The blurr that is Christmas....

One week to go... its all a blurr... I am so not in the Christmas vibe this year.  All around me are the beautiful colours of the season, rich variegated green and lush shades of cherry red, my home is scented with evocative smells of  cinnamon and spices, mulled wines simmers in the pan and children's laughter fills the house... It can only be Christmas...Caught up in the whirlwind of shows, concerts, parties and time spent with special friends, singing carols in the cold wintry air with dragon breath escaping from my mouth as I snuggle up to my little ones to keep warm, twinkling lights everywhere and at the end of the day curling up in front of the fire and waking up a couple of hours later... yes it is Christmas...
The tree is decked out in all its 'kitch' glory, years and years worth of Christmas history and some new trinkets in the making... a mish mash of colour and every bit of it put together with the help of excited children.
Its a time for comfort food and baking, stews and casseroles to warm the soul and endless cakes and cookies for the children's party activities...
So much baking has been done this Christmas and every tray of delight has been received by happy faces...
But something has to give, its not all perfect, with things in the process of change here, I have had to give up the many hours I would normally spend in my sewing room, it makes me a little sad I admit, but I give myself a break and know there is always next year... so to fulfill the creative daily need to make something with my hands... I have been doing little projects. Sometimes with the children and sometimes just for me.  The button wreaths have made a comeback this year, and I have been using all my red and green gingham buttons... many little gifts of this nature have been made... the shopping is now done and the wrapping may begin...

What ever the stage you are at with your Christmas plans I wish you peace, health and happiness...  and a bit more time!!!

A child after my own heart....

Wondering around our blogging community I see lots of plans getting made, lots of excitement and everyone blogging a little less as their busy lives, at this time of year, take us away from what we do...There is a lot happening at the Suzie Sews Household, and some days its good and others not so good, on the not so good days we will be found pulling on our woolly jumpers, scarf, hat and mitts as we head outside and at the moment the 'outside' is just breath taking...
I feel very lucky to live in the place I call HOME, going for walks right from the front door and so much history in the area it seeps out of the brick work of the houses.  Walking through the woods, past ponds and lakes you can really feel the passing of time and a true sense of belonging and worth...
Yes there has been a lot of walking of late, blowing away the cob webs, feeling the chill on your skin, enjoying the light despite there being no power from the suns rays, all day it stays white, crisp, white, clean and FRESH...
Mean while back in the cosy warmth... we are going through a lot of our things at the moment and we are all finding things that take us back to a different time.  I captured this moment... a special moment for Mommy... A child after my own heart.  As my son found my Dads camera, an old one, not a digital... it was played with for hours, with comments from him that showed his joy of holding a camera with weight, that clicks and moulds into your hands... Yes I could relate to this moment, a time when I used to steel moments looking at my dads camera's, holding them and enjoying the gentle joy that taking pictures holds for me now...

SO this afternoon is the Nativity play, always a special moment in the season, and tonight the Christmas tree and all the lights and shiny 'kitchness' of our Christmas unfolds....

OK off to make another button wreath...going through glue sticks at an alarming rate...

I wish you the joy of the season...

Paper chains......

So its here, the Christmas music is singing out, people are smiling and saying hello, its a happy time (for most) and the season of good will is up on us... All around me the plans and preparation of the season are in full flow...
With the recent snow, we have spent a lot of time at home due to the village school being closed and when we were not out enjoying all the delights the snow has to offer, well we spent some time warming up our frozen fingers and toes sitting around the kitchen table.  We are on the count down now to Christmas, we have three advent calenders on the go ranging from bought-put it together yourself and of course a hand made one...  The dark Christmas mornings are forming a pattern,  we all snuggle down under the quilts in a sleepy haze, then we get up to open the advent calenders, breakfast is the time we discuss the day ahead before its full swing into action to start the day... Its a comfortable groove and I kinda like these dark cosy mornings...
So with all this special time together we have been creating a good old fashioned mess in the kitchen...from making our own decorations to baking some delicious yummy treats...
of course the time at the table would not be complete without the traditional jug of Hot Chocolate to really warm us up...
...sitting amongst the mess of activity...
Yes its been a time to be together, to enjoy each others company and just chill...before the craziness of Christmas takes over and we start to run all over the place with nativities, choir, music shows, parties and sharing our time with special people...

Take a moment to enjoy this time, slow it down a little and hug your loved ones...

A winters tale...

Baby its cold outside...I was pulled out of bed yesterday by my two very excited little people...Mommy its snowed...So before it was 7.30am we pulled our boots and mittens on over our PJs and in the dark a snow man was built... We rushed around to get ready for school, as the car was snowed in, it was a crunchy, chilly walk to school.I remembered to throw my point and shot camera in my pocket so took a few snaps whilst I tried to miss being hit by snowballs. So this was our walk to school and back again as school was closed...So it was a day spent playing in the snow with warm up breaks of Hot Chocolate and marshmallows another play and then settling down to a movie with some popcorn, the blinds shut as we pretended to be at the pictures...One last play in the snow before bedtime then a deep hot bubbly bath to warm up our bodies before we curled up for a bedtime story. Happy children!
So a distinct lack of blogging from me at present, I thank you for the personal emails, a lot is changing around here at the moment, it is a huge transitional period for my family, I thank you for staying around and I apologise for the infrequent posting... with this change I find myself reflecting, listening to a whole different selection of music, and having good and not so good days. I guess I am changing also, maybe its just the next stage in life...I have a lot of planning and thinking and re thinking to do. The most important thing to me through it all is stability... My children ground me, they keep life flowing, moving on and seeing things through their eyes makes the world we live in an amazing place...So today at breakfast I was reading through a few story books for them and I came across this poem that I had squirrelled away in one of the books a while ago...it moved me to tears...I shall share it with you...
Before I was a Mom. I made hot meals. I had unstained clothing. I had quite conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom. I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got out of bed. I brushed my hair and teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom. I cleaned my house everyday. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to lullabies. Before I was a Mom. I didn't worry whether the plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom. I had never been puked on, pooped on, sat on, chewed on, peed on or pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom. I had complete control of my mind, my thoughts, my body,and my life. I slept at night.
Before I was a Mom. I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried so hard. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a child sleeping.

Before I was a Mom. I never held a baby sleeping just because I did not want to put them down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could effect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone this much.

I never knew I would LOVE being a MOM.
Before I was a Mom I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between Mother and Child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom. I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every ten minutes to make sure all was OK. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the fulfilment and satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a MOM.

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I just have the poem, I do not even know who wrote it or how I came to have kept it... But it sums up my emotions about being a MOM. I promise some usual 'Suzie Sews' stuff soon, its a work in process at the moment...

Photographs.... various pictures of snow and children throughout the snowy day, and of course Archie the bunny who loved the company of the children playing...

Let them eat cake...

Can you feel it? Are you getting that tinkling feeling? Can you hear the sounds? Its so close now... Yes, as I am caught up in the preparation for the Christmas season, all around me are the signs that its now just days away.  I hear carols in the shops, I can smell Mulled Wine in the village pub, there is glitter stuck under my nails, glue on my skirt and sugar icing on my nose...Yes it is a busy time indeed, and a less intense time in our blogging  community as all the preparation gets done ready to sit back, kick your shoes off and enjoy the delights of the season and share in the show and tell.  Lots of preparing for the various events taking place in the village and school, an opportunity to be involved in your little peoples world.  Cake baking, cutting, colouring and generally making a mess is all on the cards for today and indeed this weekend...
Some  time spent in the company of people we love, and in the 'Suzie Sews Household' that usually means sharing food...
Warm, cosy, heart warming meals to chase the chills away...
So what ever you are doing this weekend, the weekend before it all begins... I wish you peace and some creative time, taking in all the colours, sounds and smells of the coming season.
Next week, I will be settling down to some serious Christmas making.... buttons and glue sticks at the ready...

Have a good weekend...

Car Portraits and stashing up...

When I first started to read blogs about three years ago, there was a real pattern to the way our community would blog, I liked it, it was a routine, it became familiar and each day I would look forward to the different theme of that particular time. One of the photographic inspirational headings was 'Car Portraits' various snaps taken in the car,  now if you have little ones you will understand this heading, because a lot of time is spent in the car when your babes are young. It might be taking them to the park, or a play date.  Maybe your just driving around in desperation of getting your baby to sleep, yer I guess most of us have done that, I used to take my knitting with me and a flask, I would pull up in a nice spot once babe was asleep and have some creative time.  The thought of taking pictures and portraits of those snatched moments in the car when your rushing, not thinking about taking pictures, well I found it appealing.  So I have been doing this, but not of me, of the babes, which is why I have not shared it before. Today though I was sitting in the car, having had my morning swim and I was just flicking through the pictures on my camera from the weekend... Click... One self portrait... 
The power of a picture is quite amazing.  It was the Harrogate Twisted Thread show this weekend and for the last five years I have attended, this year was the first year that I was recognised.  So that little square inch of a picture of me really must look like me if someone I have never met can say "Are you Suzie Sews?"  It was nice, I had that 'community' feel, a group of people who would never normally meet say "Hi" and open up a whole new friendship, yes it was nice...

So as this was a stocking up stashing event for me, I knew what I needed and I went straight for the goodies.  Buttons...
Some fun Japanese fabric...
Stocking up on Boden fabric from my favorite fabric supplier...
Being the Boden girl that I am!
I bought the new Knitting kit that's just hitting the UK market... its a present so I can not share to much more at this stage...
Of course I bought some sock yarn, and within an hour of getting home I got it on the needles...
So with all this shopping, selling and chatting... my little feet needed a rest and what could be better than a moment or two with a pair of the most beautiful feet in the world...

I hope you all had a good weekend and I look forward to catching up with some of my favorite blogs in the coming week, I think its a busy time all round with the plans of Thanks Giving and Christmas getting in full swing, I peeked back to this time last year on my blog and I wrote about it being a quite time then, funny how these patterns are formed...

A mixed bag....

Its a mixed bag today and what could be nicer than starting off the day with a little thank you gift,  a wonderful bag of beautiful chunky yarn, how lucky am I?  Mmmmmm just lovely 100% wool and a gorgeous shade of baby blue...I am thinking a nice cosy throw knitted on great big needles to cuddle up with over the Christmas holidays.Now that is my plan of what to knit and I actually promised you completed projects, so on with some silly knitting... cute little felted hearts... a free pattern from the talented Mochimochiland, yes free! You just print it off and knit, I made them over breakfast with my little ones chatting away about their day to come... The eyes are optional, but kind of make me smile!
Talking of hearts a little knitted mobile for a new baby... I had no heart pattern at this stage and I was trying my hand at designing my own pattern, it needs a little work, but the end result is rustic and that's the look I wanted...
So on to sewing... I am being inspired by this new party skirt, just far to pretty to hang in the darkness of a wardrobe, it is in my sewing room, it is just the most beautiful fabric, it makes a wonderful swishing sound when you move in it and it is guaranteed to make any girl feel like a princess...  
I seem to be making more clothes now than bags, maybe its seasonal? Funny how these patterns of creating  go.  With all the rain we have at present a fabric bag is far from practical. Whilst I am limiting my fabric buying at present (saving up for a blow out at the Harrogate show) I have made a small purchase... I went to IKEA for a new table cloth, I was uninspired by the selection but spotted this fabric, I think it will jolly up breakfast time a treat and with a clear plastic cover over it, I can relax around the children and their creative endeavours.
I have been playing about with some Christmas gift ideas, I am planning on backing a couple of journals for some friends that will appreciate this kind of gift...  this tree idea is appealing, its not perfected yet but its fun playing with the idea... seasonal trees... 
Summer Tree... Autumnal Tree... (click on to picture for greater detail) 
Ideally  a silk painted  landscape for the backing fabric would be stunning, in reality time will not allow this.
A couple more blocks for the quilt have been finished, some applique and a block which involved a protractor... I have not used one of these since my school days and even then I had no idea what to do with it, suddenly it all comes together...
Its also a chance to raid the button stash.  The green Amy Butler fabric is by far one of my favorite designs, the colour is perfect, its my favourite colour!
A mixed bag of things today and no flow at all, I have yet to find my Winter groove and I am so not feeling it yet... I am trying, maybe trying just too hard... the cooking is no longer summer foods, its been replaced with stews, chunky crusty bread, soups and for the children they seem to want warm rich flavours.  
With the onset of the dark evenings, the outdoor play is no more after school, instead we are having to think about what we want to do, some nights we just chill out and others we...well, make a mess!!! 
But with some smile inducing results...
Ah I have always had a secret passion for play dough, the colour, texture and smell... 
SO how to escape this winter funk that I find myself in, looking around the house and my garden I am reminded  that summer is a long time off, how I long to stand on the beach, to listen to the movement and power of the sea, to feel the grains of sand scratching at my skin, the wind making my eyes stream with tears and the smell of fire burning in the evening light... this is what I do when I need inner strength.  BUT, with the sea so far away and prospect of cold wet winter days ahead, whats a girl to do?
Time to move on, and look at the positive.  The rich, lush  shades of red that mark the coming of the  holiday season, its that in between time, Winter is here and the festivities are just around the corner, right now however they all seem so far away. I received my first Christmas card today, the calender already has a few parties dated in  and I am well and truly involved in the Christmas planning at school, but just now the only bit of this promise is a room in my home, a room every spring I want to paint yellow and every winter I am pleased I have not... I love the reflection of the light in the glass of the picture and you can just make out the horizon of hills that can be viewed from the window.  Yes it feels like a transitional period... a time of change, in a short period of time Christmas cheer will be all around us... 

Fear and Light...

SO after a week on being at home with my poorly babes I was kind of suffering from cabin fever, its been a week filled with lots of issues and at times I have felt a little overwhelmed and sometimes that I was positively 'not in control' of the situation... without any free time to knit or sew, my ways to a) have some form of work b) to relax and sooth the soul.  Well things felt a little claustrophobic.  I needed to get out...Well I took things in hand and went for the old 'feel alive' technique.  All my life I have had a fear of dams, I know how I got it so its a real fear. Today I confronted that fear head on... well maybe not quite as bravely as that sounds.  On a windy and somewhat chilly day a walk was taken and instead of just passing the dam as I have done many times, I walked over it.  Not only that... when I got to the bit in the middle, the place the water rushes under you and then down the long drop of concrete, I tried three times until I stood and looked over... No I leaned over... The heart raced, the chill was taken over by a burning feeling, my breath quickened, my chest heaved with anxiety, I felt nauseous..  BUT I DID IT!!! Hurrah!
Today (I am usually away on Saturday so its all out of routine at present) on going through this months batch of pictures I noticed a lot of them centred around the light, that special light you only get at this time of year, I have talked about it before, its soft, mellow and it shines with it all those little sparkly particles of dust...
So one day I was cutting out a pattern and the light was blazing down on my work area Click...

I look down and see my feet pressed together as I maneuver around the floor trying to cut out the pattern, basking in the sunlight with my homemade socks on for warmth Click...
I move around the house with the camera in hand wondering from room to room, each room offering a different intensity of light... My clothes rail, a rail of clothes waiting to be put away. Click...
My favourite necklace of the moment and my trusty thumb ring. Sitting in the place I had taken them off the day before.  I am not in to gold or diamonds and I do not wear rings much, instead I love bold 'kookie' jewelery and for rings, well its my thumb ring or a large chunky dress ring and its a sign of the return of good weather when I get my toe ring back on. Click...  (I am so loving the shadow).  

So before the light fades into winter greyness, take a moment, look around and see if you can see the special rays and may they shine on you and not show up your dust!

Its a quieter week in the house, so I have been listening to Razorlight...Wire (The lead singer looks like someone I know and I could sure look in his eyes all day) and Cold Play...Violet Hill (I have clear memories of when I first heard this song)

The children have been dancing to Kanye West Love Lock Down-on those moments when the Calpol has had an effect.

We have all enjoyed a bop to Madonna Give it to me-I have grown up with this women.

If you can not link direct, they are all on YouTube.

We have all been watching the trailer for Oktapodi  

OK enough pondering on life. Back to show and tell (WIP) next week.