Be well

Anybody would think I had just had a birthday with how great things are going. On Tuesday my mum and dad took me and Vivienne off for a surprise in London. They took us to her majesties theater to see Phantom of the opera. I have wanted to see this since i was 9, and now that Vivienne has taken a liking to it, we got to go. Brought quite a tear to my eye watching it, i welled up a few times. It was as wonderful as i always thought it would be, and i have been on cloud nine since. I can't wait to go again.

And then today....


Something arrived in the post for me...


I have wanted a pullip for quite some time now. I'm not really a blythe girl. I mean i have a unexplainable want for one, but i find them kinda creepy. But pullips, dalls, ball jointed dolls, i love. Her name is Kaela, and she is beautiful. She is quite tall, not small by any means. I am looking forward to crafting her some clothes (except the rolled hems, cause rolled hems on dolls clothes make my head explode)


I used to have a film extra key to OZ from the disney film 'Return to OZ' when i was a little girl. (knew someone who worked for disney at the time) And though myself and the girls love the film, it's one of those things you always claim you will get framed with a picture of the film, but really you never do, you leave it packed up safe where no one can see it. So i sold it to a film collector, which paid for my little doll, plus a bit extra for Xmas.

Xmas....

XMAS.......

Man i hate that word. I have done nothing!!!! Shame on me!! It just don't feel like it's time yet. Hopefully i will have something sorted by then!

Vivienne Holly

My little teeny tiny baby went and turned 10 yesterday.


Even she was alittle thrown back by all those candles.


She hadn't asked for anything except a doll based on Amelia Jane in the Enid Blyton books. So of course she got that. Other than that it was alot of animal crossing and mysims stuff.
She was not looking forward to the birthday, i don't know if it's a home school child thing, but none of my kids want to grow up, they are all very aware that being a child is a good deal.
I love babies and toddlers, but i am finding i am also very much enjoying her age right now. It's alittle lazy (specially with work!!) but we are such good friends right now. I don't want my baby to grow up, but at the same time, i am looking forward to her future.

I did mean to blog much sooner, but we all took turns to get swine flu here! Knocked me back alittle because it effected my asthma. I have not had a problem with asthma for at least five years, haven't had a working inhaler in the house for years. So i had to get the doctors (who we wasn't allowed near) to get one out to me and through my letter box !! But all is good now, and i am not taking my inhaler as much.

Can not believe it's so so close to Christmas seems like only five minutes it was Christmas. I feel totally skint this year, so am not going to be over doing it. I should have quite a few crafts to show off.

My friend Natalie who moved to Australia at the beginning of the year is already back. She was loving it over there and all ready to settle down, but her husband was unhappy. So it wasn't going to work. So home they are and i got to spend Sunday with her, and we have lots of plans to make sure we spend time together. In the last few years we have slacked spending time together, but having her half way across the world has made me realize how much i miss her.

Just a quick plug
http://thewadescraftfair.blogspot.com/

I am a very happy mummy right now. To many people this might not mean much, but to me it does.
We have an average (small) size 1940's semi detached 3 bed. In that we try to fit 2 adults, 4 children, one ikkle dog and all our stuff. We have alot of stuff. In fact we are packed solid with stuff. One day I dream of having a craft room, or a craft shop like The Vintage Magpie has managed to find. ( i thought i had one in mind, more on that another day). But alas, we have no room, even if we took away all our stuff, there would still be no room for me to craft in. I have to make do.
BUT...
At the beginning of the week my wonderful hubby drove us all to Ikea, the kids played, we shopped.


We brought home a new table, which fits very snug in the corner of our multi purpose (even more so now) dinning room. Our little dinning room is also, a school room, a play room, a computer room, and now also a craft room. It is stacked and packed full. But it works for us.
So now i have my craft room, kinda. And i am VERY pleased. MY sewing machine is on top, my overlocker underneath.
No more will i have to clear the sofa for people to sit down, no more will i have to tidy the dinning table so people can eat, no more will i have to keep putting away my craft just to get it out again an hour later. This is my little area always waiting for me to pick up my work.


So my stuff has been moved from around the house, to my 'craft room', and is getting finished.


This little girl is off to germany for the birthday of a friends little girl. Very sweet doll, so close to keeping her all to myself!
Once i finished her, i found out some toddler dolls from around the house. The two on the left are the first two i made, and the two on the right are the last two i have made. Practice does make perfect. (yes my second one is 'still' a WIP !!!)


This is a little sneaky peaky of whats going on in my 'craft room' now.

We had another break from ~not~ school work while hubby was home from work. But sadly he had to go back. So ~not~ school work is up and running now. Ryan is getting to grips with his work now it would seem. He is picking up phonics and quite possibly everything is now clicking into place with writing. I have been very proud with how much he has been trying.


Crumbs time is just slipping away.... Doesn't help that I am super duper lazy either...

I am glad i am not one of these young new hip stupid mums. (apologies to young new hip stupid mums, i mean it in the nicest possible way!)

One of those stupid mums with a dummy around their finger, a bottle of cold creaming milk in one hand, a bag full of calpol and teething gel, a new fandangle has it's own engine and computer chip buggy, and the under 3 month old baby.... who chooses to take them to the zoo for the day with all her like (empty) minded friends!
What the fcuk do they think they baby is gonna see?????
Surely their morning conversation with the partner will go like this. Stupid mum- " i am taking little baby molly maisy moo to the zoo today " partner- "why?"


We on the other hand, with our children ( while most other children are at school and not in our way!!!) We saw lots.
We have not been too lucky with Ryans time off work. (yes he is still off work.) Days of rain, and Teyla and Leyonce are on their second cough and cold!!! Our children are barely ever ill. But come 3 weeks off work, and they're all full of it.

Means crafty time for me though :)


So i made a poppet. I have been a member of craftster for ageeees. I love the site, and it grows and grows with each day. Well there is a fantastic pattern available from a lady there. I got it about two years ago, and have had it in my to do list since. I had all the stuff, so took a day out to make one. It's commonly called a poppet on the craftster community. This one is a nekomimi (cat girl)
Her arms and legs are joined, and she has a fully stylable wool wig.

I made her a basic dress, but have more outfits planned. I also have more poppets planned, lots more.

Teyla loved her birthday. I can not believe my baby is two already. It's super scary. Chocolate is her favourite thing in the whole world. So chocolate cake it was. She had been asking for her own birthday cake for weeks.


I made her a doll which a tinkle bell in the hood. I made the head while she was in the room (she helped stuff it) then sat her on my lap while i gave it a face. It's nice to have them watch you do this part when they are young. They really understand how precious their new little friend is when they see it come to life. Once the face was on though, i packed it away to finish while she was in bed, so she had the surprize.


I think the thing she enjoyed most about the day was that we let her have a bubble bath with her puppy doggy.


Sweet little kitty loves bubble baths, they make her smile!!!


Which is just as well, as being a yorkshire terrier her hair constantly grows. So takes quite abit of care.


She is such a teeny tiny thing, and fitting into our family like we have always had her. She is not at all keen with being on her own at the moment though, as most of the time someone is about. But we will have to work on that. She had just learned how to get down the stairs, and for her size this is a major achievement. She doesn't even cry when she does it now.
We have taught her a few 'tricks' Sit, lay, speak, quiet and roll over.


I am spending so much time crafting at the moment. Ryan is not at work. He wanted to make sure he got all his holiday time this year with work, so has booked lots off. It's lovely, except last week we was all ill with coughs and colds and we hoping to go out on some trips. But it has ment lots of family cuddle time, and lots of crafts.
I have decided to start a new blanket, but i have sooooo many other crafts going this will be a very slow motion one. Made up of the flower motive pictured.
I have done lots of bunnies, and still have so many i want to do before I put a batch together for sale. Some yummy wool for them.


(craft teasers!)


I also finished a doll i started years ago (literally) The pattern is from Wee Wonderfulls. I love love love the stuff she makes. But man this doll almost got the better of me. I will not be making another (sorry Wee Wonderfulls) I was enjoying making her right up untill stitching on the base. Then i hated her, and named her Gertrude. Luckly i found a friend that though she was sweet, so she found herself in a postage bag with a stamp today.


Oh and, Rahs if you read this, keep an eye on your post box.

getting the crafty feeling

OK so i have tuns of housework to be doing, but i have the crafty feeling. I have had lots of things I could be crafting, but just recently i lost the ommph to do it. But right now things are good, and I feel like embracing that with some craft.


I have 101 different coloured flopperty bunnies planned. So shall have a few for sale soon. All autumn colours.
And lots of dolls.
Starting with one for Teylas birthday on Saturday. I can't believe my baby will be two so soon. It's flown by. I have started her doll, ready to give it the facial features, so i shall let her sit with me while i do it. It's nice for them to see the doll coming to life. After the features are on though, I shall do the rest while she is in bed, so the magic of her new little friend coming together is a surprise for her day. She is very excited and can not wait to have her very own birthday cake with candles. I can not believe how clever she is, and very very well ahead. It's scary...perhaps she will be my brain surgeon *lol*


I also have an elephant pattern in mind. Along the same lines of my floppety bunny. I am looking forward to creating that.

Back to schoollllll.. or really not, cause we don't do school, and we don't really stop for holidays, we just go with the flow like usual. We tend to work along with hubbies work, four days on two days off. Strawberry puff (who would have started school now) is picking up basics of reading. She is piecing together a couple of sounds, and also getting good at forming her letters on paper. She has a want to learn. Little spud though (who would have started last year) is still not ready. He is showing steps towards reading, but forming letters and shapes on paper is not happening yet, and the poor thing looks like he's left handed too. But it will come, I'm not worried.
Viv is coming along well. We stick with Singapore maths and science, they work well for us. The maths is great for teaching a good foundation to everything it touches, we like this. We do love our history, using the history of he world alot. There is quite abit of map work with our history, but we are still about to start some geography. Remembering alot of my school days, and having quite a few school going youngsters about, I am becoming aware that we learn a great deal more at home. We branch out more, we teach more and more indepth. Things the children at school are not even touching on, us homeschooled families are doing and enjoying. We are still very undecided about high school.


Puppy loving is going well. Tiny little baby she is. Toilet training is going well, she takes herself outside during the day on her own, as long as there is nothing real scary outside like wind. At night we have to go out with her though. She is scared of the garden in the dark. We have installed her a light *lol*