sellotape fingers

A picture for baby

2009-08-20T04:47:00.000-07:00

Hippy nappies

2009-07-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

Dan has banned me from posting photos of him, which is his prerogative, just don't want you thinking I'm neglecting him.

Here are extra pics of Abi to make up for it. We have started using washable nappies, sometimes terries which are surprisingly fab, and sometimes these hippy disana ones which are less practical but very slimline, good at containing the business and very cosy looking. Sooo cute!

We (well I actually, B is tolerant of this but not actually actively involved!) started out using cheap plastic knickers, but B is apparently traumatised by the memory of their rustle, and so they are being replaced by knitted merino disana wool soakers...oooh!

They are treated with lanolin to make them waterproof. They are not slimming!

Knitted Gnome Doll Pattern

2009-07-07T02:20:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the pattern for Abi's gnome doll. I have never written a pattern before so i hope it goes OK, its a pretty simple pattern so hopefully you'll be able to fathom it out. It was made out of the leftover wool and cotton I had lying around. (Please see previous post for further action shots!)

Tension - not crucial as long as it is tight enough to stop stuffing poking through, so use needles a couple of sizes smaller than those recommended for whatever wool you are using. I used dk/worsted weight throughout, and knitted the doll with 3.25 mm needles, although the hat is also dk/worsted and knitted on 4mms.

Foot - cast on 10 sts.

P 1 row

(K1, K twice into next stitch) repeat to end of row (15 stitches)

Work 7 rows stocking stitch and change to main colour.

Work 2 rows stocking stitch

*Next row - knit twice into first stitch, knit accross to last stitch, knit twice into last stitch (17 sts)

Work 3 rows stocking stitch.*

Repeat from * to * until there are 23 stitches, and leave on a holder. Work a second leg in the same, and then knit accross all 46 stitches.

Body - Work about 30 rows of stocking stitch, or until the body is just a bit longer than the legs.

K2tog accross entire row (23 sts).

P 1 row, and change back to head colour.

K twice into each st, and work about 20 rows stocking stitch.

K2 tog accross next row

P 1 row

K2 tog accross to last stitch, k1 (12 sts)

Cut wool leaving a long thread the draw up remaining stitches and fasten off.

Arm - cast on 8 stitches

P 1 row

(K1, K twice into next stitch) repeat to end of row (12 sts)

Work 5 rows stocking stitch and change to main colour.

Work 2 rows stoocking stitch

*K twice into first stitch, knit to last stitch, knit twice into last stitch

Work 3 rows stocking stitch*

Repeat from * to * until there are 18 sts, then work shoulder as follows:

K2 tog, knit accross to last st, K2tog

P 1 row

Repeat the last 2 rows until 10 sts remain, cast off quite tightly. Work another arm the same.

Hat - cast on 34 stitches (don't forget to use normal size needles for this, I changed colour every 4 rows)

Work about 6 rows garter stitch

Work 4 rows stocking stitch

Decrease at each end of next row

Work 3 rows stocking stitch

Decrease at each end of every following right side row until 6 sts remain.

Work 6 rows stocking st on these 6.

Cut wool leaving a long thread to draw up sts and fasten off.

Sew up the seam down the back of the head and body, using corresponding colours to match knitting. Sew up one leg and leave the other open to turn right side out and stuff, then sew that one up too. Sew up each arm seam and stuff before attaching to body. If you attach the top of the should almost where the body meets the head, the arms will lie at a nice angle. Using the same wool as used for head, sew running stitches around neck, wrists and ankles, pull tight to shape these areas, tie the threads and hide the ends inside the doll.

Sew up the seam of the hat, and then sew neatly onto head.

Done! Please let me know if anything is unclear or wrong.

Gnome Doll

2009-07-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

I knitted a gnome doll for Abi. Couldn't be bothered to wait for daylight to take a decent photo!

Abi seemed pretty impressed by the doll before it had a hat. But it looked too strange all bald - much cuddlier now.

D - are you knitting a doll for Abi?

M - yes, I hope she likes it.

D - Will she have lots of dolls?

M - this one should be just fine for now.

D - I expect that when she's older she'll have looaads of dolls...

What is D getting at here? Is there something which he feels he also needs looaads of? If only he were still so easily pleased, but he does have a cupboard full of floppy teddies and other odd projects which he loves a lot, and the knowledge that I only took up these hobbies when I first met him.

Simple piece of Fabric

2009-07-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

Abi loves the lovely sling her Pa bought her...but it really gets a bit hot and sweaty for around the house. So I was reading about 'simple pieces of fabric', which I suppose are how most women carry their babies anyway...

...Ben is going to think I have finally lost the plot when he sees this, its just some bit of fabric out of the cupboard (tho I did check out measurements and instructions for using first):

Nice and cool for getting off to sleep round the house. Please don't tell Abi that she might be about to grow out of this cradle-style carry! I think I'll hem the edges when I get time, this could be handy for keeping her happy in this heatwave.

An outfit for the sling

2009-06-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

The sling is hot and sweaty in this weather, so something cool was necessary

Around the house, bare is fine, but out and about she needs her legs covered and everything else cool. This is based on a pinafore in 'all year round' but bodged without pattern. I'm gonna make more with a more generous crotch.

Pretty baby!

I bought enough fabric to make myself a matchy skirt but its too sheer :(

Beautiful!

2009-06-18T22:53:00.000-07:00

Happiness = painting with children

2009-06-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

I love painting with Dan sooo much. Painting isn't, however, one of his activities of choice so I felt a bit bad when, after declaring several times that he could not decide what to do and implying that the responsibility for this fell to me, I declared in response that we would paint. There were initially of course the usual groans...mostly I think because painting can all too easily be about the perception of the picture you end up with, rather than the joy of creation. I know I can be guilty of this when doing creative things with Dan, but school has a big influence of childrens' approach to art too. So I love seeing pictures like the top one here which is one of several similar ones he painted for Abi to look at. We stuck a couple up in her corner of the kitchen where she often gets bunged at breakfast time so we don't trip over her.

Hopefully she will enjoy having some shapes and colours to look at now.

We painted a few more too which I've stuck over the crib and I would have taken a photo of but she is in there right now. Dan loved thinking about how she will be looking at these pictures, and he loved using the watercolour pencils and paints in a free way.

I didn't try to take a photo of Dan painting, much as I would have loved to, as he was so absorbed (and to be honest, so was I!) but here is a sneaky one from yesterday's jam tart baking session
and a (possibly) better picture of abi in her sling - I usually make sure she is more symmetrical than that if we were going out!

Hiding

2009-06-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

My children are hiding! Daniel is a bit shy about having his photo taken today, although I think that's more to do with the fun of running away shrieking than any self-confidence issues! He seemed to enjoy playing up for the camera when I took pictures of him running away!

Abi has been hiding her face in the depths of our green sofa, so that I could take a lovely photo of her bottom. When browsing slings yesterday I decided that tights were in order as her legs will dangle in the new one. And also some slippers. And when I saw these tights with hearts on the bottom...yes they are a bit naff, but also very very sweet.

And here is a dodgy picture of me with Abi in the new sling. She is there right now. She has been there whilst Dan and I made wholewheat pastry for a broccoli quiche (we are having a mostly vegetarian week, the outlaws will be proud!)

Playing with toys

2009-05-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

Abi is nearly 6 weeks old now, and as she starts to smile, she leaves behind that first true newborn stage. She seems to be entering a new level of consciousness, interacting more with her environment and showing a lot of awareness of those around her. She loves it when her brother goes by and sometimes get cross when he goes. Here are some pictures of her playing last week, after which she promptly fell asleep. Its very tiring looking and listening and wondering why your arm keeps flinging up at that pretty bright red thing.

See Abi's pretty lamb? It is very nice, usually living in her crib. It is incredibly soft and has a kind, sleepy face.

Here is something I sewed Abi while she was napping.

It is an idea from a book of homemade toy ideas ben and I have been browsing. Bad photo but I think the idea is that a cloth-bodied doll is nicer for young hands and can be chewed etc, and that the blank expression enables open-ended play. The ones in the book had natural wool fleece hair (choking hazard) or were bald (and therefore odd looking) so I made mine some felt hair. Ben said it is a helmet and started playing silly games with it, so he had to read the page which says we must always treat the dolly with full respect as if it is our baby's baby, so that she can see this example and know we take her games seriously. Maybe its a bit early to worry about that yet, but I didn't like the way Ben was treating Abi's doll...

A Boot Fair - hurrah!

2009-05-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

A sunny day and a boot fair, within cycling distance! I wish I'd managed a better picture but Dan cycles too fast even for maximum zoom! You can see what a lovely sunny day it was.

At the Boot fair Dan found a mighty fine skateboard. Sometimes secondhand things are more fun, and it is less of a big deal when it turns out that (like Ma hinted!) skateboarding might be trickier than it looks!

We had sweets and candyfloss, which was very nice.

Abi did not pay any attention whatsoever, as she enjoys her sling too much. This afternoon she has been inclined to persistent wind, but I think the sling has got her off to slumberland again now.

Milk Spots

2009-05-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

No wonder this baby is getting a few milk spots. A bit like some sort of drug addict whose affliction is apparent from the state of their skin, the evidence of Abi's fondness for her two favourite things is clear. The health said they are reassuring as they show she is getting plenty of calories from breastmilk (apparently the calories are relevant to the milk spots) and enjoying all the close contact - to the extent that she gets all clammy and exacerbates the spots. She does not care. I like this photo a lot, as I don't look as odd in it as I usually do in photos. Maybe its something to do with it being black and white. And I look as happy as I feel.

Soon I must post a picture of Dan on his bike, which he has learnt to ride without stabilisers. This is very impressive and exciting. I can't wait to go on a proper bike ride with him sometime. It is half term for a week now (which I didn't realise til he emerged from school with his PE kit for washing today), so there should be plenty of cycling/strolling along the old railway line as long as this lovely weather holds.

Siblings

2009-04-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

How strange to have 2 such different children, who are brother and sister. Daniel has always just been Daniel until now, and suddenly he is a brother. This seems like such a wonderful thing to be able to give him - a role he can take pride in when it suits him, and ignore when it doesn't. It is nice to think he isn't sort of alone in the world. And lucky Abi has arrived in the world already a sister as well as a daughter.

It is strange to imagine how the next few weeks and months will pan out as they exist on their parallel yet very different time schedules. Daniel has now long understood the significance of the 24 hour day and GMT. He sleeps 7 til 7, eats regular meals, goes to school and plays in the afternoon. Abi functions around a vague 4 hour sort of thing. She wakes up and has a look around. Then she likes to have a little snackeroo, but isn't usually awfully hungry at first. Sometimes she will look dozy for a while. Then she has what I think of as 'Abi chat time'. Every day she seems to open her eyes for a little longer, and has a little time where she is just quiet and thoughtful, looks at things and listens to me waffle on at her. Then she generally has a change, a bigger feed and eventually drifts back off again for a few hours. Of course it doesn't always go like that, sometimes she will sleep for an hour or two and just want a quick feed. Or just get up for a change and snackeroo before dozing off again.

Somehow these two beings co-exist and fit in around each other just about fine. I see some tough mornings ahead where Abi will have to sacrifice some snack and cuddle time to get her big brother to school. And other times where Dan might have to read himself a bedtime story occasionally if Abi is particularly unsettled. But how lovely to think that they will always, always have that special sibling bond.

Abi greets her Public

2009-04-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

I really hope this works! Here is a film of Abi after a feed, waving her arms about, doing her guinea pig squeak impression, and being generally cute. She sounds a bit raspy - think its just wind, but am going to ask midwife about it tomorrow as she is quite a noisy breather sometimes, and I can't help worrying as she is so very ickle.

Dumpling

2009-04-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of Abigail Sarah Warton (there may yet be another middle name to let Ben get his say). She is very lovely. I don't know how well they capture her dumplingness.

Here she is soon after delivery.

And getting on with feeding while I had my lunch

And looking quite dumplingy, wondering where the milk went

And meeting her big brother:

A very nice afternoon

2009-04-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

Wow today was hot hot hot! So we had Ben drop us in town on his way to work, and headed to the beach. Only a week or two ago I would have felt too ill to brave such an expedition, but today I really enjoyed being able to take my son out for what might be our last special mummy/daniel afternoon for a little while. It was really nice to stroll about town with my huge bump.

I did take Dan to the beach about a month ago, but could only really manage to just sit there. Today we went paddling, dug in the sand, made castles, buried bits of each other and had lots of chats about this, that and the other. Dan really enjoyed rubbing seaweed into my legs - he used to be a bit scared of seaweed and I think I was meant to find this very disgusting, but it was actually very nice on hot skin! I think you'd pay quite a lot for similar treatment at a health farm place.

In return Dan had me bury his hands and feet, and we lounged about chatting for ages. Dan insisted I take a picture of him in this position (where he looked ready to fall asleep!) and made me take it again when he realised I had left his feet out of the shot! They are nice feet.

And lastly, a picture of Dan scrambling over the breakwaters. Another thing he used to be quite scared of, but is suddenly happy to scale, and has to be reminded that once they get higher than, say 6 foot and are covered in slimy sea gunk they are actually quite dangerous! He was also planning on jumping off one about 5 foot into the sea! Very brave, but fortunately averted. I just can't believe how sunny all these pictures are. I had planned to give Dan a good old dip in the bath tonight but for some reason there wasn't enough hot water (our boiler is sometimes temperamental). So he went to bed rather sandy, but with that glorious smell of sunshine in his hair.

Easter

2009-04-13T00:58:00.000-07:00

Easter took me by surprise this year. It is very confusing that is on a different date each time. Dan's birthday was once on good Friday, but this year we got a whole week inbetween. Here are some silly fairy cakes which didn't get iced until stupid 'o' clock the night before:They're meant to be rabbits in their burrows, but not sure how successful they were...also completely inedible for adults due to the excessive amount of icing.

We had a little easter egg hunt (which I of course forgot to take any pictures of) after a lovely brekker of boiled eggs and toasted soldiers. Ben helped cook the eggs, which might be why he looks a bit stressed, although I expect he was just enjoying pulling silly faces for camera:

Hope you had a nice Easter too.

A post about Baby

2009-04-07T14:05:00.001-07:00

Some proof that there is a baby kicking about in there (not just food!):

Blogger is refusing to let me move photos about today. Those 2 at the top were meant to be inserted in the following text in the appropriate places but I can't be bothered to figure out whats going on there right now, so just use your common sense please.

I now get hooked up to a monitor twice a week for half an hour, and we listen to its heart going bompdybomp and watch the little waves coming out of the machine in a reassuring pattern. I thought I'd take some photos of the traces as they take all the notes away when the baby is born, and I think they're pretty interesting. The top photo is of the first trace taken last week.
That top line with little bumps is the baby's heart. The bottom line shows the very exciting braxton hicks I was also having that day. As each one started, Ben and I could bet on how high we thought they would go. Irritatingly, Ben was much better at this than me.

Next is today's trace. No braxton hicks today. We waited in a stuffy waiting room for 2 HOURS for this, but it was worth it.

And they took more blood, and said my results from last time were closer to normal range. On my (now rather thick) maternity notes is written 'overall = reassuring'. So there you are. Might find out the sex on Thursday!

7!

2009-04-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

The night before...

Pressies and cards...

Cake...

And good pals to share it with...

Sometimes I think it must be so tough being a kid. And other times, not so much!

New pleasures

2009-03-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

Today Daniel enjoyed a new pleasure...that fantastic feeling of satisfaction you get upon completing a crossword. This is from the childrens section of the Grauniad, and he loved the whole process of looking up the right clue, using existing letters for hints, and that on-the-tip-of-tongue experience when you just KNOW what the answer should be but can't quite think of it...

The crossword experience is all the richer for being shared with somebody else, but D was super excited to find he could get some all by himself, and had a good shot at the spelling too. I had a less successful attempt at the grown-up one. Hmm, I need someone to come and help me!

Today has been a day of funny little activities and interludes, but nothing specific. There were some periods spent in the garden (I had a picture of this but blogger not playing nicely), digging and I don't know what whilst I did some chores. And some crafty moments, and Kerplunk, and maths, and helping me sort socks, and a bit of Top Gear followed by Enid Blyton. All the important stuff.

Another very good thing today was a radio programme on Fats Waller. The ratio of talk to music could perhaps have gotten away with being more biased towards the music, but still very interestesting and a good listen. Get it on the radio 4 website now or regret it later.

Spring-a-ling!

2009-03-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

Spring is now a-coming!

Falalalalala!

Daffodils and little lammies!

Tralalalala!

Oh yes, it feels like Spring has definitely arrived this week. Today I did nothing except sit out in the sun with my good neighbour, because I think I overdid it yesterday and felt a bit funny for it. Everywhere I look there are daffodils, except my own border, where there are catkins on the tree, grape hyacinths, and love-in-a-mist starting to spread out too. How lovely! Whenever I see the daffodilies, it reminds me of the picture above, which I took on a picnic with Grandma last spring. I say picnic, but it was actually sandwiches and pop on top of tankerton slopes but, like today, that day really had the feel of new life and warmth in the air. I remember declaring that it was not a day for cleaning, but that we would instead go out in the sun. And so we did. I was very scared that the brakes would fail and grandma would roll away down the slope, which is why we are seated at some distance from each other. I wanted to make sure the back two wheels were on concrete.

Pram

2009-03-14T07:05:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of our lovely new pram. Well, secondhand new. It can't really be described as compact, but then nor can the babies our family tends to have.

Isn't it nice? It has lovely big wheels and very bouncy suspension. You can't tell from this picture but the inside looks and feels all smooth and padded like a traditional pram with a mattress, which is unusual in a pram which can also be made to sit up. It can face forwards or backwards, and the wheels come off easily for getting it into small spaces. Fortunately it fits in our boot without having to do that.

It was also described as having 4 wheel drive, which I thought sounded a bit gimmicky. But then I tried pushing it and realised it really does - the front wheels are connected to the handlebar a bit like on a bike, and the back wheels just follow along. I was amazed at how tight a corner it can turn when pushed with just one hand, which would have been impossible with Dan's old pram. This function can however be disabled in order to enable logical reversing, something with which women notoriously have issues.

The handle has been turned down so the pram can fit in the room which makes it look a bit odd, but this also happens to be the ideal height should D wish to push it. He has shown quite a lot of interest in it, and admitted he had thought about getting in it, and then thought that maybe that wouldn't be a good idea without consulting me first. I don't blame him for thinking of it as it looks very cosy. I would sleep in it if I could.

Here is a picture of D eating a huge marshmallow kebab which my dear brother brought him from Holland. D was very excited until he realised that, after eating a couple, you feel a bit poorly, and declaring the whole thing yucky. I explained that with such things, the yumminess factor tends to be in inverse proportion to the amount eaten, which reassured him I think.

These pictures actually give them impression that my house is reasonable tidy today, don't they? At least I didn't take any pictures of upstairs.

'Queue' #1, and 'Smaug' #2

2009-03-12T04:25:00.000-07:00

When D got up this morning I hesitantly showed him my developing Smaug, and fortunately he quickly recognised the scene.

At breakfast it appeared he had been similarly inspired, as he brought down one of Grandma's old 'Ant and Bee' books and showed me the picture he had decided he would like to have a go at, all by himself. (Grandma keeps cropping up here doesn't she!) It is really a very nice picture of a queue (it being an alphabet book), makes me think of some of those Turner pictures with little grim people stomping about. So after breakfast he got going with Grandma's oil pastels too, and seemed to enjoy their nice consistency. This is where he got to before having to get ready for school.

When we got to school I realised he had black smudge of oil pastel on his cheek which made him look like a little chimney sweep. Never mind.

Sewing, sewing, sewing, drawing

2009-03-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

This post will be dull for anybody wishing to hear about D. It is largely about sewing, with one drawing reference which is sort of to do with D.

Here is a picture of some baby trousers I just sewed, I used a (charity) shop-bought pair to make the pattern so hopefully they will fit. They are a bit baggy on D's frog here (I was going to ues koala again but Ben is having a nap and has locked the door to stop me bugging him!), who is also modeling a yellow batwing jumper I knitted a while back. The batwings are not evident on dumpy ol' frog.

Here is a picture of me in my jolly maternity frock, which wasn't really intended to be a maternity frock. I just happen to like empire line dresses and this was a 'copy' of one I already owned, but I put a little too much fullness into the skirt. Ideal for pregnancy.

Don't know if it shows, but the miraculous thing about this dress is the buttonholes. I don't know if I'll ever be brave enough to put buttonholes in something again, but I hope so, because they really work. Wish I knew how to turn photos round though. This is the sort of garment I worry Ben despairs of because it proves just how barmy I am. But actually he really likes it, perhaps because because it is traditionally feminine, or perhaps just because it has a skirt. Oh Christ look at my knees.

And here is a hint of the Smaug drawing D has been asking for...it's a copy of a picture I found on the net because the ones in his book are too stylised. Its supposed to be Smaug blowing flames all over Laketown, shortly before he killed. Also, I wanted to try the oil pastels which found their way into my cupboard after Grandma passed away. It is drawn on paper from a pad which also contains a couple of sketches of boats and things begun by Grandma. I am very similar to her I think when it comes to hobbies - many interests, not enough time to spend on any one of them. However, the purpose of a hobby should largely be enjoyment, and so I decided to just go for it like Grandma would have. She was actually quite good at art and drawing and things. I am scared of anything that isn't a line drawing, so this is quite scary. But I'm trying not to worry, will just do my best with it, because D is bound to be pleased even if its a bit rubbishy.

Obviously this is still very much in the early stages. It is very tricky because I can't get nearly as much detail with pastels as I would like, as the 2 or 3 drawings I have ever done were in pencil, and I tend to get a bit obsessed with perfect proportion and replication of detail, which isn't always a good thing. I did it at 4 this morning, which is a good time for scary new things. I'd gone to bed at 7pm, woke up about 3, then went back to bed a couple of hours later. This is a fairly common pattern because I get so tired, but also get a lot of back pain in bed which can wake me up.

Moomins and Falafel

2009-03-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

Mmm today we had fresh falafel and it was surprisingly nice, and very economical. We will definitely be making that again.

I don't really have anything to post about but feel bad for neglecting the ol' blog, so here's a picture of the moomin drawing I finally found a frame for, and Grandad kindly noticed today. I wanted to put it in D's room but he wanted it in the living room, so its staying there for now. Til I get bored of looking at it anyway. I like this picture though because, if you know the moominland midwinter story, it will immediately make you feel chilly and spooked out, just like little moomintroll was when he woke up halfway during hibernation to find the world felt completely different.

One day I must try copying another story picture, it was good fun. But so irritating if it goes wrong. B and D would like me to try one of the hobbit pictures (especially a scary one of Smaug), and admittedly they are lovely, but they are heavily stylised watercolours and there's no way I can even be bothered to try.

I look forward to meeting you someday.

2009-02-19T14:34:00.000-08:00

My Ma has the 2 most beautiful looking dogs. They live in France though so I have never met them, but I look forward to the day I do. One is a jolly looking dog called Franck, who sounds adorable and amusing, but perhaps in the way a toddler can be, so that one is glad when 7pm rolls around. This dog is Bess, and I think of her as a proper doggy dog. One you can take for long walks and tell secrets too. The sort of dog who seems to notice sunsets and other works of nature. Having never met them this is largely speculation of course. But when we do get to France, meeting the doggies will be one of the highlights, and I hope I get to cuddle Franck, and take Bess for a lovely long walk.

Some things we did today

2009-02-18T08:28:00.001-08:00

Today we baked a proper cake for the first time in ages. Dan got promoted from his usual tasks of buttering dishes and stirring and fetching things to official egg rbeaker, which he proved to be very good at. We are saving the cake til after dinner, which is very restrained of us.

Dan says the grated chocolate on top is little worms. I personally felt this to be a little offensive to chocolate but am prepared to admit that that might be OTT and so stayed quiet.

While I am cooking tea (sos mix meatballs - not sure how that will turn out yet) and writing this, Dan is playing with the hammering wooden shapes thing. He just showed me this and told me it is a man on a tightrope. I agreed that its really very good and so we are putting a picture of it here.

Also here is a jumper for baby which I finished last night, modelled by my Koala bear. I kept thinking it would go wrong, but it seems OK. I always think things are going wrong.

Something weird has happened to the layout today, never mind.

More love

2009-02-16T14:50:00.001-08:00

How lovely to have an exciting bunch of beautiful roses to arrange from my lovely man, delivered to the door on the correct day and everything. Makes a nice change from the cheap carnations I sometimes buy, and then spend ages trying to arrange to make them look more exciting and plentiful than they really are. This photo does not do them justice.
Hope anybody reading this had a nice Valentines day too. Ben ended up doing most of the cooking cos my back and ribs and heartburn and just about everything had reduced me to a whinging ball of inactivity. Fortunately I had already made him a cheesecake, and am much better now.

Love is...

2009-02-10T22:00:00.000-08:00

...a man in Mexican costume.

Ben might be a bit grumpy if he discovers I blogged that picture (don't think he looks here though), but we had such a laugh and he is so lovely I felt it must be shared with the world. I also felt it only fair that his parents get to see him with all that hair!

So, in preparation for the fallout, I am also sharing my advice for how to turn your man's frown upside down. All you need is a sandwich toaster, bread, cheese and onion sliced thinly.
Instant brownie points.

2 Floating Things - Boats and a Valentines gift for D

2009-02-06T06:43:00.000-08:00

I'm linking this post to Unplug Your Kids because their theme this week is 'Float'!

I had a brief origami phase a little while ago, and thought it would be fun to make origami boats. Unfortunately the internet connection was down, but I managed to half remember and half make-up a vague boat thing. Once I had a passable prototype I had showed, and he was keen to join in. So I made another one and he copied with his own piece of paper. This was just the right level of challenge for him, it was pretty fiddly but he persisted and was proud of the result.

Why is water with food colouring in it so exciting? There's something very magical about it.

We didn't have any proper origami paper so just used notepaper torn down to a square shape. They floated very nicely and could be made to move around the bowl by flicking the water.

They got soggy pretty quickly though, and sank! But then learning about sinking is also part of learning about floating, right?

This was a fun quick thing to do after school. The boats might last longer if made of sturdier paper though. It kept us happy for 20 minutes or so!

Here are some origami links if you're interested:

Introduction to Origami and simple models

Some nice friendly origami patterns listed by theme

Some fascinating mathematical modular origami

And here is a Valentines floating craft:

My Ma always used to make sure there was a little gift waiting on the breakfast table for my brother and I on Valentines Day. We usually do the same for D, and I thought this year I'd make him a snow globe to go with his little collection from days out.
D's current collection (needs dusting):We have made these before at Xmas, and they are pretty easy.

Here's how to make one if you're interested. In the past we've made little figures and glued them to the inside of a jam jar lid to make a scene, but they always seem to come loose in the end. So this time I thought I'd use that shrinky plastic stuff to spell out the words 'I heart U', and just let them jiggle around in the first place. So I drew some hearts on the shrinky plastic and coloured them in with permanent markers.

Then I cooked them! I've found its good to do this on the back of an oven tray, because then you can wallop a wooden board on them as soon as they come out to make them nice and flat. After cooking they looked a lot neater I think:
Then put some glycerine, maybe a teaspoonful, into the jam jar. This isn't vital, but it makes the glitter swirl and fall more slowly like shop-bought ones. If it wasn't used the plastic hearts would probably sink immediately, and it also allows other heavier items like sequins and beads to be added. Then fill it almost to the top with tap water. Add some glitter, the hearts, and sequins or whatever. Screw the lid on and shake (over the sink if you don't want to make a mess) to see if the desired effect has been achieved. If not, add more glitter. If lots of glitter stays floating on the top, skim it off with a teaspoon. Fill it right up with water, carefully turn upside down, dry it off and squeeze plenty of superglue all around the lid to make it watertight. There is probably a better glue for this purpose, but I don't own it.

I hope he likes it! I'd better save up some more jars because I think he'll want to do again himself...

Sledging! Yay!

2009-02-03T04:51:00.000-08:00

Grandad spent quite a lot of time pulling Daniel on the sledge. But Daniel was very brave and did some actual sledging down a slope too! He was a bit nervous as first but clearly enjoyed it.

Unfortunately I was excluded from the sledging itself due to my condition. But I enjoyed watching the others, and making extra huge snowballs for Daniel to pelt Grandad with.

Nanny sledged too. I don't think I've laughed so much for a while.
Hannah had to come too because she is the world's cutest snow dog. She loves it!

Proper Snow!

2009-02-02T05:11:00.000-08:00

Today it is proper snowing! There are a couple of inches on the ground, and its been falling most of the day. It certainly makes for a pretty view from the kitchen whilst washing dishes. Although this is a picture from the front door, because my garden is not presentable.

B's parents are going to pick D up from school, and take him sledging on the downs! There should be just enough. I'd been planning on at least having a snowman making session with D this afternoon because there was no time for snow play before school, but this sounds really fun! I'm going to wrap up warm and come watch - not sure baby is up for sledging yet, though it managed some impressive gymnastics earlier.

Here is a colourful jelly I made yesterday. The green section was cooling when my brother visited yesterday, and he looked so sad when he realised it wasn't set yet. He gave me the disappointed look usually reserved for Ma which implied I ought to get out my magic jelly setting wand so that he could eat it all right then. Maybe sometime I will make a special one for his birthday with lots of stripes, he'd probably prefer it to cake anyway. Some of this is in D's lunchbox, I wonder if he'll even notice the stripey effect! It tastes nice.

A colourful, snowy morning.

2009-02-01T04:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Pa bought Dan a bag of mosaic tiles from the tile warehouse. What a great idea! They looked so pretty in their bag, like a great kaleidoscope of colourful shiny sweetie marbles. But flat, and therefore less inclined to end up in odd places.

They are very nice to play with. You can make patterns, or very slippery roads for making toy cars go fast, and pyramids are fun too. Quite good for maths thinking and spatial awareness too! But mostly they are pretty...

I think I might have to get some for myself. Playing with them makes me want to try mosaicing something...surely it can't be that tricky? Maybe I could get a little box or table from a charity shop and try it. I could make some nice road patterns, then there would be a permanent installation for car related activity. Dan has hardly stopped playing with them since yesterday morning, they have provided a more varied range of activities than any Christmas present I can think of, and he plays with them for hours on end! I had to stop him bringing them into my bed this morning while we watched power rangers though, that seemed a bit much.

Here is some snow against the romantic backdrop of our wheelie bin. It is the tidiest and therefore most photogenic thing in our garden. I did not, by the way, go out in it. I do not plan to either! I took the photo through the window!

Ball for Baby

2009-01-30T13:41:00.000-08:00

This week's project theme at unplug your kids is 'ball'. The only ball thing we've done together is a very short game of football at the weekend - it was rather chilly, but fresh air was in order. I did, however, make a ball for the baby this week. I sewed it by hand for once and found it very relaxing. Apparently grown-ups are allowed to join in with the projects too, so I'm posting about it. Here is a picture of it, trying to get close to its future recipient. Its quite small.

Here is a picture of a dinner we had the other day, in our quest to enjoy more nice fresh veggies and have meat less often, so as to justify buying nice stuff from the butchers when we do. I wasn't mad on the couscous because I don't much like kitty (kidney) beans. But we all love roast butternut squash (well, Dan tolerates it - he loved the couscous) and ma's mushroom recipe was absolutely fab. The most important part of making this meal is choosing the most phallic squash possible. They look so funny.

Another 'fashion' post...if you can call it that!

2009-01-26T15:21:00.000-08:00

Today I was browsing the internet and I found a new website with lots of good info on pattern cutting, most of which I will always be too inept and lazy to try or understand. But I saw this top http://wkdesigner.wordpress.com/page/4/ and thought - hey I can make that! Then I thought - if I left out the raunchy slits, and used proper wide straps instead of drawstrings, and negotiate the lack of shaping caused thereby with plenty of elastic, and used my bump measurement plus 4" instead of bust plus 3", and shoved a bit of elastic in each side of the hem at the bottom to give it a better shape...it might even be a maternity top. That is how my wacky mind ticks over you see. Then I panicked at the thought of these alterations. Then I decided that, if I can imagine them, I can execute them, which is rather optimistic. But here is the not entirely dissatisfactory result (in as far as it fits and is practical and thrifty):
Please excuse the poor photography, it is a bit late - always the best time for sewing. In the end I only used the pattern to get armhole dimensions, which were cut straight rather than the conventional curve. Funnily enough, the armholes are the only part I would change next time (might make a similar nightie). They are too deep, and there is a reason armholes are usually curved - it makes them fit better. Luckily my bust is now large enough to support a looser cut of top, whereas I'd usually need a closer fit for modesty. But it looks OK with a cardi, and I'm really pleased with the elastic at the bottom which almost gives it a slight 'bubble' shape, something I do believe may be slightly fasionable. My choice of brushed pink gingham cotton is decidedly dowdy, but very comfortable and maternal. So there you go.

Lovely Dungarees

2009-01-24T22:34:00.000-08:00

What is it about dungarees that is so very reassuring? Maybe because they are so comfy. Maybe because there is no danger of your trousers falling down or cheeky boyfriends lifting up your skirt. No wonder they were adopted by radical feminists as a sort of comfortable chastity belt. I have however always thought it a shame they did that because it sort of made the rest of us feel like we couldn't wear them without it being some sort of statement. Well, here is the statement I am making - Dungarees are lovely. Bring back dungarees! (Apart from cropped dungarees, they should be strictly reserved for children.)You will have to excuse the dreadful photo. I tried to get my face in but it is 6 in the morning, so its probably just as well I didn't. I woke up a couple of hours ago worrying about everything and nothing as I only ever seem to do when pregnant. Normally I reserve these hours for sleep. But I got up and had a nice bath and thought - Dungarees! Now I feel better already. You can't go wrong when you've got dungarees. I feel a good day coming on - woe betide anybody who dares to mock my dungarees in even the most lighthearted manner. (Thankyou Ben for my lovely dungarees and being the best thing ever x)

Friday Declutter Challenge - utensil drawer!

2009-01-23T05:09:00.000-08:00

Grrr I don't want to declutter my utensil drawer. I definitely wanted it decluttered, but the idea in the passive tense is more appealing than when it is written in the first person. Never mind, organising queen at http://organisingtips.blogspot.com/ says I must, which is very reassuring. As it sounds like we might be moving house within the next couple of months, gradual decluttering is definitely necessary, and there was waayy too much stuff in the utensil drawer. (The challenge was also for the cutlery drawer, but mine just needs a quick wipe out which I'll do later when I wash up. I had a more pressing drawer today!)

That is because it used to be shared between two drawers, one for everyday utensils like wooden spoon, knives and potato masher etc, and the other for baking stuff like spatulas, sugar thermometer (that I've rarely used but love!) etc. I emptied out the overflowing drawer and decided that it was maybe time to revert to that system. But now the 2nd drawer was overflowing with jars of herbs and spices spilling everywhere.

So I sorted those out too. Baking ingredients like baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, arrowroot (what is that?), cream of tartar (same question!) and jelly diamonds went into the baking cupboard, as did some stray bottles of food colouring and flavouring. Some very lovely spices I was given for Xmas in pretty pots that don't actually do up properly - well, I don't use them, and the pots don't work, so I'm afraid they're in the bin. Some open packets of spices went into a tupperware thing where they can hopefully keep a bit longer, and not spill everywhere. My fave spices are in marmite jars which now take up a lot less space, so I can fit some baking stuff back in.

And the rest of the utensils fit a lot better in the other drawer. I chucked out quite a few bits, including defunct oven lighter, broken jacket potato skewers (normal skewers are fine), a cheap, blunt knife, a barbecue thing that is huge and a give-away gadget that makes lovely carrot curls, but it utterly superfluous. The rolling pin is relegated to the pan cupboard because it only fitted in diagonally, which had been bugging me so much. And I was a good girl and made sure to use the opportunity to clean those drawers right out, and then used some bits of double sided tape to stick my chopped up table cloth drawer liners in - hopefully they won't get all bunched up now.

It's gonna take a while for me to get used to the new arrangement. But it feels good. Absolutely knackered now as the midwife came this morning and I had to sit on wooden chair for ages filling in forms, my back is really hurting. Also up with poorly D again last night, though he is a lot better and I got more sleep than the night before. Did manage to bake some cookies though, hurrah!

Poorly Boy

2009-01-22T14:21:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of a boy who is so poorly he didn't even flinch when the super-bright flash went off in his face. The TV is showing some atrocious nonsense possibly about club reps in Majorca or gangsters girlfriends or something (I'm not watching it either but fancied the company) but I have no fear of him absorbing any of its content. He is too poorly.

But I am not too worried about him now, Fimbo is keeping guard from under the blanket there.

Today Barack Obama is President

2009-01-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

D has picked up on all the media excitement about Obama, and we've been discussing American politics and history in a brief, vague 6 year old kind of way. I've picked up on all the crafty excitement about Obama's inauguration on the ol' interweb, and eventually decided that being in the UK doesn't need to prevent us from joining in with the celebrations and learning a bit about our friends accross the pond. So we painted the stars and stripes (not very accurate I'm afraid):

And while D was at school I baked some 'cupcakes' which we later decorated with red, white and blue icing and silver balls for the stars (I'd forgotten how horrid silver balls are to actually eat). Meanwhile we had the ceremony blasting enthusiastically from the radio, and finished off with what I told D is an 'American' dinner of spicy chicken drumsticks and potato wedges. Not sure how authentic it actually was, but never mind. We had lots of fun.

I'm knitting a hat - for me.

2009-01-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

I suppose that I should really be knitting a hat for the baby. But I did knit it one little hat already, and as its due in May, cotton caps will probably be mroe appropriate anyway. So when I saw this one today, I really fancied making it. I saw it here http://flickr.com/photos/22554961@N00/3209982344/in/photostream/
I'm not even sure I really love the pattern all that much, but it looks so great and fresh in the picture, and I've enjoyed working this stitch pattern before, so here goes.

This ball was originally destined for a huge sloppy jumper with a cable down the front. But somehow it never got done, like so many things. Maybe this hat is more achievable. The wool doesn't quite look like that in real life, the blue is more subtle and a bit more greeney. Maybe the camera doesn't like green, because it hasn't picked up the snot green shade of our lovely cosy sofa either.

bye bye nasty old plastic plates

2009-01-17T15:19:00.000-08:00

I found a cool website which sets little decluttering challenges. I'm gonna try and join in with the china cupboard one.

Here is my china cupboard before - it isn't the worst cupboard in the kitchen by far, probably because we use it a lot, but there's some unnecessary stuff in there:

Why are there so many of those horrible plastic plates? Why one egg cup on each shelf? Do we need all those odd plates and bowls toppling around up top there? Do we have to keep those nasty charity shop plates we bought when we first moved out?

Here is the cupboard after I took out some crud. I like the fact most things on the bottom shelf are the same colour. Unfortunately Ben said we do need 10 dinner plates occasionally, and he is right. So nasty ones stay for now. As do quite a lot of plastic things, for sentimental reasons. I found a nice china bunny bowl which Dan can use for brekker, and he has a matching bunny mug which is nice for milk or hot chocolate. And all the egg cups are together again. I've decided it is necessary to have 4 types of bowl. I have:
4 pasta bowls
4 cereal bowls (+bunny bowl)
6 glass bowls which look pretty with desserts in
4 earthenware type pot things, nice for mousse, servings of dips/hummus etc, and one day I might try souffle or creme brulee in them.
Had to keep quite a lot of the random plates because they were my great nannas and I love them.
The glass cupboard is something I have been meaning to attend to for a while. I like my colourful glasses but they rarely all fitted in. Just got rid of some nasty free coke glasses and some plastic cups (one child does not necessitate 17 plastic cups). Might look out for a set of matching, unbreakable, non-plastic mugs for children with handles. Do these exist? Realised none of our mugs match either but never mind. Some don't have handles but are well loved nonetheless.

Well, that feels a bit better anyway. Will give some liberated plastic stuff to neighbours kids and the rest is probably best off in the bin really. Bye bye nasty old stuff.

Curvy lines

2009-01-17T08:51:00.001-08:00

I enjoyed my curvy square so much I adapted it for Dan. I just wrote little numbers for him to join up, and then he coloured it in! Yay curvy straight lines!

Dan's finished picture!

Mumma's picture

Positive reason to give up smoking #2

2009-01-16T11:34:00.003-08:00

Time to Doodle! Remember drawing these curved squares at school?
Normally I spend all my free time sitting around smoking, or thinking about smoking, or rolling the next ciggie etc. I hope I can last it out this time because doodling is fun.

Positive reason to give up smoking #1

2009-01-16T07:28:00.000-08:00

There are many reasons to at least try and give up smoking. Most of them are so depressing they make me want to smoke. Here is a good reason not to smoke:

Nice food! The time, inclination and funds to make it, and enough of an appetite to enjoy it. Today I bodged some hummus for the first time, it was quite nice actually and very garlicky, And some roasted sweet chilli peppers and onions and tomatoes and stuff. And some cheese and bread and butter, and berries with greek yoghurt. MMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmm. Yummy. And fresh hot coffee. I woke Ben 10 minutes before lunch so he had a bit of time to get down stairs for it. He said - will there be nice cheese sandwiches from the toasted sandwich maker as well?

Could have strangled him. Chose to ignore him instead and fortunately he didn't want toasted sandwich after his lovingly made lunch.

Painted Marble Run

2009-01-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling a bit guilty because we've been meaning to make this for months, and never quite got round to it...but finally we did and here it is! Although it is quite simple, constructing the corners was a little fiddly, and the tube at the bottom actually runs into the box so all the marbles collect isnide, instead of all over the floor. D's favourite part was probably the constant experimenting necessary to make sure the tubes were balanced so that the marbles would run smoothly into box, and trying to handle the masking tape itself without getting in a tangle.

D loves it, and was even keen to paint it all over, painting being something he tends to find a bit boring usually. We used acrylic paint so that it would go on smoothly over the masking tape and shiny cereal box.
We managed to incorporate a sort of 'jump' so you can see the marble fall from one tube to the next.