British Cream Tea : Delicious British Felt Food Sculpture

Reasons to be cheerful...

 
For some undiagnosed reason I have found the last few months hard. Juggling an increasingly cuddly and hilarious 10 month old with the house and a little business that has taken off in ways I never imagined have all clashed and left me feeling splintered and fragile, sometimes leaving me staring at the wall, my head so full of what I have to do I barely know where to start.

And some things I love the most have suffered. My lovely and steadfast friends, still there even after I have ignored the world and locked myself away for far too long. My sister, nephew, mum and family who live not too far away but, until I finally learn to drive, just that little bit too far to be able to nip round for a night of wine, Love Actually and the relaxed company only those few can really give without too much planning and two trains. My beloved business, that needs more time spent on marketing and sewing those hundreds of ideas that exist only in my head in felt to list in my little shops. My 365 projects...mine is 5 days behind in editing, Toby's is almost 3 weeks behind...I have all the pictures and will find the hours to devote to editing and posting them on flickr soon...

To all, I am sorry. Normal (maybe even improved) service will be resumed shortly.

And now for those reasons as promised in the title...

1. For the approaching exhilaration (albeit spiked with lashings of terror) that is my first exhibition, opening in The Biscuit Factory in Newcastle on the 15th of May.

2. For the excitement of waiting for the release of next month's "Sew Hip" magazine...because my bourbon biscuit should be gracing its pages and I cannot wait to buy a magazine containing my work at Borders!

3. For the fact that this evening, after me getting all in a lather about him not yet holding his own bottle or having any teeth yesterday, Toby grabbed his evening milk out of my hands and proceeded to hold it between his little chubby fingers. I feel all proud yet tinged with sadness as milky time was our cuddle time. No sign of teeth yet still..but they will come ;)

4. Because my Mum is driving over tomorrow to spend the afternoon with Toby and me and is hopefully bringing the camera I left there two weeks ago complete with the photographs of Toby's first trip to a playground.

5. Because the addition to the kitchen windowsill of an incredibly fast growing pair of sunflower plants make the kitchen feel immediately more homely, especially sat next to a teeny tiny tomato plant that Hepburn has decided to try and eat given even the sliver of a chance (it is now wrapped and thriving in its own plastic bag greenhouse, safe from feline attentions). What makes these even lovelier is that they were a gift from my friend Jackie and her son Sean, who have been busy cultivating them from seed on their dining room windowsill.

5. For the lovely man today who, upon alighting the train and seeing me waiting on the platform this afternoon with the pram, waited until everyone else had got off and put down his bag before helping Toby and me onto the train, checking we were ok and then getting off again. Thank you...you made me smile ;)
 
6. For the huge parcel of recycled felt I ordered last night to finish my gallery collection...I love receiving felt in the post!

7. Because I have sausages in the fridge, potatoes waiting to be baked and copious amounts of mushrooms for gravy.

8. Because it was sunny today. And everything is better when it is sunny, warm and the sun does not set until 8pm.

Loves bananas, hates pears

 

On Friday we started Toby on solids. We bought organic carrots, pears and bananas to add to the organic baby cereal (his favourite is rice with raspberry and apple) that he has been eating for a few weeks.

His first try was banana, which he loves and he has been eating it quite happily for 5 days...

...but today I introduced pear, which he seems to loath. I have more in the fridge to mix with banana tomorrow to wean him onto it gently.

The next one is carrot...wish me luck ;)

Every time he reaches a new milestone I feel a strange mixture of excitement, pride and grief that he is no longer my little baby. I have no idea whether this is normal but I am, at the same time, happy he is growing up and sad that he is growing up.

We are buying a highchair this weekend which seems like a huge step. I just hope he adjusts well to not being fed on Mamma's knee...

2009

 

Happy New Year!!

I hope 2009 is fabulous for everyone ;)

I am slowly getting used to the new year: packaging away Christmas decorations ready for Chinese New Year ones, "helping" Toby write his thank you letters (he only needs help, naturally!) and working on having my resolutions in place by the end of January.

Every year I try a do or die strategy of resolutions. If they are not all in place, complete, by the time I go to bed on January 1st I feel I have failed. But this year Christmas was so busy and full on, and was our first chance to really both take time off together, that I slept most of New Year's Day. I was unbelievably tired. I kind of wish I hadn't allowed myself to stop as I am far more shattered after stopping for a week than in any of the 7 previous months!

So by the end of January 2009 I want to:

1.
Be back into decent eating habits and well on the way to looking in the mirror and recognising, maybe even liking, what I see. I have stuck a photograph on the fridge of me at 30, in Paris, for inspiration.

2.
Start dancing again seriously. At least 4 times a week. It makes me feel wonderful and stronger, plus I am hoping that it will help me take some time for myself and keep Toby entertained at the same time. He loves music and laughs when I dance in front of him!

3.
Try to work out ways of seperating work and home and me. They have all become too wrapped up and cluttered and I need to find a way of keeping them all at least slightly separated! I'll get back to you on how I plan to do this as presently I have no clue...

4.
To design and make at least 3 new pieces a week for my business, and work on at least a couple of specific pieces in time for each major holiday. As traditional British food does not enter into Chinese New Year the next ones are St Valentine's and Easter.

5.
To start doing the 365 days photography project on me, a 52 weeks project on Toby and restart his progression pictures. I hate that I have missed so many weeks but I cannot change that so continuing now after a gap is better than never starting again I suppose!

6.
To make our home beautiful every day, not just at Christmas. I will so miss the tree and the lights and need to work out ways of making it lovely all the time to fill the gap the tree will leave come Monday.

Also, thanks to Mum and Ruth, I now have a sewing machine so I can actually make things for the house quickly without having to handsew long straight seams ;)

If I don't get all of these set up before the end of January I will be disappointed, but life just keeps getting in the way!

If you see me straying give me a gentle nudge!

PS. if any one was following my Advent series I will be posting the rest soon both here and on Flickr ;D

Congratulations Tina and Samson

Today was Billy's cousin Tina's wedding reception.

Tina looked so beautiful and Samson so handsome!

 Toby was incredibly good as he was passed and cuddled and photographed, the food was fabulous as usual especially the lobster and it was lovely to see everyone again.

I wish them all the happiness in the world.

Roly Poly Toby

At every health visitor and doctors appointment in the last couple of months I have added "but he is not rolling yet" to my tales of how he is doing, sure that he was behind every other baby. My mother, Billy and all the doctors and health visitors kept telling me that he is healthy and advanced and fabulous...but for some reason this played on my mind!

But today, a few days before his 6 month birthday (for which am baking a cake), he rolled over ;)

I put him down for his morning nap and went to do all those little things that can only be done when he is sleeping when I heard a noise. A funny squeaky noise. So I investigated and he was on his front...all 4 limbs up in the air and desperately swimming! He loathes being on his front and so was much displeased. I just hope that now he can do it one way he learns to do it the other for all our sanities but mainly for his, so he can get back onto the safety of his back without the upset.

My baby is growing up!

Remembrance Sunday

Today I remember my Grandparents. My beloved Grandpa who signed up in the first week of WW2 and served in Africa, Europe and, after Dunkirk, Burma; My Nanna who served in the land army at home waiting for him to return; and the Grandfather I never knew who was sunk in WW1.

I was given the green beret of the Burma star after it was removed from the coffin at my Grandfather's funeral. I keep it in my wardrobe with one of his pipes, the smell of which can reduce me to tears, my Nanna's land army badge and the bracelet he brought her back from Africa.

I named my son after my Grandpa. I still miss him. And seeing the last few Burma star veterans in the parade this morning made me cry as it does every year.

He was always so proud on Remembrance Sunday.

tagged...I'm it!

Drum roll please......

I have been tagged by Cloudhopping ;)

The rules are as follows:

1. Link to your tagger and list all these rules in your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by including links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

Now if only I can think of 7...here goes...

1. I love baking, seriously love it, and am currently making vanilla extract with vodka and loads of vanilla pods.

2. I have a secret addiction to "Charlie and Lola" and make Billy watch it every night at 6pm with the excuse that Toby loves it.

3. I own a lot of shoes and beautiful clothes I no longer wear, either because they no longer fit (yet) or a pram is not easily paired with Terry de Havilland platforms, stiletto boots or nude and gold leather tango shoes *sob*

4. I still sleep with a soft toy...I used to sleep with two but now Toby is often found with his arms wrapped round the other one, usually with an ear or foot in his mouth.

5. I have 12 letters after my name (5 italicised) along with two brackets and a full stop.

6. I used to be a Samaritan.

7. I love burying my face in my cat's fluffy tummy and am secretly proud of the fact she won't let Billy do it.

I am going to tag the following bloggers, all UK etsians...

bigbluebed.blogspot.com
clairesblog.paynedesign.co.uk/blog
www.boulieblog.com
lazygiraffejewellery.blogspot.com
illusio-creative.blogspot.com
marmalady1.blogspot.com
amandasainsbury.blogspot.com

Babbas and bells

Toby started reaching out for toys a couple of weeks ago and is starting to grab things...so I wanted to make the hanging birdies and elephants on his bouncy chair more immediately enjoyable. They do squeak and crunch when squeezed but I think it will be a while before he is able to really grab them and squeeze them hard enough so I thought of bells...

...so yesterday I bought little packets of tiny silver bells and this morning I sewed them to the animal's tails...and he loves them ;)

Now onto the pram toys!

In Mourning.

I just found out my friend's beloved partner Jer died on Wednesday 3rd September. I have been so busy lately trying to sort myself out that I have not been there and for that I am truly sorry.

Jer was a wonderful man whose music will continue to touch many lives and in that way he will live on.

A cinema day

Yesterday was a cinema day. I lurve the cinema!!

In the morning my friend Robin and I took the two boys to "The Big Scream" a parent and baby weekly showing at Fact, our local arts cinema. This week they played "The Duchess" which was so beautiful...the costumes and the hair and the houses.

The films are not the main attraction of this visit, it is lovely to sit amoungst other parents and not have to worry about them crying or needing changed as everyone is in the same boat. It has become a weekly highlight and this week, as a bonus, the film was fabulous.

Then at 5.30pm Stacey phoned. The special showing of "Sex and the City" at the Philharmonic (home of the kilt wearing organist, art deco hall and the world's only cinema screen that rises up through the floor) had been sold out for weeks...but a friend of hers had given her 2 last minute tickets...oooooh...

So we quickly got dolled up, found our seats, watched the arrival of hundreds of Liverpool women arrive in various levels of dressiness (some in hats usually reserved for the races and one girl in a fifties polka dot fifties dress with huge bright petticoats), Stacey clapped along to the preshow kilted organist and laughed cried and drooled for a wonderful 2 hours.

Then we drove home and decided we were getting old as 10 o'clock is surely too early to be yawning, even on a weeknight.

I wish I had had my camera!!