Who am I?

It's cold!

We had a severe ground frost last night and when the weather is like this I just want to hibernate in my cocoon.  I suffer from Depression and Fibromyalgia and I am not really sure which one feeds which.  The house we currently live in has Night Storage Heaters and to say they are good is not really the true they are in fact rubbish.

Thankfully we have an open fire which means at least the sitting room/dinning room is warm., although I must admit  I don't tend to light the fire unless everybody is at home.

When I am at home I tend to ponder on things and during this cold last couple of day I am begining to ponder on my live.

I went from being someones daughter to being someone's wife to four little people's mum.  It is getting close to the point where littlest is starting school in September and now I am starting to think about who I AM.   Now I know I will always be a daughter and a wife and a mother but there is soon going to be a time when I will have space.  I currently have three days a week as little one is in Nursery but soon it will five days a week.

So who am I?  I am not sure to be perfectly honest.   I am hoping that I can work it out with help.

I would like to write, make things, have a colourful home , I did just write tidy but lets face it will four boys ranging in age from 13 to 3 that is going to take some time!  I have never wanted to be famous or rich , I would just like not to worry.

As the weather warms I am hoping that the REAL me will start to take shape just as the little flowers peek out from their wintry beds, Bird song fills the air and the promise of new life starts!

January Clear Out

Christmas has been and gone and perhaps for some it is time to take stock of what we count as important.

For me it is time to have a clear out first of all the wool got culled and I have freecycled about a bin liner full.

Now I am working through all my other craft stuff and today it is the turn of my Rubber Stamps

This is the first of the batches and are up on my facebook page Psychodelic-elephants  

There will be more going up including fabric and papers in the next couple of days whilst I undertake my massive clear out!

Happy Christmas 2011

 

Christmas by John Betjeman

The bells of waiting Advent ring,
The Tortoise stove is lit again
And lamp-oil light across the night
Has caught the streaks of winter rain
In many a stained-glass window sheen
From Crimson Lake to Hookers Green.

The holly in the windy hedge
And round the Manor House the yew
Will soon be stripped to deck the ledge,
The altar, font and arch and pew,
So that the villagers can say
'The church looks nice' on Christmas Day.

Provincial Public Houses blaze,
Corporation tramcars clang,
On lighted tenements I gaze,
Where paper decorations hang,
And bunting in the red Town Hall
Says 'Merry Christmas to you all'.

And London shops on Christmas Eve
Are strung with silver bells and flowers
As hurrying clerks the City leave
To pigeon-haunted classic towers,
And marbled clouds go scudding by
The many-steepled London sky.

And girls in slacks remember Dad,
And oafish louts remember Mum,
And sleepless children's hearts are glad.
And Christmas-morning bells say 'Come!'
Even to shining ones who dwell
Safe in the Dorchester Hotel.

And is it true,
This most tremendous tale of all,
Seen in a stained-glass window's hue,
A Baby in an ox's stall ?
The Maker of the stars and sea
Become a Child on earth for me ?

And is it true ? For if it is,
No loving fingers tying strings
Around those tissued fripperies,
The sweet and silly Christmas things,
Bath salts and inexpensive scent
And hideous tie so kindly meant,

No love that in a family dwells,
No carolling in frosty air,
Nor all the steeple-shaking bells
Can with this single Truth compare -
That God was man in Palestine
And lives today in Bread and Wine.

It' begining to feel a lot like Christmas!

Today has been a very slow day with pootling jobs being done around the house due to the fact that Elephant,  the one who had his birthday cake on here the other is ill and off school with a horrible cold type thing that is doing the round. 

After doing various housework type jobs  little Elephant and I sat on the floor and started to thread our paper bunting onto a piece of pretty sparkly Christmas ribbon.  Inspired by this blog from Mollie Makes



The other day I bought a sadly neglected Ladybird book from the local Charity shop and I re purposed it to make this..........

You can't see very well in this pic but alternating between pictures and carols it is now up taking pride of place about the mantle piece.

Here is a little close up of my favourite one the Winter Snow!

Advent 1

Today is the first day of Advent for the Church.

Advent calendar's don't start to get opened till the 1st of December.

So today was the lighting of the first candle on the advent wreath at Church.

Whilst searching for a new picture to reflect this on my facebook page I came across an excellent cartoon from the genius cartoonist Dave walker.

This man has a very witty drawing pen and is a genius at capturing the mood of events, places and people at churches up and down the land.

Birthday's

November in the elephant household is very busy.  

We have about 6 birthdays to celebrate.  

This is the cake I made for Little Elephant 3

Think he was happy!

Creating

My Creative brain has been working over time!

I have been working on using up "stuff"  so I have been making Christmas cards up using bits and bobs  collected over a period of years. 

Last count I was at about 70.

Then I started making cards using tea bag papers. 

and last I have been using wool up to make mug hugs.