Merry Christmas!

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be
on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counsellor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.

Wishing you a Joyous and Peaceful Christmas, and a very Happy New Year!

(and yes, I'm sure Shepherds wore trainers back then!!!!!!)

A Great Day...

TODAY is a great day.

Today I finished swimming the channel and raised £260 for Aspire.

Today we decorated the tree.

Today I finished these hearts as a present for my friend.

Today we went to Starbucks!!

Today we posed in front of the tree.

Oh, and we have a "fake" tree this year!

oooOOOooo

Christmas Question and Answers...join in!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both. I enjoy spending time choosing my paper carefully, together with tags and ribbons. If someone has a particularly awkward present, they get a bag.

2. Real tree or artificial? Real. Growing up we had an artificial one. Hubby prefers real. I love the smell, but hate it when we have to take it outside after Christmas, and the perpetual hoovering up of needles.

3. When do you put up the tree? Second week in December usually. Children have their trees up already! This goes up on 1st December, naturally!

4. When do you take the tree down? As soon as possible after Christmas!! Usually New Year's Day, that means there are people around to help, otherwise I get lumbered doing it myself.

5. Do you like eggnog? Even the name makes we want to gag...so that's a No.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Handmade dolly in a basket, made by my Grandma. My daughter plays with it now.

7. Do you have a Nativity scene? We did have one which my Grandad made, but it fell apart after years of play. I've seen a gorgeous one which I'm hoping to buy with the children next week.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My father-in-law. There are only so many war books/bow ties/chocolates you can buy one person! Bless him!

9. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? An epilator. One word.....OWWWWWWWW!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I like both, as long as someone thinks of you, who cares where it comes from!

11. Favorite Christmas Movie? Home Alone or Elf. "Santaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Around September time. When Borders in Beckton closed down, I pretty much did the children's christmas presents in one go.

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes and they all went to very good homes.

14. Favourite thing to eat at Christmas? Full roast, then turkey sandwiches with stuffing and cranberries.

15. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear and no chasing, twinkling, fading etc etc. Just plain!

16. Favorite Christmas song/carol? O Holy Night - gives me goosebumps.

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? One year here, one year away.

18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? I will get my "Night Before Christmas" book out and I'll be able to tell you! But off the top of my head? No

19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star. Haven't found the right Angel yet. Maybe I'll make one for next year.

20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve?!?!?!?! Noooo Christmas Morning thank you very much! We have table presents after lunch and then MORE presents in the afternoon when visiting relatives. Some smaller ones are kept for Boxing Day too.

21. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People panic buying food in the supermarket.

Wishing you a very joyous and peaceful Christmas, and a happy new year!

A little picture of my moody angel at her Nativity!!

Floristry....

I love flowers....which is a good thing seeing as I trained as a Florist almost 5 years ago! I had worked in the City for 10 years, ending up in Legal Recruitment. But after having H, I just couldn't hack it anymore, I didn't want to be working the long hours, plus travelling and after a glitch with the nursery he was at (a blessing in disguise) I left.......

I wanted something that was going to fit in around children, and for those with children, you know how hard that is. Anyway, when I was 15 I had wanted to be a florist, but my mum persuaded me not to do it. Probably because junior florists are paid hideously low wages and if you learn 'on the job' you are going to get all the horrible jobs to do!

So at the age of 28, I went back to college for a 2 year stint to train to be a florist. I had an idea that playing with flowers was going to be a wonderfully enriching past-time and I would be happy spending all day being creative. Capel Manor College is THE place to go to learn floristry so off I trotted. H was settled at a new nursery and the course was less than 15 hours per week and so I had the best of both worlds.

Some things I learned in my first year.......

• You are always going to be COLD.


• You learn how to 'feather' carnation petals until the cows come home.


• Wiring 100 ivy leaves is not funny and does not feel remotely creative with cold hands


• You need lashings of handcream after every lesson


• There are only so many things you can do with Leather Leaf to make it look attractive.


• You have to learn many Latin names for plants and flowers, and learn how to pronounce Tsuga Heterophylla like you know what it looks like, and what to do with it (especially as everyone says it differently!).


• Work experience as a 28 year old is no fun at all, especially when the Head Florist is younger than you!


• Making arrangements and hand ties in class is totally different when you do it at work as the customer is always waiting.


• Tool Boxes are best not left in the middle of the room, especially when you are carrying a bucket full of freezing water.
  

However, in my second year...

You learn to think creatively on every piece of the flower, like how to use stems of Gerberas in an arrangement. Something my floristry teacher had never seen before.

You learn to work as a team. Our team always went for large-scale designs. When we were asked to design and make a wire framed 'animal', we in fact, designed and made a swan. It was so large that the floristry department went over their budget for the year (the wings had individually glued on leaf skeletons that cost a fortune wholesale, let alone retail!). But our tutor said she had to let us make it as she wanted to see how it would turn out! We constructed the frame from bonsai wire, covered it in chicken wire, stuffed it with paper, and used moss all over (which you have to wire in place), and then we sprayed it. It was the centerpeice for Christmas.

You learn how to design and construct wedding bouquets - funnily enough I said I was never going to get involved doing weddings, but it turned out, I was very good at them and now that's what I do the most of!

I don't do as much floristry as I did, with two children, a job as a Fundraiser and all my other projects on the go, it has taken a back seat (for now). I still do the odd bouquet, funeral arrangement and wedding....my sister-in-law is getting married next September so I will have to dig out my scissors and stem stripper!

We are what we do...

I got into a little debate the other day about the Cbeebies Song "How would you feel...." (Listen here). Anyway the person I debated with seemed to think that telling children about the effects of global warming was too scary for them, and something they should be sheilded from (but on the same note, it was OK for their 3.1/2 year old to watch Harry Potter(!)...but I digress...)

I think really it's vital that children learn from a very young age the importance of "we are what we do". That doesn't mean hammering it home every five minutes, but as children learn by example it's a wonderful thing for a 7 year old to have some idea about his surroundings, how important it is to recycle, not leave the TV on standby and definitely not leave the tap running when brushing teeth!

I bought Marie Clare last month. Not because it's my usual magazine (don't worry, I passed it onto a friend!) but because of the bag. I do love bags, but I particularly liked this one as it says "Plastic aint my bag". It fits into my handbag and I now make sure that I have it with me so I can decline plastic bags whenever I'm in a shop. I don't mean to sound virtuous but it does leave me feeling pretty good that I have less plastic to recycle this week.

Another environmental 'thing' I feel passionate about is nappies. I'm rather sad that my two don't wear them anymore as I absolutely adored seeing their little bottoms in cloth, especially when I had lots which were second and third hand. I then passed them onto a friend whose little boy wears them - isn't that amazing! (well, it is to me!).

C had to take in a "named plastic bag" on Monday for her plimsolls. As one of my actions on the "We are what we do" website is to decline plastic bags...I don't have many! So I made her a bag.......and she is very pleased with it.

Oh, and my knitting has grown this week! Instead of head bobbing on the sofa whilst watching re-runs of Friends or Ugly Betty, I've been knitting. Still a way to go but I feel rather pleased with myself! :-D