Childs Play....

Oh yes, child's play, what is it about the beach that without a word gives you permission to be a child?  Being on the beach, or by the English Seaside is a magical place.  It does not matter if its beautiful stretches of empty breathtaking beach scapes or the seaside strip full of people, donkeys and the bells and whistles of the arcade, there is just something that invites you play, to take your shoes off and dip your toes in the cold water, to sit on the sand and feel the tiny grains of sand cling to your skin, to turn your face into the breeze and feel transported to a special place.  Yes for me the beach is a place of fun, it helps me focus, rebalanced myself and indeed feed my very soul.  So indulge me if you will in a few pictures from the weekend.  The sun was shinning, the outdoors was the place to be...Tagged, yes another tag that I never got round to doing.  I kinda like this one, its not deep and yet has made me think about 'the here and now'  feel free to join in...

WHATS YOUR FAVOURITE COLOUR?

Green

WHATS IS YOUR FAVOURITE ITEM OF CLOTHING IN YOUR WARDROBE?

Oh just one... that's tricky... An old battered sweatshirt from Fat face, I bought it when I started camping with my family, its served me well.  Its baggy, faded and has many memories ground into it (literally) a few BBQ marks, suncream and I swear I can smell a camp fire on it.  I love it its like giving myself a hug at that time of evening on the beach when the sun loses its strength but your not ready to go indoors yet.

WHATS YOUR DREAM JOB?

Being a full time Mommy, oh that's what I am doing, living the dream then!!!

WHATS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT?

A jade Tee from a charity shop for 75p

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

Radio 4, women's hour, the play is on soon....

WHATS YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM?

Rum and Raisin.

WHATS YOUR FAVOURITE FRUIT?

Cherries

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

Life does.. Corney I know but so many things inspire me, I believe with all my heart we live too fast, I watch people push so much into their lives in the pretence of success and happiness.  I want to shout...slow down and take time to smell the coffee, ITS GOOD I PROMISE!!!  Yes its the little things that inspire me, colour, texture, smell. Daisies, yes daisies a wild flower you could even argue its a weed, its perfect, small and sweet it holds its face to the sun and folds itself up in the dark... yes simple little daisies...they inspire me.

WHATS ON THE WALL OF YOUR BEDROOM?

Oh quite a lot, I like pictures and I do over utilise the wall space.  The focal point though is a print of a basic pencil drawing of a naked women, a real women with curves, it has a splash of colour that takes the print to a different level.  My children think its me, this makes me smile I think its good children get a good body image and embrace imperfections  as its what makes us unique.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE DESIGNER?

I am not into labels of any sort really, I like what I like I am not really swayed that's its a good designer.  OK I do like certain clothes shops (Boden, Fatface, Coast, Jigsaw) but as for designers...well my wedding dress was designed by Jeff Banks, it was beautiful, hand stitched bead work bodice and the most beautiful Satin Skirt, it was priced over three times what my engagement ring cost...MADNESS. I am inspire by Westwood, I adore her eccentricity but the clothes just don't suit me,  I am the wrong shape to carry them off. 

DO YOU ADMIRE ANY ONES STYLE?

Yes, I think there are some great women out there with cool style.  Sadly there are also a lot of pretentious people who's style I feel is a poor role model for our children especially girls. I love Kirstie from Relocation Relocation but we do have a similar shape and I like her kookiness.  Whilst I might have mixed feeling about Madonna, I love her boldness, her ever changing look, I just need to watch her perform and I want to get the exercise mat out, her energy is amazing.  

WHAT LANGUAGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK?

I worked in Europe for a few years and I learnt a splattering of a few languages, Greek being the main one, I love listening to radio when I travel, the flow of a language is what I enjoy.  I attended Spanish Classes, sadly I was rubbish at it, I just do not have an aptitude for languages.  I would like to speak French, my NIA teacher (Nia is an exercise class, awesome bare foot dancing, click link)  She is french and as its a senses based form of exercise I think its great to listen to her voice. It is a very sensuous language.

WHATS YOUR FAVOURITE QUOTE?

Its Character building.  I was brought up with this quote, I believe it. 
WHATS YOUR FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?

Country Living

IF YOU HAD A £100 WHAT WOULD YOU SPEND IT ON?

A book, a few fat quarters of fabric some wool and maybe a pot of cream from LUSH...happy happy happy!!!  

WHATS YOUR CURRENT OBSESSION?

Being in my kitchen, I am trying to watch the pennies at the moment so I am getting a kick out  of cooking on a budget, I am trying to get the children to broaden their taste range also.  I also love being in my kitchen, my music on, I have a sofa at one end with a view of the hills when the kitchen door is open, I sit here and talk on the phone, read, knit  or hand sew. Its also a great place to cuddle the children, yes being in the kitchen is my obsession at the moment.

WHAT ARE YOU WEARING TODAY?

Grey linen pinstriped, wide leg trousers and a white granddad shirt finished of with sparkly between the toe sandals.
WHATS FOR DINNER?

Left overs...Spaghetti Bol. and a salad with sticky toffee pud for dessert (waste not want not)

WHAT WOULD YOU EAT FOR YOUR LAST MEAL?

Tapas

IF YOU COULD HAVE A HOUSE PAID AND FURNISHED ANYPLACE IN THE WORLD WERE WOULD IT BE?

A Greek island, a tumbling down white house by the side of the sea (Think Captain Corelli's Mandolin or Mamma Mia)

IF YOU COULD GO ANYPLACE IN THE NEXT HOUR WERE IN THE WORLD WOULD IT BE.

The company would be more important than the place but, yes it has to be a beach in the warm sunshine, yes maybe a Greek Island again.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO AFTER THIS?

Get out in the garden.

WHATS YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK?

Again a hard one, I have two Fav. ones but as its just one it would have to be Bram Stokers Dracula, a  unique love story.

DO YOU COLLECT SOMETHING?

Yes too much stuff.  I do have a little thing for heart shaped objects, there all over my home. 

WHATS YOUR MOST IMPORTANT RULE IN LIFE?

My children come first.

 

Still reading, wow your a star.  I thank you.  OK the sun is shinning, I have housework to do but I have to get out there and enjoy it... go on take time to smell the coffee, I dare you!

A Bird in the hand...

Look at the pretty lady that arrived in the post for me this week, just what I needed to chase away the effects of all those Glitches. Is she not just the sweetest little thing? the workmanship is just superb. Her name is 'Poppet' and she now lives above my work station in my sewing room. She came from the very talented hands of Pink Petal Designs...I Thank You Sarah... I have a little extra company at home at the moment, my wee one is running a fever and is spending his time in the day tucked under a much loved and now slightly worn out looking (because of the amount of love and cuddles it gets) quilt. You just can not beat a homemade quilt to cover yourself up in when your feeling poorly. At night, well that's a different story, he spends his nights climbing all over me, so this Mommy is rather tired and the lack of sleep is seriously starting to show now...
So today I will be getting lots of cuddles in with my little one. The weekend was full of lots going on, we have just finished eating all the cakes, on Sunday we discovered a bird in our garden that could not fly, I phoned round various places and I was instructed to take our bird to the local Bird Sanctuary... Once we had got her out of her hiding place I picked her up and put her into a pet basket and off we went for a drive of discovery...Sat Nav decided not to work and I had no idea how to get to the sanctuary, an hour later and having asked five people the way we took in our bird, I was worried due to the amount of time we had taken. I am pleased to report that they thought she would pull through...
The boys and I got treated to a tour around the place, which was a lovely way to spend the afternoon. That evening my older child was singing in a choir to raise money for our local hospice, it was a sell out and the children sang lovely, they ended the concert by singing 'World in Union' which was very moving considering what is happening in this world and to hear the children sing the meaningful words. I had a big treat this week, as a birthday gift from one of my friends (I hit a big birthday next week but the less said about that the better) I was taken to the theatre, I have not been to the theatre for ages and I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. It was a great night and the play itself was just Fab.


With all the stuff that's going on I have not picked my needles up this week so its no wounder I am a little twitchy...I need to get some sewing and knitting time, maybe later today...I am working on an order so that should push me a little, little Yo Yo hair slides...



Now ages ago, pre computer glitches I was tagged by the lovely Miss Sew N Sew...I enjoy reading these tag answers as I think you can find out a lot about the blogger so I thought it was about time I answered the Tag...(Go and check out her blog she has just returned from a great holiday, she has some lovely pictures to share)...







1) What was I doing ten years ago?I had just got married and was living a life which evolved around my career, yes I was a career girl, I was also into entertaining friends by cooking huge dinners. I was busy setting up home and adjusting to sharing after living a life of Independence. We starting to think about having a family but at this stage all that 'trying' was just good fun!!! I was a serious drinker and into having a serious good time BUT I also worked seriously hard too...Oh how things have changed!!!
2)What are 5 things in your to do list today? Just Five??? Well everyday is different...1)I have some house work to get on...ironing, bed changing that sort of thing. 2) A birthday cake to bake for someone. 3) An order to work on. 4) Mow the lawn and then plant up some seedling with the children. 5) Find out how the bird we rescued at the weekend is getting on at the bird sanctuary. Then again I might just be cuddling my sick babe!!!
3)Snacks I enjoy:Chocolate, Avocados, Pistachio nuts, Olives, More Chocolate
4)Things I would do if I was a billionaire Of course I would make the donations that would help people less fortune than myself. Live by the Sea and have my own beach hut.Own a fab shop, a mix of yarn and fabric and all things in between. A place to relax in and meet up with people for a coffee whilst you poke through all the delights on offer.Take my children to see my soul mate and her family in Australia.To stop worrying about not being able to provide for my children, saying this they still would not get everything they want, but I would know I could take them on holiday, eat good food and provide the education they require as they move through life and set them up as they enter their adult life.
5) Places I have lived inParis/France. Crete. Rhodes. Spain. United Kingdom-in the UK I have moved around a lot, saying that I have never really settled until I had my children and have now been in the same place for a number of years.
6) Jobs I have had I qualified as a florist and spent quite a few years in this industry, sadly it was so poorly paid I couldn't pay my bills, so I up and went off to see the world and worked my way round a few countries working for a holiday company as a Holiday Rep, I returned to the UK and worked at a luxury Health Spa then I fell in to training and recruitment...LONG HOURS but GREAT PAY, it suited my lifestyle at the time. I also spent a short time working as a Veterinary Manager...this was a great job I spent a lot of time just cuddling little puppies...As a child I always had little jobs to earn pocket money...I sold homemade perfume to neighbours when I was a wee girl, I also spent time helping in a library, a florist as a Saturday Girl and a garden centre. Throughout my adult life I have also volunteered for charity work...I am a big believer in the community and being part off it and helping...basically you get out of this world what you put in...
7) Six peeps I want to know more about:-
I am so rubbish at this bit, I am reminded of the dreaded chain letter as a child, so rather than state names I give you an open invitation, if you have not done this please feel free to consider yourself tagged by me...See Miss Sew N Sews blog for the rules...

Giveaway on its way....

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!!!

I Have Been Tagged!

Sarah from Small Fox has Tagged me, Mmmm I have to write seven random facts about me and then tag seven more people for them to do the same. I have enjoyed reading these, they give you a little more insight into the lives of the authors of blogs that I read regularly, Sarah's facts centered around toilets!!! What does that say about her (cheeky smile from me)!

Fact 0ne Since I can remember I have always been arty, as a little girl my Dad used to bring me home lots of pads and pencils from his work (it was his own company so, NO, he was not stealing). I used to play for hours imagining I was an artist or a teacher or in worse case scenario anything that involved paper, pencils and glue like working in a postoffice.

Fact two I nearly got in to art college, this was my dream, my ambition, I so wanted to spend all day doing arty stuff, I spent most of the play times at school in the art room, I had a real cool art teacher who would allow me into the classroom to work on my projects, I even went there when I should have been at other classes..tut...tut... she was so supportive. Sadly this was not the chosen career my family wanted for me and despite getting to the interview and loving the whole experience I was diverted from the path. I went to floristry college instead (a much more suitable profession for your daughter I guess). This is when the rebellion started, yer yer! I am older now with children of my own and I realise that we all go through it. I did get to work in a floristry shop that provided floral decorations for the Royal family so I must have done something right.

Fact Three I buy fabric, wool and paper stuff, I do this instead of taking Prozac!

Fact four I am adopted and the name my birth mother gave me was Dorothy, may be that's why I have a lust for red sparkly shoes?

Fact five I always wanted to marry a vet, well that did not happen. I did, however, work as a Veterinary Practice Manager (OK when I started doing the job it was more like receptionist). This came about as I was told it was unlikely I would have children (Oh how I remember that day, I cried for so long) it was suggested I take a less stressful path in life. I talked it over with my partner and I went for a job in a vets. It was great, I have such great memories of that place, I sat one day with the cutest poorly puppy on my knee, he had a drip in and had to be kept warm, Oh it was such a hard job I can tell you... The worst part of it was the smell of autopsy work on sheep, OH MAN!!! that is such a bad smell.

Fact six Despite being told it was unlikely I would have children I now have two great kids, yer I had a few problems and my body is paying for it, but they have just completed my life and made sense of it all. I think being adopted I went through my life with no identity, I was even teased about it at school, suddenly it all made sense. Two little people I grew inside of me, and continued to feed myself and watch then grow, its amazing, it totally changed my life, the person I was to who I am , the values I had to what I have now , to my faith...
Fact seven I think its really important to think of others. It shocks me how little people actually do this. Its one of the things I teach my children, always think of others.

From silly things like when buying someone a gift, to really give it thought...what would they like, how can you make it extra special, making a cake when someone is feeling sad or a meal if someone is ill-through to the big things in life, thinking about the children who live in boxes in our cities, how hate causes so much pain and suffering. If you are aware of these things you can make a difference.

OK that's my seven facts...a bit serious possibly...maybe the next tag of seven facts for me should be silly facts about me...Do you know I was going to do this four days ago and since then most People I would have tagged have already done it. So I make an open invitation...if you have not been formally tagged, consider yourself TAGGED by me.

I have been surfing a lot lately and found some good blogs and I will gather their addresses up and get them linked up later in the week so you will have some places to be linked to.

PHOTOS (1) The finished Tank top (2) Look Mom I can knit, OK he is pretending, this is the next knitting project the small sized tank for the little one! (3) Who's sand pit is this? (4) I snapped this flower in the garden on a mega photo session, the flower itself is not so perfect but I liked the composition of the flower and the sky.

Tagged

Well I guess someone is reading my blog as I have been tagged. Its quite a hard one, Thirteen things about being a Mom, and not really thinking about it just typing down what comes into your head. I wanted to cheat and think about some clever answers, but no I was a good girl and actually waited until I was sat at my computer and just typed the stuff that popped into my head, which will explain the answers! Only thirteen...I could go on for twice that. (I added in my pictures after I had written the answers, they popped up before the reply so the answers are at the end not the beginning,whoops)!

Talking of being a good girl, I thought I would share with you this idea my oldest child came up with. Its his good/bad chart. Now I would like to state that I do not like the words 'Bad Boy/Girl' as this was his choice of words I did not want to stomp on his creativity so I chose to ignore this. So that was his drawing, which was used for a few days, then we between us thought we could make one in fabric...Yippee! So off to my sewing room and we picked out the fabrics...
Stitched it all up, the grey cloud is actually a pair of school trousers...whoops that was a bit naughty of me!
Because I was so pleased with it, I thought I should go the whole hog, whilst he slept that evening, I sat and quilted the backing and bound it using Heather Bailey's tutorial...it works.
The red bits are the labels with their names on which hook on to the right bit. I am pleased to say that they have been on the VERY GOOD for quite a while now, they get very upset when I say am am going to move them and then really try hard to be good, Bless them. So it was a great Mommy and child make and I for one think its BRILL, although not as good as the original idea and drawing, that's priceless...


I have been tagged by Under The Maple Tree...thirteen things about being a MOM, and not to think to hard about it just type what comes to mind...


1)It changes your life beyond all your imagination


2)Its is THE most amazing experience


3)Its the hardest but most rewarding work I have ever done


4)You are always wanting more sleep


5)You never wake up when YOU want to anymore


6) The miracle of life is beyond words


7)Its a laugh, never have I had such fun with two individuals who could not talk for over two years!


8)We gets the paints out almost daily


9)I, little me, actually made these little people (with some help, but that goes without saying)!


10) They love me so much, sometimes I can just see it in their eyes and it makes my heart melt with total devotion to them, yer there are a lot of tears.


11)They do not care what the hell I look like, bad hair day, do I look fat in this, etc...means nothing to them they just do not care, its total acceptance.


12)I love them with an emotion I had no idea I possessed, from being told it was unlikely I would have children to looking at my babes growing up day by day...well once again its beyond words.


13)They are my flesh and blood, sounds an odd one, but, I am adopted, it leaves you with feelings of rejection and not knowing where you came from, what colour your Moms hair is etc...is a bit strange. I was adopted into a good family have been loved and cared for. Its nothing to do with all the obvious things its just an amazing and unbelievable experience to have my own children, its a gift, a miracle and the best thing I have ever done in life and changed me into a much better person and a slightly larger one too!


OK now I have to tag three others, Oh my...how about French Knots, Tree Fall Designs and Ric Rac and Ribbons. No offence will be taken if you chose not to do this. I have to admit though that I always enjoy reading all the different responses from these kind of Round Robbins!

Hoping the good weather holds out for the weekend, we are off for our first Beach trip in the camper van tomorrow. Have a good weekend.