JOY days 23 and 24

 December 23rd

Today was another early start, this time not as nice as yesterdays reason. Today's 5am wake up call was so we could hit Tesco before all the manic "the shops are closed for one day" type shoppers! The place was a totally tip!!!!! the lorries had been held up on the ferry and had arrived over three hours late it looks like a bomb had gone off in there. While there we bumped into Zoe and her man and Sam and her family. I ashamed to say we enjoyed blocking the way and chatting for a few minutes ;) 

Later on that day I met up with Sam and Sarah for coffee and a cake a Thorntons (next year we are going somewhere warmer!!) and to look through each others JYC and JOY books. We started doing this last year and it is becoming a new festive tradition for us :)

I'm not leaving the Island this Christmas to see folks, as my youngest niece and her family are coming down to see us. So this would have been my first JOY book without a Starbucks Christmas cup. Sarah is always over on the mainland so she picked one up for me coz she is nice like that ;)

 I cut off the base and rim, fold the cup flat and then glued it together. I find the best way to make them stick flat is to leave them under a heavy book overnight. once it was stuck I gave it a good coating of gesso and journaled on it. The flower is the gift tag that came with the chocolates that arrived by post today :) YUM YUM!!!! Thanks Clara ;) The envelope below holds the Christmas shopping lists, receipts and other bits and bobs from today.

  

December 24th - Christmas Eve

 After a few hours housework I sat down in my favourite arm chair with a continuous supply of lattes and hooked the day away whilst watching films, with my cocker spaniels for company.I really wanted to get these two blankets completed and in Jenni ready for Boxing day when we will be taking her to her first Bloodstone outing. A lot of our fellow Bloodstoners have vans and I want her to look her best for this first meeting. Suki-su didn't really help me very much, she just took up too much room on my chair and tried to steal my cookies!!

JOY days 21 and 22

 21st December

We collected Jenni today! and the postie delivered some parcels. 

 22nd December

Had an early start today. I was up at 5am and had collected the ladies by 6am. we drove over to Moltistone and walked the short 15 minutes walk up to the long stone in totally darkness so we could watch the sun come up on the Winter Solstice. Thankfully it was dry and bright and to be truthful not that cold, although by the time we got back to the car my wellied feet were frozen.

as well as being the winter solstice the 22nd is my best friends birthday. so after our dawn ritual we had breakfast at spoons with all our friends and Sam's family. 

I spent the rest of the day cleaning Jenni and getting her ready for our first trip out on Christmas day.

On Christmas Day in the Morning

Christmas Eve and some of Christmas morning I spent in my chair curled up with Suki happily hooking away at my matching granny strip blankets for Jenni (our campervan) I was determined to complete them both by our Bloodstone outting on Boxing day and am pleased to report both blankets have a fancy trim and are now in place on our bench seats. Suki wasn't really much help to me as she keep patting the balls of wool as they turned and trying to run off with them each time my attention was elsewhere! She also took up far too much room on my chair!!!

 Diggory was a little unsure of his present and was far too interested in seeing what the girls had rather than opening his own parcel. He got there in the end and enjoyed his treats.

 

After pressies, cards and coffee, I made bacon sarnies, packed up some dog towels and my crocheting (of course) and we headed out to Compton Bay in Jenni -Our first outing! 

 I'm so so happy with her. She may be an old beat up banger of a van, but she is my old beat up banger and I love her!!! She runs beautifully (if a little noisily) and has enough space for us and a couple of dogs to happily spend time away from the world together! I think the best part of her is the pop up roof :) It makes moving around inside so much easier as you aren't watching out to bash your head all the time. I have already made loads of brightly crocheted blankets and cushions for her and I have a few more things I want to make once Sam and I have sorted the curtains out.

 Gracie enjoying a cup of coffee and a pre-beach cuddle with her Daddads. I can see that Gracie is going to get quite used to coming out with us in Jenni. 

 We took Suki-Su and Gracie with us today the beach. I think they mostly enjoyed sitting in the driving seats staring out at the all the Christmas beach goers, of whom there were more than I expected. I will have to make sure that all the other dogs all get a fair chance to sit in the drivers seat as well. Although I doubt they will be as well behaved as these two were today.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are keeping up to date with your December Journals ;) 

Px

JOY days 19 and 20

 December 19th 

I spent today finishing off jobs about the house and then in the afternoon Sam, her kids and myself drove into town to buy some more bits for Jenni. I wrote a downloadable letter to Santa tucking it inside this stamped airmail envelope.

 

December 20th 

 I spent most of the day giving cocker spaniels their Christmas haircut. I had three booked in and thought I would clip four of my five at the same time, My friends little girl Shelby came over to help me. In the evening I spent time with my wiccan family celebrating Yule. We held a ritual and then had gift giving and a lovely dinner.

 Behind this page is another with photos and journaling of the evening.

TFL

Px

JOY days 17 and 18

 Here's a couple more days worth of JOY pages in my plan to catch up on my posting.

December 17th

Today we were dancing in Newport town centre with another Morris team called "The Men o Wight". It was a really good afternoon a few more teams turned up as well, so the folk out shopping had plenty of dancing to watch.

My perfect present this year would be a little red caravan or campervan :)

I used a mix of papers left over from our handfasting minibook and some of the new OA papers.

December 18th

 This morning Trav and I took a drive out to Totland, I didn't know it but we were going to look at a campervan :) she is red with big black spots!!! Could she be anymore perfect????? We decided to buy her and will collect her on Wednesday.She is to be called Jenni Van-Ladybug.

In the afternoon and evening we danced with the Bloodstone team again before removing ourselves to the pub for our Yule/Christmas dinner. I used the same papers today as as on yesterdays pages.

JOY Days 15 & 16

I seem to have got really far behind with my posting of this years JOY book. I'm right up to date with making the pages as I've been putting time aside everyday to spend in my craft room, although over the last two days I have been spending much of my crafting time outside in Jenni cleaning and tidying her ready for our Christmas day trip to the beach. 

December 15th

using my lovely new OA 8x8 paper pad, some old sparkly alphas and the tag from my new dress.

I like to collect the crappy gifts and bits from my crackers each year.

This was the works Christmas party night. Our school has been joined by three local middle schools this year we are now an academy rather than a high school. It was a little odd going out with so many members of staff and most that we didn't know very well. The team I work with have all known each other for years and we are quite a tight knit little group.

December 16th 

My list of things I am thankful for is stamped using loads of different stamps on a kraft card. i have journaled a letter to Trav on the reverse of the card. It fits snuggly inside the pink envelope. I also signed up for a new iPhone today I just can't waiting until my upgrade in July 2012, I miss my old one so much (I promise not to put this one in the washing machine). I popped into my favourite shop today and spend some of my Xmas money on a pretty new purse.

 

Introducing Jenni the Campervan

Look what my lovely Hubby bought me today as a joint Chrimbo Pressie!

 She is a 1980's Bedford Sleeper I have named her "Jenni" and yes as you can see she has been painted to look like a ladybird! I adore her and can not wait until Wednesday when we go and collect her so I can start work making her all pretty and cosy inside.

 She can sleep four, there's a short double bed where the seats are and two hammock like bunks in the lift up roof (that we probably won't use very often. a smart little gas stove and fridge with a fair amount of storage space. There is enough room so we can take the dogs with us as well :)

 We spent yesterday dancing in Newport town centre and are off again in an hour or so to dance the sun down at up on Culver Downs to celebrate the winter solstice. It's then off to the pub for our Christmas dinner..... poor landlord what has he let himself in for????? 30 bloodstoners getting rowdy in his pub ;)

Plenty to add to my December journal for this weekend :) 

TFL

Px

Loads of JOY

I've been keeping up with my JOY book, I just haven't been keeping up with blogging about it. 

So here's a photo heavy post of the last few days. 

December 8th

The sights of our festive home.

 December 9th

Our family Traditions (bears and stars)

 December 10th  

WCC crop the last one of the year.

 There are two tags in between today's pages noting info about my new star that Trav bought in Newport while I was at the crop, and a quote that Sam and I teased Bea about all day.

 I love this SC stamp :)

 December 11th

So much happened on Sunday, so as well as my JYC entry about our festive tree's I added a photo tag to show what else happened. If you are of a delicate nature please don't look at the second photo as it contains some very VERY rude words!!!!

This next one is the rude one!!!!!  

Sam and I spelling out rude words on my fridge with magnet letters.

Trav teaching Beabea a Morris dance.

  December 12th 

Just a normal rainy Monday at work today, but I did get to wear my newly finished shawl and pretty poppies.

 

December 13th

Today i taught my student how to crochet, completed two crochet hats and started another shawl. I made a little record tag to journal about one of my favourite Christmas songs.

 December 14th

Todays post is about presents and my "Mission to Handmake Christmas". I'm really proud of myself for sticking with this plan and not giving in to the temptations of shops and Ebay.

 

TFL and staying with all these photos if you were able to ;) 

I also had some lovely news about a Christmas pressie that Trav and I were planning on buying for each other in the New Year. Looks like we might have it before Xmas now :) But I won't spill the beans until i know for sure ;) 

Px