The Last Day

I cant beleive that it is the last day of November today. Where has the time gone? This past year seems to have flown by and here we are getting back into the spirit of Christmas and shopping and baking and all the other things we get into this time of the year. We dont decorate too early as we have usually bought a real christmas tree and feel that if we get it to early then there will be nothing but a twig left by the time christmas day arrives. This year i think that we may give in and buy an artificial tree, this is due to the lack of space as the real thing seems to take up the whole room and also when you come to take it down there is a huge shower of needles and no matter how many times you vacuum the room you are still collecting them by Halloween.

Before we get to decorate we still have lots of things to do around here. Like many people we decide to do home improvements in the last couple of weeks before christmas so currently my house looks like a building site and the laundry monster has come to pay a visit. So this weekend in amongst going to church and two different parties for the children there will be alot of housework going on. PAH !!!! I could do with a week of work to get everything done but working in a school does not allow for me to take time off during term time. Wish me luck, I think that I will need it!!!

There is something about this picture, I dont know what it is but all I can say is that I would LOVE to be there. It could be the simplicity of it, people who know me will know that my dream home would be in the middle of nowhere and neighbours miles and miles away. BLISS!!!!

I couldnt wait

I know that it is still November and that my American friends they have yet to celebrate Thanksgiving but it was imposible for me to wait a moment longer to Christmas" my blog. I look forward to this time of the year and with the news that my dear friends from America will be visiting England during the Christmas Holidays and we will get the chance to spend some time together it has made it even more exciting... Oooooo I JUST CANT WAIT.

I feel like I am 5 years old again and waiting for Santa to come on Christmas Eve and not a 32 year old mother of two children who should lets face it "GET A GRIP".. I have been annoying my dear suffering Husband for weeks with talks and plans for the Holidays, I think that I suffer from OCD as I have every week until the big event planned with what we are going to do and places that we will visit. I have trips planned, Craft Fairs to visit, baking to do, cookies to decorate and the list goes on and on and on.. Hehehehe I cant help it.

By the way, the picture above just says christmas to me. This is what I always dream of re creating at christmas for my family.

Remember

Sunday was Remembrance Sunday, in years gone by I would always go with my Gran for her to leave her poppy for her brother who was killed in the war.

Now whilst I certainly dont forget the day and would have normally attended church his year we did not. We decided to take the morning off and we went to the climbing wall for a little family time. I still cant get used to watching my children free climb up a wall (with no ropes) which is about 5 metres high. There is of course a HUGE instructor waiting for them at the bottom and should they decide to exit the wall he is more than capable of catching them. It was so nice to be together as a family and be out doing an activity,sooooooooo I have decided that we need to make more of the time we have together doing something nice rather than the trip to the supermarket for the weekly shopping or trying to get some kind of order around the house.

For the next few weeks I hope to put some posts together about the things we have been doing, it could be anything from chilling out to watch a movie with popcorn or a walk along our beach on a really cold day or even me trying to come to terms with the fact that my children can climb this wall and will do it even if Mother is sat with her nerves on edge. Oh and yes they think it is great to trun around at the top and give me a wave as if to remind me that they are 5 metres up. eeeekk!!!!!!!

5th November

Remember remember the fifth of November,

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason why gunpowder,

treason Should ever be forgot...

Bonfire night came and went, I used to hate it as a child as the fireworks were so loud. It is my Sisters Birthday so there was always another reason to celebrate it. "Happy Birthday" by the way. Bonfire night always holds memories of the huge bonfire in the field at the back of our house, Jacket Potatoes coking at the bottom of the bonfire and of course people calling "Penny for the Guy" but you dont seem to get people calling with a Guy. I think that we have gone down the Halloween route here and have forgotten some of the older traditions. I bet that there will be lots of kids who have no idea what "Penny for the Guy " means, mine included.

Anyway we decided that we would go and visit friends and perhaps my little one would not "FREAK OUT " when he was in other company. Well he did us proud, we have gone from the little boy who had a major melt down at the mear mention of fireworks to the little boy who would stand at the patio doors, with fingers in ears (just in case!!) and watch. He even held a sparkler which is again a big deal for him, I took a photograph of him doing this so that next year when we hear the all too familiar whine "I dont like fireworks" it can be whipped out as lasting proof that he DID actually enjoy himself. Hehe........

So it is now the weekend and I have just left work and can put my feet up and not hear he sounds of "Miss, he said this" or "Miss, she hit me" and the tug at the arm of my clothes to get my attention. Although having two children and a husband I guess there is still plenty of whining in this house. It is just so nice to get o the weekend to spend some quality time with our own children and leave work at the school gates for Monday (although I must confess that I LOVE my job).

I hope that like the christmas tree on the top of the blog, it is far too early to decorate the house yet but as there are no pine needles to pick up in blogland I thought I would decorate the blog. This is just the start and I have other decorating plans for the next couple of weeks. Have a fab weekend whatever you are doing, if I can get the camera to work on this computer I will get some photographs put on here for you to look at.

GOD Bless

The Weekend

Wow we have had a busy weekend. The Tooth Fairy has yet again graced our home with a visit, he has lost another tooth and again is so proud. On Saturday we went to stay with family for the weekend. This gave DH and I the opportunity to call at some shops ALONE without any children, now whilst I love to take my children to places it is so nice to have the chance to be out without them. My quest was to find some christmas cars to give to people at Church, now whilst I am sure that these people have a sense of humor I was not sure if they would appreciate a card showing a place of brussles sprouts with one dressed up as Santa so I was looking for ones that had a more traditional feel to them. Anyway after the trip to the town we went to the town Firework display and then back home to let off our own fireworks.

On Sunday I took the opportunity to go to the Cemetry and visit the graves of some loved ones. I wish that I had taken the camera as the cemetry is so beautiful and with the leaves dropping onto the ground it was simply stunning. I know that it sounds strange to be taking photographs at a cemetry but honestly you had to be there.
Whilst walking around you could see grave stones underneath the trees practically hidden from view, upon closer inspection they were graves dating back to 1867 and some even older. I guess that nobody goes to visit these anymore and the trees which would have been small at the time have now grown and are now covering them from sight.

I think that the colours of Autumn are simply stunning, the trees are turning shades of red and gold and then they fall to ground. The smell of the air changes I think, There is a slight dampness to the air and you can smell fires burning. I think that we need to make the most of the chaning seasons as they quickly turn to the next season, which of course will be Winter.
As we are now in November my mind has been occupied with ideas for Christmas. I have nearly almost all of my shopping done and have ideas for the rest that I need to get. Next week I will be baking my Christmas cake and Christmas Pudding, should I dig out some christmas carols to listen to whilst I bake or would classical be better? Hmm I will have to think about that one.

I hope that you all have a great weekend, I am off to look up some recipes for treats for the children to have for Bonfire Night. GOD Bless xx

Whatever will they think of next

Christmas should be downgraded unless other religious festivals are marked on an even footing, a Government think-tank has said.

The Institute of Public Policy Research has suggested various ideas to make the UK more multicultural.
It also wants "national culture" barriers to be torn down to help immigrants settle into the UK.
In a report due to be published in coming weeks, the organisation said: "If we are going to continue to mark Christmas - and it would be very hard to expunge it from our national life even if we wanted to - then public organisations should mark other major religious festivals too.
"Even-handedness dictates that we provide public recognition to minority cultures and traditions."
It emerged in 2006 that three out of four employers were not putting up Christmas decorations in the workplace for fear of offending staff of other cultures.

You can view this article http://uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/20071101/tuk-think-tank-says-downgrade-christmas-dba1618_1.html

I mean I can understand the need to recognise other cultural festivities but why on earth should we have to downgrade our own to accomodate people who decide to come and live here. I honestly think that this is because due to mass consumerism people have no idea as to why we celebrate christmas. It really matters not to me if you are a Christian and celebrate the birth of JESUS or are Pagan and celebrate the festival of YULE, we are entitled to our own opinion and should not have to change our English ways of life incase other people ind it offensive. What is offensive to me is that we are been forced to change. GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRR