now that's what I call a saturday!

To break with the tradition of having weekends where I feel really rough, we had a really lovely, relaxing day yesterday. We stayed in all day (by request of Rebe) and spent all day playing, baking and making. Bubs gave Rebe a knitting dolly in the advents calendar. She tried it before Christmas but found it very fiddly. She has been trying again and her fine motor skills must have improved cause she can do it... Oh and how proud she is.

'I did a stitch, I did a stitch!'

We made these delicious chocolate brownies. These are the ones we sent Chris for helping us fix the computer and since sending them everyone has been begging for us to make some of our own... so we did...

and there are none left... not one!

I got to do lots of knitting, so I finished Benny's soakers. They are made with the Curly Purly pattern and a really lovely 100% wool from Patons called Fairlytale. They fit well, so I have decided to rip out the bloomer type ones I made last week and knit the wool into this pattern. It was my first attempt at kitchener graft and it was really nice to learn something new.

Check out those EDIBLE legs!

That's ma boy!

Although we didn't go out anywhere Benny asked to go into the garden quite a lot. It was a lovely mild day today, and he was quite happy to get his own boots on and toddle out whenever he pleased into the 'dawdon'. I love the style... odd wellies on the wrong feet atop weird brown tights with a very bulky nappy underneath...
We're off swimming today, Andy is feeling a bit off so he'll stay here and rest. I might have to insist a doctors visit for him if he's still poorly tomorrow :-(.

On a better note he got to feel a really good kick yesterday, which was lovely! It doesn't often happen as the pressure of his hand usually makes him/her stop kicking so it was extra nice he got a good big kick!

potato print banner

Here is how we made the potato print banner for Andy's birthday party. We did the banner as part of the Year Around craft along which I hope to join in with for the rest of the year.

We chose a couple of nice potatoes, just the right size to fit into little hands.
I cut them in half and then stuck in a cookie cutter as far as it would go.

I cut around this with a sharp knife (it's a great way of getting really lovely crisp shapes).

We used watercolours and painted on a coat of paint to the stamp side of the spud then plopped it all over the paper until we were all plopped out, and quite painty.When these were dry we cut the paper into long triangle shapes using swanky craft scissors.

Then we folded the top side over some curling ribbon and sellotaped it in place ( I would have used staples but the stapler seems to have mysteriously disappeared...Benny!!).

When done we hung that from high up things and admired our beautiful handiwork.

I have also been doing some crafting of my own (all exciting but I'm still managing to sleep). I'm nearly finished Benny's next pair of soakers and like them so much I might unravel the last bloomer type ones I did and re knit them in the pattern.

I am also working on a new Peter Pan costume for Rebe. She's very excited about it, and I have to keep it hidden at all times or she puts it on and runs off with it.

I need to decide how to make the hat. Knitting would be easiest, but she says she doesn't want it knitted and anyway she'll want to wear it in the summer.

Any ideas much appreciated.

Happy Birthday Andy!

Today we celebrated Andy's birthday. We started our preparations as soon as he left for work, which was lucky cause he had a very short day at work and was home before we managed to finish everything. We shooed him out of the kitchen though til we were ready.
We decorated the kitchen with bunting we made using the potato prints we did the other day (more to come about that). This was the little birthday pile we had for him... we made all the presents with our own hands and the cake too. I almost had to gag Rebe to stop her from telling him all the details she was so excited.

He was very happy with it all... Benny made him a sequins picture (more fell off than stayed glued on, but still...)

Reading his card from Rebe she wrote in it 'Dear Daddy, Happy Birthday. You're not the number you used to be and I love you very much. Love Rebe'

This is how we made one of his presents, sea shell, beeswax candles:

We grated some old beeswax candles left over from Christmas. We melted the wax in a bain marie.

Unfortunately Rebe had chosen all barnacle shells so they didn't balance. We stuck them into playdough and stuck a little blutack into the bottom to hold the wicks that we had taken from the original candles and poured in the melted wax.

Once dried we put them into an egg box and wrapped them up

He liked them!

Rebe making the snake. She painted a stick she found on the beach green and decorated it with sequins.

ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss


I gave him the scarf that he had requested.

I think he's pleased!

Then it was time for the cake. We made the icing 'Andy' and fish yesterday and hid them on top of the cupboard to harden. It came out better than I thought it would and tasted scrummy!

'Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Andy. Happy Birthday to you'

Benny sprinted (if you can sprint on your hands and knees) across the table to blow out the candle.

This was the card that Moira sent, she couldn't have picked anything more perfect if she'd commissioned something herself.

Happy Birthday darling! Hope you have a really brilliant year. love you now and always x x x

Because Monday's are Andy's college nights we have dinner early at about 5pm. It was still light when we finished so we decided to go down to the beach to enjoy the last of the light. Spring is definitely on it's way, it's much lighter in the evenings. The setting sun

Exploring all the rocks

Playing on the dunes. It was freezing though and we didn't last long before home for a hot bath.

This is what we've been doing so far today...

Reading stories to Lambie, who is snuggled in the Andy made bed.

Face paints

Rebe is a rainbow lion and Benny.... well don't know really, but he did enjoy it and was very bemused looking at his reflection.


We did some Birthday preparations... more about all this tomorrow

I sat up til nearly midnight last night making this...

It's called a Calorimetry.

I totally love it and will make myself a good few more, it's actually the first thing I have knitted for myself.
Talking of knitting I also finished the birthday scarf so my needles were naked so I have cast on to knit this for Benny, I am also planning on a little vest for him... I have an idea to do something with a felt picture of his special Lambie on it.

Now it's back to making birthday surprises....

easy like sunday morning

Saturday and Sunday were very quiet days. I was very conscious of not wanting to do anything (at all really). Saturday was a bit of a write off, we went down to the beach for an hour or so, but Benny got wet and cold very quickly and said he was going off home for a cup of tea, Andy had to run after him. Rebe and I followed soon after.
Knitted for the rest of the day, am nearly finished Andy's birthday scarf and I did finish Benny's wool soakers (he wouldn't pose for a picture and to be honest I can't blame him...they look ridiculous) I will get a picture at some point though but I am converted, they work well and if I knit another couple of pairs I'm sure they will be kinder on his bum than the PVC ones.
So on Sunday I made the kids make breakfast...eggy bread, you can't beat it.We also made a batch of granola (a made-up recipe taken from 2 books we have). We have decided it is very scrummy and a much better name is 'sprinkle crunch'.I also tried my friend John's recipe for bread. My machine seems to make very heavy breads so I begged his recipe from him...looks good, smells good and tastes good!

So really we just ate all weekend...nothing new there then.

I did also have a bit of a computer virus aaarrrggghhhhh!!! I didn't know what to do so as usual I called super bro who talked me through 2 hours of fixing it! Payment will be sent in due course!! Thanks Chris xx

We have a birthday to prepare for this week, and will post more about that later.

Hope you all had good weekends x

play days

I've missed a few days. I think I've been on the verge of a urine infection and so have been doing lots of drinking and resting. It seems to have worked and as yet the few little twinges have not developed.
We have had visitors the past few days too which has been lovely, some local friends from the village have called for coffee, one even baring gifts of eggs laid by her chickens, gorgeous fresh soda bread and joy of joy a copy of the sound track to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, that has been played incessantly.
Independent play is coming along nicely here. Rebe has discovered that by tying a scarf around her waist she can be a dog and Benny will hold the other end of her lead and walk around with her shouting 'doddy' at her and occasionally stroking her head. She also invented a new character for herself today: Detective Prove It! He's brilliant and can find most lost things. She uses the magnifying glass from her doctors kit to search for clues and when a mystery is solved she shrugs and says 'That's what Detective Prove It does best' (I'm sure this is from what Tigger says in Winnie the Pooh, still it's a pretty cool catch phrase.
She of course has a detectives car (love how it just covers the naked bum!):

complete with name tag she wrote on the back

And here ladies and gentlemen is why Benny is NEVER to be left unsupervised with a tub of sudocrem

2 baths and 6 hair washes later he still stinks of the stuff and his hair looks like it's got gel in it!