Life in General

50:365(+1)

2012-02-19T21:42:00.002Z

A quiet day today and I managed to finish Jill Mansell's new book on Kindle on my iPad :)

47, 48 & 49:365(+1)

2012-02-18T18:41:00.000Z

It's been half term this past week and because I ended up not having Alice, I've been out and about a bit and haven't been on my computer as much. So now it's time for a quick catch up for 365(+1).

On Thursday morning Jon and I had someone come round to write our Wills. It's something we've been saying we need to do for years but had never got round to. I feel so much better knowing that this has now been taken care of.

Friday was my sister Kay's birthday and we were all invited round for afternoon tea at Theresa's (Kay's younger daughter). Alyssa had been asleep when we arrived but when she woke up she was in a lovely mood and wanted to have a cuddle with Nan/Kay. We had a lovely afternoon just chatting and eating (too much ;o) ) Thanks Theresa and Kay for a delicious spread.

Claire and Alice are finally on the mend (after Alice's virus, Claire came down with a horrible head cold) and this afternoon they came round to spend some time with us. I love this shot of my 3 girls - daughters Claire and Emily and granddaughter, Alice :o). Might just end up in a frame somewhere!

So, that's me caught up for now. I'd also like to say thank you for all the lovely comments about my log cabin quilt (post below). I've so enjoyed making this quilt and can't wait to have it completed. Deb (Paper Turtle), I'll send you an email shortly :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
xx

Log Cabin Quilt

2012-02-16T09:00:00.000Z

This log cabin quilt was started in May last year. It's completely hand quilted and has been sewn a block at a time. The best part is ... you can do it anywhere. I keep my fabrics, sewing box, cutting mat, ruler and pencils in a basket which sits next to my seat in the lounge. There have been times when I haven't touched it for months and other times when I've sewn every day. Knowing that I now only have four blocks left to make has motivated me to sew more often :)

I pulled all the blocks out on Monday night and lay them on the floor to see what the finished quilt will look like and I have to say, I LOVE IT! This one will definitely not be going anywhere and I can't wait for it to be finished.

However, having said that, it could take me another 9 months before I finish sewing it all together. I have no idea how long it'll take OR how fiddly it'll be OR how patient I will be OR whether I'll get fed up and it'll take even longer. Who knows!! I'm just hoping the fact that I want it complete is enough to motivate me to keep going :)

I love that this quilt has used up so many of the fabrics I had in my stash that I didn't know if I would ever use. That it doesn't matter how much or how little on any one fabric you have, it can all be included. I love looking at all the fabrics and colours and seeing that it doesn't matter if the colours I put next to each other didn't go because at the end of the day the main thing is that you have the light and the dark sides which form the pattern. How cool is that!

And finally, Emily thought she'd give you an idea of how big the quilt will be. She's 5'4" so I'd say it's definitely longer than 6' and about 6' wide. As she says, big enough for both of us to snuggle under when it's finished :)

xx

46:365(+1)

2012-02-15T20:17:00.002Z

The fabric was washed and tumble dried after I got back from Puddleducks yesterday.
This morning I ironed it and cut it out.
Arranging the fabric and seeing the layout come together is always fun.
And finally, sewing them together and
Adding the border.

The quilt top is complete and, if I get a chance, I hope to layer and baste the top, wadding and backing together, ready to start quilting tomorrow. It's come together much quicker than I expected - which means I now know that it will be ready well in advance of when it is required for.

That feels good!
xx

45:365(+1)

2012-02-14T17:39:00.000Z

I really haven't been doing very well with my photo taking this week :(

Mum and I went to Puddleducks in Sevenoaks today so that I could get some fabric for the next quilt I'm going to be making. It takes us about 40 minutes to get there (and now that I've been a few times ;o) I no longer need to use the Satnav) and it's normally quite a pleasant drive. Today, however, we seemed to get every lorry possible pulling out of side roads in front of us or stopping at the side of the road so we'd have to wait to overtake. It wasn't the most relaxing drive!

Getting to Puddleducks soon makes up for that though as they have a lovely selection of fabrics. Today was a bit trickier as I was looking for fabrics in a colour that I don't normally choose and had decided on a different design for this quilt. Let's just say, after an hour or more of looking and discarding fabric, I finally decided to revert back to a simple block quilt and after being shown one fabric I really liked, the rest finally fell in to place. I know I'm being a bit secretive but I don't want to give anything away.

This leads me back to the lack of photo taking. I had put my camera in my bag to take photos while we were there but I got so involved in the whole fabric process I forgot totally! It was only when we got to Otford (the next village along) where we normally stop for lunch before heading home, that I realised I hadn't taken any photos. I snapped a couple of the main street in Otford but that was it.

This then is my photo for today & we didn't even eat at that pub ;o) but a couple came out in front of me just as I was taking the photo and obscured the view of where we do have lunch, so this will have to do, lol!

Despite all that, Mum and I had a good time and I got my fabric, so it was a good day after all.

xx

44:365(+1)

2012-02-13T21:20:00.000Z

A trip to the South African shop at Redhill is never a cheap outing ;)! Emily and I took a drive out there today and came home with three carrier bags full. The spoils had to be divided for each family member so that no one was left out and everyone got what they had requested. Unfortunately, I didn't do very well at taking photos - forgot at the shop itself so said I'd take some when I got home. Got home and divided everything up and promptly forgot to take a photo again! This is a very small selection of some of the goodies we got - biltong - so more-ish; Black Cat peanut butter (the best peanut butter I've ever tried!); condensed milk rusks for dipping in coffee ;o); Top Deck chocolate for Mum & Dad and Peppermint Crisps for a caramel pudding I make. Also bought today were curry powder (again, my favourite and only from SA) and Cream Soda squash - which both Hugh and Claire grew up on when they were little and we lived in SA, they still both love it! There was more but I won't mention everything :)

We go the back way to get to Redhill and this involves driving along some country roads. On the way there I noticed the snow in the fields and it looked so pretty. Driving home, there were no cars behind me so I pulled off the road slightly and jumped out to take a couple of photos. It was so pretty!

Thank you for all the well wishes for Alice. I saw her this afternoon and she was still quite poorly and only wanted her Mummy. However, Claire text me this evening to say that Alice had started eating a little bit and seemed much brighter after having had something. Her temp seems to be staying down, though she has now got a very snuffly nose. Hopefully the worst is over now and she'll start feeling better day by day.

xx

43:365(+1)

2012-02-12T18:32:00.002Z

Alice has had a temperature since yesterday afternoon :( This morning I popped over to the flat to see how she was and she really wasn't well. We phoned the on call Doctor and were asked to take her up to the local hospital to be checked over. It seems that it's a viral bug and her throat is inflamed but not infected. Claire was advised to keep giving her paracetemol and if she gets any worse we've to call the Doctor again.

It's horrible seeing her like this because it's the first time that she's felt this bad - she's had colds before and the rash recently but this is the first time she's had a temperature and really not been well. She doesn't know what's wrong and gets upset so easily and we feel quite helpless.

Claire had been up a few times last night with Alice and I was glad to bring them both home after we'd seen the Dr because Craig was working today (and Claire couldn't find her house keys!). After Claire had had some lunch and Alice had had a little bit of yoghurt they lay down on the couch together and managed to get some sleep. I couldn't resist getting a photo.

As Alice just wants her Mummy at the moment, Claire phoned in to work to explain what was going on and has got the day off tomorrow so that she can look after her. I'm so proud of Claire and the wonderful mother she is to Alice.

xx

42:365(+1)

2012-02-11T22:21:00.003Z

The lengths my daughter will go to to stop me taking her photo ;o)

xx

41:365(+1)

2012-02-10T21:15:00.000Z

Alice had the choice of two new drinking cups today, one which has a top like a straw (but it's not a straw) and this one which is more like drinking from a glass. This is the one she tended to go to more though she did drink from both.

And, after reading a few blogs tonight where people are taking part in Shimelle's Ten on the Tenth I though if I just added another nine of the photos I took today I could also join in. So here are the next nine ...

Love the little tongue sticking out as she concentrates :o)

With her two new cups

Love this little one so much!

Telling me that the cat (in her hands) says Miaow!

Playing with toys

Might be time for a trim soon

She loves putting things in this bag Norma gave me and carrying it around.

Talking to the horse :o)

Such a very happy, precious little girl :o) and I'm so very grateful that I get to spend so much time with her. I love you gorgeous girl xxx

40:365(+1)

2012-02-09T17:16:00.001Z

Before doing my Photo of the Day for today I want to say Happy Birthday to Norma. I miss the fact that we can't be with her on her birthday but I know she knows we're thinking of her and wishing her a wonderful day. Happy Birthday, Norma xxx

New walking shoes were the order of the day today. I wish I could say it was because I do so much walking but, in fact, it's because these are about the only shoes that keep my feet warm in winter. I get terrible chilblains when it's cold so if I'm going out I need to know that my feet are warm. My last pair had finally given up the ghost and when I saw these on sale it seemed the right time to buy a new pair.

xx

39:365(+1)

2012-02-08T20:06:00.003Z

This morning, while Alice was having a nap, I finished another block to add to my growing pile. I pulled them all out to count them and see how many more I still need. There are 41 blocks in that pile which means I only have another 7 to make before I start joining them all together. I can't wait for this quilt to be finished and this is (another) one I won't be giving away.

xx

38:365(+1)

2012-02-07T22:04:00.003Z

Today was our Silver Wedding Anniversary - 25 years of marriage. I know Jon gets fed up with me saying this, but it makes me feel quite old! I remember my parents Silver Wedding and their friends' Silver Weddings and it makes me wonder how we're there already! Doesn't time fly!

It's been a busy day for Jon as he prepares to fly to Sweden tomorrow morning on business. We did, however, manage to go out for dinner with Hugh and Emily, my parents and my sister, Kay. We had a lovely meal and enjoyed the company. Jon's message in my card was about looking forward to the next 25 years together and I've no doubt when 50 years comes round I'll still be wondering how we got to be this old - lol!
xx

A Month In Photos - January 2012

2012-02-07T13:34:00.000Z

This morning, as I was reading some blogs, I saw Karen's Month in Photos post which reminded me that this is one project I want to do this year. Rebecca Cooper at Simple As That offered a template for the monthly photos which I had downloaded at the time but I hadn't got round to completing my January page until now.

I love that it's so simple to load your photos into it and you have a little summary of your month.

Emily and Young - Korean lessons after school

Mum's nosebleed at the Doctors (still makes me chuckle when I see this photo!)

Baking cupcakes with Alice

Mini photoshoot with Lily

Picking up Hugh from work

New double glazing put in

Michelle's visit and Claire & Alice's chance to meet their new niece/cousin.

I'm linking up with Simple As That Month in Photos. Is anyone else going to join in too?

37:365(+1)

2012-02-06T22:25:00.000Z

We've had a really quiet day today. The snow is still lying on the ground, though the roads are now clear. Craig dropped Claire and Alice off early this morning and Claire walked to work from here. Emily had been hoping they may have a Snow Day but checking her computer first thing this morning, that wasn't the case. Come this evening, however, I realised I hadn't actually taken any photos so I was grateful to get this shot of Emily working on her textiles homework (though actually looking at me was out of the question ;o) ).

xx

36:365(+1)

2012-02-05T18:30:00.000Z

I had a few to choose from today but have settled on this one as my photo for the day.
xx

The snow has arrived

2012-02-05T13:44:00.000Z

I know I kept mentioning how mild our winter had been and that we needed some cold weather to kill off the bugs etc. etc. Well, that cold weather has certainly arrived and yesterday morning when we woke the temperature was -7C.

We started getting some very light snow in the afternoon but yesterday evening it was coming down steadily and Jon called us up to the bedroom to have a look at it starting to settle on the ground.

Taken at 7.45pm last night

Taken at 11.45pm

By the time I was getting ready to go to bed it was about an inch thick and I took a couple more photos.

11.53pm

This morning when I woke up I knew we'd had a fairly decent snowfall before even getting out of bed. It was quiet in a muffled way, with hardly any bird noise.

These next photos were taken at 08.50am today :o)

Love the trees with their snow blankets

A little bit later and the neighbours children were having some fun in the snow

You can see the depth of the snow on the table in this one -and look at all the little paw prints ;o)

Our back garden.

Emily was hoping we'd have more snow today and then perhaps she'd have a snow day tomorrow but the weather is not obliging at the moment and I have a feeling school will be open tomorrow. Craig has offered to bring Claire and Alice round here tomorrow morning because I don't know if I'll get my car out (unless it clears a bit) and Claire will walk to work from here.

I hate to admit that I am not one for going out for long walks in the snow, I much prefer to stay indoors - nice and warm - and look at it from here. Speaking to Norma on Skype this morning she was saying it's been really hot over in South Africa and they've had the aircon on to try and cool things down a bit. I think I prefer what we've got here, at least we can add layers and sit under a blanket to keep warm but there's a limit to how much you can take off to try and cool down.

What's the weather like where you are today?

35:365(+1)

2012-02-05T13:21:00.001Z

Jon came home yesterday afternoon and presented me with this envelope :o)

Emily, Jon and I are going away for a mini break in April. It's been a long time since Jon's had a holiday (think - about 10 years?) so we're looking forward to getting away for a few days. Fortunately because Hugh will still be at home we don't have to worry about kennels for the animals :o)

So looking forward to this!

Michelle's visit (photo heavy)

2012-02-04T14:13:00.000Z

Better late than never - I've finally had a chance to come online and upload the photos of Michelle, Matthew, Josh and Lily's visit last Sunday. Unfortunately, because they live a bit further away, we don't get to see them as often as we might like so it was fantastic when Michelle phoned to ask if we were going to be in so they could come and visit.

Lily is 10 weeks now and sooo cute! She's certainly Michelle's little blue eyed girl and it's so lovely to see them together.

She was quite happy to lie on the quilt on the floor and have a look around her new surroundings - though hopefully they'll soon become familiar to her.

She has such big blue eyes which are so different to Alice's dark brown eyes.

Mac just loves babies and wants to be near them. When he realised Lily was on the floor he came to lie next to her. He's so protective ;o). He was the same with Alice and used to lie on the stairs so he could look down into her crib to make sure she was alright. Even now when Alice is here, he's so tolerant and seeks her out - sometimes giving her a little head butt to make sure she realises he's there. It's so sweet to watch!

Watching TV ;o)

Josh is a lovely big brother and when he leans over to talk to Lily, she gets quite excited.

I love the expression on Lily's face in this one as she looks at her big brother :o)

After her nap Alice came downstairs (with Wibbly Pig) and was a little shy with all the people.

It didn't take her too long to join in though and Josh had her in stitches with his funny dancing. This little expression is one we've seen a number of times recently - too cute!

Watching her big cousin - it looked like she just wanted to join in too :o)

The new surroundings and all the people tired Lily out. Unfortunately, she wasn't sleeping as well as she might for the same reason (new surroundings and noise).

Daddy's turn for a cuddle - and Mac had to make sure he got as close as possible too!

A little family photo but Josh was off with Jon somewhere.

I do have even more photos but I'm sure these will do for now. I've made a point of adding a few extra to my Project Life this week using a cut down page protector. Hope to have the photos of the last two weeks up tomorrow.

34:365(+1)

2012-02-04T09:30:00.000Z

On Wednesday, when Alice was here, I noticed that she had a few spots on her legs and wondered if she was getting a rash. Claire phoned on Thursday evening to say Alice had more spots on her back and a couple under her arms. My first thought was Chickenpox! However, yesterday when I had a look at them, the spots weren't Chickenpox spots and she had a number of blotchy patches on her legs and tummy. I phoned the Doctor's and he asked for her to be brought in in the afternoon so he could have a look and see what he thought was going on. Alice went down for a sleep just before 11am and when I picked her up an hour later there were another 4 marks on her face which hadn't been there before. (In the photo above you can see one half way between her nose and mouth and slightly to the right).

I had been keeping Claire updated and her boss said she could come to the Doctor's with us she was obviously quite concerned. By the time we were leaving for the surgery, some of the blotches had gone down but others had appeared - very strange. It turns out she has a viral rash (similar to- but not - slapped cheek or foot and mouth) which will appear and disappear and should be gone within 3 - 4 days. Fortunately it doesn't make you feel ill and he said, apart from the rash she will probably just carry on as normal.

xx

33:365(+1)

2012-02-03T19:27:00.001Z

Cloud is very well known at our vets. You may think that's because we've been going regularly since I first mentioned the problem she's been having with abscesses, etc. But no, the reason she's so well known at the vets is because she is so hyper every time we go there. The background story is that Cloud hates going in the car (which we do to get to the vets and the dog parlour) and by the time we get wherever we're going, she's worked herself into quite a state. However, that doesn't stop her from jumping out of the car and dragging me in her excitement to get into the surgery where she whimpers and pants, while alternating between hiding behind my legs or jumping up to put her paws on my lap. And while all of the above is going on, she's still wagging her tail like mad! The receptionists, vets and nurses (all women ;o) ) find this quite amusing and say she's one of the happiest dogs that comes to visit them!

As for how she's getting on ... the wound on her side is healing better than any of us could have expected. They now don't think she'll need surgery as the skin is knitting together nicely and they'll review her case when we go again in a week's time. She's now on her fourth lot of antibiotics and is likely to stay on them until they're happy that everything's cleared to their liking.

In the meantime, she now has a selection of three t-shirts to choose from - though I think this pink and white polka dot one is a favourite! ;o)

xx

32:365(+1)

2012-02-02T08:30:00.001Z

Dinner last night was using what I had in the fridge/freezer ;o) Fortunately it turned out to be really tasty. We had stir fried chicken, onion, carrot and spinach with a dash of dark soya sauce served with Waitrose sweet chilli egg noodles. Yum!

31:365(+1)

2012-01-31T21:33:00.003Z

This afternoon, as I was standing unpacking some shopping in the kitchen, a movement caught my eye out the window. When I went to have a look, there was a number of horses galloping in the field behind the house. We've lived in this house for 4 years now and, although I knew there were horses on the farm down the road and had been told they sometimes come up to the fields behind us, this is the first time that I've actually seen them here. I stood watching them for a while (wondering if they'd actually managed to get free and were going on to the public footpath that runs up to the side of our house) and it was only as some of them started to drift away again that I thought I should take a photo. The above photo, which I'll use as my photo for today, was taken with my lens at 135mm.

This one gives you an idea of where they actually were as it was taken from our kitchen window and the horses are in the top centre third of the photo (which was taken with the lens at 22mm).

xx

30:365(+1)

2012-01-31T21:21:00.001Z

This sight is not uncommon when Alice is here :o) She loves climbing the stairs! There doesn't have to be a reason but sometimes Mac will be there for her to talk to, half way up, and other times Grandpa will be waiting at the top of the stairs to play a game with her. Sometimes she goes all the way up to the top of the stairs and then has a wander around the bedrooms/bathrooms and other times she'll decide she won't bother going all the way up and will slide back down again. Whatever the reason (or lack there of), one of us needs to be near by because, unfortunately, our stairs don't have a banister and are open on one side! As we're up and down them numerous times in a day, by the time Alice goes back to Mummy I feel quite shattered! ;o)
xx

29:365(+1)

2012-01-29T20:02:00.000Z

We had a lovely visit from Michelle, Matthew, Josh and Lily today and although I've taken loads of photos and will post more in the next day or so, I've chosen this one as my photo for today. Claire finally got to meet her new niece and Alice her little cousin. We asked Alice if she'd like to say Hi Lily, and she did ;o) Too cute. It's going to be such fun watching these two precious little girls grow up :o)

xx

28:365(+1)

2012-01-28T14:10:00.000Z

Mum and I went to do our weekly shop today as Michelle and family are coming to visit tomorrow :). When we were going in we saw that Help for Heroes had set up a stall in the carpark and said we'd stop by once we'd finished our shopping and coffee. I've been wanting to get a new apron for a little while so this polka dot one was just what I needed. And, I have a thing about mugs so, when I heard this was the last one they had, I had to take that too. It's for such a good cause.
xx

27:365(+1)

2012-01-28T14:04:00.001Z

After a day looking after Alice, it was quite nice not to worry about cooking dinner as we went to the Nizam for a curry. Then it was home to watch Crazy Stupid Love. It had a couple of twists in it and was a good light hearted watch. A nice way to end the week.
xx

26:365(+1)

2012-01-26T21:33:00.004Z

I'm trying to work my way around the house tidying and clearing/getting rid of the stuff we no longer need or use. Today I made a start in my work area. This shot was taken after quite a big clear up (you wouldn't have wanted to see a "before" shot!). I've cleared some more since but I've come to the conclusion that, with a laptop, Silhouette and hard drive on my desk, there's not much room left over for creating scrapbook pages. I guess it's lucky I'm next to the kitchen and can use the table in there or, as is more likely the case, the worktops. If I had chosen a word for this year, I think it should have been organised! That's what I need to become and that's what I need our house to be. Something I'll need to work on this year!

25:365(+1)

2012-01-25T22:26:00.000Z

Happy mail arrived today :o)

24:365(+1)

2012-01-24T20:13:00.001Z

Emily and Young Lin, ready for their next Korean/English lesson :o)

We also got to taste a Korean potato noodle dish which had fish cake (thinly sliced) and veg in it. Really tasty! Emily also had a Korean pancake and, as you might imagine, wasn't overly hungry at dinner time ;o)

Licking the Spoon

2012-01-24T09:30:00.000Z

I loved these photos from when we made cupcakes last week and wanted to record them on a layout. So, over the weekend I continued playing around with what I had and finally finished on Sunday night.

I knew there were a few photos I wanted to use so I designed a photo collage template in Photoshop Elements 9 with a 4x6 photo as the main photo and three little 2x2 photos to the side. However, when I printed it out I felt it neded something to divide the photos. I played around on my Silhouette Cameo (which I was lucky enough to get for Christmas) and managed to come up with this frame to go over the photos which, I think, finishes them off. The title was also cut on the Silhouette using one of the fonts I have on my computer and the tab, little heart and spoon were shapes downloaded from the Silhouette shop (though I did add the inner oval on the spoon).

This page is a little out of my comfort zone because I usually keep things very simple with plain cardstock, maybe a little patterned paper and a title. So adding ribbon and embellishments (if you can call them that) is different for me. It's got the photos scrapped though and that was what I wanted :)

23:365(+1)

2012-01-24T08:22:00.001Z

Alice loves getting to go on the computer. Emily brought up the CBeebies website and they were listening to the Baby Jake theme song - Baby Jake is one of Alice's favourites and she gets really excited while he's on :o)
xx

Project Life : Week 3

2012-01-23T10:30:00.000Z

Another week completed and I'm really starting to enjoy Project Life. I didn't know if I'd keep it up but if I continue as I have been so far (and I know it's early days) it would be wonderful to have a full years worth of photos to look back on. I'm sure seeing the pages of other people on the internet is also helping to keep me motivated and give me ideas of other ways I could set out my pages. So glad I've finally got on board with this and that it's starting to click for me :o)
xx

Tyler's birthday

2012-01-22T21:00:00.000Z

Tyler turned FIVE on Saturday and we were all invited for a family birthday tea.

He was so sweet - super excited but also wanting to show that he is a Big Boy now :o). He waited until everyone was there before opening his presents and sat in the middle so we could all watch.

However, for us, the thing that stood out most was that suddenly Alice wasn't the baby any more. She was up there with the other two, joining in and following them around.

I love this photo where you can see the two girls playing in the background while Tyler opens presents.

The girls played with their babies and followed each other around, sometimes having little cuddles :o) which was so cute!

Alice enjoyed the party food and would keep coming back to help herself to a little bit more.

But the thing I learnt? Is that it's okay for photos of children not to be in focus because as you can see from this last photo, they certainly don't stay still for long!!
xx

22:365(+1)

2012-01-22T18:00:00.002Z

Debbie & Dave (my sister-in-law and her husband) popped in to visit us on their way back to Yorkshire from Deal. They moved to Yorkshire last year but the last time Emily and I actually saw them was when we went to stay with them in Cambridge in May last year (and for Jon it was longer than that). It was lovely to see them again and to get to catch up. They've invited us up to go and visit them whenever we want so perhaps we'll have to think about it for Summer this year. Thanks for stopping to see us, Deb & Dave.
xx

21:365(+1)

2012-01-21T18:04:00.000Z

Tyler's 5th Birthday :o)

20:365(+1)

2012-01-21T18:03:00.000Z

Working on a scrapbook page - more to come next week (because it's not finished yet lol!)
xx

19:365(+1)

2012-01-19T18:10:00.000Z

This morning started out grey and damp and, although we had a brief spell of sunshine somewhere in the middle, it's ending grey and damp as well.

Taken this evening with the street lamp showing the wet patio and bench

However, the damp weather certainly didn't dampen my spirits! As Thursday is one of my "days off" (ie. I don't have Alice that day), I was going to make the most of it. I popped to Waitrose first thing for a few bits I'd forgotten on my weekly shop before heading to Cafe Nero for coffee with a few friends. After that I met up with another friend for a long catch up chat and it was close to 2 o'clock by the time I got home again.

Coming back to my ironing all done is a wonderful feeling - empty wash baskets :o) = Bliss!

This afternoon I caught up on some blog reading and watched a couple of video tutorials. I have a question for the UK ladies who read my blog - where do you buy your scrapbook supplies from? Do you have a local craft store you go to or do you buy online? If you buy online, who do you find has the best selection of supplies? I think the problem with reading American blogs (in the nicest possible way ;o) ) is seeing all the wonderful products they have but it's so difficult to find them here and if you buy from the US, the postage is so high. So I'm curious about where you shop.

xx

18:365(+1) & our day

2012-01-18T20:33:00.001Z

This morning was grey, damp and fairly chilly (though not as bad as it has been recently) so after picking up Alice I decided we'd have a stay at home day.

Much nicer looking at this weather when you're nice and warm inside ;o)

We did a little baking. I use the term "we" loosely as you've no doubt realised ;o) Alice sat and watched me weigh everything out and then I held her as I used the beater (don't think she's that sure of the noise). She was then quite happy to be put in her chair ready for licking the spoon!

I think she enjoyed it :o)

Cakes made (little fairy cakes which we added choc chips to - so I didn't need to ice them!)

Far away - but she enjoyed the cake and ate it all.

This afternoon while we were playing Alice got into the cupboard under the TV and pulled out the Wii remote control. She'd seen us use it last week to set up Netflix so was a bit confused as to why it wasn't doing anything on the screen. Look at that little face (and did you notice the bed head hair?) - I can't help kissing her and I'm sure she probably gets fed up with me!

So which one is my photo for the day????? At the moment it's a toss up between the bottom two - any preference??

xx

17:365(+1)

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000Z

Korean pancakes

This afternoon Emily and I had Korean pancakes. I have a Korean friend, Myung San who lives a couple of minutes from us.

I met her when our children were in Primary school. I was sitting in my car, doing some patchwork, while I waited to pick Emily up. I'd just joined my first patchwork and quilting class and was making a sampler quilt by hand. Myung San saw me sewing and came over and knocked on the window. We got chatting and she told me she'd been quilting for a number of years and asked if I'd like to go round and see some of the quilts she's made - which are absolutely beautiful and all made by hand. We've been friends ever since.

Last year Myung San's friend, Young Lin, came over from Korea to stay with her and to do some studying in the UK. When she heard that Emily was teaching herself Korean she offered to give her some lessons when she got back from her Christmas in Korea. Emily started the lessons last week and is loving this opportunity (she wants to teach English in Korea for a year or so after University. We're talking 6+ years from now but she feels if she starts learning to speak the language now she'll be that much more fluent by the time she goes) but she wasn't able to go today because she has an exam tomorrow and needed to do some studying. Myung San had promised to make her some Korean pancakes today so, instead of making them at her house, she brought the mixture over here and showed us how to make them.

I think they're probably more like American pancakes as they are thicker than pancakes I've made before and the one Myung San made was big enough to fill a small side plate. I tried mine with lemon juice and cinnamon & sugar. I don't know if that's something they would normally have but it was very tasty :o)

16:365(+1)

2012-01-17T16:38:00.000Z

I have to choose which of these photos will be used for the 16th. I love the one of Alice after our little walk but Cloud was in a pretty bad way yesterday and I feel that should be documented too. Might end up with both in my Project Life.

The vet is a bit concerned about Cloud at the moment as this particular sore doesn't seem to just be an abscess. There is some infection there but it certainly doesn't appear to be a normal abscess. I won't go in to all the details (it's pretty yeuch!) but she is on strong antibiotics at the moment to try and contain whatever it is before they have to do some surgery on Thursday. The antibiotics really seem to have helped and the swelling has gone down a bit today. She's still quite happy in herself but from the vet's point of view, that in itself could be worrying as she would expect something like this be causing her more of a problem. I don't think the vet had actually seen anything like it before herself. Jon will be taking Cloud back up to the vet tomorrow evening and we'll find out more about the surgery required then.

xx

Our first walk

2012-01-16T17:18:00.001Z

One of the things I've been looking forward to is going for little walks in the neighbourhood with Alice. Today we had our first little walk.

We didn't go far. I didn't know how far Alice would be able to walk before getting tired and I didn't want to end up having to carry her long distances to get home again ;o).

We walked to the end of our road, up a small hill and then she had a short carry until we got to the top of our path again before she walked back round and home. She enjoyed stopping to look at little rocks and stones and the twig in the photo above must have been quite tasty ;o). The only thing I hadn't thought through was how I was expecting to take photos on this walk while holding Alice's hand or reins and keeping her upright when she wobbled! These two photos were all I got, one near the beginning of the walk and the other when we got home :o)

Once inside again Stripey Horse got some attention (she likes the Stripey Horse books too)

and not long after, the postman arrived with her new peg hammer bench. I'm quite impressed with this one - it's sturdy, the pegs aren't too stiff to hammer and the hammer is a nice size. It may be a little while before she's got the hang of it but she enjoyed pushing the pegs and playing with the hammer for now.

Alice has been asleep for about an hour now and soon I'll have to go and pick up Claire and then take Cloud to the Vets (for a nasty absess :o( )

xx

Project Life Week 2

2012-01-16T11:59:00.000Z

Left Page: The Christening we went to; Alice with Tom; playtime when Aunty Em gets home from school, Mum's nosebleed at the Doctors.

Right Page: Alice counting; Sunrise; one of the Netflix movies I watched; Happy mail from Ruth; picking up Hugh from work

As I said before - 2 weeks completed, 50 to go!

xx

15:365(+1)

2012-01-15T19:49:00.002Z

Coffee at Starbucks with Mum after the weekly grocery shop :o)

14 : 365(+1)

2012-01-14T18:18:00.000Z

When Hugh works on a Saturday he usually asks for a lift in to work and then home again later to save him having to pay the parking charges. For some reason, this afternoon when I was going to pick him up, I picked up my camera before leaving home. I managed to get this shot as he was walking up towards the car.

It was really cold this morning with the heaviest frost on the ground that we've had this winter. I had expected it because the sky was so clear last night and you could see the stars. By this afternoon, with the sun out, it had warmed up a bit but it's back to being really chilly again this evening. I guess that talk of a mild winter must have jinxed things a bit and we're getting our first taste of winter this year :o)

I'm now off to put the last couple of photos in this weeks Project Life pages and write the journaling for the last couple of days. Two weeks down and only another 50 to go ;o)

xx

PS. In case you're wondering where my photo for 13 : 365(+1) is, I'll be using the photo of the happy mail from Ruth in the previous post :o)

Happy Mail & 13:365(+1)

2012-01-13T16:02:00.002Z

I was delighted when I received some happy mail from Ruth this week and excited to see that I was one of the people chosen to receive one of the World Book Night 2011 books. I did have to chuckle at the book I'd received though because my Mum, Norma and my nephew, Kyle all read Lee Child and it has been suggested before that I try his books but I never have. I've had a quick look at Killing Floor and will certainly give it a go and see how I get on :o) Only problem is, if I enjoy it I'll have Mum, Norma and Kyle saying "I told you!" ;o)

Thank you Ruth for wonderful happy mail.

xx

12 : 365(+1)

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000Z

I know we've all been talking about how mild our Winter has been so far and it's the same here. Hardly any frost, never mind snow! One thing we have noticed though is that we've been having some lovely red sunrises over the past few weeks. This morning was one of those mornings and as Emily and I sat talking about how pretty it was I thought, What am I doing sitting here? I should be out there taking a photo!

Same view a couple of hours later - not nearly as pretty ;o)

Thanks Carrie ;o)

2012-01-12T15:30:00.000Z

On Tuesday, Carrie posted about her 10 recommendations on Netflix and asked if we had Netflix. Well, I'm the first to admit that I'm not up to date with all the latest things so I went and asked Hugh if he knew. Turns out Netflix has recently become available in the UK and Hugh had just signed up and thought it was great.

Yesterday Hugh signed me up to Netflix. He signed up through his Xbox so he can watch the films/programmes on his TV and he signed us up through the Wii so we can watch on our TV. It can also be watched on iPad, iPhone, I would imagine iPod Touch and your computer. Am I impressed? Very!! You have a great selection to choose from and the streaming is fantastic, no delays! At the moment we've signed up for a month's free trial but if we decide to stay with Netflix it's a really reasonable monthly fee. Have a look and see for yourself.

I really enjoy a feel good movie and last night I watched "A lot like love", I didn't know what to expect but I really enjoyed it. It made me laugh in a couple of places and at the end of the movie I was in a happy place ;o)

Thanks for telling us about Netflix, Carrie. Anyone else going to try Netflix?

xx

11 : 365(+1)

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000Z

As the 11th was a Wednesday and I have Alice (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) there was a good chance my photo for the day would have Alice in it! ;o)

While eating her lunch today we were counting the number of items of food on her plate. She loves it on Show Me, Show Me (a TV programme on CBeebies) when the lift goes up the 10 floors and they count from 1 - 10. So we've started counting little things and today it happened to be some Skips (crisps {English} chips {American/South African}) she was having. She already counts one, two and I was carrying on, three, four! I thought it sounded like she was trying to copy me but at this stage it's not clear talking, we just tend to know what she's saying. However, when Emily got home from school she also though Alice counted one, two, three! We may be making progress :o)

I feel so blessed to be able to spend as much time as I do with Alice. I know there are many Grandparents who would love to be able to spend more time with their grandchildren and I/we are so lucky to have the opportunity to do just that.

xx

10 : 365(+1)

2012-01-11T20:10:00.002Z

Mum had an appointment at the Doctor's yesterday because she's been having fairly regular nose bleeds recently. I picked her up and took her to the surgery and went in with her. She explained how the nosebleeds had started and how she never knows when they're going to happen. The Doctor had a look up Mum's nose and said she could see the blood vessel that was causing the problem and would cauterise it, which would hopefully stop the nosebleeds.

Off she went to get what she needed and when she came back she shone the torch up Mum's nose again and went to cauterise it. No sooner had she finished than Mum could feel a nosebleed starting! We sat waiting while Mum went through tissue after tissue and in the end the Doctor asked if we'd like to go and sit outside in a private corridor until the nosebleed stopped. She was most apologetic and made sure Mum was comfortable, brought her plenty of tissues then came back with a kidney bowl and a cold pack wrapped in a towel. After she'd left Mum said "Pity you haven't got your camera!" and I replied "I have!" Mum said, "If you want a photo for today, go ahead!" So I did!

We had such a laugh sitting there, with anyone who passed by wanting to know if Mum was alright or offering advice. When the Doctor came back and asked if we'd like to go back into her rooms, Mum said No! We laughed so much and the Doctor promised not to try and do anything more! So funny! It seems that when the torch was inserted into the nose the second time it must have actually knocked the blood vessel which is why it started bleeding! Mum was fine and we went for a coffee afterwards. She's got to go for blood tests tomorrow and may be referred to an ENT specialist so that they can cauterise the blood vessel.

It's good to actually have the photos to remember how funny it was.

xx

Project Life Week 1

2012-01-10T14:13:00.000Z

I started Project Life last year in May but didn't get very far with it :o( However, I've decided to start again this year and, so far, it's good. I'm not sure that I'll post every week as most of my photos will have been on the blog already but for now I'm happy that I've got the first week done and the second week has the photos to date already in. I'd love to be able to keep this up all year and finally have a year documented. Wish me luck ;o)

I know there will be a lot of photos of Alice in this album as she's a big part of my life at the moment seeing as she's here three days a week. It'll be fun for her to be able to look back at it when she's a bit older and see what we did.

I'm using the Clementine kit at the moment - I downloaded it from Jessica Sprague.com and have printed and cut out what I wanted to use so far. I may continue this way or see if I can order the journalling cards on Amazon next month when they are supposed to be available.

xx

9:365(+1)

2012-01-10T08:38:00.001Z

Day 9: Shows everyday life at our house while Alice is here :) Aunty Em coming home from school always brings a big smile to Alice's face.

Alice loves all the animals at our house - we have 4 cats and a dog! She is forever following the cats, normally as they try to escape ;o) She is actually very good with the cats and quite gentle but the fact that she's quite loud and vocal while stroking them is probably why they try to escape!

And finally, the bump she had on Sunday wasn't as bad as originally thought. You can see the little cut above her eyebrow. Fortunately, it looks like it'll heal nicely and there isn't much bruising. It really doesn't seem to bother her at all.

xx

Day 8

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000Z

We attended the Christening of my friend Pam's granddaughter. It was a lovely service and we were able to take some photos afterwards.Unfortunately my photos didn't turn out very well and I wish I had taken my bigger camera instead of my point and shoot. Never mind, the occassion has been captured and will be going in my Project Life album :)

Photo posted by Craig on Facebook just after her fall :o(

Unfortunately, a little while before the Christening Alice had a fall and went into their glass TV unit and cut her eyebrow. She was obviously upset and no doubt shocked but Claire and Craig managed to stop the bleeding and Craig put a bandage over the cut. She seemed okay by the time they got to the Christening. Poor little thing, I hope she doesn't end up with a black eye!

xx

Day 7

2012-01-08T07:00:00.000Z

Pancakes for breakfast

Emily couldn't make up her mind what she wanted for breakfast but settled on pancakes. We haven't made them for ages so they made a change. I used Jamie Oliver's 'one cup' pancake recipe for the first time and they worked out quite well.

UPDATE : RECIPE ADDED

Sweet Tea, here's the recipe for you :o)

One Cup Pancakes

Use a cup to measure the ingredients, doesn't matter what size so long as you use the same cup to measure both the flour and milk.

1 cup Self Raising flour

1 cup Milk

1 egg

Pinch of salt

& I added 1 Tbsp sugar

Mix them all together until well blended. Melt some butter in the frying pan and add small ladle fulls of batter (this makes small pancakes). When bubbles form on top, turn and cook on the other side. Should be golden brown on both sides. Really easy.

xx

Day 6

2012-01-07T07:00:00.000Z

My photo for the 6th :o)

Alice and I made cookies together yesterday, she enjoyed watching everything being added to the mixer and it going round and round but I think, more than that, she enjoyed gettting to eat the mixture off the beater once I'd finished.

I thought it might be best to strap her in to her highchair before letting her have the beater otherwise I would have been covered in cookie dough too ;o)

First taste she had to make sure she liked it

Yes, it's good!

The finished cookies weren't too bad either :o)

And after showing these photos I thought you might like the recipe too.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Mary Berry recipe)

100g (4 oz) butter, softened
75g (3 oz) caster sugar
50g (2 oz) light muscovado sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, beaten
150g (5 oz) self-raising flour
100g (4 oz) plain chocolate chips (or milk chocolate if you prefer)

Lightly grease baking trays (or line with parchment paper).
Pre-heat oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5.
Measure the butter and sugars into a medium bowl and beat thoroughly with a hand held electric mixer or wooden spoon until evenly blended.
Add the vanilla extract to the beaten egg and then add these gradually to the butter and sugar mixture in the bowl, beating well between each addition.
Next, mix in the flour and lastly stir in the chocolate chips.
Spoon large teaspoons of the mixture on to the prepared baking trays, leaving room for the cookies to spread.
Bake in the top of the oven for about 8 - 10 minutes, until the cookies are golden. (Mine took closer to 12 minutes so time will vary depending on your oven) Watch them carefully as they can turn dark brown very quickly (which one batch did while I took Alice out of her chair - they still taste good though).
Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for a few minutes, then lift off with a palette knife and place on a wire cooling rack.
Leave to cool completely then store in an airtight tin. (They are delicious warm too ;o) ).

Enjoy!

xx

Day 5

2012-01-06T07:30:00.000Z

Day 5's photo is a tough one because, in a way I'd like to use two. I'm ok with that and I'll tell you why.

The photo above was taken when I met my sister, Kay at Costa's (we were actually drinking it in the store but for some reason the Barista had made it in a take away cup. Not serious, it tasted just as good!) Kay and I had agreed to meet up last Sundayas she had the day off and I don't have Alice on a Thursday. She asked where I wanted to meet and I had to go for Costa's because it gave me a chance to have their Black Forest Hot Chocolate one more time. Hugh introduced it to me just before Christmas and it is delicious! It just feels like the right thing to have at this time of year and I'll be sad when it's gone! So that was photo #1.

Photo #2 is the one I should be using because we had double glazing fitted. Just over four years we downsized after Jon had been out of work for a while. This house was the first one we viewed and I knew it was the one for us that first day. I love it's location and I love the fact that we get sun in the back garden virtually all day (when it's sunny ;o) ). That first day as I stepped out the back door, I could imagine myself sitting on the back steps with a cup of tea/coffee. I'm so glad we got it - it may be quite a lot smaller than our last house but it feels right, it's cosy and it's home.

However, when we moved in, the house had been extended and in the new part of the house all the windows were double glazed. In the original part the windows hadn't been changed and were still single windows in wooden frames. It was something we knew we would have to change at some time and it's taken us four years to get there but they are finally done and I'm looking forward to seeing whether it makes much difference or not. In winter, opening the curtains in the lounge first thing in the morning you were subjected to a blast of cold air from the bay window. I wonder if that will still be the case!

The bay window and this kitchen window were top priority in my books. Why this kitchen window? The frame had rotted quite badly and when we had really heavy rain it would sometimes come through onto the window sill - no more :) It's feels quite silly to be this happy about windows but I am!

xx

PS The downside to all this? The new kitchen window made me realise that the other kitchen window was in dire need of a clean so this afternoon I have cleaned it, and cleaned through all the cupboards underneath it, and now feel the need to go through all the other kitchen cupboards lol!!

Day 4

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000Z

Yesterday was Emily's first day back at school in the new year. And yes, the sky really was that colour! The photo was taken as Emily was leaving for school, just before 8am.

And I can't resist posting this photo that Claire posted (as her photo for the day) on Facebook yesterday morning. This was Alice with amazing bed head hair when she woke up :o)
Too cute!! Thanks Claire :o)

And finally, thank you to everyone who visited Norma's blog yesterday, she got a lovely surprise when she saw all the comments!

xx

My sister's new blog :)

2012-01-04T13:33:00.004Z

Norma and Emily (Oxford, England July 2011)

If you read my blog fairly regularly, you'll know that I have a sister, called Norma, who lives in South Africa and comes to visit us as often as we can get her to ;o) Well, today she left a comment on my previous post letting me know that she's started blogging again. She's started before and then dropped out. So, I'm posting about her new blog here and asking you to pop over to visit it and leave her a comment. If she knows people are popping in, hopefully, she'll be more inclined to carry on. I'm sure once she gets into the swing of it, her blog will be fantastic and, as a bonus, she enjoys crafting (which will be a plus for some of you). For the family reading my blog, pop over and say hi to Norma too, I'm sure she'd love to hear from you :o).

Her blog can be found here

Day 3

2012-01-04T08:30:00.000Z

Yesterday we woke to very strong blustery winds and heavy squally rain. Looking outside we could see that a large section of the covering on the roof of the shed had been blown off but fortunately nothing worse than that. Mum phoned shortly afterwards to say their side fence had blown down and they were trying to prop it up again. The afternoon was a bit brighter but still had heavy showers from time to time.

Yesterday afternoon also saw the Christmas tree and decorations come down and be packed away. With Emily going back to school tomorrow, it felt like the right time to pack away the Christmas things. On with the new year now :)

xx

Day 2

2012-01-03T08:30:00.000Z

Claire went back to work yesterday, so I had Alice :) And. when Alice comes round, the toys come out. This is just a small selection of them next to the Christmas tree.
xx

Photo a Day : Day 1

2012-01-02T20:09:00.000Z

I'd been toying with the idea of doing Photo a Day again this year and seeing if I can actually make it the whole way through the year. Perhaps if I look to post them on the blog I'll be better at keeping up? I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do with the photos or how they'll be recorded or if they'll just be on my blog. I guess I've still got time to work that one out :)

For now, here's the first photo:

My Mum playing with Alyssa yesterday afternoon. We had a farewell tea for my brother, who is on his way to Australia as I type, and I had been going to use a photo of him for this post but somehow never actually took one of him. So, Mum playing with her second youngest great grandchild was my next choice. (Mum and Dad have six great grandchildren :) )

xx

Our best Christmas present :)

2011-12-30T08:19:00.000Z

Alice started walking on Christmas afternoon while round at her Nanny Linda's house. Claire and Craig brought her round the next morning so we could see :) She is just sooo cute!
xx

Photo recap of the last two weeks

2011-12-24T17:39:00.001Z

I can't believe we're at Christmas Eve already, the last two weeks have gone by so quickly. Emily broke up from school but I've still been having Alice three days a week. Claire has had to work the early shift the last week or so which has meant picking Alice up at 7.45am. She's no problem (apart from wanting to get in to all the cupboards) and is quite at home here.

After going for a walk she was waiting for me to sort out her pram before we went back inside.

We've been to a local garden centre and had a look at all the Christmas decorations.

Emily took on the task of decorating the tree this year

and did a great job.

Alice had her first haircut when we went to get ours cut. Just the fringe was trimmed so it's no longer in her eyes :)

I finally got round to writing and posting all my Christmas cards (overseas ones may be a bit late - sorry!)

Claire and Alice have joined Mum and me at Starbucks for a coffee, after the weekly shop, a couple of times.

Alice has been round for a sleepover :) while Claire and Craig went out.

Emily and I went down to see Joshua as Michael Darling in Peter Pan. He was fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed the play. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take photos and although I took a photo of one of the publicity photos I'm not sure if I can post it here because of copyright.

We also managed to spend some time with Michelle and Lily (though Lily slept virtually the whole time we were with them) and I did manage to get some more cuddles.

We stayed overnight in Eastleigh and then travelled back the following day - arriving back in time for our Tesco Christmas shopping delivery.

I've finished all my wrapping and some of the presents are under the tree. We've just got back from the Crib Service at Church and are ready for tomorrow to be here :)

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and all the very best for 2012.

xx

2011-12-07T08:30:00.000Z

Who knew that being a Grandma was so much fun! We've loved watching Alice grow and develop and she really has brought sunshine to everyone who knows her. My parents (her great grandparents) love her weekly visits to them and I know Craig's family also love getting to see her. I feel so lucky to be able to look after her while Claire goes to work, such a precious little girl!
xx

December 2011 Album (Days 1 - 5)

2011-12-06T16:36:00.001Z

I've finally got round to taking photos of the pages made so far (thanks Mum for letting me borrow your easel!)

As I've said before, my album is going to be very simple because that's the only way I'll keep up and finish it. I had been going to type up my journalling but have decided to go hand written instead, so everything could be stuck down and all I need to do is write on the cards each day. Other than the journalling all each layout needs is a photo to be stuck in and the number put on the tree. The only reason I haven't stuck the numbers on the trees is that I've found I've needed to swap pages around a couple of times already. I'm enjoying it being stress free this year :)

You should be able to click on the photos if you want to see them clearer.

xx

And can I just add, this is probably the most patterned paper you'll ever have seen in one of my albums. A bit out of my comfort zone :)

Today

2011-12-06T13:58:00.001Z

Taken with my iPhone

This morning Claire, Alice and I had a quick trip to Asda and on the way back stopped in to Sainsbury's so I could get a few bits. Alice had been asleep when we got there but woke when I took the shopping back to the car, so Claire and I decided to pop into Starbucks for a Gingerbread Latte and a free mince pie - the Starbucks special today :) Unfortunately my point and shoot's battery went flat so I had to use my iPhone to get this shot and I'm so glad I did :)

Lily Isabelle

2011-12-04T19:52:00.001Z

Emily, Jon and I drove to Eastleigh today to meet Lily Isabelle for the first time. What a beautiful, contented little girl she is and today, although she is still recovering from her C Section, Michelle glowed with the joy of motherhood. I don't know if I've ever seen her so relaxed and serene before. She is plainly in love with her beautiful daughter and we can see and understand why :)

I'm going to let the photos do the talking in this post (because my computer has been playing up and I'm getting frustrated with it tonight!). Suffice to say, we each got a chance to have some cuddles with this beautiful new addition to the family and are looking forward to lots more!

Lily Isabelle

My turn for a cuddle :)

Grandpa's turn

and Aunty Em's.

Time for Mummy to have her back :)

And look at all that hair!! :)

And finally, I am up to date with my December album and will be posting the pages soon (once I've worked out how to photograph them as I'm doing a small double spread for each day. I think I need an easel or something similar to pop them up against. As soon as I've worked it out, they'll be on my blog.

Hope you've had a good weekend.

01 December :)

2011-12-01T17:03:00.001Z

Taken at the County Mall this morning

Emily came down this morning in a very good mood - why? because it's the first of December and she'd opened the first door on her Advent calendar :)

I then had a text from Claire to tell me Alice was very happy to have a chocolate out of her Advent calendar this morning :) and Claire is now feeling festive. I'm told Craig is even talking about putting up their Christmas tree this weekend (but we won't tell Emily that one! Our tree goes up 12 days before Christmas but I know she'd love it to be earlier!).

This morning, Mum and I went Christmas shopping - ready for the long haul! I don't have much left to do but did pick up a few more presents today, which can be ticked off my list :)
Now I don't want to jinx things but I am feeling slightly more organised this year. I think perhaps it's knowing I have Alice three times a week and, therefore, need to be more organised.

Whatever it is, I'm hoping for a fairly stress free December and the chance to keep up with Journal Your Christmas/December Daily. I'm still not 100% how I'm doing this but think it'll be a combination of the two.

xx

Lily Isabelle

2011-11-25T11:16:00.001Z

Earlier this morning we became grandparents again. Lily Isabelle was born to Jon's daughter Michelle and her husband Matthew and weighed in at 10lb 4oz. Lily will be a little sister for Josh (9) and I just know he's going to be such a good big brother to her. We're excited to get to see all the family and to meet Lily soon.

At this stage I don't have any photos but you can bet as soon as I have, I'll post one here :) *Photo now added :)

Huge congratulations to Michelle and Matthew. Well done, Michelle, we're really proud of you, time to now enjoy cuddles with your new daugher :)

December album

2011-11-22T14:17:00.001Z

Today I started putting together an album for December. I'm still not 100% sure how I'm playing it this year but just getting it finished would be good! I've decided to keep it small and simple using a 6 x 6 American Crafts album and keeping the template the same, though the page with the photos can be turned for either portrait or landscape shots.

This gives an idea of what the finished pages will look like.
xx

Because my last post didn't have a photo ;o)

2011-11-21T16:10:00.001Z

iPhone photos from today :o)

Alice's hair is starting to get in her eyes so today I tied it up while she had her lunch

Going for a walk this afternoon - I put the mittens on first and both they and the hat stayed on the whole way round.

xx

PS If you're in the UK, please still read the post below. Thanks :o)

Online scrapbook shops

2011-11-21T11:16:00.001Z

Just a quick post.

I used to shop online at Artbase but it seems to no longer be online. Does anyone else buy scrapbook supplies online in the UK and if so, could you please let me know which online shop you use. I know there are a number around but I don't have the time at the moment to look through all of them.

Thanks :)
xx

Alice's first year (photo heavy)

2011-11-20T18:11:00.001Z

Can you believe Alice is now one year old!

I thought I'd take the opportunity to choose a random photo from each month of her first year (plus a couple more ;o) )

Just minutes old and who could have guessed how much we'd all love her and enjoy spending as much time as possible with her. I became a bragging Grandma overnight :o)

With Uncle Hugh

and Aunty Em.

We were so lucky to have Claire, Craig and Alice living with us and getting to spend so much time with the new family.

Christmas Day 2010

2 months old

3 months old

With Great Aunty Debbie at 4 months

5 months

6 months

At 7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

And on Friday, ONE YEAR OLD :o)

Trying to open presents with her teeth lol!

It was so lovely to spend time with Alice on her first birthday. Claire had a little party at the flat for her friends with children, in the morning, and then we had a family tea at our house in the afternoon.

Thank you Alice for such a fun filled year, you've brought so much joy to our lives and I feel so very lucky to be your Grandma. I can't wait to watch you grow and develop over the coming year and spend lots more time with you. I love you more than I could have imagined xxx

Cranberry Sauce

2011-11-17T08:30:00.000Z

A couple of years ago Ruth did a post about a cranberry sauce she made using Nigella Lawson's recipe. I tried it that year and have made it each year since. So, when I saw Sainsbury's had fresh cranberries in this week, I bought a couple of bags and decided to make some this week. One portion is not enough so this year I made one and a half times the recipe but should maybe have done double quantities instead. However, I'll be looking forward to having this with Christmas lunch again this year. Thanks for sharing, Ruth :)

Redder than Red Cranberry Sauce
From Nigella Lawson's "Nigella's Christmas Kitchen 2007"

12oz/340g Fresh Cranberries
7oz/200g Caster Sugar
3 Tbsp/45ml Cherry Brandy
4 fl.oz/75ml Water
Lemon juice, optional

Place all the ingredients in a pan and cook until the liquids have reduced to a thick Cranberry Sauce.

The pectin-rich nature of the fruit means that it solidifies briskly as it cools, so take the pan off the heat to stop it from cooking and reducing when you still think there's too much liquid. Once the berries have burst, which should be after about 10 minutes, it should be ready.

Taste to test whether the sauce needs more sugar (if you find it too sweet just add some lemon juice).

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

And finally, my photo for the recipe book :)

Keeping me busy

2011-11-16T09:32:00.001Z

We moved into our house in December 2007. We moved from a larger house and, although we had got rid of quite a lot before moving, we ended up with boxes in the garage. Nearly four years later those boxes are still in the garage and each time I walk in it bugs me.

This week Claire had a weeks holiday and I'm not looking after Alice so it seemed like the ideal time to get stuck in in the garage and go through the boxes. I ordered a skip, which was delivered on Monday morning, but by yesterday afternoon I'd filled it.

I have been quite ruthless - after all, if it's been sitting in the garage for four years and we haven't really missed it we probably don't need it.

Unfortunately, I haven't finished yet. There is still quite a bit I could get rid of and at the moment I'm debating whether I should get another skip or not. Our problem is that we have a number of old computer monitors, computers, TVs, printers and even a fax machine but these are items listed as not to be put in the skip unless you have prior written agreement. I now have to phone the skip company and find out whether it'll cost more to dispose of those things. Another option may be to call the council and see if they'll do a collection. Regardless, I'm feeling happier when I walk in the garage as it's not as cluttered as before which has to be a good thing.
xx

Our weekend

2011-11-15T08:29:00.001Z

Our weekend. On Saturday afternoon my nephew, Kyle and his girlfriend, Emma, came round with a birthday present for Alice and, as Craig was playing football in Eastbourne, Claire and Alice came round to spend some time with us too.

We decided that Alice could open a couple of birthday presents early so she could take them home to play with.

She got one from us

which I think she liked (even if it gets used as a walker half the time)

And she got the playtime bus from Kyle and Emma :)

We had cakes

And Emily took this photo of Jon on Rememberance Sunday.

There was also grocery shopping to do, birthday cards to be bought, meals to be made and washing to be done. All in all, a good weekend that went too quickly.

Fairy cakes

2011-11-14T08:56:00.001Z

I'm still hugely inspired by the recipe book Sarah (Clover Lane) made using Blurb. I would love to make one and have now started taking photos of recipes I make. This weekend it was chocolate fairy cakes - I have tried a number of different recipes but come back to this simple recipe time and again.

Fairy cakes (makes 12)

125g marg
125g castor sugar
125g self raising flour (for chocolate cakes I use 95g SR flour and 30g cocoa powder)
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 220C/400F/Gas 6
Put cake cases in to muffin tin
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until the mixture is very soft and you can't see any lumps of marg.
Spoon into paper cases
Bake for 10 - 15 minutes
Leave on a wire rack to cool before icing.

Chocolate buttercream icing

85g soft butter
150g icing sugar
25g cocoa powder
1Tbsp milk (or I used coffee for a slight difference)

Mix all ingredients together until mixture is smooth.
Pipe on to fairy cakes and top with a Malteser.

Enjoy :)

xx

Hugh and Alice

2011-11-09T09:00:00.000Z

I had forgotten I'd taken these photos until I was downloading the Halloween layout photos yesterday. They were taken last Wednesday when Hugh was playing with Alice at lunch time.

I just LOVE all these photos and the expressions on Alice's face. I think the top one is one of my current favourites!
xx

Halloween layout

2011-11-08T17:03:00.002Z

I wanted to make sure I recorded Alice's first Halloween so made this layout quickly today.

xx

PS. I know from a distance the patterned paper looks a bit like a cow print but it's actually little ghosts saying Boo!

Our little bookworm :)

2011-11-04T09:07:00.000Z

One of the things Alice loves when she comes round is to sit and look at all her books. They're one of the first things she goes for and we end up with them all out the basket and on the floor.

Worth taking a look at.

2011-11-03T09:17:00.004Z

This photo is of "Herman, the German Friendship Cake" which I made a few weeks ago, (not actually anything to do with Sarah's blog) because I can't post without a photo.

I've been reading Sarah's blog, Clover Lane for a little while now but her post this morning blew me away. What a fantastic idea - if you like cooking, go and see what she's done with her recipes :).
Thanks Sarah, for sharing this with everyone.
xx

This got the neighbours talking ....

2011-11-03T09:01:00.000Z

A new decoration on the tree at the end of our road this morning!

Eyebrows raised and tongues wagging ;-)

Sweet Pumpkin :)

2011-11-01T13:14:00.001Z

We had a visit from our sweet little Pumpkin last night :) Some of these photos fall into the "not perfect" category as they're a bit grainy or blurred but I love them all and just looking at them make me smile :) (I may be slightly biased where this little Pumpkin is concerned though!)

Mummy and Daddy took Alice Trick or Treating last night. They had already been to visit my parents and had another three stops after us.

Alice was fascinated by our singing pumpking (which gets quite annoying after a while lol!)

Look at that little tongue! So cute!

It didn't take her too long to work out there was something in that pumpkin ;-)

Also didn't take her too long to empty said things on to the floor lol!

Aunty Em had to help unwrap one of the chocolate lollies before she ate the paper

On the move again and evidence of chocolate eating on the leaves.

Love you little Pumpkin :) xxx

Memories

2011-10-31T13:25:00.001Z

On Friday, Mum and I had a trip to the South African shop in Redhill :)

I had only been going for a few bits but ended up leaving with three bags full of goodies ;-)

Biltong

As we walked round the shop we were both going "remember ....." or "remember when we had ....." One chocolate bar in particular used to be my treat for the week, I'd buy a chocolate bar and the weekly magazine and eat the chocolate while reading it. I just have to see it to remember that.

Needless to say, some chocolate managed to find it's way into the bag and the Cream Soda at the back is what Hugh and Claire used to drink when they were little. The Cream Soda they have here in the UK is quite different to our South African one so when I go I have to buy at least two bottles.

Funnily enough, peanut butter was never really something we had when I was growing up (I don't think Mum likes it) but I've always quite liked it and my children also do. However, again, we like the South African Black Cat version (though can happily eat local brands when we don't have Black Cat).

Are there any foods that have a strong memory for you?

xx

10 Random Facts about me

2011-10-28T09:00:00.000+01:00

I was reading Crafty Pin Pin's blog today and saw her post about 10 things about herself and thought I'd give it a try.

1. I'm as blind as a bat without my glasses/contact lenses.
2. I was born in Scotland, moved to South Africa when I was 3 then came to England 20 years ago.
3. Next year I'll have been married half my life.
4. I'm the fourth of five children (I have 2 sisters and 2 brothers).
5. I haven't worked since Hugh was born but used to be a secretary.
6. I used to crochet baby matinee jackets for the teachers at school when I was about 10.
7. I love reading magazines.
8. I never thought I'd enjoy reading books on Kindle on my iPad but I'm now hooked!
9. I don't watch much TV but do enjoy Doc Martin, Greys Anatomy and Extreme Makeover Home.
10. I enjoy listening to music and a few of my favourites at the moment are Christina Perri, Joshua Radin, Lady Antebellum and Ben's Brother.

Not as difficult as I thought it might be.
xx

So Happy :)

2011-10-27T16:18:00.001+01:00

I haven't been able to get this for ages!!

but today it was back on the shelf at Waitrose - which makes me so happy!! Nothing nicer than a cup of Turkish Delight Hot Chocolate on a cold night, mmmmm :)

And a couple of photos of Jon opening cards and presents yesterday.

He had a good birthday and we had a lovely meal out with Emily and my Mum and Dad (but I forgot to take my camera).

Quieter day today - coffee with friends this morning; a quick visit to Claire and Alice to see how Alice is - she's not been 100%, has been very clingy and has a runny nose. We think she may be teething again but she's definitely not her normal happy self :( Now to go and make a start on the last six months filing!

xx

Don't faint ...

2011-10-26T13:35:00.001+01:00

I've actually completed a layout this morning!! Last night I was looking at Amy's page on Simple Aussie Girls and thought it was really time I tried to do some more layouts for Alice's album. This morning I chose a couple of photos, matched the cardstock with the shoes and this is the result. Unfortunately I can't get the colour to show as it is in real life, which is more of a raspberry pink, but you get the idea anyway. As usual it's a very simple layout, which is what I like.
xx

Happy Birthday, Jon!

2011-10-26T09:09:00.000+01:00

Happy Birthday to my husband, Jon

(Photo was taken a couple of weeks ago when he was working from home, in the garden. I'm happy to say that the beard has now gone again ;-) )

Luckily Jon is working from home again this week and so gets to spend his birthday with us. We will be going out for dinner tonight to celebrate.

Alyssa's Two :)

2011-10-25T20:22:00.000+01:00

As I mentioned earlier, this afternoon we went to Theresa's house to celebrate Alyssa's 2nd birthday. The birthday girl was in her party dress which was obviously a huge hit as she came to show me the pretty flowers on it a number of times during the afternoon :) She was also excited to open her presents

The pink kettle she had been wanting which Great Grandma and Great Grandpa gave her.

Luckily Nanny (my sister, Kay) was on hand to help with getting things out of the packaging.

Claire has this week off work so she and Alice were there to join in with the fun

A happy birthday girl with her new pink kettle and her baby doll car seat (which I had been told she had been wanting for ages ;-) )

Big brother, Tyler, who was looking very cool with his hair gelled for the occasion.

Great Grandma (my Mum) and Alyssa

Time for birthday cake!

Alyssa and Mummy/Theresa

At one stage the older children had asked Theresa to put on Justin's House (I'm sure Mums of young children in the UK will know this programme). Alice loves Mr Tumble and Justin and plonked herself down with the other children to watch too :)

xx

Thank you

2011-10-25T12:16:00.000+01:00

Thank you for the comments on yesterday's post :)

I have to admit this is one of my favourite quilts so far, I love that the colours are bright but still very girly and look forward to seeing Lily playing on it.

Fortunately, Michelle likes it too :) :) She said she had wondered if she would get a quilt for Lily but didn't want to ask because she knows I've been quite busy. No need to worry, I couldn't have not made one :)

Emily and I made it home this morning but I had one eye on my dashboard virtually the whole way home as the engine warning light came on just before we got to Eastleigh yesterday and has stayed on ever since :( The car had a major service last week and I had really hoped that the couple of issues I had had with it had been sorted but unfortunately the jerking it had been doing was still there and now the new engine warning! I've been in touch with the garage and it's going back in again tomorrow so let's hope it will come back a happy car after that!

For today though, we're looking forward to going round to Theresa's for Alyssa's second birthday tea. Normally I say I can't believe ***** is ** years old but in this case I think, is she really only turning two!! Looking forward to a fun afternoon and I'm sure I'll have more photos to share soon.

Monday

2011-10-24T17:04:00.000+01:00

Today Emily and I are in Eastleigh (between Winchester and Southampton) visiting Jon's daughter, Michelle, and her family. As you may remember, Michelle is expecting her second child in November and now has less than 5 weeks to go :). Part of the reason for our trip, other than to see them, is to take down some baby clothes from Claire, which Alice has outgrown. With them both born in November (all going well) the ages and seasons will tie in perfectly.

However, what Michelle didn't know is that I've been sewing every chance I get for the last week or so to get this little quilt finished for Lily. I've found over time that there are no guarantees when looking for fabric for baby quilts. On some occassions I have battled to find anything I like but, fortunately, that wasn't the case this time. I look for my border fabric first and then choose the other fabrics from the colours used in the border. This quilt has turned out to be lovely and bright and I really hope both Michelle and Lily will like it.

The back of the quilt is made of polka dot fabric which is so cute!

All boxed up and ready to take :)

Just a few photos

2011-10-23T17:25:00.000+01:00

It's been a fairly busy week but I have remembered to take a few photos (even if some were only with my iPhone).

This is what our lounge tends to look like when Alice is coming round :)

If Alice is awake when Aunty Em gets home from school, they've started having a biscuit together

A cheeky, chocolatey face :)

This last one makes me laugh. I'd taken the fleece blanket from the top of the cage (which Tom normally lies on) to put in the car while I took Cloud to the dog parlour. Tom wasn't very impressed and decided to go in Cloud's cage instead!

xx

5 minutes with Alice

2011-10-12T08:35:00.001+01:00

I know it's been a while and there has been a lot going on but, to be honest, I've lost my blogging mojo. I mean to sit down and post something but life is busy and often gets in the way ;-). I'm going to try and improve (but then I also need to remember to take my camera with me and take photos). For now though, here are a few photos taken in 5 minutes while Alice was here. She is on the go all the time and is the sweetest little girl :)

She finally started crawling properly a few weeks ago and has got really fast at it too!

Walkers come in handy for pulling yourself up on and then walking while pushing them ;)

Back down and what to do next?

A quick game on the iPad

Not so happy when she closes the cover and the game disappears though! At this stage she realised I was taking photos and crawled over to see what shots I'd managed to capture - she loves looking at the photos on the screen on the back of the camera, especially when there's a baby she can wave to :)

And finally a couple of photos from the garden.

Our rose has a few blooms on it again. I love this yellow rose and the scent is wonderful.

This was taken just before the strong winds blew most of the leaves off the acer. We've had such a beautiful display of colour on it this year.

In the evenings I have been doing some of my log cabin quilt. I think I have about another 14 squares to go and then the joining up begins. Once I get to this stage it will look more interesting and I'll be able to post some photos.

But now, I'm off to get ready to go and pick Alice up for our next day of fun together.
xx

A trip to Tulleys Farm

2011-09-16T16:00:00.000+01:00

This morning Alice and I met up with Theresa, Alyssa and Chloe (a little girl Theresa looks after) at Tulleys Farm, which is about 10 minutes from where we live. Alice isn't sleeping as much during the day now so I'm trying to think of places to go and things to do with her.

Tulleys was fairly busy; a lot of Mum's with young children making the most of the dry weather. We found a table where we could leave the buggies and then took the children to play. Alice was happy sitting in the bark chips with Chloe (who is a couple of weeks older than her but about half her size ;) )while Alyssa played on the slides.

Unfortunately, both Alice and Chloe were more intent on eating the bark chips than playing with them!

After the girls had all had a turn on the little slides and the baby swing we sat down to give them a snack. By this stage the sun had come out and it was actually quite warm.

Alyssa tried all the little snacks I'd taken for Alice and enjoyed them but Theresa said if she gave her the same snacks at home, chances are she wouldn't eat them. Why do children do that? I remember mine being exactly the same.

And this photo was a total fluke ;-) I held the camera out in front of us and took a photo. Normally I cut heads off when I do that but this one turned out well and I acutally like it :-)

Have a good weekend.
xx

This video clip is amazing!!

2011-09-13T13:00:00.001+01:00

This video was sent through to Jon by his brother, Jerry. What an amazing man and how inspirational. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.
xx

A few photos from today :)

2011-09-12T19:40:00.000+01:00

Who knew that being a grandma was so much fun! :)

Alice Rose you bring so much sunshine into our lives, we love you so much and are so lucky to have you in our family.
xx

First day back at school

2011-09-07T11:09:00.002+01:00

Yesterday was Emily's first day back at school and the start of her GCSE years. She was a bit nervous going back but had had a good day and had lots to tell when she got home.

In the meantime, I got stuck in in her bedroom trying to pack and sort stuff in preparation for her room makeover. We're going to paint the walls and get some new furniture and, hopefully, put down carpet as the laminate flooring makes the room very cold in winter. I hadn't finished by the time she got home but then had other things to do, so it got left. I won't get much done today because Alice is here but will hopefully have cleared it by Thursday, ready for painting next week :)

The house doesn't know what's hit it in the last few weeks ;) I think I must be having an Autumn clean instead of a Spring clean.
xx

Alice walking with her walker

2011-09-03T14:06:00.000+01:00

I know the quality of the video isn't brilliant (it was taken with my iPhone) but she's so cute I thought it was worth putting up anyway :) However, you may want to turn down the sound otherwise you're going to hear me talking the whole way through :op xx

4D Scan

2011-09-01T13:34:00.000+01:00

When Michelle went for her 20 week scan she had really been hoping she would find out whether they would have a boy or a girl but, unfortunately, baby wasn't co-operating that day and they came away none the wiser.

Well, yesterday, that changed when Michelle and Matthew paid to have a private scan to determine the baby's sex. We had thought it would just be a standard scan again but it turned out it was a 4D scan. Michelle sent me though some of the scan photos and I've played around with these two in Photoshop Elements to try and get a clearer picture for the blog.

We're so looking forward to welcoming Lily in November :) Having seen the scans though it feels like a long time to wait still. No doubt time will fly and she'll be here before we know it.

Now we can start buying girly things again :) :)

Keeping busy

2011-08-26T11:12:00.002+01:00

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

2011-08-24T16:07:00.000+01:00

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