Happy New Year

Most of the crafting happening in my house over the last few months has been secret squirrel stuff. But there is a little to share.
This is how we have spent a lot of our Christmas holiday. My youngest son who has given me several sleepless nights is responding really well to new medication and is making up for lost sleeping time. Me too!
Mom's Hemlock finished and mailed only too be opened on her 80th birthday in Jan. I made her promise not to peek!

I would absolutely knit another one someday.

I sewed together a quilt for another present. It is a Jan Mullen inspired top. I have a little bit more to sew up and it will also go. I really love the feeling of making things for people I love.

I got the best Christmas presents this year - most all had to do with tea. Now, I did not announce that I needed or wanted tea related gifts but I am so happy I did. I got two tea pots, a Floating Tea Egg and thr grooviest tea cosy - don't you think?

And I have been embroidering some tea towels for me to adorn my new kitchen. I also love to make things for myself!

So, the rest of my work break will be sleeping, reading Diana Gabaldon, watching movies (both Slumdog Millionaire and Frost/Nixon are recommended highly - Twilight not so much), crafting and wishing us all a peaceful, loving and adventurous 2009. Cheers!

I put up the tree.

Somebody close to me told me I should put up the tree - so I did, and I'm glad I did. The house looks festive now. Like I've said in other posts - I'm not a big 'Christmas' girl but I don't mind a festive house. So I strung the boughs with bits of frosted fruit, gold ball, jingle bells, and lights, waited until dark and plugged it all in. Taa Daa!
I also put some clove and vanilla oil in the oil burner to make the house smell festive and OK, I did bake some Snickerdoodles too!

I also finished all my Christmas knitting and gathering and wrapping. I know I said all my friends would be lucky to get a kind word from me this year, but when it came right down to it, I couldn't do the 'no presents' thing. So I knit and gathered and wrapped. It feels nice to give - lifts my spirits.

It's snowing hard in Seattle and looks like they may get a White Christmas! I am so jealous. Chestnuts roasting, hot mulled cider, sleigh bells ring and all that.

A trouble shared...

A trouble shared is a trouble halved, a joy shared is a joy doubled. I'm sure I've heard that before and it is so true. Thanks for all the lovely words and emails. Feeling alone is a scary thing that just makes troubles feel much much bigger.

Now I feel like sharing a little bit of joy - look at my raspberries! I'm so impressed with these plants. They are survivors. I have neglected them really badly and look what they give me. The sweetest 'I forgive you' fruit. Even the the little green worm tasted sweet (Ahem!)

I am still a little freaked out at the hard road ahead. But if there is sweet fruit and friends along the way, maybe it wont feel quite so hard.

Not in the mood.

After some more fairly devastating family news this week all the omph has gone out of me. I'm not in the mood for anything - not knitting (all I do is sit and think), not reading (can't concentrate), certainly not going to work (people are there) or doing anything around the house. So I am indulging in nothing and Christmas will just have to come and go without me this year.

I did go out into the country this weekend - isn't it lovely?

And a old pretty cemetry - all near Gundaroo.

Maybe I need a more 'active' form of creativity to absorb me - so I don't have to think - like painting? What do you do when you don't want to think for a while?

On the first day of Christmas.

My son, who is in the states told me.."it doesn't feel like Christmas when it is so cold!" Ha! for me it's just the opposite. It doesn't feel like Christmas because it is too warm. Frosty the snowman would melt before the first verse was sung. Going out to see Christmas lights in the neighbourhood with singlets, thongs and ice blocks is just wrong. Chocolates are melting under the tree!
Don't get me too wrong though. If I had to pick, I would go for the hot Christmas. Going to the beach, eating Mangos, pottering around in the garden and having a bbq is really nice. But I miss the knitted mittens, flannel jammies, snow and hot mulled cider.

Christmas knitting should be done in front of a crackling fire, with hot cocoa in hand and fluffy slippers on feet. But never-the-less I am getting into some kind of holiday spirit. I will bake Snickerdoodles and gingerbread. I will put up the tree. I will organise the office Christmas party - whoa- what?

Somehow I managed to offer to organise the OCP! Oh, well. Trivia games, pool, Secret Santa, catered food and lots of beer and all will be jolly - ho ho ho!

And I will keep knitting till Christmas is nigh!