The sun has got his hat on....

Well all seems right in my little world. The rhythm of summer is settling in and the children are finally getting the fresh air they so love, no beach trip yet, but that might be put right soon if the sun stays out. SO the house got left behind and out we went. The garden needs lots of attention after the torrential rain we have had, all that hard work pre rain needs to be redone, well I am on my way. The grass is cut, the children's play table is painted, a new sand pit has been purchased...the play tent climbing frame needs some serious cleaning, hot and wet...EW!!! Still it has not stopped the children playing in it. So far this morning I have cleaned the patio and put the cushions out and the the sun umbrella up...Ahhh it looks like summer again.
So with all this out door work and play the knitting came outside with me, those mice are breeding, I am getting better with each one and playing with the design and adding and taking away from the pattern so it will become my own little pattern. The little one is the latest one, with most of the changes, I love him but the kids still like the big clumsy ones!!!
Yesterday I went to collect my sewing machine, I took it in for a service last week, man how I have missed it, it turned out to need a full service with comments like 'You like your machine don't you' YOU BET I DO!!! Its not even a year old and I needed a new cutter on it...oops. Did you know Dunelm Mill are now doing patterns...here are my latest purchases, now with the sun shining I am less likely to sit in front of my machine in the day, as for the evening you can not beat a cooling glass of wine watching the sun go down when the babes are asleep, so they might take a while to get made up.
As for goodies in the post, I have wanted to show you these for a while, but I have been waiting untill I could show you them all together. They need no introduction if your an avid participant in blogland. They are from the very talented Tree Fall Designs, I know we all love her work and rightly so. It started off with the pear, I have a thing for pears, I used to use the design all the time in my paper craft days. I treated myself on my birthday and even bought the matching picture, I got some birthday money so I paid out to give the picture the full service it deserved and had it mounted and framed. Well the results speak for themselves. As a beach hut lover, when I spy ed Manda had made this cushion it was a must for my little collection. Did I mention the sun was shining? I need to away and tidy up the spare room and make the beds up as my friend (my knitting partner) is coming for a visit, bringing with her three little play mates for my children...her kids. Well two children and one babe, I have not seen the babe yet (this is the little poppet I did the baby knits for a few months ago). So I am looking forward to the company and the cuddles with the babe. First though we are off to a picnic in the park. Some of the School Gate Moms are meeting up in a local park for the children to play...Ah now that sounds more like summer...Long may it continue!!!

Have a good day now. Get out and enjoy it put don't forget your sun cream!!! Do I sound HAPPY???

And the rain just kept on raining!!!

Well what can I add to the mass of comments about our lovely British summer. All our usual summer activities are on hold for when the sun does shine! Instead of photos and chat about beach days and never ending evenings with the smell of coconut suncream and long lazy meals outside, we are all wearing wellies and rain coats, running in out of buildings, still enjoying Hot Chocolate and Marshmallows. Its just not right. Although I am so glad to report that we are not actually flooded out here, I am in a part of the country particularly used to rain. I just had to share this picture with you as it really captures the mood of the moment. It was taken between showers, a picnic packed, which of course was eaten in the car, we got wet, OH so wet, we walked and played and found a few animals, as we started to feel wet and cold and getting to the miserable stage we had the blessing of a beautiful rainbow sky.
So if you can not escape the rain, why not go with the flow, so to speak!
The kids had a great time splashing, swimming and sailing in a Lake, here is my youngest taking his first steps in to the cold water, just before the heavens opened and the rain came down, yet again, Hey who cares when your this wet already...OK I got a bit fed up on the bank, wish I could have gone in with them.
Keeping with the thought of the sky, this is a safe sky, hopefully no rain here (although you never know) this is one of my children's bedrooms. Its a surf dude/pirate room and I painted the sky myself when I was rather pregnant, I remember standing on a chair and painting on the clouds literally not looking as I was trying to keep my balance with my big BUMP, it worked out just fine. With my love of Gingham and thinking of summer time fun, I made the bunting, this is so simple. If your thinking of buying some as its so popular at present...try and make it yourself its so easy and quick!!!
Another little trip this week, we headed off to the moors and the mills, I was after some wool, yes well I needed to top up my stash! Look what we came across, how cool is this, an original cotton mill spinner, sorry I do not know its proper name. The children had such fun asking lots of questions and playing with the bobbins etc. Rather sadly someone had put some dirty nappies in one of the baskets, I know they are a little worn, but why people do this kind of thing is beyond me!!!
SO what wool did I buy? Mmmmmm lots!!! A huge bag full, I got some beautiful cashmerino super chunky at a fantastic price, I wanted this in the Autumn but felt it was to expensive. I also got some beautiful silk in brown and green to make the top that I showed the pattern of a few postings ago. All the wool was Debbie Bliss, I am a bit of a fan of her yarn. Oh and this little fellow, Pinkie the mouse, well first there was one and now.....well lets just say they are quick, easy and fun to make so for a quick fix of knitting whilst the children are around they are multiplying. SO I bought a couple of balls of different wool to play about with. They are not very professional looking at the moment but I am working on that, but they are a heap of fun....

I have noticed how quite blog land is at the moment, I to am not able to get to blog daily myself, I guess everyone is busy with the summer holidays and it will all pick up again in the Fall. I do still intend to blog a few times each week so until the next time we get together for a chat and a cuppa I wish you good health and lots of fun...With or without rain!!!

Doll Quilt

Wow, take a look at this beauty, I am so impressed, its stunning. I adore the colours, they are so not what I would pick and yet I love them. I think this is one of the things I like about this swap as it really does open you up to some new things. My beautiful quilt is made by the very talented Sara from Odd Dotty Dollymaker. Her work is really good and it was all wrapped up with a lovely matching bow. What I am very impressed with is the fact that she bothered to take inspiration from my own blog. My love of tea...so she really thought this one through. I love the hand stitching for the steam of the tea. Their is a funny story about this quilt. I was reading the update on the Doll quilts and saw this one posted (click over there and check them all out) I went over to her blog and commented on the fact that the recipient should be a very happy person, it must have made her giggle as it was on its way to me!!! So I think it was all meant to be.
I understand my quilt has arrived as I have been eagerly checking out her blog as she is in the middle of moving and I was scared it might get lost between addresses. Anyway I am very happy with mine and I think I will be popping over to Sara's blog more as its got some cool stuff going on. Thanks Sara, your a star!!! Go and log on to her blog to see the full impact of this quilt, I was to eager to photograph it before I unwrapped it and put it in its place of honour in my sewing room! Its worth it I promise she has lovely pictures of the back and the beautiful bow...
Well we are still soaking over here, the rain just keeps on coming. Here is a snap shot of all my lovely summer dresses which I am not getting to wear!!! This is the first year for many years I have been able to wear dresses, having breastfed both my babes for a long time, this is the first year of not doing so, so I have really made the most of wearing dresses...I would just rather wear them with summer shoes and not boots or worse yet Wellies!!!
Oh for some sunshine, everyone I know is in a real moody groove, when the sun shines things just seem so much better...it is summer after all!!! The mad thing is we still have water shortages!!!

Went away came back again!!!

Oh man, what a start to the summer holidays, we are only on day three without school and sooooooo much has happened, which is why I have not been around to reply to all your lovely comments, I will get to you eventually...The first day was so relaxing we had a lazy morning and eventually got ready around lunch time and off we went to a little end of school celebration for the children. This was great fun...came home and hastily packed for a week in the English Yorkshire Dales for a little holiday. On the way I had a flat tyre, as I had no idea what place I was in I was very silly and drove on the flat to the nearest place. Great start... When we eventually got to the idyllic cottage retreat we nearly turned around because of a horrid smell that just jumped at us as soon as we opened the door. The next day after nearly being 'ick' (as the children politely say) a plumber came out...horror it was not a drains smell it was a rotting animal under the floor boards. As you can imagine we came home quite quickly...
So the children needed some fun, we started a fresh day with home made pan cakes and chocolate sauce, its all healthy stuff around here at the moment!!!
'Mommy can we make a project' my usual reply 'Oh yes, what could we do?' to which both children shout 'painting' So that's just what we did, we got my Dads treasured box of paints out and we each picked our own colours and mixed them up with white to see the colour change.
We had a little practice each and had some fun with the cleaning up of messy hands and feet. Let me tell you, we are all very happy with our art work, what do you think?
Just a few canvases I had picked up cheap to originally do some Baby and Christening paintings to give as gifts, sadly it never happened so I thought I would put use to them, the kids are at an age now that they like to see an end product, gone are the days of just a colouring book and a few pencils...Once we had cleaned up it was time to take a break and enjoy our hard work which is now displayed up on the kitchen wall. What better way to make everyone happy on a dull wet day but Hot Chocolate and marshmallows, I know this health kick we are on is just too much.
SO we all went to bed happy and content with our lazy day at home looking forward to the next day, sadly this brought a flood, no not the horrendous ones that have been doing so much damage around the UK, no this was more of an over active bath time, my two children, a deep bath and a pair of goggles each...OK I saw a bit of water go over, when the electricity went out I thought it was a storm, now once the boys had got out of the swimming pool, whoops I mean bath! I realised that the reason I had not seen the water was the loo roll holder full of rolls had absorbed the visible damage. I went down stairs and it was here I got the full picture of the damage, coming out of one of the rooms under the bath was water, the light was blown and the bulb full of water, the ceiling of this room and into the kitchen was a dirty big water mark. I went to bed reading with a camping head torch, it took hours and hours for it to dry out enough, of course that meant no computer, no telly, radio or cooking...So forgive me for being a little quite over the last few days, its been a bit of a drama to say the least, still to the floods that so many have had, it just makes a funny story really...No seriously I am laughing...Honest!!!

I did managed to get some knitting done whilst the TV was out despite my still sore arm, wow such a great bruise so many colours! I have been making little mice, the first one, well he had character, they get better as I make more, so a trip to the wool mill today to cheer myself up and buy some odd balls of wool to fulfill the desire to make a ridiculous number of mice...Oh I feel better already, yer OK I admit I bought more than just the odd ball...

Here's to the sunshine...

UPDATE UPDATE....My doll quilt has arrived and it is just brilliant, I will not spoil the surprise, I will get a good picture and share with you all the info.

Get Stashed...

OK you asked for it, this is (and not all of it) my main stash of yarn. Now when I am feeling down or a little lacking in the creative department this is what I look at, along with all my knitting books (photo of my knitting books in a previous post a while ago). This without a doubt always a) makes me smile and b) gets all those ideas flowing.
I have previously posted how my friend who is a great knitter taught me to knit. Over a two year period my friend and I got together every Tuesday for Knitting night, we always had lots to chat about and even when we saw each other with our children in the day you could bet our knitting bags would always be close by!!! Ok the reason for wittering on like this, other than to try to justify my yarn habit! Well she moved away in January, I miss her and her babes like mad, so along with the holiday comes free time and she is hoping to come and stay with her three children...Hurrah!!

I have been TAGGED by the lovely devligendekoe I LIKE TO EAT... 5 places I like to eat, well that is my understanding of the tag. This is not a hard one for me as I do like to eat, too much actually, I struggle to understand how I was ever mildly anorexic in my teens...

1) I eat as many meals out in my garden as much as possible. The garden table is out all year, even in the cold weather myself and my kids will wrap up warm and eat homemade soup followed by steaming (well luke warm for the children) mugs of Chocolate and marshmallows. That said it is much nicer to eat out in the garden in the summer time. Mess is not a problem so its enjoyable and easy.
2) No surprise here...on the BEACH you can not beat British fish and chips, covered in healthy (Ha Ha!) salt and vinegar. Yep I actually even like the crunch when a bit of sand gets in there... that sounds weird.
3) In our camper van, Oh how I love our camper, its only little the size of a VW, it has the cutest little kitchen, everything in miniature, if its nice we do eat on the picnic table outside, but some of the best memories are when its pouring with rain and windy and we are all warm and cosy in the van snuggled up (due to lack of space) around the van table eating some soul warming grub.
4) BBQ with friends, easy summer living, late nights watching the sun go down, pulling a blanket over our shoulders when the sun takes with it its warmth. Lovely summer wine and burnt offerings. Ahh great memories are made of this.
5) OK I better take this in a different direction as basically they are all outside...so a restaurant is called for, oh so many. I love eating in restaurants, pre children I was lucky enough to travel throughout Europe and live in a few places for a periods of time, Paris was one of these and I had great meal after great meal, some in fabulous restaurants and some little back street fish places. I have also eaten in Raymond Blancs Le Manoir Aux Quat' Saisons which was an amazing experience for the taste buds and the senses, beautiful surroundings. Watergate bay, a great beach restaurant, you will know it by Jamie Oliver. Superb pasta in Italy. Oh my what shall I pick...I am going to have to go back to being outside again, I go to a little bistro in Abersoc (Wales) it has a relaxed style, quite surfy, the food is great, with good sized portions, friendly not snotty service, and a great outdoor terrace to eat out on with special outdoor heating, no not ozone damaging gas heaters.

So there you have it, yes I could have given you a list of great restaurants and places to go, but I think the underlining pattern here is I like eating out simply and with friends.

As for the kind of food I eat, I try and eat healthy but I do enjoy a Sunday roast dinner, most of my friends are veggies so I get to eat some great food I would not normally make myself, lots of pulses, seeds and leafy veg. My personal fav. food is Greek, I adore garlic in my food (sorry anyone in the near area to me) I failed my Domestic Science and could not really cook, at least not successfully, I worked in the Greek Isles for two summers and I was taught to cook the Greek way!
Photographs
1)Suzie Sews personal Yarn Stash 2)today's thrifting, beautiful happy curtains and a cushion cover, I am thinking aprons and a skirt! 3)My everyday plate cupboard, I canot one for things matching! 4) The Beach has had an influence in all areas of my life, this is my bathroom floor. 5) To follow on from picture 4, this is the bathroom wall, if your an IKEA fan you will know these pictures. The colour of the walls is not available anymore, let me tell you it is lovely, cool in summer and warm in winter. I love my little bathroom it has a beach hut feel.

PS Its raining with flood alerts!!!

The Sun came out...

Happy Happy Happy...The sun came out, after weeks and weeks of rain, I have never known rain like it in the summer, we have had mass flooding throughout the UK and many homes are ruined, so I do count my blessing that I am a lucky one, I live on a hill which helps although there is a rather flooded and now fast flowing stream at the bottom of the road I live on.
So to celebrate the sun we got out into the garden after school and got stuck into some serious play...My little one awoke this morning with glee! dragging me out of my slumber shouting 'Mommy Mommy Look see, its sunny' Yesterday I took him to his favourite afternoon out to a near by town with a great park. We went teacher present shopping, it had been raining all morning and most of the afternoon, suddenly the shop was alight...with the rays of the sun, the shop assistant fell about laughing as my little guy yelp out, again in glee 'Yer!!! its the sun' This really does give you an idea of how much rain we have had.
It has been a busy couple of weeks, and we are not quite there yet, I also have had quite a few appointments health wise and this week alone I have had two sets of blood tests. The first at the hospital, which was OK as these things go, a little bruise, but got the vein straight away, today at the local clinic...no such luck, after a number of goes and even trying a baby needle not enough was taken. I do have particularly poor veins but you would have thought that with the amount of times I prick myself with a pin or sewing needle I would be used to it, well I did feel like a pin cushion and I now have a very sore and bruised arm, I, not really able to even knit...Ouch!!!
So on feeling a little sorry for myself I return home, I bumped into the post man who smiled and gave me a parcel, he knows just how much I love a parcel!!!I ran in, poured myself a cup of coffee in my new Pyrex mug I had thrifted yesterday and look at the goodies that fell out of that package...
The stunning corsage, I so love these, I am always making them and wearing them, its my thing! I will put a corsage on my nightie!!! Well this is a beauty, the bead work is especially fine, such attention to detail and quite fiddly work, the beautiful strawberry needle case, I so wanted a case but never got round to making one so that's a treat on its own. Then feast your eyes on these lovely strawberries, all different sizes, again lots of detail...
Oh and this sweet, Oh so sweet, heart, look at that for eye candy...and as an extra treat for the senses they all smell wonderful. I thank you Foxglove, really there was no need, but I am so thankful that you did. Alison had commented on my new love (my new embroidery machine) and I offered to send her a few samples, I like giving gifts so I popped in a few bits as well and this was my thank you...Alison does some really pretty work, go on over and check her out.
OK this is my last time for six week that I will be sitting her 'on my own' the kids break up today, Yippee!!! So I do intend to carry on blogging, I make more stuff with the kids around so I will have lots of things to 'show and tell' and with my sons new love of photography I am sure we will be exploring that in more detail. I have to warn you though that if I am not concentrating 100% my dyslexia can often throw a party, so I will apologise NOW for the missed letters, incorrect spelling, as for the grammar...well I will not even go there, still it might raise a smile. You have been warned!!!

As its the last day of school I have been busy making, buying, wrapping presents and cards with the children, five in total. I think this is an important lesson for them, not so much what the gift is but the thought behind the gift, appreciation and just NOT taking things for granted. So the plants are wrapped and we have also bought some beautiful cup cake candles for the nursery teachers, the cards are so cute, but maybe as their Mom I would think that.

Those readers with children I wish you a very happy and fun summer with your babes, lets hope the sun shines and the kids can be running arround outside with smiles on their faces.

I have a list of things I want to blog about, I have been tagged, and I intend to do that, also some wip and I might even, Oh be brave Suzie, share a corner of my home...my wool stash...

Some people are just SOOOOO nice!!!!

You know there is a lot of talk about this craft community of ours, the support and enthusiasm being the main topic. I looked at blogs for about a year before I got the courage to write my own. I guess I wanted to be a part of this movement. The feeling of being a bit weird for loving what I do never really sat well with me, so when I stumbled into blogs I knew it was not only OK to have this need to create, but actually it was kind of cool. I have experienced great support over the six months I have been blogging and my creativity has really gone in to overdrive as I no longer feel embarrassed about what I do...well maybe a little... So today I got an email to say I had been featured as Craft Blog of the day...It came from the lovely Kim at Scap to my Lu I so love her blog, and she is very supportive of my blog. Well I checked it out and I am speechless, which lets face it for me is a rare thing. The link is
Today's creative Blog.
Go on take the time to link over there, whilst on a personal level I am blown away by the lovely and I do mean LOVELY things she has said about what I do, but also go check out the whole thing and leave a comment to encourage her to continue this venture. I am sure it is no easy task and quite consuming in time for Kim. What a great place to go to check out other peoples blogs in a similar field to what we all love. You know the buzz you get when you find a new blog, well Kim has taken the 'chance' out of it and along with her chatty ways of expressing what the blogs are like you can link to some real cool sites. Go on comment on her New blog, give her the encouragement and praise she so deserves. The blog has been nominated for the Rockin Girl Blogger award.

Thanks Kim
Todays creative Blog

Brown paper packages

Busy, fun, boxes and rain, that just about sums up my weekend. Man this week is going to be really busy also, then its school holidays...Yippee!!!!! As its the end of the school year and I have two children in different school I have lots of shows, school parties and dress up days to be going to, the children are moving in a zombie like state as they are just sooooooo tired. Its all good fun. Yet more rain again this weekend, so the garden still resembles a nature field, Archie went out yesterday for some fresh air and ended up looking more like an enormous hedgehog than a rabbit, all his fur was wet and sticking up in spine like points!!!!
So not a lot of crafty goodness took place although plenty of housework got done, I had a visit from my Mom and brother and it was all worth it as for the first time ever my Mom did not say a negative word about the way I run my house. Although she was a little uncomfortable about the piggies (Charlie and Lola) being in the living room.
My Boden sale order arrived...Yummy only one thing needs to go back. I did manage a little sewing time as I wanted to alter a top I had got in my lovely Boden box full of goodies and pretty tissue paper!!!I am such a sucker for these details....
I wanted this top for a while, but being large in the bust department, but petite in height I did not think this top would fit well. It was such a good buy in the sale I took the chance. Well I was so right, it fitted the bust, but far to long in the straps, it is one long binded piece, so with a faint heart I took the scissors to it. Chopped a good inch off each shoulder strap, hand sewed the hem and got busy with my button hole foot. I could not make my mind up on buttons and after a lot of playing around I went with the aubergine colour of the bust line, I still felt it had a look of a maternity top (although that is what is 'in' at the moment) so I darted the front. I am rather impressed with the results, now I just need some sun shine to wear it... I leave you with a rather blurry bit of crochet. I have been trying in vain to master the granny square, I need someone to show me really, so whilst away I played about with spare wool and came up with my Ipod bag, yer its a bit naff, but it does the job and stops me worrying it will fall out of my pocket as I move around.

I have had little time to blog (write or read) this weekend, I caught up on a few comments (still have a few to reply to) this morning and I read one blog that positively had me in heaps of laughter, if you want to have a laugh out loud moment click on to MonkeeMaker and go back to the post 'How camp is my Monkey'...such fab pictures, as I am thinking a lot about camping at the moment so it especially touched my giggle button...go on put a smile on your face...

Dreaming of sunnier days

Rain Rain go away come again another washing day....Its official, I am now totally fed up with the rain, even my children pull back my bedroom curtains in the morning and the youngest goes 'Mommy its gloomy' followed by my eldest saying 'again Mom' Not only is it wet its dull, which makes for not very good quality pictures, which is why I am posting pictures of what I think we should be doing at the moment, enjoying the outdoors.
Oh for the smell of suncream, sand between your toes (and every place else). Happy little people, no need for toys or telly, just good old fashioned fun.
Lots of picnics with fresh salad and cooling drinks, the colours of summer towels and beach windbreaks, ice cream stains of grubby T Shirts, feeling the wind blowing in your hair and the warmth of the rays on your face as people smile and children giggle.
Oh how I long for those days of summer, where are they?

Feeling special, thank you...

I am feeling very special today, I received a fantastic parcel in the post from the wonderful Quilting Debbs. I have just deleted a very long emotional post about the ups and downs of my emotions, heavy stuff so I am going to go with the English stiff upper lip and side line all the emotional stuff so as not to bore you. Never the less it is important to say that Debbs, having read my blog for a while, actually realised through my witter that I had been feeling down, I am so touched by this and I really do thank her form the heart. What a lovely thing to do. My delight is also in the beautifully made pin cushion, the choice of colours, I so love gingham, if you could be a fabric gingham would suit me in personality. Not only that, but Ric Rak, I have trouble sewing this on in a neat line and this is so fiddly, is beautifully done. I thank you Debbs.
I mentioned I had splurged on fabric over the weekend and this was my buy. I am so excited about it, what is it with fabric, I laugh when I say buying fabric is my 'Prozac' but you know I believe it, it makes me feel giddy and full of possibilities, sad maybe, but I could do worse things. Mmmmm just look at that eye candy. Yum!!! The first is a Moda fabric, sort of pre quilt...I plan to make a lap quilt for the winter, quilt the batting and backing with the top fabric, embroider some linen squares, design not decided yet, I have even already bought the backing fabric a lovely soft flannel dark cream sheet, which is washed ready for action. On my quilting course one of the girls brought in a quilt she was making at home and it has really fired me up to make one for myself using this fabric. The two green pieces are for stash, the pink...what can I say I have loved this since I fist saw it, sadly it was out of my price range but I thought I would invest in the sale, I am slightly disappointed though as there is a permanent mark right in the middle of one of the ruffles which makes it a little difficult to cut round so the planned project might have to change. The owl print is to make a spare pair of PJ bottoms for my youngest. As for the plastic lolly makers I bought these a couple of weeks ago, they are still unused and sitting on the kitchen window ledge, they look so pretty, a pound shop buy and they look real neat. Maybe when the sun does eventually shine here they might actually get used. In the meantime I am getting some joy out of their design, more as a work of art than a functional object.
I had an email about Charlie and Lola, so I thought I should show you an update on how they have grown, I came back from my week away in disbelief, they had got so big...
Can you spy the cushion in the background. I did plan to blog about this in the future, but as its sneaked into the picture I thought I would mention it. It needs no introduction I am sure you must recognise it, its from fellow blogger Treefall. I had so admired these cushions and pictures, so when it was my birthday I treated myself to the cushion and matching picture, its every bit and more what I thought it would be, the quality is superb. The picture is at a local shop being framed as we speak, well actually they said it would take two weeks, but I do like to support local business. Having done my early morning blog reading I have just discovered she has a new set for sale, maybe mine needs a partner!!!

Talking of spending money, what better way to make it go further than shop at sale time. Oh that's right the sales are already on. I have just completed mine, I have topped up my wardrobe with the Boden sale. As for luxury I paid a visit on invitation to Cath Kidston and finally bought the sewing box I have had my eye on for over two years, because I need one to add to the other three I already have!!! Well actually I also treated myself to a garden chair for the back of the car for when the sun finally shines. Lots of picnics planned for the summer holiday and I shall do it in style this year!!! Go on check them out, what will you go for?

As for the response on schooling this week I am still reading all the emails and taking it all on board, a lot of thought needs to be put into this from me and I thank you and value your opinions so much.

Happy Feet

Thank you, Thank you for all the comments yesterday, I really appreciated the fact that you took the time to type these comments, it has certainly given me food for thought and as it is an on going issue for me I shall keep you informed, any view points on the subject are more than welcome.
So it was parents evening last night for my oldest child. Bless him, he was nervous and first thing this morning he asked me how he got on. He was greeted with a big smile form me telling him that I could see he had done his best and I was so very pleased. As children do he enjoyed the moment for two seconds then asked for a piece of fruit!!!

I did find out that once again he is having another new teacher next school year, and by that I mean a not quite qualified teacher, our school, being a very small village school, has little to no money and can not afford qualified teachers...this sounds terrible but the school has a fabulous feel to it and the children have good manners and its a nice friendly environment. New teachers either are very enthusiastic and therefore prove to be excellent teachers or they have no idea how to relate to children as they have no experience. One of my child's teachers started of a newie and I had so many concerns and rightly so, she taught my child for two years, in this time I watched her find her feet, relax with the children and prove herself to be a most excellent teacher. Yet more to think about... Anyway one of the joys of parents evening is reading your child's work, totally uninfluenced by Mom, my personal favourites are the RE books and Literature books. In his RE book he had drawn a picture of heaven and in a speech bubble he had written 'Grandad please do not forget me' as my Dad passed away over a year ago now you can imagine how my heart skipped a beat and I had to quickly turn the page to stop the tears.
In the literature he had written a story about Mommy. He had listed all the points about his Mom (ME)...It went something like this...
My Mom gives me cuddles
My Mom makes me yummy food
My Mom reads me stories
My Mom rides my bike with me
My Mom watches TV with me
My Mom cuddles me
My Mom tucks me up in bed
My Mom makes me giggle
My Mom knits me toys
My Mom sews me toys

Suzie Take the smile off you face you look silly. Seriously how cute is that, what praise is that??? I am one Happy Mommy today I can tell you.
SO I thought I would share with you the Happy Feet, yep we got some sunshine yesterday, not for long as the rain came down, but enough to put on my sparkly open shoes. With the sunshine it means outdoor play so my boys played with their new love...Marbles, Oh how Mom loves the pretty marbles!!! At last I found a use for the Batman fabric I bought a few months ago, the boys are loving their marble bags. It would not be complete whilst talking about outside play without a picture of Archie, he has been so fed up stuck in doors and he sooooo misses the company of us all. So here he is soaking up the rays in his usual chilled out manner whilst keeping a close eye on the piggies (Charlie and Lola) as they hurtle around their outdoor run. Look at the the length of the grass...that's a job for for today.

Eye Candy-lots of words-you pick

Woosh and the weekend is over, my how quick it goes. Only a couple more weeks then its long lazy days with no school runs or time restraints. At the moment I am busy with lots of appointments, sorting out school bits and pieces and a few medical appointments for me. Then its time to relax and get the summer rhythm going...yippee! I have been giving school a lot of thought, I would so like to home school, being dyslexic though fills me with lots of worries about my children's education, I know, if your reader of this blog, I do make more errors than most. I am a believer that this is communicating and it's only recently that it became so important to communicate properly rather than just gets yourself understood. As a mother we want to give our babes the best start in life and that's usually a priority. This weekend I have been reading the blogs of a few favourites who home school, and I have found it fascinating. I have come away with the need to research some literature on the subject. Thanks to Soulemama's recommendations. I met a Mom in a thrift shop recently and we had a really long chat, she talked about her children, they had been removed from school as they had been told they could not be taught and the disruption they caused was not fair on the other children. So with an independent spirit as a single mom seems to have, she moved away and lived in a farmstead in the local hills near by. Numerous years on her children are all in amazing careers, from Doctor to Preacher, she believed in her children and let them just enjoy life and go with their own thirst for knowledge without a timetable or classroom. Amazing story, an amazing women, I wounder if I will ever meet her again. Its parents evening for us tonight and I have so many worries about my child's school and education, his hearing issues have held him back and his report says he is a quite student. Then I think about all this stuff 'Why am I worried, he is a fantastic character, he is kind, caring and such fun to be with, and a great thirst for knowledge and adventure'. I have mentioned previously that a lot of my friends are teachers and if you mention school to them in Mom talk it is difficult to get an unbiased opinion off them as they stick up for one another, I guess if you have worked so hard to become a teacher that's only right, but then I am left feeling worse. (In case your reading Caroline this does not include you, your cool). I think it must take a huge amount of inner confidence to home school. Anyway that has been my thought process for much of the weekend.
So on to the weekend, what goodies and delights have I to share, well first of all I took the boys to the local patchwork and thread shop as it was sale time, I planned for some threads and the sashing fabric for my large quilt, I did buy lots of threads, just too good to resist. The country embroidery machine threads by Brother, half price which made them an even better buy than day to day thread, so I went a bit mad and spend all my birthday money on them. (Thanks Mom , you did say treat yourself to something for me and not the kids, I know she will be horrified I spent it on thread, but it makes me happy). I did not buy the sashing fabric, instead I bought two fabulous fabrics that I have had my eye on all season just not been able to justify the cost. So with 30% off I made the investment.
We returned home to brighter weather, NO RAIN for at least an hour, would it stay off for our school PTA Treasure Hunt around the village...YES!!! The kids really enjoyed this and then we settled in for a BBQ and wore the kids out on the bouncy castle. A great time was had by all, and we won the booby price for taking the most time for doing the treasure hunt!!! Hey we won a bar of chocolate the kids thought it great!!!
SO after a good nights sleep and a bright start to the day, the garden was looking promising, just as some of the work got going the heavens opened. This was tragic as in the afternoon we had friends coming for a little birthday celebration. So in true British style we went ahead with the plans but did get rained off and had to come inside. It was Champagne and strawberries, after all it was the Wimbledon finals so we watched the end of the match shouting at the telly having had one to many glasses of champagne!!! The kids had a great time, the adults became a pile of hopeless giggles and we ended the get together with birthday cake. Now I usual make a cake for my friends birthdays, but I bought one, the reason being it was an operation cake (remember the 70's game) well it was cool, my Friend is a GP, that's Doctor not animal! So it was a joke really, but we dutifully played the operation game before we all dived into the cake with shouts of 'I want the legs' or 'I want the heart' LOVELY!!!!
So we start a fresh week, the Doll quilt has been finished, I have found out I am allowed to show the picture, also the person I am sending mine to does not read my blog as far as I am aware so I have posted the full pictures, so all my swaps are up to date...wounder what I can do next...

Pictures...
1) EYE CANDY...the new threads
2) CHAMPAGNE AND STRAWBERRIES...a little birthday nibble
3) COW HILL...one of the views from my home, cow hill, the children spotted the calf having Mommy milk and wanted me to take a picture, I love this hill, it makes me very happy!
4) DOLL QUILT SWAP...Front of finished quilt
5) DOLL QUILT SWAP...Back of finished quilt