cake day

Our more-or-less-monthly cake day. clockwise from top, chocolate nut brownies, cherry and coconute cake, baklava and chocolate fridge cake. I should have taken photos of lunch too as we had a fantastic selection of yummy salads and quiche. oh, and then we had a chocolate fountain with fruit and marshmallows, and of course we had to try dipping all of the cakes into the molten chocolate too.

just another healthy eating day really.

apple tee

ok, so the phone/camera doesnt perform so well at night.

I got Esme a T-shirt in her school house colours today (it was really cheap) only green girls tees are hard to find, and I thought it was a nice green. When I showed her she screwed up her nose and said 'its plain', so I said what do you want on the front (...imagining a nice applique or somesuch). she said, "an apple, a green apple...where is the t-shirt paint..." and off she went. So I found the green paint, told her to remember to do it nice and big, and this is what she did. I tidied up the edges of her lines so they were nice and crisp, and painted the leaf "just there (pointing)".

pretty good joint effort I reckon.

a week of bears

A few days ago we went into cardiff to get Lucie a special bear made for her at the bear factory. (its just a glorified shop really, but hey its a fun way to spend birthday money). Both the other two got bears from the same place last year... remember these??? Her new bear is the third one in from the left in the top picture. (This post could end up with a lot of pics on, so you can see the bear being chosen and made over on flickr.) We did not choose any clothes for bear yet, I was going to make her a dress, and we did buy 2 ear-flowers and a ukulele, however Lucie will not allow the flowers to be worn, when I asked why she told me bear was a boy! I guess I wont bother with the dress then.

So, then yesterday we braved the great british summer weather we are having (think rain) and set out for the woods, with our teddies and friends, for a picnic. at first it was a bit wet, and the new shelter came into its own.


but after a bit the rain calmed to light spots, we moved to try to avoid the midges that were eating us alive (they followed) and eventually the rain stopped altogether.

We sang happy birthday with cake number 4 (see previous post for more cake!) And I can safely say I dont want to make another cake for a month thankyou.


Then we played (on the dry courtyard),


went for a walk,


played deep in the forest,


played some more


until it was time to go.


A fun day, well, (apart from a few moments of trouble with icing not behaving...) a fun week.

new phone

I have purchased a new mobile phone. I lost my last one, but it was never much good anyway. so this time I wanted one with a camera so I can use it for more than just calls. It is only 2 megapixels but these fuschias look ok, dont you think? (and I had to crop my hand out of the bottom of the photo). I think it will do fine.

Remember my thing about owls? Well anamama did, she sent Lucie these as part of her birthday present, and look at the fantastic packaging!!!


They tasted delicious too, we ate them today.

[edited 23:22 - can you see this posts photos? they aren't loading for me now]

Two

It is all so exciting when you wake up (with big hair) to the sounds of your big brother and sister singing Happy birthday to you, and then you have to open all your presents before they 'help' too quickly and do it for you, sometimes you just need to lie down and enjoy the moment, paper, toys and all!!!

Two today, Lucie enjoyed her first birthday cake yesterday with Nanna and Grandpa, who we met up with for Fathers Day. (no battery in my camera so I am awaiting photos by email, they may be some time!!)

The second cake at Ti a Fi this afternoon (we spent the morning cooking, melting and icing various cakes!) with friends (a four-storey-high chocolate crispy cake mountain).

third cake for tea at home, a mushroom fairy house.


And fourth cake still to come next Saturday at her teddy bears picnic party.

Lucky she is a girl after my own heart regarding cake isn't it???

Happy Fathers Day!!

Happy fathers day Dad!

In this photo I am the same age as my youngest daughter, and my Dad is younger than I am now.

My Dad tells me the T-shirt he was wearing was provided by his drama group for his part in their latest production. My Mum added that in the photo I am not wearing any knickers under my dress. circa 1977.

surprise mail and more sweet peas

More sweet peas from my neighbours garden, the rain this week has really made them flower, and I am under instruction to cut them so they will keep on coming!


Today I got exciting mail, unexpectedly. Mary Ann and Jo sent this fantastic heart shaped tea strainer as a thankyou for being a part of their You're my cuppa tea partyflickr group/swap a couple of months ago. It was good fun, we had a swap partner, sent them tea and other goodies, then on the agreed day we all got to enjoy the tea we had been sent 'together'! I see on the group page there is a midsummers tea party which I have missed sign-ups for, will have to keep a better eye out for the next one!!

Anyway, thankyou girls for having me on your swap, and thankyou for your surprise mail!

7 random things

I was tagged by Anamama, I have been thinking, and this is all I can come up with.

1. I can write with either hand, but if I need to think creatively at the same time I have to write with my left hand.

2. I believe in fairies

3. I eat more chocolate than anyone I know

4. I am naturally rebellious, I dont like constraints like time, and am mostly late.

5. I would like to be barefoot all the time

6. I love the smell just before it rains in the summer

7. Today I have been enjoying sweet peas from my neighbours garden (top picture), freshly picked, and smelling totally wonderful, and tiny sweet wild strawberries from the bottom of my garden (in an eggcup).

(I know, this is cheating, but I couldnt think of 7 things!)

my favourite (new) things

just look at these. lovely vintage pegs, my favourite thing that Julia bought me back from her hols. aren't they just the best things??? I am so pleased I think i am going to put them in a box so I can just look at them and touch them from time to time.

(I can just imagine my husband reading this in a sarcastic voice when he gets it on his reader, but I will ignore that!)

Here are all the things she bought me, I will put them on flickr with more notes if you want a closer look see. Some are for my birthday, which was a few weeks ago, and the red painted chicken toy is for lucie, but i have kindly offered to look after it in my high-up cabinet for her so it doesn't get broken. Lucie got a present as while in scotland, Julia officially became Godmother to my youngest daughter, a position she has of course always held unnofficially. Thanks Julia!!

an elephant pocket

I found this great spotty cotton, which in its former life (yesterday) was a big ladies nightshirt on sale for a bargain £2, to me it was begging to be turned into a little girls pinny/dress. And doesn't the sweet elephant pocket make you happy? I love this pattern for its simplicity, I made the changes I had planned to the original pattern, straightening and extending the sides, and sewing a join at the shoulders rather than a tie or button, and it all worked very well.

I love how I can whip one of these up in no time at all, so satisfying, and I haven't been able to help but smile today seeing my little one wearing another dress that I have made her. We spent a lot of today at the park, and the rest at the cafe. We also met up with Julia, back from her Scotland jaunt, and she bought me back many presents, which I will show you tomorrow.

moving on with grandmothers quilt

I have been trying to get back into doing my grandmothers quilt applique, from Janet Boltons book, so this week I have done these two 'squares'. Funny how sometimes work grows on me, I started off doing the cat because I liked the look of that square, and was putting off the dog and sheep one, as I didn't like it much. I modelled the cat on 'Butterscotch'- our family cat when I was growing up. Now they are both done, I like the dog and sheep one much better.

The next square I am looking forward to doing as it is geese, and I love the movement it has. hopefully tonight.