Christmas Wreath

This is our Christmas wreath this year - made by Oscar & his year 6 buddy. Cute, yes?


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I spy with my little eye....

I'm not sure why this picture keeps popping up sideways as it's orientation is the right way up in my files. Praps Blogger is having a picture tanty! Anyway, we are in high party prep at the moment. Can you spy face masks ready for colouring in? Party hats waiting to be folded? Homemade Jemima, Humpty and Big Ted cupcake toppers?

Then of course, what wouldn't you do for this sweet girl singing her own birthday songs?

Mangoes!

I collected these babies from Kinder this afternoon. The smell alone is enough to make me go weak at the knees! And since Darren is away all week and the kids dont eat them I get them all to myself. Can you overdose on mango? I think not but will let you know. I've just blended 3 of them up and mixed them through a tub of melting vanilla icecream. After a wee taste test it barely made it back into the freezer! Apart from devouring the rest as is, anyone got some easy mango recipes for me?

Scary Santa

Every year I attempt to dress my children nicely and choof off to a shopping centre for the obligatory Santa Meet and Greet Photo. I dont know why I still insist on it as they all kinda freak out about it and in reality he is quite scary up close and personal. One year I convinced Darren to dress up as Santa to see if we could get any joy. What do you think? Who looks the most unimpressed here?

The only time I have ever had any success is when they where all wee babies and didn't know what was going on. But, since I like to use the shot as our Christmas card cover I have spent the last week convincing them of the joy they should be getting out of sitting on a strange mans knee and telling him about all their Christmas wishes! Its has not been going well! Then I spied these awesome printables and decided I might cut the kids some slack this year and use these instead. How cute are they???!!!

Point and Shoot: Pip's Christmas Baubles

Sunday night, 10pm, created whilst watching Offspring (oh, Dr Chris, yum!) and downloading Margaret Fulton's Christmas app! Perhaps I should have been concentrating some more, yes? They dont quite look like Pip's gorgeous one's. I think praps I should use bigger balls next time, you know, just to spread the crochety bits out a bit and make them look prettier. What's your verdict?

Join in with Point & Shoot over here.

To market, to market...

I totally rocked this market this morning! I ran out of money, the ATM ran out of money! I cant even show you pictures as most of what I bought are headed under the Christmas tree. I was lucky enough to go ON MY OWN! That's right - no kids! I even packed a smaller handbag to take - you know, one that isn't so laden with small people paraphanalia that when hanging from your shoulder it presses your bra strap so hard into your skin you're left with bruises!

I met some lovely ladies who's blogs I happen to stalk on a fairly regular basis too (Allison from Lark and Morgan at Morgan Wills) & and managed to get supremely jealous of everyones clever craftiness. I strongly suggest you go next time. Just make sure you are cashed up!

This Saturday I'm grateful for... poles and puppies.

I'm about to spend the coming week as a single parent as my husband is going away for work for several days. I am desperately trying not to stress out about not getting any kind of break for the next five days so spent today marvelling in the joys of little people. So this Saturday, I'm grateful for:

• the joy that this little boy discovered in being finally able to go down the firemans pole at the playground without any help! Remember that feeling? It was quite the drug for him as he did it over and over again.

• puppies at pet shop windows! I know some people dont think very nice things about these dear little things spending all this time in wee glass boxes with insane people staring at them and tapping on the window every time they are trying to sleep, but for us, in our pet free home, they are the highlight of our shopping centre trips. And since Matilda had quite the meltdown in our summer shoe buying session today, we all needed a little cheering up!
  

Feeling grateful about anything in particular? Join in with Maxabella over this way.

Kids Craft - Advent Calender

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We are soooo totally going to make these origami advent cups this year! These are from a marvellous site called Kids Craft Weekly. This weeks email was all about advent calenders and these beat the daggy cardboard, tasteless chocolate numbers we normally buy from Coles! I think you should sign yourself up if you've got small people! Go on, off you go and do it.

On my Christmas list....

Donna Hay's new cookbook. So I know I dont actually cook very often, but I do soooo love to sit and look at the pictures.

Kikki K Weekly Family Diary - I used one this year and LOVED it. There is a seperate column for everyone in the family.

Victoria Mason Granny Square Neclace - available from the Lark Shop. Are there words to describe it's gorgeousness!

* Clearly there are many other lovely things that I'd like, but if I even found just one of these under my tree on Christmas morning (that I didn't have to buy, wrap and tag myself) I'd be ever so excited!

There's a bear in there...

...and a chair as well. There are people with games and stories to tell. Open wide, come inside. It's Playschool.

Who doesn't love a bit of Playschool every now and then. Especially when you're lucky enough to switch on and get one of those fantastic presenters that you loved yourself. My favourite was always Bonita although I dont think she's been on in recent times. When Oscar was a little boy we took him to a Playschool concert and I got to meet Bonita and had her sign a Humpty Dumpty for us. I tell you it was a highlight of my 'meeting celebrities' life! It certainly ranks up there with meeting Bonnie Tyler!

Matilda has adopted Oscar's signed Humpty along with a Jemima doll and is completely and utterly obsessed. I have been desperately trying to get her on video singing the theme song but of course as soon as you ask for a performance, Miss Shy pops out to say hi. Since she is turning 2 (!!!!!) next month we are going with a Playschool theme and have discovered fantastic FREE party packs on the ABC website. Cute!

Who was your favourite Playschool person when you were a small person? And what about now?

Meet Olivia

Olivia is the daughter of a friend of mine and she needs a wee bit of help buying a lovely new wheelchair. Head over here if you can help out this gorgeous girl.

Perfect Red Shoes

I live in a fantasy world of coming across perfect red shoes that will make me beautiful. It wont matter what else I have on, what my hair looks like or whether I am wearing lipstick because the focus will be on my feet, lovingly encased in these.

drawpilgrim is selling these lovelies at the moment in her yard sale. Please dont anyone else buy them as I am currently harrassing my husband that my need for them is dire and he is yet to be convinced!

Can you love someone you've never met?

(the picture is from Pip's flickr stream)

Because I do! I love Pip from Meet Me At Mikes. Who wouldn't love her crafty goodness and generosity when she goes to bunches of effort to put instructions - with pictures and video! - on her blog teaching everyone and anyone how to crochet granny squares. Then because of her marvellousness this past weekend, Pip has added instructions on crocheting Christmas baubles and hexagons! I am in crochet heaven.

Animation Friday - Granny Squares

Gif animation creator

I'm joining in this week with My Poppet's animation Friday! These animated pictures are ever so cute to try and create. I have done one or two previous ones and am getting a bit obsessed with them.

What do you think of my granny squares so far? I'm aiming for it to be for a grown up this time and am really not sure how big it needs to be so I keep spreading them out and then sitting on them to see if they'll cover my legs yet! I think I have ways to go! I'm not sure what colour I should use to crochet them all together either - I was thinking of going with a pale blue. Any thoughts?

Point and Shoot: To infinity and beyond!

Saturday, October 30th, sometime between 12 and 2!

We are finally over Isaac's birthday week, which is basically what it turned into! Thankfully the rain held off on Saturday so the party guests did get to go outside. And my Buzz cake turned out ok - although something hinky seems to be going on with his face!
How was your weekend?

Would you like to join in with point and shoot? Just head on over here.