Christmas in the sun.......

and the snow!

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, pulling out my hair!

Meg wanted a dress like her in Tangled. "Like Rapunzel's you mean?"

"Yes, like Rapunzel's"

"Shall Mummy make you a Rapunzel dress?" I asked a little hastily.

"Yes."

"And will you wear it if Mummy makes you a Rapunzel dress?"

"Yes."

OK then. Promise believed, I set out to find out how to make a Rapunzel dress. Now, I have come accross crafting blogs before and love the fact that there are people out there who sell their handicrafts online or indeed their cleverley designed paper patterns (this purple and green dress I made for Meg in the summer was from one such blog) but I was particularly overjoyed to find a clever lady here who shows how to cut your own pattern using just a t-shirt for reference! Cool!

 

So I did. I tried my best. I struggled with the ridiculous fabric they call costume satin, and a daughter who refuses to try on my creations until they are finished, then with a bodice that was too long at the waist and too short accross the back.....but eventually....success. You may notice that the pattern on the website doesn't have the princess kick pleat in the front; that, I am proud to say is all mine.

 

Anyway, dressing up costume finished. My end of the bargain upheld. Has Meg acually worn the dress? Well, I have photographic proof of the two occasions on which she deigned to put it on right here. She wore it for about as long as it takes to get a decent picture, then took it off.

 

I don't think that really counts do you?



 





Please be upstanding.......

......IT'S HERE!

But what is it?

 

 

 

Can you tell what it is yet?

 

 

There it is! You got it!

    



High on the hill was a lonely goatherd...

Jodi says he doesn't want me to make one for him. I just cannot imagine why! I'm having one......maybe........

Is it too soon?

Barking up the wrong tree?

We had a breakthrough last Thursday and it was all thanks to Miss. Madeline. I am talking,of course, about Meg's rather tentative initiation into the world of ice and the skating thereon. We were having many excited conversations in the countdown to each Thursday lesson about how great skating is and just how much fun it can be. then after the lesson there were delighted announcements to anyone who would listen that she had just been ice-skating, what a clever girl I am! But while actually out there on the ice? Hmmmmmmm. Excitement quickly dissolved into a lip-trembling, wooden legged panic with a complete refusal to do the actions to Heads, shoulders, knees and toes. Poor old Meg.

I tried being supportive from the gate, and being on the ice with her but nothing was quite right. I was just starting to wonder whether ice-skating lessons were a good idea for a 2 year old when Miss.Madeline had a burst of inspiration. "Get her to bring one of her toys with her next time." So I did. We spent a week deciding which particular toy should share the ice with Meg - she picked the elephant called Monkey (all Meg's toys are currently called Monkey) and packed him into the car with her gloves and snow pants. When it came to skate-lacing time Meg denied any knowledge of poor old Monkey and refused point blank to take him with her. I put him in my pocket. Meg was duly delivered into the capable hands of Miss.Madeline and stepped bravely out onto the ice. Five minutes later, as anticipated, the lower lip commenced its wobble and Miss.Madeline zoomed over to me with a question, "Did she bring....?" she started.
"Yes, here," I replied holding out the elephant, "she brought Monkey." Madeline cast me a sideways glance but being completely up to speed with the foibles of her younger students (and her older ones but that's for another day), she accepted what I said and skated off to join Meg. And then it happened. The lip tremble metamorphosed into a smile, the wooden legs relaxed and Meg started to enjoy herself. There was the Throw-elephant-along-the-ice-and-skate-to-catch-up-to-him game, and the Let-elephant-ride-around-on-your-skating-helmet game, and the Roll-on-the-ice-because-you're-happy game, and the Drawing-on-the-ice-with-markers game, and the Flying-like-a-butterfly game (harder than you'd think) and generally having fun. Awesome.

Who knew that such a difference could be made by an elephant called Monkey. (And clever, clever Miss Madeline, of course!)

Happy Halloween!