Christmas 2009

Well done and dusted for another year! I cant believe it - it comes so slowly and then goes so fast!

We had a very quiet christmas this year with just 8 of us at Mikes parents house. My parents decided to not see us this year...their loss in my opinion.

The kids opened a mass of gifts this year on christmas morning ans then we made our way down to Perth, coming home on Boxing Day around lunch time. It was a wonderful couple of days.

Next on the calender - NY Eve at Mikes folks place and then Adventure World NY day!

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Years.

I hope that whatever it is you are doing you have fun and remember to cherish the moments with family and friends.

Please be safe on the roads and in the sun.

Eat drink and be merry I say!

Lots of Love
Gilly

Christmas Chefs Hat

I have made this for Mikes dad this year. He is the BBQ whizz at Christmas (as he is all year around!) and I thought it would be a good gag to make him a chefs hat out of Christmas material - it even matches my mother in laws Christmas apron.

Mike makes a great model doesnt he!

This was the last thing on my list to do. I am now done :D

Christmas Cushions

I thought this year that it would really nice for the children to make something for their Nanny and Pa for Christmas. I looked through what I had stash wise and came up with the idea of a cushion each for their bed. I had some inexpensive inserts from Spotlight and made a cover using one side printed fabric and the other calico. Before I sewed them up the children painted the covers with fabric paints.

Once they had been sun dried I ironed them with a hot iron for 5 minutes and whipped them together with the OL. Then I got the kids to put the cushions inside and I hand stitched the final edge.

I think they came out really nice - I was going to applique the words nanny and pa on them but decided against it. Right now the kids are making cards to put with the pillows.

I hope Nanny and Pa like them!

Sants Claus Is Coming To Kindy

Today a very special man came to kindy to visit Jack and all his class mates. Parents were invited to come too!

He arrived by police car and gave all the children a book present.

Lainey got to sit on his knee the whole time (because she just walked up to him and sat there!)

Then he left by police car...hopefully not because of one too many sherries!

Jack then gave Mike and I our christmas presents....a beautiful key chain and his kindy memory book...this mama cried...I am so proud of him...and I love him to pieces.

2009 Channel 7 RAC Christmas Pageant

Today Mikes parents and I took the kids to the 2009 Christmas Pageant. This is the second year its been run during the day and I think its a great idea. We left home at 7am so at ensure a good spot both sitting and parking - last year we got caught in the car park for almost an hour! The pageant started at 9.30 and it was as magical as ever. The kids loved it and this year was even more special as Lainey really understood it a bit better. Her face was priceless. I love the pageant...to me it really marks the start of the festive season ..next - Carols by Candlelight on Tuesday night. What says Christmas more than pageants and carols.

When we are watching the pageant I feel the need to take a photo of every float...to kind of capture the essence of the parade and Christmas I guess! Here are some of my favs (considering I took over 130 photos culling it to this many was hard!) :

Christmas Outfit #2

Here is Jacks outfit for Christmas this year. There isn't anything particularly Christmassy about it - but he chose the colours and well - its nice to have something new to wear on such a special day. Besides - hes past the age of being dressed like an elf !

The fabric is from Crafty Mamas and was stash - the top is Stella and the pants are a camo drill. Very nice fabric. The pattern for the top is the Ottobre sleeveless tank which I downloaded from here (its a freebie off their site), and the pants where made using the Easy Fit Pants pattern I bought recently on YCMT.

Now the kids will both look smashing on Christmas Day :)

Teacher Present #2

This is the second bag I have made - and this one is for Mrs Jenkinson...well Carolyn to me. She is an awesome ed assistant and an awesome friend. I just love her to bits and so does Jack. I wish she could be his ed assistant for ever!

I hope she loves it!

The fabric is stash - again from metres of discounted home makers fabric at Spotlight.
The pattern is the same as the first - from Andrea Forstbauer. I just love this pattern - it is so easy with a fabbo result. I also covered these buttons again to match.

Teacher Present #1

This year I have the fun task of making presents for the staff in Jacks kindy class. I have never had to do it before and was almost tempted to make end of term gifts! But I held off and have only made end of year/Christmas gifts.

There are two ladies in Jacks class...one being his teacher Mrs Hawke and the other being the ed assistant Mrs Jenkinson.

They are both getting the same thing but in different fabrics.

This is for his teacher Mrs Hawke.





The fabrics are both stash - the outside one is a home maker fabric from Spotlight of which I bought about 15m of at about $2 a metre! i love matching it with the polka dots - so pretty! I covered the buttons myself and I think they added a nice touch - I discovered tonight my machine has the most amazing auto button hole maker...no more shying away from buttons from now on for me!

The pattern is from Andrea Forstbauer and I bought it on Etsy.... it was recommended to me by Andrea from Little Boozle...she used the pattern recently in a swap at Crafty Mamas. I absolutley love this pattern and am hoping to make one for me before too long.

Apron #3

This is the last apron in my list of aprons to make. This is for my mother in law for Christmas. She could be Mrs Clause...she LOVES Christmas.

I used the same pattern as before. The fabric is some super cheap Spotlight fabric we picked up for $1 a metre about 2 years ago and the backing and straps are poplin.

Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Today is only the 29th November but its the weekend before the 1st of December and seeing we are all home and relaxed we thought we would put the tree up. Im so happy with it and Mike and I also put up lights outside. I am determined for my kids to have an extra special Christmas this year and so we had a fun time of putting the tree up. Mike and I had a few giggles putting up the lights as they got very tangled! Most of the decorations are made by the kids and its all a little lopsided but that's the way i love it. The lights in the window are a reindeer and a santa although they didnt photo so well.

I cant wait for Christmas....its such a special time to be spent with family and friends who love you. We are spending Christmas Eve with our town family and then heading down to Perth to spend Christmas Day and Boxing Day with Mikes family. We will have such a great time and the kids will be made such a big deal of. They get to be around the people who really care for them and that's what Christmas is all about.

Ah there is just something so magical about December. I hope its the same for you all :)

Christmas Outfit Number 1

Ok..ok..I realise that this next item isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea but every year since the kids were born I have taken great pride in dressing them up for Christmas Day...and this year is no exception.

So here is Lainey's outfit....its the Heidi and Finn Sweet Pinafore and the YCMT Easy Fit Pants from yesterday.

The material is from Spotlight..and of course very Christmassy...