Fun with Kids & Crafting at Christmas

The build up to Christmas seems to have lasted a very long time this year, and it's been wonderful.  4 years old seems to be the perfect age for anticipation, excitement and a deeper level of understanding than at 3.

One of the things we did this year was a Christmas party for the kids friends.  We had nine kids between 4 & 0, and had lots of fun with nativity stickers, decorating Christmas star biscuits, pin the tail on the camel and a nativity story with decorated toilet rolls ;-) followed by lunch.



 









 We're off to the Cathedral shortly for their crib service, and then having friends round to watch Mary Poppins before bedtime.

We've also had lots of fun making things, from recycling an old desk, to making reindeer hot chocolate with winter challenges attached, knitted bracelets, glittery fudge, knitted mini stockings and beetroot chocolate brownies.

And we've even recycled the Christmas cake decorations from my childhood, on our homemade cake this year.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a fantastic 2013!

Cow Day 5

For those that made it to Cow Day 5 today, here are the answers to the quiz:

How many stomachs has a cow got?
4

How long does the average cow spend eating each day?
6 hours

Old cows in India sometimes have their own nursing homes.
True

How soon can a newborn calf walk on it's own?
1 hour

How many days does it take for milk to get from a cow to the shop?
2 days

A cow can produce 10,500 pints of milk a year.  How many cows could the houses from here (44 Duncan Road) to Albert Road need?
2 cows (1 cow can supply about 22 families)

So what is Cow Day?

Five years ago a friend was trying to build a more wholesome less-consumerist component into the kids festive frenzy, and Cow Day was born.  So for one day each December they have an open house and try and raise enough money to buy some animals for families in the two-thirds 'majority' world who need it.  People bring cakes to sell in the cafe, Waitrose provides veg for a great soup lunch, people bring games, come in fancy dress, get involved in a promises raffle and much more.

Last year's 'Cow Day 4' involved 23 households/65 people and raised an impressive £375 that equated to 15 goats for families who needed them (all the cows were sold out!), purchased from the Oxfam present catalogue.

Countdown to 2013 and a new rhythm

So this post has been a long time in development, but at last I've gotten around to putting something down about my plans for 2013.

This year has been fascinating in many ways, and back in July I felt really challenged to make some monumental changes to my work pattern.  Throughout the year I've been trying to put more trust in God and rely less on money and other things, and I'm not that surprised that I've been led to the point of giving up a regular salary, but that didn't mean the decision came that easily.

In 2008 we spent a lot of time questioning where we should live, and very clearly we came to the decision of Southsea (sorry Highlands & Bristol ;-), and that started us on a year and a half journey to the house that we now own and live in.  I really felt that we ended up in this house for a reason, and ever since we moved to the area I've felt challenged to explore building more community, having lots of ideas, but little time to get on and try them.  I've lived in much more deprived areas, and somehow community seems easier to come by, but the more well off areas need it just as much.  We were born to be in community, and careers and mortgages often don't help us find time to connect with those around us.

Anyhow, back in July I decided that I needed to make more time available in my life to do some of the ideas that I'd been thinking of, and the only thing that was movable was the job.  The reality is that I still need to earn money, and to free up time to do some of the things, I still need some child-free time.  But we took the leap of faith that somehow God would help on that front, and I decided to hand in my notice. About 2 weeks after deciding that, I got offered a very flexible job with a charity that I already do some work for, and as ever, God pulled it out of the bag!

So the 3rd December is my final day working for the Council, and I'll then be embarking on a range of things in 2013 in the Wimbledon Park Patch area.  I think we need to become more connected as locational communities and there is already lots of connecting going on, but still plenty more possible!  I'm going to start with little things, but at least start, rather than just dream.

Things I'm going to explore are:

• connecting into the old people's home on our street (a hidden community with so much richness...how do we link them more into our community, what can we offer them, and what can they offer us?)
• connect with new uni students when they arrive in Sept (have seen an idea where you put on a free curry for them, and introduce them to neighbours)
• develop the herb network idea further (am planning on turning our whole front yard into a herb garden (not just the gate posts) so anyone can pop by and take a picking for their cooking, and hoping to get others involved...we have one neighbour who grows amazing coriander each summer!)
• spend some time just walking around our streets more, chatting with people, connecting, seeing where doors open
• invite our elderly neighbours in for a cuppa
• organise a 'Big Lunch' event in the park this summer.

So nothing ground breaking or earth shattering, but a first step.  Encouragingly I've been talking with several local people over the past few months about it, and there is a genuine interest amongst everyone to get involved and do more.

I believe we were made to live in community with God and each other, and that we need to be more creative in how we rely on God and each other, rather than just looking to money or the public sector to keep things going.  This time of austerity is a time of opportunity, and people seem really open to ideas of doing things a bit differently.  I feel that God is somehow involved in the timing of this, and we'll have to see what happens next.  
Life is never dull with God!!

If only my friend played a drum!

A friend turned 40 last week, and as she was having a joint party with her 6 year old on Saturday, I offered to make her birthday cake.  It's no fun making your own cake...especially when you have someone elses to make as well!

Then the news came, that she was thinking of doing a 'Cello' birthday cake, as that's the main instrument that she plays (and is very good at it!).  It turned into more of an engineeering challenge, than a baking one, and inspired by the Great British Bake Off, I decided to attempt a 'Show Stopper'.

Below is a brief plan of how I went about it, just in case any mad fool is out there, googling 'How to Make a Cello Birthday Cake'!

Just in case it didn't look great, I figured it should taste great, so I used Delia's 'Chocolate Beer Cake' recipe.  I designed it round two different size circle tins, and one rectangular one.

So the first evening was logistically making a design, template, working out quantities of ingredients, and making a base big enough to hold the completed cake.  (A kitchen shelf, some florist plastic wrap and an old LP (happening to feature a cello solo of course ;-)

The second evening was the bake, only challenge here was a bowl big enough to make a triple batch of mixture and working out how to split it across the tins, to give an even height over it all.  (Thanks Alice for the lend of the Kitchen Mixer!)

The third evening was construction and decorate.  I used raspberry jam in the sandwich, and coated the whole thing with the cake recipe's covering.  However, I made one batch with plain choc, and two with milk, to have a variance of colours.  (Note to self, needed an extra batch of milk version, as a bit tight on quantity.)

The bridge was a marshmallow sweet, the knobs on the end, were also bits of marshmallow dipped in chocolate and on cocktail sticks.  And the strings were initially caramel laces from IKEA, but over night they snapped in multiple places, so I then had to improvise the next morning and cook some spaghetti and use that (this also strunk a bit during the day as it dried out, so needs some more thought...if I'm ever mad enough to do something like this again).

Thankfully it tasted good, and got great feedback on the day.

After all that, the homemade gift that I gave her seems rather simple, but I had fun making the label with my Grandma's old typewriter (planning to use that again, although a bit of a sticky 'S').

A keepsake jar,

to put art exhibtion/show tickets in

(fun to reflect on)

Old & New working in harmony

"How much?!? I could make that!"

I started a folder a few months back, which contains clippings from catalogues and magazines, of items that I believe I could make relatively easily, and that would cost a lot less (if you discount woman-hours of course). 

And at last I've gotten around to making my first item from the clippings.  Little Benjamin was born a few weeks ago, and I've seen so many taggies around, and my eldest always loved the labels on toys (such much so that bunny's has been sucked off entirely), that I decided to make him one.  (I found this site via Pinterest, which gave a brief tutorial on how to do it, which also gave me some extra courage http://www.icanteachmychild.com/2010/11/make-it-taggie-blanket-for-baby/ )

We had a baby's sleeping bag with a lovely horse on it, and the zip was broken, so I started with that; asked round friends for odds and ends of ribbon, and between us we came up with enough bits to get cracking.

There was one false start, when I pinned the ribbons on the wrong way (wouldn't have been very exciting with them all inside and inaccessible), but once that was sorted the whole thing probably only took about an hour to make...not bad for a first attempt.  And so lovely to have Grandma's sewing machine out with a purpose again. 




So with one entirely recycled taggie delivered, I've now just got to find some ideas that I can do for a wedding present, a 40th birthday, not to mention Christmas!  All ideas gratefully recieved ;-)

Fun in the Woods

Can you guess what it is?

  The kids and I had a great couple of days at Grandma's earlier this week.  

And with the sun shining, the local countryside, and a bit of creativity

the kids had an amazing time!

The first afternoon we turned a IKEA storage box into a paddling pool, 

and had fun with water, paint brushes, stacking cups, kitchen funnels and grass

 (a real treat when all we have is a paved back yard at the back of our house).

 

And the second day we did a 3km wood walk to a local farm 

(with a few animals to see, a small play park and a cafe).  

 

6km and a 3 year old aren't normally a great combination, 

but 

we played pooh sticks in a ford

spotted insects

investioated a dead frog

saw tiny piglets

got chased by chickens, and chased chickens (guess which child did which!)

jumped in muddy puddles

took photos of amazing fungi

picked blackberries

and chased each other up slopes.  

A priceless day!

The photo at the top just shows the top of this fungi

End of the Summer Update

What summer?  You might well ask! 

We ended August off well yesterday with a day out with the Smiths.  We rode our bikes to the Hayling Island Ferry, had a boat trip across and then cycled along to the beach near 'Inn on the Beach'.  Had a great time playing in the sea and on the beach and enjoyed a picnic lunch and a BBQ Sausage kids tea, before cycling back to the boat and then on home.   A great local day out!  (So much richness, so near by!)

Just 5 more loads to go!

I've made it through the mammoth pile of washing after Greenbelt (I truely appreciate the washing machine and love it lots!!), washed mud from wellies and the buggy and just about got the house back to normal.  I'm now keeping my eye out for a bigger tent to get on pre-loved websites or through anyone we might know.

I've got a bit further on my running schedule and Andy also took up running this week.  It's a great free exercise, and I'm amazed at the amount of people paying to be shouted at military-style, down on the seafront and common to get fit.  Give me a quiet run any day!

Money

Changing bank accounts is progressing (slightly slowly), and the kids accounts are all set-up.  Our new Co-Op account is complete, and I'm now just waiting for their switching team to work their magic on all our DDs etc.  I'm now also starting the task of setting up our new ISAs, now I've got a new current account to link them too.

I've registered for a water meter, which should be installed in the next 3 months.  I doubt we'll get any savings from it, but I want to have more connection with this precious resource, and have more responsibility over how we use it.  

Giving

I got a letter from World Vision this week, saying that our sponsored child had moved away (not uncommon as families move for work or to be nearer other family members), so now we have to get a new child to sponsor.  I found it really sad news, and it brought back quite a few miscarriage emotions.  Irrelevant of the money that we send, M & I have sent letters and pictures to Grace, we've prayed for her, and we have her picture up in our bedroom and kitchen, and have spent lots of time talking about where she lives and how our lives are different.  It feels like a real loss, and I can't bring myself to take her picture down.  Even if the money can't get it her, our prayers can still.  But it does feel rather like losing a child again, and yet again I realise that I'd be useless as a foster parent and adoption is definitely more for me.

September

I have one more week off with the kids, which will include a visit to Grandma's.  And then it's back to work and nursery routine.  I'm also feeling the need to start planning Christmas gifts as when you make them all, you really do need a big lead time, so that might be quite a focus this autumn.  And I need to spend some time thinking about some changes for 2013 (watch this space), not to mention deciding on a school of M for Sept 2013.  How time flies!