Coco Rose Diaries

Multiples.................

2012-02-13T10:20:00.008Z

My parents popped over late Saturday morning.

I asked them if they had had a good morning so far.....to which my mum replied.....

"Well, yes....... we took a detour on a whim on the way here and ended up at a car showroom."

"Anything nice?" I replied

"Well, let's put it this way....we left our house to come and have a cuppa.....but we go back having bought two new cars!"

"TWO!" was my high pitched reply

"Well, you know what your father's like, he can never do anything in one's!"

My mum had been thinking about changing her car, my dad hadn't, but while he was there, he thought why not.

My mum went on to remind me that if my dad goes out to buy one shirt and a pair of trousers, he'll come back with five or six of each.

Garden furniture? He'll go out to get one chair and come back with two complete sets for each end of their garden and a summer house.

New Sofa? A dining table set will come back with it....probably with a sideboard in tow!

Now, my father isn't a big shopper, what man is, but he is one of those that when he does go out to get something, he never just comes back with the one!

So....why am I relaying this? Well, it got me thinking. I think I take after my dad more than I thought. I didn't realise it, but the car conversation highlighted it for me.

A couple of years ago, I went into Zara and saw a top I loved. It came in four colours. All 'me' colours. I couldn't decide so I came back with all four and all four stayed! I couldn't just pick one. In fairness, the said tops have been the most worn items in my wardrobe and I don't regret buying them all.

But I do it with other stuff too. I recently had a rush of gingham love. I LOVE Boden men's gingham shirts but had never thought to wear gingham myself. I found some nice shirts recently, for me, and came home with not one, but three. I think being very reasonably price helped! Mr H did ask when the tractor was arriving! Blimmin' cheek!

Now, I might just add, like my dad, I'm not out shopping all the time, but when I do, I seem to do the same as him.

Thinking further, I realise that I do it with my makes too.......

One granny blanket has become quite a few.......

Egg cosies, not one set of four but eight sets.....

Pot holders, not one, but eight......

Apple Cosies, not one, but...lost count....

Scarves, not one, but seven......

Shawls, one made but two more on the go.....

Wrist Warmers, ten pairs made.....

Brooches, not one, but considerably more.....

Okay.......so....you get it. In my defence, a HUGE amount of it went as gifts to family and friends, so it's not all piled up in my house!

I think it will be a challenge just to make the one of something!

I do think though with buying in multiples of a certain item, I have found over the years, that I have 'kicked' myself if I have dithered with getting two of an item if I REALLY liked it and I just walked away. It's because it's usually the thing I like the most that gets the biggest stain on it straight away, or gets caught on a nail or door knob and gets ripped. I learnt my lesson several times, and if the item is 'cheap' then I do. With making bits, I think it's getting the pattern in my head, enjoying the making process, so I just sort of churn them out until I feel fulfilled and ready to move on to the next thing!

He He

Anyone else like me and my dad?

xxx

I LOVE.......

2012-02-11T10:40:00.002Z

...the weekends...

XXX

About Me......

2012-02-10T15:00:00.038Z

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

I found in my inbox this week I had been awarded several blog awards. Crafty peeps tend to travel in the same circles, and I seem to have been given a few. Having been in blog land for a while now, I have been the recipient of a number in the past, and, have played along, but it does get harder!

Thank you all kindly.

Those who have been reading my blog for quite a while, know that I am a bit rubbish with these. Apologies. I don't pass them on, simply as there are too many blogs to mention. I don't know if there was anything left really to talk about that I haven't already mentioned in this little old blogsy of mine, but in the interests of not being a kill joy, I thought I would try maybe write a few things about me. Might be boring.

I am though, always humbled that people like to read my blog, it still spooks me a bit if I give it thought though, as I am a massively shy person, but it's lovely to discover like minded souls.

So here are a few things about me......

❶ Music is a massive part of my life. I am listening to 'Souvenir' by OMD as I type this post. LOVE it. It's dreamy and beautiful. The Bears love it in the car. I love nothing better than lying in the dark with some headphones on listening to whatever takes my fancy. When the Bears were very young, I never listened to it much as I always had to be listening to them and their needs first, as you do. I'm laughing, 'cos that sounded awful when I read it back! It sounded so much better in my head! ha ha! You know what I mean! Anyway, it was the one thing about early motherhood I found hard, and a little depressing. I like walking alone, and being in the house alone just to have my music on, and listen to it uninterrupted. I usually have a band a week playing. Last week it was Mozart (hardly a band, but awesome dude none the less), the week before, U2, and the week before that it was Depeche Mode and Placebo. I often walk the kids to school and grab a coffee on the way home and just sit on a bench in our little park by the Band Stand with my headphones on people watching. I even have people watching music. I go out of my way to make music memories. We all hear a song on tv or the radio that perhaps has a special meaning for us, and instantly we are transported to a time or a place. I have different pieces of music for different occasions that I play...like sunday morning lying in bed with the kids music, baking music, crafting music etc. I love to hear a song and be transported. There is nothing like it. The Unforgettable Fire by U2 and Shepherd Moons by Enya have the biggest effect on me. Oh and I LOVE Shazam. One of the best apps ever for finding music on the tv.

❷ I'm excited by the new Muppet movie. I ADORED the Muppets when I was little. Animal was my fave. Manic and uncontrollable....I wanted to be like him.

❸ I'm dreadful with plants. I can only grow geraniums well. My mum bought me a Bonsai Tree not so long ago. I had it two weeks and killed it. I need to dash off and get a replacement. I feel terrible. I'm so bad. It was REALLY cool.

❹ I never really liked red wine all that much, but am starting to develop quite a like for it. Sadly, the head isn't going at the same pace!

❺ I could quite happily become a recluse, and I imagine I will be one when i'm a little old lady.

❻ I love the film 'Some Kind Of Wonderful'. I thought Watts was the coolest girl ever. I love the drums, wish I could play them (guess that's why I love Animal so much).

❼ I am very particular about how I watch a movie at home. I HATE distractions and it REALLY winds me up if people talk (even the teensiest bit) or move (even a shimmy) whilst they are in the same room. I can really only watch a film with Mr H as he is the same. If I have to stop it for the phone, kids, loo etc, then that's it, totally ruined for me. Like a book. The thing I hate about books, is that I only like small books that I can read in a day. I HATE having to stop reading once I have started. It's all or nothing, so usually nothing as time never allows.

❽ I felt like watching the U2 video 'Where The Streets Have No Name' on You Tube the other day. It's possibly one of the best music videos ever. Roll back to the 80's....good times.

You still awake?

I'm looking forward to the weekend. I'm looking forward to half term next week. I'm looking forward to getting back into a crafty rhythm. Thank you for your kind get well wishes. Yesterday was the first day I felt decent in a quite a while....and it was lovely.

Right, off I go to play more music and float about the house.

Happy Weekend all!

xxx

Two Loves......

2012-02-09T19:48:00.001Z

Two Loves

The Woman he loved, while he dreamed of her,

Danced on till the stars grew dim,

But alone with her heart, from the world apart,

Sat the woman who loved him.

The woman he worshipped only smiled

When he poured out his passionate love.

But the other somewhere, kissed her treasure so rare,

A book he had touched with his glove.

The woman he loved betrayed his trust,

And he wore the scars for life;

And he cared not, nor knew, that the other was true;

But no man called her his wife.

The woman he loved trod festal halls,

While they sang his funeral hymn,

But the sad bells tolled, ere the year was old,

For the woman who loved him.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Effort.........

2012-02-08T07:35:00.000Z

Do you ever get out of bed in the mornings and it's a REAL effort? Yes.....of you course you've had that. But, then find, the whole day is an effort? Well, i'm sure you have had that too at times.

I have just had a couple of weeks that have been an EFFORT.

I caught the tail end of the Bears colds. Once over the shivvers and the streaming nose, I had the most tremendous sinus cold. It affected my balance a bit in my ears so for the past couple of weeks I have been feeling oddly dizzy with that sort of car sickness feeling........continuously.

Never good.

So......I have just wanted to take it easy. It's been hard to focus on anything without feeling sickly, so craft stuff, computer lounging have all been minimal. My enthusiasm for blogging was non existant for a while. Just managing to do the basics around the house was enough.

Sorry about that folks.

On the mend. Still feel a bit 'odd' but not as bad as I was.

Hopefully normal service will resume.

So, there we are.

That's it in a nutshell

Snuggles, blankets, fire, soup, fruit, dark rooms, and quiet have all been on my list of favourite 'to do' things these past couple of weeks.

Back soon.........

xxx

Busy, Busy, Busy..............

2012-01-27T11:34:00.000Z

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....is how this week has been. Wowzer, it has flown straight by me....on skates.

The weekend I fear will be even busier. Ah well.....no rest for the wicked and all that.......

I noticed my stash of Tunnock's was looking depleted this week. I thought I had found the one thing that the Bears didn't like. For Mr H, it's Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. The boys DETEST Peanut Butter, so they can well and truly remain his! For me, it was Tunnock's. Fab with a really hot brew. They were all mine......'til the lure of the gorgeous retro wrappers got to the Bears and they were so desperate to try one. So, for good behaviour, I gave in.

Arrrggghhhh Why did I do that?!!!!!!!

Ah well, still a few left and I can enjoy them once in a while if I've had a healthy week.

So, just a short little post today to say a few random things......

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Hello to any new readers here in my little patch. Nice to meet you! Thank you for popping by (and saying hello if you did!). I always have this hope of being able to catch up with everybody, but time just always seems to be tapping me on the shoulder and telling me I should be doing something else. Never enough hours and all that......

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I know that some of you are still having trouble leaving comments. It seems however I put my comments layout, it affects someone. So, apologies for that. If you want to contact me and cannot do it on a comment, you can always email me directly (my email link is on my profile page), or contact me through Ravelry or Flickr (buttons are on the side bar and I am stripey-mooka on Ravelry).

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I am also finding that many blog posts aren't coming up on my blogroll, and I seem to be missing a lot. So, if I seem quiet, that's why. When I get a big bunch of time together, i'll sit down and have a good old looksie.

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I have found it hard in the past to get organised enough to get a better emailing system going. I get so many emails daily that sometimes, some get buried and I don't find them for days. Also, the odd question goes into my spam folder so it takes a while for me to get those. So if you don't hear from me for a while and you ask a question, don't lose hope......I will get there, it just takes a while!

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Right, busy, busy, bee.........so i'll say tootle pip.

Have a gorgeously super duper weekend all.........

xxx

That time of year..........

2012-01-25T07:31:00.000Z

....when I get heart palpitations.....

.....Gosh, I love it.....

I wish more of the collection was readily accessible over here in the UK

But I just love it

So, for now, I will just stare at it longingly!

Oh Greengate how I love thee

(All images property of Greengate DK)

For more lovelies, Check out their website if you fancy drooling for a few minutes longer...

www.greengate.dk

XXX

Yarn Love.......

2012-01-23T13:32:00.000Z

My Mother-in-law is ACE. We have a LOT in common. She has a very healthy interest in China (that has been passed on to one of her daughters!).......She loves fabric.......She loves craft books......and she loves YARN.

Look what turned up on my doorstep last week!

She wondered whether I could make something with these......

YES....YES......and once again YES

What a SWEET ❤

I nearly fainted at their gorgeousness. Actually GORGEOUS doesn't even begin to describe this yarn.

It feels beautifully soft. A silk mix.......it slips through the fingers like a dream.

The only problem I have had these past few days, is trying to decide what to make with them. I love these 4 colours together so much......

....but I have a deep love for this colour.......

It's called 'frost'. One of my most favourite colours. The sumptuous softness combined with the chalkyness of the gery/blue colour is making me really rather giddy. I am dreaming of a stand alone item made in just this colour.

Gosh......My head is all dreamy with ideas and possibilities.......

......I have been browsing about on the internet gathering many an idea.....

One thing at a time Ness........be patient.....

....but I will keep you posted....

xxx

My Week....

2012-01-20T12:08:00.000Z

......has been a good one.

There has been a fair bit of sunshine these past 7 days. Okay, so it's been a TAD on the chilly side.......but, I don't care how cold it is.....if the sun is shining, it makes my day.

I have managed to work off my holiday weight gain. The car was ditched in favour of power walking up and down steep hills. The Christmas treats are no more and I feel a tad healthier and fitter!

My Evening Sun Blanket is coming along slowly but surely, and she is a DREAM to work on.

This week has also been a week of bargain finds.....well.....mostly.

I tend to avoid shops in January. I don't do sales and I try and keep my purse as closed as is possible in this month. However, off I trotted into town this week with the aim to get bowls. Bowls were a need. Yes, yes, I know, judging by my recent dresser posts, I DO possess bowls. But, I needed everyday, cheap bowls for the Bears. Bowls that can take the rough and tumble of crash, bash, slam on the counter every day. I wanted dirt cheap, that I wouldn't cry over if they got chipped and smashed. We have had to say goodbye to quite a few loved bowls these past couple of months, so my aim was CHEAP. My 'prettier' bowls are really for my use! I take care of them!

And to my joy, I found some bowls in the sale that were as pretty as I was going to get (for me, a bonus as I am the one who stares at them the most and puts them to and from the dishracks to the cupboards), perfect (for the Bears, good size)......and nice and cheap. Hooray! Job done.

So, once I was out, I thought I might as well have a wander. I had a few gift cards in my pocket so if anything REALLY stood out, I could justify a teensy tiny stray.

I did well in the thrifty shops this week. Usually my luck is low, but this week.....two blankets with pretty edgings and a stool, for pennies, have got me all excited and the creative juices flowing.

Pretty little crocus bulbs in jars reduced right down on the bargain shelf. I thought the joy of watching them unfold on my window sill would be too immense to pass up. I had seen hyacinths like this many a time before but never dinky ones for smaller bulbs.

Tea towels. I bought tea towels and they got me excited. Am I sad? Cheap as chips and pretty as a picture in the kitchen. Mr H did comment on whether more tea towels were actually needed (we have a job trying to shut our tea towel drawer as it is!), but I said the grubby, well used ones will be relegated to the garage for car maintenance! He seemed happy enough with that! Actually though, I like them so much, they may be turned into cushion covers, or hot water bottle covers. We'll see.

Nothing beats a bit of gingham

Floral lovelies

I found some pretty cupcake stencils.......

.....and a pretty silicone heart tray.

I do so have a love of shawls (if you follow me on pinterest you may know this!), and found one in a sale for a few pounds, but it, along with the tray and stencils actually cost me nothing as a trusty gift card was used so I was more than happy! Woo hoo!

Big Bear showed off his Crumble making skills. I was impressed.....didn't get a look in though. He had scoffed it all by the time I got a fork! There are promises of another one, so that puts a smile on my face!

And lastly, sparkles.....again, cheap as chips plastic sparkles to be precise. I love me a bit of sparkle......and in the sunshine, these beauties radiate sparkles all around. The Bears love these. They say it's like having the solar system in the house or the car on a sunny day.

So, several bargains were had.

Mr Postie was my friend this week too. A top popped through the letterbox. I had stared at it online for several months. I hoped with hope that it might just have been marked for sale at Christmas, but the store had other ideas. Typical. So I carried on just staring at it. I then sold something on Ebay to make room for it, and pay for it....and that justified it! As I have said, January is not a month for splashing out on anything full price but if I was able to make some money to pay for it, then that was okay! There is always that worry too, that something you have lovingly longed for online, might just fall short when you actually get it.....but it didn't and I love it! The only down side is that it's a tad summery so I may just have to wait a bit to wear it. Roll on spring! Yippeeeeeee!

Mr Postie also popped some yarn my way. I can carry on with some WIP's.....

and to Mr H's surprise, I actually did a MASS sort of my yarn. Boy, I had more than I thought. They were grouped into yarn style and colour and I felt very pleased with myself for getting so organised. I actually felt a lot like Monica in Friends.....you know the one where she sorts out all her photos......

So, there's my week. A bright week, a healthy week with some bargains to be had. and a little bit of sorting done.

I wander what next week will have in store? Me thinks a fair amount of housework will need to be done to make up for the slack week I seem to have had this week!

Have a super duper weekend all

xxx

Sometimes.......

2012-01-18T10:51:00.000Z

......you are made aware of what you take for granted in your every day life.

Whilst browsing on Pinterest I came upon this picture below that made my heart surge.

(E.B ing A mommy)

A tale of a little boy.....and a mother's love

It took me here

then here

My heart broke

My eyes streamed and my chest felt heavy with the weight of a mothers love for her child

Sometimes life seems so unfair

A Weekends Work.......

2012-01-16T10:33:00.000Z

Did you have a good weekend?

Mine was one of those, where you do a lot, but you don't achieve much.

It was nice though.

It was chilly to say the least....but the sun shone brightly in the sky, and that was good enough for me!

We lazed in bed. My perfect kind of morning, relaxing in bed with a hot cuppa, snuggles and book reading with Baby Bear.....

Then book reading just for me....

We filled up on fresh air...........

The Bears played Pirates......

....and ran about in the wooded maze house....

Then it was back home where I had the urge to have a china play.

Remember this

Well, I thought it was time to re-arrange.

So off it all came. Shelves were dusted and crockery was all washed, and new china went on there.....

I was having mainly a Cath day

I fancied bright and cheery to match the sun

I l❤ved re-arranging

Such happy, bright colours lifted my spirits no end

I L❤VE sorting.

Ah....stripes and flowers.

Pretty, cheery shades.

I was in my own little colour world.

Almost done....

Ahhhhhhhhh....happy me.

One little project I did on a whim was to paint some enamel canisters. The set of three blue ones were a tad plain and boring, and in need of a bit of something extra (I can't leave alone, I realised that the bottom canister I had was one that I had got my mitts on a while ago also!). So, out came the paintbrush, and taking inspiration from my favourite floral sprig (in the first pic), the jars were painted. Although, the big tin bugs me, as....in my usual slap dash way, I just 'did it' and the rose placement bothers me! I didn't seal that one so I might re-do it if I can be bothered!

I also whipped up some little vintage style pot holders for my pot plants.

Again, bright and cheery.

But you know.....I stared at this arrangement...and I loved it so. It lifted my heart.............but then I looked and saw all the stuff that I had taken off.

A LOT OF STUFF

Where was I to put it? There was more taken off than put up!

Hummmmmm

So do you know......

it all came back off again, and replaced with what was originally there!

What am I like!

But.......all nice and sparkly, so I guess something was achieved!

I will just have to look at my pics for the moment.

When I decide where to put the other bits, I'll change it back again!

Happy Monday To You All!!!!!

XXX

A Special Kind Of love........

2012-01-12T10:34:00.001Z

Remember this?

My little WIP started last year.....

.......One thing I did take away with me on my little Christmas Hols was my beloved Evening Sun Blanket.

I started this blanket way back last year. She originally started out as a cushion. But as I started her, something happened...............

As soon as I had worked up a few little squares, I could feel this wasn't going to be an ordinary little project. Something rather lovely was starting to happen.

It's like she had a special bit of magic to her. Very quickly 'it' became a 'she', like she was alive and was willing me to create her. She didn't want to be a cushion......she didn't want to be a small blanket.......she wanted to be something of a proud size. A size that she could envelope us all within, and give us the best snuggles outside in the evening summer sun. Very quickly I fell head over heels in love with her.

Sadly, yarn shortage and the loom of Christmas and all its panic meant that she had to be put to one side.............. until I had time to give her my full attention again, and we could pick up where we left off.

Throughout Christmas I was in my stride again with her. She was lovingly worked on..............until, once again, yarn shortage were to part us again.

So, yarn now again in hand, I pick her up and carry on. I still have a way to go to reach the size she wants, and deserves to be.

She has such a calming effect on me. There is something so soothing in putting the colours together and watching her grow and begin to breathe life.

She has already stolen many a heart within the family, and the excitement at when she is finished will be almost too much to bear.

She makes my heart flutter

xxx

Ahhhhh, It Feels Good...........

2012-01-06T10:19:00.000Z

.................to begin 2012

.........although, I did come into it feeling very......very tired!

So.......did you all have a lovely Christmas and New Year?

Mine was lovely. Just what I needed. The run up to it was fairly manic, but taking a step back from blogging, and trying to forget about all the stuff which was worth forgetting about helped enormously.

A bit of seasonal baking......

Nothing beats the seasonal smells of Christmas. Homely and smile inducing.

I was also, crazily making huge amounts of stuff for presents. I wanted to make as much as I could. I was so busy and my fingers ached but I was pleased, and I think/hope the recipients were!

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Time was spent eating and drinking mainly. Our late nights made for late mornings. Our Breakfasts became Brunches and we would all sit around the table for ages just chatting, catching up and being together. We were in such fabulous company. The Bears loved spending time with their cousins. Eight young children together for most days. They all had the best time.........and that's what it's all about really.

We walked....

Got cold....

Got wet......

But had such a fun time.

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We went here.......

I laughed so hard, I almost couldn't move. My favourite word!

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I got to have a little fiddle about with some lovely new yarn.....

....and continue progress with a WIP blanket

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We saw the New Year in with my lovely Sister-in-law and her Husband, and drank tea in pretty vintage china.....

....whilst I admired her vintage tablecloths.....

Even the children had a Vintage Tea Party!

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I also got incredibly inspired whilst I was away. So much so, I could almost burst. My inspiration came from two books......

The first is this one, and the pictures directly below came from it......

How inspiring are these pictures?

My heart skipped a beat big time. I love it all.............but I especially love the last picture. I HAVE to make these pot covers.

Just one teensy weensy problem.......I cannot knit yet. So it's a definite must learn for this year. However, I am already thinking of crochet ones to make in the meantime!

The book is full of gorgeous projects, This is my big book crush of the New Year.

The second book is this one, and the pics below are taken from it.....

It's a Recipe Book but it has lots of crafty ideas for the left over jars. I'm guessing a lot of us buy this preserve mainly to keep the jars at the end! I love the idea of planting hyacinths in them. There were lots of amazing christmas ideas which got me all giddy, but i'll save those for the next one!

So, before I knew it, I was on the Amazon site and these two little beauties worked their way into my basket!

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Back home again now, and the clear up has begun......

.....and it takes FOREVER!

It feels nice though to pack everything away and feel like a new fresh start begins.

Hyacinth bulbs grace my mantle and kitchen and are now spreading their vibrant aroma throughout the house......and I LOVE IT.

Such pretty little souls. They look so springlike, and remind that the days are beginning to get a little lighter and there is much to look forward to.

Geraniums brought in from the cold outside are starting to thrive again and give me big heaps of pleasure.

This morning the sun is shining.

Hello sunshine....thank you for popping your head from behind the clouds to greet us and put a BIG SMILE on my face!

The coffee has perculated, classic fm fills the quiet, the scent of hyacinth wafts graciously around me, and I begin another day of tidying and sorting. Nice to start it feeling good though!

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So....still more to do, but I just wanted to say hello to you all.

Thank you for all your Christmas and New Year wishes. I'm sorry I couldn't get round to more blogs to extend all my best wishes for you. My greatest regret with blogging is that I don't have enough hours in the day to say hello to you all personally. It's this big long struggle to balance the hours in the day with real life and bloggy life.

Hopefully now things have calmed down a bit, I might be able to pop my head in more and say hello.

Have the most beautiful, super duper day today.....wherever you are and whatever the weather.......

Vanessa

xxx

The Past Year...........

2011-12-31T18:00:00.003Z

......Okay, so a little yearly summery.....

Wowzer....what a year 2011 has been....and not in a particularly great way either. To be honest, I am SOOOOOOOOO glad to see the back of it. Tonight, I will be shaking off the coat that is 2011 and putting it firmly in the bin. I shall then be putting on a brand spanking new one with the hopes that it won't get as battered as the last one in the coming year. I really do hope that 2012 brings a little bit of brightness and hope with it. I am sure many of you reading this will be nodding your head to the last statement too!

It has been a difficult one for so many this past year, for a whole variety of reasons. It seemed natural disasters seemed to strike the world left, right and centre in the beginning months. Complete and utter devastation for many. To watch the news was difficult, so to imagine what it was like to be right there in the midst of it was horrendous. Tsunami's, flash floods, land slides, earthquakes, tornados. The precious Earth seems to have been battered from all sides this year.

War, violence and riots too.........so much pain.

And just to add to it all (as if that wasn't enough already), the global economic recession that we all seem to be caught up in at the moment has hit so many very hard and made it such a tough year. The loss of loved ones, young or old............it all seems to take it's toll.

I'm sure that if you've not been directly hit by any of these things, then you know a friend or family member who has.

If I think back on what this year has been like for me, I would say mainly worry. Family ill health has been a major worry this year for me. Ill health with several family members has taken its toll on us all...and as many regular readers will know, several months ago we lost a very dear young family member to Cancer, which completely devastated us all.

Now, this year has not been fab, and quite possibly, overall, really pants.......but......I don't want it all to be all doom and gloom. For every dark grey cloud in the sky, there is always sunshine behind it trying to get through! I have had a year of crafting and making things, that brought pure sunshine into my life. I have the priviledge of having some absolutely wonderful people in my life who are there for me whenever I need them......and, I have had a year with 4 males who have brought laughter to my heart and made me glad I am who I am.

........ so as I kiss my Bears each night, I am thankful that I have them in this world. They make my life, all so worth while and make the lights inside me burn incredibly brightly. ♥

So, I hope that 2012 shines a little bit brighter for us all.

I wish each and every one of you

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

xxx

Christmas Wishes.......

2011-12-24T09:30:00.004Z

❇❄❊❈❅✴❄❇✳❄❊❈❅✴❄❇✳❄❊❈❅✴❄❇✳❄❊❈❅✴❄❇✳❄❊❈

THE VERY BEST

❅✳❄❇❅ Christmas Wishes ❅✳❄❇❅

To each and every one of you

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Vanessa

xxx

Baby it's cold outside..........

2011-12-21T10:13:00.001Z

Hot drinks............and being snuggled by the fire......x

My Kind of Sight..........

2011-12-19T17:35:00.000Z

A late afternoon walk...........

There's always a beautiful sight to be seen in a day.....and today, for me, this was it.

This Planet is such a wonderful thing, and it never ceases to amaze me.

xxx

What is this telling me.....?

2011-12-07T18:04:00.000Z

Okay........so before I begin.......I will apologise in advance. Whilst nearly all blog posts in blogland are all full of cosy festive cheer at this moment in time.....this post is not!

.....................

I thought I would take a few moments to write on today's post. My posts have been a bit sparse these past couple of weeks. This post was meant to be just a picture. I have been around, but just feeling...well.....feeling rubbish actually. I have succumbed to another flippin' cold. I am not sure I have ever sneezed as much as I have done this past week. So forgive me, if I wallow a bit. Again, maybe it's this time of year, maybe just because I dread it so much. I am definitely not powering on full steam. Baby Bear has been suffering too this week, so lots of snuggle time has been called for.

I admit defeat.

I have tried to keep up with school matters. It bugs me actually that everything seems to be crammed in in these final 4 weeks of school. With three different schools, I have been bombarded with letters (when I actually go searching for screwed up bits in school bags), texts and emails. I cannot keep up with it all. Am I in the minority with this? Everyone I know seems to positively thrive on it all. It drives me mad. So much crammed in to so little time.

I am not doing well in the mummy stakes as my eldest pointed out to me last night. Super Mummy.....I AM NOT. Crummy Mummy....well, I think I might just take first prize at the moment.

I turned up at school with Baby Bear a couple of weeks ago, to find he was the only one in school uniform. What did I miss? I thought I had written every bit of information down as I had received it. Obviously I had missed something. Well.....him being in Reception and being a boy, he didn't care, so, I tried not to worry about it too much....I just made a mental note to try harder, be better, and, try to forget the looks that you see on other mums faces. You know, the inward thinking of 'well...there's always one'....or is it....'good to see someone else gets it wrong'.

Last week, as I dropped Middle Bear off at his school, I notice that he too was the only one in school uniform. OH GOOD GRIEF.....I DID IT AGAIN WITH A DIFFERENT KID. What on earth is going on?! Seriously, what am I missing? Hummmmm, you know with him, I actually had it written down and had alert reminders twice on my phone to remind me not to forget. There were several bangs of my head on the steering wheel with the mild repetition of me chanting 'you muppet' to myself. Well, there is no hope for me I conclude.

These, along with forgotten cake bakes, late raffle prizes, forgotten coffee mornings, missing a disco, getting the wrong date for a school Christmas dinner, forgetting ingredients for Home Economics, and, walking out the door twice and realising I haven't made packed lunches.

So.....what with these seemingly endless colds I am getting and just about hanging on in there in the mummy dept.....

.......i'm thinking this should be tell me something....right?

I think I have been running on reserves for quite a while, and i'm now getting strong hints that I am almost to the end of those. I take on too much. I don't say no because I hate to disappoint. This year seems to have been one long worry in one way or another. I think I have just got to the point where my body is saying enough is enough and that something has to give. I have spent a long year worrying about everyone else, that I forgot to worry about me. I need to build up my immunity a bit and get more organised. Being bombarded from every angle in this busy month has probably just pushed me to breaking point.

So.....I have stopped all WIP's. They will be put away and stored until after the new year, that way I won't be tempted. I have told family their birthday presents may be a few days late. My posts, will be sparse, if at all over the next few weeks. I apologise for not visiting and leaving comments, or popping by and saying hello to new faces here in my little world. I will do.....just let me catch up with myself and feel a little better within, then when i'm functioning on full power, i'll be right back to where I was. I do read and appreciate all the comments posted. I appreciate that you take time out of your busy days to say a word or two and I thank you for whole heartedly for it......i'm just sorry I can't reply to you all personally.

.....................

The pictures in this post are of my last WIP to be finished off. Not Christmassy in the slightest!

I made it a couple of months ago, I just had to sew in the ends....and there were so many of them, it just sat there staring at me. I never seemed to have the energy to tackle it.

But, tackle it I did last weekend whilst sniffling on the sofa and feeling sorry for myself. So finishing it cheered me up!

I like it.....I like it a lot. I do have some matching wrist warmers done in a different style but in the same colours (so not too twee), but I haven't sewn them up and am putting them away until January. For now, the scarf will make do.

So..............I hope that you are all well, Keeping warm if the days are chilly, or basking in the bright sunshine if the days are warm. I will be back with a good long chatter before long.......

Take care all

XXX

Time to start........

2011-12-05T10:57:00.000Z

...making these again...

yum yum

xxx

I have been featured......

2011-12-04T09:00:00.000Z

.....on the very lovely

blog here

.....as a guest blogger on Emma's....

✵✻✴Share Your Sparkle✴✻✵

So pop on over if you fancy having a nosey at my favourite sparkle and say 'hi' to the very lovely Emma!

xxx

....Like Bread and Butter........

2011-12-02T12:34:00.000Z

...........I have noticed that there is a theme with me.....

...and i'm guessing with many of you too.....

...that with many a yarny, hooky, crafty shot...

....there just so happens to be a drink of some kind.....

...and possibly a foody treat of some kind too....

...they just seem to go together...

...don't you think?...

...like bread and butter...

...I guess I must think so...

...as looking through my archive pics, there seem many a familiar picture!

well why not....craft and cuppa...it has to be!

xxx

November Catch Up........

2011-12-01T10:18:00.000Z

....in pictures......xxx

Finally......

2011-11-30T10:33:00.003Z

.......Something to show for all my crafty potterings......

Ridiculous really, there is so much that I should be making that is not actually for me (this time of year and all), but I love this.

The pattern is taken form Nicki Trench's Cute and Easy Crochet. I made it quite long as I love to wrap around a lot. I used Sirdar Supersoft Aran in shade 825 - Mustard

This year has seen me introduce more shades of yellow into my life. I have issues with orange, and realised that because of this, I tended to stay away from all types of yellow, gold and mustard. So...this was my attempt at trying a new colour...and I do love it. It is soft, I love the pattern and I love how it all bobbles around the neck. I have made a few of these in different colourways to give as presents for family......but sheepishly, I love them all so much, they are hard to part with. Me being nicknamed 'scarf girl' by my workmates tells you what i'm like. Hummmmm, well, I can see several more in this pattern being made after christmas when things have slowed down.

I have actually just finished another scarf which I am completely in love with, and I just couldn't part with it. If I can get my act together I will take a pic.

Woo Hoo.....my WIP's are slowly starting to get finished!

Have a fab day all

xxx

Currently Loving..........

2011-11-28T10:30:00.005Z

Three completely cute knitting ladies

Reminding me of being 5....my first year of school.....and having an ickle boyfriend who got his older sister to teach him how to use one of these. He made me a belt, to go over my school jumper....awwwwww.....think it got confiscated though by the teacher!!!!!

Loving my morning coffee angel

Loving my new birthday tights....floral whoooppppeeeeeee...

Loving my other new birthday tights...spotty whoopppppeeeeee

Loving my complete want for this Princess Leia look. Would I be laughed at in the street?!

Loving clay making time with the Bears...my result....a trinket dish

Loving Cadbury's Snowbites....sorry a re-hash of a pic I took last year.....they seriously didn't last long enough for me to take a piccy! what a pig! Cannot get enough though.

Going all dotty over toadstools

See....told you!

Loving the light

loving a bit of spot and a bit of lace on glass......

Loving embroidery like this......sigh....I need to learn

Loving mid morning tea and granola snacks. It's become a frequent thing.

Loving wearing brights on grey, dull, depressing days

Loving little miss bunny light, how she makes me smile

Loving blankets

And loving the last of my roses by my kitchen sink.....you make being there bearable.

❅❅❅

So.....not many words....a lot of pics...but just some of the things making me smile at the moment.

What are you currently loving?

xxx

Remember........

2011-11-25T10:45:00.002Z

...........the Sirdar Snuggly Snowdrops yarn I got a few weeks ago?

.............It was turned into this...........

..........Perfect for the coming months.............

.............A cute tealight cover, to carry on the tealight cover theme I seem to have going on at the moment!

I have to say.........I ADORE this yarn. All festive and snuggly. I went back to get some more, but alas, it seems other folk have taken a liking to it also and it had sold out in that colourway. Never mind, I shall keep my eyes peeled.

Snow Drop...I am not done with you yet............

xxx

Cosying up........

2011-11-23T10:30:00.010Z

So......the days are drawing in.....the curtains are getting drawn earlier and earlier.....and now is the time to get all the candles burning of an evening.

Nothing new....quick and easy to make.....and look so much prettier on a mantel than just a plain glass votive....

There is plenty of inspiration out there on the web for all kinds of tutorials for different designs. I used this one here

So.......warm, cosy evenings now.....

....little candles twinkling in their jars.....

....I ❤ it......

The days have been mainly so grey and depressing here. It's hard to get into the frame of mind to take photos. I don't mind the cold......I don't mind the FREEZING cold.....just so long as it is bright.

So............lamps on to make it cosy. Tealights in my new jar covers to add that little bit of sparkle to the dark days and I feel all the brighter for it.

....Happy Twinkling....

XXX

Beating The Grey Days........

2011-11-21T10:08:00.005Z

I was going at a great pace with this latest obsession.....

...then annoying illness forced me to take a break.....

....but i'm up and running again now....

.....ahhh....to you sweet cheeriness for making my grey days so much better!.....

....XXX....

Time.........

2011-11-11T10:00:00.001Z

Why is there never enough of it?

Why does it go so fast when you do have it?

Why do I feel that a day has gone and I have achieved nothing?

Why is Christmas creeping up at an ALARMING rate?

I always get this panic at this time of year. A panic, in that there is simply soooooooo much to do, that I don't know where to start. I find myself pacing....trying to order my head with what needs to be done. I write lists...lose them....write more.....deary me.

Anyone else feel the same?

Five family birthdays in November always keeps me pre-occupied, then six in December...and before you know it, it's Christmas and i'm already a Headless Chicken. I used to love Christmas and all its build up......now.....I hate that I never get to enjoy the whole build up as much as I would like every year.

I don't think feeling like I have had some sort of constant cold for the last 6 weeks has helped. I seem to have kept catching the tail end of the rest of the family's. Fuzzy head is never a good thing for too long.

It all seemed to come to a head this week. Apart from de-cluttering (or should I say less-cluttering) my dresser at the weekend, nothing has been done. I have had the mother of all colds, possibly flu, but I would never give in to thinking I had that. I have allowed myself a heck of a lot of sofa time, boiling hot one minute, freezing the next and generally feeling like I have been about to explode. In between, the constant hot drinks to ease my throat and sinus, the feelings of nausea from drinking too many hot drinks, watching a complete season of the Gilmore Girls, and having a U2 week on my ipod, my trusted hook has been with me. Ahhhhh even when feeling the most utter pants of pant-ness, it was still by my side. Completely ridiculous that.....

a) not only do I have a gazillion WIP's to be getting on with...

and

b) I need to start making Christmas presents.....

and

c) I have to get all these birthdays sorted...

...I decide that my state of health, combined with the grey, cold, and miserably depressing weather this week, needed a bit of a colour boost. So, a bright blanket has been started. Totally Summery, ridiculous really, but then, I think perhaps I need to work this way round. I can take muted, Autumny tones in the summer, as I am working in the sunlight, so it's not depressing. I'm not sure I can make Autumny stuff in the Autumn. Bright and colourful keep me sane in bleakness!

I ordered a book on Monday that I am eagerly awaiting. I am actually finding it hard to contain my excitement. When I spied it a couple of weeks ago, it filled almost every thought for days. I even printed out the preview sheets just so I could stare at them when I wasn't able to stare at them on the computer screen. How SAD am I?! Birthday pennies have meant I could justify it. My hooky-ness this week, has sort of been inspired by it. More about it when it finally arrives in my lap.

So.........

Calm, I think is the order of the day......

....okay........a cuppa.......and a sit down.......and a ponder........then a write some more lists and wonder if i'll ever get myself organised.?!!!!!

Have a good weekend all.

I may just have a little blog breaksie for a bit. I have a HUGE amount to do. Doing nothing all week has meant I am snowed under with all the mundane stuff, as well as all the stuff I NEED to be doing.

Hopefully, when I am back, I will have a few bits to finally show a tell of a crafty nature!

Cheerio all

xxx

Lest we Forget...........

2011-11-11T07:34:00.000Z

source

xxx

Autumn Comfort.......

2011-11-09T13:16:00.001Z

I don't do pumpkins generally. I like all kinds of squash, but I just have such a hard time looking at the colour of a regular pumpkin! That colour orange is the hardest I find to take. But now that halloween is over and all the little pumpkins are half price, one went in my basket for lunch. I love soup, but Mr H is not so keen, so I generally save it for a lunch. Today was pumpkin soup served in the pumpkin shell. It was such a dinky little pumpkin, perfect for soup for one! I caught a glimpse of Saturday Kitchen a couple of episodes back and saw this being made with big pumpkins and various kinds of squash, and thought....'ooooh I could just have a bit of that'....so I did.

Carefully take the lid off the pumpkin, or any squash you are wanting to use. Cook down some onion (I used half as the pumpkin was small) with a knob of butter. Add the scooped out inner of the pumpkin (minus seeds of course). Add some vegetable stock, a bit of grated nutmeg, salt and a good dose of pepper and reduce down a little until all soft and cooked through. Blend until smooth, return back into the pumpkin, put the pumpkin lid on so it's like a little casserole dish, and cook for about half an hour in the oven. Saturday Kitchen added a dollop of sherry before putting in the oven. Maybe if I was making this as a main evening meal I would try that as it sounds very interesting, although if Mr H were to eat it, I think I would have to make it really creamy. I added a bit of fresh coriander into the soup. Serve it with a good chunk of crusty loaf and voila!

Boy this was good.........warming, hearty, aromatic with the nutmeg and spicy with the pepper and it will DEFINITELY be one that will be made again and again.

xxx

De-cluttering.....

2011-11-07T10:45:00.010Z

...this is actually after I have de-cluttered! ha ha...

....I think maybe a bit more is needed!....

Happy Monday to you all!

xxx

Nostalgic.....

2011-11-04T10:45:00.003Z

One of my favourite memories.....

....was in a school kitchen. The school was actually a big house. The kitchen wasn't a big clinical affair. It was just like my mums kitchen. The dining hall, was a dining room. The cook was a lovely rounded lady who had the rosiest cheeks and ALWAYS had time for the children. Baking classes in the kitchen were always HUGE amounts of fun.....

...My favourite memory of being in that kitchen was making peppermint creams for our parents...

....I must have been about 7.....

....I loved it.....

....so....

....a trip down memory lane...

.....yes.....what is that you say?......Hummmmmm...yes.....I did say no more baking...

...but to be fair, these were never 'baked'....

...Am I forgiven?...

.....okay then....just the once...

xxx

The day ahead.......

2011-11-02T10:25:00.004Z

Coffee and yarn.......

.....that sets the day up nicely for me!

xxx

p.s For those of you who asked, the pictures on the last post were taken on my iphone using hipstamatic. I couldn't be bothered to lug a camera around......and there are no pyramid shaped sand buckets that I know of, they were made freestyle....and the star wellies I have had for ages, so i'm sorry I cannot even begin to remember where they came from! Think that's all the questions answered!

The week that was......

2011-10-31T12:45:00.000Z

.....Okay.....

...so it may have seemed that I was at my desk last week.....but it was half term and I was, in fact, in Egypt.....

......nahhhhhh......just kidding..... We hopped across the border to Wales to visit family....So if I seemed a little quiet, that was why.

It was a nice relaxing week apart from all the Bears being ill at some point......always the way.

There were wet days.....with wet walks.....

It was a stars and stripes day for me

It was a floral day for my beautiful Sister-in-law

And Baby Bear has not reached the age when pink for a boy is completely uncool!

.........sunny but cool days.......

I love this view so much

hummmmmm...there seems a familiarity here in this photo

Crossing this was fun!

Three Cliffs Bay

I could not get my Bears off this!

ahhhhh.....stripey love.....

.....and sunny and really warm days.....

......nestled amongst the rock pools

Such a perfect day

Always lovely to create happy childhood memories with lots of family around

This was my Egypt! Did I fool you with the top photo?!!!! We never seem to do a bog standard sand castle.

Before the tide went right out, the channels were filled with water and the Bears (and Mr H) were in their element.

ahhhhhh fun was had

I even got a 3D heart castle made just for me.....that was until one of the boys ran and jumped on it!

Five out of 6 cousins wasn't bad. Have you any idea how hard it is to get boys to stand together?!!!!

To have such a wonderful day at the beach right at the end of October was truly AMAZING.

❀❀❀❀❀

I also grew a year older

and drank out of pretty crockery

whilst admiring pretty crockery....

So......all in all we had a lovely break. Sooooooooo much to do now though. It will take me a week at least to catch up in the house, it always does.....and another week to catch up with all the goings on in Blog land.

Apologies for the picture overload. A real bore of a post to many, well done if you got to the end! ha ha! Memories created and saved for the Bears. That's what it's all about!

Happy Monday all

Hope it's not as wet where you are as it is here!

xxx

A Different Version........

2011-10-28T13:00:00.000+01:00

Now.....you know how my guys love a bit of Rocky Road? Seriously.....they LURRRVVVVVEEEEE the stuff. I do try to make it in moderation.....I rather like it too.

I saw a really enticing piccie on pinterest that led to the most gorgeous bloggy blog blog.

here

OH MY GIDDY AUNT

I needed to try these out......

I adjusted things a little. I added some hazelnuts and the marshmallows were pink as well as white. I also forgot to faff about and make it all so pweety pweety on the top (I shoved it all in!). But it tasted so lovely. You only need a teeny tiny square as it's very very rich, but the apple, cranberries and strawberries make it taste really fruity and the marshmallows chewy. It was a delight to have one with a hot cup of tea. Even the bears thought they tasted good, although, I think the dark chocolate will win hands down every time for them. A nice one to try though and it was lovely to find such a lovely cookery blog too!

Seriously more-ish

yummy scrummy

So....I think my makey bakey stint is over for a bit now! ha ha!

Have a super duper day all and a wonderful weekend!

xxx

Melon Hearts.......

2011-10-26T10:00:00.001+01:00

Ridiculous really.....I am such a sucker for pretty....

.....although, I swear it tastes so much better.....

xxx

If I could.......

2011-10-24T14:45:00.001+01:00

Spend all day on carousels with butterfly wings strapped to my back......then I would.....

...in a heartbeat.......

Pudding Love...........

2011-10-21T11:26:00.000+01:00

..........Sticky Toffee Pudding to be exact.

I have been wanting to make this for a while, I just had to leave a bit of time in between baking. I LOVE baking.....but if i'm honest, the only person that eats it, is me (apart from the heart biscuits recently made....I didn't get a look in with those!). The Bears like a little bit, but in general, they are not 'bakey' eaters. Mr H will eat the fruits of my labour, but he has his favourites and likes to stick to them. Bakey, cakey lovelies don't have a long shelf life, so then it's usually me that scoffs them whilst they are still good enough to eat. So, I haven't made much recently, I just cannot justify it all going into one person!

But......making this was a must. And it was delicious!

Now, this is certianly not something I will be making all the time. I think it is a real calorific indulgence, but certainly a crowd pleaser. Making it in the tins made it that much nicer. A perfect treat to make if you have people over. Hot sticky toffee sponge that delves into a deep and rather generous layer of warm golden syrup, topped with melting clotted cream ice cream. Wickedly delicious!

So......nothing to be made for a while. I was a snuffle truffle piggy wiggy, but it was OH SO NICE.

If you fancy having a go, I have put the recipe on the baking tab at the top of the screen. It was taken from Eric Lanlard's 'Home Bake' book.

The recipe is also available online, just google Eric Lanlard's Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Happy Baking lovelies!

and

Happy Weekend too!

xxx

So......

2011-10-19T10:08:00.000+01:00

....You all think................ scarves can be worn whenever.........whatever the weather.........and wherever you are going! Thanks for that!

You mostly think.........that trying to dye the blanket would be a no-no.....and that flower embelishments are the way forward with it.

You mostly think........I should leave the blog layout as it is and just tinker here and there with the header when it takes my fancy.

Thank you all for your input! Sometimes my head is fuzzy and it needs a bit of outside help to make it work a bit better!

I shall take everything on board, carry on wearing my scarves, how and whenever I please, make a start on my blanket, and, most likely have a blog tinker.....

but first......

..............have a play with a ball of yarn recently purchased. It's called Snowdrops by Sirdar in the snuggly range. It is so pretty.......I have plans for it.

....and carrying on with some Christmas makes.........

Cheerio!

xxx

Questions.......

2011-10-17T11:40:00.000+01:00

❦

Are silk neck scarves too formal for everyday wear?

Not that how and when I would wear one would change....just that I wore one the other day on the school run and then on to a food shop. Two ladies at school asked me where I worked, and so did the man who served me at the grocery store. When I replied I wasn't off to work, just off back home after the school run to do the 'household chores', they all sounded rather surprised, like I was WAY too overdressed for housework! I fancied bright and cheerful that morning and something that wasn't too big and bulky. Just wondered what general thoughts were on silk scarves! Only something meant for the office?

❦

What should I do about this blanket?

Again, thoughts appreciated. I picked it up in a charity shop for....wait for it......£3! You know when you spot something from a distance and there are people in the way and you don't want to run, and be all casual, whilst your heart is pumping ten to the dozen inside you?! Well, in one of my local Charity shops they have ladies who knit blankets to sell. They use some of the wool donated and they enjoy making them. The colours have never been 'me' enough to buy though and never a size I would use.....but this one.....I could see, even all folded, that it was a really good size and looked well made. It is perfectly made, I could appreciate just how many hours had gone into this blanket, and for £3 they were almost having a laugh. So....i'm thinking, it's big, plain and perfect for a bit of embellishment.

The dilemma is, that, although it is plain white.....and I do love a bit of white.....it is bright white.....almost shockingly white. A little TOO white for me. I am not sure what it is made from, though I would guess an acrylic mix yarn. I'm not sure it would take to a dye, but was wondering if soaking it in a bath of cold tea could maybe just take the edge off it. Do you think that could work? Or does that sound completely ridiculous? Part of me says for £3 I should try it, the other half says leave it alone.

I have been wanting to make this blanket

from Nicki Trench's Cute and Easy Crochet. This blanket would be perfect for it. A sort of cheats version if you like. I could just add some flowers to each square and put on a border. I'd love your thoughts on the whole 'dye it' thing. I am just not sure what to do.

❦

My Blog Layout?

Keep or change? I am undecided. I have had this blog for over two years now and have played about a little with blog designs. The style I have now has been like this for for about year and a half. When I arrived at it way back, I knew it was a keeper. It's me. I tinker about with my header, just because it's fun and I like a little change....but I'm wondering about whether I should do a big layout change. Not sure what yet. Just wondered what your thoughts were. Keep it as it is...or change? I only ask because I know sometimes change is a funny thing. You get used to something and you like its familiarity, so when it changes, it can be a bit...no...no....no! I am rubbish at making decisions.

okay...so any thoughts on any of the above questions would be gratefully received!

Happy Monday to you all!

xxx

Ahhhhhhhhh......

2011-10-14T10:51:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was a good day....my kind of day......

....the sun shone......the windows and doors wide open.....

.......my favourites playing on iTunes....

....and a spot of baking......

.....it has to be done on a day like that.....The sheer joy of getting out all my baking bits.....

....nothing fancy.....

....butter biscuits.....with a fondant topping....and a squidging of icing to top it all....

.....espresso, and bagels topped with cream cheese to munch on whilst they were baking....

....okay so they were ❤ shaped.....it had to be done......and they were pink.....it's actually all I had in the cupboard.....

....but the Bears had fun icing them when they got home from school.....and they enjoyed munching on them too....so all good.....

....happy Bears....happy me.....

....yes....definitely my kind of day.....

xxx

p.s ..............thank you for all your comments on my last post. I don't want to sound like a gusher or sycophant, but they meant a lot.

It's funny............

2011-10-12T10:35:00.000+01:00

..........how your life can twist and turn at any one given moment.

I was reminded again the other day just how precious life is. I watched the documentary Alex: A Life Fast Forward . Within minutes of watching it, the tears ran silently down my face.

They didn't stop.

I kept my face at the tv as not to show that I was so emotionally moved by it. At the end, I turned to Mr H and attempted to be lighthearted and say what a gusher it was...then promptly burst into tears. It was close to home for us. Mr H couldn't speak as he was a bit choked too. We are still grieving, and this documentary mirrored much. It was incredibly sad, but also incredibly heart warming.

It made me think on things.

This year has made me realise how you just get the one life so it's worth REALLY living it. When I stop and think..........gees.........my life has flown by so far (I'm sure you must all think the same thing about your own lives). Most of it with mundane day to day stuff. You know, head down, stuck in your own little hub of a family just getting through a day at a time. Now, not that I want to jet off around the world and do the whole bungee jumping, jump out of a plane kind of thing.......and when you have children, you are a tad constrained......but i'm thinking on these words.....'live each day like it was your last'. Good advice. And maybe just the little things I can do, will make my days less mundane and more fab................

Lighting up the 'expensive' candles (why save them for a special occasion? They get dusty. Light them and smell how lovely they are)

Smiling to people on the school run (Usually pre-occupied with kids forgetting everything)

Talking to my family and friends more (Sometimes a week has gone and I have realised I have been so pre-occupied with things I haven't said hello to anyone that week)

Don't hold grudges, life's too short. (True. I am working on it)

Using my 'best' china daily, not just for me but for the children too. (if it's my 'favourite', why do I have it stuck in a cupboard? Why not use it every day and let it bring a smile to my face)

Don't spend time doing the stuff you hate. (again true.......housework is at its bare minimum!)

Be more appreciative.

I read an article at the beginning of the year in a newspaper. It stuck with me.
I managed to find it online here

Okay, well I could go on.....but I wont bore you. I have already started these, and I have to say that, I can't think why I didn't do them before...especially the whole 'save things for best' one. Mr H was a little harder to convince about letting the kids at the nice china, but I could be struck down by a bus tomorrow and what a waste of china use that would be! The grudge one, is one I am trying to conquer. I am dreadful. I sulk a lot too........but inwardly and many people never know it, so where's the point in that? (No, I don't get me either!). I have in the past couple of years made a point of being grateful and appreciative of a lot more. I am not a natural optimist. I never have been, and I never will be. I have to work hard at concentrating more on the postive than the negitive, and have found that giving myself little pep talks first thing in the morning or last thing at night helps. My alarm app tells me one every day and it's been so great and really picks me up. Just reminding myself of all the good things that have happened that day, week etc. Reminding myself that even though the boys drive me mad and take my stress levels through the roof some days, the house is a mess and the dinner I spent ages working on, no one will eat...........I am grateful for it all. I appreciate it and I don't take it for granted.

So...today....I am not going to bother with much housework, the bare minimum to get by. I am going to have tea and toast in a nice cup and plate. I am going to sit with my feet up and enjoy a nice coffee, just how I like it.

I am going to call a few people and have a good catch up, I am going to smile at people who have really cheesed me off this week, and I am going to have a piece of chocolate!

There, that's a good start don't you think?

xxx

Monday Morning...........

2011-10-10T09:41:00.000+01:00

Morning! Did you all have a pleasant weekend?

Mine was quite a relaxed one. Rugby and Grand Prix seemed to take up a lot of it.....although i'm not complaining.......it meant I had guilt free crochet time.....WOO HOO!

And, as if I didn't have enough WIP's to be getting on with, I decided to start two more projects......oh.....but I am ❤LOVING❤ working on them. Quick and simple, and completely in love. I don't seem to be producing any finished articles to 'show and tell', but you never know, they may all come at once. I was a busy bee last week doing a bit on this.....and a bit on that. I have set myself the task of spending this morning organising my week well so that I can pack in as much as I can. NO dawdling, NO procrastinating, NO head in the clouds. Pure graft this week.

Ha ha....who am I trying to kid! But one shall try. You never know, I might just do it. I am the worlds biggest daydreamer.

So, the sun pokes its head from behind the clouds to say good morning to me. I shall say BIG Good Morning back and get stuck into the day!

Have a super duper Monday all!

xxx

When life hands you lemons.........

2011-10-07T10:51:00.000+01:00

....drink it in lemonade form......

.....ooooohhhh really rather lovely and refreshing.....

.....then take the lids off with a tin opener....

.....and fill with soil to use for seedlings on the window sill....

.....I have to say, I am a bit of a sucker for packaging, and I just couldn't get rid of these cans, not even for recycling. The lemonade was super lovely. Quite tart, not your usual sweet lemonade. And you know me, I love a lemon or ten! My can opener was no super duper fancy one, but it took the lid off and made the the edges all smooth and lovely so there were no sharp bits. I kept the foil lids and put them on lolly sticks so that on the back I could make a note of what seedlings were in each can. So....there we go.....I get to keep the limonata love in my kitchen a little bit longer. I love these.......hummmmmm....they have orange ones too.....I might just have to pop back. I have a feeling there won't be a lot of space left on my sills!

xxx

The Queen and the Soldier......

2011-10-06T07:46:00.000+01:00

The soldier came knocking upon the queen's door
He said, "I am not fighting for you any more"
The queen knew she'd seen his face someplace before
And slowly she let him inside.

He said, "I've watched your palace up here on the hill
And I've wondered who's the woman for whom we all kill
But I am leaving tomorrow and you can do what you will
Only first I am asking you why."

Down in the long narrow hall he was led
Into her rooms with her tapestries red
And she never once took the crown from her head
She asked him there to sit down.

He said, "I see you now, and you are so very young
But I've seen more battles lost than I have battles won
And I've got this intuition, says it's all for your fun
And now will you tell me why?"

The young queen, she fixed him with an arrogant eye
She said, "You won't understand, and you may as well not try"
But her face was a child's, and he thought she would cry
But she closed herself up like a fan.

And she said, "I've swallowed a secret burning thread
It cuts me inside, and often I've bled"
He laid his hand then on top of her head
And he bowed her down to the ground.

"Tell me how hungry are you? How weak you must feel
As you are living here alone, and you are never revealed
But I won't march again on your battlefield"
And he took her to the window to see.

And the sun, it was gold, though the sky, it was grey
And she wanted more than she ever could say
But she knew how it frightened her, and she turned away
And would not look at his face again.

And he said, "I want to live as an honest man
To get all I deserve and to give all I can
And to love a young woman who I don't understand
Your highness, your ways are very strange."

But the crown, it had fallen, and she thought she would break
And she stood there, ashamed of the way her heart ached
She took him to the doorstep and she asked him to wait
She would only be a moment inside.

Out in the distance her order was heard
And the soldier was killed, still waiting for her word
And while the queen went on strangeling in the solitude she preferred
The battle continued on

Sometimes you listen to a song you havn't listened to for a long time and you wonder why you havn't. Such a sad story so beautifully sung.

xxx

WIP's

2011-10-04T11:15:00.003+01:00

I have a lot on the go at the moment.......

.....My plan was to try and get a couple finished, just so I had a free craft head to get the christmas makes started....

....so many on the go.....

....having fun though, now my mojo is back.....

..........I seem to be back on the eclectic brights............

....gosh, I love working on this........

.......loving each and every WIP.......

.......well almost.......

...this was Baby Bear's blanket started at the beginning of the year. I am struggling with this one. Baby Bear chose the colours, and I am finding them quite hard to work with. They are just not my kind of colours. Laid out on the bed though, it actually looks alright, so I need to carry on with it. It will be as small as I can make it though!...

....ahhhhhhhhh this is more me.........the Evening Sun blanket....progressing slowly but surely. I keep stopping to start small projects but I love the vintage look of this blanket and will be very pleased with it when it is finally finished....

.....bright and cheery patchwork. I started this an age ago too but I really love it. I need to get my act together. It could well be a gift for a nieces bed....

....more Cath-esque.......

.....a bit more autumnal granny colour......

.......ooooooohhh.........

.............aaaahhhhhhhhhh.............

....and completely in ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ with these babies.......

❀❀❀❀❀

......very excited with what's on the go at the mo.......

busy...busy...busy....

.....I might even get something finished soon to show you and have a ta-dah moment.....

xxx

September...........

2011-10-03T11:03:00.000+01:00

......Okay so a little late, but here we are.....a monthly round up.....

I hope you had a super weekend. We wanted to enjoy the amazing sunshine we had at the weekend. So unseasonably hot here, but we all had colds......so we were a bit grumpy, a bit crabby and sneezing all over the place!

Hopefully the sun keeps shining this week. Paracetamol for me and a bit of a lie down today....back later on this week!

xxx

Pip....how I love thee.........

2011-09-30T14:30:00.002+01:00

I ♥ADORE♥ Pip Studio China. I ❤LOVE❤ china in general. I can never resist a cup, I have far too many. But, I do use them. I am quite particular about cups too, but i'll save that one for another day. I don't have a big collection of Pip, but it's slowly growing. It's very girly china. Not a family china set....well not a family china set when you are the only female, and the males don't appreciate its beauty as much as you do!

So, Pip is saved for when I am on my own. For years, I boiled a kettle, plonked milk and a bag in a cup and voila. The cuppa was instant and I drank it on the go. And I do this all the time still.....but I realised a few years ago, just how nice it is to take 15 minutes in the day to set a place for just me.....with a pretty pot, a pretty cup and saucer and, to just relax and enjoy it. There is something really very soothing going on here. Like a little ritual. Taking pleasure in putting it all out.....pouring.....relaxing. I have made sure that I find time most days to do this. Just me. I didn't like the fact that I had this beautiful china and didn't want to use it for fear of breaking or chipping it. China is made to be used, however delicate and beautiful. Life is too short to keep everything for best. I've realised this. Why have something stuck in a cupboard? If it breaks it breaks, but at least you have some lovely memories with it!

So, a relaxing start to the morning. The Bears are dropped off at school, and as I sit with my pot of tea (yes, and sneaky morning oreo), I write a list of 'to-do' things that need to be done today after my tea is drunk.

❤❤❤❤❤

I need this......I'm not sure I could function without this now. Just a little 'me time' in the day. Quiet, tea and pretties. It does me the world of good....the perfect little 'pick me up'. When I am bogged down with laundry, stinky boy bedrooms, the general daily mess and chauffeuring about......I need 15 minutes of 'me', to help me feel like the whole day is not just about everyone else all the time. Let's face it, no one else is going to set a pretty little table and pour me out a cuppa! Happy me....happy mum.

Happy Friday and weekend to you...........

xxx

Down in the woods............

2011-09-28T09:55:00.000+01:00

Whenever I go away somewhere, I always have to pick a little something up......just to remind myself of a good time away somewhere. Last weekend wasn't really a weekend for shopping, but I managed to find a little toadstool staring at me on a shop shelf. I could hear its tiny little voice trying to be heard above the chatter in the shop. 'Here I am, come and get me, I will feel so at home back at your house.'. So, into my hand it went........

............and I didn't want it to be all lonely in my house, so its mate came with us too!

Bright and cheery and they tell me they are very happy here with me on the shelf.

I have had my eye on a pair of toadstool salt and pepper shakers for quite a while. When I, by chance, saw these little beauties staring at me through a window, I knew they had to be mine. A little different to the ones I had had my eye on, but the different was a good different. I liked how the salt and pepper were slightly different in shape. So a red & white little knick knack weekend of purchases.....

....and there is no break away without a few sticks of rock is there! he he

Happy Wednesday all

xxx

Radar..........

2011-09-26T11:04:00.000+01:00

..........Sorry..........I dropped off it a bit.

I lost the energy to blog........ Just for a short while........

I have just been a bit thoughtful these past couple of weeks. I view my mind as being a room full of heaving bookcases. Some of the books are factual.....some are thoughts.........and others are memories.

Do you ever have days where you feel like browsing through all your cook books, or crafty books or piles of magazines that have accumulated? You get them all out.....sit on the floor, just opening each one, flicking through it, making notes, tearing out pages etc...

You look down and there is a HUGE pile splayed everywhere on the floor. You have spent the whole morning flicking.....and reading....and searching.....then you don't have the energy to put them all back from where they came from (in my world, usually all over the house). So, they stay there for a while, in the way. They get tripped over, and make the place messy. So your solution? Just to scoop them up and shove them to one side. They still don't get put back.

Well........that's me at the moment. That's the room in my head. Books from every subject field are all off the shelf and strewn all over the floor. I have spent the last few months getting books down from here and there. Having a flick through, but not actually putting them back. I have had no order in there for a bit and it was getting rather chaotic. So I needed to just spend a couple of weeks, sorting the books out, having a quiet read, and putting them back where they belong again. Order restored.

Okay, so I have probably completely confused you. Maybe a strange analogy, but it's how I view things in my head. Sorry.....have I come across as a complete loon?

Creating order has meant not so much enthusiasm for crafty stuff. Well, I have had a little play, but my enthusiasm has not stretched to finishing things. Maybe next week, if I can get my act together.

The days are getting cooler...........the skies greyer..........the evenings are drawing in quicker. I do love this time for its snuggliness, but I feel that there is always a slight sense of apprehension, a mild sort of panic. The last 4 months of the year are majorly hectic in my little world. However hard I try to be organised, it is always last minute panics and stresses. Also, I think it is hard to look forward to something knowing that there will be an empty place this year. It will be hard.

I am setting myself the task over the next few weeks of writing a list of handmade gifts I want to give for birthdays and christmas, and plan to make a start. Hopefully, this will set me on the right path and keep me orderly. Since giving up work and making more, I feel loathed to buy presents for gifts for family. Some perhaps might appreciate them more than others(!), but it seems in the last couple of years the family has started to like this.

Mr H's family are very creative and arty, so we exchange some handmade bits and it is so much nicer. I HATE how commercial things are now. How it is quantity over anything else or how much you spend on one person. There are a lot of people in both sides of our family, and last year we all made a pact to scale it down, make stuff if we could. Help to ease the pressure that we all seemed to feel. And do you know......I think it was the best christmas in a LONG while. People seemed to appreciate it all the more. Less stress, and appreciating actually what Christmas is all about. It made it feel more special. Yes, I think that's it. Christmas has become so commercial that I felt it was losing it's sparkle. The pressure to get the most perfect table setting, the pressure to get the most gifts, the pressure to do something or go somewhere just to please people. Well, I mean, we never went overboard, but it just felt like it was losing the sparkle......and I love sparkle. Yes, last year was the best. I know, for children, it's about the opening of gifts, but I don't want my bears to become far removed from what it is all about.

Hummm........I appear to have deviated from thought a little.

So.....normality will resume. Books have been filed away, and my head is clear enough to function again! Life's a funny old thing!

We spent this past weekend away. It was my older brother's BIG birthday, so all my family hired a house in Swanage near the village of Corfe Castle for his celebration. It was just a shame it was only for a long weekend. I could have stayed much longer.....in fact I could have never left. The house we stayed in was G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S. The views were stunning. We took every opportunity to sit outside in the garden and drink our cuppas......

Isn't that just the most beautiful view to wake up to every morning? The kitchen boasted the same view, but there was nothing like being outside listening to the bird song, feeling the fresh air on the face and just staring at the beauty before one.

The kitchen was definitely the hub. I would sit at a chair that showed me the above view from one angle and the below view from another.....

What a beauty. This was postcard living. it was VERY hard to drag myself away from that particular spot. Every evening the flood lights lit up the Church. The red brick gave off the most AMAZING GLOW, so it was a double treat to be sat in that spot in the kitchen in the evening to see this.....

We did a walk around it ,just before midnight when the lights go off. It was magical. Very peaceful. Sights like this this leave me speechless. Such a lot of beauty.

Saturday was spent with all the family on the beach.....

and Sunday we took a trip on the Steam Railway......

Which I loved. Ironic, because my dad is a HUGE Railway Buff. He used to take my brothers and I on rides like this all the time when we were kids and we couldn't think of anything more boring. Now, it was one of the things we all didn't want to miss!

The children had been on it before on school excursions, but they still loved it. The nostalgia is lovely. The beauty of the engine. The Wessex Belle above was lovingly restored from scrap. It smelt lovely, it sounded lovely. The beauty of the coaches. Vintage fixtures and fittings. The sound of the old carriage doors closing brought back memories. No such thing these days. The gentle rhythm of the coaches moving to the chuff chuff chuffing of the locomotive. The children said it was like being on Hogwart's Express! Awwwww

It REALLY was a joy. I'm glad the Bears appreciated it more than I did at their age!

After the Steam Train, came the visit to the Castle. If you've read my blog for any length of time, you will know that I ♡LOVE♡ Castle Ruins. There is something just so magical about them. Steeped in history, I find it completely fascinating that people once lived their lives in these magnificant buildings. Never would they ever have thought that hundreds of years later, people would be visiting them and wondering about their lives.

Corfe Castle has to be the MOTHER of all Castle Ruins.

It must has been an AMAZING Castle in its prime. Built in the 10th Century, and recorded in the Doomsday book. The ruins are big and very impressive. I could have stayed there all day. Difficult with three children (two of which had already been there with the school). I just wanted to touch the brick and imagine those whole laid every stone in place. It would have been very grand. Ahhhhhhh I just ❤LOVED❤ it. I REALLY could have stayed there all day...and then some.

Alas, the weekend had to come to an end. It did me the world of good though and it was great to catch up and have a big family get together.

Hopefully, I have caught up a bit with things now. Thank you for taking the time to visit me here. I do appreciate it very much. I love to read your comments. I read each and every one. I know time is such a precious thing, so I always feel humbled that people do pop by and say hello. I do apologise if I don't get round to saying hello to you all. It's this whole time management thing. It's hard to juggle. I am not the most organised person and am quite airy fairy with my head in the clouds most of the time. I hope am forgiven....

Happy Monday to you all.

Washing awaits me. Why is there as much washing going for only a weekend as there is when going away for a whole week? I can never understand that one!

XXX

p.s that rather large book pile was beside my bed. All now put back in their rightful place, so head and home are a little more sorted!

A Change...........

2011-09-13T12:10:00.000+01:00

...........hello all, did you have a reasonable weekend? Mine was decent. Consisting of lie-ins in bed, tea and toast brought up whilst I read a little. Always a treat, that never normally happens I can assure you, so I made the most of it. I did a little bit of hooky, of which I will share about later on this week, and just a general relax. It was nice........no.......it was lovely. Last week was full on. This week proves to be a hectic one too. I am trying to get used to the change in routine. I am trying to be super organised. I know that if I don't stay ahead of the game, I will sink pretty quickly.

A bit of baking has been happening. I have been trying to cut down the baking in recent weeks. Being at home and baking, makes me eat more than my fair share. The Bears had requested cakes though, and whilst Baby Bear was home yesterday and asked to do a bit of 'mixer mixing', I could not refuse. So.............Jammy Cakes with Strawberry Buttercream icing were called for and snapped up when the eldest Bears returned home.

I also made my first hand made loaf for a while. Turned out okay though. I am scoffing some as I type, with thickly spread marmalade and a cuppa. I feel very Paddington Bear-ish!

I am wanting to change things in the house. All the summery pieces lurking about, were put away, making way for all the Autumnal bits like candles, tealights etc. I like making the change. I like my house to reflect each season we are in.

Down came the Canal/Kashmiri bits from the depths of my kitchen cabinets. It's funny, these are so bright and cheery, but I don't see them as summery pieces. Folk art reminds me of Autumn. I have no idea why, so all my folk arty bits, my trays, my tins, votives and candlesticks, will all make an appearance for a while to help make my house all cosy and Autumnal.

I am really looking forward to this season change. I don't think I have ever longed for Autumn as much as I have this year. Not sure why.

So......busy busy as ever it seems...........

This morning, whilst the house was to myself, a BIG clear up operation was going on.......and boy does it feel good! All bits sorted, put away, dusted, hoovered. I like it when my motivation is high for cleaning. It doesn't happen very often. It's that time of year. The weather today is sunny and nice. I have an array of piano music filling the air as I work which I love. The doors and windows are open letting the fresh breeze come in, and the curtains are blowing on the herbs, bringing their heavenly scent back inside. Delicious. The most perfect morning.

Before I go, I just wanted to let you know about a blog give-away............

Do you remember these in a post I did a while back?

These have been such a hit with the family. Baby bear loves his milk in them and they are the perfect size too. They also work really well as little vases.

So many of you asked where I got them from. I got them from my local antiques shop of all places so was of little help. Well, now you can enter a give-away to win a set of your very own!

The lovely Nicky is hosting a giveaway for a set of these milk bottles in their crate to one lucky winner.

Pop on over here for a chance to enter and win!

Happy Tuesday all!

xxx

A Cross off the List Ta-dah.............

2011-09-09T10:54:00.000+01:00

...............A while ago now, I had a lovely bunch of yarn to do something with. I had just finished the Japanese Flowers throw. Do you remember this one? It was supposed to be a triangular shawl but I got a bit carried away and ended up turning it into a bed throw......and I am so glad that I did....but I still had the urge to make a shawl in the Japanese flowers. I LOVE my shawls. They seem to have been making a come back in the world of fashion I see this season. I may not look so out of place for a while!

After making something so eclectic and bright, I fancied something muted and calm. These shades were just right. All soft and snuggly, perfect for the Autumn days and winter evenings.

Now, I am not really sure for my reasoning, but I decided to keep all the flowers looking the same and I decided to leave out the dark grey. I think I just was after soft and calm.

So I made a start. Wowzer, it was a yarn eater, or was it just that I had bought small balls in a chunky knit, so each ball didn't last long at all. That is why this little beauty took so long. It was left in my bag until I had the time to go back to the specific yarn shop and get some more.

I wanted to get it done before the chill in the air started to creep in. It is finally finished.

Boy is it warm and cosy. Perfect for Autumn evening strolls, and sofa chilling. I am glad I have finished it. I would have hated for it to have been stuck in the unfinished pile indefinitely.

It was a pig to photograph though. The light was awful, in between blustery downpours. And it needs blocking, which I will do at some point.

As for the colour.............I like it.........it is soft and delicate, and definitely calming, and it will go with a lot, but I cannot understand why I didn't use the dark grey and mix the flower colours up a little. It still would have been a muted palette, and it would have given the shawl a bit more depth. Ah well, you live and learn and this warm and cosy shawl will certainly get plenty of use once the chill kicks in for sure.

Another project ticked off and wearable!

Happy a fabulous weekend all!

xxx

(Edited to add: I remembered why I decided not to make all the flowers different. It was because I was using such a limited colour palette, that I thought the flower colours would end up looking 'clumpy' when joined together. I still could have varied the inner colours for each and I think that would have looked nicer on the finished product, but never mind, I am still happy with it!)

Loving...........

2011-09-08T14:18:00.000+01:00

A new kitchen range from Marks and Spencer. Its a bit like the Sophie Conran Portmeirion china that I have, but I ADORE this colour range. The palest blue/grey.....cloud I call it.

Rustic, yet completely pretty, I was in love. It would fit in so nicely in my kitchen and with my utility china. I didn't need any convincing! I see it in a rustic kitchen......I see it in a sparse, airy kitchen....I see the cup filled with a steaming brew and a hobnob by its side. The images I conjured up sealed it for me. I am terrible when it comes to kitchen bits. Shoes, bags, I can take or leave, but get me in a kitchen aisle and I am there forever!

I pawed over it the other evening in a store. I ooooooohhhh'd and aaaahhhhhhhh'd for quite a while. I walked away, then walked back and touched it again. I picked up a little cup.......just one I thought, to test the water so to speak.

Suffice to say, time was not on my side, long queues and grumpy children.........so the little 'taster' was put back on the shelf for perhaps another day. Little cup......so sweet and perfect for me.......you will be mine someday!

How do I convince Mr H that more pots and jars are needed in our ever bulging kitchen?!

Might have to think on that one............and consider items for an Ebay sale! he he!

xxx