Redressing the balance

 Looking through my recent posts one would could easily be mistaken in thinking this was solely a blog about crafting.  The children have been very quiet (well on the blog anyway!)  I can assure you this is not a true representation of life!!  There has been the rediscovering of old toys, even moreso now we have been having a bit of a clearout, they are actually playing with the toys that are due to be found new homes!!

Mum made a whole load of playdough to illustrate something at church in a service she was involved in.  Guess who got the cake tin full of playdough?  Sophie!!  I can't quite remember what had been created here, but it all had a meaning of somekind or other.

 Alec and Ethan took part in a karate tournament.  It was great to see what they had learned, even if it was a bit strange watching them sparring with their opponents.  Alec was just a little too big for the small group, so was against children that were sometimes quite a bit bigger than he was.  He did everso well and gave it his all.  He got a third place medal for the Kata he did.  Ethan was very pleased with a second place trophy and third place medal for his sparring.  They are really loving their Karate, and am glad that they kind  of stumbled into it, as it is probably something I would not have thought about for them.

 Sophie has been doing all kinds of things.  Here we were sorting some sea shells she found squirreled away from a long ago beach trip.

 She has been painting.  She definitely has her own style, and I love he choices of colours. 

 And in a rare dry spell last week (I say dry, it was spitting, but about as dry as it was going to get) we headed to the park.  Sophie was rather disappointed there were no other children there, but I guess everyone else thought it would be too wet or something like that!  Here she is being a pirate (one of her favourite games at the moment)

 And of course, what else do you do with standing water if your name is Sophie?!

So they are around.  Luke and Alec both have tests this week (SATS for Alec and some tests to determine sets for High School next year for Luke) Luke has been fighting off some virus which has left him with awful headaches, stomach ache, and generally feeling bleurgh.  He had us  worried over the weekend though as the symptoms he was showing were similar to meningitis except there was no rash.  A trip to the out of hours doctor allayed our fears, and Luke certainly started to feel better that day.  But it looks like it is going to be one of those things that lingers for a while.  Just what you need when doing tests :( 

And news on the weight loss front, I've lost 6 1/2 lbs in two weeks, so feeling rather pleased at that.

Ok, up to date now!!

No more excuses

Stuart's birthday present.  A rowing machine.  We figured that the cost for us both to join the gym would be paid off relatively quickly if we just got this, and the results should be the same.  Plus it fits in alot better around all the other committments we have.  So, after piling on the weight these last 6 months or so, I now have no excuse.  I have a form of exercise readily available day and night, it is Spring which means there is alot of work to be done down the allotment, plus I have been found to have quite an underactive thyroid, so I am hoping the medication will start to take effect soon, and my body starts working the way it should.  I am really quite excited at the prospect of having more energy, and not being so heavy, so when I am complaining of aching I will have to remind myself of that!

Convalescing

 A quiet day for me yesterday letting my shoulder start to heal.  Alec's finger seems to be loads better already, they do bounce back quick don't they, children! So he was playing with his friends all day, both in the house, outside, and eventually at their friends house.

I made up a mix of rosemary, lavender, lemon balm and chammomile to put into some sleep pillows I have made for members of the family that have had trouble sleeping recently.  The idea being that you slip the sleep pillow between the pillow and pillow case, and the smell slowly aids sleep. Can't really see the embroidery particularly well on the following picture but they each have a little message on them such as "night night" or "sweet dreams".  There's enough of the herbs to make up a few more too, so some might make it into the shop.

 My peg bag broke, so in a few minutes I was able to make a new one with a scrap of material I got from freecycle a while back.

 And here is the start of the granny stripe blanket for Stan, my Father in Law.  Using Jean's wool, it will hopefully be enough to make a double bed sized blanket. 399 stitches for the length, and for the width?  Well, I'll just keep going until I run out of wool!

 Luke decided to make another castle from another Abel and Cole box.  He spent a good couple of hours sat in the front garden with a mix of PVA glue and sand, covering his model!

A new leaf

Something is changing, very slowly, barely perceptible, but changing none the less. Is it the promise of spring that is doing this? Inspiration from some new books, which are making so much sense to me? I'm not sure, but I think it is a combination of things. New life is emerging from the ground, and it reminds me that another growing season is starting, a new season, an opportunity for wonderful things to happen.

Over the last few years I have got into bad habits with the computer, spending much too much time on here. It has not all been wasteful, I have been inspired by so many, learned many new things, made wonderful friendships which would be foolish to lose. But, time is ticking on, I need to spend much more time with the family, create more nourishing meals, really cherish their childhoods and give them the roots they need for when they get older.

I am being hauled out of the rut I have got myself into, and I am loving it! Not sure how I have fitted in so much time on the computer! A veg box each week inspires me to create new, wholesome meals, the warming days (there have been a few) have lured me back down to the allotment, Sophie who is constantly investigating new things, and needing a playmate giving me no option but to surrender to her play. The boys, Ethan, who it is all too easy to forget he is only 6 years old, who really does need more time with his parents, Alec who has various health issues that need attention daily, Luke with the concerns of a nearly adolescent. And not forgetting Stuart who works so hard to keep the family comfortable.

As spring breaks forth, I can feel the sap rising in all of us, to make the most of each day.

This was made even clearer to us with the recent news of Stuart's brother being hit by a car. He has suffered broken ribs and pelvis, and a punctured lung. We all wish him a very speedy recovery.

A positive post at long last!

Reading through the last month or so, there has been alot of negativity, well not so much negativity but posts of concern. I thought I'd better rectify this, and look at the things that have been happening, often in the background, but should be acknowledged.

Alec has been voted as vice-chairperson on the class council. He was soooooo chuffed. He had prepared a speech to give in the pre-election build up, and was looking forward to the counting of the votes. He had a landslide victory, and was, of course, over the moon!

Ethan is doing football after school, which makes him feel very grown up.

Luke, despite being unhappy at school has had a lovely weekend at home, playing, helping Stuart with clearing out the garage and just relaxing.

I have been doing some crafting. I knitted a pumpkin hat, that was supposed to be for a newborn baby, as a gift for a friends baby, but ended up WAY too big, so Sophie has acquired it! I will have to rejig things to make another hat quite a bit smaller. The little baby who it is intended for is Joel, who was born to Paul and Sue on the 24th September.

I've also made a lavender wreath, more by accident than anything. I started sticking bits of lavender in one of the willow rings I made a while ago, and it just happened. I found some ribbon to finish it off, and now have to find somewhere to display it. I am rather pleased with myself as it looks really rather good, for an accident!

Sophie... well her sole purpose seems to be to empty things! She will empty any box, drawer, cupboard, and then try to sit in it! I don't know whether to laugh or cry sometimes, as she is obviously enjoying herself, but the trail of devastation is unprecedented! One of her sweeter moments is her singing "twinkle, twinkle little star" with the actions! It has definitely been "her" song, after the 40 minute drive back from Worcester one time singing it over and over again in an attempt to keep her quiet!

As for Stuart, despite an awful cough (thank goodness he didn't have that whilst he was recovering from his op!) is enjoying being able to hold Sophie again, and is now making inroads into getting things put away, ie loft contents back in storage in the loft, "junk" in what will eventually be Sophie's room being sorted through, and clearing out the garage. It has been bugging him for so long, but has been unable to do anything about it, so I think he is relieved more than anything to be at last able to address it!

And the lottie and the chickens are still producing well. A bumper crop of apples and plums, which is stretching my culinary skills as I'm the only one who likes stewed fruit! And Betty (the temperamental layer) is laying again, for now!

If anybody has got this far, well done! But it shows me how much we have to be grateful for, and after the last month, I really am truly grateful!

Normal service is resumed

Today I had to turn the burglar alarm on, for the first time in AGES! Stuart is now back at work, children are back at school (after already picking up those bugs that abound at this time of year) and it was just Sophie and me.

My Parents-in-law are doing very well at home, taking things steady, and helping each other out. So, fingers crossed, things are looking up.

Sophie is now so confident on her feet. Any opportunity and she is walking somewhere! After those first few steps she took, she didn't really go on from that for quite a while. It was last Wednesday when she suddenly decided to walk about 13 steps across the kitchen, and now she's off. Even trying to run! I love this age where you can see so many thought processes slotting things in place. She knows that when Daddy gets up early in the morning she has to wave bye to him (sometimes before he has even gone!), she knows keys go in the door, shoes go on feet, socks go on heads (well when you are playing they do!)

I look at her now, and all signs of my baby are gone, she is a wonderful, inquisitive toddler. It is an end of an era, one which I feel so priveleged to have witnessed through the development of all four of the children. But it is time to move on. I am getting rid of the baby clothes (apart from all plain things that have tie-dye potential), the car seat is going, as is the cot (she never sleeps in it anyway!), and various baby toys too. We are going to decorate a room for her, so she has her own play space, and you never know, one day she might even sleep in there!