Linaloo

Lemonaide

A perfect summer memory created this week.  My children have been plotting for a while with our lovely new neighbours to set up a lemonade stand.  I finally relented yesterday and agreed they could try it today and preparations began in earnest immediately.  Along with stand building, price negotiations and profit sharing, there was a huge marketing campaign underway at the pool during their swimming lessons this morning.  Despite nearly being rained out, they set up shop and within 5 minutes there was a steady stream of customers.  It was amazing!
 
I made a few quick phone calls to neighbours to make sure that at least they'd get a few takers, but I was staggered at the amount of people who we didn't know who stopped and supported their little enterprise.  In the end they sold out within an hour and a half and had to turn people away!  Needless to say they were elated with their success and I feel very grateful that we live in an area where people are so kind and generous.

That time of year again

Now that I'm into my third year of blogging I can confidently say that there are definite patterns that seemed to have emerged in our lives.  The most recognizable one for me is that May seems to be a month of huge growth by my children.   I wonder if that's just my family, or whether spring has that effect on all children?  The warmer weather seems to be the catalyst for a period of blossoming where another set of childhood milestones are reached.

Thomas learned to ride without his training wheels this weekend.  It has required much patience (not to mention running!) on the part of his Dad as although all the signs showed he was perfectly ready, he really wasn't too keen after a lot of falling to begin with.  We agreed this morning that he should try one more time and if he still felt scared we'd put the training wheels back on.  By the afternoon it all magically clicked into place and his confidence sky rocketed.

Whilst all this was going on, I was gardening and Ruby, spurred on by a successful culinary venture the night before, had made us all lunch as a surprise.  Tortillas with salami, spinach and cheddar! On Saturday evening she had made spaghetti bolognese with very little assistance from me, using ground beef, onion, carrots, courgettes diced using a pampered chef chopper and homemade canned tomatoes.  After I stopped fretting about her possibly burning herself while stirring on the stove top, I realized that with a little supervision, she was completely fine. She has begged me to let her cook for everyone on Saturdays from now on.

Now I could get used to that.

Special

I have been rather expertly feeling very sorry for myself recently.  A general feeling of gloom mixed with a large dash of lethargy is the best way of summing it up.  My default outlook on life was once set at "glass half empty" but with age and experience, it's a trait which I have largely been able to overcome.  Every once in a while though, it rears its ugly head unexpectedly.  I'm chalking it up to a combination of cabin fever and a touch of the winter blahs.

 
While wallowing away in self pity this week, I received this delightful goodness from Tess, my swap partner for Ali's 7 days of specialness.  I feel very special indeed.  It's quite a haul, and I love all of it.  From the cheery gingham bunting, to the yummy fruit and nut bar (not pictured for um, well, obvious reasons), from the fabulously useful handmade tote to the funky flower brooch,  I feel thoroughly spoiled. 

Thank you Tess for your thoughtfulness and for making my glass much fuller.

Seven

Seven things about my seven year old.

You are impossibly beautiful inside and out. 

You are smart and wise.

You are sometimes shy and sometimes gregarious.

You are sensitive and empathic.

You are brave and determined.

You are fun.

You are so very kind and generous.

Happy birthday Ruby x

A message to Daddy on his birthday

 

200

I know this space has been a little quiet around here for a while and I'm not sure that there's any particular reason other than I haven't really felt in the mood lately. And now I feel rather school-girlishly self conscious posting which, in turn, is annoying me immensely, after all, it's my blog and this is my 200th post.

Are you still following?!

In all seriousness, thank you for reading and commenting here, I'm truly touched by your kindness and words of encouragement.

Here's hoping my blogging mojo comes back soon...

Sweet and Simple

I've not pressured myself to make handmade for everyone this year, but I have made good use of craft show leftovers for teacher gifts. Where we live, it is not uncommon for parents to be very generous with either cash or gift vouchers and I really don't want to compete. So we've opted for simple instead. An appliqued artsy clutch filled with a few different luxury sachets of hot chocolate and chai latte (for the cold mornings in the playground) and a small note from the children to wish them a happy holiday.

Anyhow, I'm catching a plane in a few hours (yay!), so here's wishing you all a very happy holiday season. I'll be back in 2009!

I N S P I R A T I O N G I V E A W A Y

In the spirit of Sew Mama Sew's giveaway day, if you would like to win this little prize consisting of an artsy clutch (of which I've made several this year as an alternative to gift wrap) and a set of four, hand embroidered coasters, please read how to enter below and I will draw a winner on Monday 8th December.

To make things a little more interesting, your comment MUST include a crafty challenge for me to complete after Christmas, whether it be quilting, sewing, knitting or something else - feel free to add links to tutorials or examples. Please note that I will pick a random winner (not simply the idea I like best!) and will complete the challenge by the end of February! Go on, inspire me!

Finally, if the winner is outside of North America I will do my best to get this little package to you by Christmas, but unfortunately cannot guarantee it will make it on time.

Updated 4th December. Woah! I had quite a shock when I logged on to my email yesterday evening! As a result, I'll be changing the time of the draw to midnight EST tonight!

Out of my league

Minor crisis averted when Batman decided he really needed to be Scooby Doo at the eleventh hour - thanks to a friend with a spare costume at the ready. A Dorothy dress (which, by the way, involved humming Somewhere Over the Rainbow the whole time whilst I made it) and Batman cape are within my capabilities, Scooby Doo's clearly way out of my league.

Happy Halloween!

Waste not want not

As always, I'm still on the repurposing, recycling, upcyclying, call-it-what-you-will bandwagon and made some of these last night.

Baubles from last year's Christmas cards. I just need to find some festive ribbon or baker's twine for hanging.

Originally these were inspired by last year's UK Christmas issue of Country Living received in a swap, but there's also a tutorial here. My circles were made with a punch and after a whole hour of head scratching about how to accurately draw an equalateral triangle within a circle, I gave up and eyeballed it. Easy peasy - done in 15 minutes!