Making

Some more makes for the Alternative Women's Institute Vintage Tea Party.

Some festive felt robins;


A pair of purple 'tweed' handwarmers;


A pair of green 'tweed' handwarmers with a frilly cuff;


And some inspired by Elizabeth dragon bracelets;


Some bags are cut out and ready to be made just as soon as I have a plaster-dust free surface on which to put my sewing machine!!

My mitre square blanket is now up to seven squares of sixteen but I'm now worried my circular needle will not be long enough to pick up all the stitches round the edge for the border. Just hope it's ready when the 'snig' is......... Can't wait to reveal to you the plans for the dining room. So very exciting now!!

Half Term

Reasons to always have the ring sling in your handbag;


When you smallest boy insists he can walk round the park to feed the squirrels and does really well for hours and then gets freaked by a HUGE dog and falls asleep on your shoulder as the dog passes and turns into the half tonne baby as you haul him back to the car (which was miles away)!

Elizabeth, after months of thinking about having her hair all chopped off, finally decided to go for the crop. She looks amazing. She has decided to have some more taken off the back so it's more sculpted. Very grown up indeed. Am worried what the reaction at school will be tomorrow though *anxious mother alert*


We climbed some trees;





And found amusing things to do with peanuts;


We went and had a spooky party with some friends, I took two vamps and two tiny pumpkins;


We also had a playdate that turned into a carpet picnic for the children and an afternoon knitting for me.

We have lived in the bedroom all week while Simon has finished off the plasterwork in the dining room. Coving up next weekend and we're on track to have a Christmas tree this year :)

How was your half term??

Things Making Me Smile

So far this week I am not liking the darkness, getting up in the dark, the grey grey sky that has rained forever for days and days and makes you all wet from the knee down because even though you have your longest waterproof coat on the wind is driving the rain sideways! I am not liking that I have put my Berkies away for another year and winter feet are upon us. Gone are the funky coloured nails (no one will see them now except me in the shower) and trimmed are the lovely nails I have cultivated in the warmer weather to protect my socks.

But what socks;


The children bought me these in the summer for the astronomical price of 50p! This is the first time I have worn them. I love them. My favourite title/name/label/occupation/vocation/passtime......

Also liking my brilliant door mat;


Isn't it fabulous and it cost me less than three squids. Much happiness when I saw it and the happiness continues ever day when I wrestle my way back home through the wind and rain and open the front door. The picture has been turned many times but blogger seems to like it sideways??

So to sum up; tis wet and cold and miserable but if you look there are always things to make life seem better.

What's making you smile today?

Daisie xxx

Attack Of The Gloom

I got got by the gloominess over summer. The weather was bad, my sister suffered a terrible loss and for reasons of her own hasn't let me give her the support and love I wanted to. It brought back sad memories from my past. We're living mostly upstairs still and there being six of us made this an adventure for about three days before we all felt squashed and longed for some privacy. I feel a bit fat and a bit old and a bit useless. I feel like a bad mother and a bad wife.

My rational brain knows this is not true but it's how I feel.

My mood has improved some with the return to school for the children and work for me. The days in the week have some structure and I like the comfort of routine and knowing what's happening next.

Nathaniel is enjoying being a schol boy, he's learning lots everyday and loving being with his 'boy friends'!

Francesca has settled well into Y3 and has her favourite teacher again this year.

Elizabeth is adjusting slowly to the more intense pace of Y6 and we have been looking at secondary schools. When she brought the application pack out to me after school I thought I would sink to my knees in the play ground and howl at the sky. I was very restrained and simply burst into tears and hugged her (she was glad none of her chums were there to see).

Sebastian just gets bigger and bigger everyday, he jumps with two feet, he sings songs, makes jokes and is thoroughly entertaining from the moment he wakes in the morning until he goes to sleep at night.

It saddens me that they are growing and changing so much. every now and then it hits me how far they are from being babies. They are fierce independant individuals. They are their own people. They are my babies.

I am trying (as I did when Seb left the breast) to embrace the changes and look at this time as a new chapter in our relationship. A new adventure for us to share. A small part of me grieves though for my four tiny bundles. I feel powerless sometimes when they are hurt by their peers words or actions, when they struggle to achieve something they want to. Wrapping them tight in my arms and holding them to my body and loving every fibre of them is not always enough as it once was.

Anyway, enough random emotional ramblings for one day!!

I had a boost when a lady from the Alternative Women's Institute emailed and asked me to attend their vintage tea party again. I had a wonderful time last year and readlily agreed. That prompted a 'stock take' as making time has been on the small side since I started work. I was pleased with how many lovely things I have made and ready to go!

The party will be in the run up to Christmas so I have started to compliment existing stock with gifty type things. I have added some felt tree decorations to the Folksy shop and they will be coming with me along with some robins.

I have been knitting these lovely yummy hand/wrist warmers/fingerless mitts (whatever you want to call them). Each pair is slightly different and I love them all;




And for cold evenings I am knitting this mitre square blanket to keep me warm and snug;