The Baby’s Catalogue by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

This is one of my daughter’s favourite books to flick through in the mornings when she is waiting for me to prepare her porridge. I usually give her about 4 books to flick through whilst she waits in her bed for me to come and fetch her and this is the one she always seems to be reading when I come in the room.

There’s a lot of detailand variation in the pictures and the illustrations leave so much scope for making up stories and asking questions. The colours and bright and cheerful and the illustrations are quite funny too.

I think this will be one of those books that is a favourite for a long time.

The Growing Story by Ruth Krauss and Helen Oxenbury

I came accross this book in our local library amd fell in love with the illustrations straight away so it had to be bought! I often struggle to find books in the library that I really like so I was pleased when I came accross it. The story is of a boy who is growing, he has a puppy who he watches grown, he goes through all of the seasons before finally realising that he has grown too.

The story is gentle and descriptive and the illustrations really capture the different seasonal changes. I often change the story when I read it as the illustrations seem to have too much more to talk about than what is in the words alone.

New love for a dolly’s highchair

I stumbled accross this vintage Triang highchair on ebay and couldn’t pass it by without putting a bid on it – I won it for just £5 (despite it being an hours’ round trip to collect it!). I really like the colour it was but it was looking a bit dull and tired, plus there was a fair amount of rust on it and our move to Australia requires all rust to be cleaned/covered so I thought it best to try and restore it.

I can’t say it’s been an easy task – I tried some Nitro Mors. Yucky, horrid, and awful to the environment, it didn’t seem to do much apart from leave cloggy mucky lumps behind. Luckily, my very dear friend managed to provide me with a Black & Decker Mouse. Oh it was fab, that and a small amount of elbow grease was all it took to get it in a state ready for spraying. I decided to spray it as there are so many small spindles and areas I just didn’t think that my painting skills would leave a very good outcome.

Anyway, here it is after it’s first coat of pink spray paint:

I’m pleased with the final result, it’s not perfect but it will do for now until it is shipped accross to Australia (we needed to sort out the rust on it before the shippers pack everything up  hence the need for doing it up now) I like the shade of pink that it is so I may keep it that colour for good.

Knitted hat complete and knitting for Aids orphans of South Africa

I finished the hat made with the lovely wool from Six Skeins - it is the nicest wool I have ever worked with! I’m pleased with the hat, there is a slight mistake by the seam but overall it’s made me happy.

I have now knitted 2 x hats and one is too small for ‘T’ and this one is not really needed (she has 2 hats already – how many hats does a 2 year old really need?!). This week my husband was watching the BBC World News in the evening and my ears pricked up when I heard about the poor children in Afghanistan who were being supplied with hats by charity workers. Within seconds I was searching on Google and came accross many fab charities which provide for such terrible circumstances some of these children have to deal with. I’m not sure how or why I decided on this particular charity, probably because they accept hats, jumpers, knitted squares and all sorts of other knitted goods to go to their children, but Knit A Square provides knitted goods for the Aids orphans of South Africa:

I already had a little stash of crochet squares (given to me along with the wool from freecycle), the hats and a few other bits and now I’m knitting furiously to see how much of the left-over wool that I have will make of a blanket for one super grateful little person.

If you fancy joining in, or know a school, work-place or group that could get involved then please have a look here for more information.

Even if you have never knitted before, knitting a simple 20cm square is not that hard (I’ve only recently learned and there are so many tutorials on youtube to help you)

(taking part in this week’s Handmade Monday from 1st Unique Gifts x)

…… a bit late, and some more snow.

I’m a bit late in sharing this post, I’ve been a bit otherwise distracted. Nothing of any particular interest, just the daily things that sometimes seem to take longer to do. I’ve been spending my evenings knitting and sewing, my days running around little ‘T’ – she is oh so much fun now, but her teeth are still causing her upset and she seems to forever have a cold whenever it gets chilly. I think we are all in need of some Singapore sunshine (despite my absolute LOVE of snow!)

We had a little bit of snow last night – enough for the garden and trees to look very pretty in the morning – I was excited to bring ‘T’ downstairs and show her the view from the window whilst we sat in the warm eating our porridge and honey, I love the cosy feeling that is created when it’s all white and quiet outside.

Little ‘T’ said that she wanted to “go in the garden and build a snowman and throw meatballs?!” she does make me laugh every day these days! I had been a bit worried that ‘T’ wouldn’t see snow before we leave so I was deperate to get out in the garden with her first thing this morning, we went for a walk to the local shop to get a few supplies and then ventured out into the garden and Grandma’s garden too. The ducks were making a lot of noise in the stream at the bottom of the garden, think that may have something to do with a cat who had managed to catch a bird (I think it was a poor morehen but wasn’t to keen on looking to closely). I love these snow, cosy days with ‘T’. Oh I do love my little one, so, so much. xx

lately: THIS

I thought I’d share some of the various things that are in our days lately:

• THIS adorable knitted jumper, for ‘T’ by Grandma. I love how snug and warm it feels and how sweet it is on too. I think it is big enough for a bit of growing room too, so Adelaide’s Winter had better be cold enough!
• 
•  THIS vintage high-chair was an ebay find for just £5. I’ve been meaning to give it a new lease of life for some time now, and I’ve started getting rid of some of the paint. It’s going to be pink, I hope it turns out okay – I will of course let you know the outcome.
• 
• THIS stunning vintage jigsaw which I found in our local charity shop for just £1! I couldn’t resist! I’m unsure of the age and the box doesn’t tell me but I just love the colours, illustrations and seasonal pictures around the outside. I’m sure this will be a very much loved toy for years to come.
• 
• THIS is the current state of our garden, a bit grey, dull and miserable with some TLC required to tidy it up before we leave. Still, ‘T’ doesn’t seem to care about that and is happy to explore in any weather!
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• THIS batch (one of many) of cheesy biscuits in the shapes of snails, caterpillars and butterflies. I love the cheese straw recipe from the classic Be-Ro book, I’ve used part wholegrain flour and they are delicious, I;ve also been baking ‘T’ lots of cheesy scones lately from the Be-Ro book, I just love them with my home-made soup (and so does ‘T’ – thankfully!)
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• THIS is what our spring bulbs look like – we’ve seen daffodils, crocuses, and grape hyacinth in the last week which is so odd for January!
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• THIS is what ‘T’ did to a pile of washing when I turned my back to sort out dinner the other day. Nothing is safe anymore, nothing at all!
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• and THIS is ‘T’ wearing my riding hat. Just thought I’d share as it made me chuckle!
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Old Sarum

A quiet Sunday morning; ‘T’ was suffering from a cold and nasty cough along with being grumpy from teething so we decided to take a walk around Old Sarum. We only live about 3 miles from here yet neither of us had been here for so long, why is it always that we never go to the places that are right on our doorstep?!

The wind was howling up high on the top and it was often hard to speak as the wind literally took your breath away. ‘T’ was snuggled up warm in her pushchair and it felt good to let the wind blow and look at the views and take time to reflect (and escape our house where at the moment I seem to be constantly sorting out something to do with our move).

There’s something nice about really windy days, they make you feel a little bit refreshed, don’t they? x

snow

We had some snow! A tiny, peppering, nothing much but enough for ‘T’ to look out of the window, clench her fists in excitement and chant ‘snow!!, snow!!’ over and over! I loved how excited she was. Whilst still in our pyjamas we added wooly hats, coats and wellies and went out in the garden to see it – she was excited to touch it and there were tears when we had to come back in (I think the neighbours think i;m crazy sometimes!)

Later on in the morning I popped to my good friends house in a neighbouring village and there was more snow there, so here are some snowy pictures. I’m really hoping for some deep, thick, fluffy snow – something that ‘T’ can actually play with and touch and experience before we leave for sunnier places.

 

PS. It’s Sunday again, so that means it’s Handmade Monday again over at 1st Unique Gifts – head over there for a nosey at some creative blogs, plus it’s been going for a whole year!! yippee!!

Knitted teddy complete, (and a belated ‘Birthday’ weekend update)

I have finished the little teddy! It was a joy to make – in fact it was very simple as it is made out of lots of rectangles (I’m still not brave enough to tackle anything too taxing – I don’t think I’ll have the patience!

I’ve given teddy a litle scarf to keep him warm and he will soon be posted to a very little special baby who is due to be born very, very soon.

I’ve been reading up on toddler behaviour this week from the fantastic book by Tanya Byron – I’m a real fan of hers after watching the TV series ‘House of tiny tearaways’ many years ago and she really inspired me with her clinical pyschology background (I started a psychology degree throughh the Open University though struggled to keep up with learning about the brain and writing essays on neurons late into the night on very little sleep after having a baby, but I really would like to finish it……one day!).

‘T’ has been more challenging this last week - hence reading up on toddler behaviour a bit more; she has been suffering with teething, a cold and has entered the phase where everything is repeated, I’m finding this age so lovely and she is such fun now, but oh she leaves me worn out by the end of the day (plus we’re back to night wakings again with this cough/cold which I’m SO scared will turn into a long episode of night waking like the end of last year. We are also going to turn her cot-bed into a bed over the next weeks or so to give her (ahem – me!) plenty of time to get used to it before our move.

So, I had better carry on with that stripey scarf I suppose!……………

Remember to check in with Small Things and Frontier Dreams for some other creative reads.

I had better show you my Birthday cake too – it was my Birthday on Sunday and I was utterly spoiled by my lovely friends and family. My Mum made me this lovely cake and I went out for the evening with my lovely husband for dinner – here’s a picture of my meal – it was delicious! We had an evening of wine and olives, laughter and lovely long chats, it was a shame the evening had to come to an end……………

GIVEAWAY! : naturalmat.co.uk – Organic swaddle + winner of Miss Matatabi Fabric

I’m excited to announce that I’m holding a FANTASTIC giveaway from Naturalmat. A company based in the south of England selling natural mattresses, bed toppers, baby bedding supplies, blankets and MUCH more

Naturalmat was started with the aim of helping babies and children sleep safely and comfortably in the best, most natural environment possible. Harnessing the amazing potential of natural and organic materials like organic coir, latex and organic cotton, we have created a range of handcrafted mattresses that are superbly comfortable, breathable, washable and non-allergenic.

Naturalmat are pioneers in natural fibre technology and have developed the most comfortable range of mattresses using innovative new raw materials.

• Organic lambswool from certified Soil Association farms as well as being anti-dust mite, anti-bed bug and anti-moth.
• Organic coir fibre- this sustainable material greatly enhances the ventilation and spring of the mattress.
• Organic latex- the organic latex we use comes from the only certified organic rubber plantation in the world and we are the only UK mattress maker using it. The latex layer provides an immensely supportive core that is naturally breathable and totally hypoallergenic.
• Horsehair tail- this is one of the most highly prized materials in the upholstery industry. It has long been used in mattress making for its incredible resilience and superior spring. We needle the horsehair tail onto a hessian backing which provides extra strength and protection for the springs whilst still allowing flexibility for independent movement.
• Mohair and bamboo and are all from environmentally conscious sources and biodegradable.
• Organic cotton- All our organic cotton sheets and bedding are certified in accordance with GOTS by the Soil Association.
• Cashmere- one of the softest fibres available, cashmere is the ultimate in luxury natural fibres. The soft spring provided by cashmere gives an added dimension of comfort. Like wool, cashmere has inherent properties of ventilation and insulation but the quality of the fibre helps to create the most sumptuous mattress in our range.
• These raw materials are combined to create a truly green product made by a British company.

The prize for this giveaway is a super-practical and baby essential  organic swaddle by aden and anais (I wish I had one of these when my little one was born)

It comes in a variety of prints though for the giveaway, the winner will receive on in the ‘enchanted’ print (great for baby girls and boys too):

For countless generations, mothers have swaddled and cared for their children with natural muslin. These organic swaddles are made of organic cotton that is grown and manufactured in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. Luxuriously soft, it is the ideal fabric to use on delicate baby skin. Measuremens 94cm x 94cm

• Breathable – prevents overheating
• Generous size – makes swaddling easy
• Comfy – the more you wash it the softer it gets
• Multi-use – stroller, nursing, or changing table cover, burp cloth, tummy time blanket and more
• 

You have 3 chances to win! TO ENTER:

• leave a comment below.
• share this giveaway on the web (blog post, twitter, facebook etc) and let me know that you have done so.
• ‘like’ my facebook page (over there at the top on the right) and let me know that you have done so.

The 3 winners will be picked by using random.org at the end of February and announced on this blog.

Good Luck!! x

Now for the 3 lucky winners of the Miss Matatabi fabric!

Using random.org I have selected that the 3 winners are:

’tillymintboutique’ – you have won – Kokka Japanese Fabric Melody Miller Ruby Star Spring – Bee Tomato Vine – 1 yard

‘GG‘ – you have won -  Kokka Heather Ross Far Far Away III Girls with Horses Japanese Fabric – grey – 1 yard

‘Celine Richard’ – you have won – Kokka Yoshie Miriporun Sunny Farm Japanese Fabric – orange, white – 1 yard

Congratulations!!