A new topic, all ready, and finished (well nearly!).

1) Natalie, over at The Yarn Yard has started a new topic called Making Monday in which we get to share some of the things we’ve been making over the last week. I love this idea, so here’s the main thing I made this weekend… The cake is vanilla buttermilk, with vanilla buttercream and marshmallow fondant icing. Keith and I decorated it together…

Mum’s 65th Birthday Art Deco Cake

2) I organise the kid’s school bags and packed lunch boxes, in readiness for tomorrow – after eight weeks and ones day, school reopens after the summer holidays.

3) I complete knitting the sleeve I began before the summer’s madness descended and I ran out of time to knit!

Just in time, trains and it’s no problem!

1) I remembered, just in time, that M’s skiing lesson was actually thirty minutes earlier than I’d been planning for this morning. We were exactly on time.

2) The kids made the railway line stretch from one end of the house to the other.

3) I have to re-schedule an appointment at short notice this morning. She reassures me it’s totally fine, and they’ve got an available slot on the following day.

Extravaganza, bike ride and hard at work.

1) The kids have been going to a Holiday Club at my parent’s church every day this last week, which culminated this morning in an Extravaganza service. They’ve had a wonderful time all week, and it’s been lovely to see them with such happy smiles 🙂 .

2) We finally did something we’ve planned to do for a long time – namely cycled along the canal tow path along to my parent’s house for Sunday dinner. It took the four of us 1 hour 10 minutes going, and K and I just 38 mins coming home again. It was a perfect afternoon for a bike ride, and we all had lots of fun! Here’s K, with M on the trail-gator before we left, and Aidan and I enjoying the cycle…

3) Aidan and Gungle were finally able to start work on Aidan’s Airfix Saturn V model rocket this afternoon. Here they are hard at work:

Deer, beach in the rain and not on our own!

From yesterday:

1) During a sunny walk along a long since-abandoned railway line, we caught a glimpse of two deer leaping through the golden wheat fields.

2) The kids arrived back from their rainy beach visit extremely sandy and wet, but very very happy 🙂 .

3) If you are going to get caught in a severe rainstorm of many hours duration, whilst living in a tent, it’s best to do it with friends 🙂 !

Gymnastics, happy and clear.

From yesterday:

1) A&M had their last gymnastics class this morning. They finished the course by giving a performance – both kids did really well… Grandma and I were both very impressed 🙂 .

2) Packing up to go on a camping trip with friends – the kids were sooo excited!

3) A starlit glass of wine, under a sky so clear we could see the Milky Way.

Changeable, no demands, and lemons.

1) In trying to explain to my daughter that things can change very quickly in the course of the game (Frustration, if you are interested) and that she shouldn’t be upset that her “character” got sent back to the beginning, she points outside and says “… just like the weather!”. I look out and realise she’s right – the rain has stopped, and the sun is shining.

2) I can feel myself gradually sinking into the comfort of the sofa, relaxing for the first time all day. It’s good to sit down and not have a “Mummy, can you…?” twenty seconds later!

3) When life hands you lemons… make lemon curd!

Greeting, shopping, magpie.

1) The kids greet their uncle with hugs and smiles as though they hadn’t seen him for weeks. (They had, in fact, last seen him two days ago!)

2) I have cause to visit a different Tesco from the one I normally frequent. And I work my way round the store three times, before giving up and asking the help of a staff member to help. It makes me feel a bit better that he then leads me on a fourth exploration of the store, before asking someone else! We eventually find the sandwich bags… in the middle of the fridge aisle!

3) The iridescent blue feathers of the breast and inner wing of the magpie as it paused, ever so briefly, to feed.

Organisation, letter and wet.

1) I like the Thinking Space Pro app on my phone… This morning, I spent thirty minutes creating a mind-map of the contents of the freezer. I then categorised it appropriately, and shared it with K. Now, any time we put something out of the freezer, or put something into it, we can note it down. I’m hoping this will help us avoid any more “dinner at 10.30pm” disasters!!

2) A beautifully-designed letter arrives in the post. It contains a wedding invitation. 🙂 🙂

3) They play in the “spaghetti soaker”, and get very wet. But have lots of fun – their squeals of excitement were fun to listen to…

Restarting, worth the wait and in the freezer.

1) The success of getting my knitting project restarted, encourages me to get on with my sewing projects too…

2) I take the kids cycling this afternoon. It rains and we shelter under a tree for a while, as the park empties of people. Then it stops and we enjoy sunshine and cycling in a lovely quiet park!

3) Too tired to think what to make for dinner, and take-out (for once) doesn’t appeal… K finds a chicken and chorizo paella hiding in the freezer – delicious, home-made and healthy.

Just made it! All done! and here!

1) Aidan was quite concerned this morning when K only just made his train. I pointed out that it didn’t actually matter whether he made it with moments or minutes to spare, the net result was the same – he was on the train. A was much happier then!

2) I came back from the meeting to find my ironing all done. Thanks very much Mum!

3) My cousin is visiting, and the kids are sooo excited to see her!