And the wind it blew driving the rain!

It is not a very nice day in West London. Grey and raining. So what better to make a dull grey day great than a spot of baking?

I love baking at any time. I love baking on a cold wet and windy day even more. The oven warming the kitchen and the smell of baking spreading through the house. Nothing like it for lifting the spirits! Today I have baked a very wonderful sticky lemon and poppy seed cake by the WONDERFUL Dan Lepard. You might remember that I got his Short & Sweet baking book for Christmas. I am in love with it and intend to slowly work my way through all of the wonderful recipes.

The cake was a masterpiece. Sadly with the dull light and its tastiness we scoffed it before I could take any photos. I did however take a photo of a wonderful rainbow that the moos and I spotted when out scurrying to the shops.

When out I could not resist popping into my a wonderful chocolate shop on Turnham Green Terrace where I sipped hot chocolate and nibbled marzipan whilst the wee one slept in her buggy.

Look at all the perfect chocolate wonderfulness!

I tried my best not to scoff them too quickly. They were truly divine!

Eventually the moos woke up and we had to make our way home through the rain and cold. Luckily there was a nice slice of cake waiting at home for us.

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Today has been simply

WONDERFUL!

Sometimes being trapped in the house due to bad weather gives you the time and space to do things you really need to do. Sometimes you spend the day doing things you really want to do rather than the things that you really need to do. Today was one of those days.

I set out with good intentions of cupboard reorganisation, cleaning, tidying and other boring tasks. In fact I did get some of these less than thrilling things done. I washed clothes and packed away washing. I cleaned the kitchen. Then I thought do I want to spend all day doing this? Really? The answer was no so after lunch I set about improving my day. This involved playing with the moomoos. When the moos was occupied or napping I whipped out my sewing machine and some scraps of bits and bobs that I had picked up with a project in mind.

The table was covered in thread, paper, cloth and ribbon.  Creative happy mess and and muddle. Here are a few pictures of my crafty and fun day.

The start of the pretty pink and white bunting for the moomoos room.

My trusty John Lewis mini helping me to zip through the bunting. So much fun!

Bunting finished and ready to hang. I do love a project that is finished in one day. The bunting is double sided and spells of the moomoos name. It will make a pretty addition to her room.


And here are a few update photos of my granny stripe blanket which is coming along nicely. I hope to be all finished and ready to show it off at the end of next week.

A rather good day.
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Today

It is raining and pouring. Cats and dogs! It could well be described as a monsoon!

The moos woke up especially early today and is therefore having a nap now. But what to do with the day? I was planning a walk and some nice picture taking. The weather does not appear to be on my side.

So today I think will be an indoors day. I have things to be getting on with. My housekeeping has become somewhat slack since christmas and the new year. This is mainly because we have been away or very busy every weekend since the begining of December. It is very hard to get anything done when it is just me and the moos as she wants to join in. I don't mind this helping and her love for our vacum cleaner Henry is adorable. I don't get much done with all her helping though. What usually happens is that I end up playing peekaboo with her over the sofa instead of cleaning.

Well I better make an attempt at something before the moos awakes. Update pics of the granny stripe to follow.

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Repetative actions

... are soothing at times.

I have been putting some serious work in on the granny stripe blanket. Back and forth and changing colours. I think the stripes will be finished soon and that I can move onto the border. I am itching to start on a new project. Maybe a nice waves blanket for the moomoos or some pretty bunting for her room. The pook would like some slippers. Or there is a wonderful pattern in this months Mollie Makes. So many things to do and try!

Keep on crafting in the new year

So I have but two short months of maternity leave left. I will be returning to part time work in March. I have mixed feelings about this. But hoo hum it has to be done. I have really enjoyed my year off with the Moomoos getting to know her and her getting to know me. I will be slightly sad not to be spending all my time with her and the pook. I have also love love LOVED having more time to craft and bake and just generally take life at a slower pace. This year I have learnt to crochet (sort of), silk paint, screen print, lino print and other crafty stuff. This has been the most unbelievable fun.

I really hope that I am able to keep up the crafting once I am back at work!

Today I have been experimenting with machine embroidery. Having seen Kirsty Allsop have a go on TV I have had it on my to try list. Recently I ordered some fabric samples from John Lewis that were wonderful. All bug floral prints, boats and little dogs. I had been wondering what I should do with these swatches and then it dawned on my that they would be perfect for having a little machine embroidery experiment.

I decided that I would have a play around with just two of the samples. One by adding embroidered highlights and detail. The other would be head to toe sewing machine magic. I had so much fun making these. Although I need to practise a bit this is defiantly something I would try again.

Photos to follow. It is all dull and dark here. Not at all the right light for jolly photo taking.

I have also booked myself in for a decoupage evening with some other mums. I was inspired by Attic24 and her very pretty lamp. Of course I will share some photos of the crafty fun afterwards.

Now off to craft something for the littles to eat for supper and pop the heating on.

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A ramble through Wales

A great weekend was had wondering through Wales. Here are some pictures.

Moos having a go in the driving seat on our journey to the west.

The pook meeting one of his three new cousins!

The moos loves her aunty and uncles dog Ice.

Walking in my Dads woodland

I forgot my wellies and so had to use a couple of plastic bags.

Beautiful trees



Off again for a weekend away

It seems that in the past few weeks we have been as a household far too busy rushing here there and everywhere. The husband returned to work on Tuesday and the pook is back at school. Today I need to do some preparing for a weekend away. We are off to inspect new little people in Wales. The husband is welsh and we are going to visit his sister who has new twins and his brother who has a new little boy. The family is full of babies at the minute. Four little ones all born within six months of each other.

We are also going to pay a flying visit to my father who is is the welsh residence. I love my family home in Wales. It is a little stone cottage perched on the top of a hill surrounded by woodland. My Dad purchased the rather large field next door to the house about fifteen years ago and has since then been planting it up with trees. Hundreds of them. All mostly native species. One of the first challenges the husband had to endure when he first met my father was helping to dig holes to plant sixty trees. This will be the last visit for a while with my brother as he moves to Perth on the sixteenth for two years.

Hopefully it doesn't rain the whole time we are down there and I can bring back some beautiful photos to show you.

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A look back at the year

I thought I would mark my first new year writing this blog with a photo review of the year. I have had a wonderful time this year topped off my a fantastic new years eve spent in Brighton. New years day was spent strolling along the coast taking in the view. Magic!

Look at the sea and the sky!

One of my christmas gifts was a chocolate making course at Chocoholly. I have been wanting to do one of these courses for quite some time. It was brilliant.

I have scoffed lots of the chocs!

Now here are my favourite blog photos from this year.

 A wonderful year. Lets hope that the next is equally as wonderful!