Category Archives: photos

Aaarrgh

Posted on December 17, 2005 by | 1 comment

why does beautiful list not translate into all items ticked??

Also, why can’t I take beautiful tree pictures – have put my meagre offerings on flickr, but just can’t get the focus right- so you’ll just have to see the tree after you have drunk about 2l of mulled wine! Gives an impression anyway – sulk sulk. If any do come out good in the next week, at least I can substitute!

Anyway, mince pie muffins not done yet Heather, but in the lakeland muffin book – and easily vegan too!

Have done – sausage rolls, peppermint creams and dahl, and sokaing the fruit for dundee cake. Chris didn’t do the shopping today, but having a delivery ? I think he organised it anyway? on Monday.

Good news, that SB finally back into her bedroom – woohoo – with new early Xmas pressie of fabulous bunk a la Portico! And speaking of the Portico, BB wearing a rather snazzy Portico dress – so today obviously a homage day [rofl!]. Oh, did being a contact mean that the list could be viewed in big?? Anyway, room in pink and lilac- surprise! However, bit of a shock in that she wanted a yellow stripe, so there it is. Will flickr at some point.

The spare bathroom now has a single bed all made up in it ready for Little Nanny and the spare room already sorted for my parents. I obviosuly haven’t done any of the furniture removals or lifting due to massively annoying and still v painful broken arm! Chris’s parents came round after he rang them [whilst I was asleep]

SB painted some glass baubles today and put the on the tree, and did 2 more vases we found as pressies, as well as helping with the baking. Other than that, she was mostly helping with the room restoration upstairs.
Oh, forgot that we ate pomegranates and discusse persephone in the underworld, and that in the bunkbed wrapping we played egyptian mummies in a sarcophagus. otherwise mostly christmas caroled!

Gave me lots of time to play with BB in a seriously one to one fashion. We got about 4 hours nearly uninterupted – apart from me doing aside tasks, like soaking the split peas and cokoing their tea. It was really great. Though I did miss SB’s noise!

Just watched the video of restoration – argh – how awful to let house fall aprt. Probably worse as I have a few misgivings about this one – ie the windows and conservatory desperately need some tlc, and we have a small roof leak! But we painted BB’s room. Finances though…

Anyway, glad you all enjoyed the list – what do you think I have missed off it??

tomorrow :-
print labels for jams/chutneys and wrap as mini hampers.
SB finish the 2 vases,
18 more early years HE cards [though we have sent to everyone we know, and thanks to those we have received],
fudge and choc truffles,
dundee cake
potato and cauli curry – yep you know the one!
When SB in bed, wrap her pressies.
Find the heat thingies for the dining room table,
remove boxes from dining room and living room to squirrel away somewhere.
go to Christingle
breathe!!!!

less than a week before 17 people come to stay – what was I thinking of!

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Cooking, DIY/ house renovation, General, photos, Stringbean's HE

I’ve got little list……..

Posted on December 17, 2005 by | 25 comments

Christmas is coming, the list is getting long……….. Well you need to be prepared :-)

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Maybe it needs some tinsel?

Oh, and here is the xmas tree, been hard to get good photos, the camera doesn’t seem to like focussing properly on it in low light.

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Hapy xmas everyone.

25 Comments

Posted in General, photos

2 more weeks

Posted on December 15, 2005 by | 7 comments

Have been suggested to me as appropriate sick leav, so have notified work. I still ahve to go in 2ce next week – once to the fracture clinic, and then do a mound of paperwork, and then to do my yearly appraisal to make sure I am not dodgy. i have to do it by end of Dec as otherwise no pay progression. Seems unfair, as monday will be spent chasing the details, which I did initiate in Nov, but not been in since!

As for today, SB’s bedroom nearly finished. not done tax return though

it was SB’s nursery nativity, so midafternoon we went in for that. SHe, being part time, had a chorus role only. But to be honest, at least she would have said some of the lines – only the angel could bring herself to talk! Very cute, but full of type 1 parents in a dither about it. Anyway, SB enjoyed it, we told her she sang fantastically, and all was well. BB had obviously been very messy and in nursery clothes. She really looks much older in jeans!

At home we did some water painting, SB helped me make pasta bake – she is rather good with a sharp knife! She also spent ages being a drama queen – pretending to be different animals etc. She was rather good as a roller skating T rex! I am still surprised she didn’t enjoy stagecoach as she really does love doing shows here, and gets more and more inventive with her characterisations. Bit of bob the builder watching on video, and now [hopefully] asleep!

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Posted in art and crafts, Cooking, Dance/drama, General, music, photos

Christmas tree and vomit

Posted on December 13, 2005 by | 7 comments

being the 2 main things that characterised our day today.

The vomit was BB‘s, she has vomited through the night and on and off through the day, so I have been doing a lot of bf – no change there then! She feels a bit hot, and has a cold, but no obvious dredful anything, and apart from when vomiting, she has only really seemed a bit tired, rather than particularly out of sorts.

Before I flickr it, try and imagine what you think our Xmas tree would be real/artificial ;tasfeful colour scheme/whatever; less is more/deck the boughs. Anyway, Chris had to curse and swear with getting it i the right places, as no good helping with a broken hand. Only one set of lights working, so severly underlighted [I do like lighting to have somthing of an operating theatre intensity about it!], but will sort out something. Last year I divided the decs into breakable, and fairly sturdy, and so gave SB the fairly sturdy to do the lower bits with. WHY NOT ONE OF THESE SHE SAYS, OOPS! I guess there was the reason. The other main showstopper was realising BB was quietly munching on one. hmmm. After excavating most of the shards from her mouth [expect interesting nappies] I realised she has 9 teeth in full biting order. SB chose Christmas chants as the accompanying music – she has excellent taste, before we moved on to more traditional carols. SO all decced up there. Some decs put on staircase, and nearer the day, may prune non berrying holly and strip some ivy. Frugal princess or what!

what else? SB and BB went to library with Chris, and did a sticking Christmas activity and chose about 600 books [minor exaggeration]. We then read 4 on the trot until I insisted she read 1, she did 2 pages anyway with sounding and working out. Beans on cheesy toast. We considered the protein, carbohydrates, fats, vits and minerals to discuss further the book we had read yesterday.

After lunch we did 4 whizzing pages of Singapore maths primary 1A. Very easy pages and romped through them. SB definitely sure of odds and evens. Doing much more mental maths as well without using fingers. i have decided i prefer the primary maths to my pals are here, though both very similar. When we get to 2, I think I will stick to the primary maths series.

Rest of day taken over with Christmas tree business!! i did print the family Christmas cards, with a front and back picture showing my 2 meeting Father christmas.

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, General, literacy, music, numeracy, photos, science, Stringbean's HE

yesterdays blog

Posted on December 13, 2005 by | Leave a comment

Hmm, well I really do need some sleep ? the combination [boring though it is getting] of these broken bits means I just don?t get a decent sleep for love nor money. When combined with SB having nightmares about being made into mushroom stew by a witch ? that girl has too much imagination, and BB feeding non stop?..

Anyway, we actually have had a good day, so I shouldn?t moan, even if adult tempers frayed significantly as the beanies bathtime approached.

We started with cards ? as sooooo far behind on both the early years list, and those for friends and family. How did Xmas get so close?? Then a fair bit of just playing followed by tidying up. I read to SB the why we eat usborne science book, so we did a few of the experiments out of that as well. Lunch was disregarded by both the little beans as neither fully chipper. SB did feel well enough for an icecream though?.

After lunch we had a group play session, which BB thoroughly enjoyed. Then we painfully did 4 pages of explode the code 1. SB great at the reading and ringing bits, but finds writing dreadful. Must sort the getty and dubay. She then did lots of sprinklies over the house picture, rather than more xmas cards. Her next book for me was all about magnets. We had quite a long chat about them. BB asleep fitfully in lap, so didn?t do experiments, but discussed the brio trains and the fridge magnets as reference, and we bought a magnet and iron filings set from brightminds as xmas pressie ? so will use that later. When the book got to electromagnets we thought we would have a break.

At this point BB vomited rather impressively all over me. Lovely. SB cheered her up by gentle stroking [read manic mauling] and was then persuaded to put on a music and dance show ? something she needs only minimal encouragement for!

Over tea with did a lot of counting in German and some mental maths ? adding and subtracting. SB also through the day has being coming to me with one liner queries regarding the concept of tens and units, so something percolating there!

Internet connection down, so done this as a word document. Hope it springs back soon!

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Posted in art and crafts, Blogging, Dance/drama, General, language, literacy, numeracy, photos, science, writing

Well…

Posted on December 10, 2005 by | 2 comments

Not sure if I’m going to write a huge amount! We had a great week in Okehampton – thanks Sarah for arranging it. Got to chill and chat with people i just don’t see enough. Slightly more tricky due to broken arm, but hey, amongst friends!

Highlights: has to be BB walking! SB picking up with her friends with great ease. Pennywell. Good food and drink. SB hugely excited to meet Father Christmas.

Lowlights: broken arm. long painful journey, SB being sick!

Credit due: Sarah – for alsorts. Alison and Sarah for being commis chefs, and Jax for being my sous chef for the curry! Ady – for lots of things! Kirsty for remembering my books – thankyou. [that map one is really good!] ‘Tilda for her creche idea!

home-ed moments: well apart from the socialisation, drama re-enactments, story telling, crafts etc, I have enjoyed SB’s determination to count to 100 [can get to 59 now], and managing to write I luv uu [sic] in a card for me.

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, General, geography, literacy, numeracy, Out and About, photos, SB-PE, socialisation, writing

BB Birthday

Posted on November 20, 2005 by | 10 comments

Well, the day was lovely, as it was mostly about socialising with friends. We had Monster and Teeny staying and Merry and girls accross to visit too. Me and my girls were rather tardy getting up, and soon got stuck into socialising and party tea making. the children helped to make jelly, adn then were soley responsible for the artistic decoration of the birthday cake – which I thought looked great. There was some encouragement to put it on the cake rather than eat the icing mixture and sprinkles…

Main games were brio and happy street, but a lot of imagination with the bald eagle toy, and then the fun of blowing up balloons. In the afternoon we opened BB’s pressies and had party tea, and just mingled, which kids and adults alike enjoyed. Will miss Nic for the glass of wine tonight though.

Chris’s parents came across with a lovely trifle and chocolate cake – yummy! SB really excited to see her. They also rather enjoyed being lord and lady in the dining room!! Oh, and thanks very much to Ady for the pouch for Johns bionic device.

Ady has taken some great piccies of our house, thankyou, and I will be flikring lots of party shots.

I am enjoying having blogvisits, and not forgotten you Katy. Nic suggested we should try 2 families at once!

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Posted in Butterbean, Cooking, General, photos, socialisation, Stringbean

proper blog? – well, not yet!

Posted on November 20, 2005 by | 3 comments

I might do one later. Just to update that weather is gorgeous, Ady is taking enough photos to sell our house in a glossy magazine [all appropriately favourited!] Nic and I chatting and chilling. Stayed up last night with wine and roast chestnuts in front of open fire – this is the life. Children – well not chilling thats for certain! running around and playing really nicely. monster very good at persuading my strongwilled girl to compromise without any fuss – he can come again. [well, ok they all can!] At the moment they are brio-ing, yesterday lots of happy street and assorted imagination.

BB woken up a jolly girl [and so she should having fed all night] for her birthday today. Happy birthday 1 girl. Her birth story is very short, and is a page on the sidebar [when we still could write pages, as the wordpress update has lost us this facility]

Expecting mayhem today. In-laws coming after lunch, and Merry and girls as soon as they fancy getting across [if you're reading this Merry- hop to it!!] When I’ve showered, going to see if the children want to make jelly, and then decorate BB’s cake [so that will be interesting]

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Posted in General, photos, socialisation

Happy Birthday

Posted on November 20, 2005 by | 1 comment

12.22 am

Happy Birthday Butterbean, we love you xxxx

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Posted in Butterbean, photos

Baby-blogbumping

Posted on November 14, 2005 by | 3 comments

Highlight of the day was a ‘Mudlepuddle Triplets’ get together at Patch of Puddles as Trying our Best made a visit there. As Merry commented, it’s fascinating how different they are.

All the kids had great time with much raucousness -there was a big session of playing party games such as musical statues, musical chairs, sleeping lions etc. Ended the day watching Barbie and the Magical Pegasus or whatever it is called. Quite cute, they all sat around on the floor in part circle in front of the TV witht he lights off – looked like a cinema.

Proper Flickring of the photos will have to wait until tomorrow (Drive home late enouhg for children to sleep didn’t entirley work, SB woke, but did go off to bed ok, BB still not in bed at 11pm….), but here is a taster:

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What cute threesome :-)

A nice time, thanks Merry : -)

What else happened here then?

Breakfast, organised and out to the doctors, home where BB had nap and me and SB read her ‘Barbie’ mag we bought in the shop. Then we made a little jewellery box out of the mag and then also some braclets so much gluing and sticking fun was had.

Then time for lunch, she had been going on about ‘Barbie and the magical Pegasus’ or somesuch video which she had seen part of before at The Puddles and was advertised in the mag, so got out the books and looked at who/what Pegasus was, then browsed the book. SB was taken by soemsort of Aztec mask, so we looked at where the Aztecs came from on the globe. She mentioned about the globe and night and day and summer winter, but was a bit jumbled about it (fair enough – she’s not 5 yet, I find 15 year olds who can’t grasp it….). so BB in her highchair became an impromtu Sun and we moved the globe around it talking about what a year is, what a day/night is, how the tilt of the earth affects the length of day, the seasons etc.

Though surely over her head at times, she seems to like to be given good explainations of things, so it’s always interesting to see what sticks. I over heard her this evening telling Helen about some of it at least.

After lunch SB played with Cindy/Barbie upstairs, while me a BB pottered about until Helen came home and we headed off to the Puddles

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, geography, history, Out and About, photos, science, socialisation, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE