Inspiration for rainy days … and sunshiny ones too
I don’t think i’ll get much blogging done over the next few days, but I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and happy holidays.
If like me you are doing the last minute pressie buying and wrapping, you may find these handy. Beautiful free gift tag printables you can download from eat drink chic.
May the joy you feel at Christmas, the holiday delight, remain with you through coming days and make your pathway bright. x
I planted out my kitchen garden today. I bought some tin buckets at Ikea and they’re a great size for my little herbs. I made these mini signs from some balsa wood that I painted with chalkboard paint. I glued some pencils on the back. I think it would be a nice gift to make for someone, the little herb bucket with a couple of the signs.
I hope they survive the summer!
Our gingerbread house was so much less stressful this year, usually it’s a battle against nature to get it up before it all melts in the heat. I have discovered the secret is in the icing mix. This recipe that I posted earlier is a winner.
It’s become somewhat of a tradition, I have been assembling a gingerbread house with my Dad the last few years. I love doing these things with him. Without putting a lot of forethought into it I guess I have started some Christmas traditions for my boys. I’m sure they will remember them with joy in their hearts. The excitement of waking up to see what’s in the calendar each morning, the smell of the gingerbread house, the Baby D Martin Christmas album I have on repeat for the whole of December.
I’ve been thinking about what Christmas traditions I had when I was small. I can’t think of anything traditionally Christmasy. Growing up in the Northern Territory there were no real Christmas trees, (too hot for them to grow), no gingerbread cookies on the fake tree (the ants would get them) and no swimming at the beach (crocs and jellyfish had it to themselves). With Christmas falling in the Wet Season we would have a big breakfast on the verandah and by 10 am the day would already be heavy with humidity. In spite of the weather, Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the serving up of baked ham and hot roast with gravy at lunch. After lunch, when we were all drowsy from overeating, just when we the heat was getting too much to take, the sky would erupt with an afternoon thunderstorm.
There’s nothing like the monsoon rain, quickly the air changes, there is a coolness to it that hints at the relief that is to come. You can smell the rain coming. The sky shifts from light blue to deep violet and the colours of the trees and grass become more vivid. You hear the drumming of the raindrops on the tin roof before you see them, and then suddenly the heavens open and within minutes there are channels of water gushing over the earth. The raindrops are so generous and the relief is instant. You can’t resist running out into the yard looking skyward and spinning around it. We always ended up playing backyard cricket in the afternoon rainstorm on Christmas day.
So maybe not your typical Christmas, but it was magic nonetheless.
I so wish I had one of these when I was little. A cubby house to hide away and read books, or in the case of my boys to play cars. A few sheets of fabric and a couple of hours sewing and an ordinary table becomes a fort, or a little shop, or a cave or whatever!
I saw the idea a while ago over here at the artful parent blog. I tucked it in the back of my mind. Then the other night it was on Better Homes and Gardens and had a burst of enthusiasm to make one today. You can see the video of how to make it.
We are about a week into our advent calendar and we have managed to do most things so far. Today was a bit of a challenging one, making these adorable reindeer cookies. We didn’t manage to find choc covered pretzels anywhere, but these ones were fine. I was a little tired and impatient with the cookie baking today so I will attempt them again when less frazzled.
You may well be wondering how do I have time to make reindeer cookies? It’s because I am otherwise domestically inept, and neglect doing my cleaning, laundry, dishes and even feeding the children sometimes. I was scolding the little one for eating so much of the cookie dough when I realised it was way past lunchtime and the little guy was just hungry! So you see where my priorities are.
I’ve had these nativity scene pieces for a couple of years and I think they’re beautiful but they seemed a little lost without a roof over their heads. I found some bits of wood in the shed and started to botch something together. With a little help from my boy and my Dad we fashioned a mighty fine barn for baby Jesus and crew.
Mister E helped me make a little sheep from a dolly peg, some twigs, pipe cleaners and cotton wool. Then we made a star out of some twigs and twine. I love making things that are meant to look rustic and imperfect. The sheep was fun to do, I think we’ll make him a few friends.
Driving to the markets this morning I passed a pile of flat-packed moving boxes on someones verge. Thank you kind stranger! You can’t underestimate the potential of a large cardboard box. I grabbed a few of them and today we used one to make a very quick and dirty cardboard kitchen for little man to play with.
He loved it and spent a good hour making and baking sand cupcakes, which is a helluva long time for a toddler to be focused on one thing I’d say!
I did it on the fly and it took me all of ten minutes. It’s very dodgy and if I were to do it again I’d spend more time on it. Then again, my boy insisted on using real water on it, so perhaps it’s a good thing I didn’t spend hours constructing it, I may have been a little disappointed to see it get wet!
I have seen some magnificent cardboard kitchens like this one here and here.
Tomorrow is a new day and a new box, maybe we’ll make an airplane like this incredible one.
Do you send Christmas cards? My Mum told me this year, for the first time she’s decided not to send any. She reasoned that it’s one of things that is just done because you think you should do it and no-one keeps the cards after, it just adds to to wastefulness of Christmas. I do see her point and agree with that sentiment. Though I have to say I love checking the letterbox to see that I have a real hand addressed envelope, in red or silver or cream.
I received my first Christmas card already (from one of my most lovely and organised friends). She told me that she hand picked the paper and the stamp and made the cards herself. It’s just gorgeous and I love it and I love that she made it.
Along with a personal message this is the quote inside;
“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.”
W. T. Ellis
I couldn’t agree more!
Here are the Christmas cards I made to send this year. I cut up one of Mister E’s paintings into triangles, sewed them onto the card and made a rubber stamp for the word PEACE. Now to find some time to write and send them all…
