Boots And History

What a brilliant day, Simon and I have not slept well of late due to work stress, fighting neighbours (not fighting with us, fighting with eachother) and my currently tiny bladder so we spent a lazy morning in bed with the children. Simon made breakfast and we all vegged about in our pyjamas until lunch.

Here are the latest boots for our new little man;


The picture's not too brilliant, sorry. The cuff is twice the length of the last pair and they look really yummy and cosy warm. I am showing you these and smiling.

Tomorrow morning the midwife will be delivering my home-birth pack!!!!!!! :-D

The children and I went to clinic on Friday and the result of my blood test from last week wasn't there (the words arse and elbow spring to mind) so she rang the hospital. 10.5. Can't quite believe it! Nearly kissed the poor woman. It's still quite low and I will have to continue chewing nails for a long time yet but they no longer class me as a high risk so I can have my baby here at home with all my family and all my own things. I am so relived and can't wait for him to arrive.

Anyhoo, getting back to today (blogger jumbled up my pics) after lunch feeling like bad parents for making our children rest and watch crap telly we decided we ought to venture out for the afternoon. We drove a little way down the road to Ribchester to visit the Roman Museum and walk by the river.

We walked around the Roman Bath;


Then in the museum itself we saw some beautiful finds from the digs of the site.

Beautifully delicate rings;


Yummy glass beads;

And there were an awful lot of these;

They really were everywhere;

Blimey, almost didn't know where to look! The child in me thought them quite funny really, how sad am I?!

Then we wondered through the church yard and found some lovely ladies in the church hall selling homemade cakes and tea and coffee. We sat at a lovely table and ordered three (rather large) slices of chocolate cake for the little people, I had a chocolate meringue, Simon had a scone with jam and fresh cream, we had two cups of coffee and three lemonades all for just over a fiver! We may go back just for afternoon tea and a walk by the river.....

Hope you are all having a lovely bank-holiday weekend whatever you're up to?

Daisie xxx

Anyone Want To Play?

My beautiful PIF gift arrived from the wonderful Jennyflower today :-)

Loooook;


A wonderful little felt bracelet (perfect fit by the way Jen) wrapped in the most amazing piece of fabric;

All purpley, all yummy, all perfect, thanks Jenny!!!!!

Now the deal with a PIF is that when it arrives you have to ask three more people to play, which means that the first three people to leave a comment on this post will recieve a small handmade gift from me. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, maybe next month but certainly sometime in the next 365 days. If you would like a small something from me then leave a comment but you will then have to Pay It Forward and ask three more people to play once your gift has arrived. And don't worry if you're not one of the first three here as I am expecting a PIF from Moogsmum sometime............ so will be asking for some more players soon!

Ooooh, it's exciting!!

Today has been a playday, we collected Nathaniel's little friend Erin this morning and headed off through the rain (hasn't stopped all day) to our favourite place to play when the weather is bad. Later in the morning Amelia (N's other woman) showed up too with Mum and Grandma in tow, he was a happy boy, two small girls demanding kisses!! Then after lunch Swirly and Co turned up too! A brillaint day with funny children and great friends and look what I made while sitting and chatting;

I finished the boots last night. All the patterns I have found for baby boots are a little girlie looking. I have found a brilliant pattern but they will take me an age and I wanted something quick so I edited an Erica Knight pattern (ahem, cough cough) this is the fourth and final attempt and do you know what, I actually like this pair! If I ever get stuck for a post I'll show you the others and give you all a laugh! I may knit another pair with a double length cuff so it can be rolled down but still cover the ankle and (hopefully) stay put. The hat was done today, a little off the cuff (ooooh, get me being adventurous), slightly different from the one I made for Heather's baby but following the same principle. Can't wait to see his tiny head in it soon!

So, if you want a surprise gift (at some point) please leave a comment here and be quick about it, I'm only doing three! If you don't fancy paying it forward then don't forget to go here and pick a date for the chance to win a Daisie something.

Daisie xxx

Shameless Self Promotion

Sorry, I don't like blogs that do it but if I don't big me up a little bit no one else will so here goes..... I have spent today with two lovely models (thanks Francesca and Claire) and have taken pictures of lots of my craft fair stock (as I won't be doing any until Christmas time now) and have started the mammoth task of adding them to my Folksy shop (button over there on the left <--------------- )

Here are some of today's shots;

Sorry, Daisie xxx

Francesca's Pink Horse

Well, her french knitting is improving but I thought it may take years for her to assemble all the pieces required to make the pink horse she so wanted so I knitted her one;

It's perhaps not the most accurate of creatures and I think it looks a little 'square' but over all am quite pleased with my efforts. It looks so much better now it has hair, the ears I'm not happy with, not sure if they're just too big or if the are too triangular but before the adding of the hair it did look very dog like?!

Anyway, none of this really matters, my little lady loves it so!

Nathaniel now wants a yellow horse, lets see what happens.......

Daisie xxx

We Make Poo Too!

Just a quickie this morning (may be back later with more creations) but in answer to Jennyflower's comment on yesterday's post - we make poo too;


Playdough poo! Not nearly as smelly as the dramatsation by Elizabeth!!
And while I'm here don't forget to go and pick a date (if you haven't already)!

TTFN Daisie xxx

A Day Of Making

Elizabeth got a fabulous little kit to make french knitted animals for her birthday, here is her first creation, a snake for Nathaniel;


He loves it so!!

Then she became a bit pom-pom obsessed and made this little man (walking like an egyptian) to hang in the car;


I will show some more pics when he's finished.

Nathaniel helped me make banana buns, this was the hard bit;


This bit was better;

But this bit was best;

I settled to do some knitting this afternoon, the blue is a baby project and the pink is a bit of a secret WIP for Francesca;

This yarn is so scrummy, you get stripes without having the hassle of lots of threads all getting tangled;

Francesca spent lots of time french knitting too, she wants to make a horse, I think it may take some time.........

And of course I had to have a play with my new pens :-)

What better way than some doodley ATCs

This is my fave, a swirly whirly birdie;

This tree looked much better in my mind (isn't that always the way?);

And the children liked my fishie wishies best;

Daisie xxx

Love Is........

A husband who knows you perfectly and knows just what to bring as a surprise gift;

A small "cheer you up" present as my midwife, despite her best efforts, was unable to deliver my home-birth pack today :-( but my ferratin levels are on the rise, more blood taken today and a final decision won't be made until another blood test next friday.

What a man!!

Thanks Simon!!!

Daisie xxx

Big Buttons

I bought some large buttons to send to my friend and the children helped me take quality shots of them so she can see what they look like;

Daisie xxx

More French Fancies

My parents recently returned from their second home in France and Mum found me this wonderful 'bag-for-life' affair covered in buttons;

I do love it so!!

And they also brought me back (on request) several (more) kilos of reclaimed French buttons;


Mmmmmmmmm, they are yummy!

Have mostly been stroking them today;


At least I won't run out for a while :-)

And if you are loving buttons you should go and have a look here, I love it!!

Daisie xxx

Look Away Now If You Are Likely To Be Offended By White Flesh, Fat Bellies, Stretch Marks Or Spotty Children

And if you're still here you may just win some DaisieDavies goodies in our little giveaway type thingie.

Simon and I have been preparing the children for another home birth (fingers and everything else crossed), Nathaniel doesn't understand where the door is to my tummy or how his brother is going to come out and to be honest although he is included in our discussions and picture viewing he has no idea what is about to happen in our house. Francesca being older this time is fascinated and asks lots and lots of very relevant questions and listens, captivated to explainations. Elizabeth, on the other hand, being older is appauled that some strange woman is going to see my bits! Bless. The change between six (when Nathaniel was born) and eight is incredible. She is aware of her own body and nakedness and is highly embarrassed by the nakedness of others. She will be excited when the time comes and hopefully her blushes will be kept to a minimum. She was very helpful last time and both girls want to help this time which is really lovely.

Nathaniel got bored towards the end of this session and Elizabeth became embarrassed so they decided to hide it with some humour and did 'impressions' of a woman in labour;


Which brings me to a little giveaway. In theory our new baby boy should be arriving on or around the 15th of September. None of my babies have ever arrived on time though. Simon says he will be here on the 18th in time for a weekend of snuggles. My friend Claire has bagged the 11th, she is convinced he will break the Davies' lateness curse and arrive early. If you would like to choose a date and maybe tell us why (if there is a reason other than randomness) in a comment on this post when he arrives I will send on some small goodies to those of you who guess right.

Now I took a picutre of my huge belly (also affectionately known as the penis shot) a while ago and someone asked about my pregnant bellies of the past, think it may have been Jude but I may be wrong and to be honest I can't be bothered to check. These are photographs of photographs so I apologise for the lack of quality but to be honest you really don't want to see them in too much detail (especially if you are eating at the time)!

This is Elizabeth (outside) and Francesca (inside) some time late January 2004;


This is Elizabeth (outside) and Nathaniel (inside) June 14th 2007;

Francesca (OS) and Nathaniel (IS) June 14th 2007;

And all my babies (some in and some out) June 14th 2007;

Just look at Francesca's terrible chicken spots :-(

There will be a picture of similar matter sometime in the next few weeks with three children outside and one inside for the very last time. I can't wait :-)

So pick a date, feel lucky and keep watching to see when the youngest Master Davies makes his appearance in the world!

Daisie xxx

A Daisy For Daisie

Look what I got in the post;

How beautiful is this velvet and felt daisy brooch?! I absolutely love it and must say a big big thank you to Jackie for her thoughtfulness and kindness. I sent her a coat hanger (yes, a coat hanger) a while ago and she sent me this beauty in return. She also included a wonderful purple flower brooch which I have attached to my new hat but you'll have to wait until the autumn for a picture of that!!

If you fancy some Jackie beauties for yourself go have a lookie look at her etsy shop or her Folksy shop.

Thanks so much Jackie!!

Daisie xxx

Birthday Update

A pirate card made by Francesca, I just love the crocodile in the sea, and one by me;

We've had a lovely day out and enjoyed a late lunch together, spent hours in a book shop and we all have at least one new book but Elizabeth has somehow, miraculously managed to come home with as much money in her purse as she left home with this morning? Wish I could do that!!

Firstly let me show you some makes. I have been trying on all the bags I have made recently on Elizabeth and secretly measuring her to make a bag that was a perfect fit;

I finished it with a lovely big, bright blue button;

Inside there are four patch pockets, perfect today for her purse, music player and notebook (don't know where she gets it from);

She really loves it and it is a fabulous fit on her, sadly I didn't manage to get a good photo of her wearing it but have a feeling she will be wearing it alot from now on so there will be plenty of chances to show you. And best of all is that it was a complete surprise, she loves this fabric but I told her that I only had a small piece left and made her a small zipped pouch for her ocarina a while ago, secretly hiding the last bits to make her birthday bag! Sneaky Mummy!

Francesca has also been busy making birthday delights. We saw a cardboard book shaped box in a craft store and bought it a few weeks ago. Francesca wanted to decorate it for Elizabeth to keep on her book shelf and hide her precious things in. We painted the cover a deep silvery colour and the page edges gold. Francesca chose a good photo of her sister to go on the front and the we spent ages doing mosaic tiles around the pic. I sat for hours squirting tiny bits of glue onto the back of the tiles and watching Francesca form a patterned frame. I think she did a really good job;

She decided on the book title too and I added it to the spine;

We glued some deep blue felt to the interior to make it look a bit posher and then we added little delights to the inside. A note book, a letter 'E' to hang on her door, Francesca made a card and we chose some family photos and made her a small album;

And I just have to show you this picture of Nathaniel and the biggest mug you have ever seen;

We often have a family trip to Borders and we spend hours there, the atmosphere is lovely and there is so much to see and do we nearly always have to venture upstairs for a little sit down and refresh and a browse of our books. Simon does like his caffiene and I have a big hot choclate (with cream) that I can share with the children. The size of the mug didn't stop Nathaniel from sharing too;

He is such a big boy. We have been out all day and have had dry pants all day! What a star, think we may just be getting the hang of this toilet training malarkey :-)

Daisie xxx