A Birthday Owl

It's Mrs Swirl's birthday today and I thought it was about time I cabled her some owls. She (rather cheekily) emailed me this link before Christmas but I just didn't get around to doing anything with it, until now that is........


I knitted this owl with the intention of mounting it on a card for her.

It kind of grew out of all proportion so I ended up mounting it on a box frame (about 30cm x 30cm).

It's on a machine embroidered (I use the term very loosely) tree, with some hand embroidered text and a couple of felt leaves.

I finished it with this amazing 1970s braid.

And knitted three owls and mounted them onto a felt back with a brooch pin so she can bung it on her coat.

Happy Birthday Lynsey!!

Daisie xxx

Am In Need Of More Chipmunk Cheer

Sorry, Daisie xxx

Silly O'Clock

.......... is when I was awoken this morning. It has turned out rather well though. The boys, Francesca and I all had breakfast together. I did a mountain of ironing. I have cleaned and tidied the girls rooms and changed all the children's beds. I helped Elizabeth complete a rather fabulous, no effort spared, piece of homework. I listened while Francesca read a wonderful story to Sebastian and I. I have had a very productive day and now I can settle down and do a little knitting while Nathaniel makes a train track around my feet and the girls have some telly time.

This makes me happy and so does capturing my babies' matching faces;


When my little girl tells me she has put her baby's hand under her shirt while he feeds as "it helps me make more milk when he touches my skin";

And who needs prozac when we have chipmunks;



Am seriously thinking of getting the soundtrack, all songs I love in a brilliant squeaky tone. Get up in a bad mood, pop on CD, make breakfast and you'd be happy and smiling by the time the coffee had brewed :-)

Daisie xxx

An Apology

The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that my wobble post of a few days ago has been removed. I think maybe I was wrong to share the information with you, maybe it makes me as unprofessional as she was. Who knows but it's gone now. I don't want to paint the centre in a bad light and put people off. Things are being sorted, issues dealt with and it'll all be ok. It has bolstered me and swelled my confidence again to know that you are all behind me and care about the same things I do :-)

There are a few crafty things happening here at the mo but for swaps and presents so I need to keep them under wraps for now.

And because I hate posts without pictures here are my princesses at christmas, see it really is hard to get a good photo of them;

Hope they forgive me!

Daisie xxx

The Penis Has Arms Too!

And isn't she pretty;


A special sock monkey for Francesca's special friend Olivia;


She was such a lovely thing to make, really simple and yet so very charming and I don't think you could make two the same even if you tried! I think there may be some more of these popping up around here.

I want to say a really big thank you for all the lovely supportive comments left here and the emails I have had behind the scenes. My wobble is getting smaller and I feel stronger already. Am seeing the infant feeding coordinator on thursday and will chat to her about my options when it comes to making a complaint of some sort, something does need to be done and I think with help I will be the person to do it.

And my spirits were lifted this morning when I recieved a commission for some wedding invites. A mum at playgroup is getting married next year and was talking about the invites, she explained to me what she was thinking and where could she get the stuff and who would make them for her and we spent the morning batting ideas around last week. Over the weekend I put her ideas together and came up with a card I thought she could work from;


A terrible picture but you get the general idea. She is having a vintage tea party for her reception and the whole thing has a kind of handmade kitschy feel to it. She loved the invite and has asked me to make 86 for her, we are going out fabric/paper shopping on monday. Very exciting indeed!

Nathaniel and I are off to the children's centre (with Seb in tow) to a mini mozart session, am rather looking forward to it. Who'd have thought when I felt so crap and worthless on friday that by tuesday lunchtime I'd be bouncy again!? Thanks everyone!

Daisie xxx

A hard week last week but I'll tell you all about that another time when I am less tired and teary.

I have learned to cable though;

Daisie xxx

Have I Scarred Him For Life?

Nathaniel is small and skinny and pale (oh so pale) and although his hair has taken so long to grow and is so sacred to me it just had to come off;


He has been to the barber's with Daddy and watchd me and the girls have hair cuts and has always been adamant that he did not want his hair cut. He is shy and withdrawn when in strange situations or around strange people, I did not want to upset him so it was left to grow and become more and more like a dandilion clock every day.

Then tonight at tea time something happened. The girls and I were chatting about the day and he announced that Mummy could cut his hair. Not wanting to lose the moment I grabbed the clippers and scissors and dragged his highchair into the kitchen because the light is better in there;


Granted, it's not the best hair cut in the world but quite acceptable in the world of 'Mum Haircuts'. He held the clippers, so he now knows what they feel and sound like. He helped to comb his hair and sat still and watched in the mirror as I chopped the stray bits with the scissors;

He said that Joanna (our new family hairdresser since my sister abandoned us moved to the other end of the country) could maybe cut his hair next time and he'd sit in the big chair;

Result!

Daisie xxx

A Good Start

Well after a good start to the bloggy year and posting with alarming regularity it all kind of fell apart, things just got in the way and it wasn't even anything note worthy.

Just snow;

And bus journeys and wellies and knitting and cooking and laundry and the usual really. Sorry.

I am only popping in now as have lots to do (some of it exciting) but just wanted you to go and say hi to my new friend Jo who is my Seven Days Of Specialness Swap partner.

And please also go and say hi to my old friend Heather who is a new blogger and I know it would make her day if we all piled over there and left her a comment and you can see pictures of the lovely Noah, it's worth clicking the link just for that!!

Daisie xxx

A Snow Day

Altough it has turned out to be a bit more of a pyjama day. Neither of my son's slept very well last night, school is shut and I have no other reason to be dressed!

Blogger has put all my pictures in the wrong way up so maybe you should be reading this from the other end but that would just be far too complicated to type it the wrong way too. Blathering now, sorry!

I have made lots more lovely sparkles;


In an attempt to clear out some of the stash that I have to make room for more space in the house I have been going through all my beads and have created these lovelies and put them in my shop.

The children have made a cafe with the play food. Francesca is in charge of tea making and hot beverages, Elizabeth is in charge of cooking the food and the waiter is the cutest I have ever seen;

And we made this beauty to scoff after our tea tonight;

Hoping you are all warm and having fun!

Daisie xxx

A Bit More More Snow

Ooooh, it's very snowy indeed but I have no photos today as I didn't take the camera out with me.

We went to school on foot and by bus yesterday as it was very slippy slidey and I didn't really fancy driving in the ice and the children love an excuse to wear their wellies. We had a brilliant adventure!

Today the snow was falling thick and fast from early on although it was more than passable so we wrapped up, packed bags and set out for school to find that it was shut when we were nearly there so we went round to our friend's house and made a snowman and played with her children in their garden.

The snow was still falling and I thought we ought to make a move before it got any worse. The buses had stopped running so we set off on foot for the long hike home. Nathaniel was very tired and cold and was getting slower and slower when suddenly a big man appeared through the blizzard (well, snow in the wind). My big husband man, college had been shut and he was on his way home too. Nathaniel on his shoulders and the girls all holding hands with us we were intrepid explorers all the way home.

Someone very bad has knocked the head off our snowman and trampled it into the ground. Why are people so horrible?!


Being at home in the warm has allowed me to start crafting! Some knitting is on the go and I made this lovely bracelet;


Off now to snuggle with needles in hand, children all around me and watch The Lion King before I make a warm filling tea.

Daisie xxx

A Bit More Snow

The snow continued to fall on and off yesterday and then there was some more this morning so after a warming lunch of toasted cheese sandwiches (so good) we wrapped up and went for a slippy slidey walk.

Both Nathaniel and Sebastian have all in one coats (why don't they make them for grown ups?) so were very snuggly. Nathaniel calls his a Makka Pakka suit because of the colour and he looks very cute indeed;


We walked in the 'deep dark woods';

And on the way back we spotted some amazing snowmen, including this rather amazing green one;

And this mummy one and her baby;

I do think that ours is the best though! Even though someone very mean has stolen half his nose! Elizabeth thinks it may have been someone hungry on their way home last night and Francesca has a more romantic theory that it was a stray reindeer.

Sebastian missed it all as he slept on my chest;

The snow is brilliant and today has been a good way to end the holiday. We (Elizabeth) are hoping that there will either be enough snow tomorrow for school to be closed or (me) that it has all melted overnight, as it is the mile and a half walk to school will take forever and not be much fun.

Daisie xxx

Footprints In The Snow

We woke this morning to big fat flakes of snow falling from the sky. It continued to fall and fall and fall...... We braved a drive to the supermarket to stock up on provisions (been feeling like Mother Hubbard as haven't done a big shop since before Christmas) and although the road was slow it was easily passable and a big bonus the supermarket was rather empty for a Saturday morning!

We came home, had lunch and the big three and me ventured out in our wellies;


Admittedly mine are not uite as lovely as Lucy's but I do love them!

Francesca made footprints;


We found cat footprints;

And bird footprints;

We made a lovely snowman;

And now we are indoors with warm (dry) pyjama bottoms on, mugs of hot chocolate and Harry Potter on the telly!

Daisie xxx

Happy New Year!

Yet another original title for the start of 2010!

We had a lovely night last night, we had a beautifully succulent roast lamb for our tea and had friends to share it with us. The boys were up until nearly 8pm (very late night indeed) and the girls were treated to a 'midnight' feast (at nearly 9), they felt very special and a little bit naughty too as they sat in Francesca's spare bunk bed den and ate snacks and giggled. They were asleep before ten and Simon and I were not long after them. We are just too old to be up until midnight. I did give him a shove and a new year's kiss around three am when I was up feeding Sebastian, does that count?!

And as we never have enough room in our bellies for christmas pudding on the actual day we had some last night. The arsonist in Simon rather enjoyed setting fire to it with some brandy;


Because of our late night the boys didn't wake me until half past eight, what a treat!

The girls were tired and grumpy when they got up so I dug out some cheap false nails I bought for just such an occasion. I'm not sure how long they'll last but they joy they brought and the hour or so of peaceful togetherness was well worth the £3!

Now we are all washed and dressed and ready for our lazy day of Dr. Who watching, we are planning to watch each of this year's specials and then have tea and be ready for tonight's final episode with David Tennant (feeling very sorry for Twiggy and sending her big love) before he regenerates into a young whipper snapper. It is surely a sign of my being old now that Dr. Who is younger than me, how can this be?!

Anyhoo, happy new year to you all and here's to another twelve months of mothering, making and rambling to the world in general!

Daisie xxx