Kirsten's Hedhgehog!

I was preparing an autumn craft for the girls this afternoon. After finding that half of my paint stock is still packed and in the attic (oops!) I couldn't do the leaf pictures that we had planned, so plan B was to draw hedgehog pics and get the girls to paint them. Then we will cut out the shape and put them on a bigger piece of card with leaves and grass glued on. K was watching me draw the hedghog shapes and wanted to copy me!

I adore her cute hedghog and had to share!

I will share the finished articles when they are dry, which may be around next Autmn LOL

Almost ...................

Autumn! But not quite! we are waiting ......

And skipping!

Introducing .......................

My baby niece or nephew!!!

Here is the beautiful pic from my sisters 12 week scan. This is one laid back bubba! Look at the wee crossed feet!

what will you be?? Who will you look like? I can't wait to meet you!
I am sure you will bring much joy, laughter and happiness to our family. And maybe one or two sleepless nights ....................


Yay can't wait!!

Hello my name is .......................

LeeAnn and I am an addict. I am a complete addict for blogs! Now many could argue it is my terrible nosiness that pushes me into my addiction. I think that is probably fair! It is like a dream to me to get all of these insights into the lives of others! Although that isn't the end of the story.

I love crafty things, this is what draws me to blogs! I look at the lives of all these fabulously crafty people and wish I could have a tiny part f their talent! Well I can try! I love the ideas I get and the tutorials that people provide, how kind!

Alas this is why I will never be able to have a craft blog of my own, I steal ideas from everyone else! LOL I rarely do anything that I have thought of by myself !

I am a strange beast among my friends and family. There are only a couple of people who are "crafty" my SIL who likes card making and is dipping her toe into some light sewing, and Lor who has a degree in art and a future in baking! So I have a little company but I need more! This is where my addiction comes in!

And you know what those handy little blog rolls on the side are for! Yep just more fixes for strangers like me! So I have added a little one of my own, today I was trying to show some ideas I found to Lor, but they were all hopelessly lost among the million other bookmarks I have. I have chosen a few of my favourites so that now they are in a place where I can get to them more easily xx

Still sick!

Yep still sick! Diagnosed sickness now, my old faithful friend! Tonsilitis! Had to take the day off today as I was far too dizzy to be able to stand , let alone drive to do nursery collections. The swelling from my throat must somehow be affecting my ears or something.

I am a lucky girl though! I have the best Mum in the world! She took my baby to playgroup, brought me ice lollies , painkillers and cranberry juice. She then collected the Princess and brought her home in time for her nap, she also brought some yummy soup for me. Once she was awake she called my Mum who came straight back to take her out for the whole afternoon.

My sister collected Fraser from school which left me with a whole day to rest and sleep. Although I am not fully down the road to recovery I can see it on the horizon! I am so blessed to have such good family.

Although it isn't possible to sleep the whole day, even when sick! So what did I do to fill the long quiet hours? I watched Christmas films! Christmas with the Kranks! love it! I even found a Christmas time Diagnosis murder! what luck!! 

To finish off I watched my all time favourite film, You've got mail. I adore it! I want to live it! I want to run that sweet little book store in New York! Buy gorgeous flowers and sniff scotch tape!

I have also been in a craft and sewing overload! Except I am unable to actually do anything so my brain is working overtime. Not helped at all by my short time online earlier where I came across another fabulous crafting mummy blog. Sigh I am hopelessly addicted! I just need to win a million so I don't have to work! Then I can sit at home all day fulfilling my crafting dreams!!

I am now off until Monday, which was planned, I am not milking this I swear! haha so I am looking forward to a couple of days where I can be in the house just me and my baby girl, just like old times. Although she must not miss them as much as I do as she is already asking to go to Playgroup tomorrow instead ......................

Desperate times..........

of course desperate times require desperate measures!

Well as of yesterday I am sick. Yuck! Sore throat, sore ears, sweats , blah blah blah.  So what does a childminder do when she is not sick enough to cancel , but too sick to do a lot of activities with the kids??

Well of course she sets the pre schoolers up with lots of different sized bowls, tubs some with lids, some without, spoons, and lots of uncooked rice. I think it bought me a good 40 mins lying on the couch watching them and trying not to use my poor throat!

Of course there is the inevitable! The mess associated with this activity is quite substantial although very easily cleaned up. The girls set to work with a dustpan and brush each and I finished off.

Made sure to have it done by the time Daddy came home! Although he allows us to make these sorts of messes, they make him jittery and I'm not sure he totally understands how much fun they are!

The best cookies in the world!

These cookies are delicious!

Sorry for the pic! I opened the tin expecting to see a lovely big pile of cookies to photograph and I found 3 stuck together and a few broken bits. LOL looks like the cookie monsters have been in residence!!


Makes 24

4oz / 1/2 cup butter at room temperature, diced
2oz /  1/4 cup granulated sugar
3oz / 1/2 cup soft dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp  vanilla extract
41/2 / 1 generous cup plain (all purpose) flour
1/2 tsp  bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
pinch of salt
6oz / 1 cup of choc chips (I use plain and white choc chips)

• Preheat oven to 180 c / 350f / Gas 4. Grease 2 baking sheets
• With an electric mixer, cream butter and the two sugars together, until light and fluffy.
• In another bowl , combine the egg and vanilla essence.
• Then gradually beat into the butter mixture.
• Sift over the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
• Stir
• Add the choc chips and mix until thoroughly combined
• Place rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheets. I only put about 5 on each sheet at a time as they really spread out and all merge together. I just cook them in batches.
• Bake for 10 - 15 mins (usually done in 10 in my fan assisted oven) until lightly covered.
• Leave to cool for a few mins then transfer to a wire cooling rack. If you do it too quickly the cookies splat through the wires. Hmm not that I know this from experience!

Eat and enjoy!

It is getting chilly!

While everyone is mourning the end of the summer and the imminent loss of all that heat in the sun, there is someone going against the tide!

I can't wait! The trees are starting to turn, just the past 2 days I have noticed it being actually quite cold in the mornings and evenings. I was looking back through some old posts on here from last year. I came across one from  October saying how cold it was etc . That is only a couple of weeks now and I was comaplaining to Murray that it was still to warm here and we wont be "there" by the same time this year. I was thinking that the Disney mug may have to wait! But we'll see ! ;)

I run to the window in the morning to open it and breathe in the cool air, just hoping it will have that autumn smell. Not yet! But it is nice to have the anticipation......

Well ...............................

It is 104 sleeps until Christmas!!

I bought another pressie today! oooh! and the "ingredients" for a good few more! Yay!

Back to normal

After a very very busy summer in the Hamster Wheel, it was with a lot of relief excitement that everyone got ready for the first day back to School and Playgroup. Usually I have a real lump in my throat on the first day back but I am ashamed to say that this year I was needing it! It was back to school for ALL the kids (minded kids and my own) or into the nut house for Mum!

Here are my two beautiful babies all grown up and ready for their day!

Here is my Big boy! Or should I say young man, all ready to begin his final year at Primary School! How is this possible?? He is a little younger to go into Primary 7 because of when he was born but still. Almost 11! wow!

And here is my super big girl! All ready and packed up to go back to Playgroup! Mummy is ever so grateful that Kirsten decided to arrive bang on her due date which means she isn't able to start school until The Autumn after her 5th Birthday. A whole extra year with my littlest baby!

And not to be outdone here is Daddy all ready with his backpack! (sorry Murray had to do it ;) )

Everyone had a good forst day (especially Mummy!) and K was happy but tired when we came home. Still time for some nonsense though LOL

so cute!

I was in the shower this morning when K came running in. I couldn't quite catch what she had said so I popped my head out to see her wiping her nose. She was saying

"I just bless you'd Mummy!" LOL much cuter than a sneeze!

x x x