On This Day 2008 - Lapland....

On the 19th December 2008 we were treated, by Grandma (Mr G's Mum), to a day trip to Lapland.


We had to rise very early to be at Bournemouth airport for 5.00am and after a four hour flight descended over Lapland:

Having never even been skiing I filled up at the sight of the wonderful snowy scenery - tears were set to be a theme of the day for me (in a good way!!)

After getting changed into snowsuits, gloves and sturdy boots it was time to snuggle into reindeer skins in the sleighs:

The sleighs were pulled by snowmobiles and soon we whizzing over frozen lakes and admiring the most magical scenery:

At this time of year there is just four hours of half light in Lapland.

The "resort" we were to spend the day at was a very small, intimate one and there were not many people around which was perfect (I had been a tad concerned it would be terribly "commercial") - the only building was a log cabin that housed the shop and cafe:

Grandma with W (then 8yrs) and H (then 10yrs)

The whole day was really a-m-a-z-i-n-g and at times I was overcome with emotion. I must confess that I kept welling up because I am a h-u-g-e softy and I was rather overwhelmed to be doing something so magical with my little boys, Mr G and my lovely Mother-In-Law.

Each family had an appointment with Father Christmas and until it was out turn there was plenty to do:

Of course as well as all that there was lots of posing for photos:

                                       The snowsuits we were provided with were not the most flattering attire....

As everyone had the same suit it was a good thing I wore my furry earmuffs, which made me instantly recognisable!!

There were lots of these candles which as it got dark lit the way....

One of the first activities we tried was to ride on the dog sleds:

It wasn't long before it began to get dark:

Reindeer sleigh rides were next on the agenda:

Although the reindeer are very cute, they were really rather shifty and we were warned not to try and stroke them as they can be rather temperamental!!

After lunch it was our turn to take a sleigh ride across the frozen lake, following a path lit by lanterns to Father Christmas's cabin:

And at last we got to meet the Big Man:

As I watched my boys meet Father Christmas I really started to blub, it was just so magical and I couldn't contain my feelings!!:

Outside cabin on the way back to our awaiting sleigh I was crying so much I was doing the hiccuping thing that small children do and whispering "I loved it!!"

The rest of the afternoon was spent sledging, snowmobiling and making snow angels. Of course, there was hot chocolate too:

And we took time to sit in front of the outdoor fires to keep warm while the boys sledged:

At one point Mr G and I lay down on the snow to gaze into the clear skies in the hopes we might see the aurora Borealis - but unfortunately we we not quite that lucky.

Around 6.00pm coaches arrived to take us the short distance back to the airport for our flight home, it was the most amazing day - I would even go as far as to say that it was up there with our wedding day and the birth's of the boys.

I hope all your Christmas preparations are coming together, thanks loads for taking the time to read my very picture heavy post today!!

hugs,

S x

   

Lovely Linens & Comedy Moustaches....

Hello my dears,


I hope you are all well and not too stressed with Christmas preparations?


We are almost there with our Christmas shopping, just a few more bits to get and make and then the food shopping to do. Mr G is off from Tuesday next week until Jan 3rd (yay!!) and so we will do it together next week.


We are going out for Christmas dinner to a pub but we still like to have lots of treats and I'll cook a turkey crown as one of our favourites things is turkey and stuffing sandwiches.


Mr G has been lightening the mood here by modelling a selection of comedy moustaches:

I *really* fancy him wearing this one!!

He says that when he has no hair at all on his head he may indeed grow a 'tache to go with his goatee.

Mr G has me in hysterics everyday,  he makes me laugh so much and I fell truly blessed to have such a wonderful husband *gush alert*.

I won a lovely collection of vintage linens on eBay I want to show you:

I won them in two lots for just a few pounds....

I'm quite happy to just look at and stroke them as they are so pretty but I have been making something with a few, I can't show you yet as the recipient is a follower.

I've used a few around the house too, a couple on our bedroom windowsill, the cloth with the lilacs in my sewing room and this gorgeous runner in the bathroom:

It has little birds - I love birds on things!!

The embroidery is really exquisite, it's hard to tell the front from the back!!:

It makes me wonder who it was who spent so much time doing such perfect stitches....

I'm feeling a wee bit down today as a friend had a huge go at me after I thought I done the right thing regarding something (that sounds very intriguing but it's not even anything very interesting or important) - I'm a bit shocked and upset by the whole thing TBH.

Christmastime is often tricky for me with my anxiety/phobia/OCD so it's one thing I could have done without....

Still, I have you lovelies to chat too so that makes me feel a whole lot better.

hugs,

S x

This Weekend....

Hello, my lovelies!!


I hope you have had a nice weekend?


On Saturday morning and went to an Annie Sloan painting workshop run by the little shop where I buy my paints. I learnt a few new things such as how to do a stipple effect with three colours; an "impasto" technique that gives an almost leather-like finish and gilding:

I did the class with my friend L:

It was a very pleasant way indeed to spend a morning.

On Saturday afternoon I spent virtually the whole afternoon on the Ancestry website having a go at researching our family tree. It's all a bit complicated as my Mum was adopted - I have done the main tree using my adopted grandparents as they are the ones that mean something to me. I did start another to try and follow the biological line but have hit a brick wall after just two generations - I've managed about 8 generations on the "proper" tree.

My paternal Granddad is Polish and so I hit a brick wall there too, as an utter novice at the genealogy thing, I have no clue how to research your tree if you are descended from another nationality.

So far I have just found the names of the ancestors (although there was a photo of my great-great-great grandfather) and next up is to try and find out more. Have any of you lovely ladies researched your family trees?

Yesterday was a lazy day really, we picked up a couple of bits for me to do the Fugly-To-Fabulous thing on and then just mooched at home.

What did you get up to this weekend? 

hugs,

S x

Nativity....

This morning I went to watch my little niece E (who is 5) in her nativity play. It was the first time I had seen her do one as usually my Mum goes with my sister but today she couldn't make it so I stepped in.


E had originally been asked to play Mary but she refused, wanting to be an angel as they are "prettier".


This made me chuckle as W had done something similar for his nativity back when he was 3 - they asked him to be Joseph but he insisted on playing the moon - he was first on and walked the length of the room carrying a big moon on a stick above his head, he was so tiny and so serious there wasn't a dry eye in the place.


E did make a very pretty angel:

I must confess I did shed a little tear when they sang "Away In A Manger", not least because my boys are too big for nativity now.

I've been busy this week Fugly To Fabulousing too, Mr G picked up two bits of furniture I was a bit dubious about but I should have had faith as they have turned out really well.

A TV cabinet:

And a little chest of drawers/bedside table, to which I gave the Union Jack treatment:

From a festive point of view I made some orange & clove pomanders:

These have not been an entire success, they smell absolutely gorgeous, so Christmassy and I have been enjoying them for a week but today they all have a bloom of white mould on them *shudder* - they reminded me of something and eventually it came to me, they look like ET when they find him unconscious in the river before he "dies" - he too has a white bloom on him!!

So not sure what went wrong there, surely they are supposed to last longer than a week? We can have oranges left in the fruit bowl to get far more elderly than that and they stay in OK shape (if a little shrivelled!!)

This afternoon, I also made my wreath:

For some bizzare reason, although I have rotated and saved this photo the right way up it will only show on it's side here on Blogger....

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, but am not sure the £4.50 I saved was worth the mess and the spiked hands....

I am panicking about Christmas shopping having only done a fraction of it, Mr G is sorting the kids out as they want all manner of PC/XBox/boy things so that leaves me with everything else to sort *frazzled*

How is your Christmas shopping coming on? Are you a super-organised-it's-all-done-and-wrapped girl? Or a leave-it-the-last-minute kinda gal?

hugs,


S x

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas....

Gosh I've been a bit slack about blogging this last week so now I have to a huge post to catch up.


We've put the decorations up her at Shabby Chic HQ, when I say we, I mean that W and I started to put them up together, he lost interest after an hour and I did the rest myself whilst he complained he couldn't hear the XBox over my Michael Buble Christmas album!!


Now, I apologise in advance for the quality of the pics, my camera is really rather hopeless. I guess I could have had a new one for Christmas, but I was more keen on a fancy new sewing machine!!


The tree in the lounge:

With a lopsided star, why do they make them so heavy?

Next to the tree on the windowsill is the Nativity scene that my Mum knitted for us a couple of years ago - it was before I could knit, and even now I can I don't think I would have the patience:

Aren't they fab? My Stepdad even made them a stable....

We are hoping that Bear (one of our Tonkinese cats) is going to leave them alone as he is obsessed with wool and anything made of it (whatever the fibre) to the point where he was trying to drag my Mum's cardi off her.

He has also been hoolying around the trees in the manner of Simon's Cat - if you haven't seen the Christmas one (or indeed any of the Simon's Cat cartoons) do follow the link, they are hilarious, especially if you are a cat owner.

The "library" as we jokingly call it (it was the dining room before we had the conservatory along the back of the house and is now a bit of a none-room) looks all frosty and winter-white:

I collected fresh holly and ivy from the stables to decorate and also traipsed around the woods to find some sticks that Mr G spray painted antique white and gold for me to put them in a vase and I love, love, love them, I think they are going to have to stay after the festive season:

I'm thinking crocheted hearts for Valentines;  eggs for Easter;  flowers for summer, etc....

The snowflakes need starch really....

The tree in the conservatory is all blue and pink, but you can't really tell in this dreadful pic:

The dresser has had the treatment too:

I've also been inspired by (or is it I have just shamelessly copied?!!)  the lovely Vanessa over at Coco Rose Diaries and made some crochet covers for jars to create lovely votives:

And I have been making trees - a book page one:

 And one at my ceramics painting group (this starts out plain white bisque which you paint and it's then fired) - it's waiting for a light fitting and then the little bulbs will glow:

I've also been enjoying my Advent swap gifts from Sandie my favourite of which so far is this fab birdie paper garland:

In my sewing room so I can keep it up all year round (look at the condensation from the blummin' tumble dryer!!)

So, I think that is all I have to report for now - hope you all have a lovely week....

hugs,

S x