I'm loving angels instead

Here is our beautiful Christmas angel. She is made out of straw and sits on top of the tree. This year it is a bit of a squash poor love
as Phil bought a very big tree! It is a major Christmas indulgence for us - a big, real tree (we have a big room to fill though). At the moment it is only Grace (just named her but I like it!) and the lights on the tree. We bought our annual new decorations yesterday and decorate the rest tonight. (Oh joy). Emrys walked into the room last night and said "oooh it smells like Christmas now!!"

I have been a busy little bee since Friday morning. The Choir had our Christmas concert in the evening and it was I think the best ever. I had a teeny descant solo (yes I have a high squeaky voice) and managed not to make a mistake.

Saturday afternoon I went to a crop at my new local craft shop. It was really so I could get on with all the pressies I have to make without getting distracted. However I managed not to be able to measure properly and took a few goes at making an exploding box (so annoying!). Emma the owner and Emma the owner's friend (makes it easy to remember) were lovely and the crop table is just great - bright and comfy. I was able to watch what they were doing and picked up some great tips. They are going to CHA in 2007 - how green am I! (Its a scrap trade show BTW). And next year I might be teaching the exploding box - if I can concentrate and do my measurements properly!

Sunday was 3 Christmas services - brilliant but tiring and kind of went by in a blur.

Yesterday was the boys academic review day. Now my sons are really quite scarily clever. Rubbish at sport, but brainy. Hywel is doing ok but we need to keep an eye on him that he doesn't take what he can do for granted - apart from languages (which he dislikes but his school is a language college so he has to do two) he really ought to get at least A's if he applies himself. Emrys' new form teacher was very funny. "What did you think of Emrys' report?" "well we were quite pleased" "Pleased? I should think so - it's BRILLIANT!" He went on enthusiastically for quite a while making Emrys squirm in his seat. I thought he was going to propose to Em at one point. He showed us some tests that they did on entering senior school - cat tests or something. The average is 100, Em's were all way above especially his maths which was 146. Hope you don't mind the second show off post in a row but I'm a bit in awe of this as I am struggle with maths a bit. And I don't feel able to share this with people I know in real life as it is a bit boasty - but hey - I'm a proud mum!

Last night we watched Hogfather, having recorded the first two hours. I actually dozed through most of the recorded bit - found it visually stunning but dramatically a bit slow. At the same time I finished some more prayer jounrals and leter on more exploding boxes. Only another 2 of each to go! (but the boxes are for our mums so a bit harder!)

Here's what I have done so far

I always moan about the quality of Chatterbox papers, but these are lovely aren't they?

These are 3 bugs in a rug rhapsody
And yet more BG (all the journals are BG Lily Kate and Gypsy)

All the big flowers are Aunty Sarah's bloomers. Oooh I love 'em!

Have to finish all my crafty projects tonight so I can turn my craft mess back into a conservatory for Phil's mum to sleep in on Thursday!