rain, rain go away, come again another day.

Lucy has spent all week, well the last two weeks really, singing this! It has not stopped raining here! Which is good for the land and the water levels. We need it down here in the south, what with the hose pipe ban and all. But not great if you want to get going on the garden or planting more seeds, or if you want to do anyhting outdoorsy!

Today was no different and was set to be wet all day. Or so we thought. Then like a burst of something heaven sent, this afternoon. the sun came out. and oh how it felt lovely on our skin.

I could not get the children in! they played all afternoon in the sun and even wanted to eat their tea out there!

 This little "Fire Girl" was cooking up something nice in the mud kitchen!

So I am now really hoping that the weather changes, just for a few days so i can get planting at school and at home in readiness for the summer!!!

Virtuous

Today i am feeling very virtuous!

We work up this morning to a new working week, trying to put the Easter holidays and all the fun that we had behind us to focus on the new task ahead! We woke up at 7am which for those of you who know my childs, this is very late.

However, and this is wher ethe virtuous part comes in, i had forseen this and was fully prepared for it. Before i went to bed last night I laid the table for breakfast, made the packed lunches ready for the morning, tidied the house and did the washing up, even put it away!! and got the clothes out for the girls and for me!!

This meant that when i got up we simply sat down for breakfast together, i then went for a showever while the children got dressed and we had time to have another snack before we set off in the car. All was calm and this was just what we needed on a day like today. It is mornings like this that i am proud to be a mum and feel suitably chuffed with the extra effort i put in last night.

I am also feeling virtuous because today i took delivery of an Able and Cole Organic fruit and veg box!! Oh Yes i am very excited about this! Such gorgeous produce in the box i cant wait to start cooking with it! It arrived before i had even got out of bed this morning and was in the garden ready for me to pop out and bring it in!! Oh yer now that is what i call shopping! As i have not ordered with them in a very long itme, they also sent me a bottle of organic red wine (this was to soften Ian up as i dont drink red wine and he is not keen on this "expensive way of shopping" xx) And they also sent me the Able and Cole cook book which has amazing recipies and tips in it! ooo yer!!! can you sense the excitement.
 I will let you know how i get on with the box...!!!!

I also decided last might that i really should be doing more during the day with Lucy. By this i mean making sure that she had the oppertunites that Emily did when i was at home with her and lucy on my maternity leave. So thought this week we would do plants and seeds and today she helped me plant some seeds. Cucumber, runner beads, dwarf beans and echinachea and cosmos now planted!

Bring on the Summer!!!

Happy Easter

 Happy Easter one and all. Hope you have all had a relaxing day. We have. Didnt get out of my pjs til late and then just shuffled around the house for the rest of the day.  The Easter bunny bought some gifts for the girls. He had an attempt at felting egggs... hmmm think i will have to practice at this, needed to felt for longer i think.

 They were also given this beautifully illustrated easter book. Simple in content but oh so pretty to look and hold. Just look at the drawings

 Also thought while i am on a roll i would post photos of our season tables. The tree now has a sprinkle of pink blossom and the post card came form the steiner fair that we went to last weekend. more about that another time.

oh so did the cute hen and cockrel! Arent they wicked!
Anyway i am about to retire to a lovely cooked roast that Ian has done while we were out this afternoon for a walk in the wood. Bliss.

Spring cleaning

On sunny days the urge comes over me to clean and tidy and really sort the house out while i have 2 weeks off. Ok so i have one week left but the centement is there.

I am part through a few of the things on the list, noticing that there is not much crossed off! I only have one cushion cover to make and then i can do a reveal of my new living room. I have also made good headway with cleaning the kitchen cupboards etc having done the cooker the other week and a good few cupboards this morning with my helpful assistants. I now have the fence paint to do the fences and i have made a massive dent in the stuff in the loft.!!

I am getting there slowly and a pretty list is always helpful.

Dinner is served

Callum is satying with us for the Easter holidays and he offered to cook for us yesterday! Of course i said "yes" immediatly and it was delicious. Spaghetti Bolognese

 He even dished the meal up!

All the plates were cleared! Thank you Callum! he tells me he is going to do it again next week!

Seed planting

So we have started planting our seeds in ernest. Isay that because i always feel like i am behind with planting seeds. However to justify that in my mind, i dont have a greenhouse this year really as the one at school got slightly melted (bonfire and perspect panels!) and i am waiting for it to be fixed. At home we only have room for a small plastic stand up one which i will get out this year if the mice have not eaten it!! Every year those blooming things!

So we have stasrted to plant a couple of things at home and today i know i really need to get my act together with the rest of it. Its very cold and chilly here and i just feel like curling up undoors today so maybe tomorrow!

I was given this lovley fairy set by my God son Oliver for my birthday recently and we planted it up together the other day. Emily was most excited that there might actually be faries coming to our garden and i am quite keen to keep this up so we may have to make a special fariy garden are for these plants to be potted on!

Happy spring one and all!

recent makes

I made one of these as a gift for a friends little boy (who shares my birthday actually :)) and Emily said that she wanted one too so here we are. Complete with a flowing river and a bridge as well as some rather cute cows buttons in a field. This play mat works really well at home as we have a wooden train set forn Big Jig that has lovely houses, people as well as cars.

i have been making some other things that i will blog about soon....