advent 1

Two years ago mine and Lizzie's agent went bust, leaving us totally in the lurch before Christmas. The only thing that kept us going with work when we really couldn't be arsed any more was her idea to do a daily advent calendar.

We've both decided to do one again this year...even though we are both proper snowed under with real life work and everything! We love a bit of pressure we do!
So here's my day one. I may make it to the end and do all 24. And then again I may not. Only time will tell. Or the lack of it...
Have a nose at Lizzie's here...

We're also doing a shared advent over at Dotty Wren Studio so if no-one bought you a real life advent calendar with chocolate and stuff nip over there every day and pretend it's a calorie saving exercise :)

november 2014

Well, that's November gone in the blink of an eye! Here it is in a bloggy repeat pattern thingy...

different day same jumper

I've got this new jumper. It's cosy and warm. I love it. 
But it means that now, every morning when I get dressed, I just put it on. I think about wearing something else. For a minute. But this jumper is just so easy. And it's freezing. Even with the heating on full blast. So I just wear the jumper. And will continue to do so till about April. Or till someone whisks me off to a hot country...

essential maintenance

So this week I spent a day and a night in a spa, I had my nails done, I had my eyebrows done and I sat for 3 hours at the hairdressers to go a bit blonder than I was last week. All in the same flipping week. Anyone would think I didn't have any work to do. Like I'm some sort of Beverley Hills Housewife or something.
And you might think, after all that pampering, that I now look like some super amazing gorgeous thing. But sadly it was all just essential maintenance work. Necessary as I approach old age. Great.

squidkids

Last year I worked with the super-lovely ladies at Squidkids to come up with a range of fabbo rain stuff. It's not just your ordinary rain stuff ya know. Oh No. This is stuff that changes colour when it gets wet. Like when it rains. Or someone chucks water on you. 
It's in the shops now...including Hamleys in London...so go splash the cash and kit out your kids people. 
You can have a nosey here for more details....

time for a rest...

Oh yes people. I won't be here on Monday. Don't be expecting me. I will be resting. At a SPA HOTEL. Oh yessirree!
Me and my sis are going away for the night. Leaving the blokes and the kids at home. Wearing a white fluffy robe each and some of those towelling slippers that are always 3 sizes too big. And swanning about in jacuzzis with a glass of champagne. Ha! See ya. I'll miss you all. Mwah X

zutano wild things

Quick everyone, zip over to Zutano and snap up this clobber for your kiddos. They'll thank you one day....when they learn to talk...

My original designs...

Thanks for being a super-spotter and pointing it out Genine x 

cat pattern

I'm loving all the simple patterns about at the mo... so I made one out of the cat from my Dotty Wren bonfire post. Like you do when you have loads of proper work on your list that you're meant to be doing....I love a good old skive disguised as "work"....

from this....

...to this....

in one simple skiving sesh :)

october 2014

Move over October. It's November now. My birthday month. Yay.

Another digit older. Just what I needed.
This was October...

trick or treat

So every year we go out trick or treating so that the kids can stock up on cheap chocolate and weird inedible jelly sweets.
But this means that there's no-one actually in our house to meet n greet the trick or treaters who come to us. So I normally leave a bucket of quality chocolate treats on the doorstep.
I like to think that 87 lovely children all pop by and take one each...but I suspect that really there's one greedy big kid who comes early doors and nicks the lot. Cos it's ALWAYS empty when we get back, and we're not out that long!
So I'm thinking maybe this year I won't bother. People will just think we're those miserable sorts who turn their lights off and hide behind the sofa on Halloween. Then we'll get home and scoff all the quality chocs ourselves.
Either that or I'll just get a butler for the night so he can answer the door...

halloween spooktackular

I had the day off yesterday. Me and my sis and our 5 kids went to Halloween at the York Maze. It was ace!! We went on tractor rides and carved pumpkins and everything. And me and the sister sat in the sun while the kids went mental on all the attractions. The big ones forgot they were cool 14 year olds and turned back into kids for the day. Epic!

woodland walk

The good thing about where we live is that we have woods and stuff on our doorstep....like we're in the middle of the countryside and everything. But it's also only 15 minutes away from Harvey Nics! Bonus! 
The dog likes the woods. Not so much Harvey Nichols. So yesterday we did the woods. Gotta keep the dog happy.

half term

The kids have finished school for the October break. Unfortunately I appear to have forgotten to book us an exotic holiday somewhere warm and sunny. I'm not quite sure how this could have happened! All I know is that it's cold and it's dark and we are not going anywhere other than Yorkshire and I am most likely gonna have to juggle work with bored kids and the promise that we would do a full bedroom makeover for the big one...
Story of my flipping life!

it's not christmas till December

How irritating are people who ask you what the kids want for Christmas IN OCTOBER? And people who update their facebook status regularly with all the presents they've already bought, wrapped and hidden in the loft? And the shops selling wall to wall Christmas crap, that no-one really wants, as soon as the summer hols are over. And how damned annoying are those people who say "Only 10 Fridays till Christmas"? JUST SHUT UP! There's no need for it till at least December.

Soooooo.....anyone interested in my Christmas card ideas?
Thought not....

weekend visitor

We had a fab weekend with our little visitor. We took her to the park on Saturday and we jumped on fallen down trees in the woods on Sunday. And in between we had every piece of Lego, Playmobil and Sylvanian Families ever invented covering every piece of floor space in every room of the house.
She rejected my Mum and Dad's Sunday roast beef and Yorkshire puds in favour of beans on toast but ate everything else. She slept like a brick and didn't wake up till after 9 both days. Even though she gets up at 6am normally. YES! RESULT!
I'd forgotten what 3 year olds are like. But I remember now... 
They ask a lot of questions. And when you answer they say "Why?". 37 times. They need help getting dressed. It takes an extra 10 minutes to get them in the car. They can't be left alone for 2 minutes. They need to be taken to the loo. And they make a lot of mess.
But they also give the best cuddles. And they know how to have fun. And they do what you tell them without a teenage strop. And everything is an adventure. And they laugh. A LOT.
She was a little cutie. And she cried when she had to go home. So she can defo come again.... when I've recovered from this weekend....