domesticali

New blog abode

2007-12-22T16:09:00.000Z

Now I can't promise that the new place is in show home condition, but please drop by and say hello over at the new 'domesticali' blogging abode.

Bye bye Blogger, I'll miss you. You've been a good friend, but your comments shenanigans finally drove me to desert you.

I'll leave this old blog up here, but pretty please would you update your blogrolls and subscriptions, because I'm the new kid on the block over there and I need my chums.

Thank you for sharing so many good times with me here. Wishing you all the merriest of Festive Seasons and a hope 2008 that brings you joy.

Nesting

2007-12-21T16:05:00.000Z

There have been all manner of problems recently with non-blogspot bloggers leaving comments over here. Judging from the last few days, if you don't have a google/blogger account, you've just given up. I don't blame you. But it's sad without you. So over the Christmas break, I'm going to be busy with a little blog nesting.

I'll let you know where to come and find me when I've unpacked. Somewhere a bit more welcoming hopefully.

The wonderful goodies in the photo arrived from Jennifer at Scissors Paper Glue yesterday. The boys were very put out that I was allowed to open my parcel when they have to wait for Christmas! If you want some similar booty of your own, she has an etsy shop. With lots of ephemera. I love that word, don't you?

Preparations 8 - Primped and packaged

2007-12-20T20:18:00.001Z

Feels like we're entering the home stretch now. A little bit of wrapping to indulge in, some last minute distribution and the big day will be here.

Dishcloths have been ironed (what a hoot - I don't really understand 'blocking', but the wavy edges look somewhat straighter) and packed up with vanilla sugar and cookie cutters and a gingerbread house kit for good measure.

Chocolate pretzels baked (Mama? Why you making those poos?)

But he ate enough of them once they'd been dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled.

The recipe was from the Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookies special (thanks Michelle!) . Call it a little Christmas gift from me to you to say thank you for stopping by here and leaving such lovely comments.

CHOCOLATE PRETZELS

1 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
Unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

In a small bowl, combine flour, 1/2 c. cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.

Beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add flour mixture, 1/3 at a time, beating on low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 to 24 hours or until dough is easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove one dough portion from refrigerator; keep remaining dough portion refrigerated. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Sprinkle work surface with sifted cocoa powder, repeating as needed. Roll each portion of dough into a 9 inch long rope on prepared surface. Twist into a pretzel shape and place on a cookie sheet, 1 inch apart.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until just firm. Cool on the cookie sheet on a wire rack for one minute, and then transfer to to the wire rack to cool completely. Repeat this process with the remaining dough.

'Tis the season to be Jealous

2007-12-18T19:58:00.000Z

Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.

Why am I home with the bath bed boy routine and leftovers while Hubby is eating at Gordon Ramsay at Claridges tonight?

Oh the photo is theirs. When do you think my kitchen last produced something like that? Holey moley, sometimes I really miss corporate life.

Well, bits of it anyway. But I know you get all that family work life balance stuff. It's hard to put it into words, but Sooz has found the perfect analogy. And done it brilliantly. Go and read her post.

Tomte fabric

2007-12-17T22:18:00.000Z

Yes, I spent a small fortune, but it was SO worth it.

Design by Ruth Vetter: 'Tomtar'

Perhaps I'll even iron it.

Migration

2007-12-15T18:33:00.000Z

Dallas sent me this lovely little embroidered bird recently.
It has nested on my bedroom door handle so I can see it when I wake each morning. It's the little things that make me happy.

Dallas's blog (Sallad.net) is one of the most cheerful places I visit . Do you ever label blogs in your head? My mental tags for you all include talented, funny, thought-provoking, visionary, savvy, self-aware, outrageous, genuine, beautiful, stylish - I could go on and on.

But apparently one of the words which comes to mind when you stop by here is 'nutty'.

Thanks for the award Kitty! And for her advent calendar story alone, I'm passing it on to Laura.

Preparations 7 - the Nativity

2007-12-14T19:19:00.000Z

Johnny's preschool nativity was yesterday. I'd show you photos, but they all look like this (he's the snowflake on the far left).

The parental paparazzi were out in force snapping away in the non existent light trying to capture something. Sometimes I think it's better to forget the camera and be in the moment. The only in focus photo I achieved was the box of tissues thoughtfully provided by the nursery.

I helped myself, because I knew I'd need them. I cry at all Nativities, even those that don't involve any offspring of mine. Just show me a wonky tinsel halo and I'm off.

Gorgeous sunrises get me in the same way. Something about innocence and new beginnings I think. If I were Megan, I would be able to find something profound to say. But I'm not.

Happy weekend people.

Preparations 6 - letter to Santa

2007-12-12T21:19:00.000Z

Raymond Brigg's 'Father Christmas' has a lot to answer for.

The antics of this off season Santa - a grumpy glutton who's catchphrase is 'Bloomin' Christmas' - have captivated my boys. So much so, that Mark's letter to Santa this year started with 'I hope you won't be too drunk to get here'.

This was the home version and not the one they were asked to write at school. He proudly informed me that one had gone on for two-and-a-quarter pages! I shudder to think. How did I breed such a consumer?

But at least he's hospitable. Because he's designed a sign to direct Santa to refreshments. As an 'in return' gift.

Preparations 5 - tree quest

2007-12-10T21:33:00.000Z

It's Christmas here this Sunday. My in-laws arrive for their own personalized celebration and so all decorating deadlines are pushed forward by 10 days. Normally this would not be a problem. Hubby usually starts emptying the loft of all things festive on December 1st and begging shamelessly for me to put it all up. I agreed to do it this weekend, if they helped me clear up the house first (you may call it bribery, I call it incentive).

They whizzed around and soon all was ship-shape, so off the menfolk went to pick a tree.

The selection of our tree seems to appeal to some cave man instinct within them. They just love it, in the same way they hate almost all other forms of shopping. And without me grumbling away as the voice of reason, they get away with buying something that is really much too large for our hallway and has to be manoeuvred into the house in a kind of bizarre tribute to an episode of Monster Moves. Trees, Televisions, Trucks - bigger is always better in blokeworld.

But our favourite tree guy was SOLD OUT. On December 9th?? We are on a tree waiting list. I kid you not. Which means my new decorations are still homeless and my old friends still in boxes.

But on the plus side, I did get the marshmallows scraped off the baking trays and packaged up for Johnny's Montessori teachers.

And my Magimix is still functioning, although the whisk attachment will never be the same. But hey, it's all blog-fodder. Which is my new Zen approach for dealing with disaster and disappointment.

Costly cooking

2007-12-09T14:33:00.000Z

Christmas cooking can be a costly business. Because I am not sure the whisk attachment of my Magimix was built to take the strain of a batch of homemade marshmallows. Halfway through, it started making a grinding of metal on metal noise and I had to finish off with the hand held beater. I'm too afraid to check if the damage is terminal.

Because, if it is, they may yet prove to be the most expensive marshmallows of all time. As I type, they are setting on a couple of baking trays. I also have my doubts about whether they will ever come off.

But the boys have pronounced them fabulous.

Or the mixture anyway. What's not to like about pure sugar with a touch of gelatin? Now excuse me while I try to clear up...

Rather odd meme

2007-12-07T22:57:00.000Z

Recently, Joanna tagged me to do a seven things meme. I was trying to come up with something random, when I came across this at Pea Soup. It struck me as totally random, so I'm doing it instead. Rule bender? Me? Never.

What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now?
None! Before you faint with shock, we have a separate shower (which I prefer) so baths are strictly of the bubble variety only.

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?
Er, no. And I didn't even have to check!

What would you change about your living room?
I'd have a wood burning stove in it.

Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty?
Dirty. It's not full.

What is in your fridge?
Gherkins, olives, 3 different jams, 3 different mustards, wine, milk, butter, wasabi, capers, pickled onions, ketchup, mayonnaise, miso paste, yoghurt, one sad lone jelly, innocent smoothies, wine, beers, bacon, broccoli, celery, carrots, beans, spring onion, red peppers, salad, cheese, anchovies, secret chocolate bar for emergencies, did I mention wine?

White or wheat bread?
Both, probably going mouldy. We waste a LOT of bread, because I only really like it very fresh.

What is on top of your refrigerator?
It's built in. Dirt probably.

What color or design is on your shower curtain?
Glass door, accessorized by unattractive limescale spots.

How many plants are in your home?
About a dozen. One is from a cutting given to me by a friend for my 21st birthday. Another is a cactus I inherited when another friend moved to Washington. He lives in Edinburgh now. I dread him returning to ask for it back, because I'm rather fond of it.

Is your bed made right now?
No - hubby's in it.

Comet or Soft Scrub?
Asteroid? Facial Wash? Que?

Is your closet organized?
Not too bad.

Can you describe your flashlight?
Black, lights up when you press the switch.

Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home?
Glass.

Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now?
No.

If you have a garage, is it cluttered?
Not so much cluttered as full, very full. No chance of getting a car in there!

Curtains or blinds?
Blinds in our bathroom since the lady who lives opposite phoned me up at 7am to tell me that the Builders next door had just watched me take a shower. Frosted schmosted.
Curtains elsewhere (but we only draw them upstairs really).

How many pillows do you sleep with?
One. It's a memory foam weird one. I like it.

Do you sleep with any lights on at night?
Nightlights in the boys' bedrooms.

How often do you vacuum?
Can I plead the 5th? When I can't ignore it any more. Or whenever hubby wears his stupid chenille socks which shed all over the carpet.

Standard toothbrush or electric?
Standard. My teeth just destroy toothbrushes, so I'm forever changing mine. Must be small head or I bang my gums and give myself ulcers.

What color is your toothbrush?
Pink and white. With orange rubber tongue cleaning ridges on the back. What a gimmick.

Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch?
We have a doormat, but it doesn't say welcome. In fact, some animal has been nibbling the corner of it, so I think it currently says 'unkempt'.

What is in your oven right now?
One of those mats which you can take out to rinse off the burnt on gunk. Ha ha ha - yeah, right.

Is there anything under your bed?
No (it's very close to the floor. On purpose, because otherwise I'd stiff all manner of rubbish under there. Glad you didn't ask about the spare bed.

Chore you hate doing the most?
Cleaning the oven. I discovered there are companies who will come to your house and do it for you though. How cool is that?

Do you have a separate room that you use as an office?
Yes - office come craft space. My lair. Mwa ha ha ha.

How many mirrors are in your home?
Nine. Now ask me if I glanced in even one before I left the house this morning.

What color are your walls?
Cream mainly. One green downstairs loo and one pale yellow living room which I'd prefer to be cream.

Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home?
My children?

What does your home smell like right now?
Home.

Favorite candle scent?
Very fussy about scented candles. Currently it's a winter spice number.

What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now?
I've already given you a far too detailed run down of the contents of my fridge. Weren't you reading properly before? Or is this just to catch me out?

Ever been on your roof?
No. What the hell would I want to do that for?

Do you own a stereo?
Yes.

How many TVs do you have?
One.

How many house phones?
Are you going to burgle me?

Do you have a housekeeper?
No. Well, me I suppose. But I'm not sure they took up my references before they employed me.

Is there a smoke detector in your home?
Several. Even one in the loft since our neighbours house burned down. Dodgy downlighters. And ours was built by the same developer. And has the same lights. Oh bugger, there goes another sleepless night.

In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip?
When we did have to evacuate (see above) we just grabbed a boy each. And then had soul searching discussions later about why Hubby had chosen the one he did first. So glad I was dashing up the stairs at the time shrieking 'get the kids' instead of having to choose which one.

Tagging? When you read these things, do you sit there reading and thinking 'Please don't tag me' or feel sad when you didn't get tagged? I just steal them shamelessly if I want to do one. Suggest you do the same.

The Good Life

2007-12-07T10:00:00.001Z

Being a woman of mystery isn't my usual style. Time to come clean about my much anticipated day yesterday. I went to London to meet up with Alice of The Magpie Files. Which would have been enough excitement in its own right (especially as she had promised a visit to the Champagne Bar in the new St Pancras - the woman has style). But she had other plans up her sleeve too. After a quick stop at Liberty, we jumped on a bus and arrived here:

Any guesses yet? Perhaps this will help:

Persephone + fairy buns - it could only mean Jane Brocket of Yarnstorm. She was speaking at a Persephone Lunch about the domestic arts (knitting, crocheting, baking, quilting, a great deal of reading) as practised by her. And she made cupcakes (to match the books of course) for afternoon tea.

Jane is an amazingly gifted speaker and I was totally engaged (well, apart from the part of my brain that was busy wondering who the other people in the room were, because I had already spotted Julie Arkell and Janet Bolton in the audience). She brought along a load of her quilts, tea cosies and embroidery for us to see.

Perhaps it's only me, but it is so weird seeing in real life, something you've seen on a blog. New, yet familiar. Much the same as meeting bloggers in the flesh, which, in my experience, has never been anything other than delightful.

Alice and I made a new friend too (Hi Kristina!). She SO needs a blog, she knits, she sews, she bakes, she's charming. I've spoken before about my personal crusade to indoctrinate all crafty folk into the wonderful world that is blogging. Come on Kristina, dive in, the water's lovely.

And as we sat in the Champagne Bar of St Pancras, sipping our bubbly and nattering yarn, sewing, life and the universe. I had a moment of blinding clarity. Life is good, very good.

Pinny perfection

2007-12-05T12:09:00.000Z

The slowness of the post across the pond forced Sarah to spill the beans about there being a little something headed my way, so I've been rushing to the door every time the postman's van appears. And here it is, proof that a watched pot sometimes boils, a perfectly gorgeous apron.

Sarah wouldn't have known that the colours of the flowers pick up the bluey tones of my kitchen cabinets and the tan, the floor tiles. Uncanny though isn't it? She has much better photos than mine - in fact, I had admired the apron when she posted about it, never thinking it was destined for my kitchen. Hell, it even matches my dishes, so I just had to show you.

Thank you friend. The other great thing about it is the enormous pocket, which is just what I need to stuff all my tissues in. I have the most stinking cold and I am cross about it, because I need to have lunch tomorrow. And taste cupcakes. And possibly drink Champagne. And not infect people. Damn. I'm being all secretive, but I am so looking forward to spilling the beans after the event.

Echinacea is my friend. And positive mental attitude. I do not have a cold, my nose is not streaming, I am healthy and not at all infectious.

Holiday Traditions Exchange

2007-12-03T22:30:00.000Z

As much as I would love to claim 'being super-organized' as one of my Holiday Traditions, I feel it might be stretching the truth somewhat.

But I did manage to get my parcel for the Holiday Traditions Exchange posted off to Eren today.

Recently, I watched a documentary series called ' The Mummy Diaries'. It followed 5 families, where mothers had been diagnosed with forms of incurable cancer. As they struggled to prepare their children for the loss of a parent, the women were encouraged to write a Mummy Manual, covering all the details of domestic trivia which would be useful to their families in the future.

As you can imagine, it was harrowing viewing, but it did bring home to me how truly important our little rituals are to out families and how special a Mother's role as their caretaker can be.

So Eren, I hope you don't mind, but when I sent off your parcel, I made a copy of our Christmas Traditions for here too. Because some of them are silly and may make you chuckle, but to us, they are priceless.

Six sixes

2007-12-02T10:42:00.001Z

I turned thirty six yesterday. Do you want to know the best thing about it? All year long, I've been thinking I was thirty six already. What a gift - an extra 365 days!

It made me think of my student days - I did a variety of part time jobs (supermarket shelf stacker, sweetie barrow salesgirl, contract dry stone walling, child minding, barmaid...) and when I got paid, I would put a £5 note in a random pocket of my clothing. I cannot tell you the you how much joy I generated for myself by coming across one unexpectedly during a lean week. Unexpected pleasures - they're the best.

End-of-year-ish

2007-11-28T16:52:00.000Z

Things are beginning to feel decidedly end-of-year-ish round here. There's something about the last few days of November that sends me into a flurry of nesting. Suppose it is probably linked to the short days, hunkering down for winter and trying to impose order on the house before the relative anarchy* of the Festive Season.

*I mean anarchy, relative to real life, not anarchy of my relatives, who are, on the whole, fairly well behaved.**

So my cupboards have been treated to some new hooks

to hang our winter woollies on.

Our finances have been squared away (yes, those are credit card slips - guess we hadn't reconciled them in a while).

And I have the most gorgeous calendar (from Sarah) ready to track the passing of the new year.

We're all set, let the festivities commence.

Small pleasures

2007-11-25T15:50:00.000Z

A morning shaft of sunlight in our bedroom (something of a rarity in these grey November days). The simple delight small boys take in the antics of a naughty shadow-bird.

Preparing some jars of Vanilla Sugar for friends.

A timely reminder to notice the little things.

Trouble brewing

2007-11-22T18:22:00.000Z

Two steps forward, one step back. Mark's ever patient, ever smiley teacher wasn't looking too smiley when she cornered me in the playground this afternoon. I know that look and it's not good.

The irony of it is, I saw the latest episode of this coming. Parents' evening was 2 weeks ago. She was really smiley then, but I told her, trouble was brewing - I have learned to recognise the early warning signs, but I don't think she took me seriously.

This time of year is a nightmare with Mark. The endless Nativity Play rehearsals which bore him rigid, the attacks of the wanties brought on by the proximity to Christmas, the appalling weather thwarting every opportunity to let him burn off some steam outside.

I can't do much about the triggers and I am so utterly fed up with having to cope with the outcome. And so we enter a spiral of negativity, at home and at school, that sweeps everyone along with it, miserable and clinging on for dear life.

The Autism Support Outreach worker is going in to school to observe him on Monday and the Sensory Processing Disorder lady on Tuesday. And on Thursday I am running away from it all to Bath with Hubby for a few days of pretending it's not our problem.

And then, just maybe, I can summon the energy and the insight to get us moving forward again. My newly framed print by Jen of Swallowfield is called 'I feel lucky'. Let's hope it's a talisman.

The 's' word

2007-11-22T01:43:00.000Z

Today seems an appropriate day for a Euro-centric post (given that our American chums will be far too busy stuffing their faces with turkey and vegging out to read blogs - Happy Thanksgiving though guys).

Now, don't hate me, I know, we're crafting like mad and pledging ourselves to Handmade, but sometimes, shopping just has to be done. I used to try to spend my gift cash at my local independent toy shop. But I obviously didn't spend enough, because it closed down recently. So sad.

In looking further afield, I discovered a little online gem for the under 5 crowd, called Izziwizzi Kids. This contraption had Johnny's name written all over it. Monkey scales (if anyone comes up with a tutorial for handcrafting those, I'll eat my shorts).

The customer experience was great and best of all, they've let me give all my chums £5 off. So if you want a money off code, let me know your e-mail. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you are spending money on illicit manufactured pleasures.

Happy shopping (sorry, the 's' word again).

Preparations 4 - Rubber Stamp

2007-11-20T13:23:00.000Z

It's been a while since I carved a rubber stamp - I forgot how fun and quick a process it is. The only thing is, I didn't really intend to make Santa look like a wino. Although with HIS to-do list, He'd be forgiven for hitting the bottle at this time of year.

If you want to have a go, here is the tutorial which got me started.
Perhaps I'd better have a cup of tea and re-group. This is my new seasonal favourite - even the box is uplifting.

My photos look pants today - sorry, its just so dark and wet and miserable. Natural light? Chance would be a fine thing.

Preparations 3 - Salt dough

2007-11-18T16:45:00.000Z

*****Edited to add some important painting info*****

Christmas Fair time rolls round again - next Saturday I'll be up to my eyeballs in some kind of crafty endeavour with a zillion clamouring primary schoolers. Thought we'd have a go at salt dough Christmas ornaments. But a trial run with my resident assistants seemed to be in order.

Recipe: 2 parts flour to 1 part salt. Mix in some warm water to form a dough. Knead for 10 minutes until nice and smooth.

I had anticipated some freehand modelling, but it's harder to do than I had thought. Not sure the under 10 crowd would be too impressed, but my testers perked up when we broke out the Christmassy cutters. My inability to see a cute cutter without ~~wanting~~ buying it evidently has it's up sides!

I have a whole batch drying, so the punters on Saturday can paint one ready formed ornament and model one of their own to dry and decorate at home.

But I'm going to need a vat of hand cream afterwards, because a couple of hours dealing with desiccating effects of the dough has left me with lizard hands. Ick.

*** A couple of folks asked about painting these. I had planned to use Acrylics, but BIG word of warning - they don't work very well. I found out (luckily the night before the fair) that tempera/poster paints work much much better. Apologies for misleading you (and for raiding my boys' paint box)*****

Lurid cupcakes

2007-11-16T10:12:00.000Z

There's no place for subtlety in the world of child-pleasing cupcakes. Bright is good, but lurid is better.

Cupcakes for Children in Need cake sale.

Mark had to go to school today, dressed as something he'd like to be when he grows up. Amidst a sea of firemen, pop stars, policemen and footballers, he stood out somewhat in his Daddy's tie. He's a Town Planner (I blame the Lego Corporation).

Preparations 2

2007-11-15T13:34:00.000Z

With my big ball of string I can do anything,

anything, anything, anything at all.

Christmas cards in progress.

Life this week has been a bit like wading through treacle. The Dinosaur School (which goes on for the next 12 weeks) was a huge hit with Mark. Well pitched with lots of adult attention and activities he really enjoyed. He's looking forward to his session next Monday.

I can't say the same about the parents' group. I found it very difficult, sitting and sharing thoughts with people who are struggling with violent family members or getting the next meal on the table. It was heartbreaking and energy sapping and I dearly wish I didn't have to go back.

Reality is uncomfortable to face sometimes and the fact that I would rather not confront these people's realities makes me feel guilty. And over privileged.

Monkeying around

2007-11-12T11:00:00.001Z

Just an hour taken out of this weekend to mooch round Albert Park,

pet the doggies who are out walking, scuffle through a few leaves

and explore the monuments.

Just to be peaceful and breathe. It did us all good.

This evening Mark and I are off to Dinosaur School. I think its a dressed up group therapy programme, to help kids understand their feelings and promote social competence. Oh, and a parenting course, which I am looking forward to about as much as a trip to the dentist. But trying to be all "rah rah isn't this fun" for Mark's benefit. Does anyone know of a big rock I could just go and hide under?

Preparations 1

2007-11-09T17:09:00.000Z

Is it just me, or are all these 'Handmade for the holidays' tutorials, lists and gorgeous finished items stressing anyone else out? Don't get me wrong, I love them, I'm inspired by them but I'm breaking out into a cold sweat.

I'm going to have to sit down and bite the bullet of a serious 'to do' list. Though I have done the little gifts for Mark's teachers. We decided on coasters for their breaktime cuppa.

So Mark drew a design for each of them.

We scanned it and printed it out on the computer in mirror image. Then it was easy to trace over it with a heat set embroidery transfer pencil (amending the odd spelling hiccup and too-tricky-to-sew design element) and transfer it to a piece of linen.

The idea was for Mark to do a bit of the sewing, but I was having too much fun with the red linen thread to share.

And then we used Amy's instructions from 'Bend the Rules Sewing' to turn them into coasters.

Hopefully they will prevent mug mix-ups at morning break. And at least one item on the list has a tick next to it!

Just a cup of coffee

2007-11-08T13:07:00.001Z

Anna was talking about cold brewed coffee the other day. It sounded good - less bitter, less dehydrating, so I thought I'd try a batch. No one mentioned the mess. All this for a cup of coffee:

Perhaps I could figure out a straining system that is a bit more washing-up efficient. No need to abandon the process just yet.

Then I tasted it - mmm good (once I'd figured out how much to dilute the concentrate).

I swear I just had one small cup, with oodles of hot milk but you would think I had been mainlining espressos all morning. Unbelievable caffeine hit - my heart is still beating faster than normal. Too much coffee makes me jabber incessantly. My poor friend called me post-coffee and 45 mins later I was still bending her ear. Perhaps I'd better try again with decaf.

New seasons

2007-11-07T22:05:00.000Z

Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.
Henry David Thoreau

Giving in (reluctantly) to the reality that cold weather has arrived.

The car has needed de-icing on two mornings already and I'm very glad that I brought my Jade trees in from their summer holiday outdoors when I did.

They are also known as Money Plants and they are meant to attract wealth - or so the Feng Shui experts suggest. One of the few bits of Feng Shui information I ever retain is the importance of shutting your toilet lid, or else your good luck goes down the pan. Fat chance of implementing that one in this house. It would be a miracle if I could get the boys to remember to raise and lower the seat appropriately.

Plan, schman

2007-11-04T22:10:00.000Z

Don't worry, I've got some new shower gel. Everything's going to be just fine.

And just to clear one thing up, I have no intention of stopping blogging. I feel nothing but gratitude for the tremendous friendship and warmth that this community of ours provides. I love the sense that you are never alone. Whatever you're feeling or going through, there are souls out there who've been there. And they share their thoughts, experience and wisdom freely.

And besides, who else am I going to show my new red boots to at 10 o'clock on a Sunday night?

Bugger the plan, let's go shopping!

What's the plan, Stan?

2007-11-02T14:04:00.000Z

When we first got married, a wise Professor of Hubby's told us that we should always have a 5 year plan. A written record of where we would like to be 5 years from now. Given this advice came from someone who managed to achieve a Knighthood during the course of his life, we took heed. And it became an annual tradition for many years - we would sit together and over several glasses of wine produce our route map.

Life plans.

And the funny thing is, when I look at the plans from 1994, much of what we wrote has come to pass. Yes, there are elements that have we have dropped (Third child? What was I thinking...), but we managed to get ourselves back to the UK, in a home of our own. Hubby did his MBA, I found a job I enjoyed, we started a family - so many things clicked into place.

But as we contemplate life from here on, the plans become harder to make. I knew right back then, that when we had children, I would want to be at home with them. But I'm filling in applications for Johnny's school place next September and I find myself acutely aware that a chapter in our lives is drawing to a close. A new page will be opening and I haven't the foggiest idea what to write on it.

Looking back, I see that my part in our life plan has often been in a supporting role. And I have loved doing that - I don't begrudge it in the slightest and I would do it again in an instant. The only thing is, after thirteen years of fitting myself around other elements of life, I am finding it almost impossible to know what what it is that I really want to do. Sometimes too much choice is a difficult thing.

And I worry, that blogging is somehow deferring the need to make some plans. There's a Japanese phrase 'giri-giri' which is hard to translate, but means something along the lines of 'working out of a sense of obligation, rather than to achieve anything in particular'. Sort of like Busy Work. And I wonder if my blog is giving me a false sense of achieving something with my life, when I'm not really.

Random acts of total stupidity

2007-10-31T20:24:00.000Z

We all know what today is don't we? I baked the pumpkin muffins (Amy's yummy recipe).

I consulted with the boys and translated their designs into pumpkin form.

We dressed up and hit the neighbourhood for trick-or-treating. And we returned home to find this on our doorstep.

What kind of genius courier thinks leaving a glass aquarium on the front doorstep of a pumpkin lit abode at 6pm on Halloween is a sensible idea? Miraculously it seems unscathed. Thank you pumpkin gods. Our incredibly fast growing goldfish will be eternally grateful.

And thank you all for your sympathetic response to my whining last post. When we were going through Mark's assessment, some kindly professional asked me if I had any support. I don't think she knows about the force that is craft-bloggers.

Fed up

2007-10-30T20:39:00.000Z

Hubby is in the middle of a four-business-trips-abroad-in-as-many-weeks cycle and I am feeling fed up. Tired, lacking in adult company and somehow devoid of joy.

The first needle felting first efforts were fun though. Perhaps if I created a corporate effigy to stab I'd feel better.

Traditions

2007-10-29T11:03:00.000Z

Hello Christmas-lovers! Just wanted to let you know about the amazing swap that's happening over at Montessori by Hand. I am a relative newcomer to Meg's blog, but I am in love with it. And she's hosting a Holiday Traditions Exchange.

Oh yes, decorations, traditions, music, recipes. It's all going on. Sign ups are open until November 10th. Go on, get those festive juices flowing.

I LOVE hearing about other families' Christmas traditions. But it's also a great chance for us to reflect on what makes Christmas special in our house too.

Whooooooo

2007-10-28T14:16:00.000Z

Halloween preparations in full swing here this weekend.

Cute skeleton cut outs from Sewing Stars. Oops, he seems to have lost a leg.

And white chocolate ghosts courtesy of Martha Stewart. These look really impressive, but are dead easy to make. I don't know if my white chocolate got too warm to set hard again, because the lollies are great straight from the fridge, but a bit on the bendy side at room temperature. Any chocolate melting experts out there?

Clocks went back today - our first dark evening of the year. We have a family movie night planned, so I need to go and make popcorn. They rented 'Garfield - the movie'. I do not have high hopes.

Half Term

2007-10-25T17:50:00.000Z

How quickly this week has passed. A trip to the grandparents at the seaside coincided with a couple of gorgeous autumn days. I love the beach in summer as much as the next person, but there's something great about enjoying it in the low sun all wrapped up.

Granny (the expert) led the boys in a crabbing adventure -six in total! Apparently crabs love bacon - I never knew that.
We staked personal claims on our favourite beach huts.

And had earnest conversations on the true meanings of signs.

Luckily it was too chilly for the nudists, or Mark would have been asking them all about it too. Seven years of parenting and I still find myself fumbling for answers to so many of his questions. Actually, perhaps I'm getting worse.

So what have your kids stumped you with recently?

Supportive Family

2007-10-24T19:19:00.000Z

Finished the hat. My first knitted garment. Woo hoo.

Blood, sweat and tears people. Really. Well not the tears part, or the blood actually. Okay, so I'm prone to exaggeration - it's a minor flaw. Bad hair is worse, far worse and I'm seriously guilty of that. I also seemed to be labouring under a number of misapprehensions with this project.

Misapprehension #1 - I could get away with knitting a swatch straight from the skein. Swiftly re-assessed thanks to Johnny and the fateful words - 'Dis just like spaghetti Mama'. After two hours of untangling, I wound the damn ball.

Misapprehension #2 - Having failed to find the specified 60cm circular needle at the biggest knitting show in the face of the earth, I figured I'd just use an 80cm one. It won't make my life much harder will it?

Misapprehension #3 - despite his total lack of excitement at my new found skill, hubby would be won over by the gorgeousness of the finished article. Hubby found modeling new hat in previously unconsidered configuration.

Do you think I could sell them on etsy? My family, not the hats.

Deal

2007-10-20T20:04:00.001Z

The agreement today - I get to finish sewing my second attempt at the Lotta Jansdotter Everyday Tote. Hubby gets to watch the Rugby in peace. Seemed fair to me.

This iteration is in the most gorgeous drapey wool - I had to interface the hell out of it to make it bag-proof. And the sew in interfacing didn't work at all - the wool pulled horribly and stretched when I tried it, so it was back to iron-on.

Having learned from the shortcomings of the last one, I put a piece of pelmet interfacing in the bag bottom and added a magnetic snap.

We'll see how it holds up on the first test-drive. I never can tell with a new bag until I've taken it out on the road.

Now I heard a muted cheer from the watchers downstairs, so I'm off to check the score.

It's a beautiful day-hay-hay

2007-10-19T10:05:00.000Z

Feeling the Friday joy today. Partly about the lovely goodies which landed on my doorstep from Jen of Swallowfield. I have a quick visit to get some frames for the gorgeous prints (yes, plural) she sent me - my favourite of all is called 'I feel lucky'.

It's very appropriate, since my lucky number is indeed 13 and I came to own it via good fortune in a generous giveaway. If you need a little luck of your own, pop over to etsy.

The colours are reminding me of a little project of my own I've been getting underway this morning.

Inside these babies is a cat toy. Yup - one of those jingle bell inside a plastic mesh ball thingummies. Which should mean I have just made a jingling Christmas decoration. We're still at prototype phase, but I did pick up a good few handfuls of the cat toys at the scrapstore when I last visited. There may be more to come. I love the idea of re-purposed ornaments on our tree this year.

Although perhaps not next week, because it is half term. Which is great in that the level of badgering required to get everyone out of the house on time goes down, but there isn't exactly much free time to spare either. Although perhaps papier mache might just be a great project for the boys. If I can handle the mess.

The sountrack of my life

2007-10-18T11:27:00.000Z

Someone has been eavesdropping at our house.

Busted!

Knit and Stitch Show

2007-10-17T16:13:00.000Z

Finally, a few moments for some Alexandra Palace show-and-tell. Thanks for the Johnny well-wishes. It took 4 doctors, 2 nurses and 2 x-rays to confirm his arm isn't broken. And he's using it again. Phew. Just don't ask how many hours I've spent in medical establishments this week...

At least I had my mind pictures from Sunday to sustain me (if no real ones - photography was seriously frowned upon at many many exhibits, so I abandoned my camera and tried to commit everything to memory instead). My favourite new find of the show was Caren Garfen.
Her work was full of domestic motifs (toilets, irons, hoovers), silk screened onto cotton and hand embroidered with the finest of fine threads. It was the quiet, self deprecating wit that caught my eye, and the sense of a shared joke. Pinny-humour if you like. But such exquisite workmanship.

I think well known to others, but not to me was Julie Arkell. I'm filled with enthusiasm for papier mache - must get to ripping strips soon.

Her work is described in her book as 'very English'. I'm not too sure exactly what the commentator meant by that, but I love the colour pallete (bright, but slightly muted), the use of found objects and the whimsical with an edge, which prevents the pieces slipping over into cute.

Not that cute isn't good - Rebecca Shreeve's Quirkles were unashamedly cute, brought off with panache and the most gorgeous soft fabrics.

More grown up appeal from Clyde Olliver, who stitches on slate. Fabulous.

And the shopping, oh yeah, because there was plenty of that going on. And some pretty scary shoppers to contend with - there's nothing like a stash-builder with their quarry in sight for getting the elbows out! Some temptations, I could resist - a pumpkin teacosy kit, sadly beyond my skills and a great selection of Mini Boden fabrics, which would have sat and sat before I decided what to do with them.

But there was still a lot of shopping going on. I found some gorgeous linen thread and linen pieces by fog linen work sold through Selvedge objects.

Sashiko thread, from Euro Japan Links. I love the matte finish of this for embroidery.

Some yarn for a simple little hat project I want to try.

And a whole load of needle felting supplies. It's something I've been wanting to have a go at for ages, so when I saw a starter kit being demonstrated, I just had to have one. Believe me, I was all about lack of spending restraint that day! It's a good thing the cashpoint was out of action, or the damage to my bank account may have been severe.

And it wouldn't have been anywhere near as much fun without the redoubtable company of Caroline. In fact the only downer of the day was the absence of Monica who was stuck at home with her little barfers, chained to the washing machine. Why is it that time spent with blog-chums passes in the wink of an eye? It was only the tiredness of my feet which convinced me we had spent the entire day having fun. But we really did.

Almost show time

2007-10-15T09:30:00.000Z

And to think I nearly didn't make it to Alexandra Palace yesterday for the best exhibition I have seen in ages. Because at 5.30pm on Saturday, I was sat in A&E with a rather forlorn little Johnny. I thought he had broken his arm.

He was playing happily by himself and no one knows quite what happened. Johnny says he leaned on his hand and stretched too far and Andy found him whimpering and clutching his wrist. He wouldn't let us anywhere near it and was as white as a sheet and sweaty. Shock. So off we went for some x-rays, which didn't really show anything conclusive. So home we came again and have been dosing him up with alternative hits of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen ever since. He has still not used his arm though, so I think I am heading back there now to check it is really okay, because I'm not convinced.

And this is a bummer because I'm desperate to tell you all about the Knit and Stitch show. But I must sort out little one first.

Dishcloth induced debate

2007-10-12T21:05:00.000Z

The siren call of a new challenge is something I find irresistible, so I was delighted when recently Louise sent me yarn, needles and a selection of patterns for knitted dishcloths. I'm a very beginner in the knitting game, but there's nothing I like better than a challenge. So I was happily partaking of this little crafting treat when the following conversation happened:

Hubby: Why are you doing that?
Me: It's that dishcloth kit I showed you.
Hubby: No, I mean knitting.
Me: Eh?
Hubby: Well, it's just not sexy is it.

Clearly the whole 'pinny porn' debate has passed over his head. You can hear the start of it on this podcast.

Don't worry, I shall punish him for heretical thoughts, by making him apply said dishcloth to the dishes for the foreseeable future. Actually, on second thoughts, it may be too good to waste on him.

He's worried about hate-mail, but it looks like he's not the only doubting Thomas. And I'm getting my own back on Sunday when I am escaping for the whole day for some knitting and stitching goodness at Alexandra Palace. And guess who's looking after the boys! Have a great weekend.

Posh jellies

2007-10-11T09:00:00.000Z

When I am my foulest, most screamy self, I forget just how easy it is to please my boys. Behold the favourite dessert of the moment:

Mandarin orange segments straight from the tin, suspended in lurid tangerine jelly.

"Oh Mummy - posh jellies!"

Sometimes, I am just so classy.

Oh and you know Martha's top idea for leaves dipped in wax - if you were thinking of trying it, you may want to reconsider. After a week and a half, ours have turned black and started to go stinky. Not really the aspect of autumn I was hoping to capture.

Soothing food

2007-10-09T12:32:00.000Z

Don't you just love it when friends choose you the absolute perfect treat. My chum had a grown up weekend in London and returned with Laduree macaroons for little me. I've lusted after them from afar, but never tasted one. Until now.

I am totally hooked. They were (note the past tense there) sublime.

So today makes up for a horrible day yesterday, when a man driving a great big Range Rover crashed into the side of my car and then zoomed away without stopping. I kid you not. Tosser. I keep thinking of my £125 excess bill - that would have bought me a whole lot of macaroons wouldn't it? Although I can't be too rude about him, because Johnny will shop me.

Hubby: 'What happened at pre-school today Johnny?'
Johnny (3): ' A bloo-dee man crashed into Mama's car'

Autumn bounty

2007-10-08T09:55:00.000Z

We've got a little Autumn windowsill thing going on here this week. Conkers and leaves.

Michelle sent me a copy of Martha Stewart Holiday 'Halloween' and I've been wanting to try so many of the projects. I can't find her instructions for wax dipped leaves on-line to link to, but basically its melt wax in a double boiler, dip leaves, hang to dry.

They look pretty, but perhaps I should have cleaned my windows before I took the photo! The wax preserves the pretty colours of the leaves and stops them going dry and crinkly.

It's my 300th post today - that's a whole lot of nattering. Thanks for being with me through it all.

And... exhale

2007-10-07T15:30:00.000Z

Coming back down to earth after a busy build up to Saturday's craft fair. It was a pretty low key event, but I like to do it because it's local. Even if sales aren't huge.

It went okay, although I did have some funny comments. One woman looked at my grocery bags and said to me - 'No, I don't like those at all'. Oooookay, I can take criticism. And a lovely man, who looked very intently at everything and then said 'You certainly have some very unusual items'. Thanks, I think.

But it was Johnny who made me laugh. He walked into the hall and up to my table, then said very seriously 'Mama, those tings are just like yours'. Sweet boy.

I am all excited now though to get on with things I have been putting off until after the fair. I don't think I am really cut out for making things to sell. Somehow, they don't seem to contain the soul that an item does when you're making it with someone in mind.

So here's to 'items with soul' and a large glass of wine and veg on the sofa sort of evening. Sundays - you've got to love them.

How to make a ghostie lolly

2007-10-04T10:28:00.001Z

When you see how simple these are to make, you'll laugh at me for doing a tutorial on them. But you did ask! Now get the kids busy before Halloween. You'll need a round lollipop, a couple of tissues, some wool (or thread or string), scissors and a marker pen.

First lay out the tissues, overlapping as shown. Plonk your lolly down in the centre.

Gather the tissues round the lolly stick and tie at the base with the wool.

Trim the ends nice and short so they disappear.

Draw on a ghostly face with your marker. In our household, we lack artistic talent, so we go for the Munch-esque silent scream.

Now you're all set to frighten/delight your trick or treaters.

Ooh, that was my first tutorial I think! Do I get a badge?

Hurried heaps

2007-10-03T11:31:00.000Z

Rush rush rushing this week, trying to get ready for Saturday's Craft Fair.

Piles everywhere. Amy is showing little pieces of her home this month. So I thought I might join in.

Ghostie lollies - always my Autumn Fair runaway bestseller. And I can make them while I watch Jamie and Nigella on telly.

I'll feel less rushed next week. Hopefully.

Running repairs

2007-10-01T21:12:00.000Z

Moo cards are so very handy. Mine saved me from having to scribble out my details when I ran into a woman's car in Waitrose this morning. Yipes. She was loading her shopping into the boot when I did it, but mercifully she was extraordinarily nice about it. Perhaps it helped that I was grovellingly apologetic. But I like to think the pretty Moo card softened the blow a little.

Hell, if I had had a roll of this cute tape handy, I could have offered instant repairs. So if you're planning on doing any dodgy driving, perhaps you should pop over to paper and string and pick up a roll or two for the glove compartment. Stay safe.

Moving on

2007-09-29T17:37:00.000Z

Thank you so much for the positive thoughts which headed over our way on Friday. I cannot tell you how glad I am to have last week over and begin to move forward again.

Sooz wrote a post a few weeks back that really resonated with me. If you missed it, I urge you to go and read the original. She was saying she thought children were born pretty much whole, with personalities, preferences, desires and dislikes. They have strengths, they have weaknesses. They have imperfections. And she felt that children should essentially be left alone to become who they are, unencumbered by the pressures and expectations of their parents and their community to be things they are not.

I can’t think of a better way to sum up my feelings at the end of this grueling assessment process. My beautiful son is exactly the same person he was before this began and my challenges as a parent remain. I may have a couple of additional tactics in my maternal toolkit and a few new phrases to describe who he is, but fundamentally nothing has altered.

It feels really good to have the reins back again.

Autumn wonder

2007-09-28T11:28:00.000Z

"In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf." Eric Carle

Thank you so much Jo for this piece of Autumn wonder. A hand felted leaf brooch of great delicacy and beauty. I am a newcomer to 'The Knitted Blog' but I get the feeling I'm going to be hanging around there for quite a while.

Mark's case conference is this afternoon - it will be fine, it will be fine, it will be fine.

Officially autumn

2007-09-26T09:28:00.000Z

Okay, I give in.

It's officially Autumn. Tomorrow, we're putting socks on.

Smile in a jiffy bag

2007-09-24T21:23:00.001Z

All packages are a fundamentally good thing. Even if they contain nothing more exciting than a replacement for the cracked shelf in the fridge or hubby's contact lens solution. But sometimes a parcel so awesomely wonderful arrives that it turns the whole atmosphere of a day around. Louise told me that her package would cheer me up. She even showed me a sneak peek, but I still wasn't prepared.

Oh, the anticipation...

The joy...

A truly beautifully crafted satchel in brown linen, with owl embroidery, lined in orange 'Katie Jump Rope' spots. My photo doesn't even come close to doing it justice.

The attention to detail...

Inside, the satchel's perfectly proportioned inner pockets were filled with colour co-ordinated notebooks, stationery, and yummies. And another mystery pouch.

The co-incidence...

This really made me marvel at the crazy co-incidences in this crafty world. Because I made a very similar pouch, with rather similar embroidery, featuring orange, for my partner and the organizer of this swap, Heidi. How spooky is that! Almost as spooky as being assigned Louise as a swap partner in the first place. I met her through the miniswap 2 that our offspring did and begged and pleaded with her to start blogging. I'm nothing if not persuasive!

The challenge...

The pouch held a lovely knitted cotton dish with a school house motif and yarn, needles and patterns to have a go at making one of my own. I love hand knit dishcloths and I'm so excited to give my one a try. Do you ever save a little project up for yourself as a treat? Well, this is going to be mine. Just wait until I've got the village craft fair out of the way.

I can tell you're getting envious now, so I won't show you the Sprout Design fabric or amazing woven sort of ric rack. I'm still grinning from ear to ear. Well, wouldn't you be? It's the crafty equivalent of Prozac.

Distraction by chocolate

2007-09-23T12:42:00.000Z

It's hard when your big brother is off carousing and gorging on sugar at a party to which you aren't invited. Johnny was all set for a sad afternoon, until I remembered DottyCookie's Magic Monkey Bananas. The perfect activity.

Peel banana, break in half. Insert lolly stick (or in our case, stolen wooden coffee stirrer in one half and disposable chopstick in the other). Slather in molten chocolate (dark - my kids have carefully cultivated very good taste in chocolate) and sprinkle on sprinkles. Bung them in the freezer on some greaseproof paper for an hour for the chocolate to set and the banana to freeze into something which tastes like ice-cream, but is healthily virtuous.

And given that Mark cannot stand even the smell of bananas, I don't feel he's been deprived. Thanks Val, you saved our afternoon!

I've come to the conclusion that when the going gets tough, I blog about food. I suppose it's preferable to opening the fridge and eating food. But only marginally. Are you bored? Sorry.

Overwhelmed

2007-09-20T21:54:00.000Z

Tonight my back is aching - the body's way of rebelling against a couple of weeks that are containing a little more angst and activity than I would like.

I was going to write a self-indulgent little rant here, telling you how much I hate the churning feeling in my stomach when I feel out of control - lurching from one spot of fire-fighting to the next. But instead I did my weekend's grocery shopping on-line. Smashing.

May the force be with you.

Nigella's Apple and Butterscotch Tart

2007-09-18T20:22:00.000Z

In the excitement of the first English apples of the season I got carried away and bought more than we could munch 'au naturel' so it was time to hit the books for a recipe to use them up. Nigella Lawson's Apple and Butterscotch Tart seemed to fit the bill, in that I already had all the ingredients. There's nothing more frustrating than deciding to make something, then finding out you need to go shopping first for a missing essential.

Basically, the tart is a shortcrust pastry base, covered with peeled cored apples (Nigella says cooking apples, but I needed to use my yummy eating sort) and topped with a mixture of 150g light muscovado sugar, 4 tbsp plain flour 2 eggs and 4 tbsp cream. Whisk the bits together and pour over the apples. Bake at 210 C for 10 mins and then reduce heat to 180 C and cook for another 20 minutes or so.

Do you remember Gypsy Tart from school dinners of yesteryear? The butterscotch reminded me of that. It sort of souffles round the apples. Delish. And my resident tasting panel agreed.

Although the obligatory jam tarts made from pastry trimmings won the 'fun' award.

I googled the recipe to see if it was on-line for you, and came across 'New Nigella' the blog of a woman whose aim is to cook every recipe from all of Nigella’s books, in A-Z order. Wow, I thought I was a fan, but that's a whole new level of dedication.

Great to see so many lovely folks jumping aboard the blogging meme - I've been fascinated reading them all. If you haven't done it yet, go on, you know you want to!

Now tell me about your blog...

2007-09-14T19:44:00.000Z

Recently I had the rare pleasure of coming across a meme full of nosey questions that I REALLY REALLY want to put to other people. So much so, that I have taken it on, despite not being named and shamed, via Charlotte's Web.

1. Do you promote your blog?

I am uncharacteristically shy about telling real-life people that I blog. To many non-bloggers I suspect it sounds ridiculously self-indulgent and a total waste of time. We, the enlightened, know differently of course, but I don't often feel like defending the benefits of blogging.
My husband, on the other hand, has an annoying habit of 'outing' me to people. My in-laws, his work colleagues, goodness only knows who else.
Other than that, my Flickr photos often link back to my blog, but I'm not part of any blog rings or suchlike.

2. How often do you check hits?

More often than I care to admit. I'm obsessed with knowing where people come to visit me from. Some of the google search criteria that lead to me are understandable (too many cobwebs in house), some are tenuous (bad bunny pics) and some are downright bizarre (alpaca cbc chem profile). In my imagination, there is some poor student of veterinary medicine still scratching his head over that one.

3. Do you stick to one topic?

Me me me me me me. Isn't that the core of any blog? No, but seriously, domesticity I guess. For me that's a bit of craft, a bit of cooking, and a slice of family life.

4. Who knows that you have a blog?

A few friends, my family, the folks at my local bookshop and in my book group and all of you of course. Sadly, no people wanting to do magazine spreads on my home, ask my advice on cooking or give me free review copies of craft books seem to have noticed yet.

5. How many blogs do you read?

Far far far too many. I'm trying to cut down, but I'm plagued with guilt about removing a blog from my bloglines subscription (currently standing at 283 feeds). I remember the first time I noticed that the number of subscribers to mine had gone down. I was mortified - what had I said? Was I offensive or just plain dull and untalented? Cue extreme paranoia. So now I fudge the issue by putting blogs I'm not loving quite so much into a 'sacrificed' folder which I try very hard not to read. I am also implementing a little rule of thumb which says that for each new blog I subscribe to an older subscription has to be sacrificed. It's hard - I'm not naturally ruthless.

6. Are you a fast reader?

Yes, thank goodness, given the 283 feed situation. So one of my pet peeves is the folks who have set their feeds up so I only get the first few lines of a post. I then have to click over to the blog to read the post. I hate this, it wastes time. Time I really need to read all my bloody feeds. So have a heart peeps and don't do it!

7. Do you customise your blog or do anything technical?

I can just about manage to crop a photo, make a button work or do a manual link. But I just use a standard template. I figure there are a lot of folks much better at this stuff than I am, so why not take advantage of their expertise! I have wondered about changing my template to something else though. Do you hate the dots? Be honest.

8. Do you blog anonymously?

No. Real name, photos of the kids, the lot. I'm really not worried about child snatchers. If they took Mark, they'd be on the doorstep within the hour begging me to take him back! But in all seriousness, I feel that there is no more danger from my blog than there is from some nutter watching my the boys in the playground. Perhaps if something negative happened to my photos, I'd feel differently, but for now, open it is.

9. To what extent do you censor yourself?

Hugely!! I try to follow the 'If you can't say anything nice...' principle. So consequently, there is plenty I don't say. I'm not sure crafty blogland is really the place to be controversial (although I am intrigued by the soap opera quality of the occasional spats I have followed elsewhere).
I do find though, that purposefully concealing something big from my blog leaves me feeling very uncomfortable. If the blog is not a fairly honest reflection of my life, it feels a bit of a sham. So you do get the 'ugly' sometimes, even if I only tell you to give you a laugh.

10. The best thing about blogging?

There are so many great things: finding like minded chums, always finding someone who can answer a little question I might have, inspiration, making me appreciate the small things more, the fact that I have a record of the last couple of years of my little family's life. But the best is the fact that I watch a lot less crap telly than I used to.

I am uncharacteristically keen to tag people for this. I really really want to know the answers to these questions. Whenever I have had the pleasure of meeting a fellow blogger in real life, these topics always seem to come up in conversation. So, Alicia, Manda, Lynn, Laura, Zoe, Angela, Beki, Simmy, Sally and any other blogger I have ever read (all 283 of you) - I am fascinated to know, so go on, indulge my curiosity.

Swap has landed

2007-09-14T13:41:00.001Z

Phew, the Back To School swap parcel for Heidi at Friday Prize has landed! So finally I get to blab about the contents. It's the hardest part of swapping for me - keeping a lid on it so as not to spoil the surprise.

But as usual, I neglected to take a decent picture of the contents all together. I am always so excited to get my parcels sent off that I forget all about that part. Hopeless.

The thing I had most fun with was the artsy clutch from Bend the Rules Sewing. I did some sashiko style ripples and embroidered goldfish on the outside and found a ripple effect cotton for the lining. I was so so pleased with how it turned out that I think I need to make another one. Pure fun.

Have a great weekend - we're off to the Newbury Show. They have the JCB Dancing Diggers. How could we not?

Mutant Men at twelve o'clock

2007-09-12T11:32:00.001Z

What was I thinking? I'm not sure if it was playground competitiveness, an attempt to earn my 'good mummy' badge or plain old fashioned lunacy. Whatever you chose to attribute it to, the urge struck me yesterday. The boys must have little men shaped rolls in their lunchboxes.

See, Lucie made them and hers looked really really cute. It seemed like such a wonderful idea. The dough came together smoothly, the cutting out (with big gingerbread cookie cutter) was fine. But the end result was nothing short of mutant horror. The Pillsbury Dough Boy gone bad.

It was the only bread I had, so they've gone to school with the mutant men. Hope there is no screaming at the lunch table. I may have traumatized an entire class of preschoolers. Never mind cheesy dreams, those rolls are the stuff of nightmares.

Catwalk crisis

2007-09-11T21:05:00.000Z

Taking a half way reasonable photo of an apron, without a body to put it on, is really really difficult.

I've been working on Lotta Jansdotter's Reversible Apron pattern for my friend Sarah's birthday. Decided to do a little sashiko-inspired embroidery on the plain side. It's meant to echo the flowers on the reverse - hope she gets the reference.

My modelling crisis was averted by Mark's return from school. Poor little guy looks wiped out doesn't he? Guess that term-time thing is catching up with us.

Brown Windsor Soup from Jamie Oliver

2007-09-09T17:23:00.000Z

Have you ever come across a less appealing name for a dish - Brown Windsor Soup? A marketing man's nightmare. But if you can get past the name, it is really good. Very winter warmer-ish. I can see us eating this from mugs outside at Halloween or Bonfire Night.

It was a Jamie Oliver recipe from Sainsbury's freebie magazine, as is the photo - love those cups. But I can't find it anywhere on line - probably due to it's unappealing moniker. But it is tasty, although I have to warn you, it features Marmite, a love it or hate it ingredient. Hubby loathes the stuff, but failed to detect it in the soup - it just gives a background savoury hit. Here's the recipe:

Melt a big knob of butter and a little olive oil in a big saucepan and brown about 500g diced stewing beef. Add a tablespoon of Marmite and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. A fair amount of liquid will be released, but don't panic, just keep stirring until it has evaporated. Throw in a couple of sprigs of rosemary, a bay leaf, 1 red onion (peeled and chopped) 2 carrots (peeled and chopped) and 3 sticks of celery (trimmed and chopped). Sweat gently with a lid on until the veggies are softened. Stir in a tablespoon of flour and then pour in 2 litres of beef stock (actually I used a bit less, but topped up the water level as I cooked the soup). Season and bring to the simmer. Add 150g of pearl barley and cook gently for about an hour. Discard rosemary and bay leaf. You can whizz the soup for a couple of seconds with a hand blender to thicken it a bit, but we liked ours left chunky.

Jamie Oliver is on the receiving end of a lot of stick this week as British schoolchildren are eating fewer of the 'healthy' school meals which are now on offer thanks to his intervention. We manage school meals twice a week, but this Jamie recipe will be appearing in the food flask of a lunchbox near us very soon.

Perspective

2007-09-07T21:26:00.000Z

Speech and language assessment went really well today (thanks for all your well wishes). Partly I'm sure because Mark is totally in love with the unit at the hospital. It has a sensory room, with a padded floor, disco ball lighting, fibre optics you can make change colour and a bubble tube thingummy that also lights up. We could have lay in there and chilled all day long - it beats a flotation tank hands down for relaxation in my book.

The speech therapist emerged after about an hour, looking ever so slightly shell shocked and said 'He's very verbal isn't he?'. Oh yes, that's my boy! She'll report her findings when we have the remainder of the assessment in a few weeks time. But she did let me in on one particular gem.

He was shown a photo of a boy holding a teddy bear and the therapist asked him 'What's the boy feeling?'. Well, there's only one answer to that really, at least in Mark's world: 'The teddy'.

Here's to seeing the world from a different point of view. Happy weekend everyone.

2007-09-06T13:53:00.000Z

Sometimes I wonder if I bore my real life friends rigid when I 'talk crafty', but I think they have been listening (with their eyes closed), because one of them returned from holiday with this. Hooray!

I have fallen in love with the appliqued dahlias on this apron.

Although I'm not sure why she is in the kitchen with her wellies on. Perhaps she's been in the garden harvesting her tomatoes. If she was in our house, the rattle of hand on doorknob would have triggered a bellow of 'Have you taken your shoes off?'.

I found the gas man, who had come to service the boiler, padding around in his socks once. I had shouted at him from another room, thinking he was one of the kids.

Very quiet

2007-09-05T10:02:00.000Z

You spend all Summer shooing them out from underfoot and then suddenly poof, they're gone. I have naked cupcakes ready for decorating when they return. A little gesture to sweeten the first day back at school.

Well, I had to do something. I'll be used to it by next week, but today it's just too quiet round here.

Recycled notebook

2007-09-03T12:09:00.000Z

There's something very therapeutic about the 'position swish remove' cycle of my little paper trimmer. This weekend I've put it to good use recycling odds and ends for a little handmade notebook.

It's got some redundant computer print out, reversed kiddy scribbles, yellow legal pad, hotel notelets, envelope interiors and anything else suitable I laid hands on as I sorted through our paperwork this weekend.

Cover is a vintage effect postcard from Northlight and know-how is courtesy of a great tutorial over at Five and a Half. Lists could be a great deal more fun round here for a while.

XYZ is for... The End

2007-08-31T17:36:00.000Z

So my month with the Encyclopedia of me Meme is at an end. When I started, I was worried about taking on quite such a big commitment. Perhaps I should have trusted my instincts, because I have found the second part of the alphabet quite a slog to get through and I can't say I am sorry to have finished. I found that posting almost daily has taken away much of the true joy of blogging.

Simplesparrow said it so well recently in her advice to a new blogger "post when you feel inspired and let it come from your heart". I completely agree with her and I'm going to go back to doing just that.

It's a big week for us next week - back to school and preschool for the boys and the first stage in Mark's Aspergers assessment - speech and language. I'm looking forward to it and dreading it in equal measures. Have a really great weekend - I'm going to make an effort to truly live this one from the heart.

W is for... Whoot

2007-08-30T13:25:00.000Z

When the owls started appearing at Moonstitches, I fell in love. Then came the tutowrial and other cuties began to pop up. I meant to get round to one of my own and months and months later, I finally did.

Only I left my little owl alone, and when I got back, he had turned into a Great Horned Owl.

Suspicious...

V is for... Vintage Buttons

2007-08-29T10:41:00.000Z

When I last visited my Mother, she had a mysterious box. You know sometimes you can tell there's something exciting inside without even looking? I felt it.

Vintage buttons - lots - six pounds by weight! I nearly wet myself. They had come in as a donation at the charity shop where she works and she was sorting them to be carded up for resale.

The first words on my lips were 'How much for the lot?' and then reality kicked in. How long would it take me to use six pounds of buttons? But I wanted them - to touch them, sort through them, wonder what beautiful garments they originally adorned.

So I've volunteered for a little (or as I've come to realize, fairly Herculean) task. To sort and sell on these glories for the Hospice.

So at least I get temporary custody, if not outright ownership. A duty of care if you like (alongside a big clean up job, because they're pretty filthy some of them).

I've got light ones, chunky ones,

dark ones (engraved 'Saville Row'), tortoiseshell ones,and crazy multicoloured ones.

Now I need a bit of advice - call it market research if you will. Would people prefer to buy in small or large lots? Do you like your vintage buttons in sets or a mixed bag? E-bay or Etsy? I don't have an Etsy shop, but I've always harboured a secret shopkeeper fantasy - maybe this is my virtual chance?

U is for... Untidy

2007-08-28T18:02:00.001Z

Okay, it's high time for another 'airing your dirty linen in public' confession. I am not one of life's naturally immaculate people (I can hear my father snorting from here). Barely controlled chaos is more like it. Case in point - the shelves in my office stroke craft room.

There is some order to it, honest, but you might not guess it at first glance. As I look at them in the cold hard public light I ask myself many questions:

Why do I still have a copy of 'The Idiot's Guide to Baby Names' hanging about? Because believe me, that boat has well and truly sailed.
Couldn't I find more attractive storage boxes for my fabric paints than those ancient Pampers wipes cartons?
It's August - do I honestly need a Halloween lantern or my set of plastic Easter eggs to hand?

But in my own defence, I do know exactly where to lay my hands on the stuff on these shelves and they are one of the hardest working storage spaces in our house. I just wish I had the knack of turning functional into beautiful, oh and keeping it tidy.

T is for... Tragedy

2007-08-27T13:58:00.000Z

Prone to exaggeration - who me? Well, possibly a touch. But it really hacks me off when my lovingly sewn book cover turns out to be too small for the ******* book.

And I used my precious jumbo ric rack too. Serves me right for thinking I was clever enough to sew without instructions. Yet another one for the 'crafts gone bad' hall of fame. I should know better than to approach the machine while suffering from PMT.

There's only one cure. Tea. With biscuits. Preferably chocolate.

Grudgingly I have to admit that all is not bad in the world. Humph.

S is for... Sailor

2007-08-26T21:28:00.000Z

To celebrate the sun today we decided to have a little fun messing about on the river and took a boat trip on the Thames.

I've always loved being on the water - when I was twelve, I learned to sail in a Wayfarer dinghy and spent every summer for the next 5 years enthusiastically freezing to death in Dover harbour. Luckily, hubs is fairly keen on floating holidays and so we have rented a canal boat on the Kennet and Avon and chartered a yacht in the Greek Islands. There's something hugely relaxing about just watching the water go by.

Even the crafting has had a watery slant to it today - just a little peek, because it's a surprise...

R is for... Routine

2007-08-25T21:30:00.000Z

Blogging at the weekend - it's just not popular is it? I always feel like a bit of a billy-no-mates here at my computer on a Saturday or Sunday. Like everyone else has exciting and fun weekend plans which render them far too busy to go near a monitor. And it's worse with this being a Bank Holiday Weekend and all, but hey, I have no shame and an A to Z to complete by the end of the month.

It's also been unusually quiet at home. Mark is spending the week with his Grandparents and Johnny has been really missing his big brother. It's just not as much fun playing cars on your own - nobody to fight with. Roll on Tuesday when they can return to the normal schedule - play, fight, yell and scream, get separated, find themselves magnetically attracted, play - and on and on it goes 'till bedtime.

Just in case you are also wandering around looking for some weekend fun to be had, here are some blogs I read which begin with the letter R:
Raspberry
Red Felt Flower
Rock-Paper-Scissors
Ruby Crowned Kinglette
Red House
Red Shoes Blog
Red Fish Circle
Ragged Roses
Rose Vintage
Re:make
Robot.Jumping.Rope
Reddy Made

And a photo of my Rudbekias for Amy. She's after late summer excitement in her garden and these are fitting the bill in mine.

Q is for... Qwerty

2007-08-23T20:26:00.000Z

1. DSC_05302007-07-14_18-15-28_crop, 2. green typewriter, 3. typewriter of capricorn, 4. typewriter fun, 5. Typewriter, 6. typewriter, 7. Typewriter Detail, 8. Typewriter, 9. Typewriter

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

Given the amount of time I spend on the computer, it's an absolute disgrace that I don't touch type. I did do a course when I was about 15 - but I only made it up to about 30 wpm touch typing and I can go faster than that looking at my fingers. I do use plenty of them, just in a haphazard kind of way. So I reverted to my own idiosyncratic ways.

But those crazy letter recognition things get me all the time. I hate the patronising way they tell you to enter the letters exactly as you see them, right after you've cocked it up once.

And hooray for me - I came up with a Q!!!! Only 9 letters left...

P is for... Pippi Longstocking

2007-08-23T13:38:00.000Z

As a child I never read Pippi Longstocking, but I think I would have loved it if I had. I saw this wonderful edition, illustrated by Lauren Child, while we were glamping and I had to buy it there and then.

It saved our bacon as we got stuck in a major traffic jam shortly afterwards. Thankfully the boys were totally enthralled by Pippi's shenanigans. Well, if you don't count several billion interruptions from Johnny demanding to be shown the pictures.

I know the Ragged Roses household are loving their copy too.

O is for... Old photos

2007-08-22T16:47:00.000Z

Pictures from other people's childhoods are a source of great fascination to me. Pouring over them to see if there are any signs of the adult they are to become. So I thought I'd share a few of mine.

My little friend Kirsten and I, in Fiji on my second birthday. She's got the balloon (and some fabby rick rack trim going on) and I've got reading matter - bookworm then, bookworm now.

My brother and I at some petting zoo in Holland. He is the same age in that picture as his eldest son is now and they are so similar - it's their expressions, right Tess?

And with my folks aged 6. We were living in the Cayman Islands at the time and my Dad was playing in the band for a production of South Pacific. This was opening night, all dressed up in our best south sea islander finery. I still remember the words to most of the songs from the production. Check out my Mum rocking that halter top look too!

I'm in the middle of reading Tokyo Cancelled by Rana Dasgupta - thirteen passengers stranded overnight in an airport amuse one another by telling stories. One tale deals with a 'memory editor' whose job it is to sift through the memories of strangers, cleansing them of painful experiences to create a DVD. It is marketed under the name 'MyPast' to individuals of a generation forgetting their own history. Something about it reminded me of the experience of blogging. Perhaps I need to take my role as 'memory editor' more seriously.

N is for... Nostalgia

2007-08-20T20:34:00.001Z

There's a slightly idyllic haze over the last few days. Everything about our glamping trip had a retro kind of wholesomeness about it.
From waking up in your snug little cupboard bed.

To going out in jim-jams and wellies to collect the breakfast eggs.

Getting the stove lit.

And that first cup of coffee, from beans which you hand ground.

Spending the day stalking chickens, or doing a spot of hand sewing for a certain little project.

No wonder we were reluctant to say goodbye.

I have come home with a new appreciation of the things I take for granted (hot water on tap, good lighting) and a sense of distaste for all the waste and excesses of our modern lives. The sheer 'go faster, have more' nature of our existence. Funny how staying on your own turf can broaden your horizons far more than travel.

M is for... Motivation

2007-08-15T20:34:00.000Z

Phew - I'm beginning to run out of steam with this Encyclopedia of Me thing. Are there really 26 interesting things I can say about myself? I'm beginning to seriously doubt it!

But I am not good at stopping things I've started. Particularly when I've publicly stated I'm going to do something. When hubs and I first got married we lived in Japan. Close to his work in Yokohama. Unfortunately, my job was in Tokyo.

Now when I took the job I checked the map. It didn't seem too far. Little did I know I was signing up for a 2 hour each way commute via one of the most crowded means of transportation in the known universe. You know you see films of men wearing white gloves and shoving people onto trains. Well they're not just a tall tourist tale.

When Andy told his colleagues what I had planned, they were dubious. Westerners and Japanese alike. And unbeknown to me they had a little sweepstake for how long I would stick at my job. Estimates varied from 3 days to 6 weeks. Even hubby, who was well aware of my stubborn streak couldn't see it lasting longer than that. After all, I was only teaching English and I could do that on my own doorstep. But I lasted out the whole year of my contract.

That commute was hell on earth. Even now, there are CDs I can't listen to, because I played them on a continuous loop through my earphones in an effort to pretend I was somewhere else, away from the sweaty salarymen and chikan (perverts) who use the crowded trains as a cover for feeling up anything in a skirt.

Now, when I look back on it, I wonder what on earth motivated me to do it. But I'm kind of proud that I stuck it out. I expect I'll feel the same way about the Encyclopedia in time, but for now, I'm having a few days breather - we've got a glamping trip to go on...

L is for... Limelight

2007-08-14T21:25:00.000Z

The puppet theatre was the project that really caught my eye when I got my copy of Bend the Rules Sewing. I've been waiting for the chance to rustle one up and it came this weekend.

With amazing levels of self-control, I forced myself to use the fabric I had, though there was a quick shopping expedition for the tension rod and dowel.

The resident thespians are loving it. Today's highlight was a play about a wombat and a remote control.

"The wombat pressed the remote control, which magically turned into another wombat. They played together. Sometimes the wombat played tricks on the remote control and sometimes the remote control played tricks on the wombat. The end." Priceless.

My mother has complained that there aren't enough pictures of Johnny on my blog. Perhaps it's because he's forever hamming it up in front of the camera.

K is for... Knitting

2007-08-13T20:21:00.000Z

If you've been round these parts for a while, you might remember my efforts to learn how to knit. I wanted to make some little Christmas stockings, but they proved too ambitious and I am ashamed to admit that I gave up. Months later though, I did buy a copy of 'Kids learn to knit' - a wonderful little book pitched at 6 to 9 year olds. Spot on for my levels of patience.

I don't know what made me pick it up tonight - perhaps for a bit of mindless yet absorbing activity. I had a phone call today giving me a date for Mark's multidisciplinary assessment at the hospital and for some reason, it's sent me into a bit of a tailspin. I need distraction.

Funny thing is, both boys wanted to knit too. So with one 'knit stick' and some 'string' each and no idea, they began. And so did I, only I did have two sticks and some gorgeous alpaca that Tasha gave me ages ago. Hey, I may be a novice, but it doesn't mean I have to use bad yarn right?!

I'm planning on a Hooting Henry - hoping he comes with extra wisdom.

J is for... Joining in

2007-08-12T17:04:00.001Z

Johnny is a natural born joiner. Perhaps it's all part and parcel of being a little brother, because face it, if Mark was jumping off a bridge, Johnny would be there, attempting to leap first. It works for jumping off hay bales too I discovered...

But if I'm honest, I've got the younger sibling participation gene too. The latest escapade is the Back to School swap over at Friday Prize. We're exchanging a tote bag and notebook for capturing all those crafty inspirations and if you're me, a hundred ideas for fun things to go in that package are whizzing round my head.

I wonder if excitability and enthusiasm are younger sibling traits too?

Anyway, if it sounds like fun, pop over to get details of the sign up from Heidi. The deadline's Wednesday. Who wants to play?

I is for ... Ideas

2007-08-09T21:29:00.000Z

Or lack thereof. I'm running dangerously low on thoughts for this whole 'encyclopedia of me' thingummy. Panic - I have nothing for J K L M N or O and my P idea is a pretty weak one. Help! Perhaps I can do a 'Johnny singing the alphabet song' trick and treat elemenopee as a single letter? No? Well, I'd better come up with a plan 'b' fast then.

Usually when I find myself stuck for inspiration, I leaf through one of my cuttings books. I started making them when we were house hunting for our first place. It allowed me to let off steam by doing some virtual nesting, so they are chock full of decorating ideas:

A few storage and display ideas, some of which have made it onto my walls in reality:

And the odd seasonal celebration idea:

It's such fun looking back at over 10 years worth of inspiration. How my tastes have changed (although perhaps scarily some have hardly shifted at all). How my pre-occupations suddenly started to include gardening and kids rooms.

How do you collect yours?

H is for... Hair

2007-08-08T19:54:00.000Z

Here's where I admit my huge envy of people with perfect hair that suits their character and always manages to look stylish. I'm not sure that I have ever achieved it though, despite mine being long enough to sit on, shaved off, and many things in between over the years.

But now, thanks to a find via Photojojo I have a chance to find the ultimate 'do'. And yes, this really is a photo of me, but the 'before' is not my real hair. Not too far off mind!

Whaddaya think? Too much? I've always fancied being a redhead...

Go on, do yours, you know you want to.

G is for ... Glamping

2007-08-07T15:47:00.000Z

Never heard of it? Neither had I until this afternoon. I took the opportunity of Mark being over at a friends house to slip off to Borders with Johnny and pick up the latest Blueprint. And there I discovered it - glamping, or glamorous camping.

Now I may be the last to have heard the term, but I have booked the trip - it started with this innocent little newspaper clipping:

Staying on a working farm - the boys would love it. And then I hit the website and I was sold.

Tents, yes, but with double beds - proper beds people - and wood burning stoves.

I'm liking this idea better and better. Visions of wafting round my wood burning stove, rustling up supper while my children gambol in the fresh air.

So we're going glamping in Wiltshire this summer. And don't be thinking I am some girly wuss who is not acquainted with the inside of a proper tent - I spent a very memorable summer mapping glacial meltwater flow in the wilds of Norway. That glacial meltwater was the closest thing I saw to a shower in 3 weeks - by the end of that, my rucksack was practically walking by itself. Believe me when I tell you, I've done my fair share of tent-time.

So a bit older and a bit wiser now - glamping all the way! (pictures from Featherdown Farms)

F is for...... Frenchy Bag

2007-08-06T13:36:00.000Z

And also fabulous hubby, who took the boys paddling in the brook and swimming at the pool, thereby allowing me to make a new late summer, early autumn Frenchy Bag, by Amy Butler.

The pattern was a prize from Lisa's Amy Butler Pattern Contest - it arrived on Friday and I had it whipped out by Sunday morning (including a Saturday shopping trip for interfacing and new school shoes - I could have done without the shoe shop stress, but these things have to be done!).

The proportions are great for slinging over the shoulder, yet feeling secure under the arm, and all the interfacing gives it a kind of padded squishyness which I also find pleasing.

I spend a large proportion of my blog-browsing time drooling over stuff that is freely available in America, but nigh on impossible to find (or hideously expensive) over here. When I was hunting down the Barcelona Skirts pattern, I discovered U-handbag stocks a comprehensive range of Amy Butler patterns, and guess where I got my mitts on the Moda birdies too?

I'd like Lisa, even if she didn't have a fab bag making supplies shop, but I am very glad she does.

E is for... Eight things

2007-08-05T14:55:00.000Z

Okay, I give in. I've been tagged three times for this eight things meme, so I'm going to have to suck it up. You guys are killing me! Is it not enough that I've committed to a 26 part encyclopedia all about moi, no, you want eight more factoids. It's Sunday, day of rest. I shouldn't be having to think!

I decided to abdicate responsibility, so I asked the family over lunch.

Me: So I have to tell my blog friends eight things about me. What shall I say?
Mark: Tell them you wear glasses.
Johnny: Tell dat roo a weewee naaas mama (tell them that you're a really nice Mama)
Hubs: Say you're a yummy mummy
Johnny: Roo should not eat mamas, EVER.

I'm so relieved that I have managed to instill one or two core values in my children. But they didn't really come up with the goods, and I'm too hot to think. Will eight random items from my kitchen cupboards do it? I've always thought you could tell a lot about a person by the contents of their kitchen cupboards.

Soy sauce, industrial sized bottle from the Chinese grocers.
Gherkins - also a vast jar. I'm the only one who eats them, but I love them. Ready and waiting for TV time munchies to set in.
Vanilla sugar - jar of caster sugar with vanilla pod halved and tossed in. Always good to have in the back of a cupboard somewhere.
Tinned button mushrooms. Yes, they're nothing like real mushrooms, they're odd and rubbery, but I like them in my stroganoff.
Coriander seeds - 'tis the season of roasted Mediterranean veg and they're so much nicer with a spoon of these crushed and thrown in.
Butter waffles - good as biscuits with coffee, even better with ice-cream.
Spaghetti jar - I am a very disloyal pasta purchaser and buy all manner of different shapes and brands. We get left with lots of packets, all containing less than a portion of pasta. Hubby curses when he opens the cupboard and they all fall out. Tee hee.
First Aid box - cute tin isn't it! Plasters, paracetamol, Arnica, Calendula, Antihistamine. All emergencies covered.

And eight tags too you say? Okay, from my extensive list, blogs or bloggers beginning with 'e', or with 'e' in them (I'm getting desperate). NB - If you're naming a blog, ones beginning with E are woefully under represented in my Bloglines!

Simmy at Echoes of a Dream, Amy of Every Little Thing, Veronique of Little Elephants, Hay of Sew-Eco, Ellene Mcclay of Deciduous Soul, Erin of House on Hill Road, Erin of Buddy Rooster, and Eren of This Vintage Chica.

Phew. Might just have to go and have a gherkin to reward myself.

D is for..... Desk

2007-08-04T19:35:00.001Z

The middle of the summer holidays is no time to be talking about homework, but come September, Mark will be in Year 2 and will be bringing some home. Egads - I don't even want to think about how we're going to fit homework into the mayhem that is the evenings round here. Much more pleasant to think about desks.

Oh e-bay, sometimes you are just too kind! I picked up this little lovely for a tenner. An old primary school, lift the lid, twin desk. Excuse me while I take a moment to wallow in nostalgia, remembering many an hour sat behind something similar. I loved school - what a girlie swot!

Well, I've sanded and waxed and polished and the desk is now up in Mark's bedroom. I need to make a covered foam pad for the chair, to raise him up a little higher, but he's loving it. Perhaps it's because he's yet to realize that it's really for doing homework. Drawing is so much more fun.

C is for... Christmas

2007-08-03T20:24:00.000Z

Did you know there are only 53 mornings with Johnny in pre-school, between now and Christmas? I had to quote this statistic when an incredulous hubby caught me sewing robins today.

Because this year, I don't intend to be in a frenzy in November (yeah, right!). I adore Christmas - the anticipation, the food, the carols, the sense of celebration. There's nothing else quite like it.

One of the most memorable, was the first year after we got married. Hubs and I were living in Japan, where Christmas is not a public holiday. It is sort of recognised, but in a singularly commercial way, with unforgettable slogans like 'Have a Santastic Christmas' and a character called 'Captain Santa'. But nothing was standing in the way of our festivities.

We bought a tree - a fake one - in early December. It didn't seem very big in the shop, but when we got it back to our tiny apartment we realized that we would have to sleep underneath it, if we wanted the luxury of a futon and a Christmas tree.

I baked the tiniest ham you've ever seen and hacked a turkey into bits to fit it into the oven-in-a-microwave. And we celebrated, in pixie hats and reindeer antlers, with a slightly homesick Englishman and a barking mad German (who brought stollen).

Thirteen years on, and we still have our Japanese tree, and although we have a real one at Christmas now, I like to put up the plastic-fantastic version too and remember our very strange, but strangely wonderful first Christmas.

B is for... Baking

2007-08-02T18:06:00.000Z

Most folk get their baking skills at the knee of their mother (or grandmother), but that's not the case with me. I come from a family of non-bakers, whose desserts consist mainly of fruit, with the occasional yogurt or ice-cream for variety.

In a bid to carve my own niche, the first thing I cooked without supervision, age 10 or so, was a baked pudding. A banana and chocolate thing which consisted of slitting the banana, skin and all, slipping in squares of chocolate, wrapping in foil and baking. I was so proud, putting the little parcels on the plates of my expectant family.

My father unwrapped his, hooted with laughter and said 'Look, my banana's done a poo'. It's a miracle I ever went back in the kitchen quite frankly. But in spite of the emotional scars(!) I really enjoy baking.

It's a kind of alchemy - from variations on the basic flour, butter, sugar, egg combination appear all manner of fanciful treats.

Today was a vanilla cupcake basic batter, with blackberry jam swirled through it and a fluffy meringue frosting.

And I got to fiddle about with the twiddly bits of decoration too. Joy!

And at least from my offspring, I get the lip licking seal of approval for my baking.

A is for...... Anxious

2007-08-01T15:52:00.000Z

Do you ever get that antsy feeling - worrying about something, but not quite able to put your finger on what it is. I've been feeling restless and edgy for days now and my jaw is aching because I'm clenching it in the night.

The crazy thing is, I have absolutely no idea why. Still, it's not the worst thing I have done with my teeth while asleep. I was once woken up by some rather indignant shouting from hubby. Whilst dreaming about being attacked, I had bitten him really hard on the shoulder. Thankfully I've only done it the once!

Bella Dia has kicked off an Encyclopedia of Me meme which I'm joining in with. I'm not usually one for long lasting projects - more of a quick and dirty girl. The thought of getting bored and giving up halfway through fills me with horror. But it might be enough to keep me blogging over the quiet months of summer. So many people seem busy or away or on a summer break - feel like I'm talking to myself. So stop and say hi so at least I'm not anxious about having no blog-friends!

Rainforest visiting

2007-07-31T20:42:00.000Z

Little excursion today to the Living Rainforest. It's a great favourite of ours - not big, not flashy, but a lot of fun creeping round the glasshouses and spotting amazing plants, butterflies, birds and the odd monkey, spider and snake.

It was also a special clay animal workshop day.

Here's a yellow toed tortoise (who has to dry before his toes can be painted)

A scorpion

And a dwarf crocodile.

Oh yes, I think I had as much if not more fun than the kids.

Tomorrow we have to do the supermarket and haircuts. I'm not predicting quite so much fun.

Extreme recycling

2007-07-30T19:13:00.000Z

The boys and my Mum picked a ton of blackberries while we were visiting, so we came home with a big boxful. I rooted through the recipe books and found a Nigella Lawson Blackberry Galette recipe which sounded tempting.

I was just about to get stuck in when I realized I had no polenta for the pastry. Eek - Sunday evening, not a shop open, so I decided to make a batch of coulis instead. And then a wild impulse overtook me. Jam, must make jam. Or rather jelly, because those blackberries were a bit pippy.

Never mind that I'd never made jam before and I had no preserving sugar. Pectin, schmectin I said to myself - read 3 recipes and came up with my own. A pint of strained juice from the fruit, juice of half a lemon and a pound of sugar. Bubble, bubble, 106 degrees and Bob's your uncle.

It worked! And it set. And it tastes good. And I feel smugly domestic-goddess-like every time I glance at the jar.

Did I mention that my Mum's favourite blackberrying patch is in the local cemetery? She maintains the fruit from there is free of dog pee and traffic pollution. Who am I to argue.

Autumn approaching

2007-07-29T13:52:00.000Z

Not sure I feel quite ready yet for the arrival of Autumn/Winter catalogues through my door, but they're coming. Here are a few of my favourite bits from the Laura Ashley Home Autumn/Winter 2007.

Like these spotty chairs?

Perhaps with a doggy pillow. I'm always curious about handmade-looking mass produced items. They get me thinking chicken or egg type thoughts.

And then these amazing blinds - oh for the windows to carry them off.

In fact, I'm pretty keen on the whole charcoal/linen palette.

Perhaps we should just gloss over the summer (or lack of) and start looking forward to Autumn instead.

Giving in (dis)gracefully

2007-07-25T20:21:00.000Z

Okay, I've officially had enough of flooding. Now we are so much better off than most in that there is no water whatsoever in our house and very little danger of there being any, but the side effects were cheesing me off. The bridges across the Thames are closed to traffic, I'm boiling drinking water, the biggest local supermarket is flooded and everywhere else is full of panic-buyers and empty of food.

So what do you do when the going gets inconvenient? Well, call me a wimp, but the boys and I are at my folks for the rest of the week. In a blissfully un-flooded part of the country.

But we did manage a little draw before we left.

I even stopped by the post office and sent it to you Alice, but I gather the posties are on strike this week (because what's a little extra chaos thrown into the mix) so goodness knows when it'll arrive.

Really thinking of all the poor folks who have truly been hit by the floods. Makes me rather ashamed of my 'little princess hissy fit and flounce off to mama' behaviour.

Summer, for one day only

2007-07-25T11:36:00.001Z

A lovely parcel of buttons from Paper and String. And d'you see what it's sitting in. A patch of sunshine. Rare, and very welcome.

Holiday reading

2007-07-24T14:28:00.001Z

While we were away, I felt the need to pick up a little light holiday reading, and this caught my eye.

It was a very Asian-inspired issue and yielded goodies like this skirt with 3D organza blossom

And this sashiko inspired notebook cover. I've loved sashiko ever since I first came across it in Japan. Soo made a cute patch not so long ago, and now this. I'm feeling an urge coming on.

And the magazine came with a freebie magazine (Idees Couture & Broderie - thirty heart themed projects). Hearts aren't really a huge passion of mine, so if anyone would like it, it's up for grabs. Leave me a comment and if it's more than one person, I'll have my trusty helpers pick a name. Feels like a long time since I went to the post office and I'm suffering withdrawal symptoms.

2007-07-23T20:42:00.001Z

Getting into the post-trip holiday groove today. Starting with a pancake breakfast. Tasha's family recipe has become pretty sacred in our house, but is usually reserved for the weekends when we can be a bit more leisurely about it.

More decadent breakfasts was just one of the ways I wanted to make our holiday time a little different this year. Earlier this summer, I was inspired by Erin's talk of a quiet time each day and resolved to put one in place at our house. So after lunch, I explained the concept. An hour of time, playing quietly, no screen time (computer or TV), no activity requiring parental assistance or supervision, no fighting or yelling. Then calmly I set the timer and walked upstairs.

Well knock me down with a feather - it actually worked! The boys played out some elaborate rescue services scenario together and then Mark went to his room and read for a bit. I was astounded. Tomorrow I'm actually setting the timer for a whole hour (wimped out with 45 mins today, but hey, it's good for starters). I may yet manage to retain my sanity until September. Or will it be a case of pride coming before a fall....

Hello again!

2007-07-22T15:26:00.001Z

For the first time, I can understand the appeal of downing tools and flitting off to rural France to escape the rat-race. We had the best holiday imaginable in Bordeaux.

Well, apart from the journey there, when Johnny barfed on the way through airport security. Like any good mother I stuck out my cupped hands and then had to dump the vom and copious wet wipes thrust at me from well prepared women into one of the trays you are meant to put the contents of your pockets in to go through the x-ray machine. Great start - things could only get better...

The French attitude to life suits a slow paced, restorative holiday perfectly. We did very little of any consequence and a lot of eating, drinking, splashing in the pool, building sandcastles on the beach and playing in the woods. I was too lazy to even take many photos. The children thrived on 100% adult attention, with no distractions of work, the computer or chores to divert us from playing.

It's not real life, but it was sooooo good while it lasted. My O-level French held up pretty well on the whole. I even managed a note to the tooth mouse. Did you know they have a mouse and not a fairy in France? Mark is now totally front toothless, but he couldn't whistle anyway, so is not too bothered by their absence.

Arriving back to the UK was a shock - there's been a lot of rain and some bad flooding. One of the roads out of our village is submerged, but thankfully the house is fine. Which is more than I can say for the vegetable patch.

Looking forward to catching up with what you've all been up to (as soon as I've overcome the laundry mountain...)

Later, alligator

2007-07-12T21:39:00.001Z

Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say we're packed, but we are off tomorrow, ready or not.
Keep an eye on the place for me won't you. Make sure the goldfish are alright and the plants aren't getting too thirsty. And the wheelie bin needs to go out on Thursday.

Bordeaux here we come... See you in a week or so.

Believe to be beautiful or know to be useful

2007-07-11T20:16:00.000Z

One thing I've learned from my pottery class is patience - it really is a slow business. I have been going since January and have so far managed to bring home only one piece. But all that changed last night because a whole load of my stuff came out of the kiln.

These little chaps were inspired by some Matthew Mead paper doves which I saw over at The Felt Mouse last Christmas. Told you pottery took time - six months from idea to completion must be some kind of slow crafting record.

And it is a lot harder than it looks too. I'm not happy with any of the glazes on my stuff - too milky looking, too uneven, pock marks from bubbles, not the colour I was expecting. But I'm trying to love the imperfections. They're what makes things unique.

My six year old has been appreciating my unique qualities too.

Mark: " I love you Mummy"
Me: "Oh, why's that?"
Mark: "You know how to cook my favourite food. You're very useful"

Year of Colour - Black

2007-07-10T18:04:00.000Z

The end of Amy's first Year of Color is rolling round. We began with white, so it seems fitting to end with black.

I wish I had managed to join in every week, because I enjoyed the weeks I did make it hugely. And YOC 2 is coming.

And Megan from Megan's blog - Charlie and Lola are coming your way this month.

Prepare for take off

2007-07-09T21:46:00.001Z

I managed to get one kiddy travel bag sewn up ready to go for this weekend (using the Lotta Jansdotter backpack pattern from Simple Sewing).

Mark is already plotting how many books he can stuff into it for the trip and is very pleased that I've embroidered the directions to the hotel onto the map.

I've been arming him with some handy French phrases, but he seemed a bit worried and eventually asked "Mummy, when it's just the four of us, would it be okay if we spoke some English?".

No child - it's French or silence - mwahahahaha.