It's beginning to look nothing like Christmas...

Well, the week started off great, though I must have jinxed it by feeling way too relaxed, enjoying my children playing blissfully in the backyard, and absorbing the excitement that is the week leading up to the big day.

Here we are, day before Christmas Eve and I have had three very sick children.  Some manky virus has struck them down and completely turned our heavenly home into a germ ridden, child screaming, sleep deprived nightmare!  I've hired as many Christmas movies as I can to cling onto the festive spirit we had just a few days ago...but to no avail!  Cramping tummies, fevers, fetching buckets, running frantically from one to the other - chaos has prevailed!

On the bright side, all the running up & down the stairs has got to prove to be a bonus in the long run, surely, and being housebound for three days has meant avoiding all the mayhem that goes on out there at this time of year, we got to see all the pretty lights last night on the way back from the hospital which we usually miss because we're in bed before dark.....no, that's not working...truth is I feel isolated, exhausted, far from festive, and worst of all, I think the bug has got me too!

Here's hoping that a Christmas miracle can be performed in this little corner of the world so that I don't have to tell my family we won't be joining them for Christmas....

Enough of my misery, I sincerely wish you all a very Happy Christmas and holiday season!  May it be filled to the brim with joy, love, gorgeous food, wine & all those delightful things, and great fun with family and treasured friends  xxx

Aaahhh...holidays!

It's day one of holidays and it has been a delight so far.  Just hanging out at home... lego, Star Wars, Buzz, a quiet movie, a bit of tidying up, and a walk in the sunshine to grab a coffee....

...the perfect day!

My Place & Yours: The 'Me' Wardrobe

This weeks Theme Queen is Sandra asking us to share the special item/s of clothing that we keep going back to, that friends would recognise us in from miles away.  It's got to be grey for me, all things grey, and any shade of grey, usually with some pretty detail, like shirring or a nice print, some applique...

Skirts, dresses, tops, bottoms, summer, winter, day wear & evening - all grey! I can't help being drawn to it when I walk into a store.  I do have lots of other colours in my wardrobe, and I wear them all, but they are all usually teamed with something grey...

Come & have some fun, play along here.

Babushka

Meet our newest member of the Little Ted Canvas range...

'Babushka Love'

It's A Flower - Hooray!

I did it! I made my first flower! Last week I decided I would teach myself to crochet because I saw a gorgeous scarf that I just had to have, so I thought I'd try making it myself.  Well, I haven't quite started on the scarf yet, but I made my first flower! Hooray for me!  It's a little shabby, but I can only get better, surely...and it's such an enjoyable way to pass the hours - not that I have too many to spare, but a little 'me' time can't hurt, right!?

It's Christmas Time...

Our Christmas decorations look so pretty this year.  It's the first time we've been able to have a tree without it being pulled to pieces by little people who get more enjoyment hurling baubles across a room than admiring them from a safe distance.  Sadly, we're all tucked up in bed before dark so we never get to see it all at it's most delightful, at night time when all the lights are twinkling in the windows & the whole house is lit up by the Christmas tree.  I know, I know, everyone says 'But it's Christmas let the kids stay up late & enjoy it, at least they'll sleep later in the morning!'.  Not my kids! They could be up until midnight every night & still be awake by 5.30am every morning!  Is it worth it?....I guess so...it is Christmas after all...aren't we all supposed to be sleep deprived and physically and mentally exhausted at this time of year?   I would love to take them for a drive around town to see all the beautiful decorations & lights.  That's half the fun, right?! I suppose they'll sleep eventually....won't they....?

'My Place & Yours: just 5 minutes peace'

My place & Yours is being hosted by Pilgrim this week & she is asking where we retreat to for a sanity-regaining break. 

My favourite place to sneak away to is this chair in our bedroom.  It is the most comfy chair - it's actually a spring rocking chair, a bargain for just $20 from a local op shop!  I always had intentions of reupholstering it in a plush pale blue velvet, but it's grown on me just the way it is. Our room is really light and airy, perfect on both summer & winter days.  I often sneak up here to have my brekky in peace or just sit back with a cuppa & read a book.  In this chair I can close the door & leave all the mayhem behind me - even if it's just 10 minutes before they all track me down in dire need of something, anything, or nothing - just to be where I am...

Despite it being just the right size for one, it has been the perfect chair for rocking babies back to sleep in the middle of the night (often dosing off ourselves with baby snoring on our chest), and it's the perfect chair for having a quiet cuddle & chat about the troubles on little peoples minds.  I do love this quiet spot...

My Little Christmas Elf...

It's a busy little life...

Owl Love...

Our cuddle cushions have been a big hit with little visitors so far.  Santa is going to need to get his skates on with just 3 weeks till Christmas!!

My Place & Yours : Wherever I Lay My Hat, That's My Home...

This weeks Theme Queen is Tania from Myrtle and Eunice, asking us what we would choose to take with us wherever we may go that makes our place a home.  I'm not a particularly materialistic person, though, I'll admit, I do love to be surrounded by lovely things & there are certain sentimental things that would be on top of the list such as photo's, home movies, childhood keepsakes.  It's all a bit soppy I know, must be in an emotional headspace just at the moment, but truly, I could live without anything except all my boys.  After a tricky year last year, I realised how everything else just fades into insignificance when it comes to being happy.  All of us being here together is what makes our place a home...

Friday night movies and pizza...

...and cuddles

...and wrestling, of course

To share what you can't live without, pop over here.

A Productive Day!

Phew... well what d'ya know!  Sometimes the stars just align and you manage to get on top of things.  My challenge now is to try not to start new projects and to tie up all those loose ends....

You can never really plan...

I had planned a really productive day today. I was going to dedicate the day (or at least the afternoon) to having all my orders complete, well a good portion of them anyway, but that was not to be...

First we had our first official school visit for Prep next year, so off we went to school, sat around for a cuppa with other parents & caught up on some local news. Then we came home where I was going to make a start on things before kinder drop off...

...but ended up constructing a train set & playing trains for a while. Took off for kinder, came home for lunch & to make a start on things, remembered the list of ingredients my eight year old left me to collect so that he could 'make' our dinner tonight (a new thing, he's so into this, who am I to discourage that kind of enthusiasm!) so off to supermarket, school & kinder pickup, swimming and home...needless to say a very unproductive day on the order front. Tomorrow, it will be different...won't it...

That's the Spirit...

So much to do, so little time!  It's always the way at this time of year, isn't it?!  No matter how organised I try to be, I am always flat out in the weeks leading up to Christmas.  It's fun though, I have to admit.  It all adds to that Christmas feel, the spirit in the air....the parties, the hustle & bustle of shopping, the winding up of kids, the winding down of school, the concerts, catching up with neighbours, trying to tie up all the loose ends before the new year, ensuring the back fridge is full of all those lovely goodies like champers, beer, softies & other delicious favourites...I do love it!

And so for now, back to work...with Christmas fast approaching & that spirit in the air...