Christmas is coming, the list is getting long……….. Well you need to be prepared 
Maybe it needs some tinsel?
Oh, and here is the xmas tree, been hard to get good photos, the camera doesn’t seem to like focussing properly on it in low light.
Hapy xmas everyone.
I am not sure quite why I had the gall to complain – well, I wasn’t really, just laughing at myself!
anyway, as a tried and convicted flickerite……
Today was Mudpud group end of year bash. Resolutedly with no Christian theme as it is multifaith. Actually, I am going to digress immediately.
SB wanted to know why all the usual people weren’t there, and to use Merry’s phrase, I said the scarf ladies weren’t there because they were Muslim, and knew that a Chrsitian church hall was bound to have loads of the usual Christian decs. this was a bit of a gloss, as they all had other apologies, but a good way of introducing faith and how you must respect each other. As we have the Hannah and her grandmother book, and a few other faith type books, we have discussed Islam before, and talked about Eid when it was. She wanted to know how you knew which god was right – a bit deep for bedtime really. SO I discussed that it was the one that you felt comfortable as having, either because your family had had that God, or as you grew older and looked into these things, that God was the one that you felt was right [I think most of the scarf ladies are converts] I always find this more dificult being an agnostic. However, I guess if we do it often enough, I will feel more comfortable, and she will have an open mind. Although Chris’s family are very religious [baptists], I don’t want their religion to be the automatic default one should she choose to follow one. To that, I may struggle to go the the church Christingle this weekend with her, or to the carol service next weekend.
for those that do Christingle – do I have to make an orang and candle thing, for most C of E, will it be OK just to turn up and look hopeless? Is there a particular form to follow?? AArrgh.
Anyway, we took along a dancing ladies craft made from paper plates – though mostly called angels by those doing them, they didn’t actually have wings, and I cut them to have crowns instead of halos. There was also a decorate the snowflake from Merry, and a decorate a biscuit. SB was rather over the top with the decorating [surprise surprise], but Amelie exceeded all with her snow lady – totally whited out by cotton wool!
the bouncy castle brought was a fab idea, and a great hit with the children. A food spread and party games completed the very enjoyable no faith end of term party.
on our return, SB insisted on wrapping up some christmas presents [sorry to the recipients!] but did write their names and hers on a tag. lots of roller skating being different animals. Again the T rex was best, though the grasshopper quite amusing.
She is being a reluctant to go to bedder again – this time she came down because she thought she saw a dragon peeping around the corner. I suggested that could she ask it to live with us, stay in the utility room to replace the boiler, and we will feed it catfood with the occasional treat, and it can have all summer as a holiday!
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Posted in art and crafts, Dance/drama, General, SB-PE, socialisation, Stringbean's HE, writing
… wear trousers that have a tendency to slip down and then off just as you have got to the hand mixing in the egg!!
Oh well, 2 dozen chilli scones made. hopefully very nice, but in oven at the moment, and I made up the recipe! 5 cups self raising flour to 1/4 pack of butter – all in my quest to not have to use weighing scales at the mo. certainly seem to be rising nicely. weight watchers also taught me that 45g cheese looks a lot like a matchbox, so also included 3 matchboxes of cheese – rofl! 2 teaspoons harrissa paste, 1 of cayenne, 2 of mustard powder, and also 5 ish pepperdew whizzed up and fried with 1 large onion [and the spices] oh, 3 teaspoons of salt and 3 eggs. lets hope it tastes good. I am hoping for them to have quite a kick to them!
1 handed baking a bit of an art form – so daren’t do anything requiring a light hand!
A late start to this evenings baking as BB been unsettled and fed almost constantly for 2 hours. So not done anything for tomorrows party yet [these are to freeze for xmas, as scones - savoury at least- do freeze well. of course mothing tastes as good as fresh from the oven - ooh first beep!].
ooh yes, very nice. could actually do with a bit more of a kick, but the pepperdew pieces in it are really nice.
Have been suggested to me as appropriate sick leav, so have notified work. I still ahve to go in 2ce next week – once to the fracture clinic, and then do a mound of paperwork, and then to do my yearly appraisal to make sure I am not dodgy. i have to do it by end of Dec as otherwise no pay progression. Seems unfair, as monday will be spent chasing the details, which I did initiate in Nov, but not been in since!
As for today, SB’s bedroom nearly finished. not done tax return though
it was SB’s nursery nativity, so midafternoon we went in for that. SHe, being part time, had a chorus role only. But to be honest, at least she would have said some of the lines – only the angel could bring herself to talk! Very cute, but full of type 1 parents in a dither about it. Anyway, SB enjoyed it, we told her she sang fantastically, and all was well. BB had obviously been very messy and in nursery clothes. She really looks much older in jeans!
At home we did some water painting, SB helped me make pasta bake – she is rather good with a sharp knife! She also spent ages being a drama queen – pretending to be different animals etc. She was rather good as a roller skating T rex! I am still surprised she didn’t enjoy stagecoach as she really does love doing shows here, and gets more and more inventive with her characterisations. Bit of bob the builder watching on video, and now [hopefully] asleep!
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Posted in art and crafts, Cooking, Dance/drama, General, music, photos
Christmas tree hasn’t looked quite right, just not enough lights. So bought another set of 250 lights today and put them on (bit of a faff with the decs on) now it looks much more twinkly and sparkley and magical – much better
Note they are just static clear lights – this a tasteful understated tree you know, none of your chasers, flashers and other illuminatory abominations here………
Of course we do have two other non working sets of lights, but;
1. can we find the spare bulbs we have somewhere?
2. among the innumerable bublbs in the shops can I find just the right variety of fitting/voltage/wattage?
Twinkle, sparkle, twinkle, sparkle……..
Posted in General
Well, why not. I tried to do it fairly quickly so that it is off the cuff rather than deeply studied – as that way I don’t have to go aarrghh whenever soemone says something I think I should have put in.
It actually reminded me [not that i need much reminding] about how lucky I am in my life.
7 things to do before I die
1. travel round world with family ? better save for a sabbatical!
2. see my children grow up to their potential and be happy. [is that 2 or 3?]
3. a real archeological dig
4. OU course or similar in classics
5. play my violin up to scratch again
6. kiss my first great grandchild
7. laugh merrilly as often as possible
7 things I can?t do
1. exercise ? I am unsuited to it!
2. lose weight ? though I keep trying
3. eat meat ? makes me puke now
4. be a high flying career woman ? birth of SB radically changed my whole outlook on life
5. suffer playground politicking
6. love my beans either any less or any more
7. be a professional violinist
7 things that attract me to my spouse (in no particular order)
1. His cooking
2. His caring nature
3. His evident adoration for me
4. His hopelessness at doing anything quickly ? ah, no, that is a confounding variable!
5. His patience
6. His intelligence
7. His chocolate brownies
7 things I say most often
1. I love you
2. chriiiiis
3. do I have to ask you twice about everything?
4. come on
5. good morning/afternoon, my name is??..
6. beautiful
7. gorgeous
7 books I love (well, I just chose the first 7 that I read so regularly they have broken spines)
1. The gate to women?s country [sheri s tepper ? I like lots of her books]
2. the lord of the rings [jrr tolkein]
3. the golden torc series [by julian may]
4. the curse of the mistwraith series [janny wurts]
5. The chronicals of Thomas covenant
6. pride and prejudice [jane austin]
7. feersum enjin [Iain m banks - I like all his culture books too]
7 films I?d watch again and again (actually the most difficult, I just don?t watch many films
1. Much ado about nothing [Kevin branagh and emma thompson]
2. Out of Africa
3. The Madness of King George
4. lord of the rings trilogy
5. truly, Madly Deeply
6. Star trek first contact
7. harry potter films
7 people I?d like to join in (that others haven?t mentioned)
1. Jax
2. Jan
3. Jonathon
4. Katy B
6. Joanna G
7. Tammy
Posted in Blogging, Daft Stuff, General
In this home-ed lark, it does seem like the whole of December is a Chrismas-ed type of month.
today we hav done:
Christmas crafts – no surprise there, loads of christmas cards done
Christmas writing practice – loads of writing SB to be honest, but still, writing.
Christmas maths – we have 28 cards left to do, how many have we done now, how many left
Christmas counting – how many address labels are left??
Christmas economics – discussion on how we pay for posting, and her jolly stamps or stickers wouldn’t cut the mustard with the post office, why there are 2 different rates [why are there really now, when first class not guarenteed?].
Christmas history – a foray into history of stamps, christmas cards and christmas trees – yes, those victorians!
Christmas music – yep Christmas carols!
Christmas baking – delias yummy savoury scone recipe
OK, and I read loads of Apple tree farm books, which are not Xmassy, we looked at the 1001 things to spot history – but thinking of geography as well. Some cbeebies – particularly good at the roly mo spelling game. Lots of playing with her sister – which I really like. general playing.
BB – well, she is feeling a bit better today, and ate 1/3 of my donut treat [shouldn't live opposite a bakery!] She was mostly stacking things, running off with SB’s toy animals, rarring at shape sorter when bashing in hard still didn’t get things to go in the wrong holes. Also, turning pages of the books I was trying to read to SB, as she doesn’t like me doing this! She is very good at turning pages. She has been walking faster and aster recently as well.
Overall a lovely day. Tomorrow they are both in nursery. I am 2 minds about this as usually we cancel when I am at home, but there is so much we need to do, that a short burst of childcare will hopefully do the trick, and let us really relax and enjoy the weekend. [does this make me awful, having just moaned about lack of time with the children???]
PS SB gagging me – she obviously doesn’t like the descants
password is the usual ,email if you have forgotten and want it – not v exciting though!
Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Cooking, General, geography, history, literacy, music, numeracy, Stringbean's HE, writing
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Posted in Blogging, General, Ponderings
firdt half rolling out today – somewhat underwhelming as not particularly glittery – I miss glitter!
Posted in art and crafts, General
being the 2 main things that characterised our day today.
The vomit was BB‘s, she has vomited through the night and on and off through the day, so I have been doing a lot of bf – no change there then! She feels a bit hot, and has a cold, but no obvious dredful anything, and apart from when vomiting, she has only really seemed a bit tired, rather than particularly out of sorts.
Before I flickr it, try and imagine what you think our Xmas tree would be real/artificial ;tasfeful colour scheme/whatever; less is more/deck the boughs. Anyway, Chris had to curse and swear with getting it i the right places, as no good helping with a broken hand. Only one set of lights working, so severly underlighted [I do like lighting to have somthing of an operating theatre intensity about it!], but will sort out something. Last year I divided the decs into breakable, and fairly sturdy, and so gave SB the fairly sturdy to do the lower bits with. WHY NOT ONE OF THESE SHE SAYS, OOPS! I guess there was the reason. The other main showstopper was realising BB was quietly munching on one. hmmm. After excavating most of the shards from her mouth [expect interesting nappies] I realised she has 9 teeth in full biting order. SB chose Christmas chants as the accompanying music – she has excellent taste, before we moved on to more traditional carols. SO all decced up there. Some decs put on staircase, and nearer the day, may prune non berrying holly and strip some ivy. Frugal princess or what!
what else? SB and BB went to library with Chris, and did a sticking Christmas activity and chose about 600 books [minor exaggeration]. We then read 4 on the trot until I insisted she read 1, she did 2 pages anyway with sounding and working out. Beans on cheesy toast. We considered the protein, carbohydrates, fats, vits and minerals to discuss further the book we had read yesterday.
After lunch we did 4 whizzing pages of Singapore maths primary 1A. Very easy pages and romped through them. SB definitely sure of odds and evens. Doing much more mental maths as well without using fingers. i have decided i prefer the primary maths to my pals are here, though both very similar. When we get to 2, I think I will stick to the primary maths series.
Rest of day taken over with Christmas tree business!! i did print the family Christmas cards, with a front and back picture showing my 2 meeting Father christmas.
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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, General, literacy, music, numeracy, photos, science, Stringbean's HE