52

Charlie, my lovely boy on his very first day of school. my how time flies.

Edie riding a pony, her first every go, she loved it!

Joining in with the 52 portraits project, taking a picture of my children each week. 

Happy days xx

52

Its been a busy old week. We managed to enjoy an afternoon of sunshine on the beach this weekend, lots of fun was had splashing and swimming in the sea! 

Charlie: Pays such attention to details, collecting white shells to decorate his sandcastle.

Edie: I love how excited she gets about the simplest things. Strawberry ice cream was such a treat!

Joining in with Jodi and the 52 portraits project, taking a picture of my children each week. 

Happy days xx

52

Edie: Blowing bubbles, her absolute favourite thing.

Charlie: Eating a cupcake in the garden, fingers covered in buttercream.

Joining in with Jodi and her 52 weeks project and taking a picture of my children each week. 

Happy days x

52

The field next to the house has has a crop of barley in it and we had a little wander amid the field with the children after supper last night. They loved the tickly feel of the crop against their skin. The light was so lovely and soft.

Charlie: Always asking questions, so inquisitive to understand what things are and how they work. 

Edie: Loves a kiss and a cuddle, she is so affectionate.

Joining in with Jodi and her 52 weeks project. 

Happy days x

52

52, a portrait a week, joining in with Jodi and taking a picture of my children every week. 

Edie, hunting for treasure using a map drawn by Charlie, we tried Geocaching with them at the weekend.

Charlie, getting ready for his first ever water balloon fight!

Happy days x

Grateful

Sometimes, life overwhelms you. Days like today remind me of what's important x

DIY Paper Garland

As I've mentioned before, my lovely little sister Lulu is getting married. The wedding is going to be brilliant, we are super excited! 

I've been helping to make a couple of decorations and thought I'd share this paper garland I have made. it was pretty simple (I fought a little with my sewing machine on a couple of occasions but it seems to have turned out ok!).

For a Garland measuring approx 3 metres...

You will need: 

10 sheets of A4 paper, I used 5 different shades - 2 sheets of each, including 3 solid colours: pink marble, dove grey, light blue, tracing paper and a pearlised white.

Sewing machine

Co-ordinating thread

Cutting board - useful but not essential

Craft knife  - useful but not essential

Scissors

Begin by cutting each sheet of paper in half lengthways (if the paper is portrait from top to bottom), so you are left with 2 narrow strips. Then cut each of the strips into inch wide strips (as per the first image). They will now measure approx 4inches by 1 inch. Separate each into piles of colour. If you want to have a continual pattern I suggest placing the strips in the order you want to use them carefully next to your machine. 

Spread out as many runs of the layout as you can - this will really speed up the process. 

Carefully begin by stitching your first strip down the centre and sew a few extra stitches after you have sewn the paper, to create the gap, then start by stitching the next strip. Repeat this process until you have used up all of the cut strips. 

Its pretty slow going as the paper is so delicate, so do take your time.

Ta da! You have a garland!

Happy days Lulu and aB, cannot wait until Saturday x

Boys Bow Tie

On Saturday, my lovely sister Lulu is getting married! I know its super exciting and we simply cannot wait!! She is getting married to a lovely man called Andrew and I just know its going to be the BEST day. Edie is a flower girl and my other sister Charlie (yes, my boy's name is Charlie too!) and I are bridesmaids. Yippeeee! Lots of dressing up and girlie things to look forward to over the next few days - hurrah! The boy Charlie is really excited and even more excited about wearing his new bow tie! Available in the shop now.

More to follow on the wedding after the weekend! 

Happy days x

Sea Legs

The weather has been lovely here this weekend. Finally, it looks as though we may have a bit of summer on its way! Hooray!

We took the opportunity of the sunshine and calm weather to join my brother-in-law and his family on their boat. The children had such fun, we took a trip from the boat to explore a nearby beach, where we went on a mini adventure and made a rope swing with a buoy - such fun!

Before we had the children, Ross and I would canoe to the beach and camp at the weekends in the summer. Really fond memories, and now we're making new ones in the same places with out little family.

Happy days xx

52, a portrait a week.

I am super excited to join in with Jodi and the 52 portraits, taking a picture of my children a week. Time with small people passes too quickly and this is such a delightful idea. I'm a little late in joining in, but here is the first of many hopefully...

learning to fly!

Collecting stones!

Happy days x

Eden

We are so lucky to live so close to The Eden Project. At the weekend we spent a very happy day there exploring the biomes and discovering amazing plants and flowers. 

We visit regularly, as the Eden Project offers a fantastic deal for locals, so that you pay a really reasonable fee and get to go as many times as you like for the year. We love it as there is so much for the children to do, lots of running about, star shaped sandpits in teepees, not to mention the biomes, they even got to grind (roll) oats into porridge oats this time. Much fun was had pumping water in The Core, as well as running around The Seed, which is a stunning 70-tonne granite sculpture (of a seed!) in the heart of the core. The Eden Bakery is one of the children's favourite parts of our Eden visits, the food is delicious and the cakes and scones are HUGE!

It was bring your dog to Eden day on Saturday and Edie (who adores dogs), was super excited to see the pooches wandering around, the highlight of the day for her was watching a demonstration with a policeman and his dog, who was also called Edie!

There is a park and ride bus that takes you back from the Eden project to the car park, which for little ones is a little tough on their tiny legs after a long day of charging around, so we took the bus. Charlie thought it was amazing. When I put him to bed and asked him what his favourite part of the day was, he said "going on the bus!".  Simple pleasures.

Happy days x

a few pics from the weekend. 

Its so nice to finally be able to spend time outdoors, having mini adventures with the babes. Clockwise from top left: Edie sploshing in puddles on the farm; Swans on the beach in Falmouth; The secret forest on the farm; clambering over gates.

Happy days x

Happy Tuesday! What a lovely sunshiney start to the week here in Cornwall.

Saturday was a very wet and windy day on the farm, so we tucked ourselves away and baked (feta, courgette and mint cake recipe to follow), and had lovely friends over for a children’s supper. Sunday was, in contrast, so very gloriously warm and sunny. There are some newly arrived calves (aka “moos”/ baby cows, depending on whether you are 2 or 3), which we visited (there are 21 of them – counted carefully by Edie, skipping the numbers 13 and 15). We wandered around and rescued the daffodils that had been snapped of in the wind and the house is filled with spring.

A mountain of washing was folded and put away and some terribly organised weekly/meal planning went on, finished off with a lovely roast.

Happy days indeed xx

It has been so chilly this last week. I know its been colder in other places (we didn't get snow), but we've still been feeling the chill. On Sunday we went for a blustery walk on the beach. The children wouldn't keep their mittens on and insisted on playing in the salty shore water, needless to say they got pretty cold, pretty quick and we didn't last long! We're so lucky to be able to hop in the car for less than 10 minutes and then be at the beach. 

We're finally getting settled in the new house, the novelty of the cows and sheep being outside is not wearing off, I love how Edie wants to "see the moos mummy" every time we try to go anywhere. Charlie is less bothered, but still gets pretty excited when he sees a pheasant wandering around the back garden.

Our little slice of the world feels pretty happy right now, I'm looking forward to a weekend of baking with the children, more blustery walks and as always a bit of  knitting!

Happy days x

Happy New York

Happy new year! 4 years ago today, at minus 2 degrees on a sunny wintry day, we got married in New York! It was magical. Our closest family were with us and we had such a lovely day. A morning walk across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise with the family, breakfast in a singing diner (hilarious!), the ceremony in a little bandstand next to a frozen lake in Central Park and then a wonderful meal at the Rainbow Room at the top of the Rockerfella centre, ended with a trip to the top of the Rock! What an amazing 4 years - we were just the two of us then and now we're a little family of 4 - happy days!

Happy New York indeed x

Wednesday Wonders - One For the Kids

So  I'm a little late with Tuesday Treasures this week, so its going to have to be Wednesday Wonders! All of these delights are just so perfect for the kids! 

TeepeeandTent Kids A-Frame Teepee Play Tent - $149.99

littlesaplingtoys Personalized Toy Camera $34

whimsywendy Reversible Fabric Crown $15

evanspicks Children's Scooter by Radio Flyer - $75

lacasadecoto Crochet rug-Granny Square €59

SuperSweetCreations RED ANCHOR on NAUTICAL blue striped tee $22

Happy Days x

Sunday Stitch Up

Sunday's three...

Bright and early start thanks to little Edie Rose, she is a chirpy little early riser. Despite being super tired, it was the best start to the day, snuggled on the sofa with a cuppa and the babes at 5.30am...

So, in a bid to catch the worm I packaged up a couple of orders and finished a cream version of my crochet boot cuffs (all before 7am). I'm really excited to get these in the shop. Even though they're more of a winter accessory, I do think they'd look cute with bare legs, a skirt and boots for a summer evening...thoughts?

Reading. I've been reading. Very excited about this. I am notoriously bad for making time to read. I probably manage one maybe  two books a year. Not because I don't enjoy reading, I love reading,  but I think I'm too busy to do it, which I obviously am not, I managed it today! So, I am challenging myself to have finished 2 books by the end of the month. We'll see how I get on, but I have to give it a shot!

Happy days x

Fresh Start, making the best of ourselves...

So, alot of the time I think about how I can do things better. For me, becoming a parent makes me want to be a much better version of myself. I want to give my little people a happy loving home, a stable upbringing and I want them to thrive. This is, I'm sure, what all parents want. Lately, I feel I've been busy and hectic and lost a little focus on what's important. So after having a little word with myself, the FRESH START begins. With it, the excitement of three whole days off work to be spent with Charlie, Edie Rose and Ross. Yi-P-EEE.

The weekend is planned in my OCD organisational nirvana head and I intend to make the absolute best of the precious time we have...stay tuned...

Happy Days x

I need a collar, a collar is what I need...

I know. Very poor title! I think I'm getting a bit to old to try to be funny...my sense of humor is turning into bad dad jokes.....oh...dear!

So. I am LOVING not being at work this week. We are accomplishing lots, the boy is, (dare I say) potty trained pretty much - little hero.

I made homemade blueberry pancakes for breakfast, on a Tuesday (I know!) - normally a treat reserved solely for lazy weekend mornings!

I've added lots of summery items to the shop including these cute little detachable peter pan collars. I even have one in mint green, my colour of the moment!

Holidays are THE best!

Happy days x

Afternoon Walk - Vintage Steps, Flowers and Jubilee Finds

The boy and I headed for a little wander to the local shop to pick up some bits that we needed to cook dinner. We found lots of lovely things...

The boy loves daisies. He LOVED the fact that there were lots on our little outing. Such a cutie, he picked one just for me!

I love this house. Its in a street that our very first flat was on (about 11 years ago now...), such a pretty street and wonderful sense of neighborhood community - every house was decorated like this and they were having a little Jubilee street party...
..which, was amazing because they were also having a little yard sale to raise money for charity...I found these brilliant vintage foldaway steps - just £4 - such a bargain and I also got a little Lilac tree too! Perfect afternoon finds!

Happy days x