The list!

This week I started my list, the list of what I am going to read for my reading challenge. I am quite good with titles of books, but give me a list of authors and I draw a blank.

Well did I ever have a DUH! moment!!

Take a look at this photo, what do you notice??

That this scene was set in a bookstore? That it is full of children???

Yes it is in fact a children's book store. After going on a google mission, I discovered that the majority of the books and authors mentioned in this film are/have written children's books! Well Duh LeeAnn!

Yay! This challenge just got so much easier lol.

 Not only are they mostly children's books, but they are books that I have in fact read, as a child. I am so super excited to be re living these memories. I can't wait to get started.

The list

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Anne of Greengables - L.M. Montgomery

Betsy's wedding - Maud Hart  Lovelace

Ballet shoes - Noel Streatfield

Boy & Going Solo - Roald Dahl

Charlotte's web - E.B. White

The Godfather - Mario Puzo

Madeline books - Ludwig Bemelmans

Other authors mentioned were,

Beatrix Potter and Dr Seuss - I will read these books with K I think. We have a few in the house.

A few that I was unsure of were - Kay Thompson,  George Bernard Shaw and Thomas Jefferson and Shel Silverstein. Does anyone know of these people? Do you have any suggestions? Even google didn't bring up anything I could see.

I am so excited to be starting with Charlotte's web. I remember reading this in Primary 4 (equivilant of 3rd grade) I remember crying at the end and trying to pretend I wasn't crying because of the book LOL. I still cry at everything.

I think I will need to take Kathleen's advice and read them all with a box of tissues!

On a side note, I have lost my camera!! Has anyone seen it?? I am open to suggestions! I need it tomorrow as I am going on a girls day out! Drinks, giggles, food  and then to the cinema to see Sex in the city!!

Woo hoo can't wait! 

Bye Bye Blackbird

Yesterday I looked out of my window and I saw this!

Can you believe how big they have grown since Saturday??!

This morning when we peeked in to check, we found an empty nest. The babies have flown the nest! Murray says he saw one, pecking some apple, in the back garden this morning. He said it looked like a little fuzzy ball with legs LOL

When I told K, that the babies were no longer in the nest, she said -

" I know! One was looking at me yesterday when Daddy lifted me up to look in. It was totally fat!! They were so funny, bless them"

I was in stitches.

Thank you to everyone who has followed this story with us, I am so relieved that they have survived and grown up to be so strong!

A challenge!

Last week I was cruising around blogland, as I like to do, and I came across a button on Mrs Spoonful's very sweet blog. It was a button I could just not resist clicking on!

( Here is the link because I am not clever enough to work out the button , sorry )

I may have mentioned it once or twice, but I LOVE this film. I love the characters, I love the sweetness, I love the New York setting.

Sigh.

So anyway, once I had clicked on this cute button, it took me to a site where there was a challenge running. Now this challenge actually began back on Jan 1st, but I emailed the sweet lady who is in charge and I am allowed to join in! Yay!

The challenge is basically to read as many of the books, featured/mentioned throughout the film, as you can throughout the year.

I am super excited to get started! I love to read, although I am not exactly into the classics. I am a Jodi Picoult, John Grisham, Cecelia Ahern kind of gal.

I am determined to read Pride and Prejudice during this challenge but I don't think I will start with something quite so, um  challenging.

And  until I ask the ever so nice Librarian if I can return to the library to borrow books, after I was struck off for having books out for too long, (oops) and promise to return them on time, I will need to use what I have. And what do I have on hand?? Well it just so happens I have a son who adores Roald Dahl books and has the whole collection.
Back in my childhood I read every children's book written by this fine man , but it will be fun to take a trip down memory lane and enjoy the magic that he can create with his amazing words. I will start with Boy, as I think that is the one that Kathleen is reading as the Story Lady in the film.

Here is a little bit of one of my favourite feel good films, it even has a little bit of Christmas in it!

It's like it was made for me!

Survivors - the update

I am thrilled to say that our little feathered friends are not only surviving, but also thriving! It has been a tense week! I have been so scared that something would happen to our little birdies after they were exposed last week !

I have felt such a responsibility towards them as it is 100% our fault that they are so open to predators! I have been providing them with lots of food , so the parents don't have to go too far away from the nest.

Even so , the babies must be drawing attention to themselves as I have had to chase a cat and a big crow, away from the nest!

Murray sneaked a photo on Thursday, they had little fluffy mohawks!

So cute!

Daddy black bird was not impressed! He gave Murray a warning swoop! Just clearing the top of Murray's head!

We have done a little research and it seems that blackbirds are exceptionally caring parents. They wont abandon their nests, when it is time for the babies to leave the nest, they stay on in the tree with Daddy there for protection while Mummy goes to set up the nest for the next lot if eggs. They wont force the babies to move on and allow them to do so in their own time. So sweet.

We also found out that the babies will take up to 14 days to reach the stage where they will leave the nest, but can do so as early as 9 days if they feel they are in danger.

So with this in mind we sneaked close for one more peek. It  may be our last as it is 7 days since we discovered them.

And yesterday we found this through the branches!

wow!! Don't they grow fast?? you can see their eyes and beaks!!

I wish them well out there in the big bad world, I hope they will stay close by and we will do all we can to help them.

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This is not just sewing .....

This is World Cup survival!

I am so not a football fan. I guess I have had my moments , but overall it bores me.

So I have decided that the only way to survive the next four weeks is to sew! I can still be in the room enjoying time with my hubby, but I don't have to poke my own eyes out    watch something that doesn't interest me.

I spotted this tutorial on Samster Mommy ages ago and wanted to try it out, but I have never used elastic thread before. So I took a plain white vest top that was too big for me now (yay!) and just went for it.

Eventually I am hoping to use this method for lots of projects , one of which being a nice dress for K.

After tonight I feel one step closer.

Boring, old, stretched out vest top for Mummy - to cute girly top that K can wear over leggings

Sorry, all of the coat hangers are upstairs along with my sleeping family, including my cute model who will hopefully oblige, in the morning, and let me photograph her wearing this!

It was actually really easy, not sure how it will fit but I am hoping it goes well. I don't think it will be so fun to unpick! I made up my own straps, the ones in the tutorial were a little thin, I like thicker straps for my girly and so, these are about an inch wide, and a little ruffly.

It almost makes me want to wake her up so I can try it on her!

Almost ........

when you're smiling .......

.........Baby the whole world smiles with you!

Melt my heart! Baby Joe learned something new!

I was the luckiest Auntie in the whole world on Saturday, and got to babysit for my most favourite Nephew!

I had a little help though, Joe's "mini Mom" was right by his side the whole time, being very gentle and kind, offering him some toys

and plenty of love.

I was a proud Mummy and Auntie.

Look at those toes!! And you can see the wee lines from his socks! Got to love those chubby baby legs. Yummy!

Reflux? Ha! I laugh in the face of reflux!

 I am the ultimate Dude!

Could I be any more relaxed?

Oh yep, there you go!

Joe , you are delicious. I love you ten xxxxx

I wish you could all appreciate how like his Daddy he is in this pic!

I am sure his Mummy will though x

Yes yes, he is a Major General!!

Last week, Fraser and I spent most of our time

Here

This was the set for the most wonderful production if Pirates of Penzance jr, you would ever have seen!

After watching it grow from words in a book, to a colourful, professional , musical extravaganza I was left very emotional!

After weeks of turning piles of fabric into beautiful victorian style dresses and nightgowns and a room full of random junk turn into magical props, I was tired!!

The scene above was painted by 2 very talented Mum's! The costumes for the "daughters" and the policeman's outfits were sewn by a small group of mum's (myself included) who met once a week to plan and create, with many hours spent working at home in between. I am proud to say I made the medals for Fraser's outfit, his epilettes (spelling??) , I embelished his hat (which was an original from the napoleonic war eek!!) , I also made his slippers and nightcap for the night scene. LOL he looked just so cute!

I have to say I am so super proud of my boy, who for me was the highlight of the show. He has amazing comic timing, a passion for being on the stage and the confidence to shine through above the high level of talent already on the stage. He is awsome!!

Here are some scenes from the show. These photos were taken by one of the other mums at the dress rehearsal. Sorry they are so small, I can't enlarge them without making them blurry. If you click on them they should get a little larger.

The first scene

The beautiful Daughters

Fraser singing his solo!!

"I am the very model of a modern Major General"

Fraser and his "Daughters"

One of the final scenes, the girls in their nightgowns and the pirate king (who was HILARIOUS!)

Fraser singing at the end

The finale!

My boy got to sing the encore! yay!

After performing for 3 years, the kids get presented with a certificate and medal, before moving on to the high school (sob!) .

Here is my boy, proud as punch with his medal. He still has his stage makeup on and grey hair lol

Proudest . Mum . Ever .

A Mother's love

Today,I have a wee story to tell. One that could have had a very different ending!!

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day here on the east coast of Scotland. Murray decided to spend it tidying up our garden. In our front garden there is a tree / bush which I think is a conifer. It has been badly neglected as we haven't touched it since we moved in last year.

well it looks a lot worse now!

Murray set to work with the electric hedge trimmer. He went up one side and a little over the top , but stopped. He saw something move a tiny bit. It was a Mummy blackbird! Sitting on top of her nest, waiting to make the ultimate sacrifice for her babies!  The blades must have been inches from her!

Of course Murray stopped immediately! But we were worried, what if we have left them too exposed? What if we have been too close and Mummy and Daddy would abandon the nest??  We kept a close eye. We had never once seen the birds go in and out, which is why we were going to cut it.! Still no adult birds came by. We peeped in and saw 4 brand new babies nestled in there alone.

But surely a Mother who was willing to risk her own life to protect her babies would come back??

And she did! We have watched them tirelessly work, flying back and forward. Mummy and Daddy blackbird being the ultimate tag team , protecting and feeding their young.

K is especially enthralled, standing on a chair by the window, throwing bread out to help the little family.

I will follow the progress of this tiny heroic Mummy and her little family and hopefully watch them grow.

I sneaked a photo of the nest today, you can't see them well yet but they are tiny, grey and see through with a little bit of fluff!

Our tree/bush will remain this lopsided and ugly until after the nesting season! But inside it holds something so beautiful!

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Looky what I did!!

  I made my own button!   I wont tell you how long it took me! it is a little embarassing lol and I KNOW there would have been an easier way. But,  I am proud none the less!

Does anyone know how to help me centre the scroll box underneath??? I have followed the instructions exactly but it is still to the side!

It is free for the taking if you would like it! xx

5 years ago today..........

.....I married my best friend. I have always believed in soul mates and I am so lucky to have found mine.

Today I marry my friend.
The one I laugh with,
Live for,
Dream with,
Love.