Fun in the sun

The sun came out today after days of rain and gloom so we forgot about schoolwork and took ourselves off to the park, I sat and knitted, I'm in the middle of making some fingerless mittens with some gorgeous wool that is different colours, when finished I will share them if I remember!, I really love fingerless gloves at this time of year especially for gardening and planting seed, it's still a little nippy to go bear but normal gloves are such a faff, plus I love feeling the soil between my fingers it makes me feel like I'm really connecting with the earth. We saw lots of daffodils peeking through and some pied wagtails having a jolly time in the grass. Our park has had a makeover, it is an improvement but, and here is the moaning bit, why do planners etc not think further than the look of something, there are loads of patches of soggy mud where rain collects in puddles, these are dotted through the play area where children are meant to run from one piece of equipment to the other, there is no avoiding them or going around them either, some poor child fell face first into the mud and his mother was having a fit, I did smile to myself because I think by the grin on the boys face he liked being covered in mud, the mum (all in white) was not amused!

You would never know but I'm a size 6 under all my layers ;)

We had a nice time though just being outdoors for a while, we came home and the boys collapsed on the floor in a heap of tiredness, my legs ached like mad too, it showed how much we have been hibernating this winter, we are so unfit!

I want to mention too the appalling tragedy in Japan, I can't even begin to know how those poor souls who have lost everything must feel, we have been reading about the various natural disasters that have been happening, it seems so hard to believe that so many things have and are happening to one country. There have been mentions all over the net about various explanations such as supermoons, the rapture, pole shifts, HAARP etc but whatever your beliefs on the terrible happenings, we can all agree that we should be thinking, praying etc of those poor innocent people who have lost their homes, families, friends,colleagues, animals, lives. It is at times like this I feel so helpless and small in this massive world.

Friends are like flowers....

I have been thinking a lot lately about how friendships are a lot like flowers, some bloom and grow over time, years even, like reliable perennials and others are like garage bought carnations, lovely at the time but don't last very long. I have always thought I am a good friend, I'm always available in a crisis, I think I'm a good listener, I'm funny so Ive been told and do make others laugh, I'm reliable and trustworthy. On the down side I'm late for almost everything and I am opinionated, perhaps I like giving advice about things a little too much, maybe this bugs people but I can't help being passionate about issues that are dear to me. At least I can take a step back and realise where my friendship skills are shaky. What I don't understand is why friends can't be honest with each other, if I talk too much about things instead of laughing at me behind my back, point this out to me, instead of having a good old gossip about the way I live with others, say it to my face, if you can't do that then I think the friendship has wilted and died off just like my snowdrops are doing in the garden right now. I won't feel bitter or bad, I will feel saddened because the friend I thought I had found didn't turn out to be a perennial after all.

On a much lighter note whilst trying to be creative with the small amount of food we had in one morning I made breakfast pizza, the children thought it was a novel idea and my fellow thought I had gone a little crazy, I made a spelt pizza base and added baked beans, a chopped up boiled egg and some very tasty organic bacon from Able and Cole, we have it as a treat about once a fortnight and it is so good, I made another breakfast pizza too, it had mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and beans on it, I and the rest of the family couldn't believe how tasty and filling it was. It's surprising what us mamma's come up with when there is little in the cupboards.

We also went to Showzam, a fab carnival that comes to Blackpool each year, it's so good in the way it takes you back to the circus/travelling shows of years ago when they had things like the flea circus and the amazing half woman. This year the boys loved the fire eaters and a magician who was an amazing juggler. I loved this:

I didn't know what to expect but the compare told us the story of how they had captured the butterfly girl in the Amazon and brought her back, he warned all the males not to catch her eye because she will transfix you with her beauty, when the curtains opened it was a lady who was on a swing with a butterfly pod instead of legs and big wings, they had done the background to look like it carried on forever, it was very clever, the compare was a really good story teller too which made it more real. I just love the artwork on the board.

sneak peeks

I love looking a photos of other peoples homes and know there is a flicker group called corners of my home which I have spent many an hour looking at when I probably should of been doing something else! I thought my post today would be what I would like to see on a blog, so here goes.....

 My bedroom, I made the patchwork bedspread, the cushions, the bunting, headboard, crochet blanket (just seen on bed)

 youngest sons bedroom, we just decorated it recently, it did have a full jungle mural that I painted for him but now he is a bit older and for ease I just painted everything antique cream, this is a tree he brought home from the park 3 years ago, he's got birds, dreamcatchers he's made, beaded strings and his last two cuddly toys in it.

 another bit of youngest son's room, he loves collecting things, especially warhammer

 middle sons bedroom, he loves bionicles and xbox games!

 our tiny kitchen, I'm guessing in the past it was actually a pantry as it's so small, I'm actually stood at the door taking this photo!

 welcome to out hallway, note the cath kidston bags...all freebies with magazines, I would just love a real one ;) .The indian bridal hanging came of ebay, it's so lovely, full of embroidery...

Up our stairs, all paintings done by me at various times, our walls have been painted all sorts of colours over the years but now I'm doing something I thought I would never do and that's paint everywhere antique cream, it looks so much calmer and tidy, but I do love colour so much. I love all sorts of styles too, shabby chic, retro glam, art deco, all eras, in fact I have always thought how cool it would be to own a street of houses and decorate each one, filling it with furniture of each time period and then when the feeling takes you could stay in the 40s house, or live it up in the 70's house etc. Which interiors period do you love?

This site is so worth checking out for this unusual and very awesome house

I like a russian cushion!

A quick catch up, we had a great enrichment day at the zoo with the monkeys but it was freezing cold so we didn't stick around long, in fact the weather has been rather rubbish, mother nature if your listening we would like some sunshine please!.

 I have been planting chilli's, basil, coriander, peppers and lots of flowers including sunflowers and verbena, which I adore for it's vivid purple flowers. I bought 2 small rhubarb plants and hopefully will get out into the garden soon to plant them. We have moved our pond now to make way for Tom's medicine herb garden. It all looked great but the neighbours cats have taken to pooing right next to it, I did ask for some lion poo from the zoo but wasn't allowed!

I have been busy making hings to sell on misi and to sell at a craft fair coming up in march. These Russian style babushka dolls have been in my head for ages and I just cracked on and made them, I also made a bag too with an appliqued one on but haven't got a photo yet. These 2 lovely ladies are on sale in my misi (link on right hand side of this page), now for £12.00 each, do you think this is an OK price?, I'm rubbish at pricing up stuff I make.

 

I'm not liking the new blogger type layout for writing new posts, I can't seem to make it go in the middle-Grrr.

I received a great permaculture book off one of the lovely ladies over at green parent, it's really good and I'm sure it will come in handy as the redesign goes on with our garden, ooh I also found some lovely wooden window frames in a skip just perfect for making my Alys Fowler style greenhouse!

I have just started reading the lovely bones as recommended by another friend, I'm liking it so far but it seems I hardy get the chance to read a full book lately, I'm always spending my spare time in cyber land, maybe if the solar storm hits and we lose our ability to connect with the cable our lives will become less virtual!

happy valentines day

Valentines day:
It's that one day of the year where most single people feel inadequate, sad and lonely and where big companies like hallmark rub their greedy hands together and say thanks to all the folk who think they have to celebrate their relationships on this certain day by buying the best card and the biggest flowers etc. It is commercialism gone crazy and lots of people buy into this fake idea.

Now 4 years ago before I met the love of my life, my true best friend and soul mate I would of been feeling pretty rubbish because I didn't get a card and the radio, TV, shops etc are full of love. I longed for love, I longed to be loved just the way I am, I thought that I'm a pretty decent girl, I'm kind and intelligent, why can't I find a good love?, valentines day just makes these feelings so much worse.

So to all you single people, it's only a day just like other days, you are loved by families and friends, one day you will find the one to make your heart sing, the one who shares your secrets, the one who still smiles at you when you wear spotty pyjama pants under your skirt because it's cold, the one who makes you smile without even knowing it, the one who you would do anything for willingly to make them happy, the one who wraps their arms around you and the rest of the world fades away because nothing else matters and you feel safe.

For all you couples who are in crappy relationships you deserve so much more, you are worth so much more, you will be loved, you will survive if you go your separate ways, life will be better. I had 8 years of abuse and domestic violence from my first ever relationship, we shared 3 lovely children, we had a home, everything we owned we owned it together, it was hard and frightening to leave, to face the unknown, to be a single mum to 3 children aged 5 and under. I did it, yes it was difficult, yes I struggled but do you know that I am a better person and a better mum because of it. It saddens me to think of all of you couples wasting your lives, making each other miserable when there is so much more waiting for you, you can find another person who will treat you the right way.

To all the couples who are so happy with their partners, thank each day for being lucky to have the fates let you find your special partner. I do, my lovely man and I feel truly blessed every day to be together, not just on one day of the year.

It's also not about how expensive gifts are or how big they are, if you love someone tokens of affection should come whenever you feel like showing someone how much you care. A love note costs nothing but means a lot. Warming your other halves clothes up before they get ready for bed, giving each other a massage to ease the days stresses away. Making cakes or just walks holding hands, these little things are the things that people do when in love, so sorry Hallmark, Clinton cards and any other fat cats out there, you can stick your helium filled love balloon and cuddly toys where the sun don't shine and I will celebrate my love everyday of the year.

step into spring with no shampoo

Things have been rather tight around here and as I signed up to spend free January, which I may add I failed as I bought my youngest a carpet for his bedroom!, I am watching our pennies carefully. Now poverty is relative of course and when I say I have no money, I mean I have no money except to put in the gas and elec meter, sometimes not even that these days, so I end up borrowing it off my mum, can you believe it, I'm 34 and I still borrow money off my mum!! nuts.

Well it was one of those weeks and we had ran out of shampoo, I normally spend £6-£7 a bottle on shampoo as it is chemical free and as with all things that are better for you it comes at a higher price. I have very thick hair and when it gets dirty, it makes me have headaches so I needed to give it a wash. I had a browse around the net and found this site

I followed the instructions and rubbed the bicarb into my scalp, it felt sandy and gritty, I didn't really like the feeling to be honest, it seemed easier when I added a little water to make it more runny, my hair was very tangled and felt like a damp dog, but when I added the vinegar rinse it untangled by itself, the smell of the vinegar was really off putting to me because as a child I had long hair, to the back of my knees and my mum used to rinse my hair in vinegar (lots of it), so I was thinking of that. Oh and probably because I only had malt vinegar in the cupboard! When dry my hair felt cleaner and pretty OK, this only lasted a day though and I'm not a girl to be washing my hair every day as it takes nearly 6 hours to dry.

Next up on my no shampoo idea was bicarb, vinegar followed with conditioner (still had this left) - bad idea, my hair was awful, real clumpy and waxy.
Completely by accident after finding out my soap running out and I didn't have the £3 for a new bar ( I told you chem free stuff is expensive!) I bought a bar of 99p olive oil soap

This one from our local health food shop, it is available at Holland and Barratt and other local health food shops too I'm guessing, well back to the no shampoo thing.... I needed to clean my hair so squeezing half a lemon into an old shampoo bottle and adding some water to it, I jumped in the shower, rubbed this soap all over my hair and rinsed with the lemon mix, ohh it was too lovely, my head felt so clean, my hair was totally smooth. After towel drying it and scrunching it into a hairband to dry off on it's own, I was amazed when I took my hair down, it was all curly and shiny and gorgeous. My youngest put his face in my hair and said it smelled good enough to eat!
I saw my friend who I had not seen since Christmas and she commented on how healthy my hair looked, you can imagine her surprise when I told her what I have been using. We have all been converted no to no shampoo, I only wished I had done it sooner.

Also I have a girl crush on a lovely gardener who I discovered quite by chance -Alys Fowler (who I think should change her surname to flower). I know I am sooo behind everyone else in all that I do but I missed her series last year so my lovely BF got it for me off the comp and put the entire series onto disc so I spent two nights in complete grow your own heaven. She is totally different from most grow your owner's in that she doesn't use formal lines, it is a mish mash of a bit of all sorts - I like that. If ,Like me, you are less than formal in anything you do and you haven't discovered her, I urge you to, it will make your day and her clothes are super cute too, I want to be her friend and have cups of nettle tea in her garden whilst discussing how beautiful the nasturtiums look, so Alys Fowler if you happen to read this, please be my new friend ;)

Argh bogey face!!

You know those days where your all at sixes and sevens and you don't really know what to do with yourself?, I had this great idea of being so Sunday selfish and pampering my old worn out body and dry, wrinkly face, I ran myself a hot bath and made some lavender and oat bath bags to infuse the water and prepared an organic avocado and honey face mask, Mmm you may say as I did whilst mixing and feeling gleeful, I plastered it on my face, put cucumbers on my tired eyes and instructed a child to shout me in 10 mins.

I lay on my bed thinking of all lovely things when I started to feel an itch, then a burning on my face, "oh it must be working" I thought, still led there thinking its normal that my face is getting hotter and the itch is getting intense, I asked the child how long had I got left "6 minutes mum" came the reply.

I was now thinking "shit I can't wait any longer", I rushed to the bathroom where another child was on the loo,"arghhh Bogey face" he shouted and as I moved forward to get the toilet roll he screamed so piercingly it made me a little deaf, he kept shouting "get out", not because he was on the loo but because he thought I actually had green snot on my face?!. I ignored his screams and started to wipe the face mask off, underneath the green gunk I had huge hives, big red patches and I felt like it was on fire, I rinsed, still burning, I smothered my face in coconut oil and lavender (lavender is great for getting rid of spots/bumps etc), it still burned, I plunged my head in the bath water and found relief, although this was short lived.

It eventually calmed down although I was bumpy for a few hours and then red patches appeared, that was yesterday and today I am left with a red blob in the middle of my forehead, I look like Gandhi :(

so much for pampering, damn that avocado!.