This week

This week I've been mostly ....

.... loving that my Mother's Day flowers still look gorgeous

.... snuggling under blankets with various under-the-weather Little People

.... enjoying daffodils in my new-to-me 50p bargain charity shop vase

.... crocheting things with my Gillymakes win of Sugar n Cream cotton yarn

.... admiring the pieces I made on my fused glass workshop

.... flicking through my new-to-me craft books - another charity shop find, all 4 for £12 :)

.... loving the latest McDonalds Shawn the Sheep Happy Meal toys (yes I know its unhealthy)

.... ironing Hama bead creations

.... packaging up (finally) my blog giveaway prizes

.... playing with colours for a new blanket :)

What have you been doing this week ?

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ps rubbish photos, sorry - all taken on my iPad, just couldn't be bothered faffing about with memory cards etc!

Surprises

I am not a winter person. Every year I tell myself it will be different, I will enjoy the fresh bracing air, and the coming home to a warm house, and getting all crafty and cosy while its grey and cold outside. But every year I go all listless and gloomy and fed up and lose motivation for pretty much everything. However. The mornings are lighter and its around now that I feel like I am waking up, just like spring.

The weather this last week has been a lovely surprise. Feeling the sun's glorious rays always helps to lift the spirits.

Spring is arriving and there is new growth everywhere.

The first few days of my mood lifting is also a lovely surprise. I waken up and something imperceptible has changed. I can't even remember what my train of thought was, but on Monday I was pondering getting more organised and generally feeling a bit more in control off general day to day stuff when I vaguely remembered Lucy's Attic24 post (http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2015/03/keeping-track.html). I think I'd read it previously but not really absorbed it, you know ? Anyway the gist of Lucy's post is about using a new-fangled (ish) personal managementy type thing called Bullet Journalling (http://bulletjournal.com) to record calendar dates, to-do items, ideas, anything really. I won't waffle on about it here but suffice it to say it's a method that really appeals to me. Probably because it meant justifying the purchase of a nice new notebook.

When I was little I LOVED notepads. I was never happier than when I had a new notepad and new pens. The start of each school year, with all the new stationery it entailed, was pure joy. A new notepad and/or pens still has the same effect to this day, so off I trotted to find a suitable notepad for my new journalled bulleted organised life. I bagged an absolute Bargain with the notepad above. I spotted it in our local newsagents. It was marked at £7 (about $11US). £7!! For an A5 (half US letter sized) notepad! Scandalous. Argh. I tried the supermarket too. Nope, they were all just wrong. Back to the newsagents. Ummed and aahed and argued with myself, put the notebook down, picked it up, put it down, argh, it's way too expensive, oh but it's so nice, I shouldn't really, oh what the hell let's just do it. So I took it up to the till, the lady rang it up - £2. Really ? Are you sure ?? Yes! £2!!! How brilliant! I am sooooo glad I decided to get it after all the dithering. Gotta love a bargain :)

Back at home I set to the actual Getting Organised part. I spent most of the day at my desk with pens and paper and scissors and glue. I nicked Lucy's calendar sheet, Ihttp://www.calendarpedia.com/2015-calendar-word-templates.html), printed it out and stuck it in. Like Lucy had done, I made up and printed out a page for just March, and stuck that in too.

I also nicked Lucy's idea of alittle mantra-y motto-y thing in the front page, so I did a quicky doodley drawing and stuck that in too. I'll never be the world's greatest artist but it makes me smile :)

Yes I know I copied all of Lucy's ideas (thanks Lucy!) but I find that I often spend so long dithering about what to do that I don't do anything, so when someone else has presented you with an excellent solution, why think of something else just for the sake of it. I'm sure Lucy won't mind :)

I did that mad thing that we list makers do. I wrote out a whole heap of tasks that I'd already got done this week, just so I could cross them off. Very pointless but also very very satisfying "look at how organised my journal has got me already :)".

There have been a couple of other lovely surprises this week too. A win at a school fundraiser raffle. You can still see my lucky raffle ticket attached. A trio of cute boxes filled with fruity smellies for a bit of pampering, lovely :)

Crocheting with normal yarn over t-shirt yarn is proving fun and surprisingly easier than expected :)

And a final surprise, I was lucky enough to win Gilly's, from gillymakes (http://gillymakes.blogspot.co.uk) giveaway recently, and my lovely parcel arrived last weekend. Look how beautiful it looks, a pretty card tucked into some funky bakers' twine.

... and inside, a pack of scrumptious patriotic yarn, and a really sweet little National Trust book by Nicki Trench .....

Thankyou so much Gilly, its a fabulous prize :) I look forward to making something out of the book with my new yarn :) No, idea what yet, it will be a surprise :)

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Settling Back In

It's been a week since my last blog-post. It's a bit like confession isn't it, and I'm not even Catholic.

We've been gently lowering ourselves back into the murky waters of early mornings and school runs, after a lovely Christmas break. 

The early starts are a killer for me, I'm not a morning person, so that part of the routine is always challenging, but at this time of year, when it's still dark when I get up, and still dark upon leaving for school in the morning, it seems really hard. Thankfully all the after-school clubs haven't re-started yet, so the Mum-taxi service to and from football, basketball, dancing, gymnastics, drama, or - my favourite - sewing club - has yet to resume service. I'm not a big club fan, I survived quite well without attending every club going, but it just seems to have worked out this way, and I suppose I should be happy that they like to try different things. Just the girls though, Little Man is a home bird, no clubs for him!

I seem to done a lot of pottering about this last week, sorting, clearing out, doing all those post-Christmas/New Year jobs like rehoming old toys, donating old books and shredding old paperwork. Jobs that are very therapeutic but don't exactly make for riveting reading.

I spent a pleasant hour or two sorting out my crochet books and magazines. They're in the top part of my old bureau, the fold down desk-y bit broke so I can't stuff random paperwork in there any more. Instead I have all my crochet literature (which is much prettier and far more important than those silly old bills and bank statements) all filed and on display.

Although, and now I'm talking to you Simply Crochet, what's with the stark black top part of the spine on issue 27? Bring back the properly coloured colours please. Thankyou.

The slow cooker has been earning it's keep. As a vegetarian family with one child who does't like "shiny" sauces - you know, the sort that have gravy, flour, cornflour, roux type bases - we eat a lot of tomatoey based meals from the slow-cooker. 

Last night was (meat-free) meatball pasta bake, tonight is quorn paprika, tomorrow the other half of the mixture for tonight's dinner will become a lasagne. And later this week we'll have jacket potatoes done in the slow-cooker.

I love that you can bung something in it in the morning, or even the night before, and it's just ready and waiting patiently for you at tea-time. So you don't get that "oh groan what will we have for tea tonight" feeling at 5pm. If anyone has any vegetarian non-shiny non-tomatoey sauce slow-cooker recipes, fire them over please! Always looking for new ideas :) By the way, is it "tea-time" or "dinner-time" in your house ? I always say tea-time, I have VERY vivid memories of my Mum shrieking "TEA'S READY!!!!!!" repeatedly, and getting annoyed if we didn't come straight away. In a very similar way to myself nowadays.... So maybe it's the Northern Irish way to say "tea-time" ? I'm sure my Southern English Mum friends say dinner-time. 

On the crochet-front I've started a hat. For myself. I love hats, but not on me. I can't work out if it's because I wear glasses, or is my face too round-y ? Anyway, I thought I'd tailor-make myself one. I'm totally making it up as I go along, it's so great when you can try it on pretty much every round! I'm using a really gorgeous deep berry red Sirdar wool-blend DK. But to speed things up, and chunk up the hat a bit, I'm using two strands at the same time, with a 6mm hook. It's supposed to snow overnight (I have my doubts though) so I'm hoping to finish it tonight.

The playroom project (you'll be so disappointed, it's a bit funky but not that amazing) is progressing. I tried to get a decent photo of some of the squares but the light is just so bad. Here's one that is neither glaringly bright nor overly dark .......

.... but the teal colour on the right is a big lie. it's actually a very bright green. More like this ...

.... I love this green. What would you call it ? It's not neon, lime, sage, mint, pistachio, emerald, forest, petrol, not even really jade. Is it Mid Green ? Just "Green" ? 

The WIP that's taken up most of my time is the cross-stitch I'm doing for Little Tomboy. She spotted this kit at Hobbycraft one afternoon, it was reduced to a fiver - bargain! - so I agreed to make it for her. I'll do an over the top reveal once I've done the last few bits and framed it somehow. Here are a few sneak peeks though .... 

Cute little flower detail in the corner ....

Some of the writing yet to be outlined ....

And some of the writing with completed outlining detail ....

I love how the outlining adds so much depth to the picture.

It's not my usual choice of picture, or style, but Little Tomboy is going to love it. Well I hope so anyway :)

I'll be "Five on Friday"ing this week, see you then :)

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The Day After

During the pre-Christmas rush I find myself longing for Boxing Day more even than Christmas Day. Don't get me wrong, I do love Christmas Day, and it's all about the Little People and their collective excitement, which is both joyful and exhausting in equal measure. But Boxing Day feels a lot more manageable and restful.

I usually sleep really badly on the night of Christmas Eve, and this year was no exception - did I label everything ? Have I wrapped everything? Prepped all the veg ? Bought Brussels sprouts ? Hung the bunting ? It's ridiculous. My sub-conscious brain worries far more than my conscious one does. The answer to "Hung the bunting ?" Was a big fat NO. But here's a photo of it anyway, it still looks pretty even in a heap on the table. 

And then I was woken (for the day) at 4. Yes, 4am. By Little Tomboy totally wide awake and asking "is it time to get up yet?". "No, Santa probably hasn't been yet. Try and go back to sleep". However that didn't put her off and she asked every 10 minutes until I finally gave in at 6.15. The household is then in a state of high excitement for the rest of the day ....

"He's been he's been!"

"How did he know I like tomboy stuff ??!"

"Best loom band set EVER!"

"Look, look, he ate the mince pie !"

(Note the absence of festive coloured bunting in photo. Tut.)

We have scrummy pain au chocolat and frothy cappuccinos for breakfast. Or sweets if you are 11 or under.  I have my eye on this jar when it's emptied (which should be quite soon the rate they're going at).

The excitement continues through the day as more presents are unwrapped, lego is built, new pens are used and board games are played. They realise they can eat sweets all day without any parents being boring and saying no. On Christmas Day I am the parent who likes to say yes  .... 

Can I have another whole selection box Mum ? Yes of course!

Will you play Monster High Top Trumps with me Mummy? Yes of course!

Can you help me with my loom bands ? Yes of course!

Can I have another mince pie ? Yes of course! 

Can we play charades again ? Yes of course!

Will you help me with my new jigsaw? Yes of course!

Will you play my new very energetic dance game on the Xbox with me ? Yes of course!
Can someone get me some toilet roll ? (Seriously) Yes of course!

Yes of course!  Yes of course! Yes of course!

My mother-in-law comes for the day and is great fun, and we have a long silly skype call with my family in Northern Ireland having their own chaotic Christmas Day.

I try - and fail - to ban everyone from the kitchen and cook the lunch (I succeed in the cooking part). Mother-in-law brings the desserts, she clearly can't decide on just one though and brings too many. This year we had a choice of 7 (including a really cute little Christmas cake - I'm the only one who likes it). There were 6 of us. We joked that we really need a desert trolley. And a load have gone in the freezer.

Crackers are pulled at lunch, and later we race the wind-up Santa teddies that came with this year's set. Wind-up teddy Santa racing. What more could you want, really.

Little Tomboy is the champion (phew, that could have gone badly).

They laugh and squeal at the silliness of charades, and they are STILL eating sweets, but us adults are groaning about how much we've eaten and maybe undoing a button or two (ok, I confess I changed into my pyjamas late afternoon). And it's all tremendous fun :)

By the end of it though .... I. Am. Absolutely. Shattered.

Hubby drives Mother-in-law home and I attempt to herd the Little People into bed. Ever heard that analogy about putting an octopus in a string bag ? Enough said.

My own little tradition, and it drives hubby bonkers, is to set aside my presents from him and open them in the peace that ensues once the Little People are in bed, Mother-in-law has gone home, and it's just him and me and a bottle of Baileys. Hubby really doesn't like it that I do this, but it's my one little indulgence on a day otherwise given over - and willingly so - to everyone else.  His presses to me are always brilliant - he's very thoughtful and generous, and I like to take my time over them. This year he gave me lots of lovely crafty things - including the Mollie Makes Crochet book, and a yarn cutter pendant ....

And some practical things - a new phone (my old one is dying) and, just as excitingly - for me, anyway - a new charging plug and cable that are pink. Hurray for girly techy things!

And then the day, with all its exuberance and expectations, is over. And I go off to bed grateful and content in the knowledge that my little family are all healthy and happy.

Boxing Day is a far more laid back affair. Having stashed their presents in their bedrooms, the Little People wake up at whatever ungodly hour they like and just play. I stay in pyjamas all day. I make cups of tea and take them back up to bed. I chat uninterrupted to hubby. I browse my new books. I mess about with hooks and yarn. I throw together a help-yourself lunch on the kitchen table. I remember this is why I bought the crackers, cheeses, pre-pack snack box thingies and salads that have been taking up valuable space in the fridge. I play the odd game with a child that needs a bit of Mummy time. I watch Christmas telly with a child that wants to snuggle for a bit.

I potter about enjoying the relative calmness, reflecting on how fortunate we are, and I promise myself that next year I will pace myself better. (Hahaha!! Who am I kidding?!)

Stress-busting

Do you ever open a "new blog post" page and then think ...... crikey, what have I actually Got Done in the last week ? Yep, me too. Is it really nearly a week since I last posted? Well, that went by in a flash. In a flash of stress I think - poor Little Man was massively unsettled returning to school after a week off for half-term. Lots of tears and panic. I love having the Little People at home, and enjoy the more relaxed days of half-term, but that first week back ? It's never fun. However he seemed happier today, so fingers crossed.

So what does a good hooker do when she is feeling stressed ? That's right! Buy yarn!!! I'm thinking scarves and mitts for most of that lot. For Christmas. Well I'm telling myself that anyway ...

Obviously just buying yarn wasn't enough so I had a nosy round the charity shops too. I've had these artificial lilies since we moved house yeeeeears ago - I bought them so we could have the fresh-flower-look while we had people viewing the house that we were selling, but without actually having to replace the flowers every week. Currently they stand in a tall vase in my hall next to the front door. Over the years they have become a bit more battered and a couple have broken, so I was really chuffed to find these deep raspberry coloured beauties. They fill up the vase really rather well, and the addition of some colour completely changes the look. In the next shop I spotted this cute little mini-pitcher, and a selection of napkins - always handy to top up the fabric stash :) And the whole lot was less than a fiver! Bonkers! (Wish I could say the same about the yarn .....)

I mentioned in my last post I'd been playing with lilac, green and white .... isn't that a winning combo :)

Naturally being in a state of medium stress necessitates lots of crochet therapy. And I am soooooooo nearly finished my rose-blanket. I've gone through loving it then hating it, then leaving it for weeks untouched, then feeling all motivated and doing a load more, then realizing I'd run out of the pink and needed more but had no clue what I'd used (naughty hooker! Must be more organized) then accepting it would have to be smaller, and am currently really motivated and on the final push to get it done. Before the baby it's for starts school or something.

I've sewn in all the ends (yes I know I should have done it as I went along), and am working on the border.

It's looking really rather pretty I think :)

The blocking bit, and it does need it, is filling me with dread, but I'm really hoping I can do a big ta-dah this week :) 

Thanks for all your get well wishes for the Little Peeps, they are all better now and have very kindly shared their germs with good old Mum. Lemsip anyone ? Cheers :) xxxxxxx