APAD-day 37

It's a Bank Holiday today.

Which means the weather is absolutely rubbish.

Gray, wet & miserable.

Ideal day for homemade bread & chicken stew :-)

APAD-day 36

We visited Waddesden Manor.

It was beautiful.

But I'm glad I don't have a home that big.

Imagine cleaning it!!!

APAD-day 35

Finally, the photo wall is up. Thank you dear hubby :-)

APAD-day 34

APAD-day 33

It was a crappy day, I felt ill, the kids were whiny & spent most of the day annoying each other. I had so much to do, but instead curled up on the sofa under a blanket (wearing a hoodie & 2 pairs of socks, it August for gawds sake!!) & started a new crochet project :-)

APAD-day 32

It was a day of baking, friends visiting, painting & finally finishing a WIP!!

APAD-day 31

Cushions & a car made from a cardboard box.

APAD-day 30

Yesterday (day 30) was pretty miserable. Ive come to the conclusion that I do not handle the high heat very well. Yesterday hit 29c, & I hated it. There was no air, no breeze, just sweltering heat. I know some people love that & that I should appreciate it as we rarely get temps that high in the UK. But I was miserable & so were the kids. Its was too hot to do anything. I really wanted to bake, but icing cupcakes in that heat was definitely out of the question.

Instead I made choc chip cookies.

& I finally got around to finishing my heart cushion (above photo) & whilst the sewing machine was all set up, I made another cushion using some lovely stripey fabric I bought last year from Ikea.

After making the cushions, I was gutted to realise that I didnt like them :-( They just didnt match the picture I had in my head (does anything ever match up to whats in your head?)

However Im not sure if my hating them was more down to the grump I was in? I think as the temps are considerably lower today (19c) Im going to spend some time prettifying my living room (I may even paint some walls if I can find the paint!!) & see if I can fall in love with them.

So, how was your weekend?

xxx

APAD-day 29

Picnicking in the sunshine :-)

APAD-day 28

I wish I could have spent today snuggled up here.

APAD-day 27

Really should have used a darker thread for her chin & hands!!

APAD-day 26

Plotting & Planning

So I have this wall. Its the wall that greets you when you walk into my house. Its the wall that leads into the kitchen. & its the wall that has been the bane of my 'want to have a pretty house' life for far too long!

Ok, that was slightly over dramatic, but Im feeling ill today so Im allowing myself the drama, lol!

Anyway........

This wall used to be magnolia. There used to be a clock hanging there, some pictures, & I believe there was at one point a crocheted garland? (I cant remember!)

Then I decided to paint said wall 'Duck Egg Blue'.

Well the tin said duck egg blue, but it came out slightly brighter than I was expecting/hoping (See this is why we use testers!!! When will I learn!)

I kept painting said wall in the hope that I would learn to love it & to be honest when it was done I did.

For a while.

I hung (well actually the Hubby did) my Home hooks, & 2 posters that I'd had for ages,with the plans to keep adding to the wall till it was 'right'.

It hasnt happened.

& the wall bugs me everytime I walk past it. Which is a lot.

Grrrr!

On Monday evening (after my mammoth day of cleaning) I sat on the sofa with the laptop ready to spend some time reading one of my favourite blogs by the lovely Cherry Menlove. She'd posted a photo on IG of her new kitchen shelves. Now I'd seriously fallen in love with the kitchen shelves she had in her previous home, so seeing the picture she'd posted I was dying to see the new ones!

I was not disappointed.

The Kitchen Shelves

Ok, now Im guessing you may be thinking 'Lisa, they are just kitchen shelves full of stuff'. Which is true. But I've come to the realisation that I like my home to be full of pretty things that make me happy, is that a bad thing?

So whilst I was drooling reading Cherrys post, it hit me. The shelves, that wall, a possible solution? I've got lots of pretties hanging around in my kitchen, cake stands, teapots, measuring cups.......the list goes on.... Maybe this is the solution? It would clear the sides of my kitchen from the pretty clutter giving me more space to work in. I am tempted to repaint the kitchen white, but to be honest, I dont have the energy right now.

But white shelves against the wall, filled with pretiness just might work.

Now Im going to need the Hubbys help on this one. But I'd really like to actually do it myself, with his guidance obviously. I'm stupidly scared of power tools but really want to get over it.

It can't be that hard can it?

xxx

APAD-day25

Off on an adventure!! :-)

Well actually off to my parents for the day. But for the first time we are going by train instead of car (I don't drive, the hubby does) & I'm taking the 3 girls by myself.

& even though I'm writing this in the present style it actually happened yesterday!!

All went well, however I'm paying for it (& the last few very busy days) by being absolutely shattered & in pain :-(

I had foreseen this & originally planned to spend the day in bed however my hubby & children have eaten all the cereal, eggs, fruit etc so looks like I have to go food shopping. Joy!!

Xxx

APAD-day 24

Today's to do list.

Which did get completed!!!

Which means I'm wrecked :-(

Xxx

Tomorrow marks the start of the Sidewalk Shawl Crochet-Along over at indielovely . This shawl has been on my ever growing To Do List for ages, so when I saw this posted on Instagram, it seemed like the best time to get it done!!

So this afternoon, whilst lying on the sofa trying to rest after visiting the Dino Park today, picnicing at the lakes yesterday & visiting the 'beach' the day before (thought holidays were supposed to be relaxing?) I printed the pattern off (as well as a few others on the list!) & got the wool/yarn ready. Even though the Crochet-Along starts officially tomorrow, some have already started, so if Im still feeling awake once the girlies are in bed, I may attempt to start!

I shouldnt really start a new project as Ive got far too many on the go right now, but I like the idea of working on it at the same time as others.

Speaking of other projects, Im working on the edging of my New Year blanket, which seeing as its now August, might need renaming, ha ha!! Fingers crossed I may have a Ta Dah post for you very soon!!

***

I just wanted to say that I know my blog hasnt been very wordly (well as wordly as it gets) lately. But time is stretched with 3 kids at home. Im enjoying A Picture A Day, as it'll give us a visual reminder of our summer. However Im sure some people will find this boring, so I hope to get my creative mojo working again very soon to get this blog on a more creative footing. I do appreciate all the comments you have left me & Im sorry that I havent been visiting/commenting on your blogs in return. Im aiming to set aside a quiet evening this week to visit & catch up with all the lovely blogs I follow.

I do envy those creative Mums who spend fun times with their kids, have clean homes, create absolute gorgeousness & manage to blog!!

Do they really exist??

xxx

APAD-day 23

At the Dino Park :-)

APAD-day 22

APAD-day 21

We went to the beach. Well not an actual beach but the 'beach' (a massive sand pit) at the local shopping centre. Have to admit I was slightly dreading it, bus rides & busy places with Miss K can be a recipe for disaster but thankfully due to us going early, it was quiet & we had a really good day :-)

Xxx

APAD-day 20

It was hot, very hot. Meaning that was obviously the right weather to paint furniture in the garden?

APAD-day 19

The day I baked bread for the first time :-)

& it was a huge success! In fact it got eaten in one go.

Who knew baking bread could be so satisfying??

Xxx

APAD-day 18

A little treat for me :-)

APAD-day17

APAD-day 16

You don't have to be crazy to be part of our family.......,it just helps :-)

APAD-day 15

:-)

Xxx

APAD-day 14

Nothing beats picking flowers that you have grown from your own garden :-)

Xxx

APAD-day 13

It's funny how a £2 bunch of flowers in a cute vase can make you smile so much :-) !!

Xxx

APAD-day 12

Happy birthday Miss M. I am so proud of the kind, beautiful, clever young lady you are becoming. Love you forever & always.

Xxx

APAD-day11

It's currently 2:11am & I'm sitting (very uncomfortably) on the floor of Miss L-R's bedroom. She woke up needing a drink but then saw a fly, she hates flies with a passion. Therefore I am sitting with her till she falls back to sleep. I am tired :-(

Today is Miss M's 10th birthday. I'm not sure how this has happened as I swear it was only 5 mins ago she was born!! 10 seems far to grown up for my liking but she is so excited. We had some Mummy-Daughter time this evening where I did her hair & painted her nails as its a special occasion. She chose a lilac/pink colour with a slick of glitter on top!! I'm really proud of the kind, clever & beautiful girl she is. Don't get me wrong, she's not perfect but to me she is perfectly imperfect. I've been thinking a lot about the person I was 10 years ago & how much becoming a Mum has changed me, to be honest I don't recognise that person, she seems like a stranger. I guess while I was busy raising her & her sisters, I didn't notice how much I changed, my priorities changed, my views on the world changed.

Wow, it's far too late to be getting all deep like that lol!!

So instead let me bore you with my day. Don't seem to have achieved much even though I was so busy!! Cooking, cleaning, popping to the shops, baking, making, looking after little ones........ok maybe I achieved more than I realised :-)

I did attempt some tissue paper Pom poms for Miss M's birthday. I've wanted to try them for ages & figured that they can hang in her room afterwards. They were easier than I thought however should you wish to recreate some of the beauties I've seen on the web you need to take your time!! So that's today's photo!!

& Miss L-R is still awake!!!!!!!

Xxx