This and that

Well hello there :)

It is *freezing* in the Londonium - relative to our usual weather, at least. I ventured out at lunchtime, in a beige knitted hat that can best be described as hobo-chic, and bought out all the fresh cream and jam slices in the supermarket.

Because this kind of weather calls for comforting creamy things loaded with sugar, am I right?

On Tuesday night I came home from rush hour and icy winds to a surprise in the post. All the way from Australia!

Hand-painted tea towel tied up with string ... this is just one of my favourite things

Ok, I confess. It's not *exactly* a surprise. It's the hand-painted tea towel I ordered from Dawn Tan Wenyi - she of beautiful recipe ingredient prints fame.

But I wasn't expecting it so soon.

The tea towel itself is a delight. But the packaging? Too cute. Tea towel, doilie and recipe for Julie's Chocolate Cream Pie (from Julie and Julia - if you haven't seen that movie, you should), all tied up prettily with brown string. My photos are awful but *sheepish* I can't tie the string as nicely as she can, so these will have to do. Ahem.

And yes, that is gingham you spy around the edge of the recipe card <3

Dawn included a free print with every Christmas order. I got this one (again, excuse rubbish photo):

Note the cute thank-you doilies ...

.. and now I can't stop singing the song. It keeps my heart warm and happy while I'm waiting on the train platform watching my own breath.

Hurrah for surprises in the mail. Especially ones from far-away lands ... This is just one of the reasons why I love Etsy so much. Sigh.

So, it's December! Are you all feeling festive yet?

Yesterday I opened the first door in our office Advent calendar (thank you first-letter-in-the-alphabet surname). And today, Jill, our lovely office manager, sprayed frosty white stencils on our windows. There's a snowman on mine, peeping through the curtain of fairy lights. Our Christmas tree is up too, complete with company-logo topper fashioned from cardboard and a toilet roll tube. Craft-y goodness.

We usually put our decorations up mid-December at home, something of a tradition for us. But I think I'm going to rebel tonight and hang the little scented wreath I got from the Country Living Christmas Fair above our fireplace :) 

Speaking of Christmas, I have some exciting news - starting on December 15th, Kandace at 'Moments and Memories' is hosting a blog hop (I love that phrase - makes me think of dancing. Lindy hop? I don't know).

'ChrisTime 2010', fashioned on the GreaThings 2010 hop that Chantel just hosted, is an opportunity for us to reflect on the real reason for the season and praise Jesus for all His good gifts. I don't know about you, but Christmas always takes me by surprise - resulting in frantic rushing around and barely enough time for my regular devotional time, let alone extra time to just be and give thanks to God for His wonderful gift.

I'm jumping on board the ChrisTime train - join me? Click on the image below to get to Kandace's post (she explains things much better than I can):

This weekend I'm heading up north to Bolton (a small town in the northwest of England, about 20-odd miles from Manchester) to celebrate my beloved's dad's 50th birthday. Yeah, he has *young* parents.

If we manage to navigate the anticipated heavy snow, it should be a lovely, relaxing time. I haven't seen his family since March ... time really does have wings.

We're driving up tomorrow evening, by which time I pray he's found a heater for his little Fiesta. Sometimes I think it's actually warmer outside :)

So. I might sprinkle some fairy dust here and there - but it's mostly goodbye from Yarnbelle until Monday.

Hope you all have beautiful weekends filled with peace and quality time. And lots of tea to ward off the cold. Vintage teacup optional.

I leave you with some encouragement from J. C. Ryle:

It costs something to be a true Christian. Let that never be forgotten. To be a mere nominal Christian, and go to church, is cheap and easy work. But to hear Christ's voice, and follow Christ, and believe in Christ, and confess Christ, requires much self-denial. It will cost us our sins, and our self-righteousness, and our ease, and our worldliness. All- all must be given up. We must fight an enemy who comes against us with twenty thousand followers. We must build a tower in troubled times. Our Lord Jesus Christ would have us thoroughly understand this. He bids us "count the cost."