May in Review

 thought...
everything will work out in the end....

a sound...
of three little girls playing together

a taste...
of scrummy food cooked on the bbq

an image...
picnic in the woods

a scent...
the garden after a heavy rainfall

a word...
happiness

a touch...
a baby curled up asleep next to me

a gift for me...
releasing my fears

a post you may have missed...
list 4: things I love and garden fun

it looks like...............

I've got some catching up to do!!! How has so long gone by since I blogged last?? Been immeresed in the 'real' world and have lost track of this virutal one!!! We have family here visiting so will do some blogging once they have gone!

International Postcard Swap update... part 2!!

 there were squeals of excitement yesterday when the postman brought us the first postcard from the postcard swap we took part in. it had come from the yorkshire dales, from liz, thomas and alexander..

there was more excitement today when another arrived all the way from north carolina, usa from the anderson family.

we're eagerly awaiting the arrival of the rest of the postcards... and will be signing up to take part in the swap again next time! (if you want to be informed of the next one... sign up here)

List 4: Things I love

in no particular order

•  choco tea

• scarves

• being barefoot

• tattoos

•  incense 

• coffee

• imperfection

• Kerouac

• dancing in the rain

• junk shops

• bonfires

• expressing yourself

• late, late nights

• authenticity

• books

• impulsiveness

• escaping Time

• candles

(4 down.... 48 to go!)

Rethinking Everything Magazine

I've just recieved a free trial issue of 'Rethinking Everything Magazine', which is a small, independent magazine dedicated to sharing stories of incredible, life-altering change.  It was co-founded by two inspiring women, both mothers and advocates of living and learning outside the box.

I've only had chance to read the first two articles so far, and scan through the rest of the magazine, but I am amazed by the effect this little has had on me already. 

Throughout the message that comes across is: owning our own lives, stepping outside our comfort zones, tuning into and honoring ourselves and loved ones, finding our own way  for change ready to emerge a happier, more whole and wildly passionate person.

 Go see what it's all about for yourself!!

{this moment}

inspired by SouleMama a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week

Papier Mache

another rainy day here, so after thinking about what we could do that didn't involve getting wet agian, i thought that as lola and kiki both have an abundance of 'things' (jewellry, notes, pretty girlie things!) and they both love baskets/bowls (wonder who they get that from?!?) i thought it'd be fun to make them each a papier mache bowl

'papier mache' is french for 'chewed up paper' - hmm, doesn't sound quite so nice put like that! it dates back hundreds of years (for more history on papier mache go here)

so, we got our bowls, our adhesive (2 parts glue to 1 part water) lots of ripped up newpaper and  some clingfilm, put on our aprons and set about making a mess and having some fun!

a

all ready to start!

after we'd finished the bowls, we still had some paper left, so we made some beads, by wrapping a piece of paper around a straw. kiki needed some help as these were rather fiddly to do!

b

beads and bowls drying

now we just have to wait until they're all dry so we can paint and decorate them!

i found this site here that has some helpful advice about papier mache, as well as tutorials for various things to make.

Thankful Anyway Thursday

some days just seem to be hard. some days i don't feel like i'm the best mama, the best wife, the best me.

but today i am thankful anyway for:

a husband who gives me an extra hour in bed in a morning after i've been up all night with the baby

the look of happiness on said baby's face when she comes to find me in bed

 

2 girls busy amusing themselves while i'm on here blogging

little signs of love made just for me

More garden fun

We finally got our shed yesterday, so whilst my lovely husband spent the day putting it together, I spent the day sorting out all the outdoor stuff that was crammed into the conservatory!! The girls spent hours washing the slide, see-saw and anything else that was outside - someone poured a WHOLE bottle of washing up liquid ino the bucket! But hey, they had a great time!

  shed viewed from the woods

garden from the decking

Once the shed was all built, I moved all the bikes and scooters into it, freeing up the playhouse at  long last. The playhouse now has a new home in the woods, and the girls were all excited to finally have it back to play in.

Looking down the woods

Lola in the playhouse!

Now with the garden tidy, I need to get on with the raised beds in preparation for all of our seedlings we're growing!

International Postcard Swap update

We were so excited to recieve our email from Zoe at Playing by the Book with the addresss to send our postcards to! There are a total of 1170 to be sent out in the next week! We are sending postcards to:

• USA
• Canada
• England
• Austrailia
• Israel

We are wondering where our 5 will be coming from?