Well done Mr Postman

My flower swap parcel has already arrived in the US of A despite only being posted a few days ago. I received a lovely email from Ulrike today saying she had received it so I can finally show you what I sent...

A fat quarter of flowery fabric

A gorgeous vintage french seed packet lavendar bag. These were bought from Ragged Roses on Folksy a while ago. I got one for me too!

A handmade fabric covered notebook

Some of my favourite seeds

A little handmade sewing kit

2 pairs of flowery gardening gloves

and some other flowery bits and pieces

It was so much fun choosing and making things to send. I can't wait to receive my parcel which is on its way! Off to finish off some things for my colour swap now. I LOVE this swapping lark!!

What a bargain

I was having a little browse in my local charity shop as you do when I came accross a little bag of fabric for 95p. Included were these little beauties...

Two big pieces and some smaller scraps. Its really cute and is a linen type fabric rather than a soft cotton. What can I make with these I wonder? Also included were

What a find! I'm feeling very pleased with my bargain fabric. Just need to find that mojo and start making things again!

Right I'm off to watch Brothers and Sisters. Its going to be a tear jearker this week. I'm such a sucker for sentimental American drama shows and I LOVE Rob Lowe. Reminds me of my youth watching him. Was it just me or was anyone else completely obsessed with this film in the 1980's

I loved it and watched it over and over again. Please tell me I was not the only one!

Number 86

I've just found out that I'm number 86 on the Tots 100 list of top parenting blogs. Not quite sure how I achieved this but its very exciting. Woo hoo!! Thanks to Sally at Whos the Mummy? for compiling the list. Going to check out some of the other blogs now.



I met Esther Rantzen yesterday. Well when I say met I mean I smiled at her as she walked past me. She was opening the Homestart office where I will be working from next month (gulp). She seemed very nice (very small!) and spoke to some of our volunteers and families before having her photo taken by the local press and TV. You can see a picture here. It was lovely to meet my new collagues again and I was very pleased to learn that eating cake will feature highly in my new role. What a result! I came home with a left over jelly for Izzy and Sam! Jon's face was a picture when I walked in from my work meeting with a dish of jelly. That just wouldn't happen in his work world! My car is now fixed (£200!!!) so I'm all set to go apart from my irrational fear of driving anywhere that has more than one lane of traffic. I've got a month to sort out my driving phobia. Any ideas?? I've already had refresher lessons and hypnotherapy!! I'm really going to have to face my fear next month.

Off to America.....

Not me but my flower swap parcel. Its going to the lovely Ulrike who lives in Georgia. You can check out her lovely blog here. I can only tease you with photos of the wrapped items as obviously I don't want to spoil the surprise for Ulrike. I just hope she likes them! Now need to finish the parcel for my swap partner in the colour swap. Nearly there just 2 things to finish off now. I'm loving the whole swap thing. Its such fun to have to buys things for people on a particular theme.

My kitchen now looks like this.

There is definate progress. The gas man is coming tomorrow to fit the new gas hob and Jon is working as we speak fitting the work top. He has done really well considering I swanned off at about 4pm today to meet a friend so he had to look after the children who are just so cute as the moment

The friend I met has organised the Bristol International Kite Festival for over 20 years and I used to work for her. She is really keen to have a craft market at this years event and has asked ME to organise it!! Its so exciting. We met today and are just in the process of finalising whether it is financially viable to do it depending on marquee costs etc but we are both really keen for it to happen. Last years event had over 40,000 people attend over the week-end and was absolutely packed as the sun was shining so it should be really good. I'm not into kites in the slightest but I have to say its a brilliant event. There is something really relaxing about sitting down with a picnic watching hundreds of kites flying above you (especially with a nice glass of wine from the beer tent!). Its well worth a visit especially with children so if you are anywhere near Bristol on Sept 4/5 come and say hi! There will be free kite making workshops and I am hoping to organise some free craft workshops for children this year as well.

The thing I am struggling with at the moment is what to call the craft event. It would be great to have a snappy name for it rather than just 'craft market' or 'craft fair'. I love the events that are called things like Handm@de Oxford or Handmade Nation as they sound much funkier and up to date. So any ideas what I can call my little craft event?? I know you are a talented bunch so lets hear those ideas!!

Feeling rubbish

I'm so fed up of feeling ill. All this week Izzy and I have had a stomach bug. Just when I thought it was getting better it came back with a vengance. I haven't had a cup of tea since Tuesday!! Thats how sick I have felt. I love tea. I drink loads of tea. Its what gets me through the day. I finally had a mug of tea at my mums this afternoon and it was fantastic so I finally think I have turned the corner which is a good job considering I got home and this is what my kitchen looks like.

I don't actually have a kitchen anymore! Yes Jon has ripped the kitchen out and is in the process of fitting a new one which is great fun as it means rather than a nice leisurely week-end relaxing and recuperating while  he looks after the children I have to keep them out of the house all day. Lets just say it wasn't my idea for him to do it single handedly. Apparently it will be ready by Wednesday (minus tiling). I put my foot down and insisted we get someone in to do the tiling. What do we think? Ready by Wednesday?? No chance! 

To top it off my car has had it. We've had ongoing problems with the battery. I think I know what the problem is and have explained it to 2 garages who have basically just ignored me (because I am female???). It was very funny yesterday as it passed its MOT so I went to collect it and realised they hadn't actually fixed the ongoing problem despite them insisting that it was all sorted. When I went to drive it away the battery had gone flat again so they were REALLY embarrassed. It turns out there is a massive problem with the electrics (yes hello garage I told you that!) and it will have to go to the nissan garage to get sorted. (The same garage who last year disconnected the radio telling me that would sort the problem - Arggggh!!)

Anyway I've generally been a bit rubbish this month. I've missed the deadline for the sewalong. Didn't even get to the measuring myself stage. Sorry Kitchy Coo! I failed to make the baby shoes for my February 2010 challenge and have not blogged about various awards or meme's passed on to me. I'm really sorry everyone. Its down to a combination of ill health, interview preparation, childcare stress and general day to day life. Will try to do better!

Also thanks to my lovely friend Debi who has been emailing me photos of Phillip Schofield and Christopher Dean (yes of Torvil & Dean fame - strange I know!) to try and cheer me up. It did make me smile!

Gorgeous jewellery

The photos I took of my lovely new earrings really didn't do them justice so I thought I would post some proper photos from the designers website as her jewellery is beautiful and several items have now been added to my birthday list! I'm not a great jewellery wearer usually but this is just so pretty. Check out Kate Hamilton-Hunters Website for more gorgeous items..

Izzy and I seem to have picked up the sickness bug from Sam so we're having a pretty miserable week so far. The only excitement being that my new job have phoned me as Esther Rantsen is opening the office where I will be working next week and they wanted to know if I want to go. I'm always up for a bit of celeb spotting (I'm so shallow!) so I've agreed to go along. Should be fun.

Hoping to feel a bit better soon so I can finish all the things for the swaps I'm involved in. Really need to crack on with it now.

Hectic

Its all been a bit hectic the last week. After the shock of being offered the job wore off I realised that I would actually have to start thinking about childcare which was starting to stress me out. I have been so lucky though. My lovely cousin has offered to look after both the children for me. She lives nearby and is going to do it in my house. She had been toying with the idea of registering as a childminder for a while and this was the push that she needed. She is great and I feel so much better that the children will be with someone we both know. I've also been trying to finalise all the arrangements for my 40th party. I hate organising things. This is why I have never got married!

Sam had a sickness bug last week too that wasn't much fun. I spent most of my time covered in vomit. Lovely! Hes better now but has 3 big back teeth coming through so is a bit grumpy at the moment. Starting work is starting to sound quite nice.

My sewing mojo is still nowhere to be found. I've made a few things for the swaps I am taking part in but apart from that I just don't have any enthusiasm for making things for my shop. Maybe the nicer Spring weather will perk me up a bit? Its been lovely seeing things that people have made for the flower swap I organised though. Well done all you super organised people. I better get on with it! To see it working and people sending each other lovely things is a really lovely feeling.

Got a gorgeous card and pressie from Sam and Izzy for Mothers Day and also decided to treat myself to a few things as a reward for getting the job.

A lovely handmade butterfly card

2 little Spring plants

A mini little teapot and cup

I treated myself to this cute little tin for my sewing room

and some gorgeous earrings. My photos really dont do them justice!

Hes had the chop!

So many people have called Sam a girl in the last couple of months that we finally got his hair cut. Well twice actually. The first time I chickened out of having it cut really short and they did a kind of half way thing that made him look like an old lady who had had a shampoo and set. His dad kept complaining about it so I told him to sort it out himself if he wasn't happy and at the week-end they went off to the barbers together and Sam now has short hair......

I actually REALLY like it! I didn't think I would but I do. It makes him look completely different. He no longer looks like 'Samkins' our little baby but like Sam a proper little boy. His talking has really come on in the last week or so too so it really feels like he has started the next phase of his life which is brilliant but just a little bit sad as well. My baby is growing up....

Oh dear

It was all going so well. Then this happened....

Yes that is my daughters hair - that she cut herself!! She was making things at the kitchen table and asked if she could use proper scissors to cut out shapes. I watched her for a while and she was doing really well and being very careful - see a dinosaur that she cut out by herself

so I kept wandering in and out of the room tidying up and sorting out Sam and then I realised that she was basically cutting off bits of her hair, sticking them to the picture and her explanation 'giving myself a bob!!' Luckily she seems to have managed to cut an equal amount of both sides and it now has a bit of a layered look rather than being a complete disaster (or perhaps I am in denial) but I am mortified. I should have been paying more attention. A bit of a wake up call I think. The scissors will not be allowed out again. Not as bad as a little girl I know though who basically cut off her best friends plaits leaving the girl with VERY short hair!!

Thanks to everyone for your lovely messages about my new job. I am so shocked. Seriously. I did not imagine for one second that I would get it. In fact earlier in the week I even considered cancelling it because I was so scared about the interview and only the fact that I had blogged about it stopped me. The thought of having to blog that I had pulled out was too horrible so its actually down to you I got the job. Thanks everyone.

I actually did a bit of tidying up today - only because Jons dad is coming over tomorrow to babysit so we can go to a friends party. This is what I found down the back of my sofa. .

Some wipes, various toy cars, 2 pirates, a crayon, a ball and a lock of Rapunzel Barbies hair (oh and lots of dust!) No money though unfortunately.

Have a good week-end everyone.

That wasn't supposed to happen

Bloody hell - they only went and offered me the job - and I accepted! How did that happen?? To be honest I am still in complete shock. So in 6 weeks time I will apparently be going back to work - not quite sure where my 2 children will be going though!!

A little help from my friends

Its the big interview tomorrow. I've realised this week that I have some lovely friends who have given me lots of moral support and encouragement. So big thanks to

1) Rachel for offering to have Izzy all tomorrow afternoon
2) Catherine for coming with me on a test drive to the venue (I'm more scared of the drive than the actual interview if I'm honest. Its facing my fear time!)
3) Debi for sending me the most gorgeous handmade good luck card
4) Laura for helping me prepare yesterday
5) Lyn for grilling her friend who works there so I now know I got down to the last 5!!

Also thanks to everybody who has left a comment on my blog wishing me luck and encouraging me or who have emailed me. I really appreciate it guys. Wish me luck..........