Easter

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone's had a nice Easter Bank Holiday.  We've been semi-confined by the pox (which I can thankfully say took a turn for the better on Saturday) which we think is mostly scabbing over, but as he does look ridiculously spotty we were a bit worried of the general public reaction to his smiley spotty face.  We instead stayed local, lots of nice walks, a trip to the seaside including an obligatory ice cream, and some gardening time too.  

I think it was really nice just to be still for a bit, and when the kids are happy we are happy. 

Easter bonnets. I'm not sure where this tradition came from.  It's a bit of a weird one for boys.  For girls you can get pretty bonnets, stick some flowers, chicks, eggs etc. on and they look immediately cute.  Do that to a boy and there's a very good chance he'll get laughed out of the playground!  At only 3, my little man is oblivious to the hilarity of this weird tradition...so lets get the bonnet made and cameras out!

We initially thought we'd go down the decorated crown route.  

This is our effort from last year...

We paper mached a crown which was all a bit gloopy and fun.  Then I made some rabbits and stuck them in the grass at the top (this was a night before jobby as I did think we'd miss playgroup due to the pox).  Here it is...

The crown was a tad small and he did not want to wear it! Oh well...never mind.  I'll try again next year.  But then in the shower I had an epiphany...could I convert my straw hat into something he'd wear?  With 15mins until needing to leave...it was a bit like challenge Anneka!  So with sellotape and wool flying everywhere, lots of giggling and panicking, we transformed the hat from this...

Me modelling the hat in 2013.

....to this.....

He loved wearing it for the bonnet parade around Hythe, holding on for dear life in case the wind blew it off!

Bunnies nestled in the grass...maybe should have used more sellotape...

What a Mess!

But a winning mess all the same!  THIRD prize! So he was delighted with his bag of eggs that he won.  First prize went to someone who had encompassed more of the religious side of Easter. Second to a cute girly hat.  We'll take Third...and now I'm pleased we had the hilarity of the 15minutes of woolly Monday morning madness before playgroup.

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Easter eggs are all well and good, but who really needs all that chocolate?!  After ploughing through the chocolate still lingering from Christmas in an effort to cleanse the house of any chocolate impurities, the thought of another onslaught of chocolate is just a bit sickening.  Especially with the pressing issue of trying to get rid of a post baby belly.  My little man likes chocolate, but he doesn't have it that often, and he would never eat loads in one go, so I thought we don't need to buy big chocolate eggs or anything, but I did want to do an Easter egg hunt.

So a little bit of an alternative egg hunt I suppose.  We had a rock painting craft session, where I painted some rocks in Easter themes with the plan to hide them around the garden for a hunt with a small pressie at the end.

Enjoying the painting session.

The finished rocks.  You can tell who did the monster one...

Finding them around the garden.

The finale was quite fun.  After all rocks collected and counted, he had to lower his prize down from the tree.  He had a great time.  The best part about using the rocks is that we had about 4x different hunts that afternoon.  Then they were used to load in his trucks upstairs.  I found one in my boot this morning, so I guess he still is enjoying hiding them!

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He's been busy in nursery making Easter cards.

At home we made some Easter cakes for ourselves and our two neighbours.  They were delish.

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I'm also working on something a little different...Running.  I achieved couch-5k after my first was born, and now I need to get back on it.  I've joined a weekly beginners running group which started on the 30/03/15.  The people I've met are really nice.  So far I have done 4x runs.  I don't feel as bad as I thought I would, and I'm looking forward to achieving something at the end (hopefully!).   If I lost a little post baby belly along the way I wouldn't complain...

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I hope you all had a good Easter!

Love from me and my little men x

Surviving the Pox

In my last post you saw my DIY heart picture which I think looks pretty spiffingly awesome (even if I do say so myself).

It's now sitting on my new shelves in my lounge.  New Shelves! Yes...I'm quite excited about these as ever since we have moved in (that's about 5/6years) I have been plagued by a blank wall and had no clue as to where to start with it.  How can a blank wall be so difficult? Well I find it easier to cosy up/decorate the small nooks in a room, rather than make a commitment to a large part of the room with the risk of getting it very wrong.  I decided to make a bit of a gallery wall so I could mix up the artwork if I wanted to.  I think these picture ledges are perfect and I am really pleased with them.

Love these pictures.

There are my two home made ones in the middle!

Unfortunately you don't get a picture of the shelves in context with the rest of my lounge as it is all a bit "plastic fantastic" below this photo line.  That's the baggage of having children...the hundreds of plastic toys that adorn your living room.  The added problem of having boy children is that none of those plastic fantastic toys are particularly pretty... Cranes, pirate ships, racing cars... 
My shelves can be my bit of prettiness amongst all their crap!

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We've been plagued by chicken pox in this house.  The eldest got it and I think we got off lightly.  He was a bit of a grump bag and tired, but apart from that not too irritated by them.  We are paying the price now as our newest boy on the block is absolutely covered head to toe with amazingly big blisters.  He has screamed for the past two nights with an unbreakable fever and has been in obvious discomfort.  Absolutely heartbreaking to watch and not be able to do anything to make it better for them.  However, I think the fever broke this morning, and he has had a sleep for 4hours solid today.  So far he is settled in his cot, so all we can do is keep our fingers crossed that he has a more restful night.  I can't wait for him to be on top form again, and I can't wait to stop finding splashes of pinky/white calamine lotion everywhere (I came back from picking one up from nursery to see I had calamine splashes all up my jeans...not a good look).

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Our little one has also cut his first two bottom teeth!

He's been pulling the funniest faces feeling around for his new toothy pegs.  We've also started the very messy adventure, of weaning.  

Hmmm....I'm not sure who won that one...!

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Me and my little man have also been playing with Sensory Writing.  Something I saw from the Imagination Tree  and kept us amused for ages.  Perfect for pattern copying, letter copying, oh...and digging in!  Yep, there was a lot of digging and flicking with salt and glitter flying everywhere, but that was cool.  

Little people are learning all of the time.

Mixing in the blue glitter.  We need to stock up on crafting goodies.

No kitchen foil in the house to make a shiny background so picked a nice sunny yellow.

After plenty of digging my little man achieved his initial!  

He was super pleased.

A few more things to jot down, but I'll save that for another post.  What better way to spend a pox ridden bank holiday weekend by having some blogging time.

Now for more tea.

Love from me and my little men x

Family Love.

I’ve had a truly enjoyable weekend.  I’ve been spoilt by my two boys for Mothers day. Homemade cards and flowers had my little man busy in nursery all week.  A lovely breakfast and a roast dinner cooked for me, and bunches of flowers brightening up my day.

Usually I am a bit of a flippety jibbet on weekends wanting to clean and then go out and herd the boys to various locations and ultimately feeling like I need another weekend to recover, however this weekend I was very much happy to go with the flow and just chill.  We went out shopping (a trip to Ikea for some bits and bobs), we went walking, we played, and I even had time for crafting.

Delightful. 

 

I am so lucky to have my family and they whole heartedly reassured me that I’m not doing a bad job of being a mummy (and I’m sure that’s something that most parents question at some stage).

Love. Love. Love.

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I had to buy some photo frames from Ikea for some pictures I had recently bought.  On opening the smaller one, I was most surprised to find there were two frames in the pack! That find made me instantly smile, almost like finding treasure. So with all the family love I’ve been feeling this weekend, it seemed fitting for this make.

 

I’d recently seen this Valentines heart card idea on Pintrest, and thought it would look fitting in a frame for a pop of colour in the living room.  I had all the ingredients…a frame, cardstock (cut to the size of the frame), needle, and embroidery cotton in red.  I had contemplated a different shape, but actually I really liked the heart so I forged ahead and traced a heart template on my card.

 

I picked the first needle I came to…Small eye and thick thread – NIGHTMARE!  It was fine, but threading the needle took more time than the project in total probably!

 

So making this evenly spaced, threading the cotton through the outer shape through a centre point and repeating around the shapes outline.  It was a nice one to do in front of the TV last night.  The thread did start to get a bit congested toward the end so I employed some pliers to pull the needle through a bit more easily.  Surprisingly, it took quite a lot of thread to complete. Thankfully I had enough red, otherwise I would have had to do a 2 tone heart.

 

 

TA DAH….

 

 

 

 Here in it’s frame…shot taken at night time so a bit dull…so here’s one in daylight with it sitting nicely in my living room.

 

 

 A simple but effective project.  I’m really pleased with how it turned out, and it makes me smile to look at it

Love. Love. Love.

More things to show soon.

 

Love from me and my little men x

 

PS..I'm not sure what's happening with my blogger but the layout keeps going all screwy...so excuse any bits that look odd!

THIRTY

I have turned THIRTY during this time away from my blog.  That's right the big 30!  It's not as bad as I thought it would be.  I do feel old...but then that might be due to the new family addition.  I have a few more wrinkles setting in, and considerably more grey hairs. 

My family were down for my birthday, but generally celebrations were low key.  I had lovely pressies and cards.  Hubby bought me a lovely new watch (he took initiative and sneeked on my pintrest for ideas...he gets brownie points...), and promise of a family holiday (which we've just returned from, but I'll tell you of that later!).

Of course we had the obligatory trip to the fireworks where we won a goldfish.

 Barry was probably the most expensive goldfish ever. Won on a darts fair game.  I doubt the RSP of fishes would be in support.  You'll notice this was Barry...he decided to take a leap of faith behind the sideboard...and that was his demise.  We had him for 4 months...not bad...I just wonder how much longer it will take Wills to notice that Barry is no more...yes he's been gone a month and he hasn't even asked where he is!

For my birthday an amazing gift from my family...a new sewing machine! It's a Singer Confidence -  electronic and a bit posh!  Lots of knobs, buttons, feet...it was like Chinese torture...a fabulous present that you have no time to use!!!  So I've been slaving over Pintrest lining up some projects in waiting.

My fabulous husband took the boys away for a weekend to give me some space.  I couldn't believe it...in 3years the first time I've been in the house on my own for a whole weekend!  It was a little strange.  I did a massive clean on the friday night to ensure I wouldn't need to lift a finger over the weekend.  And then I chilled, slept, crafted, watched movies...! I loved it.  It was nice to stop for a minute, however I did have the feeling I was waiting for them all to come back.

I then set about to do some projects.  I felt a bit daunted getting to grips with a new machine...but once I set it up and had a go I LOVED it!  My sister helped me find a few tricks to the machine (she has the same one). 

I wanted something simple and quick just to get me back in the throes of sewing. 

 Dummy clips - an essential!  We are indeed a dummy family - it works for us.

 I like the solider one...fantastic fabric for a boy.

 I also dabbled around in making a nappy clutch.  I've started using a nice brown leather bag as a nappy changing bag, but things do tend to get lost in there.  I thought a clutch/change mat would be useful to keep bits together.  I set off and ended up making this....

...it keeps nappy/wipes and a change of clothes, and then the dark blue is an oilcloth so that it is a wipe clean change mat.  I am pleased I used that oilcloth - I deconstructed a Cath K change mat that was far too bulky to use in a bag.  It works well, apart from lack of fastening to hold it together.  Since using it I now think a zippered pouch would be more useful for me with the change mat separately just for ease of access.  So that's the next project in the pipeline.

Not too bad for dibbing my toe back in the water.  I'm sure that now I've started I'll hopefully get back in the groove of making bits and bobs and keeping my blog updated as a record.

Must dash...naptime is over!

Love from me and my little men x

Overdue

What a long time it has been.

The last time I wrote I was awaiting the arrival of our new baby last October.

I'm sure you can tell by my absence that he is most definitely here!!!

 He arrived on the 12th October weighing 7lb11oz fit, healthy with a head full of hair...no joking...a serious mop. He is delightful.

We forgot what it was like to have a baby...but we soon got into the swing of things and the sleep deprivation doesn't seem so bad second time around.  To be fair he's quite a chilled out baby with smiles in the main, and now we are past that dreadful first 3 months (one word...colic!) things are a little more settled.  

My little man is loving having a baby brother, and already they are a little gang.  As a parent of two I think it is one of the most special feelings ever to see your two children playing with, sharing with, and caring for each other (soon to be hitting, fighting and shouting at each other no doubt...but I'll keep my naivety for now!)

So now with two boys I should consider changing my blog name to "mylittlemen"...but I'll keep it in it's origins for now.

So my family have been keeping me busy - not a chance of crafting!  However, now we are getting into a rough routine (Henry does not like long naps unfortunately so I may have to exercise a bit of speed crafting!), hopefully some crafting time will return and some important time for me.

Love from me and (..wait for it...) my little men x

Baby blanket

At last I can finally say that I have finished a blanket!!  Usually the routine goes that I make a start and then decide I don't like the colours, decide it's way too big and generally get bored of crocheting along.  But this...I have finished! The things that got me through this wooly project were a) knowing that it was going to be a pram blanket for my pending arrival, b) using 3x strands of wool meaning that it is a chunky, fast growing blanket, and c) loving the colour combination.  I think the saving grace was that it was intended to be small, so it wasn't such a big commitment in my head. 

I enjoyed making this one, and it actually gave me a valid chance to put my feet up and chill out for  a bit (whilst still being under the guise of being "productive"!!).

I am an avid fan of Pintrest as there is so much inspiration to trawl through.  This is where I got my original pattern from.  I think this blanket is funky and different.  Blanket Pattern here.


Here is my project in pictures...

Making a start whilst the rhubarb and raspberry crumble is cooking in the oven...

Growing quickly...just like me tummy in the picture...

Getting some crocheting time whilst sitting in the sunny garden with my mum and sister...it's growing...

It was at this point that I had those feelings of doubt...the wool kept un-ravelling, remaining balls getting smaller and smaller and  I did the terrible thing of not keeping the labels!  Would I be able to match up the colours? How much more would I need?!  So on return home, I set out to our local (as in 2mins walk down the road) wool shop Knit Stitch N Craft  and me and the kind lady set about matching colours.  I managed to find the beige and the green (last balls hidden on the shelf!) and the blue we got a very very close match that would suffice...and indeed you cannot tell the change in the blanket.  The visit to that shop gave me more motivation to carry on and taught me one of the big lessons of always keeping your labels!!!

 Loving the chunkiness of this...I used an 8.0mm hook by the way...

 And here it is...Ta-Dah!  Hanging over the cot ready for baby to arrive...

 I considered a border...but then decided that it looked funky and finished without one.  I love the colours...I was dubious about adding the beige wool...but actually it helps to tone down the blue/green.

I am now onto my next hooky project....

Love from me and my little man x

Deck the Halls

It’s DECEMBER!!!!

That definitely gives us the go ahead for putting up the Christmas Tree!

We had help this year from my fab friend, although our approach to tree decorating is quite different.  Hers motto is “less is more” with a strategic placement approach.  Mine is a more whack it all on approach!  Together we’ve created a monster….

Note my little mans home made stocking hanging on the wall waiting to be filled.

Now our Angel is not in the middle for a reason…my little man felt something else had to go up there too…

…his stripey elephant!

We’ve had an amazingly festive weekend.  A visit to Beaulieu Village Christmas Evening which was brimming with people, twinkling in fairy lights, and full of yummy food and drink.  The air was awash with smells of chestnuts, mulled wine, and hot chocolatey goodness!

My little man loved dancing to this music wagon, and he would’ve been quite happy to stay there all night for sure.

 

 

 

 

A merry evening indeed. 

We have also done a lot of crafting this weekend and making presents.  Here’s my pal working away…(we set up in the lounge for warmth)…

We’ve both achieved a lot this weekend with presents ready to post out.  I’m itching to show you them all, but I’ll keep my lips zipped tight in order to keep the surprises under lock and key!

More things soon!…I  truly love this time of year.

Love from me and my little man x

Family Time

We’ve had a lovely family weekend.  We celebrated our 5th Wedding anniversary, so it was nice to stay local.

I treated my boys to a breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup which went down quickly.  I’ve never (shock horror) made pancakes before, and I’m pleased to say they turned out well…I even flipped them successfully which my little boy thought was splendid fun.  (Somebody else’s “flipping technique” was not so  flipping good…cue pancakes all over the table!).

We went for a lovely walk in the forest…

We spotted lots of acorns and mushrooms.  We rustled around in the dry leaves.  We said hello to lots of dogs.  I’m surprised at just how far his little legs can carry him! He is a strong walker (…and a strong whinger when he’s had enough!).

My little man also got his first party invite from one of his nursery friends who was turning 3! It was for a couple of hours at a local village hall and it was nice to meet some of the other parents and children properly.  There was a bouncy castle, balloons, and lots of toys to play with.  It was nice to sit and watch them enjoying together.  They all sat alongside each other to eat party food and sing happy birthday.  I was surprised to see how well they all behaved.  The water pistol that was in his party bag has already been put to good use…he loves shooting his mummy and daddy with it and having a good old belly laugh when he succeeds!

It was fancy dress, and I wasn’t sure I could pass him off as a vampire again so I went to find him an outfit.  I don’t really think he’s interested in dressing up yet, but thought we’d make an effort.  I went for a costume that had a zip up front, very similar to a coat, as I thought we’d fool him into thinking it was a new coat!

On the day he had to be woken from his nap so he was already Grumpy…and then came…The Owl!  He’s so going to hate me when he’s older. But it’s a mums rite of passage eh?!He doesn’t look very happy in this picture on the way to the party…I was just chuckling at how cute he was! Okay so it stayed on for maybe 5minutes after we arrived at the party, but then I used bribery the next day to get some more photo’s…and it stayed on longer the second time around!

He’s showing you the impressive wing span!

He even kept it on to do some puzzles!

It was a nice party, and it gave me some motivation to throw our little man a party in the new year to celebrate his birthday and get his friends together.

We’ve also done quite a bit of Christmas crafting this weekend, of which I will show you in due course.  I am starting to feel decidedly festive as the weather is getting dry and crisp and cold!

We’ve got lots of fun things planned ahead for this weekend, so I shall keep you updated with our adventures!

Hope you are all getting out and about at my most favourite time of year.

Love from me and my little man x