Industry...or...Clash of the Killer Textiles!!

We bought this table cover when we were selling the flat. It was bought so our livingroom would look inviting enough in the schedule so people would come and check us out. It was really quite expensive but I was DETERMINED to have it and spent quite a lot of time rolling around on it when I got it home going 'don't you just looooooove it Bryan?' in a very posh voice. Even Bry had to admit the extravagance was worth it when we sold the flat in 2 weeks (all down to my expensive taste, see? Nothing to do with the people needing a flat like ours in our area very quickly).

How quickly it has fallen from grace. Poor, expensive bugger that it is. It went beautifully in our old livingroom (I do still love the print - so much so that my lovely pal Cat made a footstool cover in the same material so I didn't feel too bereft in our new livingroom) and would still go in our new livingroom, but we don't have a table in there anymore. The table is in the kitchen and our kitchen is...well you can see from the picture. Black & yellow & grey & white.

Sanderson Dandelion Clocks has become (I almost can't bring myself to say this....) our craft and baking mat. I'm sure I just felt a little shudder from the entire John Lewis textile department....

Anyway - here we are, hard at work doing crafty type things. We were given a couple of those lovely advent calendar thingies with pockets for sweeties and pressies but seeing as both kids still have sweeties left over from Hallowe'en I wanted to do something a bit less sweetie focussed. I wasn't sure what and was just about to admit defeat in the ideas department when a friend of mine sent me a link to an activity advent calendar idea that she was doing and I liked it. Perfecto timing.

I was a bit worried about the level of expectation (not to mention the organisation) involved but I just thought I'd give it a go....it could actually all work out in our favour and it might even become a nice wee tradition for us all in the build up to the mayhem that is Christmas Day....

The trick is to aim LOW. Right from the outset. And don't make it rigid so you HAVE to create an entire nativity scene out of papier mache at 11pm on a school night because that's what the card said for that day. Change it about. In fact, scrap ENTIRE ideas 5 minutes before they go to pick their card so you can still have your sanity at the end of the day - they will never know (and you can always wriggle out of something with a well placed bribe).

And yes...be a wee bit organised. That does actually need to play a part but that's good - I'm practicing being better at that anyway. So here is the list me & The Dog came up with. The first 5 things have happened, the rest will get chopped and changed over the month depending on the hangovers. There are more than we need to so we can just bin some ideas if they don't fit with the mood (hangover) or occasion (kids tantrums).

1. Light the advent candle (see what I mean by aiming low...they went mental excited just at that! I love kids)

2. Write letters to Santa

3. Read a Christmas story (this had been 'make paper snowflakes for the windows and Arlo knew that, but I got back from work so late that it would have been a nightmare trying to organise before bed so I bribed Arlo with chocolate and everybody was tip top happy - see? Fluid - keep it changeable at all times)

4. Make presents for school friends (this was the easiest thing I've ever made with them. Including chocolate crispy cakes)

5. Christmas colouring in (see picture above. I'm just going to come out and admit that my picture was by far the best...)

And here is the fantastical future.... if you fancy doing it, give it a go - there's no reason why you can't set something up 5 / 6/ 7 days into the month and you know what? I do actually think we're all starting to enjoy it....

6. Decorate the scooters with tinsel
7. Take some silly christmassy photos
8. Learn a new christmas song
9. Write to pen pals and post it at the post office
10. Sign christmas cards
11. Make nice smelly pomanders
12. Bag up some magic reindeer food
13. Buy a christmas tree!
14. Midnight (i.e dark o'clock) walk with torches & hot chocolate
15. Make snow globes with photos from number 7
16. Make some paper chains for the tree
17. Make a christmas tree forest
18. Have a christmas bonfire
19. Bake gingerbread biccies
20. Christmas DVD and pizza party (guess the hangover activities...)
21. Forest Bingo (I have no idea what I mean by this, but I'll think of something)
22. Make bird feeders to hang on the trees
23. Check emails - anything from Santa yet? (If you've not done this for your wee one, it is BLOODY AMAZING and free...)
24. Build a den and eat tea in it
25. Make snowflakes for the window (where have I heard that one before?!)
26. Get ready for santa coming...make his snack, lay out sacks, sprinkle the reindeer food on the grass, leave the Santa key under the mat, change into new Pyjamas....one more sleep to go.

There. Phew. What sort of things would you include in this list?