Our kindness elf and a crazy busy week

Why is it that as you get older time just whizzes past? I'm sure that as a child the couple of weeks leading up to Christmas went so, so slowly - it took forever to get to Christmas Eve.  As an adult, I'm sat wondering where all the hours in the day are going!

This week has been crazily busy. We had a bit of a party at toddler group on Monday which was lovely and then posted the last few Christmas cards. I know that more and more people are stopping sending cards at Christmas and while I understand their reasons I still like to send them to close friends and family where I can. It probably stems from growing up receiving them and remembering how much I enjoyed getting those cards. With the ones the Makepeace clan receive now I display them on strings over the season and then cut them up to make labels for the following year. I then try and recycle any excess parts where I can.

Tuesday was MOT day for the car which meant lots of walking, getting soaked in the rain and a repair bill which was not ideal just before Christmas but these things are sent to try us. Wednesday morning was a trip into town to take my new glasses back to the opticians as I felt that something wasn't quite right. I've been wearing glasses for 32 years and any long time wearers of specs will understand when I say that my eyes were just not adjusting to the new prescription. Turns out I was right and it would appear that one of the lens may have slipped whilst being cut and so it was incorrectly positioned meaning things were somewhat blurry. Now its a case of waiting for the lens to be re-cut, sent back to the shop and then I can pick them up again. Frustrating, but at least I'll be able to see properly again, at least I hope so!

Crafting wise, I've been cracking on with the Lake Baikal cross stitch, although I'm not as far along as I would like. Partly because I've been reduced to only stitching on an evening and partly because a couple of the evenings I've been too tired or been struggling with my glasses. I've been thinking about what project I can start after Christmas and have a couple of ideas, so watch this space. It has to be said that watching Kirstie's Handmade Christmas has been helping to give me some ideas, but I'm not sure that my husband will appreciate me having a go at all of them... The kids also got in on the crafting act this week as one of their 'kindness challenges' set for them by our elf, Jingles.


Jingles first came to stay with us about 3 years ago after some poor behaviour from the boys but instead of the more well known 'Elf on a shelf', Jingles is a kindness elf who appears with a letter each morning with a challenge to encourage kindness from the boys. This year he's been with us since the 1st December (previously he's only done 12 days if visits) and we've had a range of challenges for the children, including leaving happy notes in books at the library, making someone else's bed, talking to someone new at school and making a gift for someone. We decided to go down the salt dough route for their homemade gifts using the ratio 2:1:1 for the flour, salt and water which worked but wasn't as pliable as I would have liked. All 3 kids had a go at rolling out their dough and cutting out shapes, which we then baked and painted. I haven't varnished them, but may seal them with PVA glue so they last a bit longer. Sweetly, L gave his to me, his dad and baby sister - he can be cute sometimes.

That's it from me today. The boys break up from school this afternoon for the Christmas holidays which means I can FINALLY open all the treats I bought the other week.  Chocolates, biscuits and peanuts - I've been dying to crack them open and now I can 😊. A lovely bit of family time for a few days will be just the ticket.

Have a very Merry Christmas if you celebrate it and I'll see you on the other side.

M x