Allotment dreaming

I have been spending a disproportionate amount of time dreaming of my plans for the allotment this year.  We have been down a few times in the last month.

 Preparing this space, for the lovely shed to go into.

Playing some imaginative games

No, I have no idea why leotard, tights & wellies were sartorial choice.  Well, the wellies I do understand.  We are veeeerrryy muddy!  The game seemed to involve blindfold and giving directions.   Until she walked into the raspberry canes & decided her brother wasn't really very good at sat nav. 
The newly moved 'den' has been renamed 'the club house' apparently.  Either I have very middle class children (OK, its a fair comment) or its on the spy kids film they watched the week before.

And lots of dreaming in front of the fire with seed packets and wonderful books

I was supposed to have given the book here to my brother for Christmas but just sneekily kept it as a gift for me.  I am so glad I did.  Its fantastic!

Painting my way out of the cornor

In an attempt to shift some energy around in my life, I thought it would be a great idea to clear out the lofts.  I know.  Genius, no?  No.  Exhausting!  However, I feel very virtuous having done 2 lofts so far.  There are now 4 bin bags waiting to go to the next give-and-take day.  The seriously-stuck-energy loft is yet to come, and the one with, cough, rather alot of fabric & sewing detritus.  Although it was tiring, it feels good!  We then found out the reason for feeling under the weather was a D&V bug & a cold.  At the same time.  What fun!  After a rather poorly night, I had all 3 kids at home yesterday.  I am afraid there was rather alot of television watched in pyjamas.  But it was great!

I have decided that perhaps the sewing room just isn't calling to me at the moment.  So after watching some brilliant online tutorials, I did some journalling just to have some creative fun. 

And a background for another.  This a close up of a double page spread to show the salt sprinkling effect which I just love.

I have also been a bit of a hedge witch recently & been making face creams & body butters etc.  Having spent a stack of money on ingredients, I did a load before Christmas for my sisters in laws (I have no idea where to put the apostrophes or extra 's'es!).  Basically, my husband's sister & my brother's wife.  Oh I love my command of the English language! 

Anyway, I made some more hand/face butter this week as I had run out.  I had to make it up a little as my scales were being borrowed by my brother for soap making.  I don't know why, he has his own laboratory at work.  So, without my deeply inaccurate scales, I used the old fashioned pioneer method of cups & spoons.  Whipped up the resulting solidifying liquid & decanted it into my Grandmothers vintage pot.  It used to hold her face powder & I never knew what to do with it until I started making creams.  I love the lid & the cut glass curve.

The recipe I cobbled together was:

2 tabs Shea Butter
2 tabs Mango Butter
2 tabs Cocoa Butter (grated)
2 tabs Avocado Oil
Essential oils for fragrance

Melt all the butters & oil together.  Once it cools, whip it up until it gets fluffy.  Use a spatula to transfer to the gorgeous vintage glass jar you have sitting around. It melts on contact with the skin.

Anyone else out there searching for their creative grove?  I seem to have slipped in to the gap between the floor boards at the moment.  I have a world of projects I could be starting or finishing.  Obviously starting would be much more fun.  And yet, and yet, somehow I still end up sitting in front of the telly after the kids are in bed.  And waking up feeling tired, with very little energy to face the day with a vibrant toddler who has just had a testosterone input.  Where did my joie de vivre go?  The best I can manage at the moment is taking my camera out into the woods last week en route to the community cafe.  Sigh.  Hopefully its just January ennui.

Define Irony

Irony: the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.
          :an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected.

Or: Incurring a library fine on this book. 

Sadly the librarary don't have an Irony clause to let me off the hook.  Absolutely Organised, my foot!

A healthy start to the new year?

My boys seem to love their spirulina drink.  Baby Roo has joined the 'beelinna' gang.

Luckily it doesn't stain long term, because it gets eeeevvverrry where.  But it doesn't half balance your blood sugar.   I shall rembember to take it more regularly.  New Years resolution?

Happy Birthday my Firstborn

Today was my baby's 9th Birthday.  It always gets a bit lost in the holiday meyhem.  Each year I swear I will do it better next year.  But she seems content with promises of a later sleepover or camp out party.  She was actually spoilt rotten today as she had plenty of presents.

And Daddy decided that it was time she had a decent bike rather than the ones from the tip! 

So we hauled ourselves to Halfords & availed ourselves of the special offers & Bini came away with a new bike & helmet.  Yep, a brand new bike.  First time ever in our household.

Then Grandparents & a friend came round for some afternoon tea.  All rather lovely.

Happy Birthday Bini, my beautiful girl.  We love you.