WOYWW - Happy New Year 2015 !

Well where did the past year go - the weeks and months just seem to gallop past !
Here we are again with Christmas past and slipping into memories and a fresh new year ahead of us !













We had a lovely Christmas - rather different as we had decided to stay in a hotel for Christmas this year. With the loss of Much Beloved's Step-father in July my MIL had asked that we do something completely different to make the day less painful for her.
Both my side & Rich's side of the family got to celebrate together. And I got to hang out with my 2 Nephews !

We had a brilliant time at the hotel which they had decorated beautifully - the staff were so kind and nothing was too much trouble for them !
We even woke on Christmas morning to find Santa's footprints along the corridor outside the rooms ! And the food was delicious too !
So we glided happily through the Christmas break without anyone so much as peeling a sprout !
And got to spend some time with my family in Sussex too.

And came home on Sunday to an empty fridge and avoiding the temptation to munch through endless leftovers !

So no crafting done at all as we were back to work on Monday - and my desk is a complete tip !
I have just dumped everything on the desk in the desperate hope I may be able to get to finish my Christmas Journal next weekend !!

And if I do get to play I have some great new stash & books that Santa (with a little help from my Sister !) bought for me !















I try to have a sentiment for each year - for next year I have thought it might be something like - "Be The Change That You Want To See In the World".
Rather than just expecting things to change around me, maybe it needs to start with me !
I don't know why I have a premonition of change coming .. who of us ever knows what lies ahead - better to embrace or instigate it than fight it !

 We are looking forward to Lynda & Robert coming to see in the New Year with us - we'll raise a glass of something bubbly to you all at Midnight & wish you all a Very Happy 2015 !

WOYWW - Merry Christmas Everyone !

Well just a quick update - a bit early this week due to family plans ! - to wish everyone A Very Merry Christmas !!

On my desk tonight are the ongoing bits & bobs of my Journal Your Christmas - some more pages pretty much finished and I am keeping up with my daily entries !

Planning to hit my laptop each night over the next week to keep up each day !


Lynda & I have finished our ABC ATC challenge for the year - we have had great fun with this !

I had the Z as my final letter and came up with ... Zentangles !

I hope you & your families have a wonderful time over Christmas - low on stress and high on fun !

Love Ali xx

WOYWW - All Wrapped Up !

Well my desk is finally free of Christmas cards as they are all safely delivered to the post box !

This week it is covered in the components that are building up into my Journal Your Christmas project !


I have been doing this for several years now & it really makes me feel Christmassy !
I am not really following the prompts as they haven't really changed year on year - it is more of a diary this year - tracking how the month progresses.

So this week it has been about a frenzy of present wrapping over the weekend whilst Much Beloved was in Manchester for the footie ! 









Sunday night Lynda & I went to a bilingual Carol Concert at a traditional Welsh Chapel - fabulous Welsh Male Voice Choir, mixed Choir, Ladies Choral Society, 3 school choirs and a full Brass Band - given the Welsh talent for singing as you can imagine the musical sound was amazing !

Mind you we both felt seriously Ex-Pat - being English & speaking no Welsh we could only follow 50% of the service and it was a slightly surreal experience to hear all the tunes - so familiar since childhood - of all the traditional carols - but not to be able to understand a word that was being sung !

I drove home though the small local village of Llanedi - where the village green is dominated by this huge Christmas Tree - it certainly made me stop in my tracks to take a photo !!














Also saw this Brass Band in M&S at Parc Trostre on Sunday morning & immediately thought of Lunch lady Jan - as she is a Band Lady - and they were from Burry Port just like her !

 

Apart from JYC the only little bit of crafting was to make a tree ornament to be swapped at Craft Club tomorrow night - it is our annual Christmas Nibbles Night !
Hope you Christmas preparations are going smoothly & your stress levels are low !
Have a great week !

Ali xx

WOYWW - Better Late Than Never !

Well we have had internet connection problems all week - so I am only now finally able to blog my post this week !

Not too much to report in all truth !

From my feeling at the start of the month of being quite in control of Christmas - here I am with just a fortnight to go and feeling slightly panicky that everything will get done !



So on my desk this week is the start of my Journal Your Christmas for 2014 - I have been doing this for many years now and I am determined to keep up my tradition how ever busy I get !! 

So as a minimum I try to make a note of my day and make up my journal pages at the weekend !
And a new pack of photo paper ready to print out the photos for the journal pages.

We have had some bright frosty mornings this week with spectacular moon-falls and the car windows feathered with dramatic plumes of frost !









And I thought you might like to see the over the top Christmas lights on a house in our village - they do all this to raise money for the Air Ambulance Service !!

Have a great crafty week
Ali xx