hello autumn

hello autumn, my most very favourite month.

this is also time for new beginings, fresh ideas and challenges.

I will be starting an OU course shortly, just a short 10 week one to start with, but I would love to go on to do a degree, something that has always been a dream of mine. Its just the time aspect that worries me, being able to fit it all into family life, and hoping I don't take on too much.

I read a great post yesterday over at Bluebirdbaby, it was just what I needed to read right now; over the last few months I have been getting stressed basically over things that I have no or little control over - so I am going to make a big effort to step back from many things, take more time for me and let things happen the way they are meant to.

30 days of happiness:: day 7

Watching these two little guys play 'rock stars', making up their own songs and singing away makes me happy today.

Eating the crumble we made yesterday::

Seeing this scrumptious bakewell tart and planning on making my own.

home

Up until now I have been hesitant to show much of my home. We have lived in this house for just about a year now and there is still SO much to be done, and to be honest we haven't really begun. The usual time and financial constraints mean I have been concentrating my attention and money elsewhere.

However, recently I have been so inspired by pictures of other peoples homes, that I feel that with a little attention I can maybe start to begin to love my home better. I am thinking that although I cannot make big changes at the moment, I can start small - searching out vintage pieces at thrift stores and boot sales - freshing-up paintwork, framing photos and artwork for the walls.

What I thinking I am finally getting, is that you don't need to spend a fortune at the department store to make a house a home, and I don't think that's the look and feel I'm looking for anyway.

space

After the craziness of last week it was good to sit and breath, and to enjoy the quiet. After reading these wonderful posts, empty hours and white space, from Camp Creek Blog, I have allowed myself and my family some space; time to think and ponder, to paint or sew, to read or nap, to lie and dream, or to do nothing in particular.

Wherever you are, I hope you can find some space.

There's A Whole Lot of Loving Going On

I have had much to be loving this weekend. There was a lot of baking and cooking going on too. These delicious cinnamon muffins were a big hit all around, I particularly liked the combination of the cinnamon and dark chocolate. Thank you Cosycactus for introducing these bad boys to our family.



My little garden continues to delight and surprise. Out of seemingly nowhere these beautiful daffodils made a surprise apperance. So I brought a couple indoors for us to enjoy, and then the next day this wonderful aroma filled my living room - yes it was the daffodils. I have no idea what type of daffodil they are; they have four flowers per stem with delicate creamy pale yellow petals with a bright orange or yellow centre. I cannot wait for what more surprises my garden has in store for me.

I baked some wholemeal bread, which always seems to cheer me up. I guess its that homey feeling it gives and the wonderful smell that fills the whole house. The world seems a perfect place when freshly homemade bread is around.





Just when I was about to give up on my grass, these tiny shoots appeared on Saturday morning. I never thought I would be so excited over humble grass. We have had a couple of little shoots appear from the pumpkin and tomato seeds the children and I planted. The problem is my garden has one big cheeky pest - Adrien my 3 year old son. He has this habit of turning the pots upside down, ripping the tiny shoots off and generally causing havoc. I guess this gardening thang is a learning curve for all of us, little ones included. I just have to stay patient. Isn't that one of the first lessons gardening teaches?

Daisy Chains

Yesterday I picked up a copy of Apples for Jam from the library, after a recommendation from Cosycactus. I love this book already and can't wait to start making the recipes! I loved the line in the book "....And all this should still have the grace and honesty of a daisy chain." That got me thinking a lot about childhood daisy chains.

How easily we forget the simple delights of sitting in the sunshine making daisy chains. Adrien and I spent 'our' morning picking daisies and making necklaces. I say 'our' morning as I have come to consider this precious time we have alone together each day like our little secret. Ssshh don't tell.... Which leads me to think that Alex my older son misses out on any alone time with mama, and that is something I need to change.

Spring break is coming up next week, and hopefully if the weather is kind we can do lots of outdoor activities. Like the nature reserve, our local petting zoo and lots of walks. And I am ready to give the 29 Gift Challenge a go.

Cherry Blossom

From orange blossom to cherry blossom. There is so much of this around right now and the pink petals are gorgeous, blowing confetti-like on the ground.

This is what I have been working on over the last week. As I walk Adrien to nursery school I pass by so many cherry blossom trees, I was inspired to capture the beauty on paper and linen.
I am not great at drawing, but I do love to sit and sketch flowers and wildlife. I then painted in watercolours. The embroidery then followed. I am not sure what to do with the embroidery though; put it in a frame maybe or turn it into a small bag.

Orange Blossoms

I have been wanting to make these Orange Blossom Cookies ever since I saw Leslie's here.

I liked them a lot. In fact I loved them, so did all the family - the entire batch was gone in a day.

I didn't think my Orange Blossom Cookies were too bitter, but they did spread quite a bit in the oven, maybe next time I will need to add a little extra flour.

Talking of orange blossom, aren't these beautiful? Looking at this picture makes me want to go paint - maybe I will.....or embroider?

My weekend was rather quiet. The weather here seems to have gone back to winter, so I didn't spend much time gardening. I have not much to report on the garden front. I see no sign of any grass shoots from the seed I planted last week. I thought it took about a week for grass seed to germinate, but I am not sure.

The clocks went forward this weekend, which I had no idea was happening. The boys and I turned up at our church Sunday morning an hour late - I had no clue up until then. It was rather embarrassing, I have never forgotten anything like that before, my excuse is that I have quite a lot on my mind at the moment - or maybe I am just getting old!

Childhood Treasures

This is a gorgeous book I picked up at the library recently and have been devouring ever since. It is basically a book full of vintage inspiration to enable you to create handmade gifts for children, and includes ten detailed projects to get you going.

I just love looking at the gorgeous pictures of vintage toys, fabrics and playthings, and there are so many ideas to get the children involved too.

There are so many wonderful books around at the moment, and I can't get enough of them. I am quite an avid reader, but I have to admit that since rediscovering my creative side, I have not been reading nearly as much as I used to. There are just not enough hours in the day, I can not do it all I guess. So because of obvious time constraints, I am relying mostly on creative books, with lots of pictures to fill my literary needs. The epic novels will have to wait for another time. I also love children's books, so any excuse to cuddle up with boys and books is a plus.

Alex being almost 7 now, I am finding myself introducing old favourites of mine as a child to him. He is starting to read independently (although he hates it), but I love to read longer stories to him, like 'Treasure Island' and 'Just So Stories' by Rudyard Kipling. Although I am somewhat of a bookworm now, I only picked up my love of reading at about 16; it all seemed rather a chore up until I read the 'Flowers In The Attic' series by Virginia Andrews, and finally 'got' what it meant to actually get taken away by a book. So although Alex doesn't show any sign of becoming a book lover at the moment, there is still plenty of time. I hope.

What's been on my mind?

I have been dabbling in a lot of small projects recently, which is fine, but I suddenly feel the need to get my teeth into a bigger and more challenging project. I am thinking a bag, maybe? (I haven't made one of those before) or maybe a quilt. I have this thing for yellow at the moment, it may have something to do with the fact that there is so much yellow around these parts right now.

I have also been having some wild thoughts about the garden. he he.... not that wild, mind you. I want some vibrant colour, possibly a mediteranian or South American feel.

Lots of large clay pots,

colourful tiles,

red check table cloth,

potted olive trees with creeping rosemary,

french lavender,

bourgainvillea.

This is what you might call an inspiration board of the mind.

So many visions, so many notions and ideas. It's knowing what to do with it all.