I spent some time over the holidays reading the journals of folks who live lives that I would live if I wasn’t living my life. Lives of girls in apartments studying art or design, who stomp through snow, hang with groups of friends on weekends in bars and bookshops while eating ramen and making zines. I was reminded by these other lives that I am now officially not that kind of person any more. I am a suburban mum, a few months shy of 31, a few years shy of buying or building a house and around a decade shy of being middle aged (although when does middle aged start exactly? 40? 45? When I was little I thought it was 30 so perhaps it moves further away with every birthday). Where I once fantasised about working for an alternative record label while designing posters, living on a clapped out houseboat and looking like Holly Golightly, I now fantasise about keeping a run of chickens, growing herbs outside my kitchen window and holding a brood of giggling kiddies while reading “Where the Wild Things Are” out loud. I now prefer the intoxicating blend of russian caravan and lapsang souchong to the heady mix of vodka and tonic, going to bed early to sleeping in late, cook books to comic books. I don’t even know where my tube of liquid eye liner is (once a trusty friend and constant companion through art school), and if I did happen upon it I am sure it would be all dry and crusty and if it isn’t I would surely have lost that honed knack of applying it just so – 60s mod not 80s gothic.

And by and by she got older. Sniff.

I have just finished a book which I really enjoyed. She Flew the Coop by Michael Lee West. Claire sent me a preloved, dog-eared copy of it ages ago and I finally had a chance to sit down and get into it. It’s full of gossip and recipes and intertwining lives in a small town and was very easy to read while waiting for my turn for a shower in the mornings or for the water to boil for pasta in the evenings… I will be handing it on to someone who needs a good book to read soon. So I am now on to one my mum leant me; Margaret Drabble’s The Seven Sisters I have only just started it but already I am wondering if I would enjoy it more if I were the age of the protagonist – which I guess to be late 50s or early 60s with grown children and starting a new life. Even so, I am already keen to know what’s going to happen and Margaret Drabble is a pretty compelling author. I just had a peek at the Amazon editorial review and I might have to go and read a bit more while Amelia J snoozes.

But because I can’t help myself and there is a little bit of the younger me still lurking around the joint my birthday wishlist now includes Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan. (via niem)

Bliss – the rain has just started. The wind seems to be still thick and heavy and hot but at least there is the smell of wet grass wafting through the house. My mum is in the lounge room lying on the floor reading Amelia Bedelia to Amelia J. They have spent the day together as I am officially back at work (2 days a week). If you need some illustrations done then I am the person to hire!

We’ve just been out for last minute christmas eve food shopping. The fruit at the green grocers all looked summery and incredible — what I could see between the jostling shoulders of crazed shoppers. Tonight we are having Mum and Dad over for dinner – marinated lamb chops and summer berry crumble… yummo! Tomorrow will be presents, roast chicken and a lovely, quiet, champagne sipping day at Mum and Dad’s. I love christmas – and I hope you all have a good one.

I was saying to the lovely bee, pea and kylie yesterday that the stuff I love about a lot of the blogs I visit are the many and varied craft projects that people throw themselves into. Big-P likes to check out technical blogs all about code and hard drives and clever little apps whereas I like to see felt and knitting and magnets and glue and stuff. So in the style of the queen of craft, Megan, I bring you some crafty gals doing cool stuff:

I mentioned a while back that I had picked up a copy of Martha Stewart Kids and how happy this made me. One of the articles inside is a step by step guide to making sock dogs which I ooo-ed and ahh-ed at but dismissed as being too hard to even contemplate. But Anna has gone and done it! She has kindly put up some pics of her beautiful sock dog Pickleberry.

Next year I am going to attempt to make all gifts. This year I can barely even get organised enough to get my Christmas shopping done, let alone bundle it up and send it off in time to get to overseas relatives. One thing I must keep in mind is glass etching as explained by Isabelle. I would love to make an etched mirror for someone.

Erica impresses me no end with her pure energy for the craft project. I wished she lived in Melbourne so I could send her to that shop where I found Amelia’s christmas doll because it is loaded with felty goodness. Check out Erica’s stocking stuffed with funny dogs.

And because, in my opinion, felt is this season’s chenille (or corduroy or something!) I have to point you to ljc’s gift for her grandma.

Although Gayla doesn’t have a photo of it, the bag she made for her cousin sounds so completely fabulous. This entry makes me want to never buy another gift ever again. I think I am going to start making stuff in January in preparation for next year. Also, Gayla has an article on plant related gift projects up at You Grow Girl.