Life with four school children

Yes, all four are in full-time education now.  Sophie, who 18 months ago would not let me leave the room has taken to school in a magnificent way.  She loves it, it has ignited something in her, and she is on the go constantly, amazing us with her speech, observations and zest for life.  In fact she is slightly sad at weekends when she can't go to school!!  What a turn around, and I am so proud that she has done all this in her own time, without coercion. 

They had to go dressed as a Roald Dahl character  the other day, who better to go as than "Sophie" from the BFG! 

 

Ethan went as the BFG and I made him is own Sophie doll to make him a giant.  However, he will not let me post a picture of him dressed up, and I respect that.

 

Luke has had his hair cut, in accordance with his new school's policy.  How grown up he now looks.  



Life with four children out the house has been "interesting".  I have been keeping busy, such as creating some Scooby Doo characters...

...preparing more wool for spinning, in order to fulfill another custom order...

...making brooches to sell at a Guild stall in November...

...making felted soap using the wonderful soap from Michelle over at Handmade Haven.

But I find it so difficult to get motivated.  I seem so much more productive when I have people around me.  I guess I haven't had this emptiness or "me" time to this degree for the last 14 years, and it will take some getting used to.  The frustrating thing is that I can't get down to the allotment in all this nice weather we have had due to injuring my knee a month ago, and still not being able to kneel down. 

Still finding the joy in the world around us though.  Just look at this web that spanned the double driveway and garden the other morning!! 

Wishing you all a wonderful autumn, and those adjusting to a new rythym, I know exactly how you feel!!

Another catch up!!

 I'm getting very slack with my blogging of late.  But to be honest, not much has been going on, just the usual routine of school, food, sleep, school, food, sleep!  Oh and rain! 

We had Father's Day the other weekend, and one of the gifts for Stuart (besides beer and chocolate) was this handprint forest from the children.  Each tree trunk has the child's name by the side of it, and each child was supposed to put their hand in the paint, and make a handprint.  All going well, until we got to Sophie!  She refused point blank to co-operate, so we ended up drawing around her hand on a seperate piece of paper, painting it and cutting it out to stick on the canvas.    Well, it is a true representation of Sophie!  But can you imagine my despair, when she came home from pre-school that following week, having been hand and foot painting!  Argh!!!

I managed to finish off the commissioned bag for a friend.  I have named it the Hibiscus bag, and you can read more about it here.

 A blog post this week would not be accurate if it didn't talk about the rain!  We had the biggest thunder storm I have ever witnessed, with torrential rain, well torrential isn't really a big enough word to describe it, mad, crazy, ridiculous amounts of rain is more like it!  Living on a hill we don't tend to suffer from flooding, but we had a veritable river racing passed our house.  I'm not sure this picture shows it very well, but the water was flowing over ourr garden and through the flower bed.  Next door had things swept  up in the water and deposited around the corner of their house!  I know, given some of the pictures out there, this seems really mild, but it was certainly a talking point!!

 And this week, I got introduced, by Sharon, to "The Old Needle Works" which is a fantastic collection of vintage shops, craft shops and cafe.  There are courses run there, and it is just amazing!  There is a wool shop which is exactly how I have dreamed of having my wool shop, with workshops, fleece, and everything you ever need for all things woolly.  In the cafe, you pick your own cup and saucer from a collection of vintage cups and saucers on the dresser, and settlle down with some crafty mags at one of the tables with beautiful tablecloths on.  One of the vintage shops had teddy bears having a picnic around a fire, and I managed to pick up a glass jelly mould too! 

This bag is the result of my visit to the wool shop, I had decided I wanted to do some Nuno felting.  I had chosen the fabric I wanted to use, so picked up some merino fibres to match, and set too that evening!  They also had bags of dyed Wensleydale locks, which I just had to incorporate into the bag! 

We were supposed to have sports days and schools, but they have been postponed because of the weather.  Sophie has an introduction to her new class next week, and I might have to pop down to the allotment in between all the rain!  So that's about that for now! Hope you have been able to make something of this mad weather, and have a good week ahead.

Pitter, patter,SPLOSH, SPLOSH, SPLOSH!!

 Yes, it's wet, very wet!  I know we need it, the ground needs it, the plants need it, but all at once?  All outdoor plans for the allotment have been put on hold, but it hasn't stopped the planting of seeds thank goodness.  We'll just have a massive panic when we don't have enough clear ground to plant them all! 

The boys have been waking up in the attic rooms to the pattering of the rain on the roof.  Something quite comforting about that, being all snug and warm knowing it is the complete opposite outside, but it doesn't help get them out of bed any earlier!!

 Sophie is about the only one who has relished the weather.  Her comment the other morning was "Look mummy it is raining puddles!"  She rather likes puddles, jumping in them, digging the mud up from the bottom of them and letting it run through her fingers, throwing things in them, sswishing them, kicking them... the list is endless...

 ... as is the wet clothes!!  Notes the canvas shoes, the only things I could get on her feet whilst waiting for her wellies to dry out AGAIN!!

 A mud splattered innocent face!!

 And more muddy, soaking wet clothes!  I have resigned myself to this!!

 I have been taking the opportunity to crack on with the second ring for the Guild exhibition.  My needle felted robin sat on some eggs, and I am now crocheting billions of leaves to make a safe little enclave for the robin to raise its brood.  It's so hard to get a good camera angle to show what it is like.  But I am rather pleased with it!

 Gimli is not a fan of the wet!  He has spent much of this week like this!  And when he ventures out he is shaking the wet from each paw with every step he takes.  If he gets caught in the rain he comes in miaowing in a most indignant way!

How have you been spending this wet weather? I am hoping we might just get a glimmer of sun soon!

Ticking them off

 Another Story bag finished!  It is such a great feeling, to be completeing all these projects all at once.  I am pleased with how everything seems to be coming together.   And it seems to give me so much more headspace.  Little bags made to fit the the story book in perfectly, and then enough space for the knitted characters in the main part of the bag.

 I love how an idea develops.  I had initially thought of just a bridge with a stream running beneath it to symbolise the story, but as I was putting it together it developed into the banks, and then the squareness to match the bag.  Little details probably lost on the recipient, but that make me feel rather satisfied.  It can get rather addictive this creating lark, but I am going to tear myself away from it to get on with the allotment, honestly I am, but I still have a 6 inch ring to finish, and a bag to make, then there is the guild challenge I need to start spinning for, and...

... see what I mean!  Addictive!  But off to sow some seeds... tomorrow!

The Guild competition

 The day of the bag competition.  Three tables jam packed with handmade bags.  I dread to think how many hours of work was represented there!  There were woven bags, felted, and knitted, of all shapes and sizes.  One thing is for certain, there is alot of talent represented within the guild.  We all were able to vote for our favourite bag, not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination.  But the overall winner was this beautiful felted, appliqued and machine stitched bag by Ruth.

 We then turned our hands to some needle felting.  It is something I have wanted to do for ages, and have even asked for some needles for Christmas, so to get to have a play before hand was a real treat.  I made too little plaques, one abstract...

 ...and one more seasonal.

Needless to say I am "hooked"!! 

A lovely evening, which ended all too soon (a sign of a good time!)  Came away with the programme for next year, which looks to introduce me to even more elements of fibrecraft I have yet to discover!

The hazards of being a crafting cat owner

 I seem to have a little helper at the moment, although there have been many moments that have not been caught on camera too!  My latest lot of bunting had some feline help.

 And he also decided to rearrange my fleece!  It makes a very good bed apparently!

 The crocheted blanket is for his use alone.

 And he even started when he was really young, helping me ply some wool!  Wish I had my camera when he was trying to investigate the flyer on the wheel!  Or the time he strewed wool from my stash in the lounge, all the way upstairs into the study!

He's a multi-talented cat!

Rudolph the body-less reindeer

Joining in with Ginny at Small Things for her weekly yarn along.

 I have spent much of this last week trying to solve the problem of Rudolph.  I had done the legs, and head, but had underestimated the amount of wool it would take (I had been using remnants from other projects).  So after going round every yarn store I could find in the local area trying to match the wool, I could not even get close.  I eventually remembered that the wool I was using was sat in the wool basket as part of an unfinished hat. So, hopefully that is the problem solved, and I will have enough wool to finish Rudy off in time for Christmas.

And as for reading, well, not really managed to find a spare moment this week, you can tell it is busy, as my copy of The Mother magazine came through the door this week, and I haven't even managed to flick through it yet!

"NO"

The usual suspect has reared it's head again.  Trying to find balance in life.  I have a tendancy to take on alot of things, and then get the feeling I never do anything properly, because my time is split so much.  But then I get bored doing the same thing day in and day out, so I need some distractions!  The trouble is, it is always the things I enjoy that I feel need cutting out to make time for the important things such as the needs of the family. 

One of the things I have already cut down on is computer time, and that is working quite well.  The other thing I was contemplating cutting out was the allotment.  I always feel guilty when I am down there, that I ought to be doing something else, but then when I am not down there I feel guilty that I am not down there, if you see what I mean! 

 But then I look at photos of some fairly recent trips down there, and see the work I have done (clearing the strawberry patch of bindweed, couch grass, and some invasive wild strawberry) and I remember how much I enjoy it.  The solitude and peace it gives me, and the produce it gives the family too.

There have been particular crops I have never been happy with, ie potatoes, carrots, beetroot, so I think this next year I will just grow more of the crops we seem to do well at and enjoy.  The allotment will be staying, and organisation will be more evident (hopefully!).

I think organisation is the key to it all, a skill I lack in quite dramatically.  And I really think I need to learn a word that is spelled N...O.  I don't need to say it to others, just myself.  Just because I can do something myself, eg knit something, crochet something, make something in the kitchen, grow something, doesn't mean that this is the way it should be done every single time, it is ok to take the short cut occasionally and either buy it, or let someone else do it. 

I am hoping this new mindset will help me feel more in control, and give me time with the family.  Rather than feeling I am firefighting every second of the day, being pulled every which way.  Fingers crossed. 

Seven Days

Celebrating the ordinary that makes up our week.  Joining in with Jacqui at Barefoot Crofter.

* trip to the park with neighbours from the present and the past. 
* a working dishwasher, oh the relief!!
* play tent for the children, don't be daft, they're made for cats don't you know!
* just one of those moments
* needing cake, feeling virtuous with the gluten free flour, best not mention the cocoa Sophie insisted on adding, and the chocolate spread I thought would enhance the overall effect.  Very nice they were too!
*Beginning to get Christmas-sy with my first attempt at Christmas cake
* Making Christmas cards, with contributions from Luke, Alec, Ethan and myself.

Thank you again Jacqui for this opportunity to celebrate normal, everyday life.

Inspiration for crafts

 I have been thinking for a while how nice it would be to have an inspiration board.  But it would take up precious space, and would (knowing me) accumulate all manner of irrelevant things just for want of somewhere to put something!  Also, alot of the inspiration I find about me can easily be stored as digital images, so I thought the best place would be as an element of this blog.  So interspersed with everything else that goes on, will be a few posts tagged as inspiration. 

 It also struck me that if I am to create seasonal things for Aisling Designs I am going to have to work a season ahead of myself, so these leaf pictures are to give me ideas for some painted clay leaves to incorporate into a mobile.  This will be for 2012 though!

 Other inspiration came in the form of an order for bunting.  It has given me an idea for doing some bunting that can be easily personalised, but can mostly be made up in advance, therefore making turnaround much quicker from order to delivery.

More inspiration for bunting has come from this lovely lady, who visited us at the Guild the other week.  Michela creates the most beautiful pieces on felt, which are embellished with stitching.  From the beautiful small badges, to enormous wall hangings on felted blankets, she really is amazing, and has inspired me to have a mess about in the new year to make some seasonal bunting on felted flags. And if you are around Coventry in December, check out her exhibition at the Herbert Gallery.

What inspires you?  How do you keep a record?