The rest of Yule & Christmas 2023

I got these Christmas cards after posting the other ones, so here they are:

 

 

*~*

 

Among my gifts was this plush Santa Clause…

 

 

This decorative bell…

 

 

And a Lego advent calendar.  The calendar is Harry Potter themed, and we haven't put all the little kits from it together anyhow, but here are the holiday themed festive little kits from among them:

 

 

I also got more Lego, some new pyjamas, and a Harry Potter blanket.

 

*~*

 

It was a pretty good Christmas.  Hope yours was too.

Of Blog Posts, Cards, Cuddly Toys, And The Clock

I’m sorry I’ve not been around the blogs lately.  Between struggling with energy levels, health issues being a constant thing I have to deal with, and dealing with the mental/emotional aspects of the past couple of months, I’ve not been very productive.  And our recent heatwave didn't help matters.  I’m trying to get back in to doing things – reading blogs being one of those things – but I’m having a rough time adjusting to how things are now.  I’ve popped by and read posts from time to time, but not commented, and I know I missed several posts.  So… Sorry.  And if there’s anything you spacifically hoped I wouldn’t miss, please tell me about it – or direct me to the post where I can read about it – in the comments section of this post.  Thanks.

 

*~*

 

I got a couple of nice cards from Deanna from Life WithDee.  One after she learned I’d been in hospital, and the other after she learned about my Mam’s death.  Here they are:

 

Thanks, Deanna.

 

*~*

 

Kelly got me a glittery pink unicorn cuddly toy as a get well present when I was in hospital.  Here I am holding it:

 

 

And my Mam brought me this bear holding a heart:

 

It turned out to be the last thing she ever brought any of us, since it was right after that she went in to hospital for the last time.  When we were sorting her stuff after she died, I grabbed the little pink teddy bear that was the last thing I ever brought her (which I got her during one of her recent hospital stays) and the two teddy bears are now sat together on one of the shelves that my cuddly toys are stored on.

 

*~*

 

 

Mam got this clock when I was really young – Maybe about five years old or so? She’s hung in my Mam’s home ever since.  I made it known years ago that when she died I wanted the clock, so now she’s mine.  I thought I’d share  her with you, and let you hear her chime the hour.

 

Yes, I did mean to say “she” and “her” in the previous paragraph.  Mam said she was a Grandmother clock, because she’s a small Grandfather clock, so she’s always been a “she” to us.

 

Anyway, here’s the video of her chiming the hour:

 

Of Birthdays And #Pets

This past Sunday (November 13^th) was my birthday.

 

I wanted a birthday cake, but with how difficult – and expensive – it is to get any vegan birthday cake that isn’t chocolate (I don't like chocolate cake) I decided I’d just make my own.  This isn’t the first year I’ve done it, and likely won’t be the last.  Anyway, this year I made a two layer lemon cake with lemon butter icing between the layers.  Yes, despite the word “butter” there, it was all 100% vegan.  It was also very tasty, if I do say so myself.  LOL! You can see the cake in the below photo:

 

 

Also in the photo with my cake are some of the things I got for my birthday: a cuddly Hedwig the owl, a large ball of rainbow coloured wool, a tube oof Fruit pastels (which are vegan –friendly these days) and two packets of gummy Kevin the carrot sweets (which also happen to be Vegan-friendly, even though Kevin is a promotional figure for one of the supermarkets rather than something specifically aimed at vegans).  There’s another cuddly toy Kelly ordered for me that hasn’t arrived yet due to delays caused by international shipping timelines, which I’ll show you when it gets here.  I also got some money, and a couple of cards.  The cards from my Dad and Rita are in the below photo.

 

 

There were fireworks that evening.  My friend Kaila from the ACB Crafters calls was telling me she'd arranged them especially for me for my birthday.  Kelly says otherwise, and insists it was just a coincidence that someone was using some of the fireworks they got for Bonfire Night on my birthday.  I think I like Kaila's answer better.  I think you can figure out which is true yourself.  LOL!

 

Anyway, a big thank you to everyone who sent birthday messages, cards, money, presents, or some combination of those things.  I want you to know that every single one of them is very much appreciated.

 

*~*

 

We had a sign made for Artemis’ vivarium as an early Christmas present.  It has a picture of a tortoise on it along with the words “Artemis’ House” and is now hanging up in his vivarium (we decided not to wait until Christmas to hang it up).  Here’s a photo of it:

 

 

Artemis isn’t in the photo due to being dug in asleep at the time it was taken.

 

*~*

 

When Mam was here during my birthday weekend she took these photos of the dogs:

 

One where Logan is cuddled up against me while I was sat on the floor, and Lilie is beside us on the floor with a great big doggy grin on her face that makes it appear she’s laughing at us for some reason…

 

 

And one where Logan was just sat in front of my Mam staring at her and looking adorable…

 

 

*~*

 

Other than the fact I finished the first of a pair of loom knitted socks (as in, finished the first sock of the pair; still need to make the other one to complete the pair) and moved my other craft projects along a bit, there’s not really anything else that happened during the past week besides the usual day to day routine of housework, petkid care and playtime, Zoom calls, etc.  So I’ll let this do for today.

 

I hope you’ve had a great week.

My 2022 #SeptemberSmallThings Complete List - #Hygge & #Mindfulness

Last year Jo over at "How To Hygge The British Way" did a thing on her blog throughout September where she shared a small thing that gave her pleasure, she was grateful for, or she appreciated in a moment of mindfulness, each day, and I joined in because I thought it was an excellent idea.  So, when I saw she was doing it again this year, I decided to do it along with her again.  I've been posting the thing for each day on my Twitter account, but thought I'd do a round-up post here, both to gather them all together in one place and for the benefit of those not on Twitter.  Yeah, I know it's already basically the middle of October, but today is my first free Friday after September was completely over.  Anyway, what follows is my September small things list, as posted to Twitter throughout the month of September, reproduced here exactly as they appeared over there.

 

*~*

 

#SeptemberSmallThings day 1: accessible books.

I finally got a Bookshare account sorted out yesterday, and am already loving having access to a whole load of titles I otherwise may not have been able to find copies of in an accessible to me format.

 

*~*

 

#SeptemberSmallThings day 2: nap time.
Never underestimate a good nap! Especially if you’re someone like me who does not sleep well.
 

*~*

 

#SeptemberSmallThings day 3: rain.

I love the sound of rain, and it’s even more welcome after a hot and mostly dry Summer.

  

*~*

 

#SeptemberSmallThings day 4: quiet time.
Everyone needs a bit of quiet time now and then.

 

*~*

 

#SeptemberSmallThings day 5: a nice cuppa.

I love my tea, and today I'm trying - and loving - one of the teas that came in this month's box from Bird & Blend Tea Co. It's called "Butter Brew" and tastes like butterscotch.

 

*~*

 

#SeptemberSmallThings day 6: tortoise playtime.
Spending time with Artemis is always a very hygge experience, and a great way to pause and relax briefly on an otherwise busy and chaotic day.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 7: thunderstorms.

We had an excellent storm here today, and I enjoyed listening to it. I find storms soothing to listen to, and they've been promising me this one for days. It came at a time when my soul needed to be soothed too.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 8: Free To Be Me.

The "Free To Be Me" call I do with Patty @bubbalee04 via the ACB Community is a fun way to spend part of my Thursdays each week.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 9: puppy snuggles.
I love snuggle time with our dogs. And they seem to love it too.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 10: tasty treats.

I treated myself to some vegan-friendly snacks and treats, and they arrived today.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 11: community karaoke.
ACB’s Weekly Community karaoke session happens early hours of Sunday morning for me, and it’s one of my favourite times of the week.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 12: a feeling of accomplishment.

I managed to check a lot of things off my to-do list today.  And It felt good.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 13: Herbie’s cooking corner.
I love cooking and baking, and doing it alongside a friend like Herbie @herbie_610 makes it even more enjoyable.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 14: community connect.
The call Kolby @kolbysongbird does on a Wednesday via the ACB community is always enjoyable. It’s something I look forward to every week.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 15: delight in others’ accomplishments.
It’s a wonderful feeling to see somebody making progress with a skill they want to learn, and to delight in knowing you were part of helping them achieve the progress they are so proud of making in learning it.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 16: quality time with loved ones.

Some days time with the person/people you love has to be your priority.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 17: helpful people.

There are times when people make that extra effort to make things easier for disabled people like me. Today was a day when I saw two examples of this kind of thing. Thank you @taralazar and @asda

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 18: singing just for fun.
Sometimes it’s fun to just sing whatever song you feel inspired to sing at that moment.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 19: a nice chat with friends.
Whether online or offline (whichever you feel more comfortable doing) it’s nice to have people you can spend time enjoying a cosy chat with.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 20: a successful baking experiment.

I had the challenge of making a dessert that mostly consists of dairy vegan for the cooking corner today, and am very happy with the results.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 21: a message from a friend.

It’s always nice when a friend takes a moment or two to reach out and send you a message, and – though I always appreciate them - some days I’m especially grateful for those messages.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 22: the Autumn equinox.

We’re now officially starting the half of the year I love most, so bring on the cooler weather!

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 23: a relaxing bubble bath.

It’s rare I get the time for a nice relaxing bubble bath, so when I do – like I did today - it makes it even more special.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 24: touching stories.

I’m listening to the 10,000 call celebration for the #ACB Community, and it’s so nice how the community has touched so many lives with the calls that are held every day. Hearing them makes me incredibly glad to be a part of it all.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 25: a warm blanket on a chilly evening.

I love snugly blankets! I’m a firm believer that you can never have too many blankets, and should have a choice as to which one – or ones – you’re going to snuggle in on a chilly evening.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 26: being there for a friend.

It’s a wonderful feeling when friends are there for you, of course.  But sometimes you need to be the one who’s there for them, and that’s a wonderful feeling too.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 27: creative fun.

Today was a day of creativity. First cooking a new to me recipe on the cooking corner, and then crafting with my Dad, with the day going to be ending with a crochet class.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 28: unicorn slippers.
If I’m going to have something on my feet because it’s a cold day, it should be something fun, right?

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 29: take-away.

Most days I’m happy to cook.  But some days – especially when it’s a very busy day – I’m grateful for the option to have someone else do the cooking for me.  Today was one of those days.

  

*~*

  

#SeptemberSmallThings day 30: making plans.
Today I am making plans and looking to the future regarding various calls and projects I’m involved with or working on. Seems like a good way to wrap up September and start heading into the last quarter of 2022.