All Change

Hello. Anyone still there? Sorry for the unplanned break. I really didn't mean to go away from here but sometimes life just gets in the way. That's how it should be really. 

After much thought though I've decided to stop blogging for now. I just can't give it the time it deserves anymore. I've got two very busy and wonderful boys who take up a lot of my time and I'm trying to make a small business for myself with my sewing. I've been spending a lot of time on my facebook page and that is where I will continue to be if you would like to keep up with what I am doing. I find it easier to write there as I can write small snippets or just post a quick picture or two. I also feel that it is a more appropriate place to develop my business as that was the reason for starting the page over there. Somehow I have always felt awkward pushing my wares on here. So for now I will be concentrating on that and on enjoying life with my lovely boys and Husband. Maybe I'll be back on here at some point. We'll see. But for now I just wanted to bring it officially to a pause. I'll still be checking in on all of you and leaving a comment or two when I have a minute.

Bye for now. 

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52 Weeks of Happy (7/52)

 

Goodness I don't know where the time is going at the moment. Life is very full and I'm not doing at all well at taking photos of it as it happens. So apologies that two of the photos this week are of my work. It seems to be the thing that I am photographing at the moment mainly because I'm starting to get pretty busy with it. I always feel a little awkward sharing my work on here because I don't want to feel like I'm doing a sales pitch! Anyway, as well as lots of time spent in the garden, playing in the paddling pool and generally enjoying the gorgeous weather here are four other things making me happy this week ~

:: A hoop decoration made for my little H. I've been wanting to make something like this for ages and as I'm now selling these to order I decided to make one for H as an example. I'm so happy with how it turned out. Got to get it on the wall now. 

:: A gorgeous day out on Sunday with some good friends at Chartwell in Kent. I've been wanting to go here for ages and it was worth the wait. Unfortunately we had to slightly speed through the house as Little F wasn't especially interested but the grounds and gardens were beautiful. A lovely day out. 

::The yummy Christening cake made for my Niece's Christening. To be honest this just falls into the previous week so I'm cheating a little by sharing it here. It was delicious and looked as amazing on the inside as the outside as it had about 5 layers of sponge, each one a different colour. It was made for my Sis by a friend but she created the gorgeous bunting decorating the top. 

:: This is a little decoration I made for my Niece as part of her present. She's just had her bedroom done in lots of lovely bright colours so I made this to go in it. One of her walls is a fantastic pea green and she has deckchair stripe blinds in these sort of colours. My Sister also bought a sort of 1970s cabinet on ebay for 99p which she has painted with Annie Sloan paints to match. It looks fab. 

Sorry for the Linen & Roses creations heavy post. I am determined to take more photos in the coming week so I can share a little more of life on here. 

See you again soon. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

52 Weeks of Happy (5/52)

 

I've been pretty bad this week about photo taking. Partly it's been the weather and partly it's been me being a really scatter-brained Mummy forgetting to take my camera. For example we went on the loveliest walk on Sunday along a stretch of the Thames and I didn't take the camera. I was so annoyed with myself as it was a wonderful afternoon. So pretty and lots of memories to capture. It was a new walk to us so we're definitely going to be doing it later in the Summer and I promise to capture it next time. So yesterday afternoon when the sun finally came out I popped into the garden and captured a few images of how it's looking now. Problem is the camera doesn't really do justice to just how much better it's looking now than it did last year, hence all the fairly close up shots. So here in words are my happy things from the last week even though I don't have pictures to go with them all 

:: Making a Fathers Day gift for Lovely S with the boys. Little F painted a card and we also made hand prints of both of them which I put in a frame. ( I will take a photo to show you when it's on the wall as I'm really pleased with it)

:: An idyllic walk along the Thames. Sunshine, flowers, wildlife, fun, laughter and some seriously stunning riverside properties for Mummy to look at!

:: A day spent with my Mum and the boys. Dad was away sailing so we had a slightly more girly day together. Lots and lots of chatting and a lovely trip to the park plus window shopping in a lovely little town not far from here. 

:: Doing a lot of creating and getting my first sale via my Facebook page. I've been working really hard on Linen & Roses in the evenings and I'm loving it.

Hope you all had a good week. See you again soon. 

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52 Weeks of Happy (3/52)

 

 :: Doing a bit of a stock take of Linen & Roses Products and loving how everything looks together. 

:: A gorgeous package of 'happy post' won over at The Green Gables . A pack of cute note cards. A Birthday card. A Good Luck Card. A cute notebook. Really lovely stationary. You should definitely check it out.

:: Finding little people in funny places. Little F loves my old Fisherprice toys which I find so heart warming. 

:: Enjoying homemade scotch pancakes and a cup of tea on a rainy afternoon. 

I'm really loving this process joining in with 52 weeks of happy. It's making me focus on looking at the small things that make me happy every day that normally go by without really thinking about them. 

Have a good week and enjoy the sunshine

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The last day of the holidays

It's been a funny Easter holiday. Hoping so much for lots of sunshine and warmth to get out into the garden and out and about. But instead getting quite a bit of rain and a LOT of cold!

We did have Little H's Christening which was a lovely family occasion, and the sun shone weakly. He was a very good boy and only cried for a moment or two when his Great Aunty splashed his head with water.(Lovely S's Aunty is a Vicar so was supposed to be splashing him with water!) 

We had a couple of afternoons pottering in the garden and started to do a good bit of clearing and planning but it was sooooo cold and not the most fun in the World. 

So yesterday, with the promise of higher temperatures and a little more sun in the forecast we decided that we had to get one great fun day out of the holidays so headed off to lovely Dorset, one of our favourite places in the World. Luckily it was a great deal warmer than of late but unfortunately the sun only peeped out for a few short spells. Still, it was lovely to be out and about in the fresh air. We walked along the sea front at Swanage then hopped on a steam train to Corfe Castle. I did take photos but due to the lack of sun they really do look a little drab. The ride on the train had been a much looked forward to treat as little F is a huge Thomas fan but it nearly turned into a disaster as the sight of the huge engine coming into the platform was rather too scary for him. Luckily we managed to calm him down and once the train got going all was well and he loved it.

We had a lovely potter around the village of Corfe Castle and ate yummy pasties while being rained on for just a moment or two! Then it was back on the train to Swanage and into the car again to drive up to the lovely village of Worth Matravers. We normally camp just a mile or two from this pretty village so it's one of our favourite spots. We had a little drink in a favourite pub which has stunning sea views then wandered down the village green which was looking lovely despite the dullness of the day. Don't you just love the red phone box and the cute duck house. There was no sign of the ducks so either they were tucked away inside or have gone away to nest elsewhere. 

At the bottom of the green just behind the phone box there is a sweet little memorial garden that was bursting with spring colour. I couldn't stop snapping away at the pretty things that gave me hope the Spring is just about here. 

Finally we headed back to Swanage and went for the obligatory fish and chips. Unfortunately by this time it really was rather chilly so we sat on one of the little tables inside the chippy to eat, although still out of the paper of course. Poor Little H sat in his buggy looking longingly at the three of us tucking into our yummy fish and chips. I can't believe he will be five months at the end of this week and I think the time has nearly come to try some solids as he constantly looks longingly at what we're eating!

Finally it was back into the car for the ride back home. Little H was a little unsettled so in order to save Lovely S's sanity by not having to drive with a screaming child in the back, I squeezed in the middle at the back between my two lovely boys. It wasn't long before the sea air worked it's magic and I had two sleepy heads either side of me. 

So with the holidays behind us I'm feeling refreshed and ready to get back into our normal routine. Often I feel a little down when Lovely S goes back to work after the holidays but with the promise of Spring and Summer I don't feel so bad. I don't mind admitting that these last few months did at times make me feel very down in the dumps. Terrible winters and new babies do not mix well! But as I sit here now, I have windows and the back door thrown open and I can hear birds singing. I've had a row of washing on the line this morning and without getting boring on the subject(or getting into too much yucky detail) it has done wonders for all the baby washing. Washing dried on the line smells so wonderful don't you think?

Hope the Spring has arrived where you are. 

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Weekend bits and bobs

It's been a bit of a week around here. Little F came down with a yucky tummy bug a week ago and it's laid him low most of last week. To top things off he woke on Wednesday morning with conjunctivitis too! Poor little lamb. We've all been feeling just a tad fed up I can tell you. 

So in defiance of all this sickiness and the snow as well I got out the Easter decorations on Friday, braved the cold outside to cut some branches from our Elder tree and made an Easter display. I can't believe it's Easter at the end of the week. It just doesn't seem like it could be. We didn't have too much snow here but what we have had is hanging around and the forecast says we'll be getting more towards the end of the week. Where is Spring?

Because of the cold and the poorly boy we had a cosy weekend inside. There was lots of playing and snuggling and book reading. 

I love these little wooden fruits that my Sis bought Little F for his Birthday. He loves to give us all different fruits to pretend eating. Another favourite of mine are these cute wooden houses. Maybe it's because they remind me of this favourite place. I do like wooden toys best. 

Yesterday Lovely S made us a yummy roast chicken. It's been a struggle getting Little F to start eating again after the bug but Daddy's roast dinner and especially the roast potatoes are always a winner. I'm very lucky that Lovely S always cooks the roast on a Sunday. I think it is my favourite meal of the week. Just not having to cook myself makes it taste so much better! Of course we had to indulge in some chocolate treats as well. 

There was more stitching too to cheer myself up. I love to get my little tin of current projects out in the evenings once the boys are in bed. 

I'm obsessed with making these birds at the moment. I've got a number of them now to pop into my shop. 

I think I might add some to my Easter tree as well. 

We're having a very lazy start to Monday morning. I'm pottering doing jobs and housework but I have to admit that we're all still in PJs! We're not going anywhere. We don't have the car today and it's way to cold and snowy to be pushing the pram anywhere. So we'll take it easy. Keep warm and cosy whatever you're doing. See you soon. 

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Eggs for the boys

A couple of years ago I stitched a little felt egg for Little F to hang along with my other Easter decorations. So of course I had to make one for Little H for this year. 

His is looking a little plumper than the original one and I'm now wondering whether to re-do Little F's. I love being able to make things for my boys that we will keep and treasure for years. They both have matching Christmas stockings (I'll have to remember to show you those in December) and I've made bits and bobs for their bedrooms. 

Being boys I do wonder how much they will appreciate these hand made pretty things, but at least they will always be special to me.

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Red and Pink

Who says pink and red don't go together. Personally I love the clashiness of this combination of tulips bought for me on Saturday by Lovely S and Little F. They're really cheering up the dining room today which I need as I've got a poorly sick big boy to look after. Hope you're having a cheerful Monday. 

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Little dream house

Today I'm feeling like a would like to shrink down and go live in this cheerful little bird house my Mum bought for me the other week. 

It's going to hang from my Easter twigs along with all my little eggs. With two weeks to go do you think it's too soon to put Easter decorations out? I feel it might make me feel a little jollier than I currently do and you never know, it might actually make the sun come out and temperatures rise. 

Today I've been trying hard to get on top of some of the housework and washing. So so difficult with two little monkeys keeping me busy! The Mothers Day chocs are almost gone as a consequence! Looking forward to a cosy weekend with some friends coming over tomorrow afternoon for tea and cake and later pizza (which is turning into a bit of a Saturday dinner habit much to the joy of Little F). Hope you have a lovely weekend whatever you're doing even if the sun doesn't shine. 

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This and That

It's been a nice weekend despite the chilly weather. Lots of pottering and lots of cosiness in the house. Doing some stitching and eating a yummy Sunday lunch cooked by lovely S for us and my Mum and Dad. The boys have learnt already that the way to Mummy's heart is via chocolate and home made cards. I have a huge box of yummy Lindt chocs that I'm trying to make last but the reality is that with this miserable weather, they'll probably be finished by the end of the week! I'm still really enjoying stitching tiny things for my shop. I'm loving little birds and there will be a number of them fluttering into the shop in time for Easter decorations.  There are also more little brooches in the pipeline. A little Spring colour in this miserable weather. 

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