Time is flying by ................

After promising myself that I would be ever so good and blog at least once a week, I've failed already!  I don't know if the weeks fly by because I'm getting older or just because I am so busy but whatever the reason I wish life would just slow down ever so slightly.  It's been a week of coughs, colds and tonsilitis in our house and it's not the baby keeping me up it's the noise from the older children.  Yes, I know they can't help it but .......

Had the most gorgeous gift last week from my friend Alison's mum. She is a fantastic knitter and knitted lots of little white cardigans but now she knows I have a girl she has been churning out these -

gorgeous lilac number

lovely lemon

pretty in pink !

These are just 3 out of the 6 she knitted this month. I so wish I could knit as quick and as well.  She won't even let me buy the wool to say thankyou so need to think of something nice instead.

Talking of my little girl she is just adorable (biased I know) and has the most eatable cheeks, in fact they are HUGE.  Her Dad calls her squirrel for obvious reasons.

Just before middle daughter developed tonsilitis, she made these krispie cakes....

Just wanted to show you the plate really!  Lovely lovely lovely.

This lovely shabby chic pinny is from a Shabby Chic shop at Village Life .  Great place to visit.

And finally .....

My hubby has been running for six months now and did his first 'proper' race today and guess what ? He came 7th out of 72 !!! I haven't been taking his running seriously to be honest in fact it just annoys me when he comes in at 7 am all sweaty and I do moan loads, but I am very proud of him.  He wants to build up to half marathon and then who knows he may even do the full one.  Here he is ....

night all xx

Freecycle goodies and scrummy books

I have been a freecycle member for a couple of years now but haven't really asked for anything and only posted a few things but this month I have been very lucky. Our tumble dryer suddenly went without warning. With four children and winter coming all I could think of was heaps of drying clothes hung over radiators ! Not good - but a lovely freecycler emigrating to Australia donated an almost new tumble dryer. A lovely lady gave me some baby clothes and then this was posted .....

                                      

this is the back of a 70's dolls house

this is the front

interior shot

My 8yr old loves it and I can't believe after 35years it still has lots of original furniture including a lovely avodado bath mmmmm but also the carpet sweeper and Hoover in the shot above.  I had to explain just what a carpet sweeper actually does and then I remembered my Nan still has one which she still uses.  Funny how things today just don't seem to last yet her carpet sweeper must be at least 40 years old !

Also popped in to the charity shop again and someone has obviously been clearing their bookcase because I picked up these...

                                          

yummy!

The book is by Mary Berry who I think is a great cookbook writer.

I've tried cooking Chinese food and love it so hoping to make something bit different than the usual sweet and sour chicken.

Not sure if you can really see this but it's a recipe book that follows the seasons and gives a recipe for each day of the year. They look really easy to follow and don't have bizarre or hard to buy ingredients like some books do.

Thats the bargains for now, still have to let you know about my disastrous fridge cake !  How a fridge cake can go wrong is beyond me but I managed to do it.  My sister gave me a lovely recipe that involved Belgian chocolate, double cream, marshmallows and digestives. But I didnt have all the ingredients and used cake covering, no cream, oddly dry marshmallows and chocolate digestives that were getting soft. Heres the picture it looks lovely but my word it was horrid.  Even the kids who love chocolate cake wouldnt eat it and more than half sadly went in the bin. 

                                  

Ok then its off to make Tuna and tomato risotto - that's one recipe I know I can do without mistakes.  Bye for now

Bargain hunting !

It's been a great start to the week ( apart from the weather lol).  Found some lovely bargains in some local Charity Shops.  Met some nice people via Freecycle and one of my closest friends has gone back to work this week after almost 10 years at home raising children to work with the elderly and she loves it.  I am so pleased for her as she was a bag of nerves beforehand. It's made me think more of the future and I am more determined than ever to open the little artsy craftsy shop I dream of!  But for now I am just loving being at home with my little gorgeous girl. 

Here are some of my charity shop finds..........................

this is a small posy dish (20p)

a lovely shaped dish just perfect for soap (40p)

I found two of these hand-crochet place mats (?),any way they will be made into cushions.  I was thinking of using a duck egg blue material with the cream crochet on top. (20p for both)

this is the corner of a large square of hand embroidered linen table cloth (20p).  I just don't know where to put it yet but it is so so lovely.  I did think about putting it on the back of the sofa but my Nan still does that and she is in her 80's so love my Nan but want to try something else.  I have seen some of these types of embroidery turned into cushions or lavender bags on Shabby Chic Cafe but am not sure if I should cut it up.  Will just have to add it to my growing pile of WAS (wait and see ! )

Little one is sleeping now so it's off to tackle my ironing mountain and throw away my disastrous chocolate finger flan that even the kids won't eat.  xxx

     

It's been a YEAR !

I can't believe it's been a whole year since I last updated my blog, where on earth has the time gone? But I have been busy and above is one I made earlier lol. This is Genevieve born 4th August and she is adorable.

I didn't have the best pregnancy and the most traumatic birth ever when we thought we had lost her but now she is here she is just so scrummy.

Just starting to feel normal now so I am resolving to be a good blogger and updating once a week !