Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night...

Goofy has just opened up door number 3 on the advent calender! How did it get to be 3 days till Christmas!?!

With a long list of things to get done before Christmas/camping I thought it was wisest if I sign off blogging till 2011. I plan to come back next year with a new dedication. So far I have enjoyed entering blogland but have found finding the time to fully get my hands dirty hard so next year 'let's get muddy' as Dirtgirl would say!

Besides a peek into the garden of blogland there are been many other new adventures this year. JJ bounced into our lives bringing great joy, U2 opened his new business, MiniMe started (and ended) Prep and Goofy found her voice (and it is quite loud and usually cheeky!).

In a lot of ways I feel like I was just getting through 2010 so I am looking forward to venturing out more in 2011.

Thank you for checking in to Dancing in the Rain this year and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Made it Mondays.....Aliens..

We have fairies, princesses, bumble bees, chefs, ballerinas but no alien dress ups.

So when we were invited to an alien dress up party I saw it as an opportunity to expand our dress up collection and to try out a pattern I have had sitting on my sewing table.

The above it the result - Alien fairies.

The girls each made their own fairy wings by using glitter glue to stick on lots of colourful googly eyes. I did put a matching band of netting at the bottom but they both complained of it being itchy so they ended up remaining upturned.

I did make an alien hat too as I have been wanting to try that out too but the neither of the girls wanted to wear it! Oh well, I had fun making it!

I wonder how often they will come out of the dress up box!?!

Make sure you stop by....

Maxabella loves... is having a great give away this week.

So go and check it out and you never know, you may be the lucky winner!!

It is well worth the journy to Maxabellaland even if you are not!

While you are travelling you may like to check out Posie Patchwork too.

Another worthwhile journey to make would be to And then there were four.

The last is what encouraged me to put on my blogging shoes and see where the road took me.

Happy travels!

Are you having another?

JJ is 9 months old and the third girl in our brood. It is amazing how often I am now being asked if we are going to have another baby. I dont know if it is because there is no male heir to carry on the family surname (not that it is uncommon) that makes people think that we will keep going until a boy is born or if it is that more people are having more than 2/3 children or if it is mainly people with no children asking me if I will be producing a football/netball team.

Growing up I had in my head that I would have 2 or 3 children. For many a Christmas I asked my mother for another sibling. This is not because I thought I had been ripped off in the sibling department and wanted a replacement but a compliment to my brother as I thought he was pretty cool and wanted another one. Although it probably did co-incide with when he wouldn't let me put him in dresses anymore!

There have been a few brief seconds when I look at the gorgeous smiling face of JJ and think it would be nice to do it again, but they are very brief and I am enjoying knowing that this is my last time. I don't think I have the physical or mental energy for more children. I want to be able to spend time with each of them, be able to listen to their woes, not worry about finances, take them on adventures, let them try different activities and not feel stretched in a million directions. For me that means stopping at three.

I know there are mothers out there who can and do manage with more and those who set there limit at one or two and others who had that decision taken from them for numerous reasons. So I am grateful for what I have.

How many children do you have? Are you having another or two or three.....? How did you come to that decision? Did you change your mind later?

The smell of Christmas....

The scouts were selling Christmas trees on Saturday were we take the girls for swimming lessons.

They have never had a real tree so I took them over to smell the trees.

I love the smell of Christmas trees. It takes me back to Christmas time as a child. I use to love coming home in December and scent of the tree hitting you as you walked in the door. It was the sensual reminder that Christmas and all its magic was just around the corner.

We picked a few little branches off the ground on Saturday and I have them in a vase and occasionally the perfume radiates.

Maybe next year we don't think about the mess and the cost of a real tree and invest in the smell of Christmas.

What smells remind you of Christmas? Do you go real or fake with your tree?

Dear Baby...

Dear Baby,

The weekend just past would have been quite different had you made it out into the world. We would have been celebrating your first birthday.

After deciding that we would like a third child and watching the months go by until two blue lines appeared there was excitement that you had arrived. Although I never felt quite right, somehow I think I knew you wouldn't be around for long.

Only 6 weeks. Enough time to start thinking about summer with a newborn baby. To wonder if you were a girl or a boy, what you would look like, how you would fit into our family, to glance at baby clothes in the shops again...

But it wasn't to be. You will always remain a lovely potential.

Love always,

Mum.

Made it Monday.....grilled zucchini and halloumi salad

After a big day out yesterday we were looking for a simple dinner. We have been getting a lot of zucchini in our fruit and veg box the last couple of weeks and so I was looking for a way to incorporate them and U2 and I both like halloumi so when I stumbled across this recipe it seemed perfect!

Grilled Zucchini and Halloumi

And it was great, very tasty, simple and quick to prepare.

An excellent summer's sunday night dinner!

Thanks Closet cooking!

I am planning on trying his red pepper pesto tonight!