Sea Treasure......

A lot of my teenage memories are wrapped up in a holiday home down the coast, a little way down from our fishing village. It is a holiday home that my parents have been going to for about 20 years. The house has two units in it, each unit sleeps about 10 people and is owned by a friend of my mom. So every year since I was about 15 we have all converged on this house over the hot  and humid summer in December. We all have many happy memories of Christmas dinners on the patio, loud and energetic games of cards and monopoly, sunbathing, cousins visiting and  food oh the delicious food we made there. My memories include...... telling my darling Stepmom Frieda about meeting LSO, we were  on the patio, I told her that I had met the man I would marry. My family all stayed at this house when said man and I got married, I laid on the patio and rubbed my very pregnant tummy a few weeks before Little Madame was born. There are so many wonderful memories invested in that house.

This year however, my parents went down a few month ago(not in December), my dad needed to recuperate after a gruelling back operation, so LSO, Little Madame, my cheffy sister Cindy and I joined them for a few days. It was during one of the above mentioned dinners that Frieda gently broke the news to us that the owners had sold the house and this was to be our last adventure there. We were heartbroken........     

  

   

The house is right on the beach. You literally walk across a road down some steps and you are on the beach. A small alcove type beach. The main beach is a little way down so it really is private and secluded. Often you have the entire beach and rock pools to yourself. When the tide is out the hidden rock pools are visible  and they become our playground and there are always many treasures to discovered

 

The rock pools hold beautiful sea life........

The sky is always bright blue, the crisp winds blow and the air is  humid......

 The sand is course, the shells are broken but earthy, and the sea glass is exotic.....

You find unusual bits and bobs, like a tiny little creature looking for a new home......

In the crystal clear pools there are star fish, crabs, beautiful corals and tiny fish.......

 

 The sand is for kicking........

And sisters are forever, just like memories........

 

Eyes were brimming with tears as we left on the last day, I dared not look back for fear of dissolving into sobs!  I am certain that our holiday home will be torn down to make way for new exotic luxury apartments, where new families will come and new memories will be made. The enduring memories of our many happy family holidays at our home-from-home will never fade......xxx



Growing too Quickly

As a mother, I think that we all have to stop once in a while, take a long hard look and realise that children grow up.... It's not something that is easy and I have had to be dragged kicking and screaming toward this stage of my Little Madame's life. She is getting big, growing up, becoming a little lady. However it is happening way, WAY to quickly. I see it everyday, in the way she talks, walks and her general demeanour. She doesn't want me to chose her clothes anymore - apparently, I have no fashion sense! HA! To me, fashion sense is not , and I repeat  NOT booty shorts on an 8 year old - however she thinks they are perfect! But I digress......  

 

 

 

A few weeks ago she asked if she could bake? This was nothing new. We have always baked together, this is why she loves baking! Sure was my answer, however the reply was unexpected. "BUT.....Mama, I want to bake alone please" I was honestly not sure how to react, we have ALWAYS baked together-always! I had to suck it up! She wanted to make a cake, so I got out my ancient, and I do mean ancient baking file ( for those of you that were at Manor and read my blog.... it is the small file, the one  we used in Home Economics - remember?)

 

I helped her chose a simple 3 minute sponge cake, got out the ingredients and then left her too it..... Well I retreated a few steps, into our dining room which is in eye sight of  the kitchen ( to be fair and really honest... its all open plan)   

   

So Tall

As I watched her, one of the first things to strike me was how tall she had suddenly gotten, wasn't it only yesterday that she needed a small chair to see over the top of the kitchen island, now she was taller than the island. As she  began to make her own cake, I also realised that instead of her being all over the place, throwing random things into a bowl, she really was doing it all herself, she knew what a cup measure meant and exactly how to weight things on  the scale. She was following all the steps methodically and with the utmost concentration, it totally floored me, had she actually been listening to me all these years. I thought I had just been babbling on into thin air.....   

 

  

 

I asked a few times if she needed help but the answer was always the same "I am fine thanks Mama" And although it pains me to say this she was doing perfectly! So I left her in peace (well.... except for the odd picture) The batter looked great and very soon she asked for help on the one thing she was nervous of doing  - putting the cake tin into the oven.  

Yummy Batter

At this stage of her baking journey, it became clear that she was very serious about all this. She kept checking the cake, exactly like they do on Britain Next Great Baker..... It was really sweet! She set not one but 2 timers and kept asking if they had rung yet?

That was when I realized that she was really nervous about her cake, she really wanted it to go well, and she REALLY wanted this to be HER first proper-I-baked-this-without-mama-cake. I began to worry too, however I need not have, when the timer finally rang and then then next one rang, we both bolted for the oven. I was asked to take it out, and my heart swelled with pride(and more than a little relief )when it was PERFECT!!!! Perfect I tell you.....

 

A little brown.... but perfect! Little Madame was truly delighted, she kept checking on it as it cooled, I don't think she believed that she had actually made it all by herself. 

Cooling time on a cake must be very difficult for little ones but eventually it was cool enough to frost, and she wanted to use buttercream AND fondant (she really has been watching me) And of course lots and lots and LOTS of ediable glitter. she made an Olaf and a baby in a blanket, she used my texture matts, and I left her to create and play.........

The final cake was a work of art. She then made tea and we had tea and cake. Not only was the cake pretty, but it tasted really good too. We had not one slice of vanilla sponge but two thick slices each and then after dinner we had some more!

Little Madame was ridiculously proud of herself, and so was I. She had done the whole thing by herself. I am going to say it again, I was PROUD! Years of her standing next to me on a chair while I talked her through measuring, beating and creaming have paid off. A life skill has been taught, I mean a girl really does need to know how to make a good sponge cake doesn't she?

Although I never like to end my posts on a melancholy note, I need to just say. My baby is no longer a baby, she is growing up into a well manners, happy and confidant girl. I wish with all my heart and soul I could slow thing down just a little..... but as I watch, teach and try to guide I cannot help but remember the tiny baby I held in my arms and marvel at the beautiful person that she is becoming and praise the Good Lord for the blessing that is my Little Madame.......xxx

The Best Part-Licking The Spatula!

Another Heavenly Cookies

I think that by ,  you  must all know, I LOVE A GOOD COOKIE! Its a very odd thing, I cannot resist a little home made cookie. Shop bought cookies do not  interest me in the least. purchase shop made cookies, I can happily walk past my cookie jar and not touch one, however if I make a batch of tasty yummy fresh home made cookies they are consumed, no not consumed.... hoovered up in a few days. Not only my yours truly, LSO and Little Madame are not far behind.

Finding a new recipe is always a very happy moment for  me.  I like trying new recipes I get excited about new recipes , honestly I do.  I think that I have admitted this before.... I  am just a  little OCD about cookies!

 

I was trawling for a tasty treat ago, when I looked in my Hummingbird Bakery Book, not expecting to find a whole section on Cookies.... a small section but a good one. . I was trying to look for something a little healthy, vaguely healthy .... I try and tell myself that I have to at least try, not only for my rear end but for my family too.....

So.... was it to be double chocolate chip? Peanut butter? White chocolate and pecan nut? Sugar cookies? Well ...plain ole oat and raisin won! They are billed as a 'lovely, cinnamon cookie made with rolled oats, what could be nicer?

 

Out came the trusty Kenwood and I got baking. Soon the mixer going - eggs, sugar, oats and butter were beating and whizzing. As with most cookie recipes it was simple. Actually I find with most baking, as long as you don't deviate from the recipe too much, you are ok!

 

As with most of the recipes I post..... credit must go to Hummingbird Bakery(one of my favorite places to visit when in the UK)

 

Oat and Raisin Cookies 

 

270g Butter(room temp)

160g Castor Sugar

2 Eggs

1/4 tsp Vanilla Essence

380g Flour

1 tsp Salt

1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

110g Oats

220g Raisins

 

Cream the butter and sugar

Add eggs one at a time, beat in the vanilla essence

Mix the flour, bicarb, salt and cinnamon in a seperate bowl

Add to the butter mix-beat well

Stir in the oats and raisins

Place equal portions on a well greased baking tray - allow for spreading

Bake at 170degrees Celsius for 12 minutes

 

Soon the mouth watering smell of baking biscuits was wafting through our house, they certainly are cinnamony because that was the heady spicy smell that was permeating everything! 

 

 

As you can see they were being eaten as they came out the oven! They were light and sweet, the oats and raisins made them very homely, the cinnamon made them that little bit exotic. They were a winner with the entire family!I certainly will make them again.... and again and AGAIN......xxx

PS:: A few  cookies even made it into the cookie jar..... but not for long!

Tomaytoe....Tomatoe....

 

Since our renovations, I have had a total complete and all-out war to get my veggie garden back on track. It would seem that my garden took umbrage to the fact that we did not give it tender, gentle, loving care. During the renovations we were in and out, there was rubble everywhere. We also could not spray for nunu’s, the creepy crawly type that seemed to invade our, entire garden.

The garden became over grown. Everything took a beating, even with all the rain, the endless pouring rain, the garden seemed to think that we had abandoned it. Left it to fend for itself……..  

No matter what I did, organic fertilizer, spraying of garlic and chili for the insects. New sweet little seedlings, tomatoes, beans, spinach even the most hardy of things… onion and potato’s –NOTHING, not even one little pea.  I even resorted to chatting away to it, in soothing loving tones, begging, pleading, shouting, more pleading…….even a song or two (and that to be honest could make weeds cry!)

The very sad day came when I decided to tell LSO that I had to give up, I simply could not anymore…. Come with me he said…… Look at this he said…… I think we need to start a new garden he said……. There quietly growing in my compost heap was two brave little tomato plants….. Valiantly growing. Looking healthy and happy. My heart was so very happy!

I decided to let him replant it, after all I was not having too much luck with planting anything! I could not risk killing the only living vegetable in my garden. LSO planted it along our drive way in the full sun against a wall. It was left to hopefully flourish.

 

 

 

And FLOURISH it did. Within a few days it was reaching for the sky…… it grew and grew, it was like the plant in Jack and the beanstalk. Before long it was up the gutter I kid you not. Then perfectly pretty little yellow flowers began to make their appearance. LSO nurtured it, sprayed it, not with my ‘’rubbish organic stuff’ he went and bought some serious stuff, but whatever he was doing was working. Sweet plump little tomatoes were making there very welcome appearance. He was happy with himself. Very happy!

 

 

Soon I was picking ripe red juicy sun ripened little tomatoes’.  Loads of them, lots of them, more than we could keep up with….. So they went into everything. We made tomato everything…. Salads, pasta, pizza and roasted tomato, you name it…….it was tomato.  But boy were we enjoying the fact that we were growing our own vegetables again.  

 

 

 

 

 

Soon I was looking for a new and improved place to grow veggies. I decided on a potted veggie garden. It is working really well. It is in the full sun, and everything is flourishing.  I am once again an ‘urban farmer’…. As for the tomato plant, it is the gift that keeps giving. Tonight dinner is egg on toast with , yes you guessed it, yummy little fried tomatoes……..xxxx

  

Wreaths, wreaths everywhere....



It seems that everywhere you look at the moment there are crocheted wreaths making their beautiful appearance. I think that we can all thank Lucy from Attic24 for these beautiful creations. Look HERE
Her wreaths are simple gorgeous, and because she is sort of the  inspiration behind my blogging and she taught me to crochet with her simple and clever tutorials AND because so many family and friends were sending me links  and asking whether I had made a wreath yet..... What's a girls to do...



The Purchased Wreath

I bought a polystyrene wreath, I could find one with a flat back , mine is rounded and hope it will sit nicely against the wall. Got out my 100 Flowers to knit and crochet book. and last but always the best part of any  hooking, I bought some new yarn. The new colours that Elle have are lovely. Bold and vibrant colours that jumped out at me.  It took a while to figure out which order I wanted them in, then realised that they would not be uniform so it didn't really matter.

This Way.....

Or This Way......

Maybe This way

 I tried out a flower or two... I really don't want to copy any that I have seen, which would be easy but to me the creative process of making something that is in your head come alive is the joy and fulfilment of a project.

 

A Sweet Little Flower

And so it has begun, chain around the wreath and then row upon row of lovely colour. As I have told you many times before this is pure therapy for me.... Well, my crochet, a box of Easter choccies and a glass of wine. The only problem with this is I have to stop crocheting to pop a chocolate in my mouth. The wine is sorted, a straw does the trick...... Heaven!

My Favorite Things....

Chocolates and Crochet... Hey Where is The Wine?

I am not very far but already am happy with my colour choice. And as you can see the rows are soon to be finished. then the really creative stuff can start. I am thinking a very African feel.... I want to crochet a Protea, our national flower, I cannot find any patterns so will have to make my own, watch this space.....Sunflowers, pink and white cosmos..... the ideas are all there but I have promised myself that I will first finish the rows...... I pinkie swore!

  

 

So peeps, thank you for all the links and the pushing to get me started.... I will update as I go along or maybe not, maybe I will just do a big fat wreath Ta Dah. Only problem is, I can already see the next wreath in my mind .... What is that saying about shoes, A girl can never have enough shoes..... AND wreaths.... xxx 

  

Warm Woolen Mittens.....

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favourite things 

Poor LSO(my long suffering husband - for you first time readers) has been spending a extra ordinary amount of time in Aberdeen Scotland. Now I am not entirely sure how many of you have ever been to this beautiful city far up north in the hinterlands of Scotland..... I have, I went in March a few years ago to join him. Little Madame was only a wee thing( lol - notice the Scottish word) I was told that it wasn't that cold at that time of the year...... WHATEVER!!!!  As I walked out of the hotel with my baby in a pram an icy wind cut through me! It was the coldest thing I have ever felt! Little Baby Madame instantly started to cry, I turned myself and my pram around, went back to the hotel room and put every single item of clothing I had, on myself  and Little baby Madame. THEN went shopping for proper cold weather clothes. With out using real bad words I can only say it was cold, REALLY COLD! I vowed never to go back. Me and cold just don't go !  

 

 

Fast forward a few years and LSO is spending a vast amount of time there now! The last time he was there(December) He said that his hands were really  cold, now LSO is certainly not a glove man. However being as though I am a nice wife, well I try. I decided to knit him a pair of mittens.

  

I found a very convenient and easy  pattern in a magazine, (I forget which one) and got going. I chose a very chunky and masculine wool. The pattern was easy, and as I am not a great knitter, this was a good thing. Cast on then knit 2 , purl 2, until it was the perfect length.

Then make a thumb, it was a bit of a challenge and I am not entirely sure I got it right but  there was a thumb  where it was supposed to be!

 

Two mittens were done in 2 days, not only am I not a great knitter but being as I am left handed, I am also a very SLOW knitter.  I am sure if my mother knitted these they would have been done in an hour or two.

Sewed in the bits and pieces and Ta Dah...... Big Chunky Man Mittens (although the word mittens seems a bit odd for man clothing doesn't it?)(See what I mean about the odd looking thumbs)

 

I popped them in LSO's cupboard and his reaction was favourable. He seem mildly impressed! To his credit , they were packed into his bag when he left in February and he did say he wore them and that they were comfy and warm....... Do I believe him? I am just not  sure, any of my Scottish readers see a gorgeous man with MITTENS on? If you do, dont say anything, just take a picture and send it to me please! And please don't say nice MITTENS,you know how macho men can be..... xxx

Granny Sunburst Update.....

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away........ (yes I love Star Wars) I started a crochet blanket, During the renovation to be precise. In my head it became the renovation blanket and I was determined to finish it during the 3 month of  breaking and building. Alas it was not to be! I tried, I tried really, really hard but so much  STUFF kept getting in the way. What stuff you may ask.... I mean what is more important than crochet?

  

It is a WIP (Work in progress) Now to be perfectly fair to myself. I have managed 35 beautiful blocks. However as those of you who crochet will know, 35 beautiful blocks are a mere drop in the ocean when one is crocheting a blanket. I wanted this blanket to fit a double bed... so it has to be big, and 35 blocks just don't cut it. I sort of had 60 blocks in my mind. So thought I was nearly done....

 

Shock and Horror!  When I lay the 35 blocks down, (as you can see from  the picture above) it is not even big enough for a baby blanket. I mean when you put a blanket over you, one  wants it to warm more than just you knee's ,right?

And so it is back to the production line, I  am making these blocks in stages..... I do 20 middle rounds, finish them weave in the end then do the next step and so one. I usually finish one whole block at a time but this way I don't have to take all the yarn with me in a huge basket. This way, it a ball of yarn, my hook and 2 or 3 round in my hand bag, its working well!  

 

 

 

 Now even though I have a far way to go and at this stage it seems like a galaxy away.... I am loving this pattern and the look of how it is coming together. The colours are muted and tranquil. I love sitting on my patio and hooking the little rounds. I will confess to having just started a crochet wreath.... I kept getting asked, had I seen Lucy from Attic24's beautiful wreath? Yes, I had and  so I am working on that too. Obviously a post will follow!

Little Madame took one look at it and told me that  her crochet blanket was way to small now and that this was her new blanket. Oh, and to get a move on as winter was coming! The cheeky little mare! So maybe it will become  a single bed blanket and maybe just maybe, it will be finished by the start of winter. Maybe....... xxx