Monday catch-up

After a busy weekend during which we saw lots of friends, ate lots of wonderful food and did little else, I find myself here- Monday morning. I had one of those dreadful nights last night where although I clearly slept, it doesn't feel like it at all and the morning has crept up on me far too quickly. Added to this, Miss T is a bit too pink in the face and hot in the body today, so I think a quiet time will be had this morning:

I have a whole load of things to be getting on with this week as Miss T will turn two years old on Saturday and there are Things to be made before then. Mouse wants to make her a skirt, so fabric has been bought- more of that later. I have some crochet to finish:

(I have realised having loaded these pics up that neither of them are anything to with Miss T's birthday! There is a whole pile of crocheted stuff for that, but I'll have to show you tomorrow. The top pic here is a stack of Melody Griffith granny triangles ready to be starched and made into bunting. The bottom is my jumper. It is So Nearly Finished, but I had to frog half a sleeve because I had forgotten a rib. After looking at it for a few days I decided I couldn't live with it like that. And also, my Mum told me to redo it, and who am I to argue?)

A card to make:

(How fab is the paper? I am not a scrapbooker, but they do get good kit!)
And a cake to think about. My children are usually very particular about what they expect from a birthday cake, so I am waiting with interest to hear what they expect of me!

Sadly, before all the fun stuff I need to tackle a weekend's worth of laundry, recycling and action-figures-in-unexpected-places.

Have a fun Monday...x

In which Miss T takes a tumble

Yesterday afternoon Miss T fell down the stairs. Top to bottom, over and over like a tumble weed. I heard Mouse shrieking and ran to the stairs, but you never can get there fast enough can you? It's like running through treacle in slow motion.

Anyway, Miss T was noisily tearful but strangely unhurt- I did all my nursey checks on her to be on the safe side. As I was checking her over I had this hideous moment where I looked into her eyes and there was a large amount of pink goo oozing out of one. My stomach flipped and I had that frozen moment you get as a parent when you realise there might actually be Something Wrong. Mentally I was running through what bodily fluid it could actually be...and then I realised. Mouse and Miss T had been putting on make-up, a lot of goopy vaseliney pink lip glossy yuck. Oh the relief! It did take me quite a while to get it off the stair carpet though.

x

Bleurgh!

It is bleurgh outside today, the kind of day where you just want to hole up infront of the fire and stay put. In addition, Mouse, Custard and I are all fighting off the dreaded winter snorkiness and shivers. I was going to let them stay at home today, then I realised I would have to entertain them, and really, they weren't properly ill, so off they have all gone to school. Is that bad? I feel slightly guilty.

I have stocked up on ready meals- unusual in our house, but frankly, anything that makes life a bit easier today is welcome. And I also bought these:

Ah, that's better! I do not often buy flowers, I like them best in the ground, but today I needed a little burst of colour in the grey light of the living room. They are contrasting beautifully with the grey pallor of my skin- I do look shocking! I think tonight will involve an exfoliating mitt, twenty minutes with some Casting Creme, Lemsip and quite possibly some chocolate. Purely for medicinal reasons.

x

A reminder to self

In amongst all the I hate yous and You're the meanest Mummy evers it can be very easy to forget about how lovely my bears can be. I was brought up short this morning when flicking though my camera as I came across these (fairly rubbish) photos of things I made with them at the weekend. It is only four days ago, but yet I had completely forgotten about dressing up and pirate ships and fairies. How dreadful is that?!

So here, as a reminder to me, are the pics. They make me smile:

That's better...x

Hooked!

Well, today has started with the same crapness yesterday finished with, so I am turning my thoughts to things that make me happy...

Mouse's bedroom has some fairly ill fitting laminate in it, and for years we have been meaning to carpet it, or at least put down a decent rug. After seven years it has become apparent that we will never get around to doing this. So, I have been squirreling away all our stained and holey t-shirts for a few months in order to make her this:

I am pretty pleased with it. I knew I would never have the patience (or abillity) to make a proper braided rug, so I did it this way:

Cut the body of each t-shirt up in a 2" wide spiral from the base to the armpits. You can use each sleeve as well- as long as the fabric is tubular, you can cut it like this. I must say here that I was not particular how I did this- it was not neat and not always 2" wide. Speed, not perfection was what I was aiming for. I roughly knotted all the lengths together then got hooking.

US terminology:

I started with a magic ring and a 15mm hook. Then:

Row 1: 6sc into ring (do not join round, you will work in a spiral. Place stitch marker in last stitch and move up round by round)

Row 2: 2sc into each sc

Row 3: *2sc in next sc, sc into next sc. Repeat from * around

Row 4: *2sc in next sc, sc in next 2 sc. Repeat from * around

Row 5: *2sc in next sc, sc in next 3 sc. Repeat from * around

Continue adding an extra sc inbetween increases on every round. If the rug starts to look a bit floppy and open, just work a round with no increases, then continue increasing as before on the next round.

Notes
:: When I ran out of yarn I fastened off, but i do intend adding to this rug as more t-shirts become available to me!
::I left all the knots visible and raggedy as Mouse liked it that way, but you could crochet over them as you go for a really neat look, or simply pull them through to the other side.
::I like this rug best upside down. So that's how it is. After being walked on for a day or two the curve of the rug flattened out nicely and it is now thick, flat and comfy for play.
::Not to mention machine washable.
::This is a forgiving material to work with as it is so thick. If you drop the odd increase or shift them along the round a bit, it is fine. In fact, if you shift the increases along each round you avoid that slightly hexagonal look that crocheted circles can get- and half of my rug appears to have acquired.

Hope you like it. x

Another Joyous Monday

Today I am apparently 'a big fat ugly idiot who is also mean and selfish and rude.' This at full blast walking up our road on The School Run. Honestly, these four times daily journeys are becoming things of true horror for me.

At any rate, Custard and I have sorted out our differences. I find a stretch of ignoring, followed by sending him on a guilt trip does wonders.

In other hugely exciting Monday news...it has taken me THREE DAYS to clean two thirds of the house and now here I am sitting in a room that has clearly just been burgled. This is depressing. As I have worked my way around the house I have been mentally compiling a list of Stuff That Needs To Be Done. It is quite a long list and there is no chance of ever working my way through all the things on it.

So why make the list?

I CAN'T HELP IT!!!!!!!! It is a bad habit I really need to break though, because I just end up feeling depressed when I fail to manage everything.

Distraction is needed...Now where's my hook?

x

Oh, and also... my younger daughter appears to have been eating only gravel over the weekend, judging by today's nappies. And FHB also informs me that I am a rude and mean Mummy and he hates me. So that's nice. I have just lost my temper in a quite spectacular way. I don't know whether I should ashamed- it certainly seems to have had a rather cathartic effect. 

Rainy day

Good afternoon to you on this disgustingly grey and rainy day. As a result of the afore mentioned weather, Miss T and I holed up for the morning while the others were at school. Hot chocolate (her), vanilla latte (me), and a pleasant morning spent grabbing what daylight we could in the bay window, doing a bit of this:

This is the side-to-side cowl (found on Ravelry). I am trying to get it finished quickly so I can wear it before Spring!

You may notice I am sporting a fetching pink swatch on my feet. This was going to be a jumper for Mouse, but I did not like it. It has, however, proved to be a good doll blanket and Miss T was very pleased with herself for keeping my toes warm with it. Much squealing and 'Look! MAM! Feet!'

As I sat hooking I had a great view of our dining room table. It is making smile every time I look at it, covered as it is with a week's worth of lego and pirate activity:

And then, just as we were about to head out on the school run in the (grey, disgusting) rain, there was a knock on the door and the postman presented me with a rather soggy jiffy bag. It proved to contain this:

which, though grey, considerably brightened my day! I bought myself this pretty little brooch from Acorn and Will and I am thrilled with it. I may well have to order another one. Or two!

**I have just been assaulted by a small cross person with a pink shopping basket. Must dash.

x

In which we go to the beach...

...and do not take any photos because I forgot my camera. And my wallet. So W says that it is okay, he has his. Then we realise he has no change for parking. So we rummage around in the car and come up with about three pence. Even frisking FHB did not come up with any money.

But it is okay- our lovely council installed chip and pin parking meters along the seafront. So we try that. It rejects all three of W's cards. I start to panic.

We eventually find a free parking spot and walk to the beach, avoiding the copious dollops of doggy do-do.Grrr.

We manage about twenty minutes on the beach- it is Very Cold and two of our family have not brought their gloves. I have brought two pairs. I give them to my children and go without. My fingers go blue. Miss T drops one of my gloves in the sea.

FHB and W play with a bouncy ball on the prom. FHB is not such a good catcher, or indeed, thrower. Several passers by get hurt.

We are Having Fun!

Actually, you know, we really are not. We decide to go to Tesco instead.

On the way back to the car FHB manages not only to step in dog poo, but also to get it on the inside of his (brand new) gloves. This prompts W to remove the label in order to remove the poo. He rips a large hole in the gloves. I am Happy.

I drop all but Miss T at home, leaving W to sort out the poo. I have a quiet hour in the supermarket with smiley Miss T.

While I am out, FHB tips a mug of hot chocolate all over Mouse's new dress. When I get home the dress is soaking in the sink and the dog poo shoes and coat and gloves are still on the washing pile. W has discovered that the parking metre wanted to charge us £135,000 for an hour's parking- bit out of our price range.

Happy Day.

But...today everyone is back at work and school!

x

Resolutions

Well hello and happy new year!

I have been thinking long and hard about what I want to do in 2011, but it turns out that my list is really a simple one:

::Use less stuff, use what we have, use it better, fix it or adapt it when it inevitably gets broken.
::Shout less. (A hard one I think!) Count to ten, think about it, react in a calmer, quieter way.
::Make time- for me, for W, for each bear together and individually.
::Relax- Walk on the beach. Read. Have a hot coffee in silence. Listen to music.

This year, for our family, is all about the small pleasures, the thrifty alternatives, making, mending, not spending. Being content with what we have and where we are.

And also, if I could just lose a stone I would be a very happy person.

x