So, what’s new then? Not much to be honest. Christmas was a blast, New Year fabulous & the last few weeks have sped by. I don’t feel ready for the new year but here we are with almost a month of it gone! I don’t do resolutions – I find them pointless, de motivating and another reason to beat myself up if I don’t achieve them (and I need no excuse for that) so I just have a few thoughts around new year of what I’d like to do this year. And do you know what? There’s not a lot. There’s the usual – win the lottery, lose 5 stone (and keep it off preferably), get a job that pays me hundreds of thousands for not doing very much (if the lottery win doesn’t work out), redecorate my entire house, make regular trips Down Under to see my sister & her family and actively contribute to world peace – but as for changing my life?  I’m pretty much where I want to be. I’d like to give A Close Knit Family as a business a good go (I had a break from that too after the manic Christmas stalls) and I’d like to live more minimalistically (is that a word?) but I’m fairly content and happy to pootle onwards.

I don’t want to wear myself out with a huge blog post after a long break so instead I’ll leave you with some photos. (I’m getting very into ‘iPhoneography’ at the moment. I’m posting a photo a day on Instagram and joining in with Fat Mum Slim’s February photo a day prompt so at the end of the week I’ll post them all in my Friday phone dump. Come & follow me to see what (sometimes quite frankly bizarre) photos I deem to be of interest to the general public.

My Christmas

Sam's Christmas

I’ve still got a day left at work (plus the days between Christmas & New Year), and more presents to buy so I admit defeat – I’m done blogging this year. I shall be back in the new year with recipes for all I’ve made – spiced plum chutney, damson gin, Skittles vodka, red onion marmalade, three fruit marmalade, plum & apple jam, chilli jam and (to do tomorrow) peanut butter cookies and M&M cookies for Father Christmas, some product reviews and hopefully a whole load of good news.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year. Look forward to seeing you all in 2012.

Much love,

Emma, Craig & Sam. xxx

1. Floral DMs from Schuh

I love these! I’ll wear them with leggings & dresses and channel my moody, angst ridden teen self. I’ll have to practice the right amount of apathy & disdain in my voice when talking to people…

2. Anything from Lemur Lady’s Awesome Emporium.

I bought a bloody gorgeous Russian doll back from Lemur Lady a few months ago & it’s my favouriteist of favourite things. I *heart* it! I hope the Bonehead phone case comes back in stock. I think I need it!

3. Zombie kitten wall art from fionaT

It’s no secret that I love fionaT’s stuff. I bought a zombie sheep pencil case/make up bag that I use for bits & bobs I always lose in my handbag. I love it. I also won a zombie lady notepad (that I carry EVERYWHERE but won’t use as I don’t ever want it to run out. I stick post-its in it instead. I should use it really as I want to buy more when it’s finished!) and zombie robin book mark (perfect Christmas gift!) plus a couple of ACEOs from her sister who just happens to be…

4. Little Black Heart.

I would like all of her ACEOs please. Then I can make one big ACEO collage for my wall! The despondant meercat is my favourite. Things aren’t so ‘simples’ it seems.

4. Star necklace from Mrs Gibson

Have the seen the Chanel advert with Audrey Tatou? I love her necklace at the end when she’s being hugged by the unfeasibly attractive man. I love her top too but my boobs need a great big over the shoulder boulder holder, not a teeny strappy top, so this is the only way I can channel her style. I’ve been looking for a similar necklace for months & this is the best version I can find.

6. Swallow necklace by Mia Scintilla

I love bird jewellery & found this when I was doing a search on Folksy. It’s really unusual and I love it.

7. A subscription to Good Food magazine.

I was pondering whether to subscribe to it on the iPad but I just love the ceremony of a magazine – smelling it (what?), flicking through for a tantalising peek at the recipes then when you’ve got time sitting down with a glass of wine and some post its to pick out the recipes you want to keep. Eventually when husband moans that the magazines are taking over the house you can rip out pages for a binder or (as I tend to do) write them in your own recipe book for them to be updated, tweaked and cooked over and over again. You don’t get that on a iPad!

8. Joseph Joseph nest of 8 bowls.

I love Joseph Joseph. I already own the coloured coded chopping boards and Elvis worktop saver. I love bowls & though I’m now quite sure where I’d keep them they are obviously space saving and small and colourful therefore I need them.

9. A Lulu Guinness lips clutch.

This is possibly the most iconic bag for me. Keep your Chanel 2.55 & Hermes Birkin – this is the one I want. Ideally I’d like all of them (scroll down that list, how can you pick just one?) but if I had to choose 3 I’d go for the red perspex, black studded and silver Swarovski. *sigh* They’re so beautiful!!

10. A Cath Kidston bag.

Not just any bag though. It has to be a saddle bag (larger size) in a white or cream oilcloth. Floral too. I don’t like spotty or birds and I don’t like the coloured versions. I also don’t like the beige ones so this is a bit of a drop in the ocean ebay find. I have a run through the listings every night to see if anything else has been listed but not yet. I live in hope though!

Of course, what I’d really like for Christmas is to lose 5 stone (as always), be able to eat as much as I want without ever gaining weight, to win the lottery (anything over a million would be great ta) and 3 extra hours in the day but Santa ain’t no miracle worker so a chocolate orange would be nice too.

Thanks!

(not a sponsored post – just a wish list!)

A Close Knit Family has had a couple of craft fairs now so we’ ve been working hard to restock and get ready for the next one. We’re at a church fete on Sunday then a Christmas Bazaar on 10 December. After that I’m hoping I concentrate on setting up the shop properly on Folksy and doing online selling. I don’t expect to make money doing this – I just want to be able to keep knitting and pay for my wool! Do visit my facebook page & like us – I’ll love you forever!!

I’ve also been feeling a bit crappy & down. Like really down. Like I don’t want to leave the house, have no energy for anything, feel like shite & want to cry kind of down. Then I Googled signs of depression, realised I had most of them and cried even more. I’m determined to sort myself out though. I’m changing my diet (more fruit, veg, nuts & seeds as opposed to the shite I’ve been eating recently), I’m going to go for more walks, not spend as much time online and get more sleep. The holistic approach rather than doctor’s. God know the internet doesn’t need yet another blogger with a weight problem and depression.

I feel better now. I feel a bit more positive about things and like I want to communicate with people again. So I’m back. Hello!

Expect a glut of posts including a few reviews in time for Christmas. Ooo…it’s nice to be back.

Well done Liz! Please drop me an email with the details of the school and your contact details and I will pass them onto Kellogg’s.

Here’s the proof, in a very bad photo. Apologies but I’ve had a tough week and just want to sit back with Grey’s Anatomy, a bottle of white zinfandel and my knitting.

It’s a big week this week. Our fledgling business, A Close Knit Family is going to its first craft fair this week!! It’s only a small one at my parents’ golf club but we have to start somewhere! This is the first out of 3 craft fairs we have lined up before Christmas so it will be useful to gauge how much of a demand there is for our products. I know I haven’t posted any pics here or even stocked our online shop but we have just been working hard to get a decent amount of products ready for this week. I’ll take lots of pictures this week (hopefully of sold items!!) and post them to see what I keep going on about!

Because of this, this week’s menu plan is for quick & easy things. There’s a couple of new recipes in there too that I’ve found along the way and am tempted by.

Monday – Pork jambalaya (with added chorizo)

Tuesday – Slow cooker beef & lentil stew

Wednesday – Craig’s making his own pasta as we’re at the craft fair

Thursday – Lentil spag bol

Friday – freezer food (Sam & I are at my mum’s)

Saturday – Mexican lasagne

Sunday – no idea as we’re out with Grumpyish Mum & family so I’m not sure if we’re eating out or grabbing something when we get back.

Wish us luck for the fair! It’s the smallest one we’re doing. We’re also making an appearance at the Congleton Christmas Lights switch on & this Christmas Bazaar in Bury. If you’re local to either do pop along & say hi. It’s a 10% discount for anyone who mentions this blog!

For more meal plan & menu inspiration click here.

Earlier this year, at our work’s National Conference then pilot of Red 9, Flt Lt Zane Sennett gave a speech on the Red Arrows. We learnt about the history, watched footage, heard real time instructions and generally learnt how they do what they do. They are amazingly talented pilots – the best of the best and it is so, so sad that they have lost 2 of their team.

A few months ago we went to Blackpool Air Show. Sam is a HUGE fan of planes and, as expected, he loved it. The Red Arrows were his favourite. By then the first female pilot, Flt Lt Kirsty Moore was flying with them and knowing so much about them (from the commentary) really draws you in. Of course they were bloody fantastic.

Sam pretended to be a Red Arrow all day. Even now he zooms around with his arms in this very strange way shouting ‘I’m a Red Arrow, I’ve got blue smoke coming out of my bum’.

So, today I’m thinking of all the Red Arrows, the two that have tragically lost  their lives this year and their families.

We’re in the process of looking for a primary school for Sam. He’s registered at our 2 local ones but apparently that’s not enough – we also have to apply through the council. Who knew? I thought it would be quite a simple decision to make but actually, it’s so complicated! I’ve downloaded prospectuses, read attendance policies, poured over websites and finally selected 3. One thing I did look for in each of them was a breakfast club.

I had always thought breakfast club was a babysitting service for those children who needed to be dropped off that bit earlier. I didn’t realise that for many children it’s actually the only way (through poverty or neglect) that  they will get a proper breakfast. It really surprises me that around 1.7 million children don’t eat breakfast and a third of those won’t eat anything until lunch. How can they go that long?! I know I can be a bit of a pig but there’s no way I could go all the way til lunch with no food. My concentration would be shot and I’d be cranky. Surely that’s got to be multiplied in little people?

Sam is, well challenging when it comes to eating but we usually mange to get something down him, even if it’s just a smoothie and a yoghurt. The main reason kids miss meals is apparently because they don’t have time to eat. This then leads to 25% of children buying rubbish food on their way to work. Breakfast clubs can be a great solution to this.

The funding for these breakfast clubs is suffering greatly in the current economic climate. Schools have to save money somewhere and as they have pledged not to lose it on the frontline i.e. teachers they’re losing it this way. To help Kellogg’s have launched a Give a child a breakfast campaign. With every marked pack of Kellogg’s Cornflakes sold they will donate 3p to the Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Trust. They aim to raise a minimum of £300,000 to serve 1 million breakfasts by the end of 2012. This is a fantastic campaign so do remember to pick up a pack next time you’re shopping. Feed your kids and others at the same time

Speaking of feeding children….how would you like to win a year’s supply of cereal for your child’s breakfast club?  I know! Cool! All you have to do is watch this video and answer a very simple question.

In the clip ‘What is your favourite thing about breakfast club?’ there are 2 Kellogg’s cereals mentioned. What are they?

Leave the answers in a comment (on the blog, not on facebook or twitter)  before 7pm on Friday 18 November and I’ll announce the winner the next day.

Just so you know the prize is non refundable, it’s only open to residents of the UK & NI and no cash is offered as an alternative. A year’s supply amounts to approx 100 boxes.

Good luck!

(A big thanks to Kellogg’s who told us about this fantastic campaign & competition at The Lowry Spa in Manchester. After a terrible September a relaxing morning with lovely bloggers (Cheshire mum, Squidyboo , Mum in the Madhouse, And one moremeans 5,  The Coffee Lady, The Five F’s and Juggle Mum) was just what I needed.)