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

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

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

ONE YEAR!!!!

My blog page has been going for ONE year! 

Do you remember when I set up camp here? It seems like only yesterday.

I’ve made a few things over the last year: Bibs, Bag Holders, Bunting, Memo Boards, Christmas Decorations, Willies, Wooden Signs, Grave Markers, Team Flag, Passport Holders, Kindle Covers, Pictures, Easter Decorations, Mixer Covers, Bookmarks, A Quilt, Peg Bags, Teddy Bears….

That’s quite a lot. I am pleased with my accomplishments.

Hopefully some more for this next coming year.

Thanks for sticking with me and reading my blog.

Love from me and my little man x

My Birthday!

This week I have celebrated my birthday! The last year of my twenties so I’d better make it a good one.  Is it downhill after 30?!  Some people said they felt a bit unsettled/uncertain when they turned 30…so I’ll put those thoughts behind me and try and make the most of sounding younger for one more year! (Although some work friends actually put me straight and said I’m already living in my 30th year…oh yeah that works out right…Humph!)

Our house has been bursting at the seams this last weekend.  My parents, my sister, brother-in-law and nephew, and a surprise visit from my brother for the weekend.  We went to a local farm for the day, ate lots of food and cake, played games, went for long walks, saw the fireworks, shopped…. It always ends so quickly.  It’s important to make the most of the times we can spend together.

My birthday is on the 5th of November…those fireworks are all for me! Oh Yes! And anyone who doesn’t get me a birthday present gets volunteered to be the Guy for the Bonfire! (ye…that bit is a joke…but maybe my family are secretly scared as they always spoil me with lovely gifts!)

Here are some of my most fabulous presents…

• Some wonderously whiffy bath treats from my brother.  I love a nice hot bath as long as there are nice bubbles/smells to make it feel indulgent.  I don’t seem to make time for my baths as I used to, so these essentials are for indulgent ‘Me’ time and they shall be implemented ASAP!
• A gorgeous Cath Kidston ceramic rolling pin and flour shaker from my sister and her family.  I shall now have to get rolling some pastries and what-nots and make sure I use them rather than stare at them in a cupboard keeping them pretty.  They are so gorgeous they will make any of my cooking attempts divine for sure!
• The most marvellously stunning leather cross-body satchel from my parents.  LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! It smells of scholarly leather and it is just…LUSH! Funnily enough I had spied it in a local shop to my mum on their Facebook page and enquired re: price…she’d only gone and blinking bought it!  I am going to buy a nice small purse to go in it and then it shall follow me everywhere….*contented sigh*….
• Hearts galore from my little man who had spent his hard earned pocket money on that swish White Stuff scarf.  It will look so nice, and I will think of him as I wear it.  I wonder who helped him buy it…hmmm?!?!?….

Lush.

Lots of cards from friends and family…some lined with silver which will help me buy that purse…and other goodies….!

The one on the far right was designed by my nephew.  The one with flowers popping out of the card was from my little man who had adorned the inside (and out) with decorations and scribbles.

Birthday flowers from my man….

 

….and also

LUSH NEW BOOTS!

I love my new boots.  Apparently I now sound like a morris dancer as the buckles jingle a bit…but I love them jingle and all! My man did good!

Working on my birthday, I opened my presents and cards in the evening and then my husband cooked me a birthday tea and he got me a birthday cake too…

I have been well and truly spoilt!

I’ve always believed that I can stretch my birthday bossiness and privileges for at least a week around my birthday.  This week though I have been struck by some sort of something which has left me with the worst of headaches, tired and achey.  My eyes feel they may fall out at anytime and getting to the end of this week and through the weekend has been tough and fuelled by Ibuprofen!  Not the end of the birthday week that I had hoped for, but I have been looked after by my two men.  Maybe this is the sign that I am getting older…

Love from me (the birthday girl) and my little man x

Holidays

Me and my little man went on a trip home to Wales to spend some time with his granny and grampy.  It was lots of fun with giggling everyday.  Lunches out, time on the beach, some time for me to to get my hair cut and shop, playing in the garden, visiting the zoo….

Here are some pics…

Some time on the beach -

“Kicking the Bar”

You can read about some of the theories behind why people kick the bar at the bottom of Constitution Hill in Aberystwyth here.  I believe the men used to kick the bar to attract the attention of the ladies in the halls of residence…My little man’s getting practice in early!

Wheelbarrow Fun -

Trooping up and down the lane with his wheelbarrow every morning.  And then taking it down to the orchard to fill his barrow with corn to feed the chickens!  How delightfully simple…

Zoo -

We bought our mum a Giraffe feeding experience at Chester Zoo for her birthday which meant a family trip to the zoo! Lots of picnics in the shade meant some fat ducks being fed picnic food (including an incident of a whole cherry tomato being swallowed…I feared we may have been chucked out for killing a duck!).  I think the Chimpanzee’s and Penguins were the boys favourites.  The giraffes were amazing close up. The cousins enjoyed running after each other.

I also had my little mans parents meeting at nursery to hear that he is on track and having lots of fun and excitement! Here is one photo from his report book that I just had to upload…my cute monster.

I hope you’ve been up to fun things in the sun?!

Love from me and my little man x

Give us today our weekly bread…

We’ve turned our hands to something a little different this week.

Bread.

I LOVE bread.

Door stop sandwiches.  Hot toast with melted butter and marmite. Bread and butter dunked in soup….mmmmmmm!…it’s just a pity it’s not that great for the waistline!

Surely it couldn’t be that hard to make a loaf? I also wondered how expensive it would be to bake your own bread, with bread costing anything from £0.80-£1.30 in the shops.  So one day last week, we went to the supermarket to get our ingredients ready for our project.

My little man was so keen to take part…he pulled up his own chair and he really enjoyed turning the dial on the mixer.  He kept peeking in the bowl to see what was happening, and clapping almost to say “We’re almost there mum!”. 

Here are some pictures…

Ta Dah!

Here is our first loaf of bread!

Warm from the oven we were obliged to see how it tasted…

YUMMY!!!

Here is the recipe…

500g strong white bread flour mixed with 25g butter to make breadcrumb texture.

Add 1tbsp sugar, 1 and 1/2 tsp salt, and 1tsp dried yeast and mix slowly adding up to 320ml of tepid water until combined to  make a soft dough.

Knead in mixer for about 5min, then cover with oiled cling film and place somewhere warm to prove for 1hr (I use the conservatory on a nice day, or airing cupboard).

Then knock back the mixture and put in an oiled loaf tin, and again cover with oiled cling film.  Place somewhere warm to prove for 30mins.

Then pop the loaf in a pre-heated oven at 200C for 30mins or until sounding hollow when tapped. 

Then…EAT!!!!!

In all I think it cost between 45-50p to make…and it’s not really that time intensive.  So we have now stopped buying bread for the time being…and I am now on my third loaf!

Loaf no 2…

Loaf no 3…

It has been a resounding success.  So now I am confident with the basic loaf…we are going to experiment with rolls, different artisan breads, and CHELSEA BUNS…yummy!  I am on a diet…so I’m going to have to exercise bucket loads of will power!

We are also going to have to invest in my little man getting his own apron now that he is my sous chef!

Have a go at making your own loaf.  If I can do it I’m sure that you can!

Love from me and my little man x

Wooden Sign/Bunting

I thought I’d fit a quick blog in whilst my little man naps.

The sunshine is glorious!  Somehow, sunshine helps to lift spirits and warm the cockles.  It makes everything easier, it makes time go more slowly, it  makes us feel happier.  We are feeling rested lately.

Here’s a picture of my little man enjoying the beach.

I thought I’d fill you in on some of the shed’s pretty-ness.  I made that gorgeous bunting to hang outside.  I went for boy-ish colours so as to not to detract from the manliness. 

This is my favourite flag…the material a present from my mummy…

Here it is hanging in place.

It looks so cheery hanging up there.  And somehow I enjoy going down and hanging it up declaring the shed open for business on the sunny days!

The sign was a bit more of a venture into the un-known.  Working with wood is not something I’ve done before…and painting, I thought, was definitely not my forte.

Firstly I scoured the garage for some wood scraps laying around and sawed off a piece the right size. Then I set about giving it a good old sand to smoothe the roughness.

I don’t think I’m really a power tool sort of girl…so I enlisted my husband for hole drilling.  I think he secretly enjoyed helping me and being all macho with the drill!

After that, a coat of paint.  I had some Seagrass wood paint available…and that very much matched the shed. 

A couple of coats later and I was ready for the writing…or was I? This was the bit where I thought it would go wrong as my artistic prowess, especially when wielding a paint brush is lacking!  I chose the font I wanted, and made sure it was the right size…and off I painted!  In future I would probably invest in some proper paintbrushes, as I was using very amateurish kids paintbrushes (the type you get 50 brushes for a £1 type job) with no defined tip to them.  I used a white paint for the writing.

Here’s how it turned out…

Not too shoddy I think.  The next step was the most frustrating.  I wanted it to be weather-proof so it could stay outdoors…so I bought some varnish.

You can’t imagine it would be that difficult really.  I firstly bought the back tin…Outdoor Varnish, Clear Weather-proof Protection in “Clear Satin”.  Well…on opening it definitely didn’t look clear…more of a browny colour so I put it on a corner to test and it definitely was not clear.  It made it all yellowy and stained.  Disgruntled I bought a second tin (the front one) and told the shop man about my project and repeated the word ‘clear’ about 25 times!  He assured me. Well it definitely was clear when I put it on…so two coats of protection on there.  Then I read on the front it’s for interior wood…so it begs the question as to how weather proof this sign will be!

Painted and varnished…only bit left was stringing, knot tying and ultimately hanging.

It hangs off the same hook as the bunting at the moment…whether we will move it I’m not sure, but it looks okay there for now.

Naturally I’ve been making a few more bits and bobs…but they’re for another time.

I’m going to take my little man to the local Toddler Rhyme Time session now and I’ve got my best singing voice prepared!

Love from me and my little man x