Happy New Year! (+ obligatory resolutions)

© Chris Chabot via flickr

Welcome to the world of tomorrow!  Isn't the future awesome?

Everyone makes a slew of New Years Resolutions, don't they?  I always wonder how those go over the year... Do many (if any) of us actually accomplish them?  Well, last year I resolved to keep being awesome, and that definitely worked out well!  It's a shame that awesomeness doesn't extend to pesky little things like housework, though.

But I digress...

In past years I've made NYR.  A lovely laundry list of everything that was wrong with me that I wanted to fix.  Lose weight, get fit, be more social, learn about this whole make-up/hair/being girly thing, have a show home, paint my toenails every Tuesday, learn Italian...the works.  But none of it ever happened, because it turned out that those resolutions?  They were just wishes.  There was no timescale, no thought of how I was going to make these magical transformations happen, no SMART goals.

This year, I am going to become more organised.  There are a number of different reasons for this, ranging from the "I don't want to be tumble-drying school shirts at 0810 on a Monday morning," through to "I'd eat healthily if there were healthy snacks/easy meals in the fridge," "I could have sworn I had some cinnamon in the larder," and "I can't find the lottery ticket and we've won millions!!"

I'm going to start by spending the rest of January following The Organised Housewife's 20 Days To Organise and Clean Your Home Challenge.  (The random stuff everywhere after Christmas is bothering me, and I've got quite the tolerance.)  Once I've finished that, and the house is decluttered, organised, and gleaming, I'll reassess things.  I've been wilfully disorganised for years, so I imagine that this is going to be quite the project!

Happy New Year, everyone!!

(I'm still going to keep on being awesome, though!)

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Deck the halls

This year it took the Christmas decorations going up to bring out my festive spirit.  As Dave flicked the Christmas tree lights on, I started smiling.  By the time the wreath went up on the front door, my happiness was complete!  I've been humming carols ever since, and outright breaking out into song in the supermarket!  (Apologies to local shoppers--Lucas started it.  Honest!)

In the hallway is my little 'twiggy tree'.  I was inspired by our recent visit to Swinton Park where they had gorgeous vases of twigs, liberally adored with a single colour of baubles, which looked fantastic.  I think my version looks pretty good!  I'm enjoying the display so much that I think I might keep the vase there all the time and treat myself to flowers.  It's also encouraging me to deal with the post more promptly, as otherwise it spoils the look.  Terribly shallow, I know, but surprisingly effective.

In the living room, we swapped the HOME letters that usually sit on our mantelpiece for NOEL, added a giant bauble and a shiny holly & ivy garland.  I keep meaning to buy a more convincing garland, but it twinkles really nicely when the tree lights hit it...

Dave and Lucas made the sleigh ornament for a competition at work!

It has proven ridiculously difficult to get a full-length picture of our tree.  We wound up getting a new one as last year's tree wasn't strong enough to hold my beautiful Doctor Who ornaments.  I wound up weighing the largest and heaviest decoration, fashioning something of the same weight, and wandering around shops trying it on tree branches until I found one sturdy enough!  I suspect that all the shop assistants thought I was utterly insane!

Finally, I've been slowly putting together a display of Christmas cards on the kitchen door.  It makes me smile every time I walk past it!

A Christmas tree of Christmas cards

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Displaying Christmas cards

© Martha Stewart

We've reached the point where Lucas is coming home with handfuls of Christmas cards in his book bag on a daily basis and the postman is cheerfully posting more through the letter box, too.  There's only so much space on the mantelpiece, so it's time to think about how to display those cards!

I'm not a fan of Martha, but I do love her Christmas Card Tree (above).  It's very easy to make and it looks fantastic if you've only got a few cards to display.

Source

If you grew up with cards hooked over a length of twine (or yarn) pinned to the wall, then this pretty garland is a nice upgrade on that idea.  It would look stunning against a white wall!  You could also use clothes pins to clip cards onto a length of tinsel that's been pinned to the wall!

I love this garland, ribbon and clothes pin combination on the bannister in what surely must be a gorgeous home!  If we had a bannister like this--ours is just a solid sheet of wood--I would totally wind greenery around it and pretend that I lived in a stately home!

If the thought of doing anything remotely crafty in December makes you laugh slightly hysterically, then you can buy some beautiful card holders!  I really like this over the door one from Lakeland.

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As for me, I'm going to arrange our cards into a Christmas tree shape on the kitchen door!  I think I'll have to make a little star for the top...I don't think I've ever had a triangular-shaped card in the post before!

Source

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My favourite advent calendars

It's impossible to deny it any longer...Christmas is coming.

There are twinkly lights and glitzy decorations springing up in all the shops and everywhere I look there are tins of chocolates and Advent calendars.  Oh, the Advent calendars...there's such a variety these days!  When I was little, we had a traditional cardboard one with Nativity figures behind each little door that we re-used year upon year until the doors started falling off!

I thought I'd do a round-up of the best Advent calendars I've come across so far this year.

1. 50s Style Advent Calendar House from Etsy.  I love this calendar for its simplicity and cute motifs on each door.  It comes ready-assembled, and all you need to do is fill each drawer with goodies.  Perfect for the kids.

2. Liberty Advent Calendar.  This just oozes tradition, from the snowy English scene, to the little cardboard doors that you open up and peek behind.  It's a definite step-up from the one I grew up with though--it's downright gorgeous.

3. This Villeroy & Boch Advent Calendar Set is way out of my price range, but I thought I'd include it just in case any of you have the cash to splash.  Each day you get a stunning porcelain decoration--click and look at the close-ups--which you hang upon the porcelain tree that's included with the set.  This is the sort of Advent calendar that goes with a roaring fireplace, real fir tree trimmed with red bows and golden bells, and mistletoe above every doorway.

4. If chocolates are a must in your Advent calendar, try this Truffles for Two sharing calendar from Hotel Chocolat.  Behind each door there are two delicious truffles--one for you, one for your sweetie.  (Or both for you!)

5.  This wooden Advent calendar is shaped like a pile of gifts, all beautifully painted in Christmassy colours and with plenty of space inside for little cracker-sized gifts to be hidden inside.  Maybe some chocolate coins, too?

6. A Ginvent Calendar.   Behind each door is a 3cl bottle of gin, ranging from the likes of Bombay Sapphire through to artisan brands.  Definitely one for the grown-ups and possibly just the thing to keep you sane through the run-up to Christmas!

So...what Advent calendar will the Little Apple Tree household be sporting this year?  Will there be gin?  Chocolates?

LEGO Star Wars Calendar 2013

Lucas and Dave have set their little hearts on another LEGO Star Wars Advent calendar.  Last year they built each day's toy together before Dave went to work, and I'd wake up to Lucas happily re-enacting battles from the films in his bedroom.  They both love Star Wars so much that I'll happily buy it for them!

I might treat myself to a little calendar from Hotel Chocolat, though...

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A rainy Sunday afternoon

Photo copyright Pete Webb, some rights reserved (Creative Commons)

It's raining outside.  Fat, heavy drops that splat noisily against the window when the wind catches them.  The little bushes in the front garden are whipping back and forth every so often, and the birthday balloons that are tied to the neighbours gatepost are looking a little sad and droopy.  It's a rainy Sunday afternoon and I am so thankful to be indoors.

Inside, we're snuggled on the sofa.  Well, I'm snuggled up in a Snuggie, the others are much hardier than I.  We've just finished watching The Land That Time Forgot which I haven't seen since I was about 11, when I watched it for the first time.  Probably on the same sort of sleepy-feeling, rainy Sunday...

This set us thinking...today is a bit of a throwback to Sunday afternoons when we were kids.  We'd visit the Grandparents--check; we visited Nanny and Grandad today with Lucas--have Sunday lunch--check--and watch a film together in the afternoon--check.

Admittedly we've missed out a big part of my childhood Sundays--going to Sunday School or church--and replaced them that with a visit to Costa followed by Forbidden Planet, but the day feels exactly the same.  Quiet.

I have fond memories of lying on the rug in front of the fire at my Grandparent's house, absolutely glued to the BBC's adaptation of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe as the fire crackled beside me.  Or curling up in a chair and reading all my library books in one day, much to Mum's despair.  Those were good days.

Dave and Lucas have just made a bowl of buttery popcorn.  A first for both of them!  And now we're watching Justice League: New Frontier.  With coffee...always coffee.

Coffee always tastes best from a TARDIS mug

It's so nice to have a quiet Sunday.  Nowhere to be, just us...indoors, and the rain...outdoors.

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First day of term

 

Lucas started Year 2 today.

It seems like yesterday that he started Reception, and now here he is, in Year 2.  He was slightly sad about going back to school after such an awesome summer and said, "But it won't be as awesome as being at home with you, Mum!"  He has a point, I am pretty damn awesome.

When I picked him up he was all smiles.  I asked him if he had a good day, and he did this:

I assume that this means, "YES!"

Now that he's home, I've looked through his book bag and there are--surprise, surprise--forms for me to fill out already, some new reading books which look pretty exciting and a new homework book.  I think the increased homework may prove to be a shock to our systems!!  

I'm really proud of our Wee Man and I hope he enjoys Year 2 as much as he did Year 1 and Reception!!

"Too cool for school" or When Lucas Started Reception

PS I'm taking part in Blog Your Socks Off September, as devised by Jess at Lovely Jubbly.  I'll be posting daily, every day in September on whatever topic takes my fancy.  (Blogtember's list of daily topics was too hardcore for me.)

A big apple from my little apple tree

Lucas has just come in from the garden with a huge rosy apple clutched in his hands, freshly picked from my little apple tree!  It's the first apple ever picked from the tree.

Once I stopped squeaking with excitement, I went down to the bottom of the garden and had a look at the tree for myself. 

There are about 20 apples on the tree at the moment, plenty on each of the three different main branches of the tree.  (It's a "family" apple tree, with two different eating varieties grafted on to the original tree.  I wish I could remember what each of the varieties are, but it's been ages since it was planted.)

We're going to give it another couple of weeks and then start picking. I'm so proud of my little apple tree!