The Old Quilt

FA LA LA, LA LA, LA LA LAA LAAAA!

Three things to tell you.

1) Show and tell craft.

2) Lovely blog I discovered

3) My advent purchase.

1) I have finished present number three! I am completely delighted, as if I hadn't done this, NOBODY would have got a handmade present. I couldn't give to two of the kids and not the other now could I? (This is my made-up tradition since last year. I make something for the kids each Christmas. Technically I only made one of them last year but the other was from ebay and was 2nd hand and a friend knitted the egg cosies. Actually this is my first year really doing it!)

So this is it.

I found this cardigan in a charity shop a few weeks ago and I felted it. (If anyone wants to know more about felting let me know). It is really soft. Just asking to be made into a cushion, and a feather filled one at that.

When I chopped the arms off it I was able to use some of that to make the flower. Felting is so easy and made the flower really easy to cut, no worries about fraying. I threaded the ribbon round it too to pretty it up a bit more.

I hope my eldest girl really likes this. She fell upon the cardigan when she saw it, she loved it but I told her it was for my crafting. So that solves my dilemma about who gets the dolls quilt.

 

2) I have discovered a really nice blog called Little Birdie Secrets whilst I looked for ideas on making flowers. It's now added to my side list of blogs I like, and is really worth a look at. Amazing craft ideas.

3) I wanted to show you my Advent House. I saw this in a magazine belonging to my Mum, and immediately bought it. I have been looking for an advent thing for a while now, and when I saw this from John Lewis I fell for it.

It was £30 and I was amazed to see a similar version, except with fewer doors and pictures in Great Little Trading Company, for £45. So I felt well justified in spending the money. 25 little doors or windows just asking to be opened. I squealed in delight the other night when I saw Jamie Oliver had one in his house. I can just imagine this getting old, chipped and faded over the years, and becoming a family heirloom. The kids do love it. I put three sweets in there and then they have to play a game like; 'okay I've thought of three colours, guess which ones.' And then they guess, until everyone has got one right and they got a sweet. Today it was 3 Christmas animals, which were robin, reindeer and em... another robin! Couldn't think of three after I'd told them, lol!

So 3 things for you. A whole themed post, and so soon after the last. What's going on?

I have a few confessions

Sometimes, when the children are out, I throw out things that I think they don't need anymore.

I am very selective about which artwork I keep (after display).

I use television to babysit my children (yes I am in the house when I do this).

I take my children to McDonalds.

I once sent a big bucket of small blocks to the childminders, as I was sick of picking them up at my house.

I feel similarly about playdough.

I confess I am normal.

However last night I camped in the garden with my three. We had a feast, read a long story, listened to music, larked about, took photos, and had a great time. Balance is restored.

How to cheat at motherhood # 3

 Well I know it has been a long time. I have not been on much at all, what with various things going on, tending my vegetables, work, seeing friends etc. My sewing has gone a bit to the wayside although I have started to hand stitch some lovely patchwork squares. Not sure what it is going to be yet. Perhaps a blanket for a mouse! I am dying with a sore throat for the past few days, so it has been bed rest. Hence I was up at 5.30am this morning, not able to sleep.

Going to our friends place on a farm near Edinburgh this Saturday. A weeks holiday with the kids. We will take the ferry over from Norn Iron. Looking forward to seeing them and their newish baby again. I am hoping to get some material when I am over there as it seems to be mainly stuff for curtains here. If anyone can point me in the direction of fabric shops, I would greatly appreciate it. My friend loves all that too.

So back to the motherhood thing. As you know, if you have read my stuff before, I approach the whole thing with one eye on the corkscrew. I don't want to be flippant, and I can say that last weekend I had that feeling where you want to frame pictures of them in your heart forever; just the way one of them was sauntering down the beach in Donegal. I adore them, quite simply, but I love my husband, shopping, and friends with great gusto too!

My aim in this, as explained way back, is not to teach, merely to share and encourage your feedback and most importantly ideas.

Now this one is entitled 'Creating Memories'.

I think this is so important. Like many people I have a good relationship with my parents, but they do leave scars, they all do. I know I will have damaged my children in some way... I am human, and also a bit sharp. They will be able to recall things I have forgotten that I said, or did. I'll perhaps learn someday that I sparked off some self-hating 'thing' by some criticism.

God, now I feel a bit depressed, I meant to be funny!!!!

So, the yin must have a yang! I have such fantastic memories of things that mean nothing to my parents. The rituals of a household are so comforting, familial, and create a sense of belonging.

For me it was the same Christmas decorations, taking them out of the torn yellowed tissue paper. The strange Christmas lights, that you could fix plastic stars in behind for effect. The tattered squashed fairy. I always had to take a quick peek up her skirt before I put it on the tree!

When I was 18 I spent a year in Germany as an aupair; my year out. I can remember when I came home, being unnerved at how I felt about simple things. The familiarity of the corridor door, and the way it sounded when it opened and shut. So I am aware that little things like this are embossed on our memories as children.

When I was a child my father used to get into bed with me, and lie and talk for ages. As I got older I knew I couldn't mention it to my friends, as it might be misconstrued; but it was so innocent . He would explain things about the world, I remember him telling me about what 'history' meant. I was in P1 and we were singing about Rudolph. 'You'll go down in historeeeeeee'.

I would get the latest installment of whatever novel he was reading. Alas it was 'Dick Francis' or 'Jeffrey Arthur'. But at least the man was reading! I could have been an intellectual.

So you get the message. I have memories. And I try to create happy ones here too! My husband is very good at this, better at playing with them, but that tends to happen in alot of relationships I find. It's things that I veer towards. I liked the way as I child I had my own things.

 A few years ago I bought a table and 3 chairs for my children. The table and one chair was for Emily. I think her 1st Birthday. It has her name painted on it and a farm animal. I wanted her to have something that years later she could take with her. The other two chairs were similarly done for the other two. They love them and if I can guide you to www.helenbroadhead.co.uk you will see what I am talking about. People always admire them. I have a chair that was mine as a child. It is one of those ones with woven seats; made by local people with special needs. I think a lot of people had them. The chair is still going strong! I can remember sitting on it in our kitchen at home, with my mother getting me dressed. I must have been about 3 years old. And I have found a picture of them eating outside with said table and chairs. Excuse Emily's attire. Not appropriate internet garments but if 'strange man' is lurking on craft blogs he must be short on pictures! This photo thing is driving me mad. How come this bl**dy photo is so big?

I also remember that my brother and sister had their own towels. They went to boarding school so they had to. Lately my sister has bought the children those Katz towels from the Great Little Trading Company. Each one different. Every bathtime they use their towel. I get such a thrill that this will be an important memory. Rituals and ownership. Crucial!

 

My husband and I take turns with the bedtime settling. He is a bit more spontaneous than I and he will make up card games with them. I can't remember the sorts of things but they are very inventive. What fantastic memories that will give them. I stick to reading. I read to them all seperately. The eldest has given me great pleasure by letting me read her 'The Secret Island'. She just adored it. I am also getting a chance to read books I should have read, for example I missed quite a few Roald Dahl's. At the moment we are reading 'The Secret Garden'. It is just so good, such a beautiful descriptive book. I have to put it up high afterwards as she is always desperate for the next chapter, and I don't want to miss reading it to her.

I probably could go on for a while longer about this but I won't. Suffice to say, when the kids have gone to bed and I feel bad about some scolding I gave them. I try to look at what else they have in their lives. Stability, routine, love...  and happy memories. It's a little bit of balm for the soul.

As is, pouring a big glass of wine and reading some blogs!

How to cheat at motherhood #2

Before I begin revealing the appalling levels to which I stoop, I did say I would show you the gardening from time to time.

I have been doing a bit with the retained beds to get them ready for planting vegetables. The children helped me find stones. I started a game of 'I am going to find 20 stones in this bed' . Worked a treat.

We have been lucky enough to find someone nearby who has lots of really old horse manure,and we can help ourselves. So we will get a link box load or two in the next few days to finish off the other two beds. I am planting seeds directly outside, so it is a bit cold here yet. Hopefully things will get better in the next few weeks and I can get going on it. I really enjoyed though just messing about with the compost, digging it in, imagining what good it was doing.

Now back to the subject in hand today.

Creativity

I have a creative mind. I have said this before. I want to make things, organise and create an outlet. I am left-handed, and I think it lends itself to all of that (it does not however lend itself to formation dancing though, always go the wrong way. Or aerobics for that matter too). Anyway. Before I had children I imagined I would really enjoy getting down and dirty with them. You know, sand, paint, water, baking etc. I would really be a TGM!

How wrong I was.

I just hate the mess they make. (God but she is so cute there though.)That is it in a nutshell really. I think the fact that I have 3 young children just makes it all chaotic.I cope with the play doh until it starts to dry on their fingers and they rub their hands together, leaving miniscule sausage shaped bits everywhere. It makes my toes curl. And I have laminate, so I really shouldn't have a problem with it. I do feel a bit bad about this, and I have come up with a few ways to get round it.

Baking: Come home early with the 8year old and make a cake with her. No-one else annoys us and she makes less mess. TGMdoublepoints!

Painting: Now this is bad and I don't do this all the time, but a bucket of water and a few paintbrushes outside really does keep them going for ages. One day they painted the whole fence with water. Now I do know that lots of other people do this too, but it gives me such an unreal feeling of glee as I don't have to clear up.

Boredom: This is one of the most underused material within childhood. I remember seeing one of mine wandering about outside one day. They were thoroughly, abjectly bored. I was about to rush out with some suggestion, but I stopped. My role is not to entertain all day. I have big feet but I am not a clown!

(This one is though)

Getting back to what I was saying. Their best games come from their heads, not the idea I suggested. So I held back and watched her pick up a stick, to draw in the mud.

Making a mixture: Now my kids like putting this in with that, give it a good stir and then..oops stand on that bit I've dropped (you get the gist). So now what I do is give only certain things (with a few warnings), and I do it individually to save my sanity. I have a recipe for play dough that has flour, water, salt and a bit of oil. I give these quantities measured out in containers, a big bowl and a few spoons. I put the water into two batches and put a drop of red colour in one and green in the other. Now I say, make your mixture. I do not tell them that it is going to turn into playdough. They think I have willy-nilly given them some stuff to make whatever they like. I know that every last bit of the ingredients will be eventually added to that bowl; so it will definitely turn into playdough. Then I get them to cut out buns, stars, hearts etc and we bake them. Fantastically, there is little handling of the dough, the child feels they were creating/cooking, and hallelujah, the dough is now hard! Ha,ha haaaa! Now it will sit pretty for a few days until they let me throw it out.

Well there you go. Not only do I make my own play-dough. I let my children make it. I AM a sneaky TGM.

How to cheat at motherhood #1

It seems to me that there is far too much emphasis on being a really, 'thoroughly good mother' or tgm. I suck at being a tgm! If Delia can cheat then so can I.

I did think of calling this 'express motherhood' as a p#ss take on Nigella's cookery latest, but I am huffing with her. There was too much unbelievable 'tweeness' in her last series, and you can't eat steak balanced on your hip whilst reclining, (without a knife I might add) on a chaise longue. I daresay though she would enjoy this series of tips from a cheating tgm!

I thought you might like to know various ways I sneakily achieve that lovely feeling of getting it right. Now we all know some days it works, some days the kids aren't in good form and some days a creative thought won't form in our heads. But every so often, something very simple and underhand gets snatched out of your reportoire of ideas; the kids run with it, and they end up with a wonderful memory of something you did for them.

The beauty of this, is that after you have read mine, you can share with us your smart ideas. Thus the wonder of motherhood may progress; one less child may be shouted at, and one less mother might weep at the crap day she has had!

Never forget...there are no medals for worlds best mother.

HUTS.

Never underestimate the value of huts.  I was obsessed with building them as a child and it is a happy hut household here most weeks. Of course they take many forms and I try to engender this, with a 'hands -off' approach (or should that be a 'back-off'). As we speak there are two play tunnels being used side by side in the living room as squirrels dreys. They were dinasaurs caves this morning, spawned by watching the lovely 'Harry and his bucketful of Dinasaurs'(I'll leave the value of TV for another day!). Blankets draped over them cut out more light.

It is my experience that shop bought houses, castles, play sheds and tents do not produce the same creativity. It is the building or positioning of these huts that encourages a bit of thought. I got rid of the bought tents as they lay empty.

About one month ago my eldest spent most of mid term nights, sleeping in a hut that she had built in the corner of her bedroom. She had various sheets, a sleeping bag, her toys, a torch and her book. Here it is below in all its gaudy glory.

This progressed to us putting a fitted valance (that had been retired to the paint sheet bag) over the four corners of the bed posts. It isn't a good photograph but if you can fathom it out, this meant that my older two slept on the bed and mattress as normal, with a canopy of 'hutdom' above them. They loved it. And they slept. God, why can't I have lovely old sheets, this must hark back to my student days.

Some days the children make individual stables/barns, where they pretend to be cows/ horses/ sheep. The big mat becomes a field, and they get let out for a bit of grazing, before going back to their stable for the night. Sometimes there is a sheepdog to help things along. My positioning in this game is crucial. It must be in another room.

My only other suggestion is that snacks can prolong the hut-fest. Go down the apples and raisins route if you must but for me it has to be Tayto cheese and onion crisps. You do understand though that this depends entirely on how long it is until I vacuum. If I cleaned yesterday, they'll be happily munching on apples and raisins!

And at the end of the day, all I have to do, is fold up some sheets/blankets, and put the cushions back on the sofa.

Then, whilst they are sleeping, whisper "my mum is the greatest" into their ears.