My precious girl

Although it is difficult to see, (I was being lazy and took it on my phone), this photo really captures my little girl. She has her gold dancing shoes on, her easy to throw on coat and is helping her Daddy tidy up the garden in the rain. She loves life and lives it to the full.
 

This was taken the day before. I had been looking at packaging ideas on my computer with Lj on my lap when she spotted a template for a house. In an instant she wanted to make it so that she could take a present to her best friend who lives a few doors down from us. She took her time over making it and colouring it in and then found some sweets to put inside. She is a thoughtful and caring child making a card or present for someone at least once a day.

Last night she declared that she was going to Doggy Woof Woof land on holiday. In the picture she has her Minnie mouse (favourite toy at present) in the baby car seat and her two dogs in the pram below. In her bag she has her passport, a dog lead and a book (to read to Minnie on the plane). She told me that I could come too as there are 'Mummy resting chairs' in Doggy Woof Woof land. That was good enough for me so off we went!

This girl of mine she laughs easily, loves to sing and dance, has a huge imagination, is caring and affectionate but the one thing she hates most of all is the thought that someone is upset with her. This morning we had a few obedience issues and so she was disciplined...shortly afterwards she came to me, gave me a cuddle and said 'Mummy, I'm sorry for my naughtiness but I'm happy that I'm still your precious girl.'

You will always be my precious Lj!
Mum xx

Christmas Presents #1 Bath melts

Last year my dear friend impressed me with her homemade bath melts. The smell as they melted in my hot bath was amazing. Since then I have desired to try and make my own but was feeling daunted by the new challenge. Then for my birthday this year I was given a gift voucher for Hobbycraft...I know...the best present EVER! In Hobbycraft I purchased 'Beauty Oils and Butters' by Elaine Stavert. That was the first step. The second was to order a rather large array of essential oils, almond oil and butters in order to follow the melts recipe from my new book. With all my supplies the final step was to get making. My friend reassured me that it was a very simple process, in fact her description of using a plastic jug in the microwave kind of took the shine off the process. Thankful that I hadn't ordered a double boiler as suggested in my book I used a glass jug in a saucepan of boiling water. When the Cocoa butter had melted in the jug, I added sweet almond oil, rose geranium ess oil, sandalwood ess oil, ylang ylang ess oil and vitamin E oil. After a little stir I poured the liquid, very carefully into my heart shaped silicon cases (these were purchased in Aldi and I suppose are really for mini cupcakes?!). Running out of heart cases I filled an ice cube tray and a Lego man ice cube tray! I popped a little dried rose bud on top for presentation. Then into the fridge they went for about 15 Min's and voila we had cute, sweet smelling bath melts. My friend was 100% correct when she stressed how easy it all was.

 My plan for our bath melts (and bath bombs) is to give them away at Christmas time. I also found in Hobbycraft these cute decoupage star boxes which I thought Lj and MJ could decorate for their teachers and then we could fill them with sweet smelling bath time treats.

This one was decorated with napkins we purchased in IKEA.

It is trickier than it looks to decorate a star shaped box with a ribbon...this is the best I could come up with.

Go on have a try...the best thing about them is that our house is still smelling amazing, 4 days later!

Let's play snap!

 As I scanned facebook this morning I came across this image and realised that it helped to sum up what M and I have been thinking about and musing over for the past few weeks.

Through a combination of events, M's Grandfather passing away, spending more time with extended family and being inspired by our 2 yr old niece to play more games we have been talking about the importance of family and friends and the distraction of technology.

As a result M and I have made a pact that we will not use our phones to scan the Internet while the children are awake and in the home. We are aware that children follow the habits of their parents and we are concerned about the signals we are sending to them if we are sitting around browsing the Internet on our phones instead of engaging in conversation, reading books and playing or working together.

This has coincided with the evenings drawing in earlier so the kids are unable to play outside with their friends after 5pm, leaving me with an extra hour with children who want to be outside with their friends, who are tired but it is too early for bed. Thankfully we have found a solution...board games, jigsaws and card games. I can't believe how much fun and how quickly time flies when we are playing the simple games that have been sitting on our toy shelves gathering dust for months.

Each night while eating our tea we decide whose turn it is to choose the evenings game and then while Lj is finishing off her dinner (30mins after MJ and I), MJ gets things set up and I get the kitchen tidied.

It is a cliche but children DO grow up so fast  so I'm trying really hard to slow down, to relax and enjoy their company while I have it.

A fortnight round up!

 Kids are in the bath and another weekend is drawing to a close. I'm feeling sad that I have been neglecting my blog of late and am going to have a think tonight about how I can revive my interest and reconsider the reasons for updating it regularly.

So this is yet another little round up of some of the things we have been doing the last two weeks.

 There has been a baby boom of boys so this is the first of three birth name pictures I am working on. LOVE the name Hugo!

 During the half term break we visited M's parents and stayed with M's sister and family. They live in a beautiful area so we explored a few forests and relaxed in their new homes.

 I was  commissioned to make a zebra cushion for a little girl called Zoe...her name is on the reverse. I had fun coming up with some ideas but sadly my sewing machine was poorly (skipping stitches) so it was hard work getting it completed. I am pleased to say that my machine is now working well after a good clean out and a new needle, although I'm still not sure what the problem was exactly!

 This week we remembered the 5th November by making some edible sparklers and sharing them with our neighbours and then trying out the real thing when darkness fell.

 Today I had a craft party for a 7 yr old called Sophie. I'm still picking pva glue from my fingers!

 And finally, the Christmas present commissions have begun!

Before the kids kill each other in the bath I better finish up!

Have a great week everyone!

hApPy bIrThDaY Me

 Yes, it is my birthday today. I awoke this morning with the sound of rapid fire feet running along the landing, our bedroom door swung open and Lj launched into the 'Happy Birthday to you' song! M and MJ already beside me responded with 'Oh yes' as the realisation dawned on them!

Lj has spent the morning in full party planning mode, creating a number of cards and insisting that we have banners, birthday cake and pass the parcel. I have just taken the pumpkin cake out of the oven so that just needs to cool and be iced with cream cheese frosting. The pass the parcel has been wrapped and the birthday bunting has been hung. Thankfully we have some friends coming over to play so it won't be such a lonely affair with just three of us.

Lj has just come running inside from playing with her friends on the street to say that we need some decorations around the front door...I better get to it, my coffee has gone cold anyway...this is turning out to be a busy birthday!

Home Sweet Home

After a week of sleeping in 4 different beds, travelling south then to north and back to centre, emotional highs and lows we are back home. Lj made me stop and consider it when she produced her drawing this morning which is the view (with artistic license) from our dinning room window.

  I will fill you in on the detail...as with modern Art, it helps to know what you are looking at! The black parallel lines are the side edges, or reveals of the window. Either side are pumpkins sitting on the window cill. The purple and green is our Roman blind (which is actually yellow!) and through the window are our neighbours and a tree between them...you know what...I think it would be easier to compare and contrast with a photo of the view!

 The beginning of our week is well reflected in this picture by Lj. M and I had a night together in London. We drank alot of coffee and ate out alot but also squeezed in some shopping (trainers for me, whiskey for M), Ronnie Scott's Jazz club, National Portrait Gallery and the Ballet at the Royal Opera House. It is always great to spend some quality time together. Meanwhile the kids were being looked after by M's parents.

Following our trip to London we headed up to Birmingham to be with family as we said our final farewells to M's Grandfather. It was a bitter sweet time as we remembered Ron's life, his dedication to his family and his love of community. It was sweet in that we got to spend time with M's extended family who we don't get to see so often.

Finally on Friday we stopped off at Cadbury World for a look around and left stocked up on chocolate!

Now we are having a quiet weekend before we start the travelling all over again on Wednesday!

Back to blogging!

 Half term is almost upon us and I haven't been on my blog since before the new school year started...a whole 6 weeks or so ago. I have embarked on a new life stage, that of having both kids at full time school! A number of people have commented that they had never seen me without children before...that was a bizarre but true thought. We moved to this town when MJ was only 4 months and so in the 6.5 yrs that we have been here I haven't had a weekday without children around. I was looking forward to the new stage and have enjoyed it so far...apart from feeling a little broody for a few weeks when my little niece was just born.

Lj is loving school and seems to believe that she is next in command to the teacher...in fact I believe she would willing teach the class if ever her teacher was absent. Her new career aspiration is of course to be a teacher and she has turned her tiny bedroom into a classroom, kitted out with clock, behaviour rocket, story time and lots of pupils (aka soft toys).

MJ has taken on the responsibility of watching out for Lj at school and giving her the 'low down' on how things work. He loves to tell me where he saw her and what she has been doing. He is a proud big brother indeed.

As the weather has remained mild the kids continue to play outside on the street with their neighbours each evening. What a joy it is to watch as they play together, kicking football, riding their bikes, setting up shop and playing all manner of games. Tonight I wish I had taken a photo of them running around in the rain with their umbrellas as the sun was going down.

And me...I have been mixing work and pleasure with golf lessons, running, Architecture and the usual...

Present making

 Kids birthday parties

 Crochet

 Teaching Women to sew

and tonight I finished another Architecture sketch.