Little Cotton Rabbits

2012 in pictures

Today Toby is at CHIPs club and Amy is out with a friend so I'm really enjoying the peace and quiet of a couple of hours all to myself. I thought I'd pop in briefly and share a few of my favourite pictures from the last year, a few of the things that brought me smiles and pleasure...

 

1. edge, 2. a bundle of bunnies, 3. blossom, 4. Misty morning in autumn afghan, 5. garden, 6. waiting for arms..., 7. campout, 8. carrots, 9. line, 10. hedgies, 11. misty afghan, 12. packing

 

Hopefully there will be plenty to smile about in 2013.

We've had a good start here at our house, the first day of the year was bright and beautiful and Toby and I were awake at dawn to see the sun rise and then off to the woods for a lovely walk - a perfect start to a bright new year. Amy and I have been busy in the kitchen with our new years resolution to bake more...

 

 

These are little lemony yoghurty 'baby bundt' cakes from Nigella Lawson's 'How to be a Domestic Goddess'. Tomorrow we are making cheese scones - though all this baking does put in jeopardy my second resolution to loose a bit of weight! My only other new years resolution is to try to worry less about things I cannot change and focus on each day at a time. Have you made any resolutions this year?

I'll be back properly next week after the children are back to school and I've caught up with some much neglected housework - look forward to catching up with you then.

 

christmassy snippets

On the last day of term I sent in my usual teacher christmas presents of peppermint bark

 

 

we made some cakes for a charity fundraiser, and went a bit mad with the edible glitter

 

H assembled our Christmas tree (with much cursing at the fact that all the colour coded stickers had dropped off the branches but I think the random branch lengths add to the 'realness')

and the lovely miss Amy decorated it.

 

I smile every time I walk past the tree because it is dotted with my growing collection of treasured handmade decorations from bloggy friends: the beautiful stained glass bird from Kristen, The sweet Christmas angel from Dottycookie and the lovely Miss Ivy Pecker from Jooles.

 

 

Anyway, we've had a relatively good Christmas and the day itself was quite peaceful. As usual the excitement and magic of the festivities passed Toby by completely but on Christmas morning, for the first time ever, he showed some interest in opening his pressies. It was lovely to see him working out how to get the paper off and being interested in what was inside. Even though it was a fleeting moment it brought a tear to my eye, in a good way - the perfect Christmas present for me.

 

I hope your Christmas was a good one and I just wanted to pop in and wish you a very happy New Year.

See you in 2013!

seasons greetings

Well, we're in the last few days before the school Christmas holidays start so I wanted to wish you all happy holidays before I disappear for a week or so. Our tree will go up once the children are home from the last school day and then we'll start our celebrations. I hope that you all have a very merry week whatever you are celebrating and a happy start to the new year.

Amy helped me put together this little video - she has provided the lovely singing on the backing track.

 

 

 

Keep warm, keep safe and enjoy your week, see you soon xxx

Christmas Jumper Day

Thanks for all the kind comments about Amy's singing in the previous post - she is suitably embarrassed and actually not giving me too much grief (which might have something to do with me reminding her that I could have published the picture of her sitting on her potty in just a princess crown!)

Anyway, on the Thursday before last when I was sat in the audience watching her sing in the school talent showcase (and feeling that unique-to-mums emotional mix of pride, weepiness and nerves) there was a little part of me that wished it was possible to be in two places at once. I had been really flattered to be invited to a very exciting event taking place in London at the same time - the launch of Christmas Jumper Day hosted by Debbie Bliss and Trisha Malcolm, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Knitting, at the Save the Children Living & Giving shop in Primrose Hill. Fifteen other knitty bloggers did make it there and had a great time knitting up Debbie's cute egg cosy patterns, you can make your own from the free pattern here.

Since I wasn't able to be at the 'knitterati party', I promised that I'd give the campaign a mention here, afterall who could resist the chance to wear a fun Christmas jumper to raise money for a very worthy cause?

 

Here are the details:

"On 14th December, more than 250,000 people (and counting!) will be wearing a festive woolly to school, offices and workplaces all across the UK, with everyone taking part donating £1 to Save the Children.

Think fluffy nosed reindeer and cross-stitched snowmen! Anyone can take part – you can decorate an everyday jumper with tinsel and baubles, rescue an old one bought in a moment of festive joy, or even knit one if you've got the skills – it's completely up to you.

Money raised from Christmas Jumper Day will help bring life-saving care to some of the world’s most vulnerable children. In the world's poorest countries almost 7 million children die every year from easily preventable causes like diarrhoea and malnutrition. Simple solutions, like vaccines and mosquito nets, save lives – so your knitted jolly jumper could make a real difference.

We want to spread the word far and wide to get as many people as possible involved in a day of jumper joy on 14th December."

 

So dig out your winter woollies - or whip one up if you have time - there are even some free patterns provided by Debbie Bliss and T Bramsden.

Please join in by donating £1 and wearing a woolly on Christmas Jumper day and urge your workmates, housemates, in fact anyone you know to join in too and lets all get in the Christmas spirit on Friday December 14th.

Thanks x

.........................................................

Edited to add: The Save The Children website seems to be down at the moment - it is now back up.

Their facebook page is here.

singing

My daughter is nothing like me. For a start she can sing, I mean really sing, in a voice that is clear and true and that won her first prize in a talent competition at her junior school a couple of years ago. My voice on the other hand defies description (and not in a good way!) She also is brave enough to stand on a stage a sing solo in front of a large crowd and not just that, but put in an animated, confident performance rather than just standing there. The mere thought of being up on a stage brings me out in a cold sweat!

I have been thinking of her all day today because this morning she was singing solo in front of her whole school house in an assembly and tonight she's back on stage with a group of friends performing a selection of songs from musicals and films. Last thursday she was singing solo in her school talent showcase and between now and Christmas she is on and off stage for various recitals and concerts.

I am so proud of her and I know she'll be mortified but I can't resist sharing a clip of her from when she was little - she's always loved to sing!

 

 

 

Of course now she's a teenager she will make me pay dearly for publishing this clip. It's worth it though!