Thomas goes on holiday

A large parcel is placed in front of an eager little boy. “Cri-mits present for me?” Bear pleads. We assure him that the gift is indeed for him, and within seconds, the floor is littered with Christmas paper, rapidly torn from the gift and discarded. His big brown eyes light up with pleasure, and he squeals with delight, “Look, mummy, it’s THOMAS!”

Our boys love Thomas, with a passion most sane people reserve for, say, spouses. One of Chubba Bubba’s first words was “toot-toot”. So to say the gift was a hit would be a slight understatement. The set was actually a “Take-Along” set, whereas the more discerning Thomas fans at our house prefer the delicious, tactile warmth of the timber sets. Not to say it was a *bad* gift, on the contrary. Running Bear and I looked at each other, smiling over the heads of our two little boys now lost in play, and almost in the same breath, “It’ll be perfect to take on holidays” (him) “I’ll make a little bag for it all so we can take it away with us” (me). So, shortly after arriving home, and managing to prise the now-beloved set from small hands, I pulled out my stash of Thomas fabric (yes, I have Thomas fabric on stand-by. Sad, I know), and pulled together a little portfolio-style carry bag for the new track, engines & associated “stuff”. I will admit, my “wing it” approach wasn’t *entirely* successful this time. The velcro doesn’t quite do up where I failed to allow for “expandage” due to the addition of the track pieces. Some elastic is too snug, while others are not quite snug enough. Eh, you live and learn.

Today has been perfection. The house is clean. The washing is up to date. We built a cubby house in the lounge room. Read stories, had fruit break, peiced a puzzle, all under the “shelter” of said cubby house. We’ve swung, slippery-dipped and sandpitted our way through the morning. And two little boys crashed shortly after their lunch, leaving a satisfied mama to sneak into the studio. And sew. Another quilt, nonetheless. The third is as many weeks! A log cabin change mat, from bargello scraps. Two blocks down, Two to go. The race is on. Quilt done. Naptime finished. Let’s do this!