BubbaChic

Productivity - it doens't happen here often!

I have been a busy bunny today - finishing off Joshy's quilt. I am glad its done and suprised with how quickly it all came together. I am not a quilter - I don't have the patients! So I wanted to piece together something clean and white - and for the main fish piece to be really off centre - however, my vision didn't quite translate as I had envisioned, but my boy is happy, so I am happy!

I am also in love with the idea of something so clean and white on one side and then bright orange on the other, here is a shot of the back::

I also made Josh some cozy flannel fitted sheets today - they don't entirely match, but I opted to make them out of the flannel I have, so that he will be all cozy and warm and I will buy some *matching* stuff when I make it down to the fabric shop.

I also did another rather mammouth task today - that I have been DREADING! I have been looking at the Quilt I made for my friends baby, for almost 4 months now. It took me a while to piece it all together, do the embroideries, hand sew the binding etc... so, having completely a few more quilts since doing that one I have now found my groove with the type of batting I like best for quilts - the type of batting that makes quilts all soft, floppy and cozy immediately - a must for a newborn's quilt - no?

This is not the type of batting that I put in my friend's quilt...and I have stared unhappily at it for months, hoping that I will change my mind...I haven't. So it needed to be unpicked - binding, quilting - the works so that I could take the batting out and put floppy stuff in.

Unpicking the quilt was painful - it took ages...the whole while kicking myself as to what a muppet I am! and today I put it all back together - minus the hand sewing which I have left until tomorrow night to do with a glass of wine whilst watching Gordon Ramsay...to ease the pain!

I will report on how far I get tomorrow!

I also managed to get one other item finished today - this scarf, made from Joel Dewberry's Aviary fabrics::

Made for Maddy's pre-school teacher who is leaving today for a new job. It has (soft and floppy) batting in the middle to make it cozy and a buttery soft ivory jersey on the back....I can see me making a few more of these for Christmas gifts and perhaps even one for me!

A heavy heart but a spritely family

That just about sums up today...Me feeling a little glum - My Dad is going into hospital tomorrow for an operation and even though I know he is in good hands, I can't help but wish that I was there (back in England) or even that I could help in some way.

My little ones have seemed to try and cheer me up this afternoon - I am not sure whether Maddy has picked up on the talk about my Dad's operation, but she put on her doctors costume this afternoon and gave me a good looking over - finishing by telling me 'You're going to be ok Mummy' and then whipping out her pocket book and morphing into a waitress and ordering 'Candy and a balloon' for me...

I have plodded along with my sewing whilst the kiddies were in bed...this item was going to be a small blankie for a friends baby boy who is going into hospital on Thursday - but it just kept growing and growing and has now become the quilt that I so needed to get done for Joshua. So tomorrow I will make the blankie! I am not entirely sure why so many of my projects take on a life of their own and become something completely different, but I am happy that this one has...I really need to get a bigger quilt made for Joshy, especially since we have hit such a chill here.

Anyways, here is a photo of the quilt being tortured with safety pins prior to quilting it...

and after what felt like an eternity of straight lines (some straighter than others) it is now ready for the finishing touches of the binding...a job for tomorrow methinks, when I have more than one eye open.

Here are a few more photos from today, including Maddy who later morphed from doctor to waitress and then into Don Juan after her chocolate ice cream (note moustache)

and todays sweet treat from my favourite cook book...Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Pumpkin and Squash...they were yummy.

Work in Progress...

...decorating the tree...

......starting our own traditions...

....sewing again...finally

Tag Tag Taggie Tag

I was tagged by Cindy (thank you Cindy) for 8 random things about me.  Here are the rules:

*link to the person who tagged you
*post the rules
*name 8 things others don't know about you
*link to 8 other bloggers

So here goes:

1. I had dancing lessons for about 10 years in total, and was the lead dancer of a German Dance Troop (high kicks and splits type dancing, not slap thigh lederhosen type dancing!)

2. I still have the dance-bug deep down and when back home at our local haunts, a few drinks will usually bring out the urge to hit the dance floor...yeah baby!

3. I have always wanted big boobs  - Bubble from Absolutely Fabulous said it best: 'I want heaving pendulous breasts...' that just about sums up how I feel!

4. I eat vast quantities of popcorn...and I can eat it all day long.

5. I am just a few months away from hitting the big 3-0...can't wait to become a proper grown-up!

6. My first job whilst at college was at a pizza shop in a dodgy part of our town. I had no training on making any of the glorious dishes they sold - like pizza, kebabs (that looked like elephants legs) and burgers and after finally realising that the owners had little regard for either food hygiene standards or for the workers safety from drunken louts - I left...

7. I don't really like visiting the cinema - it has got to be a really good movie to get me to go, not entirely sure why I am not keen, perhaps its the combination of how expensive it is and the fact that I would rather wait until it comes out on DVD so I can watch it in the comfort of my own home with a glass of wine and the option to pause it when I need the loo...I am sounding SO OLD!

8. I am ever so slightly addicted to diet coke - I have stopped buying it now and only buy it on occasions when we are going to a party and need to bring soft drink. I will literally drink whatever we have in the house in a very short period of time...I simply cannot stop myself!

and in true tagging tradition, here are the eight blogs that I tag:

Everybody Likes Sandwiches - Serious Yum...

Rowdy Pea - I love reading this blog regardless of whether its a family tale or an inspiring craft project - I love all the wonderful ideas

Montessori by hand - Such a lovely blog and I find the tune 'I feel pretty, oh so pretty....' running through my head every time I see something she has sewn!

Dottie Angel - So beautiful and inspiring *sigh*

Write Mama Write - A lady who I am sure has been tagged lots before, but I gotta list her because she inspires me...

Offshore Wifes Life - Because quite simply, she rocks

Rocks In My Dryer - Another Okie Mama, who I bet gets tagged all the time, but I would really love to hear some more facts from this highly amusing and very talented Mama!

London Whitakers - A sweet friend who is expecting her first Babe in just a couple of weeks (Is it really mean to tag you now??)

Thanksgiving Celebrations..

So, even though we are English and living in the States, we join in being Thankful with our host nation on Thanksgiving day and enjoy all of the delicacies that ensue on this public holiday.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with some friends, who put on a traditional Thanksgiving spread of Turkey, cranberry sauce, roasties, veggies and 2 different types of pie...along with wonderful company.

The kiddies enjoyed the change of scene, as they always do when we go visit our friends - Maddy has developed a ritual whilst at our said Friends house - which involves 3 things that she asks for, regardless of whether we are just popping in, or whether we are spending the afternoon with them. These three things are:

1. Strawberry milkshake

2. Cookies

3. Bubbles

The funniest thing about Maddy requesting these things is that she has a very well developed sense of whether it is a *good* time to ask for them or whether it is a *bad* time - like because we are not staying for very long. If it is a good time, she is very honest and asks for them outright, but if we are about to leave she will often be more covert with her requests, often dragging said host off to an area out of earshot from Mummy to ask for her string of requests - much like that of a demanding celebrity.

I wish I had some photos of our afternoon - we took the camera with us, but we just enjoyed the company and conversation and completely forgot about any photos to mark the occasion.

To make the whole day even more special for the children, we decided to go and buy our Christmas tree on the way home and visited a couple of stores on the way back to find a Christmas tree that will see us through the next 20 years.

The kiddies had a wonderful time looking at all the Christmas lights and ornaments - they were so thrilled and excited just to be out whilst it was dark and see some of our home city by night.

Once the kiddies were tucked up in bed, no doubt dreaming of the sparkle of Christmas, I looked through all of the mail that had come through our door over the past week to advertise the Thanksgiving Sales which take place every year here in the States (Black Friday) What a wonderful concept this is - to have your sales BEFORE Christmas so that you can get a bargain and not after Christmas like in England! It just makes more sense doesn't it??

I found a few bargains - like a Christmas tree with $200 off it that would quite suffice being *our* family tree over the next 20 years and decided that I would get up at 5am to go and secure our bargain. At 5.30am I headed out the door (a little late) and ventured into the sales - leaving a very peaceful and sleeping house and hit a very unpeaceful and wide awake area that was already stupidly packed with shoppers. I missed out on our Christmas tree - a line of people ready to snap up the bargain Christmas tree had formed long before the shop opened at 4am...madness! I did however get a couple of bargains - nothing, however, worthy of me leaving the comfort and warmth of my bed.

So - you think I would have learned my lesson?? But apparently not...I have seen some bargains to be had at our local Joann's and I will be there when the doors open at 7am tomorrow morning...because, seriously it really is THAT important that me and the kiddies have matching Christmas Jammies....well, we'll see how important it is tomorrow when I wake up I guess....!

On a completely different note - I have been tagged by another blogger, so my next post will be 8 random facts about me and I get to pick 8 Bloggers to tag next...how exciting!!

Spinach Brownie Anyone...?

Today we baked...inspired by our new book that I am stupidly excited and chuffed to bits with!

This morning - the kiddies ate the sweet potato pancakes so fast - that I was struggling to keep up with demand (looking to the sky sighing *Thank You*) and unlike our usual pancake morning when the kiddies will eat a couple each, and I end up with left over batter, which I put in the fridge with every good intention of dreaming up an inspired idea to make something with it - which Jay than finds a week later and asks why on earth do I keep these things...today, they ate it ALL! Every Last Drop - gone!

So, fueled by this victorious recipe - Maddy gave me a hand to make the spinach pizzas which the kids had for lunch - anyone thumbs up there! - hoorah!

and finally the big favourite of the day - the spinach and carrot brownies - which Maddy gobbled up like I have never seen before! Seriously - when it comes to cakes, Maddy is very picky with what she will even try - let alone eat a full portion of, so I was really happy that my little lady not only tried the brownies, but had 2...yes 2! slices!!!! Wooo-hooo!

So I am content today that both my babes are full of fruits and veggies - some consumed willingly - like bananas, grapes and carrots and others unknowingly - like spinach and sweet potatoes...and I am loving this recipe book, loving it!

Turkey Puree

Today was the day when Mads and her best friend got to wear their Turkey Dresses to pre-school. They both looked as cute as a button and every last bit of frustration I had with doing the turkey appliques was ALL worth it!

Here is a photo of Mads from this morning, just before leaving for pre-school.

My new focus for today was to concentrate on the kiddies diets (again) Maddy is still a pretty picky eater and it worries me at times with how little she consumes - combine this with the fact that both kiddies and me have been ill on and off over the past two months - and I thought it was about time to make sure they are both getting enough fruits and veggies in them, any way I could. I ordered this Children's cookery book - Deceptively Delicious a few weeks ago and it arrived last week.

It has a brilliant concept to mix puree fruits and veggies into the kiddies favourites foods to ensure that they get their daily allowance of veggies - even when they are not prepared to eat the veggies on their plates.

So today, I spent a while cooking squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, peas and courgettes (zucchini) and now have over 26 bags of puree in the freezer ready to be added (deceptively) into the kiddies dinners.

I tried the concept out on a small scale tonight by mixing sweet potatoes (something Maddy wouldn't touch) into her normal mash and she ate it - it was all I could do, to not get up and do a Mexican wave right there at the table!

There are a variety of recipes that I can't wait to try out on the kiddies, like brownies that have cauli and spinach in them - sounds crazy huh!

Damn Turkeys (Part II)

The turkey saga is all but over (barring the addition of 2 buttons) with two three completed turkey dresses all sewn up.

The previously frustrating turkey dress has also been utilised and turned into a dress for Maddy's Little Lamb.

Maddy has taken little interest in the making of her turkey dress, right up until tonight when she saw Little Lambs matching dress hanging next to hers - then, it was imperative that she (and Little Lamb) need to try on their matching outfits and have photos taken, regardless of the fact that it was bedtime.

Illness has struck the household again! and Joshy, who has had a pretty bad run of health in the past couple of months, is once again fighting off some kind of bug. Maddy is doing a good job of keeping his mind off feeling poorly - whether its by playing with him, or giving him the odd clout - but there are times when it all just gets a bit much - like this shot on Friday, when I had literally left him for 2 minutes on the sofa, to go and serve their dinner...

On a completely different note - Maddy has entered a new phase of her life - one that involves lots of explanations and descriptions on our part. A simple story book has now become a new world for Maddy as she asks infinite questions on why the princess looks like that? Who is that? Why is he standing like that? She relishes the minute details in every story and absorbs them like a sponge, ready to be relayed at various times.

Mads is particularly enamored with photos from our wedding day - which we have on our vanity in the bedroom.

There is one photo of Jay and I kissing, having just got married - and Maddy loves looking at this photo of 'Daddy and Princess Mummy' and asks over and over again 'Why is Daddy kissing you?' and relishes any story that follows of Mummy and Daddy's wedding day. It reminds me so much of the stories I used to ask my Nan to relay to me as a child, about my Dad as a boy and his various adventures. Including impaling himself on a railing - a favourite that I used to ask Nan to tell me again and again! I remember knowing each one of her stories off by heart, but having Nan tell me them, was always special - and its this that I remember, when Mads asks me for the 10th time in 3 hours - 'Why is Daddy kissing you?' or another favourite photo 'Why is Maddy smiling?'

I am hoping to compile a little album for Maddy for Christmas, of all her favourite photos - the ones that even at 3 years old, seem to jog memories for her and bring back happy emotions. I think such an album would be a prized possession for my sensitive little princess.

Damn Turkeys

I had one of my mind numbingly brilliant ideas today - instead of just making Maddy a Thanksgiving dress to wear to pre-school and on Thanksgiving - why don't I make Maddy's best friend one too and they can be cute and matchy...love the idea, as does Maddy's best-friends Mum, so today I set about doing them.

And thats when I started to dislike turkeys. My wonderful idea of simple dress, turkey applique with trim on the dress matching the turkey has turned into a nightmare! I am currently on my 4th turkey applique with the first three being unusable (is that even a word?)

Here is one example - done this afternoon while Josh slept and Maddy was at pre-school (and I was apparently giving more attention to Dr. Phil than I was to said turkey)...nothing wrong?...look a little closer...closer still...even closer....

...Yeah, no seam allowance left at the top - just call me Mrs Braincell.

So tomorrow - I will attempt more turkeys, I am not letting the turkey defeat my vision of cuteness.

On a completely different note, here are a few shots of our mantlepiece right now - all pretty and seasonal. Mads and Josh collected items from the garden on one excursion - so we now have a little nature bowl of goodies from our garden to mull over. Including acorns, sticks (courtesy of Joshy) and leaves - all very autumnal.

Blowing the cobwebs away

We had another lazy day at home today - still recovering from our sniffles and enjoying some rest and relaxation. We all venture outside this morning into a very windswept garden, which both kiddies enjoyed. The garden is amazing right now - there is such a spectrum of colours, from greens through to vibrant reds, so pretty.

A scattering of fall leaves

We retreated to the warmth of inside to make cookies - special fall cookies which the kiddies both enjoyed making and eating.

Maddy's acorns and leaves (and why yes, we always cook in just our pants!)

And when my babes took a nap after their wind-swept morning, I enjoyed lunch looking out onto our brisk garden from the comfort of a cozy kitchen...sweet.

Lazy Days

Both kiddies were down in the dumps today with colds (along with Mummy) so we chilled at home and let our creativity flow - without worrying about the things we can usually shape our day - like getting dressed, being out the door on time etc..

I find it completely satisfying that when we spend time at home and its the activities like drawing, looking through books and playing in their kitchens, that overshadows any other time playing with the variety of novelty toys that they have (like Mermaid Dora)

Which adds fuel to my fire even more (along with all the toy recalls) to want to stay clear of the plastic novelty play stuff which we usually buy at Christmas and invest in some things which will promote their creativity.

Here is a close up of the back splash for their kitchen which I made on route to Dallas::

And here is Joshua cooking up a storm in his kitchen::

Sausages anyone?

Devinely Inspired Thrifted Denim

I saw an ad last week for an Apron Competition and then prompty forgot about it - until this morning when I was sat in a bible study and this idea for an apron popped into my head (devine intervention perhaps!!):

Made from a pair of old jeans and inspired by a 60's little girls tailored dress that has stuck in my head - I managed to draft and sew up this apron in a couple of hours.

Here is a shot of Little Mads getting in on the action!

Weekend Away

We spent this weekend with friends in Branson Missouri...it was wonderful but we are all exhausted! Here are a few shots from our weekend::

One of those days...

You know the type of day...EGR day (extra grace required)

With a little man who was a bit off colour and clingy - and a little Lady who thought she was a teenager today - it has been interesting.

I think the main cause of Maddy's naughty, mischievous and bossy behavior came from the fact that she stumbled across the sweet supply that I tried to hide away from Halloween. I am guessing at this, because Joshua walked into the bedroom where I was tidying, sucking away on 2 lollies which had mysteriously appeared in his chubby little fingers....and then Maddy appeared with an array of chocolate.

The sugar rush continued for all of the late afternoon and into tonight - and displayed itself in a number of ways, including a trail of toys being left wherever Maddy the Minx went (think Hansel and Gretal's breadcrumbs) along with the occasional slap for Joshua - usually to try and entice him to chase her.

So - on days like these, I am happy when my little angels go to bed...happy that I can have a little peace and a little bit of tidiness.

This is a photo from when she had just turned 2 - but it kind of sums a small percentage of the mischief that happened in this house today.

Its the little things which warm my heart

Walking past Maddy this afternoon *smoothed her hair with my hand* carried on walking

5 minutes later, she followed me into the toilet:

Maddy: 'Mummy, why did you touch my hair?'

Me: 'I just wanted to let you know I Love You'

Maddy: *giggling* 'I already know you Love me Mummy'

Sometimes, when the sun doesn't feel like it is shining much on the inside - its the little things that can lift you up higher than you ever imagined. On a day like today when the world didn't look so rosey and when I felt like I was doing a pretty poor job of being a Mother - one little string of words lifted my spirits and made everything ok.

Partying

Its been a busy busy weekend - with lots of planning and lots of cooking for our Fall Party that we held on Saturday...

Jason displayed his never-ending talents and whipped up the best Sausage Rolls in the world

We wanted to make party food that would be a little bit English, so found a wonderful recipe from courtesy of Delia: Mini Yorkshire Puddings with Rare Beef and a Horseradish and Mustard Crème Fraîche Sauce and another Delia Gem, which Mum made us at Christmas - Bruschettas with Goats' Cheese, Basil and Tomato

Along with the old favourite - Pear and Ginger Cake, which went very well with the Mulled Wine

Joshua (aka turtle) most enjoyed the Cheetos...as did most of the kiddies!

The kiddies came dressed in their Halloween costumes (gotta get some use out of them - right!) and all looked fantastic.

A few hours before the party - I started to panic that perhaps I should have some party games ready for the kiddies - but even though there were a range of ages (from 6 months - 6 years) they all played beautifully together and just enjoyed each others company as much as us grown-ups did!

It was a lovely evening - full of wonderful company and wonderful people...we are very blessed.

One of those days...

So, after an evening of excitment and sweets...leading into a late night for the kiddies - we found the following...

Yep - my sweet filled little princess is fast asleep on the stairs...

and it was no huge surprise that the following morning went something like this:

5.33am Joshua awake - in need of cuddle
5.47 Joshua asleep in crib
5.48 Maddy awake, standing in sink in bathroom, fully clothed (??!)
5.50 Maddy put back to bed
5.51 Dee back to bed
5.57 Joshua awake for the day
5.58 Maddy awake for the day, standing on landing shouting 'MUMMY, can you get Joshua...'
6.00 Maddy and Josh eating cereal
7.00 Maddy and Josh eating a *full english*
8.45 All leave for pre-school

The positive thing about these kinds of mornings - is that you get so much more done! I never usually have time in the mornings to clean the kitchen floor, or make the kiddies a full cooked breakfast - but today we did it all!

The rest of the day went by in a haze - with periods of clarity when the caffine kicked in. Maddy was very keen as soon as she came from pre-school, to put her princess dress back on and insisted that I take a photo of her::

a

nd here is a photo of Josh from tonight that I thought I would share - there seems to be dangerous goings on around here recently - it seems that Joshua keeps getting struck by the usually very rare incident of exploding chocolate bars - as soon as he bites into them, they explode on his face...strange huh?

Dress up time...

Yesterday - I managed to finish off Maddy and Joshua's Party costumes for our party this weekend (with a lot of help from my friend who graciously came over) and both kiddies excitedly tried their costumes on for this photo::

I must admit - we have never been *into* halloween - not exactly sure why...it wasn't a holiday we celebrated when I was growing up - sure sometimes we would carve out a pumpkin, but dressing up and parties just weren't on the agenda - it wasn't that popular. Coming over here to the States has been an eye-opener with Halloween as it is such a celebrated day - with lots of activities to do - from dressing up and trick or treating at the zoo and mall, through to parties and gifts of sweets exchanged at pre-school. I remember last year - Maddy had just started pre-school at this time of year and when I picked her up from school one day, there was a row of little bags filled with sweets from most of the members of her class - I remember saying to the teacher - 'oh, wow - was I meant to do that too??' I had no idea!

So this year - we were just going to go along the same lines and plough our  energies into hosting an autumnal party, so the kiddies could dress up and get into the party spirit - without the trick or treating which I have always been skeptical and a little worried about....But seeing how excited my babes were about being in their costumes and having an offer from a sweet friend to go over to her house and join her and her kiddies (who Mads and Joshy adore) to go visit a few people down their street - It suddenly didn't seem so scary.

So last night we joined my friend and the kiddies experienced their first halloween - American style. The night got a big thumbs up from both Mads and Josh - who loved just doing something out of the norm and being around other children.

Here are a few shots::

There is still something which doesn't sit right with me about halloween, but as for dressing up and getting chocolates - well, I am ALL for that!!