Christmas with John Lewis

The institution that is John Lewis invited me to their Autumn/Winter and Christmas launch this week and I had a great big glimpse into what they think might be the next big thing and guess what I love it!

From a toy perspective, I was really pleased to see that there was a focus on traditional role play and musical instruments.  I have earmarked the fantastic electric guitar for Mini a snip at £35 when they get them in stock (well Grannie will be purchasing it for his Christmas present).  There was a lot of toy story on display too, in addition to a fab Lego camera and MP3 player.

I have always been a fan of John Lewis' Christmas section and was very impressed with their offerings for Christmas 2010.  I was really inspired by the crackers made from recycled newspaper.

I have to say though it was the home section that totally blew me away.  I loved the retro vibe of the connections fabrics and prints, which they had actually gone in to the JL archives for. 

The furniture was stunning, I especially liked the Mr Bright Chair, each of the buttons were a different colour.  If made my heart sing!  Rob Ryan has also done a fantastic collaboration too and they his and hers mugs are on my Christmas list.

Then  there was the haberdashery, how wonderful, so much eye candy.  Beautiful buttons, ribbon, fabric and  rickrack.  John Lewis are going to start stocking fat quarters and quilting fabric too.

So thank you to John Lewis for a great day.

Toilet humour and the best present of the holidays according to the minimads

My Brother bought MiniMad  "Pooh is that you Bertie?"

It has been the biggest hit of the holiday, we seem to be reading it constantly and the boys love the toilet humor, in fact we have been parping, boffing and tooting ever since.

Who would have thought a book about farts could have been so much fun!

A Wonderful White Christmas

I do hope that everyone is having a great Christmastime.  We have been having a fantastic time here in TheMadHouse.

Christmas Eve was spent wrapping, wrapping and more wrapping, as all the presents were hidden in the loft until last minute to make sure that we dont spoil it for the children.

We also made sure that we ate the mince pie and carrot and also drank the drink left for Father Christmas.  The Mini's managed till about 5.50am, but we didnt come downstairs until 6.30am.  The rule here is that stockings are opened straight away and that other gifts after breakfast and once we are all dressed.  Rhis was no issue for the mini's as Father Christmas had left light sabers and malteezers in their stockings.

We then spend most of the morning, in between MadDad checking on Lunch (he did it all this year, from prapping the veg on Christmas eve, to making the sausage meat stuffing with MiniMad) opening and playing with presents.  The boys loved everything that they were given and were mighty lucky in that there are some very generous people out there (we were lucky to have been nominated for the Mumsnet Secret Santa).

We all sat down for a wonderful feast, including Boy Booze (sparkling pomegranet juice) for the mini's and a glass of pink fizz for me (only one as I was driving later in the day).  Being only the four of us for Christmas dinner, we had the things we like to eat, turkey, stuffing, sausages, roasted veg (carrots, parsnip, swash, onions and turnip from the garden), roast potatoes and gravy.  It was yummy.

We then all had a relaxing afternoon playing with more of the boys toys, they really loved their Leapfrog Tag systems that I picked up in the sales last January!!

We then went to my inlaws for a late afternoon tea, the boys loved spending time with Nana and Granddad and were glued to the TV for The Gruffello.

Then back home for me and MadDad to have a lovly relaxing evening and lots of cuddles from Mr Smudge.

We have spent today at Harrogate and spent our Christmas money (from the inlaws), they were very generous.  I dont really like enclosed shopping areas and we all love Harrogate with all the open spaces, which were filled with Snowmen.  We all managed to get something we wanted, so a successful outing for all.

We are really looking forward to tomorrow, which we are spending at my mums with my brother, sister in law and niece, there will be present exchanging, eating, drinking, joking and lots and lots of messing about. 

Christmas Eve Elves

We have a tradition here in the mad house which has evolved from when I was small.  I always got a new pair of pajamas on Christmas Eve to go to bed in.

I dont know when I stopped thinking they were from the elves and know they were from my parents, but we have carried out this tradition throughout our grown up life too.

We have also been keen to do this for the MiniMads and this year decided to expand it a little and leave a bag of goodies from the eveles on their door.  We have been lucky enough to receive a couple of DVD's as gifts for the boys, so included them, in addition to a book each, a colouring book, some reindeer food and a little chocolate Father Christmas.

We hung the bags I made on their doors last night after putting them tobed and also popped our new PJ's on the floor too for them to find.

It has made for a very excited morning and will make for a very family, snuggley day as the snow is falling again here in North Yorkshire.

I am not sure how much or little I will be posting over the festive period.  I do find that escaping into the kitchen, where the laptop currently is really wonderful so may not stop at all!  

 

A Personal Panto

My Sister in Law and Brother usually substidise a trip for the children of members of the club to a local Pantomime each year, but his has been getting more and more expensive, so for the first time this year, a local company, The Beverly Artistes came and put on a panto for the children in the Club.

What a sucess.  it was fantastic.  5 performers put on Cinderella.  The children loved it and all joined in.  The parents all joined in too and me and MadDad had a fantastic time.

It was great that the children could really participate, move around pretty freely and just enjoy themselves in a safe environment, all for a pound per person.

There were times when they were transfixed and times when they could shout loud enough or stop laughing.  It wasn't too lewd, or high brow, it was perfectly pitched.

Then the children danced the night away. MaxiMad and My niece V had just the best time dancing together.

Both boys fell asleep in the car on the way home and haven't stopped talking about their panto since.  Thanks Sis and Bro and cant wait for Aladdin next year!

Christmas Cakes are done and dusted

I have made and decorated 4 large Christmas cakes this year with the help of my wonderful family (recipe can be found here)

This one is for my in laws, My Father in law loves fruit cake and prefers square cakes!!

I am a fan of retro and old fashions cake toppers of my youth, so have grabbed them off my Mum and MIL when ever I have had the chance.

This one is for my mum

This one is for my mums best friend, who always treats the boys like her own grandchildren and is a very speical lady.

Finally ours, which has had to have a full re-ice after minimad ate it all!!

I have put it out of reach this time and it will be cut New Years Eve and served with some cheese as is the Yorkshire Way!!

Once you have tasted home made cakes, there is no going back.

So if anyone sees any vintage cake toppers, please let me know, as people tend not to always return them!!

Reindeer Food, Hearts and Friends

I am a lucky lady you know.  I have made some wonderful friends over the internet.  I am blessed to have them and wanted to say thank you for all their support during this year.

So, we make reindeer food as part of our annual christmas traditions, therefore, I made a little extra and have packaged it off to them and their little ones as a gesture of my feelings for them.

Reindeer food

I haven't re-invented the wheel here, we basically use oats and glitter or coloured sugar.

It is dead easy to colour sugar, pop it in a plastic bag, add food colour and shake!!  We use this as we live in a rural area, but have used glitter too.

Simply mix with oats and pop in a bag and add printable label.  I had wrote the labels last year, but Amy at The Idea Room has ones you can print here 

Now things might have been quiet on the craft and sewing front on the blog, but that is due to the fact I have been busy in real life.  I have been making red hearts.

And Mother of peal button heart decorations for the big people.

 

 

 

And lots and lots of personalised stockings and zip bags for some wonderful little people!

It feels brilliant to make things myself, they are made full of love and from things in my stash, so I have managed to do this and not break the bank.  So Merry Christmas Friends and thank you for being there for me this year.

A Pause in Advent - Joy

joy / joi/ • n. a feeling of great pleasure and happiness: tears of joy the joy of being alive. ∎  a thing that causes joy: the joys of Manhattan. • v. [intr.] poetic/lit. rejoice: I felt shame that I had ever joyed in his discomfiture or pain.  2009 has brought me lots of joy, I have shed the above tears and I have a family that brings me joy every day.

 In the bible joy is more than an emotion it combines a sence of happiness with a state of blessedness.

 

For me this advent has been a time of biblical joy.  I have found the time to find happiness in the everyday, in the small things and rather than just in the build up to the 25th December.

 

In fact MadDad and I commented that we have enjoyed advent for its own this year, we have taken the time to sit and rejoyed in our lifes and teach our children imporatant aspects of the advent story and they both see christmas day as the day we celebrate Jesus' birth.  

 

Yes for them presents also play a role in their joy, but the giving in so much as the receiving.  They have learned the joy in giving their freinds cookies instead of cards, giving small personalised Christmas Stockings to their best friends.

 

By giving each day a task we have lived in the present day and took time to enjoy each one rather than just spending the time waiting for the 25th to arrive.

 

This is the best lesson that I have learnt this advent to enjoy each day for its own merits, to live for the now and what you have rather than what you might be getting.

 

For this and my family I truly rejoice.

 

Thank you Floss for allowing me this platform and this excuse to sit down and contemplate the meaning of advent and of this very special time of year.  

 

Merry Christmas One and All 

Family Treasures Old and New

I have been reminded this weekend of why I make thing with the boys and for the boys.

We have been decorating gingerbread house's at my mums with my niece and we put up the snowmen decorations I made when I was 8 so they are 28 years old and the minimads loved them.

I have to say the houses which we from Ikea were a nightmare to fix together and eventually both collaspsed under the weight of three children and excess sweets I fear.

But as you can see they had a fantastic time making them.

We also dropped off the plate I had decorated for my Neice and the boys for their treats for Santa.

I had a great time decorating them with paint that we already had and the plates were 90p each from Morrisons.  They only took about 20 minutes each and are now dishwasher safe.

I hope that these become the fur snowmen of the future.

We did have an eventful drive home though.  It started snowing again when the children were having their dinner and we set off as soon as they had finished.  What should have been a 20 minute trip home, took us three hours.

We woke to a wonderful winter wonderland this morning.

Bloggy Love

I decided to take part in the Christmas Ornament swap this year.  I already had the materials to make my ornament, so it would only be the postage costs.

 

 

 

My Ornaments received from my partner at ooodlesofnoodles.blogspot.com are fabtastic and look great on the tree,  I love them.

I also received a lovely Circle of friends award from Penny at Pennys Hen House.  This means an awful lot to me, in fact I cried.

Now I have to tell you 5 things I like to do:

Smell my children

Walk by the sea, even in the winter

Sewing

Having my hair washed at the hairdressers (Roll on Tuesday)!!

Drinking tea

I have to pass this on to 5 people

Sandy at Baby Baby, I think we are living paralle lives!!

Aby at Mutterings from the moor, a wonderful, caring and just fab lady

Suzie at itch2stitch, she has been through so much and is a tower of stregth to me

Stephanie at Bah! to Cancer, She has the most wonderful attitude and I think I am a little bit in love with her!!!

I would also pass it back to Penny, as she has been supporting me from the start!