Little Love Gifts

I opened the lounge curtains this morning to find these beauties staring back at me.

Clever Hubby must have spotted me admiring them yesterday at the garden centre.

I can't think for the life of me how he did it though. I don't remember him leaving me yesterday, and certainly not long enough to buy them and hide them in the car. Plus I would have smelled them instantly my whole downstairs is perfumed with lilly.

I swear he's part ninja that man.

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Halloween fun

We have been really enjoying our half term holidays here. We've been very lucky with OH'S work rota and have managed a few days out together. 

We're also blessed with a huge amount of free/low cost community events to attend. 

The local shopping centre always puts on wonderful free events throughout the year. Yesterday we went to saw a Science show and made masks, bags and finger puppets. 

We've enjoyed lots of frugal home fun too.

Like roasting marshmallows, carving pumpkins and watching classic Halloween movies.

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Spooky Staunton Farm.

We decided that the weather today was just too nice to let pads. So we dug out our farm membership card and headed out for the day.

The whole farm has a spooky theme for half term. They have done a great job this year! Every tree and shrub has a spider or ghost, several animal pens have spooky skeletons or carved pumpkins.

There are spooky crafts in the Gothic tower with a real witch (hat and everything!) She showed us how to make a bat and cat wand for out spell casting at home.

There is also a fantastic animal encounter walk you can do. We stroked millipedes, hissing cockroachs, snakes and lizards. At the end is a challenge to put your hand inside four mystery boxes each containing something strange. I  won't spoil the suprises of what they contain but rest assured many a brave person finished with a scream. Me included!

By the time we found some freshly marked graves in the flower gardens we were quite spooked out.

Time for home and a warming cup of hot chocolate.

Both girls are already asking to go again, I'm wondering if we can convince Nanny and Grandad to join us. I'm desperate to see my mum stroke a cockroach and try out those boxes!!!

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Introducing Bella.

Today DD1's class celebrated the last day of term by inviting the parents into school.

On a Friday afternoon all the children have 'special time' where they enjoy an activity of their choice.

We were invited by DD to come to gardening club. Apparently DD is a bit of a marvel at gardening and likes to remind the teachers that the "little spades" are called trowels, and when the class plants seeds she asks if they need a cloche to stay warm.

Today's activity was making grass heads, which actually was a huge amount of fun. DD has named her creation Bella Sparkleson.

Hopefully if we get a little bit of light we can share some lovely pictures of Bella with a full head of gorgeous green hair.

What a lovely companion for the half term holidays.

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Family dinner

I had two hungry little ladies today after the school run. And being an overcast gloomy type of a day we decided on pasta for dinner.

 I had a quick scout for ingredients in the fridge and came up trumps.

DD1 cut up a few slices of bacon with the kitchen scissors.

DD2 peeled and crumbled some mushrooms.

I quartered some cherry tomatoes and opened a carton of passata. 

And voila dinner was made in no time. 

Just needed a handful of cheese to top it off and it was clean plates all round.

I definitely need to cook dinner with my girls more often. DD1 is already pretty good in the kitchen at baking but I'd like to show them both how to prepare some simple meals. 

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Pumpkin picking.

We spotted a sign for pumpkins at a local farm shop a few days ago. Today we took the girls to pick their pumpkins for this year's celebrations.

It was magical watching their eyes light up as they spotted the maze of haystacks piled high with every size and shape of pumpkin imaginable.

Even little G got in on the Autumn action with some cute pumpkin photos. 

And here's this year's pickings. For now they have been hidden away from harm in the veggie cupboard. Now we just need to decide how to decorate them...decisions decisions....

I also took the chance to nab a tray of small eggs for £1.99. They are just right for some buffet sized pickled eggs come Christmas time.

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Art and disasters.

DD would like to show you all her hand made coaster. All the children at her school have made one to help raise funds for the PTA. 

I thought it was a lovely picture of two ladies sharing ice cream but DD has confirmed that they are actually fighting over it. 

The shower disks are now in for round two. They came.out far to crumble and melted in seconds when Hubby tested one. 

So I've crushed them all back down to powder and this time added water until runny. Rather than pat them into rounds this time I poured them.

 Hopefully they will set a bit firmer this time.

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