2nd January

Hello again, the picture above shows some of the rather lovely gifts sent to me as part of the Advent Swap by Rachael at http://www.sewrayme.co.uk/ , please do have a look at her website and look at the wonderful things she is making. Thank you very much Rachel, I hope that you liked the things that I sent you.  Oh yes there was chocolate in the parcel but it didnt last long enough to be photographed !

Today was a glorious start to the year with blue skies and the sun was shining, we headed out just before lunch to blow the Christmas cobwebs away and have a walk. We went to Beamish Museum where they were still decorated for christmas. How I would love to live in these houses, I could just spend all day tucked up beside the fire in the rocking chair.

I just love how these rugs are made from fabric scraps, I have all of the original tools to make these that belonged to my Great Grandmother and hope that one day I will be able to find the time to make on of my very own.

Perhaps it was a good thing that the fire was not lit or I might have pulled up a chair, it was very cold.

There were checstnuts in the bowl on the table.

The parlour was all set out in its very finest.

I am enjoying getting back to blogging and hope that I can keep it up. I have some crochet projects to show you when I post next.

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.

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.

All Change

This post will probably be a long ramble so please feel free to skip over ;-) but it comes straight from the heart, no editing, changing or deleting allowed.

Recent events in our home have made me stand back and look. When did I get so busy that I didnt have the time to stand back and just look. Look at the beautiful family I have been blessed with, my Husband and children. Look at the things we have, they may not be the latest and greatest but they are ours and we have worked hard for them. Look at the things that are important in life.

It saddens me to think that I have changed so much over the years, from the carefree stay at home Mum who would welcome you at the door with paint in her hair and funny yummy children running around behind her. The chaos you would come into was so much fun, the house may be a mess but there was lots of giggles and laughter and there was always a cup of tea and some freshly baked cakes (iced by little people of course) to be shared.
Now you come into our home and the chaos is still there but for me it is not a nice chaos. It is the type that consumes you, takes away the very soul that made you the funny mummy. You no longer have the time to do the fun stuff with the children as you are always dashing here there and everywhere, the house is a mess but not with toys and laughter, there is work stuff on the table and school papers pilled up waiting to be signed, ironing waiting to be done and Mummy just doesnt have the time anymore. I guess the point I am trying to get across is that although these things are normal in most families these are the things that take over my life and we seem to have forgotten to have some fun.

I am sat in the kitchen right now and I can see craft kits that the children have left here, waiting for the day when I dont say "I dont have time" or "Later".. I can see the dissapointment in their faces when I suggest that whatever I am doing at the time is far more important. Yes there are times when we just cant fit it in, but surely we should be making the time to be with our children before they decide that you are just too much of an embarresment to be seen walking down the street with and they get you to drop them off a street away from their destination.

Now I am not going to beat myself up too much at my personal failings, i dont think that it would do anyone any good. I just want to make some changes along the way. I think that it is important to spend time with your family and enjoy them, let them know that they mean the world to you. Not by buying them stuff but by been with them when you can and making it fun , quality time. My son is currently sat inside the biggest box you ever did see and he is having so much fun.

So right now, starting from today, this house is changing. yes there is still day to day house stuff that needs doing in order for us to have clean clothes and food in our bellies but the focus is going to be more on family.

If you are still there and not gone to sleep, I thank you. I am looking forward to this next journey in life to getting back to been the old me, I hope that you will join me in stepping back and looking at what is really important to you and your family.

GOD Bless.

Lots of fun.

Hello, firstly a Thank you to April over at Cupcakes make the world a better place for the lovely gifts she sent through the post as a Pay if Forward. What did I recieve ? Lets take a look,

A lovely drawstring bag ( I love pink), a Vanilla Cupcake Yankee Candle Tart (smells wonderful, I have to keeping picking it up to have a smell) and a cross stitch of my name with magnets on it. Oh and a cup cake post card. Thank you so very much April.

In a bid to increase the fruit consumed by the children we decided to make smoothies. My son is not what I would call a fussy eater but there is a huge list of things he thinks he does not like, when he tries to taste them he puts them on the tip of his tounge and then claims to dislike it. So we decided to make Old Fashioned Lemonade, I admit that this was probably too bitter for little taste buds but my daughter loved it. I didnt really follow a recipe but we squeezed the juice from three large lemons,

Squeezed the juice from one orange.

Put this in a jug and added some honey disolved in water (honey syrup)for some sweetness.

Then we put in cold water until we got the taste we were looking for. You can add more or less honey syrup or water until you get a taste you like.

Serve with lots of ice and a slice of lemon or orange.

We also made a smootie using fresh strawberries, one banana and one orange peeled and cut into segments. You whiz it all up in e blender and here you have a delicious healthy drink. We made up a second batch and have frozen them into lollypops for the children. My son turned his nose up at first as the drink appeared to have bits in but he eventually tasted it and loved it .

This was taken this morning when we took the dog for a walk on the beach nearby. What a lovely way to start the day, the kids collected sea glass to add to the collection.

Procrastinating

Oh why is it that I have put off and put off doing things until they have piled up beyond belief. I think if you were to knock on the door right now I would hide behind the chair for fear of actually letting you enter the house. Honestly there is so much stuff everywhere that you may never see light of day again in an attempt to make it out of the door. My house is yet again fit to burst and I have all the time in the world at the moment in which to actually do something about it. Bleurgh !!!

Anyway moving on to something a little more important here are my kiddlets moments before asking,
"Please Mummy, I will look after it"..
"Of course cherub just open the gate and we can stuff it in the back of the car with the dog"

Please note the horse riding gear my Princess is wearing, I was convinced she was due to go to the stables today, it was lucky I rang on route to check only to find it is not actually today at all. Opps silly Mummy.. Still we had a wonderful walk with the dog and we got to see ponys at the same time.

As you can see the daft dog was happy.

Camping

During the half term holidays we took a family camping trip. I love camping, there is nothing like sleeping under canvas for the night. I dont mind the bugs and creepy crawlies ( unlike me at home), I dont mind the coolness of sleeping under the stars, I am a happy camper as long as I can go and get a nice hot shower to scrub up at the end of the day. This was our base for the week, not the best picture but hey ho !!
Beautiful walks along beautiful beaches. This is what we practically woke up to every day. The beach was right next to the camp site.

Looking the other way. I went walking here on a morning and found it the most wonderful way to start the day. It was so warm when we were away, we were just so lucky. It rained once during the night but as the tents were pitched on sand under the grass it drained and dried up real quick.

Pretty sky's at night.

Happy Puppies.

Happy children going for pony rides along the beach. Well you just HAVE to ride on the beach. The camp site had a riding school and it just so happened that Little Miss packed her riding gear and twisted Daddy around her finger to pay for two lessons (not to mention the lessons she has weekly at home, alas but what are Daddy's for?)

Goodness she is nearly as tall as me, how did that happen?

Oh and yes please take note Mum and Dad, I am actually walking along the beach WITHOUT SHOES.. ha ha ha

I dont think that my poor Dads back has ever recovered from having to carry me onto the wet sand when we went to the beach as kids. I absolutely 100% cant bear the feeling of the sand on my feet. I am no different now but Andrew refuses to carry me anymore, I mean comeon I just dont understand why!!

Well that sums up our little camping trip. I have a busy few weeks ahead of me but there will be lots of fun also. I just cant wait t show you the pictures.

What are you all up to?

Sarah x

Birthday Gifts

Happy Birthday gifts to take with us to see special people tomorrow.
My homemade gifts challenge is proving challenging but I am enjoying making them. I think it has motivated me somehow to get the sewing machine out or whatever gift I make and getting on with it instead of putting things off and dashing out to the shops at the last minute.
I do owe a gift for my Daddy but as he is understanding he wont mind waiting until it is made.

I am going to tuck little people into their beds and then wait for Hubby to get home, well atleast there is a man who sometimes appears at the breakfast table and I am sure he lived here once over but for some reason someone called "Work" seems to be taking him away from here.
On a good side I get to have the remote and watch my TV without moans of "What are you watching this crap for ?" ha ha ha..

I am sat here this evening on my own, everyone is tucked up warm in bed apart from me. There is no noise or distractions just me, the dog and the lap top. I had a conversation with my Mum today (on my beloved phone) and she was telling me that my uncle has aksed if I would like to have his oil lamp which belonged to his late wife. This got me talking about my childhood, I used to go with my Dad for a walk that seemed such a long way for such little legs (but was infact just up the road) to go and get parrafin to be used in the lamps at home. I was only born in 1975 so I am not exactly old, LOL.. Our home didnt have any electricity at all so we relied on these lamps for light. Now when I see a lamp or smell the smell of parrafin I am yet again about 5 years old walking with my Daddy. I cant wait to get this lamp from my Uncle, it has certainly come to the right home and will be treasured and used forever.

I feel the urge to add more simplicity into our life, I think that things have got a little crazy around here recently. I feel that the children are in need of more quality time with their parents to learn and experience things that with the day to day busyness of our life are getting put to one side. I want to teach them things that they wont learn in school, I want to lay back on the grass and watch the clouds float past, to cook, bake, sew and tell stories to one another. I am all too aware that my daughter is getting older and I want her to look back on these days and say "Yes, we did that". My son needs to get out of the house on a daily basis, he has so much energy and he needs to work it off. He loves bird watching so we need to spend more time just sitting back and watching.
Both of the children like to help out in the kitchen so we have been cooking up a storm. We decided that on a Wednesday evening the children could cook dinner (with supervision), I may change the day later but it is fitting in quite well at the moment. On Saturday I am going to teach my daughter to knit, I have tried a couple of times but we didnt get very far but this time I know we can do it. I will be back later with pictures.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Early morning walks along the cliff edge whilst my daughter was at her riding lesson. There is loads of wildlife near here, mainly lots and lots of birds but we were lucky enough to see a fox...

Inspiration

Don't you ever just need a little inspiration? You know when you look around you and see the piles of things (read..Crap) that you accumulate and hoard and keep F-O-R-E-V-E-R. You dont know what to do with this stuff and the house is all messy because you are out all day at work and the kids have homework but all they want to to is play and your daughter is bugging you about getting ready for a party in five hours time and you really should make some time to just play with your kids but you have a list as long as a roll of andrex of things to do.... sigh.... Sometimes you just need a little inspiration........
I used to be one of those Mummys who did stuff with the kids, all that crafting stuff and cooking and baking and we had trips out and all sorts of stuff. Now by the end of the week I am exhausted and want to sleep until Monday when I go back to work but then I am annoyed that I wasted the weekend... Ok so tell me what kinds of things you do to keep your children entertained, what do they enjoy and what kind of stuff do you do for family time.. Any ideas greatly appreciated..

Okay rant over with..LOL..

We did enjoy the half term although not all of the activities planned were done but we had fun all the same. I have some lovely pictures on my daughters camera but cant find the cable that connects her camera to the computer so they will have to wait. Anyway here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Lovely walks along the beaches near our home, It is so nice to be able to hop into the car and drive down to the beach. I could walk but I am far too lazy for that.. ha ha ha This is not the closest beach to us but only a short drive away..

Rock pooling on the beach, sadly they were all empty as word had got out that we were going and all of the little creatures made sure they could either hide in the depths of where I was unwilling to put my hands ( well you never know what might run out from under the seaweed )or swim back out to sea.. I am sure I could hear them laughing. Next time we will get them..
Little purses made for little girlies to take to sleepovers. Lovely sleepovers at Grandma's house with lots of sewing, quilting and hiding the remote control from Grandad and forcing him to watch Sponge Bob... ha ha ha....

Scenes from the day

Just afew scenes from the day. I am enjoying some much needed rest and relaxation this week. We are on half term holidays so this gives me a whole week off with the children. We have had bloggy meetups with Lucy and Lisa at a local Museum, this involved Hot Chocolate, cake, giggles and laughter. Thank you girls, I had the most wonderful day and cant wait until next time.

Catching afew moments/stitches on my Buttonberry Kit.
Drawing lovely pictures for a special uncles 40th birthday at the weekend.

The want me to stitch these into pillows if I have the time between now and Saturday.

Somtimes I wonder why I so publically announced that there shall be no shop bought gifts this year for birthdays (apart from the books I have stashed away for my Daughters birthday next week). I hope that you are having a good week whatever you are up to.

By the way, the photograph above shows the cardigan that I knit for my daughter, all finished and been worn to keep her snuggly and warm.

A walk in the park

It has been quite a good day today. After Horse Riding we went out for a walk with the dog. It was beautiful but I am more than ready for spring to come. The woods were so bare and very very muddy. Role on spring.

Last night when the girls ventured out for a dog walk at about 4.45 pm we went out of our usual route and we went into a park not that far from here, we were in there for about 10 minutes before we decided to head home for hot chocolates. Well nobody told us that they locked the gates to the park and we were stuck inside. Nobody knew we had gone there, there was nobody at home expecting us back. Silly Mummy had forgotten her mobile phone and every single gate we went to was locked.
It is a beautiful park but there are lots of trees and bushes and it is kind of in a valley so you just disappear down into the dark and it was 6pm by now.We walked over to a playing field where there was light from the streets and had to climb over the gate. My daughter went first and I then had to lift a black labrador puppy up and over the fence (much to her disgust and protest) and then get myself over without impailing myself in the process. We then had a long walk home as we had come out at the far end of the park. SOOOOOoooo should you ever go for a walk,

Dont forget your mobile phone and dont get locked in the park.

Love is !!

Its just been the girls today, the smallest member of the house included.

The boys have been out for the day so it was the ideal time to have some time for the girls. I cant think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning than in the kitchen wearing our aprons and listening to some gentle music (ok so my choice was classical but when you are nine years old all you want to listen to is the Mamma Mia soundtrack)

Just for the record, all I did was supervise and make sure that no precious little fingers were burnt in the oven, she did the rest herself. We decided that as it is Valentines Day we should have pretty pink cases for the cake and for the butter icing we pureed some strawberrys and added them to the icing giving it a delicious tasting pink.

Love is...... letting your little one lick the spoon.

Didnt you just love been given the spoon as a child?

When I made her that apron it was HUGE, it now looks so tiny on her she has grown so much and just look at those long hands and fingers, perfect for the clarinet. She didnt get them from me.

All iced and ready to be eaten.

Lovely yummy fairy dust sprinkles to add a finishing touch.

I have also been given some awards recently,

This was from Faerie Nuff

And this was from Faerie Nuff

and Blueberry Heart and Debbie

Thank you to you both very much, I am sorry that it has taken some time to get them posted but gosh I dont know where the time is going at the moment. Blessings to you all.

Now the rules,

The authors say that blogs who receive this award are exceedingly charming. This blog invests in proximity in space, time and relationships. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandisement. Our hope is that when ribbons of these awards are cut, even more friendships will be propagated. Please give your kind attention to these writers.

Now I have to deliver this award to 8 bloggers who will then choose 8 more and include the above cleverly written text to the body of the award.
Here they are,

April

Levin and Emily

Green Twins Mummy

Lucy Locket

Kelli

Daisie

Just original

Debbie

Thank you all so very much and both of these awards are for you, I am sure you might have already received them from other kind bloggers. You dont have to select eight blogs to send them to if you dont have the time.

Blessings,

Sarah x

TV free

Thanks you for your kind comments and emails about my previous post about change. There is nothing wrong (thankfully) but I have felt the need for change for some time but didnt know what or how to do it, I just needed time to figure out what it was.

There is nothing huge planned, we are still living in the same house and will still go to the same jobs but it is just all the rest that has been looked at.

One of the things that has been a bug bear of mine is the TV. I HATE Tv, it is full of absolute junk and either old hasbeens or wannabe celebs. I think you can guess I dont watch alot of TV..
Anyway, this week I set the family a challenge of NO TV for a WEEK !!!!!
We started on Monday and I can honestly say that it has not even been switched on since. Nobody has even asked or commented that they miss the idiot box. We have done other things and I a so glad of it, the house seems a whole lot calmer without the constant noise. When we decided on this week we didnt realise that it was Children in Need on Friday, so the children are been allowed to watch an hour of it on Friday and that is it.

I will let you know how we get on with this. Another thing that is been looked at is Christmas, I think that it will be in another post though.

Let me introduce...

Here is my little Bellatrix, also known as Belle!!! She at times does resemble her name sake and is a little madame but generally we are getting along OK. Isnt she just a darling????



She is now eight weeks old and I think that she is starting to settle in. She has howled and howled but for the last few days she has started to settle down and is fitting in quite well.

My son wanted to call her Tinkerbell but I couldnt see Andrew shouting "Tinkerbell" in the park, neither can I hear him shouting "Bellatrix" which is why we settled on Belle.

I think she may be turning into a pampered pooch !!! Have you seen the stuff you can buy for dogs these days?

I have been so bury recently and there has been very little for me to blog about. We have spent today in the kitchen baking yummy cakes. I got to spend some time with my dear daughter and we listened to some Andrew Lloyd Webber in the background. Most of the goodies will be sent on their way with Andrew to work in the morning but we shall keep some for us.

Here is what we made, the cakes are to be made into Fairy cakes and so will need to be iced, Marshmallow Crispie cakes and Snickerdoodles (very moreish)