New year, new projects

Well, it is now well into 2010 and time to get back into the regular routine. The house is desperately messy and I will be putting a fair amount of effort on getting it back up to scratch over the next few days. Nothing triggers off my borderline OCD tendencies like a messy house! But there are also a couple of other things I want to do to get my house- literally- in order.

Firstly I am going to break the habit of a lifetime and get rid of a large number of books. It goes against every fibre of my being- I am the granddaughter of a librarian and Professor of English Literature- but I simply must admit that I have bookcases full of books that I have not, nor likely ever will, actually read. So I am going to flog them on a popular internet-based purveyor of books and other sundries, and at least that way I may actually get a couple of quid for them.

Secondly my spare-bedroom-cum-workshop needs a bit of sorting out. I am going to move all my craft books to the bookcase in there, and move around some of the flotsam residing inside the wardrobes to make space for material, supplies and- eventually- some finished items. Yes, I am still considering starting that little income generator but it is still very much in the Research & Development stage. Meanwhile I can at least get my space arranged comfortably!

There are other longer-term projects taking root in my mind, and most fall into the "home improvement" category. Basically since we moved in just over two years ago the carpets (all a very fashionable but wholly impractical beige/biscuit colour) are grotesquely dirty and the walls all need a coat of paint. We are also considering replacing the barely-functional central heating system, but not until the cold weather is a distant memory!

Looking back

What a lovely Christmas it's been! All of the hand-made gifts (and a small handful of store-bought ones) have been distributed, including the home-made jelly, left. All the gifts appeared to be gratefully received, which always helps! And the food...

Our Christmas lunch was almost exclusively done to recipes by Nigella Lawson, including our first attempt at the "Spiced and Super-Juicy Roast Turkey". Oh. My. Goodness! It was fabulous! Considering we got the cheapest, most basic frozen turkey (£8.99 for 4.5kg at Aldi; indeed a bargain!) the flavour was unbelievable. My husband gets full credit for actually cooking the turkey (and everything else!), and he had the brainwave to use the onions, etc from the soak inside the bird while roasting; and he also put beef fat under the skin of the breast for even more juiciness. However you may choose to adjust the recipe, I cannot recommend it enough!

At last I can now post a picture of the patchwork bag I stitched for my mother (right). It came out quite well, I believe! Considering that it's the first patch I've ever done I

was quite pleased with it! Granted, I could have been a bit less rough-and-ready attaching it to the bag, but I was working to a tight deadline! Mind, that's pretty much been the story of this Christmas, in that I've been frantically working to deadlines and only just getting it in under the wire. In one case I did a cross-stitch Doberman for my step-son & his family, but didn't finish & wrap it until after they'd actually come over for dinner! My husband had to keep them entertained for 20 minutes on his own while I finished it off upstairs! I really must consider a resolution to not procrastinate quite so much in future...

The other major project was making the cot-quilt for my expectant sister (left). I managed to finish that the evening before she came up to visit, so there was a little more breathing room! It is in the same theme as the bag I did for my mother; in fact, that was part of the idea, that my mother in Canada would have a piece of the quilt used for her first grandchild, born in the UK. Sentimental, I know. But my mother likes that sort of thing!

Overall it has been a wonderful and fun Christmas period, and I will hold many special memories from it. I will end with a line from one of my favourite Yuletide songs: "Hallelujah, Noel! Be it heaven or hell- the Christmas we get, we deserve!"