Seaside Sparkles

This is a brief little loves for December as I’ve written a post on Christmas so may repeat myself in my magical moments from this time of year,  No matter how I plan, December is always a busy, busy month and there have been so many special moments this month.

I like to add the sparkles to Christmas, I don’t do big and extravagant but thoughtful little things which I hope my loved ones will appreciate.  One of my special things this month was that our son got a Lego train for Christmas (AMAZING)  We knew he would be very impatient to play with it on Christmas day, so Mr S made it in advance and before packing it I took a photo of Tommy our elf with the completed train.  I added the photo and an elf message that Tommy had made it with Santa into the parcel.  Just a little thing to keep the magic.

READ

I finally finished Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things this month.  I’m not sure how to describe my feelings about the book, I liked it and was willing for a fair ending which I wasn’t sure was possible.  Its a book which leaves more questions than answers about our multicultural society.

To counter the seriousness and angst of Picoult’s book, I also read Christmas Cakes and Mistletoe Nights by Carole Matthews. It was a sentimental, predictable and Christmassy story and just what I needed this month.  Another seasonal title but a much, much better book was One Day in December, a fantastic read in which I just couldn’t work out the happy ending for the four main characters.  There’s real depth and quality in this book, well worth a read but have your tissues ready.

WATCHED

This month was full of Christmas concerts and there is nothing more magical than a Christmas concert with children singing traditional and contemporary carols. I enjoyed every minute.

I also took the children to see the Snowman accompanied by an orchestra playing the soundtrack live.  It was stunning and awe inspiring.  I love the film but the live music was just extraordinary, it really had  all the festive feels.

MADE

I love cooking and Christmas dinner is my favourite meal to cook.  I prepare lots in advance so I can enjoy the day more.  However being in the kitchen with Classic Radio playing with all the festive songs, cooking for my family is one of my happy times.  Our main this year was a vegetarian butternut squash, beetroot and goat cheese wreath, it was delicious and I loved the colours (its a WW recipe)

We also made our traditional ginger bread decorations just before Christmas, the sensory delights are perfect in the run up to Christmas.

WORE 

With all the festive events I was often in a Christmas jumper this month.  I’m building up my collection over the years, and this year’s new addition was pretty cute.  I still can’t persuade Mr S to wear one though!

HEARD

A lot of Christmas songs ….

The best thing I heard on Christmas day was Little Man asking us ‘Is this a dream?’ because he was so happy.  The cause of his happiness was the present of his Lego train which he has been obsessed with for the past two years ( we thought he was too young last Christmas)  It was a moment of pure joy.

AND FINALLY 

I believe that this is Morgana’s @coffeeworksleep last Little Loves linky so a huge thank you to her for being the driving force and inspiration behind the linky and introducing us all to so many new bloggers and recommendations.  I understand that @mummyheartsyou is our new host, so thank you and here’s to many more interesting and fun posts.

This November has been a lovely little month, we’ve had fireworks and camp fires, a trip to the theatre, family visits and the general whirl of life.  This is the month when I get organised for Christmas, I prep up in November so I can relax and enjoy all the Christmas fun in December, so its been evenings with lists and jobs.

 The month started with a fireworks night with the cubs, there is something special about being wrapped up on a clear night, with stars shining brightly and watching pretty fireworks in the sky, its a British tradition which I love.

I took Little Man to the theatre this month, I would have taken both children but Little Miss had a diary date.  We saw the play ‘You’ve got Dragons’ based on the book of the same title.  The dragons in the title are your worries and it was exceptionally well done to help the young audience understand their fears and how they can ‘tame’ them.  I was so impressed on a number of levels, firstly the cast had two deaf actors so it was fully signed and had lots of screens to help understand the story too, it was great to see an inclusive play.  The children also got little gifts as they left to help them be more mindful, a wristband, sheet of activities and the all important sticker! Little Man did grasp the theme of the play and has since spoken about his worries with me and we’ve come up with ideas to help.

My final watch this month was our town’s remembrance parade and short service at the war memorial.  Our town embraced the centenary of the armistice and there were poppies and flags everywhere for remembrance.  The town’s shops and businesses were asked to place a poster in their window to remember one of the ninety nine local men killed in World war 1.  The results were stunning, with many doing extra research of ‘their’ soldier and making very poignant displays.  Little Man paraded with the cubs and took it very seriously.  I felt truly moved as I watched the wreaths being laid.  There was a large gathering around the memorial, and as we stood in silence as dusk fell and the gentle waves lapped on the beach, there was a profound feeling of peace and gratitude.

This month I really enjoyed a 5 part serialisation of Michelle Obama’s book Becoming.  Its available on the BBC Sounds app.  Michelle’s warmth, wit and intelligence shine through the series and although this was just highlights, I am looking forward to reading the book soon.

Despite reading 42 books so far this year, I have not finished a book this month.  I’m currently reading Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult and am finding it uncomfortable but compulsive reading. Many evenings I’ve been planning Christmas where I have read a few recipe books and magazines for foodie inspiration.

Although the majority of the month has been unseasonably warm, we got a few stormy days and I have loved wearing my new winter coat.  To buy a warm, winter coat was one of my #18for2018, I always intend to buy a winter coat but can never find one, put if off because of price, or think that my current one will last one more season.  In the Beast from the East earlier this year, I realised my coat was not warm enough and in a rash move, recycled it, it was one way to ensure I bought a new one.  My coat is a technical design for temperatures upto – 20, it is so cosy with the biggest hood and I am so happy with it.

Its been a month of homemade casseroles, soups and meals to warm body and soul.  I’ve also made lots of lists, orders, plans all checked and ticked in my Christmas book.  It keeps me sane and ready to enjoy December.

So November was a memorable month full of lovely local events.  I’m ready and excited for December, my diary is bursting with special events and I can’t wait for the sparkle, lights and songs to begin.

October turned out to be a wonderful month.  The weather was unseasonably mild, full of bright sunshine and blue skies which made a beautiful contrast to the rich red, yellows and browns of the falling leaves.  We spent a lot of our time this month outside, participating in a ‘beat the street’ initiative and then at half term enjoying lots of nature walks, trails and even crate stacking.  Crate stacking is something I wasn’t familiar with before but turned out to be a lot of fun, if not a little scary at great height, balanced on a crate (you wear a harness for safety)

There’s a theme to my non fiction reading this month, joy!  A book which really had me reflecting was Ingrid Fetell Lee’s Joyful : The surprising power of ordinary things to create extraordinary happiness.  It is so interesting and if you have an interest in interior design its a must read, with so much about shape, colour, texture.  I made lots of notes on this book and its made me think how to develop our home.  I also read Susan Calman’s book Sunny Side Up : A story of kindness and joy, it is so uplifting and positive, just what’s needed on dark nights.

This month I finally got to use my Christmas present from 2017, tickets for Wicked.  It was amazing and so different to my expectations.  I loved the way it developed the story, I was expecting a good vs evil story, but the stunning plot has left me thinking about it for many hours since.   I appreciated the links to the Wizard of Oz which complemented the story too.  The music, costumes, lighting etc.. were stunning and it made for the perfect day out with Little Miss.  We really made an occasion of the day, new outfits, dinner out together, I loved it and am planning our next trip to the theatre.

So it was half term and the project homework was to make a Victorian invention.  Little Man chose the London underground.   In our model, we created London on top of a shoe box and when you opened the box, you discovered the underground.  I’m proud of our creativity!  Little Man made an underground train for the tunnel and there is a hole on the side so you can peer into the tunnel too.

Halloween is a bit of a tricky time for us as Little Man gets really scared.  Rather than trick or treat, I made a treasure hunt, inspired by Little Man’s request for an Easter egg hunt for Halloween.  It included the traditional swinging sticky pudding, apple bobbing and lots of treats hidden around the house to find.  It was a lot of fun and enjoyed by all of us.

I also made one of my favourite bakes ever, a pumpkin and ginger cake.  The flavours were perfect together and a brilliant way to use up pumpkin from the carvings.

I do like to theme an outfit for an event, I had hoped to wear emerald green shoes to Wicked but my poorly foot meant it was back to Converse pumps.  However, I did manage to coordinate for a trip to Slimbridge Wetlands, where I wore my swan jumper!

Well after our theatre trip, my big listen has been to the Wicked soundtrack, we know the words well enough to sing along now.  A you can see I love everything Wicked this month.

Just to leave a few photos here of some beautiful days we’ve enjoyed this half term.

Thanks to Morgana for the inspiration behind this linky.