That Was The Year That Was ...

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As it's New Year's Eve (blah, blah, blah) I thought I would have a review of my blogging year to date.
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I started blogging in March and I introduced you to Colin ....
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Colin was boy*jelly's soft-pet who went on to have a pet who had a pet who also had a pet.
(Colin and the other pets were last seen at the bottom of a big pile of teddy-dogs.)

In April I showed you the first ever floppy-sunhat made from Cath Kidston fabric made by Sue for the JB*JB website.

This was back in the day when I naively assumed we would be having some sun during the summer months!

In May, I really found my blogging style when I took part in the

"Post A Day In May" event.

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May was also the month I revealed what Mr Jelly looks like ...

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... and I was so pleased at managing to think of a blog-post every day that I took up the hedonistic sport of Goat Riding.

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June was the month I publically declared my failure as a housewife ...

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All sorts of silliness took place in July.

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My computer monitor turned evil and had to be replaced ...

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I told you how much of a pedant I am for correct grammar ...

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I shared with you Mr Jelly's embarassment with a deaf lady ...

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And who can forget "The Guinea Pig" incident ...

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In August I won the award for spotting the first christmas items for sale in a shop ...

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I launched the camper-van swap and made lots of camper-van friends ...

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And I had my first staff appraisal ...

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In September I tidied my workroom ...

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(It doesn't *ahem* quite look like that at the moment ...)

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And I decided an afro from 1978 suited me best!

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In October my television-viewing happiness took a nose-dive ...

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So I did my best to comfort myself ...

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In November I started my search for perfect sheets (still looking)

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And the month of December was when I went from mouse to purple ... oops

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I have a few predictions for 2009 ...

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January will see me completing my Tax Return (shudder) as well as having my last birthday with a 3 at the beginning

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February will be the month I swap Valentines cards with Mr Jelly.

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March will drag by as we wait for the first signs of spring.

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April will be the month I blog about just how much rain we are having in the UK.

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May will be the month I blog about just how much rain we are having in the UK.

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June will be the month I blog about just how much rain we are having in the UK.

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July will be the month I declare my undying love for Mr Jelly as we celebrate our xxth wedding anniversary.

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August will be the month I blog about just how much rain we are having in the UK.

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September will be the month I jump for joy when boy*jelly goes back to school after the longest 6-week summer holiday break where we did nothing because of how much rain we had in the UK

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October will be the month I start thinking about planning getting ready for Christmas

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November will be the month I get bored with thinking about planning getting things ready for Christmas

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December will be the month I turn into a Baah-Humbug of a scrooge.

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Here's to 2009 folks!

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"It's Just What I Always Wanted!"

As I sit in the living room wondering if it's too early (and mean) to take the christmas decorations down, I think back to our christmas morning ...

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I know he had a good time ... but, please, can I take the tree down now?

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Don't Call The NSPCC, But ....

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boy*jelly decided to get his own breakfast this morning ...

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(Reminds me of the time he got his own lunch!)

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Quilted Dolls and Knitting Rolls

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I can finally show Blog-Land some of the presents I made for people in my family.

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My mum asked me to make a bag for her sister to keep all her knitting bits and pieces in.

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She chose this gorgeous dolly fabric which I ordered from America from

this website back in August!

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(Please click on any of the photos to see larger images)

. . I had enough to make a quilted bag, a zipper-pouchette and a dinky pin-cushion all of which my Auntie Sue opened on Christmas Day.
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I hope she is the envy of her "Stich 'n' Bitch" group!

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My mum also knits and crochets so I secretly made her a quilted roll for her to keep her knitting needles and crochet hooks in.
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I have had this fabric in my stash for about 3 years and I cobbled it all together in one evening.
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It was one of those projects that just goes right from start to finish.
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I decorated it with a crochet flower that Mum had made for me for another project which I never actually completed!

(I think it's still in my overflowing WIP box!)

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I hope mum is also the envy of her (more sedate) "knitting club"!

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I am thinking about writing a tutorial for the knitting roll .... maybe watch this space?!

It's A Wrap!

Having a great Christmas break here at Jelly towers ....

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Rules

Okay. I admit it. I couldn't stay away from blogging!

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My vision of having a romantic Christmas Message on my blog over the festivities has gone to pot...
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I had a smiley moment last night as I silently watched boy*jelly from his bedroom door sitting at the desk that used to be mine, scribbling away at his latest masterpiece.

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This time it was his Rules.
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Translation :
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Rules.
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Do not bring pets on aeroplanes
Do not skate-board down hills
Do not get too close to an oven unless you are a grown up
Do not make traps
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I particularly like the advice about not making traps.
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I shall have to try and remember...

Ho! Ho! Ho!

With only 4 days to go, I just have to get into the Christmas spirit - buy last-minute presents, buy wrapping paper, wrap presents, do food-shop with Mr Jelly.

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I have lots of things planned to show you in the New Year, so for now I leave you with a christmas photo taken in 2005 (!) of me and boy*jelly.

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Whatever your beliefs, whoever you spend your holidays with, and wherever you may be, I wish you a safe and peaceful Christmas.

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xx

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Festive Cheer

I always see lots of yummy recipes on other people's blogs so thought I would share with you a really quick and easy Christmas Cake recipe.

Make sure you read all of the instructions ...

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Ingredients:

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* 2 cups flour

* 1 stick butter

* 1 cup of water

* 1 tsp baking soda

* 1 cup of sugar

* 1 tsp salt

* 1 cup of brown sugar

* Lemon juice

* 4 large eggs

* Nuts

* 1 bottle tequila

* 2 cups of dried fruit

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Sample the tequila to check quality.

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Take a large bowl, check the tequila again.

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To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.

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Repeat.

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Turn on the electric mixer.

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Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.

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Add one teaspoon of sugar.

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Beat again.

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At this point it's best to make sure the tequila is still OK. Try another cup... Just in case.

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Turn off the mixerer thingy.

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Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

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Pick the frigging fruit up off floor.

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Mix on the turner.

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If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver.

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Sample the tequila to check for tonsisticity.

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Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something.

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Check the tequila.

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Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.

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Add one table.

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Add a spoon of sugar, or some thing. Whatever you can find.

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Greash the oven.

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Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.

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Don't forget to beat off the turner.

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Finally, throw the bowl through the window.

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Finish the tequila and wipe counter with the cat.

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Bingle Jells!

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Memories Of Being Small

Next month I have the last birthday in my life that has a "3" at the start of it.

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Yes, from 2010 onwards my birthdays for the next ten years will begin with a 4.
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As boy*jelly gets older I find myself thinking more and more about when I was his age.
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These are just a few things I remember from my childhood ...
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Wagon Wheels were the size of your face ...

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My parents (or rather, my Dad) would buy a Watneys Party Seven to take to a party of a Saturday night ... Apparantely these are collector's items now!

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There used to be a shop called "Athena" that sold posters and I always maintained it was a "rude" shop because they sold this cheeky picture poster in there ...
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We used to have a white plastic square table with a round hole in it. When you lifted the lid there was storage space that we used to keep junk in. This is also probably a collector's item now!
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This is me stood next to the table on the day I started school. Notice the Mucha Lady poster on the wall behind me ...

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... it was this one which just takes me right back to being little and having that photo taken.

I can remember when calculators first appeared in shops! I was so in awe of technology I can remember asking my dad if he thought we would ever own a video recorder one day!! I think we had this actual model of calculator - it looks familiar.

I remember watching Lassie on the telly. I would always cry - even when it was a happy bit and my mum would ask why I was so upset. "He's got a sad face" I would wail!

There was always a cartoon on just before the boring six o'clock news started. (No 24 hour cartoon channels back then!)

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I used to particularly like :

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Ivor The Engine (psssh-te-koo)And the zany Willo The Wisp with the Moog and Evil Edna.
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These are just a few of my memories - I shall save more for another blog post.

Springing Into Action

I love the fact that boy*jelly is growing up in a house surrounded by "creativity" (for "creativity" read "mess") and hope that my enthusiasm for creating things rubs off on him.

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I have an inkling it might be ...

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Can you think of what you could possibly make from a rainbow-plastic-spring-slinky?

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. A long bangle for your arm perhaps?
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A coiled necklace?
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No silly!
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You can make it into a pair of shoes of course!
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Tell All Tuesday

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The question for today's Tell All Tuesday is :
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What Made You Laugh This Past Week?
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My answer
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He makes me laugh every Saturday night ... Harry Hill!

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I have been enjoying his take on The X Factor ...

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It's a silly programme that all 3 of us can sit down and giggle at!

Rules

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What is Tell All Tuesday?
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If you wish to answer this question on your own blog, please leave a comment so we can all see how people have answered.
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