christmas is over

Oh how lovely to be drawing something other than christmas!
Hope it was a good one for you! 
The other half and the little one are currently playing Fifa 15. The big one is lost upstairs with her new laptop. So I'm eating a full M+S trifle designed for 6 people before it goes out of date. And doodling something that's NOT christmas. Happy holidays :)

merry christmas

Merry Christmas folks, hope it's a good one xx

advent 24

Woo! Christmas Eve people! Time to celebrate! No more advent drawing at midnight! Crack open the champers!

advent 23

So... yesterday we borrowed my dad's car, cos it has 7 seats, and me and my sis and the 5 kids drove an hour away to go ice skating in a "winter wonderland". Very exciting. Very festive. 
Only it wasn't very wintry. Indeed it was so warm that the flipping ice had melted. And so windy, the man said, that they couldn't refreeze it. It was like a lake. Skating was OFF.
Very disappointing cos no-one got to see my Dancing on Ice skills after all. 
And it was a bloody long way to go for lunch.
Ho ho ho

advent 22

Hi ho hi ho... we're off to find some snow...

advent 21

So the holidays are here. Tomorrow's entertainment is already booked. Me and my sis are taking the 5 kids ice skating.
I used to be ok at ice skating. In the olden days. Not Torvill and Dean good you understand. No twirling around or leaping about. But I could do that thing where you cross your feet over while going round corners. And I could skate backwards. Maybe I still can... I'll let you know...

advent 20

Wrapping presents is one of those jobs that starts off all lovely and jolly and festive till you remember it takes about 700 hours to do and starting it at 10pm on Christmas Eve was a really crap idea. 
It has taken me a while to cotton on to this fact. But finally, this year, I decided to change my deadline. When the kids don't want go to bed till after us you kind of realise that Christmas Eve is just a bit late to make a start on the wrap job.
So I moved my goalposts. My new deadline was yesterday - break up from school day. And I'm pleased to inform you that I never miss a deadline. The wrapping is done. Completed. Finito. I can be one of those smug mothers who show off on facebook. If I want. But I don't want. I'll just show off here instead. 
#smugface

advent 19

Anyone ready for pudding? 
Oh is it not that time yet? 
Christmas has been going on so flipping long this year.... my mistake, carry on folks x

advent 18

It's the little one's Christmas party at school today. Lots of sweets, games and disco dancing. Yay!

advent 17

Could someone please wave a magic wand over my To Do list? Ta x

advent 16

What's going on with this Elf on the Shelf thing all of a sudden? Where did that come from? Is it a new thing or have I just missed it up to now?
There are people putting pictures of the damned thing everywhere. Elf hiding in the tree. Elf causing trouble with toilet paper. Elf in the fridge drawing faces on the coleslaw. The bloody elf is getting on my nerves! 
Mostly because it annoys me that these people have got the time to come up with funny elf antics when I haven't even got time to write my flipping Christmas cards!
One woman has even made the elf a skirt! 
They obviously haven't got a big pile of work to get through. And no doubt they bought their Christmas presents months ago and they've already wrapped them and hidden them in the loft. 
It's THOSE PEOPLE again!

advent 15

Not long to go before your stockings are filled people...

advent 14

It was the other half's Christmas do last night so we were having a late one anyway...but then the little one was all pukey at Grandma and Grandad's and had to be delivered home at 3am! He continued to puke till 7am. So now I am too tired to think of an entertaining story....a picture will have to do...pink reindeer wearing a scarf should do the job...

advent 13

Update on Christmas Jumper Day:
So it turns out that Christmas Jumper Day yesterday was actually a THING and everyone in the country was doing it. Not just the little one's school!
And before I left to purchase the flipping jumper on Thursday night he announced that, actually, he would really really really like to wear a santa costume instead of a jumper. 
I said "Ok darling, I'll try my best to find one for you". What I actually meant was "Not on your nelly kid, you are 10 years old, not 5, and will look a total loser in a santa suit"
So anyways... I got to the shopping centre and started my hunt for a non acrylic, well designed, quality jumper. 
Zero results.
Indeed....zero Christmas jumpers. I down-graded my search and looked for any Christmas jumper, acrylic or not, and any size. Nothing. Sold out. Gone. Till next year.
So...... yesterday, on National Christmas Jumper Day, the little one wore a full on santa suit. With full on santa boots. And a santa hat. 
He loved it!
What a super mother I am!

advent 12

Halfway through the advent folks!

advent 11

The weatherman says it might snow this week. Or it might not. 
He's hedging his bets cos he doesn't have a clue.

advent 10

The little one brought a letter home from school yesterday. Apparently they have to wear Christmas jumpers on Friday. Great. He doesn't own a Christmas jumper.
If I was any sort of childrenswear designer I'd rustle him one up immediately. Wouldn't I?...

 

advent 9

Well for the last few years we've had this tall, skinny pretend tree. I wasn't a big fan. But I didn't moan about it. Much. 
I just prefer a real tree. They look better. And they smell better.
Real trees didn't fit very well in my available space though. Not without a lot of branch-hacking-off-action.
But this week I had a revolutionary idea! I moved the telly! Who knew you could do such a thing!
It created a rather nice corner space. Just perfect for a bit of real life Norwegian Spruce! So last night me and the kids went off and bought one. We squished it in my Mini and brought it home to it's new corner location. 
We are totally festive now. And the little one can stop nagging.

advent 8

We went to the great annual village light switch on last night. It was....er....the same as it is every year. Only colder. But these things have to be done don't they? Ho ho ho!

advent 7

At one of the Christmas fairs yesterday there was this dead cute little baby wearing this dead cute Christmas pudding hat. Very little and very cute.. 
After a while the cute little baby went home. With his not so little and cute parents. Who were also wearing Christmas pudding hats! Seriously parents. Don't do it! 
I wonder if they have matching hats for their pets too?

advent 6

This morning we went to TWO Christmas fairs. I am now exhausted and the house is filled with tat. That is all.

advent 5

Anyone bored of the 800 million advents on the go yet? There are loads this year. Everyone and their dog has an advent thing going on....
But I'm sorry, I've started now...gotta go the whole way. 
Only 19 more to go people, just switch your computer off for 3 weeks if you're suffering from advent overload. If not nip over to Dotty Wren. It's my day today so you can see this one twice. Bonus :)

advent 4

After the announcement this week that 2014 was "the warmest year on record" it's suddenly got really cold. In fact it's now "colder than average for this time of year". Make your flipping mind up!!
The little one is just waiting for it to snow. Not 'cos he likes snow or anything. He just thinks his school will shut if it snows. Cos it usually does!

advent 3

I'm not loving these dark mornings. I'm not a morning person anyway. I like to stay up late at night and sleep in late on a morning. But you can't do that so easily when you have kids to kick out of bed and feed before school. And nag. I do a lot of nagging on a morning. How long before they'll just sort themselves out and I can have a nice lie in? 

luna & lola

I worked with a lovely Spanish company last year on a fab range of crafty sewing kits for little people. They recently sent me samples and they look brill! All I need now is a spare minute to get them chopped out and made up.
If you can't wait for me to get my arse into gear you can make your own... Or get your crafty kid to make one for you. 
Or better still you can buy one for that crafty kid as a stocking filler...that should keep them quiet on Christmas day :)
They are available here....go snap them up people!

advent 2

Why do people put their trees up so flipping early these days? What's wrong with mid December like it used to be? There were loads already up last weekend round here. It was still N O V E M B E R!!! Now I'm being nagged to do ours because we are apparently the only people in the world without a Christmas tree twinkling in the window. And it would also seem that I am the only person in the world who hasn't bought everything, wrapped it up and hidden it in the loft!
Get a grip people, there are still 23 sleeps to go!

advent 1

Two years ago mine and Lizzie's agent went bust, leaving us totally in the lurch before Christmas. The only thing that kept us going with work when we really couldn't be arsed any more was her idea to do a daily advent calendar.

We've both decided to do one again this year...even though we are both proper snowed under with real life work and everything! We love a bit of pressure we do!
So here's my day one. I may make it to the end and do all 24. And then again I may not. Only time will tell. Or the lack of it...
Have a nose at Lizzie's here...

We're also doing a shared advent over at Dotty Wren Studio so if no-one bought you a real life advent calendar with chocolate and stuff nip over there every day and pretend it's a calorie saving exercise :)