first...the solstice

blown in on a gale with lashing winds, and this morning thunder and lightening, Mother Nature shows us who is boss! we seem small compared to her power! I love the winter solstice...

in winter deep

comes fire to warm 

homes dressed with green

gifts all

from the earth

 

in the darkness

 new life gleams

as we turn once more

 to the light

and the best news this week...is the arrival of Rachel...after a long journey up from south lakes she arrives in style...

mm...Ned not sure about this here new donkey in HIS stable!

isn't she just gorgeous?
 

welcome dear little donkey!

our best Christmas present, a new companion for Ned, whilst we still love Gwendoline in our hearts, rather like the solstice, we welcome the new and the sense of hope Rachel brings.

and there is still Christmas to come, hope your preparations are going well...I really liked this reminder from Cheryl Richardson...and I'm trying to put it into practice...

a frosty morning

pottering down the garden on Monday, well wrapped up for breakfast outside...a great way to start the day...and this is the beauty which met my eye...

we had a lovely halfterm holiday with friends and family, now it's piles of washing and mess everywhere...I just need to clone myself and catch up and get organised ready for workshops, getting artwork made and dare I say it, the C...word?? 

Even my Dad has made his Christmas cake, which is a wonderful thing, the first he has made since my Mum passed on so it's a real triumph...wish I could smell it warm from the oven! He cooked it the Mary Berry way in the bottom oven of his Aga so was up at midnight taking it out! Not bad for 85!

 

and on Sunday I had a stall at the Affordable Art Fair at Rheged..a lovely day meeting some really great people, a little selling and of course some buying as there were so many lovely artists and makers there...

 

think I'd better get out of my pj's now and get down to the studio...there's 'tidying' to be done ready for a textured textiles workshop on Saturday!

have a lovely day!

Emmaxx

It's a wrap...

Merry Christmas...a most peaceful and properous New Year to you all xxx

 

thank you for all your company here at Emmie and Emma HQ....look forward to seeing you in 2013...and to lots more textile loveliness and making and stitching and sharing!

a second Christmas thought...

very cold and blustery today, husband of patience is not at work on  a Wednesday this year so he's out there in the stormy weather...happy as Larry...wrapped up and tidying and sorting his world...we bought marker pegs today for him to do some path laying...he is easily pleased!

I love to see him outside enjoying all that he does...fencing, making sheds, moving things, digging... he and our daughter harvested willow at the weekend...it is all very real and grounding, an antidote to work and school.

So I am indoors trying to keep warm...no making today, studio work is on hold and I am indulging simple homely pleasures of sorting and tidying our possessions...and then we will do some more decorating...maybe or maybe not. This is a no pressure Christmas...

Christmas thoughts...

with less than a week to go... well, I tell myself that's plenty of time...so I am taking it one day at a time and one thing on my 'list' at a time...



thanks to daughter mine taking it into her head to go a-hoovering and a-moving of 'stuff' and husband of patience for a-digging up and a-potting up ...we have a lovely decorated living Christmas tree to enjoy as we go past on the landing upstairs...sounds a bit odd but we keep it cool out there (our house is fairly unheated!) and our living rooom is upstairs too, and when the stove is going in there it would be too hot for the tree...

so we put on the Christmas music and spent a pleasurable time on Sunday evening with the boxes of decorations collected over the years...some made by daughter when she was little, some by me, some given by family or friends...some from my childhood long ago...Christmas is memories...each year we make new ones...and the simple ones are the best!

hope you too are enjoying the last few days before Christmas...

there are times when only cake will do...

...especially if it involves chocolate too!

daughter mine had 2 cakes...one for her party and one for her birthday..rather like the Queen...only DM makes her own! Gone are the days of elaborate Barbie castle cakes made by Mum...with ice cream cornets for towers...actually it's quite a relief she makes her own as I am sure my cake baking is no where near up to her standard...tho of course I taught her all she knows...no, maybe not!

cake one had simple fondant icing made sophisticated with chocolate flicks...

and chocolate ganache for the middle...I can hardly say it let alone tell you how to make it!

cake two was a New York baked cheesecake with amazing delicate chocolate icing...mmm!

I want to celebrate my blog too...thanks to you all for 'bearing with' the lack of pics... and to all at Blogger...I had every faith and you came up trumps for me! It is so nice to be in technicolour again! If I knew where you lived I'd bake you a cake...or better still get DM to do it!

So it is now a verrry short time indeeed to Christmas...and where am I?  I ask myself...well of course the house is now imaculate, all presents bought, wrapped and posted too... cards made, decorations hung, mince pies lined up in the freezer....all that's left is to put a ribbon in my hair...in my dreams! 

Never mind, I like a challenge...so I will just muddle through as always... lower my standards and aim for happy times as we are very blessed and fortunate in where and how we live, and our house is full of love and creativity, as long as we are together and fit and well that is the best Christmas present I could wish for...

still a bit of hoovering and a tidy up wouldn't hurt...see you later! have a great weekend xx

life is full of choices

and it isn't always easy to see which way to go....

been such a busy couple of weeks...craftyness all round...oh and daughter mine's birthday and then the C-word...apparently not far off now so I really must do something about it...

it's funny how each year is different, this time last year I was in a frenzy of handmade Christmas making with knitting and sewing and daughter making chutneys and husband creating willow baskets...it is all much quieter this year...think I have been so full on with my now 'work' of making that my energy has gone into that and nothing else...still, all in a good cause...it's been an exiting and challenging year!

mm still not able to upload photos so I am deliberating some choices...

a) start a new blog...it's an opportunity to change what I want to (but might confuse my loyal readers and I would not wish to do that...plus all my business cards give this address!)
b) wait patiently and hope Blogger will sort it out
c) cease blogging and just 'do' facebook...but I would miss the space to post as much as I want...

mmm what do you think??

hope you are having a lovely time getting ready for whatever Christmas means to you...and NO STRESSING!! let go of the voice in your head and just enjoy the moment.... (note to self that is!)

celebrate the small things...

are you having fun? if not... get someplace quick where you are!
xx

it's that time again...

when you suddenly realise that that Christmas thing which you thought was safely 6 months away if you thought about it at all, and yes, if it was 6 months to go you would have had plenty of time for the 400 seasonal and present-y projects in your mind... and of course it would all look just like it does in Country Living or whatever magazine takes your fancy and your house would be immaculate, clean, tidy and not a thing out of place... and beautifully and tastefully decorated  and your family would carol joyfully around the piano...but that actually it is now a mere 5 weeks away and there is daughter mine's birthday so conveniently just before (who made that happen!!)...and now all the lovely things you'd like to do sort of drift through your fingers like sand and your mind glazes over...and then...you wake up and it's Januay 5th and it's all over!

was it a dream, was it reality? 
who cares?

I LOVE Christmastime and all that goes with it and it fills me with love for all things creative...and if I just let go of all the impossible dreaming...it is a most pleasant time spent with my loved ones.

so I thought I'd share a little of our preparations and how we do things here...

take a bowl of boozy fruit well soaked...Christmas is all smells isn't it and this is one of the first! a-making and a-baking...



add my Granny's scales for the ritual weighing of ingredients...



and the essential ingredient...daughter mine...zest that orange...mmm smell that zingy aroma...

 

2 hours in the cake baker in the Aga..and there we have it...mmm such a gorgeous smell...and ta da! I don't want to boast...but WE HAVE MADE THE CHRISTMAS CAKE!! Many a year we have made it ooh about a week or even less before and iced it on Christmas or Boxing Day...so wow! here we are...let's hope we haven't peaked too early...

what's next?? who knows...but in fact the next big item on the horizon is....drum roll...The Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate...hands up who's going? might see you there...

wishing you all a very Happy Christmas

and a perfectly peaceful New Year....

just busy tidying the house(!!!) and rustling up a couple of pressies with some last minute making...and then(hopefully!) a tranquil Christmas Eve afternoon listening to the carols from Kings College, Cambridge to get us in the mood, as the light fades and we switch on the Christmas lights...... my Mum always got all four of us children somehow to sit down and listen and so now it still starts my Christmas... with the first few notes of the lone chorister singing 'Once In Royal David's City'.... nostalgic and emotional and very very beautiful. Peace, light and love to you all this Christmas time...

Christmas is coming...

tranquil after snow...

we light another candle in the darkness...

and no, we're NOT Christmas dinner...

we're the orchard grass cutters beloved by all...

just let go and go with the flow... I am lounging by the stove today watching old videos (yes videos!) ignoring everything and getting better from a cold... it's a freezing but bright and sunny day and we have new chickens to introduce...brought home last night in the dark...but of that more anon...a comfy chair, a welcome warm stove and some light knitting awaits me ...have a peaceful last advent Sunday...