New weekly blog party

 As you can see in my boarder I am hoping to take part in this years Summer of colour blog party.
 It looks like it's going to be hugely popular this year and oodles of fun. Please click on the badge and take a looksie.

 At the moment I am thinking of doing it twice, once with DD as a weekly craft session and then on my own as a grown up project. I like the idea of baking or  collages with DD, and perhaps some embroidery for grown up time. Either way it's going to be exciting

xxx
p.s three blogs today you lucky lucky people, don''t I waffle?

Thursdays doings

  DD has been more awake and alert today so I wanted to try and get back on track with our home school this week. We coloured in the letter B using green pens, pencils and crayons and the finished it off by sticking on green things we found in the craft box. It kept her attention for about half an hour which really impressed me seeing as she is still suffering. She seems to have picked up B and Green very well. It now has pride of place on our learning wall next to the letter A from last week.

 During DD's afternoon nap I whipped up our dinner ready for this evening. We are having a nice Shepard's pie with some mince I found hiding in the freezer. I've added a tins of baked beans with sausages, a tin of chopped tomatoes and a handful of porridge oats. I also added a handful of sliced frozen mushrooms from the freezer stash.

 I was feeling a little bit creative with the mash potato so I added a few drops of green food colouring so it keeps in with our theme. This huge dish will feed us all for two main meals with some veggies. I'm looking forward to OH coming home so I can pop in the oven to warm through and then devour..Om nom nom
x x x

A dull dull day

 Yesterday was quite dull to be honest. DD spent most of the day sleeping as you see in the photo above, and I've never realised just how much she fills up my time. Because she was asleep I ran round the flat and did my chores, which we're considerably less from her lack of participation. Then I watched a program on Iplayer that I wanted to catch up with. And then I got a bit bored to be honest.

 I made some chocolate and banana cakes again because they are so popular in this house and we had a few bananas going squishy. OH remarked that they taster more banana-y than usual which I think is because DD tends to eat the banana lumps as we go and I'm never sure how much gets in the finished article. It's the same with raisins lol.

 Then I sat and watched a movie on Sky on Demand and start another scarf for Xmas to add into my stash. I'm hoping to get it finished off today.

 About three o'clock though she woke up starving hungry and ready to play. So after some nummy sandwiches I put a towel down on the coffee table hooked out a few containers and cups and let her play with some water.

She has great fun pouring little bits of water from one container to another, and its fun to watch her experiment with different quantities and learn through example.
 Lets hope she's feeling a bit better and more awake today :)
 x x x

Hot off the press

 I've just an email from my Dad with some photos from DD's day out to the zoo yesterday. He has such a talent for taking photos, which sadly doesn't seem to have passed on genetically. OH takes most of my photos for me on here lol.

Marwell have just refurbished their penguin enclosure for their 40th anniversary and from some of the photos it looks pretty snazzy. According to my parents it is where they ended up spending most of their visit, DD is just fascinated my penguins.

 I especially love this shot of DD playing in a tunnel. It's my new laptop background.

 DD even picked up a new furry friend to bring home.

 It looks like she had a lovely lunch of cheese sandwiches, crisps, fruit and milk. And a rather pleasant lunchtime conversation with nanny.

And finally a lovely long nap on the way home in Granddad's car. You can just make out the king spot on her cheek, and a few others on her arm. She hasn't seemed to developed anymore overnight but this morning she is quite warm, sleepy and grumpy so I'm waiting for more to pop out. We have dug out a stash of her favourite DVD's to watch on the sofa and relax. Expect some craft posts for the next few days, I doubt we will be going out much over the next few days.
x x x

It's the pox.

 Poor old DD has returned from her day out with nanny and grandad looking rather spotty.
 She had a spot on her cheek this morning that had appeared overnight, but was otherwise fine and well in herself. She come back with a few more on her face, shoulders and back. A friends little girl has recently had a case so we knew she'd been exposed, we though we'd got away with it but apparently it takes about 21 days from catching it to showing spots.
 I picked up some calamine in wilkos and will give her a dab over before she goes to bed, and I have plenty of calpol in stock if she does pick up a temperature.My mum swears by a bath run through a muslin bag of oatmeal will help as well.
 Any other tips from you lovely readers?
x x x

Car boot goodies for May

 Firstly I will show you a freebie, almost brand new Timberland boots! My mum picked them up for me the other day and passed them on. A quick peek on the website tells me that someone probably paid around £120 for these and then barely used them.

 Kung Fu Panda stuffy - 50p  Charlie and Lola book - 50p

 DD and I have been watching Kung Fu Panda 2 a lot lately thanks to Sky on demand so I was quite pleased to find this panda toy. He was lovingly cuddled and carried for the duration of the car boot sale.
 The book will be added to our C&L collection. We have 3 books now all thrifted from boot sales and charity shops. I'm always keeping my eyes open for more as they can be pretty expensive to find new.

 Peppa Pig stuffy - 20p Number game - 20p

Peppa pig is DD new love, we are planning to get her a DVD when we next food shop. At the moment she watches episodes on YouTube but they are only 5 minutes long and your constantly having to put on the next one.
 The number game will be a great educational tool to use with our home school lessons.

P

 Arsenal shirt - £1  I'm the boss PJ's - 50p   Peppa pig top - £1

Football shirts in big sizes are our nighties of choice for DD. They are perfect for this hot sticky weather as they are breathable, light and also wash in a jiffy. The PJ's will be put away for the cooler weather as they are quite thick Cotton. The Peppa pig shirt will be worn to death!

 3 cross stitch card kits - £1

 A little something to keep me entertained at nap time and in the evenings. I deliberately went for Xmas designs as I have plans to craft a lot of gifts this year. As I am getting bigger and bigger now (27 weeks yikes) and moving less and less I have plenty of sitting time to fill with useful things.

Selection of Blu Ray movies and DVD's - up to £2 each

We love our movies in TFHMH. So a car boot sale is a great opportunity to pick them up cheap. Once we have watched them we decided if we want to keep them a while and watch them again or put them in our shop for resale. Most of them end up in the shop for sale making it a money neutral hobby.

 I hope you enjoyed looking at what we brought yesterday. I would also like to say a big Hello to my two newest likers!!! and to all of the 189 people who have looked at my blog in the past 2 days. Your all making me feel really popular and motivated.

 x x x

The big day out

 I am exhausted!! As soon as this post is written and posted I will hitting the shower and then the bed for a well deserved rest. First we spent a few hours at a local car boot sale, we found several bargains and I will give them their own post tomorrow. Then we went to Uncle D's house to meet up for a special day out. For DD's second birthday in March Uncle D promised us all a ride on a mini steam train and today was the perfect timing and weather to finally go. 

 First we helped feed the fish in Uncle D's  goldfish pond. There are hundreds in the there and DD finds it really entertaining.

 Then we went to Royal Victoria Country park, after waiting on a little station we were off on our birthday train ride.

 Then came ice cream cones and tickle fights in the sunshine.

 A bit of posing in Daddy's sunglasses.

 A slap up pub meal and a play on a bouncy castle.

And finally we helped Grandad water his allotment before going home for a well deserved rest. All in all a fabulous day out was had by all.

x x x

Bits and pieces

  I finished this little ladybird a few minutes ago. DD has become a bit obsessed with ladybirds lately and spot them everywhere we go. When I spotted a free knitting pattern for one online I just had to make it up for her. I knitted all the pieces during her nap yesterday and sewed it up during todays.

 What do you think of this cupboard? OH spotted it in a local charity shop for just £55. Its really heavy and sturdy and just perfect for DD and bumps bedroom. Plenty of storage for all their clothes and bedding with some to spare!!

 It fits just perfectly behind their door so it doesn't take up any playing room! He has such a great eye for things like this. I love it, though I am tempted to decorate each of the drawer fronts and make it really jazzy.

 

 And finally I've added a page to this blog to keep all DD homeschooling stuff together. Please have a looksie if you want, I'm hoping it will grow and cover all her lessons on the course we are trying.
x x x

Finding Fun - Week Five

 So another Finding Fun challenge is upon us, this week our theme is hands. My mind went into crafty overdrive when I saw that theme. First up I was going to try some nail art before DD had gotten up but sadly it was not to be and my plans were foiled.

 Yes. I realise they aren't hands, but DD's pretty painted toes are just so cute we can overlook that one right? I will have to remember how much she enjoyed this as it kept her quiet and calm while daddy was still in bed.

  The next idea I found was hand print animals after a quick google hunt we came up with elephants and giraffes. This is also a double whammy as it meant I could introduce next weeks home school theme which is Jungle. We have added them to our home school wall and DD is so proud of them. Just ask her dolly how many times she's been shown them lol.

Thank you for another selection of fun ideas Carolyn. And an extra thank you for picking me as the winner of last weeks entries. 

x xx

Busy afternoon

 Yesterday afternoon we had glorious weather, and it really soaked into my skin and got me moving! First off was DD's lesson for the day which was the letter A. We also referenced yesterdays lesson which was squares by decorating the letter A with squares I cut out from scrap paper. I was really impressed with DD's attention span today as we sat down for a good 20 minutes to complete these two projects without complaints or wandering off. We are only on day 3 of trying this scheme and already I feel she is gaining from it. Our reward for making the pictures above was a malted milk biscuit each, because the weeks theme is cows and they have little cows stamped on them. Tomorrows lesson is the number one which she will be starting with Daddy while I am at my knitting group.

 While DD was having her afternoon nap I also hooked out the patchwork quilt I started working on forever ago and made another 2 stars to add to it. It was lovely to just sit in the open window and sew. I'm hoping to work on this project a little more over the summer and possibly end up with a new quilt for winter, but we shall see how it goes.

And finally I completed another task on my spring clean/before baby to do list and blitzed a bookshelf. I've bagged up 4 carrier bags full of books that I've either read, tried to read and hated or just lost interest in. They will mostly be destined for the charity shop but some I've registered for Book crossing.

After all that I am going to relax with a cup of tea and watch DD have a tea party with her stuffed animals
x x x

Chinese Astrology

Are you a pig or a tiger? LOL
  Have you ever looked up your Chinese zodiac symbol? I came across an article recently that said we are currently in the year of the dragon. This has led to a surge in pregnancies among the chinese as it is considered the best time in the calender to a lucky dragon baby. Falling into this category myself (not by planning though) I spent some time this morning looking up our family signs using THIS site.

I am an OX (metal) and pretty much everything I've read on the Ox page is spot on for me and my personality.
OH is a Pig (water) and again this page could have been written about him! He is truly generous to a fault, and I can certainly agree with the idea he is a spender and not a saver lol.
DD is a Tiger (metal) and I am certainly seeing some of the traits on her page starting to shine through.

 It is amazingly close how these pages have got to the way we think about each other. Have a look if you fancy it and leave me a comment with your views on what you found out.
x x x

RIP Robin Gibb

 So sad to hear the news of Robin Gibb's passing on this morning news. I knew he'd been ill ad bravely fighting cancer for sometime so it isn't an unexpected death but still a huge loss for so many people.  I will playing his tracks today and thinking about him often.

Sunday Outings and Monday's plans.

 Yesterday we visited my parents for the afternoon and we all ended up going to a local restaurant that had recently opened. I would love to say it was a nice meal out but it really wasn't. Two of our meals had be sent back because they were wrong and the whole place was sweltering hot. I certainly won't be returning in the near future :(
 DD enjoyed spending most the time blowing bubbles in her chocolate milk so she was happy.

Our plans for today are to start DD on some basic homeschooling using this scheme here. We still haven't decided anything long term but have agreed that she is ready to start learning now. So today we will be introducing the first weeks theme which is cows with some colouring, rhymes and stories on the bovine theme.
 I have already sorted out her craft box which has been on my list of things to do forever!!! Thanks to a horrible bout of heartburn this morning I was the first one up and able to get it organised in peace. I'm even £9 richer as I found some T***o voucher I didn't even know I had. As well as a Sun bonnet sue embroidery patch to do and an unopened pack of hair slides that I can crochet more hearts and flowers for.
 This afternoon is certainly going to be craft based with two new projects to get on with, my blanket is on a back burner as I'm waiting for some matching white wool to arrive at the local wool shop/
 Hope you all have a lovely Monday



x x x

Congrats Angela

 A quick but mighty congratulations to Angela from Tracing Rainbows for winning my 100th post giveaway.
  Pop me a line with your address and I will get your prize shipped out very shortly. x x x

Saturday Treats

 Yesterday my MIL popped up to visit us for the afternoon. We haven't caught up with each other for ages so it was lovely to have a chat over some pizza in the local pizza hut. DD loved trying a little bit of every ones pizza and was like a kid in a candy store at the salad bar with her own little bowl.

    Because DD had behaved so well during our meal, I treated her to a ride on Iggle Piggle in the local shopping centre of the way back to see Daddy in his shop.

A finally a little treat for all of us. Iceland have KitKat chunky bars on offer for £1.50  for 8 bars!!! At less than 20p a bar and use by date of 2013 we will be filling our boots on this offer by picking up a pack or two each time we pass.

And finally a 10p bargain from a local chazza shop. DD picked it our because she recognised the number and she liked the birds. She insisted on putting it on straight away and I have a feeling this will be a new favourite for a little while.
 In other news, we finally got in touch with the tax man about our letter to find out that money is in fact flowing toward us :) So we have almost £1000 travelling its way towards our holiday, Christmas and savings accounts. Our holiday next month is going to be super luxurious now with a little extra boost to the saving pot, I'm thinking of all those cream teas already!!!

x x x

P.S I will picking a winner for my giveaway this evening to give people some extra time to enter. With only 2 entries so far you have a good chance of winning :)

100th Post on FHMH

I have covered so many things in 100 posts since I started my lil ole blog. I love being able to read back and see what I was up to, and watching DD grow through the photos. I've met some wonderful people through blogging and now have over 20 follows and about 40 daily readers!!! Who'd have thought my musings and day to day activities would be of interest to so many people!

 So to celebrate my 100th post I am giving away a copy of Iron me on by Mike Perry
All you have to do to win is to follow my blog and pop me a comment on this post. (If you already follow me just drop me a comment saying Hi to be included)
 I will pick a winner at random on Sunday 20th of May to give everyone a chance to enter. Feel free to share my giveaway on your own blogs if you like :)
Good Luck everyone!!!

 x x x x

 
 

Finding Fun - Dressing up

 Finding Fun Week 3 is here already :) And the theme this week is Dressing up. So feeling rather crafty this morning we started off by dressing up the Queen of Spoons in this stunning royal purple cape.

 And then we made her a happy dancing audience of paper dolls. DD decided that four was just to many people and ripped hers into partners before drawing on their faces and declaring them done. I may have gotten a little to involved with mine for a grown woman lol. I spent ages making little haircuts and designing their Jubilee outfits. So much time in fact that when I turned round to check what DD was up to ....

She'd made a sofa nest and nodded off. I can only guess in boredom. Poor thing.

 In other news I have had a scary letter through from the tax people but I don't understand it, either we owe them some money from years ago which is going to cause us some fairly substantial woes, or they owe us a really lovely amount which would give us a chance to do some wonderful things sooner than planned. Keep your fingers crossed for me, OH is going to phone them later this afternoon and find out which way our money is flowing.
x x x