A cup of something warm

I just thought that I would share a quick recipe to warm your soul.

Hot Caramel Apple Drink

* A mug of apple juice (or more depending on how many your serving)
* Caramel Syrup, how much depends upon your taste.
* A dash of vanilla

Put in a saucepan and heat through. Serve in your favourite mug.

Lovely Jubbley

(certainly not a drink to give to your diabetic mother !!!)

Handmade Christmas

Shhhhhhh I hate to admit it but I have been thinking about Christmas.  "It is still August !" I hear you cry.
Well the truth be told I love the seasons of Autumn and Winter, there is nothing more cosy than snuggling down at the end of the day when it is cold outside and this generally leads to Christmas.
During the last few weeks we have been out and about and I have seen things that would make lovely christmas presents for our nearest and dearest, but it also made me think about what I would like to do for christmas presents this year.   I have decided to try and make as much as possible this year, I have actually already bought a couple of gifts but I may try and make a little something to go with them too.
We give gifts to quite alot of family and some friends so I am going to start with the family gifts (cant post them on here as family will read it, but might post the odd sneaky picture).
I also have lots and lots of card making things. Years ago I used to make cards by the dozen but havent made one in ages. I thought that I would also make a start on the christmas cards too.  So according to the countdown I have looked at there are 118 days until christmas, there is plenty of time !! Ha Ha, better get my skates on I think !

Are you planning for christmas yet ?

Treasure Hunters !

I

 Hello, although I doubt that there is anyone left reading this it has been so long since I last updated. I did try to start another blog as I felt that perhaps my time here was done but I kept changing the name as I couldnt decide on it. However after some soul searching I have returned here, its like coming home ! The above picture I took in a local park yesterday, to remind me that the sun did infact shine during the Summer of 2011, however brief.
My children are growing at a fast rate, the eldest is already taller than me and take a shoe size two bigger. The ten year old takes the same shoe size and will soon no doubt be overtaking me in the height department. Its strange to see my children who I nursed in my arms grow taller than me, it doesnt take alot I guess. There are good things in little bundles as my Gran would say. ha !

Anyway Now that they are growing they dont want to do the same things we have done over previous summers, the eldest skulks around in a pre teenogre way most days and is easily wound up by little brothers who know which buttons to press to get what reactions.  I am trying to get them out of the house at every opportunity to burn off their energy so was super excited when I discovered GEOCACHING . Basically its like treasure hunting with GPS. I used my mobile for the GPS and off we went with the dog in tow.  Once we arrived at the location we then have to hunt out the "treasure". This is the best part as it was in quite a busy place with lots of people about. However find the treasure we did. Inside were little items that you can exchange and a log book to record your find. The box is then carefully wrapped back up and put back in its secret hiding place. The kids thought it was great fun. My only concern was what people would be thinking as we rummaged around for it, but then again my Hubby tells me I think too much. Ha ha !

If you are looking for a free activity to do with the jkids this summer then I highly suggest you have a look into this. I would probably try to look for a cache somewhere I didnt know next time but as this was out first then the local park was a good place to try it out.

Accountability

Right now my house looks like it could be in either "How Clean is your house" or "Anthea Turners Perfect Housedwife" TV shows, and I mean the before part of the show not the after. I have neither the motivation nor the inclination to do much about it right now.  However I really need to do it. Yesterday I had the perfect excuse after a phone call inviting me out on a shopping trip, well to say I was out of the house in a flash is an understatement.

Well I thought that if I blogged about it then it would have to happen as I would be held accountable , if you see what I mean. If the great wide blogging world knew that I needed to do it then to save face I would have to get it done. I would show some before pictures so we can compare the after but I would be too ashamed to do it. So you will just have to imagine what it looks like, ha ha ha !

When I was washing the dishes the other day (dishwasher is broken) I was thinking about the people out there who would be greatful to have dishes to wash or the people who would be greatful to have food on their plates to feed their hungry families.  So everytime I grumbled about the pile of dishes, and there seemed alot,  I gave thanks for the food we had eaten and the fact that I could stand there and wash them in my own cozy home.

I have alot of books on the Amish and the Shaker way of life, Oh my goodness how I admire these people especially the women. They take care of what can be huge families with limited modern things that most other families wouldnt dream of not having. They make do with what they have and still have time for the family. Granted few of these women actually work outside the home and with grown up daughters at home they also do their part to keep the house in order. I am sure it is not an idilic life and it would certainly not be for everyone, but I enjoy dipping into these books from time to time.

Anyway, I shall get going I have lots to be getting on with. I shall be back later in the day to update on how it has been going. If you would like to share some top Housekeeping tips then please leave a comment and I will reply as soon as possible.

God Bless.

Crochet and knitting

 We have been spending lots of time with delicious wool and cotton recently. My son, like most boys his age is not a fan of getting washed, I mean a biy is just "meant" to be dirty, right?  Well when we were in a wool shop recently he was telling the lady that I had been knitting dishcloths  and she said that knitted face cloths were nice to. Upon seeing his interest I showed him the cotton and the above is his new, only for him,lovely and sof face cloth. He asks for it all of the time now, a bath is not complete without it.  I am now a convert, it is incredible just how soft these are when you put them in the water. I intend on making one for each of us, probably more.  As you can see it is just a crochet granny square but the first round is crocheted into a star. It is the first crochet pattern that I have been able to follow so I am quite pleased with it.

Here is my daughter finishing off a  knitted dish cloth. Again these are fab. They scrub off even the most burnt on food from the pan, trust me I burn alot of things, Ha.  Just basic cotton available from most wool shops. I think I paid about £1.20 for a ball of this. I am not sure how much the face cloth cotton cost me, but there is loads left to make some more.

Change Your Life

Have you ever wanted to change your life ? I mean I know if we had unlimited amounts of money or no commitments we could just do what we wanted, live our dreams so to speak. But what if your dreams mean living in this when  infact you are living in a 1950's style box of a house, your out at work all day, running to kids clubs at night, driving a gas guzzling car and generally too exhausted at the weekends to do anything.
For some time now I have thought about the changes I would like to make in order to live a more simple life where we have the time and energy to stop and smell the roses. I thought about it but didnt really put much effort into anything else, perhaps it was because I was too tired by the end of the week and it seemed the "simple" option just to do the same things we usually do.

There are some things that have to stay the same, sadly there is nothing that I can do about these things for now.  But I am so inspired to see what we can do in our current home to bring a few simple pleasures to our home and lives.  I hope that you join us on our journey.

Living the Good Life

What a lovely end to the week, we have had such a lovely time this week that it is a shame that it is back to the "normals" tomorrow.

My Hubby bought me a magazine today and inside was a pattern for these cushion covers, I am not sure that my knitting skills can manage these right now but I will have a go as I love them. I need cushions so watch this space.

 I have spent some time this afternoon in the kitchen felting some lovely wool from a kit I was bought some time ago, this is going to be made into purse.

 Ymmy cupcakes have been made by the children.

 Allotments have been dug over.

I am refreshed but sad that my little ones will be back to school tomorrow and I back to work.

Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.

S x

A Chocolate Brownie and Fruit Smoothie kind of day !

Today has been a lovely day with my little family, treasuring the small stuff and just spending time together. There are days (and there are many) when little is done other than the basics we need to do to get through the day. We only get time once so it is our duty to spend it wisely and without regret.

We made Chocolate Chip Brownies today, perhaps not totally healthy but the joy in the childrens faces as they measured and mixed was worth it, such fun was had and I keep telling myself that as they were homemade they are not full of preservatives and other nasties and so in my mind qualify to be somewhat healthy.

To boost our vitamin intake we made fruit smoothies, they tasted a little tart to be honest due to the addition of the lemon so I had to add a little vanilla sugar to the mix to encourage my son to drink it. He drank most of it so I was a happy momma . He will avoid fruit if he can, although he is getting better at trying new fruits and is choosing another smoothie recipe for another day so this is a step in the right direction.

How I am enjoying this time with the children at home, yes there is bickering but there has been time spent together doing nice things. It gives me chance to reflect, I think about where we have been and where we are going, challenges that lie ahead and how once I close the front door and we are in the warmth of our home it does not matter how fast paced the world is outside, we choose to live our simple slow paced life together.

What are your plans for the day ? I would love to know.

Taking Control

Gosh, I cant believe that we are near the end of February already, where has the time gone ? With the best of wills, life seems to get more and more crazy and Iam sure that someone has taken afew hours out of the day as I dont believe that there are actually 24 hours in a day , maybe only 16.

Anyway, with this in mind I decided to stop procrastinating and actually get going and get things done. I have a mental list of the things that need to be done and it is getting bigger and bigger, so I hope that by taking baby steps I can work my way through the list. Well thats the plan anyway.. ha ! I am wanting to split these goals into two parts, the first is for the house organisation and the second is doing the things for me that I dont get round to doing, things that I enjoy or want to do or for health reasons.
So first on my list is out of the way,
1. Stop procrastinating (done)
Number 2 is to get the kitchen sorted, this is todays job.
I am also trying to eat more healthy and do some more exercise.
Through life been super busy I am tending to eat whilst on the move, thats if I get round to it.
There are many days when it gets to dinner time and I have not eaten or had a drink or something like that, so I need to take care of myself a little better.
I am going to go food shopping this evening and I will be putting more healthy items in the trolley. I will post about that tomorrow.
Another thing on the list for me is to try and blog more often.

Right I am off to get started on the kitchen then I need to take the dog out for a walk (this counts as exercise, right?)

By the way, the pictres above were taken last summer. The top on is when sailing around the West Coast of Scotland, then the British Superbikes at Croft and Hawes in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

Thrilled

Its how I am feeling with this little lot right now, THRILLED... For ages I have wanted to be able to crochet, but due to a lack of time I have been unable to commit to giving it a fair try. I managed a granny square which you can see on one of the previous posts but there was something not quite right. Thank you for your comments and suggestions, yes I was adding some etra stitches in so it was looking a little strange. Anyhow, I think that I have got it right now, have a look at this.................

I have been practising and here is my granny square...
Its not perhaps the best colour but when I went out for wool I only wanted something to practise with so bought this. The wool wont get used for so I have decided to keep on going until I use up all of the wool. We always have a need for blankets in the car so I plan on it been kept in there. I am pleased with it though...
And I have also got the sewing machine out again.

I started this quilt ages ago, you can see here but it never got finished. I have felt really motivated with doing some crafts recently so I got it out to finish. I have all of the squares sewn into strips and I am about half was sewing the strips together. Some of the squares are not quite lined up accurately but I think it is looking so pretty that it wont matter and besides, I have seen worse sewing in some of the so called designer shops for a pricely sum. I also doubt that my daughter will care as she snuggles up in it. I had it in my mind to give the quilt a name as I quite liked the idea, however when I am seeing it sewn together I am not sure if the name I wanted will be right .. I will have to see when it is all done..

What craft projects do you have on the go ?

GOD Bless,

S x

Looking Ahead.

I am looking forward to the year ahead. There seems to be so much I want to pack into twelve tiny little months that I am not sure it is possible. This time of year is usually, for most, a time of new promises and fortunes. A time when we are sure we can do it all differently, they are sure that this year is the year. I don't normally like resolutions, particularly as I only keep to them for a few weeks before they become a distant memory and best forgotten.

However this year, I want to focus more on my little family in our little house. I am too aware that the children are no longer babes in arms, they are growing up faster than I ever could have imagined possible. They are entering a phase in life that is so enjoyable, my daughter appears to be joined at my hip. I didn't expect this at eleven, but she seems to want to be with me and join in with the things that I am doing. My son is the funniest little man, he entertains us with his dancing and jokes.
I want to remember these times and soak them all up before they are getting us to drop them off round the corner from where they are meeting friends for fear of embarrassment. I am sure that this time will come all to soon.

It seems the thing in the blog world to choose a word for the year, I find it hard to settle on just one. Maybe it should be FAMILY or CELEBRATE.... What do you think ?

Do you have a word for the year?

Crochet !

Last year, probably around June I bought myself a crochet magazine complete with wool and was determined to crochet. My Mum showed me how to make a Granny Square, I tried but rather quickly gave it up as a bad job and never really thought about it again (apart from my Mum asking me if I had had another go and been completely envious of both her and Melanie and their crochet talent). Anyway, I cant claim it is my work but here is a picture of the Granny Square Mum made for me.

Today having looked at more of Melanies work I thought I would dust of the crochet hooks and have another go. Here is my version of a Granny Square (looks a little odd if you ask me but I think it is on the right lines).

Here they are both together (I dont know why blogger has rotated my pictures)

Ok so here are my questions for those of you who crochet.

1. Is the tension on my square too tight ? It doesnt look as neat and fluffy (technical terms here) as the other.
2. As the wool was free with a magazine I am sure it would be really cheap wool, would it be better to get a better quality wool ? (although I am sure that my Mum used wool from the same pack so would it be down to tension and lack of experience?)
3. How do I know what hook to use ? Again as this was free wool I dont really know what type it is and have not been knitting long enough to be able to tell the type from 100 yds.
   

If you are still there and havent fallen off to sleep with the lack of excitement please pop over to Melanie and see what she made herself for christmas, tell her to keep posting (more often,ahem) and you never know I may be inspired to make another granny square within the next 6 months, you never know.

Happy New Year !

I hope that your Christmas was magical and full of joy.

This is what we have spent most of the day doing today. We are soaking up every last drop of Christmassy fun that we can. I have enjoyed spending time with the children doing whatever it is they are doing and playing this game under the light of candles and the tree was just perfect.

GOD Bless.