Dear Santa, I can walk!

Turi took his first unassisted steps today! He took four little steps across the living room and I've honestly never seen anyone look so happy, or pleased with themselves in my whole life. Bless!

Today's advent activity was writing a letter to Santa and posting it. In her innocence Minty merely drew santa a picture that she thought he might like and picked him a daisy to post with it. When I asked her if she wanted to tell Santa about a toy she might like for Christmas she gave me a look that seemed to say that was the most ridiculous idea she had ever heard.

After popping it into the post box the three of us shared a paddle pop while we watched black storm clouds roll in over the horizon. I told Minty she had better get her fast legs on so we could run home before the rain set in. I set a cracking pace pushing Turi along in the stroller while Minty trotted along behind and I shouted encouragements like, 'quick the storm is nearly here!'. As the light began to fade and the thunder rumbled Minty started to weep and I realised she was completely terrified. Thankfully we made it home just as the first drops of rain began to fall but I feel fairly certain that despite trying to create a fun and positive Christmas memory for her, the one thing she took away from the day was a disproportionate fear of being caught in a thunder storm! She spent the remainder of the day sadly confiding in me that she was 'so scared mummy'.

And here are the requisite advent calendar tantrum shots from today. We are still unable to accept the concept of one window per day...

and so it begins...

Advent is finally upon us. The 'holidays' are my favourite time of year. I love the preparation - sweat shop sewing like it's 1999, baking with a rainbow of spices and dried fruit, and decking the 'halls' (read lounge) with boughs of something festive that isn't actually holly. I'm happiest listening to cheesy carols, surrounded by sparkly tinsel whilst nibbling gingerbread. I have to say though, this year I'm particularly aware of the threat of Christmas fatigue. I mean the shops seemed to get their decorations out some time in October, and it's hard to sustain a festive feeling for three months straight - even my stamina for merriment has a limit.

But you know what? I refuse to let rabid commercialism steal my Christmas spirit. The antidote is in family, tradition, intention, generosity, the handmade and watching an obscene amount of b-grade christmas telemovies. So strap yourselves in, and get ready for a series of heavily christmas themed posts.

Today of course we opened the first box of our advent calendar. Our calendar isn't particularly classy or attractive. I have plans to make a new more glam calendar next year but this year we are making do. Seeing as my children are very young (and too little to whinge about it), I'm filling each drawer with a 'christmas activity' rather than a chocolate or toy. Today's activity is a trip to the library to pick out Christmas stories (yes I am keeping it low key!!)

In case you're looking for activity ideas to fill you calendar with here are some more things that we'll be doing this year…

decorating the christmas tree

making christmas cards

baking cookies and other christmas treats

writing letters to santa

visiting santa

singing christmas carols

staying up to watch a christmas movie on the big screen

taking a drive to look at Christmas lights

choosing a toy for a needy child

making decorations

making christmas gifts

I'll elaborate more on our advent activities as the weeks progress.

Needless to say, so far the calendar has not run smoothly. There was a small riot when I explained that we only get to open one drawer per day...

In other non-christmas related matters - we had a little family birthday party for Turi on the weekend. Sadly there was some kind of glitch with my flash card and most of my photos came out looking like pop-art. I'm hoping to get some photos from some of the other cameras at the party at some stage and will share some more party details then.

Also happy birthday to my big sister Jen who is officially old today… 30!

marshmallow world...

This year I've found the all the Christmas issues of my favourite magazines really uninspiring. All the ideas either seem to be completely derivative or a rehash of the same things they published last year. I think a couple of stylists may have hit their creative snooze buttons this year. Thankfully there are some great online magazines around that are amazing this holiday season. Check out Rue and Gifted. This video is visually delicious - doesn't it just make you want to inject a little Elvis glamour into your Christmas decorating scheme? ...plus I seriously want to back comb my hair and get some false eyelashes... just saying.

Rue Magazine: Marshmallow World from Shark Pig on Vimeo.

I *heart* liberty...

Love can be a dangerous thing… especially for one's wallet. I got a little carried away at Patchwork on Central Park yesterday. Normally buying fabric is such a fun, positive experience but yesterday I came away feeling a bit like an alcoholic after a pub crawl. The shop was filled with snooty ladies contemplating purchasing fabric at $80 a meter and hand sewn blouses for $395. I was there with a very specific mission (to purchase binding for Minty's quilt) but when I reached the counter there was a $20 credit card minimum. I needed to spend an extra $5 and somehow that $5 kinda, sorta, maybe multiplied into a 'tiny' bit more *ahem*. So now I have spent the past 24 hours justifying my fabric extravagance in my mind. These liberty prints will certainly be treasured and every last millimetre will be used for something.

One - an open letter to the birthday boy

Dear Turi,

One today! Your first year has both flown and crept by.

Let me tell you a little about Turi at age one...

You love to climb and are often aided and abetted in your exploits by your big sister. You've scaled the back of the couch by gripping onto a towel that was hanging over the back like a tiny mountaineer, you climb the play table so you can peek up onto the kitchen bench and you've learnt to scale the baby gate by gripping the bars with your toes. You are very determined and crawl or edge around the room at high speed with a definite sense of purpose. When I tell you 'no' you flash me a cheeky grin and nod defiantly.

It is very hard to say no to you. You chase me around the house trying to get a cuddle and weep inconsolably if I walk by without picking you up.

You are very sociable. You always have a winning smile for visitors or people we meet out and about, and if they're extra lucky you might even give them a wave and a little 'hi' or 'hello'. Sometimes you get a little shy afterwards and have to hide in my shoulder.

You're trying really hard to talk and your list of words is slowly growing. Recent phrases include, 'yum yum milk', 'what's that?' and 'Oscar cat!'. When we go for our walk in the morning, just the two of us, while your sister sleeps, you spend the time pointing everything out to me, laughing and babbling away mostly in your own little language. Every now and then you'll reach back so you can hold my hand. I know when you're old and fighting for you're independence from me I'll look back and treasure this golden age together when things were simple and uncomplicated.

Happy Birthday little bear! You will always be my little angel, even if sometimes only god can see your wings!

Love mum xoxo

Sneak peak at my desk...

Moulin Rouge meets Christmas...

a little crown for a certain special almost one-year-old...

and finally my current headache... Honestly I have somehow made a seemingly simple project into a bunting nightmare - add a bit of tomato sauce to my screams and we could make a horror movie!

In which we eat asparagus and contemplate dressing as a maniac...

I'm blogging over here today if you're interested in checking out an asparagus tart recipe (sorry once again to all the dieters out there as this isn't exactly low fat).

I'm pretty swamped getting ready for Turi's birthday/Christmas/upcoming weddings so this is going to have to be a short post (sneak peak of crafty projects tomorrow).

Please enjoy yet another conversation with Minty (I know we've had a lot of these lately but she has been particularly amusing)...

as part of a larger conversation about all the things that would be happening around christmas….

me: ...and we might go to church with granny and grandpa and maybe you could dress up as an angel

minty: yeah or a witch

me: I'm not sure that a witch is really appropriate. Maybe you could dress up as a shepherd with a sheep

minty: or a parkilan [pelican]

me: um I'm not really sure that a parkilan is part of the Christmas story. How about dressing up as Mary?

minty: or the postman!

me: well the postman isn't really in the Christmas story either. How about a donkey?

minty: yeah that would be good…. or I could dress up as a maniac!

Not exactly sure if that would require a costume Minty. Sorry mum but I have clearly raised a heathen.