Keeping busy

Yesterday, being Thursday, was one of my days to catch up with things that need done while I'm not looking after Alice. The morning was pretty much taken up with 2+ hours of ironing but it felt good to have all the wash baskets empty again.

Claire had phoned to say she was going in to town and seeing as I had something to give to her, I said I'd meet her there. We had lunch at Caffe Nero and then did the shopping we needed to do - which included Claire taking Alice to get her first shoes :)  She had tried to get some before but Alice wouldn't uncurl her toes so this was the second attempt. Fortunately she co-operated and Claire settled on this little pair - aren't they cute!

 Alice wasn't so sure at first and kept going up on tip toes

 but it wasn't too long before she was walking around the shop

 and I had to grab a quick photo of her in the mirror because she wasn't going to keep still :)

We won't talk about the cost of these little shoes - especially when she'll probably only get a couple of months wear, at most, from them.

Next on my list was to make some brownies. I'd picked up some dark chocolate from Ikea while we were there and wanted to see what it was like. The brownies are still yummy but I must admit I think I prefer using the Bournville chocolate.

While the brownies were in the oven I got stuck in and made up the Expedit bookcase I had bought at Ikea as well. I've already got the big 4 x 4 cube bookcase in my craft area which has most of my scrapbook supplies but I needed somewhere to put some of my sewing stuff.

 The bookcase is in place but I haven't got as far as sorting things into it yet.

There are a few little bits sitting on top but I bet it doesn't stay this clear for long, lol!
Anyway, after that I was more than ready to pop along to the local leisure centre to meet a friend for a coffee while her children had a swimming lesson. After an hour, that went too quickly, it was back home to pick up Hugh (to take him to work) and Emily to pop in to town for a package which the postman hadn't delivered while I was out. I was quite shattered by evening so Emily and I had a chinese take away for dinner while watching House series 5 (we've got series 6 on Sky + waiting to be watched!)

Today, I have Alice (who is having her morning nap at the moment) and I'm hoping it'll stop raining so we can get outside for a while. If not, I think we may be going to Sainsburys instead :(

Hope you have a lovely long weekend
xx
PS I am so behind on reading blogs at the moment, I dip in when I get a chance but don't always have time to leave comments - sorry! Hopefully I'll be back to commenting again soon.

Wednesday

I'm posting a quick update while Alice has her afternoon nap - I can see this is something I'll have to get used to doing because by evening I'm ready to collapse and relax ;-). 

 Yesterday, Emily and I were picked up by a friend to go and see the lavendar field near Croydon. Unfortunately the weather wasn't in our favour but I did manage to get a few photos while we were there.

 I've never seen a field of lavender before and it is quite stunning.

 Next year I'd love to go back on a sunny day because I think it would be quite spectacular.

After the lavender fields, seeing as we were already virtually there, we had a quick trip to Ikea. I've never managed to get round Ikea in less than a few hours but my friend said it'd only take about an hour and, with her way of going round - it did! I think Emily and I will have to go back again to have a more leisurely look around :-)

 In the afternoon I took Mum and Dad round to see Claire and Craig's new flat. They moved in on Saturday and have done really well at getting things sorted out. There are still a few boxes left to unpack but I don't think it'll take them long. The flat is really lovely, they have a smallish lounge/kitchen area - seen above - where they've already had friends round for dinner. There are two bedrooms, a family bathroom and Alice has an en suite shower room attached to her bedroom. It's an ideal starter home for their little family.

 I had been worried that Alice might find it a bit strange not having everyone around and also being in a smaller house but it doesn't seem to bother her at all. She is quite at home there and when we popped round she was happy to see us.

We're working out the arrangements for when I have Alice and it seems to be going well. I pick her up from Claire at work and bring her home with me for the day. In the evening Craig comes to pick her up, either with or without Claire depending on what time he finishes work. If he's working late Claire walks back to our house and he picks them both up. Alice enjoys being here with us on those days but always has a big smile ready for her Mummy or Daddy when they come to pick her up. I think the time was right for them to move to their own home and I'm so proud of the way they're managing.

This also means that our house is feeling fairly quiet these days. Most evenings it will be just Emily and me for dinner and, at the moment, the TV tends to be off and we read or I work on my log cabin quilt. It's taking a little bit of getting used to but it's all good!

xx

I'm still round

However, life as I know it, has changed! Claire went back to work just over a week ago and I now have Alice on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I'm now thinking about what I'm going to do with her on those days, when she'll need to sleep and when she'll need to eat :)  

 However, it's a fun change - who could resist this little face!

 Both Hugh and Emily are enjoying spending time with Alice as well.

This photo was taken for her Mummy to see her on Uncle Hugh's shoulders

 While I hang out the clothes (or bring them in) Alice sits on the patio and plays with the peg tin

 Or chews on my phone cover or one of the pegs ;-) 

 When Jon's working from home he gets to spend some Grandpa time with Alice. She loves when he's playing his guitar and she can "strum" the strings.

 We've started going on outings and yesterday Emily, Alice and I went to Wakehurst Place to feed the ducks. The sun hat didn't stay on much longer than for me to take the photo so I was glad I'd put sunscreen on her before we left home.

 Emily enjoys getting a chance to push the buggy and sometimes I'm sure people wonder who the mother is - in this case, neither of us lol!

 I wasn't able to get a photo of Alice's face while we were feeding the ducks but she got quite excited when they came up the hill to eat the bread.

 And this is the view from the other side of the pond - Wakehurst Place is a beautiful place and, for us, it's only about a 10 - 15 minute drive. We also have Standen just up the road from us but I haven't taken Alice there yet. I renewed my National Trust membership yesterday so that we can visit the various properties in this area. It'll make lovely mornings out with Alice.

Next, a couple of photos from our outing to the park last week. We met Theresa, Tyler and Alyssa (but I took the photos before they arrived).  Alice loved the swing but once Tyler and Alyssa arrived she wanted to go where they went. I don't imagine it'll be too long before she's running along behind them :)

And finally, on Saturday Claire, Craig and Alice move into their new home. They're renting a flat (top half of a house) on the other side of town which is close to the town centre. Claire will be able to walk in to work and then, the plan is that I'll meet her at her work and bring Alice home with me. Our house is going to be a lot quieter (and hopefully tidier!) than it is at the moment. It's bad enough when one person isn't here but for three to go at once is going to be quite strange. Emily and I will more or less be here on our own when Jon is in Milton Keynes (Hugh will be here but we don't see that much of him as he does his own thing and works shifts) so it will definitely be much quieter.

So, for a while, blogging is likely to be sporadic as I adjust to my new routine. Hopefully it won't be as long again before the next post though!
xx