Bring on Spring...Part 1...

Why hello there my lovely friends.

WOW! It seems like forever and a day since I last paid my poor little blog a visit.

The truth is, with all this awesome sunshine I have been very pleasantly distracted. We have been filling every day with outdoor activities or simply hanging out washing, taking advantage of the chance to reduce the electricity bill AND get that wonderful line fresh smell on all the laundry.

When I last blogged I mentioned my arm. I am pleased to say it is on the mend. Still not fully functional, I find crocheting or typing for too long makes it tense and can lead to temporary pain. It has made blogging almost impossible, I have missed it, but I am so glad that each day has been filled with fun and laughter...also a LOT of arguments since the boys broke up for the Easter hols on Friday ARRRRRGH! It makes me want to bang their heads together!.

There have been changes. The man went to serve our Country...and then came back less than two weeks later for the 2 weeks Easter leave! 

It was nice to see him all spruced up in his uniform though....

A very happy, little bug.

All kitted out in his actual work gear...still a "chef" (Thankfully most of the guys and gals in the forces are use to second rate grub...shhhhhh!?)

Things have been very hectic here over the last few weeks.

We have had some visitors...

My siblings popped by from Brighton to say hi. This is Bobby and Alice with my little bug.

Alice decided to use the time wisely by making a cake.

And bloody yummy it was too :)

The Father and siblings were only here for the day. They were dropping off my eldest little Sister, Holly. She has come to stay for two weeks. 

Was lovely to see them all...but also nice to have some peace when they went on their way ;)

Having an extra 4 children in the house is always headache inducing no matter how much they are loved.

Holly also decided that cake making was the way forward(don't know where they get it from!).

We decided to have a little tea party for Fluffy the Monsters birthday, oh yes! We have actual monsters in this house don't you know?.

I must admit it is nice to see my very tom boy sister in florals hehe!

How cool is this? Holly really did do 80% of this. I think I have some competition...

 

I think Fluffy enjoyed his impromptu party.

It hasn't all been hectic and loud in these parts.

I have managed to sneak in a few quiet moments.

Ahhhh toasted tea cakes and a cuppa...

And before I leave let me introduce you to this handsome fella.

This is Reginald(Reggie)...we picked the name...I picked the name ;). 

He is the newest member to our little mad house. I AM IN LOVE!!!

Despite his old man features he is only a pup. 5 months exactly.

He belonged to a friend of mine but she has just had a baby and Reggie isn't as house trained as she was promised and she just doesn't have the time to do it.

He is wonderful. A handful I will admit, but that makes me love him all the more.

He is a Parson Russell Terrier according to his breeder. I had never heard of them until Reggie came along.

So that is part 1 of the start of Spring. There is lots to say and share still but that can wait.

I think this post is long enough.

I hope you are all well and I promise to get along and comment of gazillions of missed posts as soon as 5 min presents itself.

Happy Wednesday xxx

Very Quickly...

Just popping by to let you know that I am adoring all your gorgeous posts. I just can't spend too long typing at the mo due to tendonitis. 

Back to normal soon and you will actually know that I am popping by xxxx

Tea for One...

Today is the day a new journey began in our humble home and family. Today is the day I became a military wife.

My husband packed his bags and sailed(well got on a train) into the distance to begin(again...he was in it for 6years when he was younger) his adventure in the Royal Navy.

It has been a bit of a strange day. People asking how I feel, how are the children etc. The truth is of course, that there is, at this minute, not much change. He has only been gone a few hours.

I did sit in the kitchen once I had waved him off(not literally as I had to get home and left him in the middle of town to fend for himself.) and looked at the two mugs from the morning cuppa sitting next to the sink, waiting for their morning bubble bath, and it did hit home a little that, that will not be happening very often. 

I washed the mugs and put his aside. It will hang with the others on the mug stand, but unlike the others it will not be used until its owner is home and enjoying a hot beverage.

I still get to enjoy mine though and in a very, VERY quiet house. I am going to have to get use to all this free time. I think I can actually manage it, even if I am forced to spend it all crocheting and reading...

Before he left though, he did make Mothers day a glorious day for me(unlike last year when not even a card was in sight!) 

Now I can sip my tea from some really exquisite porcelain.

I have been hankering after some Pip Studio china for sooo long but I just couldn't justify the spend, and as for the bag!!! LOVE IT! 

Hopefully I will have better luck with it than a few other CK bags purchased in the past and this one wont come apart!

 I also had a cake made, just for me. Nom, nom...

Stunning flowers. These were from little bug(via Daddys wallet)

 These were from middle bug(from his own pocket...used some of his birthday pennies)

I adore gerberras and roses. I think gerberras are really playful flowers, they are rising up simply to spread a smile and colour. 

Roses are grown up, complex. With a little time and care they open up layer by layer to reveal the ultimate beauty of all these layers combined...a bit like women ;)

Biggest bug has also ordered me a gift with his own pennies and I am so EXCITED for it to come. I will definitely share a pic when it arrives.

So today was tea for one but dinner for dozens it seems...Small bug LOVES dressing up in his chef outfit(just like Daddys...except Daddy didn't like putting it on so much!) and making us all yummy treats. The problem comes when imaginary meets reality...sticky and smelly plates and pots where real food has somehow managed to sneak into play...

It looks like every toy in his room could dine out with him...and Mummy gets left with the washing up!

So it has been a very surreal few days since the weekend. Positive for the most part but with some sentimental and sad moments thrown in.

Tomorrow is a new day and a day to embrace this new path we are travelling on, together, as a team. One step at a time.

Happy Tuesday xxx

My Beautiful Sister...

“Sister. She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. ” 
― Barbara Alpert

3 Years ago today I lost my big sister. 

Those of you who followed my last blog probably remember this.

I cannot think positively sometimes but most of the time I try. 

Sarah was 10 years older than me. She was my second Mum. When my little brother who is only 13 months younger than me, was born with a bi-lateral cleft lip and palette, it was up to my sister to take care of me whilst Adam got all the care he required and all the operations.

I annoyed her when I was growing. I destroyed her make-up(remember there was a lot of make up used in the 80s!) I sprayed all her hairspray whilst she was out(this led to me getting great at running when she realised this half an hour before heading out)

I followed her EVERYWHERE, I was her shadow.

When I role played growing up my name was always Sarah.

I looked up to her always...literally, she was 5ft 9, I am 5 inches shorter!

She was always there. From birth to her death. She was there.

I haven't got the best family as I have mentioned before. My sister and my brother are my world.

I have another older sister, I have 2 little ones. I have 2 little brothers but they are not what Sarah and Adam are.

When your whole life has been about a few people those people are everything. You don't ever have to be alone. You don't face things alone, you always have someone to share crappy jokes with.

Sarah was a character. We would go away for weekends and she would pretend I was her PA and she was a features writer for InStyle magazine. Somehow it always worked.

We got into the best clubs, mingled with celebs and got great discounts.

(We also got into a lot of pickles on these jaunts)

I miss her. I miss her so much. That is obvious.

I don't so much miss what we had, I miss what we could have had.

I miss all the birthdays we wont share, all the trouble we wont get into.

I miss finding out if her hair all would fall out because she changed it so often.

I miss her cheek and her mischievousness.

I miss having a big Sister x

My beautiful Sarah xxx

“If you have a sister and she dies, do you stop saying you have one? Or are you always a sister, even when the other half of the equation is gone?” 
― Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper

xxx

A is for Attempt...

A is for Attempt

B is for Brave

C is for Colour.

This is my motto this week. I am scared by bold colours. I go from blog to blog and see so many gorgeous makes with so many bright and bold colours and when I go to my mountainous yarn storage I can never quite find the right green, the perfect shade of pink etc...

I have decided though that I can have no more excuses and I have to just bite the bullet and what will be will be. I need to get on the colour train!

So, I apprehensively and thoughtfully picked out the colours I am going to use for a new project. My Summer Patchwork Throw.

I deliberated for aaaaaages, I kept putting colours back, picking them up, putting them back until my basket was full. I am still not happy with them, especially the yellow, but we will see what it looks like when complete.

I think adding the red was fine but maybe not next to the yellow. I am not going to undo it now as I need to be braver. I need to stop being afraid of colour and recognise that the only way to master it is to practise and be bolder.

This is where I am up to. I have gone for large granny squares on a 4mm hook. I LOVE granny squares and as this throw is for me I wanted it to work up quickly, be very easy as I want it large enough to fill my bed. Fingers crossed it will have a nice patchwork feel to it.

I was so pleased that in less than 4hrs I managed to get the first row of squares finished(only another 9 to go!)

I think that was only because the children were taken swimming and were all gone until early evening.

Later on last night(around 10pm) I decided that I wanted to start something else...this is a curse for many crafters out there I know. Something I hadn't done before...A shawl. After seeing so many beautiful ones around blogland and on Pinterest I really felt inspired and my fingers were itching.

A the beginning of last year I did my usually trick of seeing pretty yarn and impulse buying, this is a really bad habit of mine. I saw this yarn on a totally unrelated shopping trip to John Lewis. I got distracted from Grandparent present buying and ended up, as I so often do, in the haberdashery section. I loved the soft feel of the balls and the stunning warm but lifting colours.

It is Rowan Kid Classic, a mixture of lambs wool and kid mohair, so you can imagine how lovely and soft and natural it feels.

Problem with it was, when I got home and looked at it some more and felt it and cuddled it, I had absolutely no idea what to make with it. It isn't the right weight for a blanket or cushion and I was in no way attempting clothing, so it got put away, out of site and I gave myself a smack on the hand for once again jumping head first into an unnecessary purchase.

Last night however, it became the PERFECT yarn for my shawl.

It says to use 5.5mm hooks...it has a weight more of a 4ply than a dk so I can only assume the large hook recommendation is to get a really lacy look.

I didn't want a lacy look. I want a light but warm shawl so I opted for 3.5mm and so far it is really working out well.

I have gone for a very basic granny stripe pattern. It is easy and as most of you know with my constant health moans easy is about all I can manage...

There is a superb tutorial at this lovely blog

You can see all those natural fibres bursting out. It is so perfect for warmth on Summer nights. 

I have again been quite brave I think with the layout of the colours. I was tempted to mix the light and dark colours but I actually really like the contrast. 

I could be making a huge mistake and kick myself later, but for now I am happily hooking with this sumptuous yarn.

I am hoping to have this finished for a dear friend. Fingers crossed.

What WIPs have you got on the go?

Happy Thursday xx

Making the Best of it...

Hi there. So what about this sunshine? I don't know about you but when that sun is shining I am filled with ideas and excitement before I even open my eyes, which is why it really, REALLY sucks to have the crappiest immune system ever!

Guess What???

Yep!

I am ill again!!!

This is getting sooooo boring. My house has so many messy spots which I am noticing more and more every day. I have redecorated at least 10 times in my head since being laid up.

I have spent thousands!

I have won the lottery, all different amounts and planned how to spend it and deliberated on how deserving family and friends are and how much they will get.

I have been on about 20 different holidays, some with kids and some without...

I have bought so many pretty things that in reality I can't afford. I have made Pinterest boards which display these desires...even made a holiday one(a girl can dream).

I have made soooo many cakes(and eaten them) and my decorating skills would put Cake Boss to shame hehe!

Obviously in reality I have been lay in my bed or on the sofa, feeling sorry for myself, crocheting and moaning. I have been drinking tea and eating out of boredom!

I have been enjoying marathon programme catch up. Mainly Call the Midwife and Sewing Bee, that has been one good thing. I am longing to learn to use my machine and Sewing Bee doesn't help this longing!

I think it is safe to say I am a little worn out with my own company. 

I have been popping in and out of blogland and seeing all your lovely posts but I am so worn out that I get through some and then doze off again.

I have made a concious decision this morning after waking up without the ability to swallow and discovery of white spots on the tonsils, to spend the morning typing(albeit moany typing) on my little blog and upload some of the photos I have been snapping away at.

My little bug. We went to the cinema over the weekend(I started feeling really poorly half way through Muppets Most Wanted) he had to take Fluffy and Mickey with him and they thoroughly enjoyed it.                                             

Something that has been a source of mindless entertainment...it gets boring very quickly!

Some flowers to cheer a girl up :)

The garden is getting a mini makeover. Just something to make this very small and ugly yard a little less of an eye sore!

More bright, beautiful flowers.(both bunches were reduced and count as medicine for sure)

New wool storage...

Cute retro Pop bottles...little in love...

So there are some of the nice things about the last few days.

I haven't been too bad with my frugal March.

I have looked for bargains everywhere. I spent a lot of money on my food shop, but I managed to buy enough for over 2 months for £400. I know that sounds like a lot but for a family for 2 months and it includes meat and all cleaning/household products, I am quite chuffed!

These pop bottles are a sparkling £2 each from Tesco, which is a bargain I think. They have a lovely range at the moment with all this gorgeous coloured glass and some stunning pastel cookware(which definitely did not become part of my March)

Wilkinsons also have some gorgeous coloured glass products including Kilner jars. Again I haven't indulged as they really couldn't be justified.

I know you may think that these bottles can't be but they can I just can't go into details...yet!

(My crochet ta-dahs can't be shared right now either :( )

But a sneaky peek wont hurt ;)

ooooo and another little tip. Right now we are in garden stuff season. Now, if like me you are not the greatest gardener but still find yourself browsing these aisles then despair not.

Garden paraphernalia is usually a lot cheaper than pretty indoor decor.

The bucket I am now using for yarn storage is a gorgeous pastel green and has the wooden embellishment on the handle. It was £4 in the garden section at Tesco!!! £4! If this was an indoor decorative item you would be looking at upwards of £10.

I also use a lot of string in my crafts and for wrapping and twine is perfect...gorgeous twine holders are EVERYWHERE at the moment and they are really reasonably priced.

Keep an eye out people x

Happy Tuesday xxx