrics - one thick strip and a thinner strip for the top

We folded the thinner strip of fabric in half and sewed it to the thick strip. I top stitched where the fabrics joined.

We folded the strip in half (right sides together) then we traced the stocking onto the fabric

We cut and we sewed (the kids pushed the pedal on the machines)

No, I haven't brushed my hair! Don't judge me, I'm on holidays!

And we were done!

We hot-glued decorations on the front and loops for hanging at the top.

The kids are so proud to have made their very own stockings!

Lil Birdie Designs

I got a parcel this week! We get a lot of parcels round here due to our penchant for homemade-or-unusual-curiosities (me) latest-state-of-the-art-technological-things (him). This time I had ordered a waistcoat and capri shorts for my Small Boy.

It was a very late night purchase on a FB sale - not something I usually do - but I just couldn't resist that quirky little set! It's so hard to find 'nice' traditional-type clothing for small boys and I wanted to have something special for my littlest man to wear at Christmas (the kids always dress up for church).

Ruth from Lil Birdie Clothing kindly sent me some fabric scraps (to match the set I bought from her) and I made him a little flatcap to match. Jase said I am cruel and unusual for dressing him in 'golf clothes' but agreed he looked cute!

The workmanship on this little set is awesome - such neat stitching and hard-wearing fabrics. I recommend you check out Lil Birdie on facebook if you're looking for high-quality, one-of-a-kind clothing for your little one.

The hat is another story... I'd give it an A for effort, and... well, let's just say I'd rather you not look too closely! It's a proto-type and I have just enough fabric to make a second edition! Who knew it was so impossible to find a flatcap pattern on the internet! I had to make my own... After looking closely at an old hat we had here, I just kind of winged it. It's OK, but I think I'd like a second shot at getting it right!

I might add the pattern here when I get it just right... anyone interested?

Christmas traditions...

Growing up, our families celebrated Christmas in very different ways. Hubby's family had a Christmas Eve celebration with presents and food into the wee hours of Christmas morning while my childhood Christmases were very different. It has become very important to me to build some traditions into the family we've created. Here are some of my favourite things to do at Christmas:

1. Christmas lights drive - Our very first date, we went around town to look at all the lights. We make sure we do it each year. Sometimes it's on the anniversary of our first date, sometimes it's Boxing Day (although we do usually try to get there before Christmas day)

2. Decorating the tree - one person picks the colour scheme, we all decorate while listening to Christmas music, being silly and having fun. This year Mr Z picked the colours and we were able to use the very first decorations we ever bought, 13 Christmases ago (blue)

3. Gingerbread - Whether it's trees or men, N and I have come to enjoy doing this job together. This year we made some for Z's classmates, next year we'll need a whole lot more!

4. Church - this year we went to Christmas Eve Mass with Hubby's family.

5. Food! The kids each get to choose something to eat on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Miss Piggy chose kiwi fruit and chocolate cake, Mr Z wanted pancakes and blueberries.

6. Recording our memories - the kids line up so we can mark their height on the pantry door, and everyone gets a picture taken under the tree.

7. Our new tradition - now we're a complete family of five, I want to choose one special decoration to hang each year. This year we went out and bought a silver snowflake - after much umming and ahhing (and bickering). Not quite the relaxing experience I was looking for, but you have to start these things and let them settle in to tradition... or not! We'll see!

Christmas Treats!

I love gingerbread men. I think everyone does! I remember one magical day in primary school when everyone in our class was given a gingerbread man to celebrate a classmate's birthday. I remember thinking how lucky that boy was that his mum had/took the time to make something special for each person in our room. So last night I made gingerbread Christmas trees for Zander's class. It was going to be gingerbread candy canes, but I know how much Zander likes green. And smarties :)

And here is what I made for his teachers (will make more 'layers' next time to make it more tree-like)

Can't believe it is my boy's last day of kindy tomorrow (sigh)...

Gingerbread recipe

I've promised this recipe to a few people, so here it is...

A couple of years ago I went on the hunt for the perfect gingerbread recipe - I like them a little bit soft, not too much sugar (because, lets face it, my little people are going to eat a lot of them and they're no fun when they're sugared up) easy and quick to make. I tried lots of different recipes before I came up with this one of my own.

Sam's Gingerbread Recipe

'Dry' ingredients:

3 cups of plain flour

1 tsp bicarb soda

4 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

'Wet' ingredients:

125g softened butter (I usually over-microwave it and it still turns out OK)

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 180 C (fan-forced) 

2. Mix 'wet' ingredients together.

3. Add sifted dry ingredients

4. Knead into dough

5. Roll out approx 5mm thick

6. Cut shapes

7. Bake for approx 10 mins

8. Let cool, then decorate

This recipe will make around 30 medium sized gingerbread men or 50 stars (I make them each year for my students to decorate at Christmas time). I usually halve it for home (it's tricky to halve an egg, but NOT impossible).

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PS They're 'snowmen' not ghosts... It's so hot here this week, I'm dreaming of cooler weather. Snow would be perfect!