Brooch Fest

Earlier this week I was really pleased to have been able to spend half an hour sorting out some my jewellery which had got into a right old pickle.

I bought this multi pocketed holder from Ebay last year. 

It's brilliant.

 It folds over the horizontal part of a clothes hanger and is held in place by a row of poppers. 

It can then be hung up in your wardrobe out of sight. 

This is a good thing so it doesn't clutter up the bedroom but also a bad thing because when it is out of sight I tend to just shove things in randomly when I'm in a rush and then it gets messy. 

But not now, now it's nice and tidy

and an extra bonus is I found a mistletoe brooch I had forgotten I had. It's a shame I didn't find it a month ago as I could have worn at Christmas. Will definitely have to make sure I keep things tidy this December.

A new addition to the brooch collection is a beach hut and beach umbrella design which Father Christmas very kindly put in my stocking.

And on the summery theme I'm looking forward to being able to wear this kitsch couple together. 
The lolly I've had for a while but the sunglasses are newer.
They were a chance find inside a basket of random items sat on the counter of a charity shop, just goes to show it's always worth having a rifle through the randomness.

Weekend Snippets

Well we all know the weekend officially starts on Friday evening and so to help us  relax into it G and I decided we should watch a movie.

 Now last year my lovely blog friend Jo set herself the challenge of watching one old movie a month which I thought was an excellent challenge.

I already had a little pile of movies which I had been given as gifts or picked up cheaply at car boot sales during this past year which I hadn't got around to watching and then I got three new ones for Christmas, so inspired by Jo I have determined to make sure I make time to watch one of month.

First up was a bit of fifties froth in the shape of How to Marry a Millionaire. I have seen this before but G hadn't and judging from his reaction I don't think he'll be making time to watch it again!

I love it because Marilyn Monroe is in it and I love her.

Of course it's a completely ridiculous story but who cares when the costumes are so fabulous.

I was very productive Saturday morning and armed with a lovely cuppa in the lovely big cup I was given when I left my last job I set to with my diary and the weekly planner.
The planner was my Christmas present from my mother-in-law and I love the beach themed illustrations. A pad of 52 non dated sheets labelled Monday-Sunday with enough space to write in appointments, reminders for events during the week and very importantly each day's evening meal. I'm hoping I can get myself into the habit of doing this each Saturday morning so I can feel more organised.

G sent me a text Saturday afternoon which said 'I have some lovely cheese.' I instantly knew which cheese he had bought and I wasn't disappointed when he came home with this chunk of Wensleydale with cranberries. Cracking as Wallace would say.

Last November I went to the opera for the first time ever and on Saturday I went to see an orchestra play for the first time ever.
G has suggested both of these evenings out.
What a wonderful experience seeing the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra was. We were sat in the front row, just 6 feet away from them and from the first note to the last we were captivated by the polkas and waltzes. The conductor introduced the different pieces and explained what the inspiration had been behind each one and when he was conducting he was so elegant and so physical he was just as entertaining to watch as the musicians were.
This is definitely my good thing for Saturday.

Sunday afternoon I went round to see my sister and she gave me the mug shown below, isn't it sweet.
A little floral fawn, too cute.
Apparently my mum meant to give it to me for Christmas but she gave it to my sister by mistake.
I would have been very disappointed if it had been the other way around and I would have needed to give it to C!
It's quite dinky, not quite the size I prefer for my tea, I reckon hot chocolate will be perfect though.

Lots of Good Things

I knew when I said I wouldn't be able to blog everyday about my 'good in very day' I was being realistic but I didn't think it would take me this long to post again!

So here follows a good thing or two from everyday so far.

2nd January

I finally got around to sorting out the huge haul of presents from my sister which all came inside this Christmas pudding decorated sack. My favourite item of clothing from among the various tops, cardigans and t-shirts is this dark green knitted top decorated with polka dot bows.

The family sign is now living on the mantlepiece in the dining room.

                                                             3rd January
Two things from the third and each a Christmas present. First up was a couple of rounds of a game which we gave T for Christmas called Who, What, Where. You draw three cards and you have to draw the person doing the thing in the place named. This was one of G's drawings which we had as Dawn French, playing badminton at Gracelands. 
Turns out it wasn't Dawn French but Mother Theresa!

Second happy is the delight on S's face when she ate a ice pop from a whizz pop. The frozen pop twirls as you eat. Simple but fun.

                         
                                                           4th January
A small bag of donations were dropped off at our local branch of Barnados and as they have recently changed their pricing policy so everything is only £1.99 an item I had a quick look round and found this pretty cotton Monsoon skirt which will be fab in the summer.

                                                               5th January
Time spent outdoors! A walk through town but going the scenic route through the parks gave S an opportunity to run along walls, at what age do we stop in delighting at walking along walls?

You can't really tell from this photo but the bread roll this bird had snaffled was as big as his head and he was doing it's utmost to keep it away from the other birds!

A sad sight was this magnificent tree broken into three pieces by the recent weather conditions.

We were quite surprised to see the water flowing in the fountain and it always reminds us of the time one boiling hot day we went there with T when he was little. He was determined to go in and get soaked even though he didn't have a change of clothes, but in he went anyway and we have a photo accidentally taken at such an angle so it looks like the water is spurting out from his behind!

The angel on the memorial to the Titanic engineers.
Don't blink, whatever you do don't stop looking at them........... 

A new plaque dedicated to Craig David spotted on the wall outside a music venue near the Guildhall.

                                                          6th January
G and I completed a jigsaw S gave him for Christmas.

                                                             7th January
The first purchase made towards my sister's birthday present. I had to pop to the Co-op and saw that one of the many charity shops I had to pass on the way was having a half price sale. It would have been rude not to have popped in I reckon. 50p spent on this Apple Sauce dish.

                                                8th January
Each Christmas we send a card along with a letter and some photos to each of our children's foster carers. This last Christmas it was one of the things I didn't get done and I felt bad for not doing it, so I purchased a couple of Happy new year cards and eventually sent those off instead. When I got the photos printed I made sure I got one that had both T and S in to go inside a new frame I was given by friends for Christmas.

                                                              9th January
Clean plates after trying out a new recipe is always something which makes me happy.
I cooked a roasted butternut squash and chicken risotto. It also contained leeks, pepper and sweetcorn. I love it when the children eat veg and don't complain.
Only thing is I didn't take a photo but it was a good moment all the same.

A Good 2014

Everyday may not be good, but there's something good in every day.

I like these few words of wisdom.
And I want to use them to help me record a little snippet from my day for everyday this year.
I'm not going to say I will blog a photo everyday as I know I'm just setting myself up to fail with that one, but I hope this challenge will encourage me to get into the habit of picking up my camera more often, blogging more often and also helping in the development a more positive way of thinking.

Today's good thing is getting changed into my Christmas PJ's and new slippers then settling down with this months book club read. 

Lastly for today I want to wish everyone who visits here a Very Good New Year.

Festive Countdown 17-24 and Christmas Day

Did you all have a wonderful Christmas? I certainly hope you did.

I'm finally getting round to recording the last week or so of our festive countdown.

This could turn into a long post so you may need a cuppa (or something stronger to get you through it!).

On Tuesday 17th G was doing something special too. He went to London with his brother where they met up with his mum and sister. G's present to his mum was a trip to the Buckingham Palace art gallery and then afternoon tea in a Hilton hotel. They all had a terrific day and it was especially lovely for them to be together as it was the day before the first anniversary of their dad passing away. 

With G away in London my mum came over and collected S from school and then in the early evening the three of us went carol singing.

Unfortunately the drizzle turned to proper rain and we were getting too cold and wet to stay for it all but the one memory which will stay with me was casting surreptitious glances at S as she was singing and signing Away In a Manger.

Our next day needed something which needed little planning and the ideal choice was a round or two of The Snowman board game. We all love this one.

Thursday was an edible treat of snowmen kebabs. S was extremely puzzled by this concept but was more than happy when I presented her with a tub of mini doughnuts and some chocolate chips. I made one, she did the other 3 and then we all ate them!

Everyone had been looking forward to our activity on Friday 20th. We had booked to go and see Frozen at the cinema. And it wasn't just the four of us who were going. My sister, Auntie C, had asked to come along too which made it all the more exciting for T and S. The only showing we could go to was a 3D version of the movie, the first 3D everyone, apart from T, had experienced. We all agreed afterwards it really was a lovely movie and a fab evening out.

The next few days didn't go quite as we had planned, mainly due to the weather, but we kept busy. Saturday afternoon S, G and I sat down for a bit of crafting and painted a set of baubles and here is S's snowman.

Sunday S and G had been invited out with friends to a farm. I was looking forward to them going so I could crack on with all manner of Christmas preparation but when G looked at the farm website he found that the farm itself wouldn't be open, just a barn with a Santa's grotto in the middle and few animals at each end. He spoke with S and she wasn't keen on seeing the man in the red suit and so he rang the friend who had invited them. It turned out he wasn't aware the farm wasn't properly open either and so they decided not to go. I still needed them out so a second trip to the cinema in 3 days was arranged.

No photo of Monday's activity as I forgot. I had bought a couple of those net bags of chocolate snowmen from a supermarket which we stuck them to pieces of card with a note to say they were a random act of Christmas kindness and S placed them on shelves at the library. Apart from the last one which she handed to a chap who was in there using the computer. He looked genuinely shocked and pleased when she handed it over as she wished him a Merry Christmas. I had already asked for permission from the library to do this when I went to book club earlier in the month.

Now we've reached Christmas eve and some baking was in order so we could leave Father Christmas a home made treat. G's mum is a lover of all edible ginger delights and we thought ginger biscuits would be ideal. They were delicious and Father Christmas must have liked his too as it was gone the next morning.

I'm not sure if Father Christmas does this in every household but on Christmas eve he sends some new PJ's down our chimney and when they arrive the children know it's nearly time for bed. This year S unwrapped her parcel and when she found a reindeer patterned onesie she suddenly became Tigger and bounced around the room thanking Father Christmas before launching herself first on my lap for a big hug and then on G's. A reaction which meant she was very happy I think! T wasn't left out and he received a new dressing gown although there was a slightly less energetic response from him!

As I mentioned earlier in this post it was a year ago that G lost his dad and back in the summer his mum had said she didn't want to do anything or see anyone this Christmas. This concerned him and his sister and so it was decided we would invite them both to us for Christmas. 

Our house is only tiny and it would have been a squeeze but a very good friend of mine who lives nearby was going away for Christmas and she offered D and D to stay at her home. Such a kind and generous offer for which everyone was very thankful.  

Our Christmas morning started as normal with the children coming into us, not too early at 7.15, to open their stocking presents from Father Christmas. Then it was downstairs to open the gifts from me and G. 

Because we were expecting Grandma and D at 9.30 we called a halt to the present opening so we could eat breakfast and those of us who were getting dressed could do so.

T requested I not take photos of them opening their gifts this year so I didn't  and instead just sat back and watched.

The camera did make an appearance when we had a short and very sharp hailstorm and T ventured out in it.

G's mum and sister stayed with us until 6pm on Christmas day and then came back again Boxing day morning before leaving to drive back to Salisbury mid afternoon.  They left us with a card saying thank you for making what could have been a difficult time a very enjoyable one. I think being with the children must have helped enormously.

For those who have been following me for a while you'll know that one of our traditions is to buy silly table presents which must be worn whilst eating Christmas lunch. So to end this festive round up here is this year's selection.

Me wearing a pair of glittery red glasses I reckon Dame Edna would be proud of

G with his pipe (the glasses were in his stocking) and his mum wearing her halo.

D wearing her headband with mistletoe attached and a huge moustache from a set I bought which clip onto a drinking straw so are perfectly placed for photo opportunities.

T's table present was the weirdest. The eyes in these glasses are so starey they make everyone who puts them on look really freaky!

Not everyone got dressed Christmas day, S spent the day in her new cow themed onesie and then morphed into a tiger/cow combo at lunch with her table gift which also included a tail as well as the bow tie and ears. Cute or what?!

Festive Countdown Days 12-16

We've been busy with paper in one form or another during our festive countdown these past few days.

 Day 12 was folding and sticking together an incredibly cute gingerbread house. 

Much tidier and far less sticky than using biscuits and icing sugar as we've done in the past

Friday night was a game of roll a snowman. 

The different pieces took minutes to cut out and have now been stashed away ready for when excitement levels are heightened and a quietening down activity made be needed.

On Saturday I wrapped presents for one of friends and her 2 boys. I am really pleased with their gifts.
Back in the summer I was in TK Maxx when I spotted this milkshake tin which has my friend's name on it. I knew that Superdrug did a range of strawberries and milkshake toiletries and waited until they were on special offer so I was able to buy her a hand cream, shower gel and lip balm for £5.00 which all fit very neatly inside the tin. I was quite happy with the gift as it was but then when in Primark a little while ago looking for to buy myself new socks I saw these milkshake ones which were just perfect.

Last year I gave her boys a Christmas movie, popcorn and a cola reindeer and this year they both have a t-shirt and some sweets with silly poems attached.
First off is a box of tic tacs relabelled as Snowman Seeds on the front and on the back it says 'OK, you can't really sow them, but 'plant' one on your tongue and if they make you grow a smile then their Christmas job is done.'
The cellophane bag contains chocolate raisins and the rhyme on the tag reads
'I woke up with such a scare when I heard Santa call- dash away, dash away, dash away all!
I ran to the lawn and in the snowy white drifts those cheeky reindeer had left 'little gifts!'
To throw them away seemed such a waste
So I saved them thinking you may like a taste!'
I hope they make them giggle.

Saturday was also the day S made Christmas cards for our family when she got busy with paper, glue and stamps.

We didn't use any paper for our activity for Sunday but we did use ice cream cones. I found this idea on Pinterest and the original used those lovely waffle sugar cones but when I went to the supermarket they didn't have any. So we just used the normal wafery sort and after I had coated them in green icing S decorated them with sprinkles, chocolate shapes, silver balls and holly leaves.

They are incredibly sweet to eat but S loved making them and we thought our little forest of trees looked very sweet too.

Today was S's school Christmas play and with a busy day in store for all I decided taking in presents for the teaching and office staff was probably the best idea for our Monday activity.

Festive Countdown Days 7-11

You'd think that now I'm working each afternoon and so have the mornings free I would have more time to do the things that I want to do, like blogging, but getting used to a new routine is proving to be trickier than I thought it would be. Couple that with all the extra demands on time that December brings explains why I have a few days to catch up on.

So it's back to the weekend and on Saturday we put up our tree. 

S decorated it whilst I sat by and tried not be get too twitchy about the overladen branches and the bare patches! There may have been a little rearranging, but only a little.

I love this vintage bauble

We have quite an assortment of decoraions on the tree, some made from felt, some glass, some plastic and a couple of salt dough ones too.

On Sunday we went to the Tudor House museum as they were having a Victorian Christmas event. I'm not sure what the Victorian event was apart from the fact a few members of staff were dressed in Victorian costume. I was expecting some kind of information about Christmas Victorian style as I like finding out how Christmas was celebrated in the past. 

Opposite the Tudor House is St Michael's Church which was built in the 1070's and is the only surviving medieval parish church in Southampton.

One of the current exhibitions inside the Tudor House is a selection of paper dresses and shoes by artist Violese Lunn. They are so delicate and intricate, especially the shoes.

Another work of art, this time one created inside the museum by S, a reindeer made from a wooden spoon. We thought he looked like he had grown an impressive moustache and was perhaps wearing a polo neck?!

Mondays's activity was making paper chains. A nice and calm sitting down activity. They have been hung from the dresser, the food storage cupboard

and the framed Ladybird book pictures making our dining room look very festive.

Tuesday was all about giving to others when we made a donation to the local food bank, not much but hopefully it'll all be useful.

Today should have been another food donation, this time for a local animal charity. There is a collection box for donations at our library and when I went to book club this evening I was supposed to take the items we have bought with me but I forgot, so for now they are sat on our kitchen work top and instead we'll drop them in at the weekend.