Come sit with me and drink Cinnamon tea.

Fire ablaze, Slow stitching basket ready.

Candles lit and fairy lights on.

And naughty fabric mice!

 ...

I sat very early this morning with a cinnamon tea by the fire, it was still hot from the night before and I was watching little flickers of hot coal in the black grate.  It reminded me of when I was a tiny little girl and sat with my Grampa.  This time of year he would say that those tiny little orange embers were fairies watching me to see if I had been a good little girl and they were going to report back to Santa on the situation. 

It was a wonderful memory and made me smile and I appreciated that particular memory coming back to me.  Of course I tried to be very good indeed because I was about to write to Santa with a wish list of parcels that I felt would be wonderful to find wrapped under the huge tree.
 
Always but always there were art supplies requested on that list, and one year I asked for a doll with long hair so I could brush it ... The fairies must have thought I had been a helpful and nice little girl as my wish came true.  The joy that I felt at her beautiful hair.  I would brush and brush her hair as my father would brush my long hair.  Another smile at a beautiful memory of my late Daddy and time he spent with me and my long hair, that I begged to keep and he insisted on making sure it was kept well.  The day I had it cut I was 18 and I had a bob, oh dear! ... anyway that is another story for another day.

This memory game started when my lovely friend Jo from Australia and I were talking about first memories of childhood and I struggled to recall what my first  memory I had was, what age?

And so I must have dreamt about it I believe because today the lovely memories flooded my head sat by the fire quietly before even the birds were awake....

Before coming into my stitchery room I walked over to the dinning room I spied our new additions to
the family home, three little fabric mice and they are mischief makers.  They came through the post on Wednesday and have settled in very quickly it seems.

At this very moment in time they are all sat under the little light up tree gazing up in wonder and waiting for the decorations to start.

There were biscuits crumbs near them and they are trying to look innocent and failing!  I also think they have been rummaging around in my project basket and sleeping in the fabrics as I am sure I left the basket a little more tidy than when I looked at it this morning!

Thinking about writing a child's book about the adventures of the three fabric mice .......


The dark morning is now breaking and I can see the shadows running away and the day is dawning.  I have opened my window in my stitchery room to hear the dawn chorus of the birds who are awake and wanting their breakfast.  They make themselves known in a beautifully vocal way.

Today I have a full day at home and I would like to get lots done both housework and of course stitching.  Little slow stitches will be made later and I am going to relight the fire and sit and stitch.  I re arranged my rather messy project basket and folded up the little bits of fabrics that are in there.  I also need to go to my box of gorgeous hand dyed Shaker Threads and pick some out.

Buttons have to be found today as well and then I feel I will be ready for my afternoon of stitching.  Firstly though, today a couple of hours of housework it helps me be creative if I am not sat in chaos.  The only thing with open fires are dust and it has to be busted this morning.  Jo my friend has been going around doing little cleaning projects for me and it is like having a fairy godmother in the house. Wonderful!!!

Also I can report that yesterday we went out with my Mum and helped her choose cushions and throws and new curtains for her new room.  I took over a red quilt for her bed and she has fresh flowers and some room plug in scents around her 'little flatlet' as she calls it.  Sat there and looking out at the garden and being brought in a tray of coffee and watching her happy face lifted our spirits and it was a lovely few hours ....

I hope the picture above makes you giggle, I did and when I told my Mum that she really did laugh and had a twinkle in her eyes.  Although daily now she leaves us to go into another world she comes back to us still for short periods of time and we make memories still as a family ...

Well that is it for today, I have to check on the mice, get the fire ready to light and do a little housework.  Then its make a warm drink time and light the fire and settle down to slow little stitches, what utter bliss.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I will see you back here on Monday.  Have a great time and as always Happy Stitching! XX