well, nearly. we have a couple of gifts outstanding, which may be twelfth night gifts if don’t make it in time! And we have the FC gifts to wrap and the main one each for the girls – needs chris to carry downstairs, and the others need diferent wrapping paper.
So I guess with no more baking possible, and wrapping done, that makes tomorrow a tidying day for me. I wonder what the girls can be getting on with?
Posted in General
SB seems to have given up on the salmon cheese and chelsea version 
and that reminds me, she can now roll her eyes perfectly – a key life skill in this family, and one that HE particularly is suitable for imparting!!
So today has been crazy and noisy. we needed a bit of a rest day after yesterdays multi-jauntings, and BB was ‘wired’ throughout – always restful! SB – bless her – has been an angel [well nearly].
We started with making boxes for the sweeties we made last night – papier mache with tissue paper and PVA around margarine tubs. They are looking fab. Both girls had great fun doing them, and I drank lots of fluids to try and chase away a migraine. We then did a bit of a tidy up – just in time as Sainsbury’s delivered a huge order [all bar veg, bread and milk]. We were also massively organised to put all away, and our pantry looks like a dream come true. I love a pantry that can see us through a month in case of avian flu, snow drifts etc etc!! SB played shops for a bitm, and both girls helped.
Sb has also done some more piano practice, and is concert ready for good king wenceslas – even BB and I singing didn’t put her off! And she has done some maths, and BB some ‘match and sort‘ – some wipe clean books we got ages and ages ago from the book people, she was practicing writing – v cute. i have read 3 different versions of the nativity story - while the bear sleeps, usborne first nativity and a ladybird version. Obviously with added carols. The girls have spent ages playing with the farm and Bob the Builder duplo – the farm is obviously now part of the set! Shame I haven’t managed to get a duplo muck. Never mind – something to get at a later date. Both girls were also playing with a cheap not quite spirograph set. i have played scrabulous – Tim is pretty much unbeatable i think!!
We also did some fimo-ing, to make coasters as Christmas presents. SB’s got more and more elaborate. BB’s is much simpler. I am sure they will be well received. Both girls now having bath, and Chris doing it as I had reached my BB tolerance limit. Baggy poo poo being her favourite saying for anything she doesn’t like or want to do – charming!
As mentioned below, am at a bit of a loss as no room to put more baking or food in the freezer, and still have some to do. A wack of it will have come out by sun, so will prob do some baking then. Def getting excited, but can’t imagine where the time has gone?
or pantry to be more precise! We look like a shop – in fact girls been playing shops. All our food apart from veg, milk and bread now safely harvested in!
unfortunately, our freezer and fridge also completely full. We need to squeeze the milk in when mum arrives tomorrow! And also, it means I can’t do the baking for the freezer – no freezer! Nor the linda mccartney base [luckilly that is quick to cook anyway].
But have definite confirmation – sort of – that all other guests coming sun in time for lunch. woohoo!!!
Mum giving me last minute instructions – ie have the house perfect, no plastic bags for windows etc – unlikely!!!
Posted in General
But nearly!!
We started off being late for latin group. It is sort of latin plus craft plus science. Katy did a fab latin lesson – but we’ve lost our minimums textbook, and I have forgotten bits of it! I then – rather foolishly – decided to revisit the wreath craft!Katy’s house now full of clippings from my garden, and 3 very creditable wreaths were made – though one of those played with so much it has a bedraggled air now! What I hadn’t realised was that there would be a dearth of knot tying ability. If I had had more wire thingies, it would have been easier. [will remember that for the future! Anyway, those that did it seemed happy enough. there was also some mince pie, jam ‘heart’ and bread roll making. [oh, we were late!]
We skedaddled off to bowling at a not-so-local venue! We were early – hooray!!! We really enjoyed it, and were only 4 littlies in our lane, so nicely organised that they didn’t feel that they were under pressure! Actually with the lane bars up and the rolling down thingy, it was quite straightforward. Mind you, that didn’t stop us having to get SB’s ball rescued once, that A’s lane didn’t clear and we called an SOS. The piece de resistance goes to A and her mum though, for playing boules to knock recalcitrant stopped balls the final few metres. On the first occasion, the second ball knocked the first through, and then slowly carried on downwards to end up going through just as the barrier thing lifted – so 2 throws as one as it were. But the killer one was when the first ball went through, and the second one was flipped back by the barrier thing as it lifted, leaving us able to catch it back at our end once it had rolled all the way back. What skill!
The we dashed back for the rainbows party [late]. SB enjoyed it a lot though, so that’s good, and BB played with her new farm. When SB came back we had tea and then made sweeties for christmas pressies. The girls were very adept at dipping the ingredients into the chocolate. We will sort out the boxes tomorrow.
Today also a busy day! We did some ‘home ed’ – Piano practice [she is getting confident at good king wenceslas], maths and writing. BB did some painting. We read books together – a bit on the Saxons and Sutton Hoo with SB, and BB and I read a book where she pretended to sound out words [panic not, she was entirely making it up!]. Both girls have done a lot of singing.
We spent A LOT of time making some festive wreaths to go on various doors. SB really was pleased to do it, and didn’t make any fuss about holly – I did say it wasn’t compulsory! We also had ivy, pine and bay branches. BB decided not to make it, she did some stamping and also playing with various toys.
We then made some banana and chocolate muffins [to freeze for christmas breakfast – the list is gradually getting ticked off! Just in time for Nana and Grandad to arrive and give BB the wonderful farm for her birthday. [actually it isn’t quite that one, Merry ordered the other one for us [thankyou xx]. BB overjoyed and has played with it non stop since – as has SB.
Oh, I did manage to take some passable piccies of the girls with tree – see below! And, if you go to the pages on the sidebar, I am gradually doing a craft and bake post!
After BB into bed, SB and I have made cheese scones for tomorrow – we have a VERY busy day ahead! I am making the last curry – phew! Chris is making sausage rolls for tomorrow, all go here.
Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Cooking, daubing and making, General, geography, history, literacy, music, numeracy, photos, pre reading, Stringbean's HE, writing
yes, we had merry and girls here today – so we hid all the boxes in case merry started automatically packing stuff into them!!
before they came, chris got the stollen started, SB and I did piano practice, we all looked at while the bear sleeps.
So lots of playing, dressing up and chatting ['mongst adults!] And some car maintenance – dunno how Merry gets hers done whilst mine languishes!! BB shew Josie all the bits on poisson rouge.
The girls all made christingles, which they enjoyed – even the little ones [who seem scarily unlittle these days]
I am in the process of making some more curry to freeze – dahl this time
Posted in General
I think one of the most fantastic gifts my parents ever gave me was the gift of music. I asked and receive a violin from father christmas aged 5. my mother made sure I practiced all the time, and being a musician, and teacher at the local music centre, we frequently listed in to the lessons there and also to show rehearsals in the evening whilst dad worked shifts. It was a wonderful opportunity. I got to join an orchestra by the time I was SB’s age, and just went on from there, every saturday morning.
I got to have a fantastic musical childhood, residential courses, international travel, solo’s at the royal albert hall, playing concertos with various orchestras as well as being in the orchestras for all sorts of stunning occasions.
The perhaps most magical thing was being involved with initially the setting up of a baroque string group and then a full concert orchestra with my mother and her friends. At the time I was the only student allowed [I was rather good] and it was an experience of ‘high performance’ orchestral playing. Being in an orchestra consisting entirely of music teacher peers and some semiprofessional orchestral players was something else.
My mother says I was lucky enough to catch the dizzy heights of musical ambition by LEA’s and then a wave of local optimism.
What reminded me of this? A programme chris found of the orchestra’s 10th anniversary in 1996. Mum, me and my sister in the same orchestral concert, with loads of old friends and teachers. how fab was that. My Mum has ‘retired’ this season from the orchestra, my sister and I don’t practice enough, nor live geographically near each other. The experience wont happen again. [well, we did all play in the 20th reunion concert! ] One day I would like to be able to perhaps sit with pride in an orchestra with my girls.
I haven’t followed my own musical dream, and I can’t believe it is right to impress it on my children, but it would be lovely.
Posted in General, Ponderings
our other tree is now decorated. we must have had a smashing time last year, as we have far less baubles than I remember. must remember to bauble hunt in the sales!! I guess 2 trees does use up a fair number of baubles! Whiskey – grrr- is presently attempting to reduce the bauble numbers yet further! Hmmmm
Oh yes, lots of playing with the train track – with farm animals in one bit, zoo animals in another and a fair old story going on. We read the next bit of while the bear sleeps – all about Hannukah and then SB read some more about it in a festivals book. [ a bit late for this year, as HannukaH i think was at the beginning of Dec?].
Chris meanwhile had finished putting a new light into the kitchen as we were both totally fed up of not being able to see anything at the table. SO a festival of light here indeed.
SB, BB and I then did some baking – mincemeat muffins and marmalade muffins to freeze for Xmas day breakfast. Actually it has been quite a baking day as they ‘sort of’ helped with Chris making a creole cake [against his designs!!]
Both girls did a bit of webland [not much] SB has read the first magic tree house to me, and we have looked at the why its dark book. She is hopefully now asleep, and I have made the mutter paneer curry – see the pages for this years christmas plan!
Must get on with some more of it!
Posted in General
