What a week...

Well it's been a very busy and un-predictable week, with more to follow!
Saturday was great, I joined the district Beaver Scouts on a trip to Hunstanton. We started at the Sealife centre........

Couldn't resist getting one of Nemo and Dory!.....
Then onto the beach, we were so lucky with the weather and the boys had a blast!

But last Thursday Jonathans dad got taken into his local hospice and we made a mad dash on Sunday to see him as he was keen to see Henry and Evie, unfortunately, before we got there, the nurses had to sedate him and he has been in a coma ever since. The children both went and said hello to him and left him pictures, and perhaps he heard them and knew they were there - who can tell? So Jonathan has stayed down with his brother and mum and they have stayed by his bedside waiting for him to pass away, he is being stubborn and is keeping them waiting. But one good (and amazing) thing is that Jonathan and his brother have been communicating and are having a laugh together when things get a bit too heavy!

So I am here keeping things together, working lot's and trying to keep the children's routine going. I couldn't have done any of it without the amazing support of my parents, especially mum who even came with me on Sunday to help with the children (mainly Evie!) on the journey.

I even managed my first scrapbook page for a long time, one I have been wanting to do with my May Mosh Posh Kit..........

Sorry, the colours on the photograph are so bright - it's not quite that vivid in real life! I have also made new cushion covers for the garden and finished my Cloth kits skirt (with a little help from mum!) So I am keeping busy!

I am hoping to spend some of the weekend in the garden as the weeds are growing again after all the rain we have - but the garden is looking very green and lovely!

Have a good weekend xxx

7 week countdown

to the next school holidays, where has this year gone? My babies are growing up far too soon and in September Henry is going to be starting year 3 and Evie will be spending five afternoons a week in Nursery. But for now, it's nice to be back in the routine after the half term break.

We have been trying to spend as much time in the garden as the weather permits, and it's lovely to see everything coming into bloom.

Thanks to my friend Dawn, I have now found out about PICNIK, perfect for 'messing about' with my photos - if you haven't already tried it, give it a go!

Talking of Dawn we met up with Helen yesterday for a lovely lunch at The Cadogan Arms and had a good catch up.

I have also got on and crocheted another cushion for Evie'e bedroom, I am loving it and if you need some ideas check out Attic 24.

Lastly, quite an exciting update, the 'Your Touch of Craft Autumn Workshop' date has been confirmed, so get out your diaries and mark the 13th September down! I'll let you know more when we start booking, which will be very soon!

Things that make me happy......

You all know that I am an Autumn/Winter girl at heart, that doesn't mean I don't LOVE hot weather, because I do and these first hot days are making me very happy. I love the fact that it is not hot and sticky, just lovely and sunny. I am loving going to the market (Bury has an amazing market) on a Saturday morning and picking up cornflowers and fruit......... and it is making me very happy!

This half term has been quite relaxed, Henry and I went to the cinema and saw Night at the Museum 2 - very good! And we've caught up with friends and spent time in the garden - perfect !
Yesterday we went to a friends for lunch, they have just moved into their stunning new (old) house, which is still being renovated, but is now live able! The children had a fantastic time and I love the fact that they find a swimming costume for Evie and get her changed and take her outside to play with the hose. This ends up in the mud and we have to strip them all off and very carefully carry them upstairs (without getting mud on the new carpet) to have a bath together!

And you can see how much these boys have in common!Not been doing much crafting, although made this cute card a couple of weeks back with a cupcake template.

Have this gorgeous Mosh Posh kit ready to get started on very soon........

And this is the clothkits skirt kit mum and dad gave me for my birthday.......
To be honest, crochet has taken over, thanks to Attic 24! I had really forgotten how much I love to crochet and am making a variety of cushion covers for Evie's bedroom (when I get around to decorating it) this is the first and I am very happy with it!

Have a great weekend xxx

Changing plans

This year is definitely a case of 'expect the unexpected', and not necessarily in a good way! We, along with alot of other people, have had to cut down our staffs hours on a temporary basis, hopefully short term. May already seems busier - let's just wait and see! This means I am on standby to work whenever required, and when Jonathan gets a call from his brother asking him to go down and look after his parents, who are unwell, for a weekend, that's what he has to do! So once again, I call on my amazing parents to have the children whilst I get over to our shop. It is not the way we hoped to be spending the bank holiday weekend, but, at the moment, it is how it has to be.

On a happier note, Henry had a teacher training day yesterday and so he, Evie, me and my Mum headed off to Legoland with the Tesco's tickets my Mum had managed to get for us and a picnic! We had a great day, was busy and some of the queues were just too long, but the children were so well behaved and Henry came back pleased as punch with his 'Indiana Jones' style hat Nana had brought him and a new Star Wars Lego set. The hat has hardly left his head since, he even hung it on his bedhead last night!

I am so pleased it is half term, we have no real plans, but Henry has just finished his SATs - the teachers were very good at not worrying the children and just making it all into a 'competition', but he is tired now and he had a sickness bug last weekend. His best friends mum Emma had very kindly taken him to a party that they had been invited to and Henry was sick all over the floor after a few mouthfuls of food, but came home hungry and seemed fine, so I put it down to over excitement. The next day we went to friends for lunch, they live in Wisbech which is just over an hours drive form us and he was sick one minute from home, Jonathan's car still hasn't recovered! So he spent Monday with Nana (again) recovering whilst I had to go to work.

Evie is also tired after a half term of three pre-school sessions a week, we have had a couple of very bad days of tantrums and then she has fallen asleep in front of the TV at 5pm! But unfortunately keeps waking up at 3.30am and then again at 6am.

Today was great, we planned to spend the whole day in the garden, but Tina and Simon arranged an impromptu barbecue - always the best kind! They have a fantastic water centre that the children spent hours in, Simon cooked on the barbecue and we managed a water fight with poor Tina coming off worse - but at least it was her house so she could - and did - change into dry clothes! Fantastic fun was had by all!



So Jonathan is home tomorrow and we are off to friends in the afternoon, no plans for half term, but fingers crossed this weather continues.

Have a good one all

xxx

Camp Cowboys!

Yup, that was us, the 'Camp Cowboys'! On Friday Henry and I eventually got to camp on the school field - it was third try lucky, but we did it, and we had so much fun! For me the huge jugfuls of Cosmopolitan Tracy made helped - mixed of course with the company of some very good friends! For Henry, staying up until 11pm, sitting on an airbed with friends, playing on his DS and eating chocolate - all at the same time, did it for him! Lisa also organised a quiz and a Treasure Hunt in the dark - of which we won both!

So this was our pennant, attached to our very cosy Kath Kidston tent...........

Here is the afore mentioned tent!

And here are our two tents next to each other with drinks and food area set out between - we were collectively known as the 'Party Tent'! Where do we get these reputations from?

and lastly, a shot of me, kindly taken by Simon. As you can see we wrapped up to keep cosy!


Onto Sunday, which was my brother birthday. He invited a few friends and family over for drinks and nibbles and luckily the weather was gorgeous so we were out on his roof deck which over looks the Abbey Gardens. This is him with Henry............

and then with the fantastic t-shirt that we got him, we often called him Danger mouse as he has the same initials, so couldn't resist - not sure he was so keen!

Daisy, Evie and Theo couldn't keep their eyes off the cake, actually, Theo couldn't keep his fingers off it - bless him!

And then a great deal of fun was had with a pink blow up sofa (can you see the Abbey Gates in the back ground - really AMAZING views)

More fun had with the sofa, that's David's legs sticking out from underneath!

And Evie with her Auntie Rox, I know it's a silly smile, but that's all I could get (from Evie - not Rox!)

And apart from that I have worked, so nothing else to report. I hope to get the sewing machine out very soon, and I have ordered this kit from Mosh Posh, so really looking forward to getting some of these pictures scrapped.

Have a good week xx

May sunshine

May the 1st saw Sebert Wood doing some May Pole dancing - but without the pole! This is Henry's class...

and this is me holding Evie's hand whilst the pre-school have a go!

Another trip to Margate last weekend, we went out for a while on Monday, a little bit of shopping was done at Westcross Shopping centre and then off to Ramsgate for a bracing walk along the front, lunch at an Italian where Henry ate a most amazing seafood and bean salad with lots of mussels, prawns and squid - he really was in seventh heaven and then Jonathan took us all to Pelosi's, which is the most amazing 1950's style ice cream parlour.

The ice cream is so delicious and it is served on little silver dishes. The whole place is immaculate and the walls are covered in all the awards they have won. Anybody heading to Ramsgate I recommend you pop in and grab yourself a couple of scoops!

Henry played on his DS alot and I started some crochet - something I haven't done in a very long time and I loved it - watch this space for some pictures!
Have I told you about Evie and Claire? Claire is Evie's Uncle Philips girlfriend whom we met at Margate at Christmas and have seen alot of since when she has been visiting on the same weekends as us. Evie idolises Claire, honestly, she hardly leaves her side! And of course Claire is wonderful and plays with her loads...........

I also managed to get a shot of Henry, Evie and Jonathan with Jonathan's parents - Grandma and Grandad.
Henry and I are supposed to be camping on the school field Friday night, but the weather forecast is not looking good at the moment, I am wondering if it will be cancelled - this is the third time they have tried to organise it, so we are really keeping our fingers crossed that it is fine as it should be really good fun!

Well, gotta get on with the bookwork, ironing, shopping list etc etc!

Thanks for stopping by x

Bit and Pieces

On Saturday evening our friends Jon & Bev arrived for the weekend. Sunday was such a gorgeous day we went off for a walk and showed them the 'bat'

Then after a hearty beef stew we headed to town to watch Henry march in the 'St Georges Day Parade' this is one of the most important dates in a Beaver Scouts calender, after marching past the Abbey Gardens they sat through an hours service at St Marys church. Henry is used to spending most of a Sunday Service in the tower making things at Sunday School, so I was pretty impressed that he sat still through the whole service!

Bury Sixth Beaver Scouts

The rest of this week has been back to normal routine, which I have to admit I love! Although not so keen on all the book work I am having to catch up on - end of year and VAT - Yuk!

This weekend we are off to Jonathan's parents in Margate again, keep your fingers crossed for sunshine so we can spend time on the beach.

Hope you all have a great bank holiday weekend.