tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54402369634328375662024-03-13T21:06:43.653-07:00Domestic DorisLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-53169898735625133662015-08-29T03:22:00.003-07:002015-08-29T03:22:48.868-07:00Time FliesHow is it that nearly two years has passed since my last post?! So much has happened in that time & I really should try to update my little slice of the internet with what I've been up to.<br />
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Most importantly, on the family front, we have a new addition - our son, Jack was born in May & has made the perfect final piece to our family puzzle. Abby is starting school next week (how did that happen?!) & I am looking forward to spending a bit of time not feeling like my attention is being pulled in so many different directions!<br />
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On a domestic note, I am still struggling with doing everything that I would like to/need to do. As always, I hope that the new school year will give me the extra motivation & opportunity to try & get into more of a routine so that I can feel like this house (that we have lived in for nearly 3 years) actually feels like a home as it doesn't at the moment.<br />
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Craft-wise, I have made so many things & have even added to my "skills" by taking up sewing. I started a patchwork & quilting course over a year ago & have loved every minute. I am really proud of the things I have made & I would like to update my blog with the things I have accomplished, really for my own record so that I can look back & remember what I have achieved. I find myself flitting between sewing, crochet & knitting (depending on my mood).<br />
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One of my many to-do tasks is to catalogue my makes on here & I will try to get this done over the next few weeks as we settle back in to a school routine & I get a bit more time to myself.<br />
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Until then!<br />
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xxxLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-4145588612077334812013-10-20T07:51:00.001-07:002013-10-20T08:26:18.875-07:00Custom-Made Bed Blanket<p dir=ltr>A few months back I was sitting in a doctor's waiting room with my crochet to pass the time.  I quite often take a project with me when I know I am going to be waiting around for a while. On this particular day a couple of ladies came in & started talking to me about what I was making (a still unfinished blanket) & just generally chatting.  One of the ladies asked me how much I would charge to make her a blanket to cover her double bed as she'd always wanted one. I didn't really know what to say as I'd never made anything that hasn't been a gift.  I was really keen to make a blanket for her though & really wanted to give myself the challenge of being able to "design" a blanket without a specific pattern, so we agreed a price & the work began a couple of weeks later. </p>
<p dir=ltr>I had been asked to do a blanket with lilac, cream & pink & to include butterflies in it, so I immediately consulted with <a href="http://www.ravelry.com">Ravelry</a>.  I already knew that I wanted to make a blanket from lots of squares & I found quite a few free patterns that I used:</p>
<p dir=ltr><a href="http://www.bestfreecrochet.com/free-crochet-pattern/171-butterfly-crochet-dishcloth-maggie-weldon-maggies-crochet/">Butterfly crochet dishcloth</a><br>
<a href="http://myblueangels.blogspot.com/2012/12/butterfly-12-sq.html">Butterfly</a><br>
<a href="http://crochet.about.com/library/weekly/aa080297.htm">Purple Azure Butterfly</a> - this one was my favourite & I did 4 of them in 2 different colourways but they did take HOURS to do.</p>
<p dir=ltr>The other squares were a combination of plain trebles, granny squares, cable stitch squares etc. I also wanted to add a couple of flower squares so I used one pattern from The Art of Crochet magazine & another one from Ravelry:</p>
<p dir=ltr><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/simple-10-petal-afghan-square">Simple 10 Petal Afghan</a></p>
<p dir=ltr>When it came to the centre, I had been asked to do a large butterfly in the middle.  My original plan was to embroider one on the front but my sewing skills aren't all that so I once again consulted the www. I wasn't really sure exactly what I was looking for but came across this wonderful <a href="http://freevintagecrochet.com/other/lily74-butterfly-wall-plaques">butterfly</a> that was crocheted around wire to make a wall plaque. I used the pattern & amended it to fit my needs.</p>
<p dir=ltr>The whole blanket took me a few months - longer than I had originally intended but I (& more importantly the recipient) was very pleased with the way it turned out. I don't think I'll take on such a huge project again for a while - if I do I would have to charge at least double what I charged for this one due to the time it took - about 150 hours, I counted! I did enjoy taking on this challenge though & now have an order for a baby blanket as well, which is much more manageable! </p>
<p dir=ltr><u>xxx</u><br>
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Two weeks ago the market town of Skipton, Yorkshire hosted its first woolly convention in the form of <a href="http://yarndale.co.uk/">Yarndale</a>. I've been really excited about going ever since Lucy at <a href="http://www.attic24.typepad.com/" target="_blank"><span id="goog_1078584960"></span>Attic24</a> announced it was happening a year ago. Being fairly new to the yarn community, I've never attended anything like it before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I'd managed to convince Hubby months in advance that it was going to be a fantastic day out & that we should definitely go.</div>
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Luckily for Hubby, he managed to get a "get out of jail free" card when I found out about a local bus trip that was being organised by <a href="http://www.rebeccamaryjanes.co.uk/" target="_blank">Rebecca Mary Jane</a>, who runs crochet classes from her studio in Doncaster. The thought of spending the day with some other crafty ladies was very appealling so I popped along to Rebecca's studio (swoon!) & booked my ticket. </div>
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So, bright & early (8.10am) on Saturday 28th Septe<span id="goog_201982008"></span><span id="goog_201982009"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a>mber Hubby dropped me off & we embarked on our Yarndale journey. There were 14 of us on the minibus, I knew one lady from my Wednesday afternoon Knit & Natter group but the rest were complete strangers & they really couldn't have been more lovely. Rebecca brought out some bunting that she had crocheted to decorate the bus & we were on our way! The journey was only going to take us about an hour & a half but Rebecca came prepared - she offered us a choice of tea, hot chocolate or coffee (which she made to order using a thermos of hot water there & then on the bus) & also handed around a fabric-lined basket containing home-made pastries. They were delicious! I've never been on such a civilised bus ride!</div>
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We arrived at Yarndale just after the doors opened at 10am. The journey past the building to the car park had already got us excited as we saw the yarn decorations that had been put up in the trees & along the fences. <br />
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We made our way through to the "Hub", which was where we could get our programmes & were greeted by the wonderful sight of this amazing bunting.<br />
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There was also the most fantastic knitted picnic set out for everyone to look at.<br />
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In addition to that was a display of tea cosies, which had been entered into the tea cosy competition. </div>
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So, it was time to start looking around!!! It was soooo busy. There were back-to-back people everywhere & it was difficult to get into some of the stalls but it was lovely to look around, getting inspiration from the yarns & displays that were there. Everyone was in such good spirits & it felt great to feel like a part of some massive community with a common interest. There were some really cute alpacas to look at/stroke, as well as some fluffy angora rabbits. I wonder how they felt being on display all day in such a busy, noisy place?!<br />
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Check out the tufty ears on this one!<br />
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I then HAD to make my way to the Knit & Natter lounge in the centre of the room. Now, I can't lie, I am a little bit in love with Attic24's Lucy & this was where she had taken up residence for the weekend. I had to meet her, say Hello & that I love her blog. I know I'm not the only one who loves her & there was a queue of people waiting to talk to her. She was so lovely though & she took the time to speak to everyone - I bet her voice was failing her by the end of the weekend! She'd also brought along her blankets, cushions, wreaths etc that seemed so familiar as she's blogged about them all. Wow!<br />
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Soon it was time for lunch & I met up with Rebecca & a couple of the other ladies. As part of the "package", Rebecca had provided our lunch & she had given everybody their own brown paper bag containing homemade rolls with coronation chicken/ham & mustard, a homemade lemon cupcake, carton of juice, plum tomatoes, crisps & grapes - it was delicious! </div>
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After lunch I decided that I wanted to take a walk along the yarn-bombed park that I had read about so I took myself off in the glorious sunshine to see what the Skipton ladies had been up to. There was bunting, decorated lampposts, some blanket-covered trees & some gorgeous ducks at the end by the canal, that Lucy had blogged about. <br />
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I had also been hoping to make it to Lucy's Open Studio (does this all give you the impression that I'm a bit of a stalker? I'm not, honest!) but I didn't get there in time. I did have a little wander around Skipton town though - definitely somewhere to take the family for a look methinks. On the way back I decided to have a cappuccino in Coopers cafe & sat outside enjoying the weather & a bit of people-watching.<br />
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The bus journey home was as civilised as it was on the way - Rebecca brought out Pimms & lemonade as well as crispy snacks & olives which, combined with a bit of crochet on the way home made for a fantastic way to round off a perfect day.</div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-21661730978312612082013-10-02T04:35:00.001-07:002013-10-02T04:35:08.976-07:00Neglected Space<p dir=ltr>I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted on this blog. It's true that life really does get in the way sometimes.</p>
<p dir=ltr>The Summer break seems like a lifetime away, despite only being a few weeks. Honestly, I can't remember what we even did! Unfortunately I can remember being rushed into hospital by ambulance & then into theatre due to a miscarriage & the couple of weeks that followed when I was so poorly that I had to rely on Hubby to do literally EVERYTHING. We are all absolutely fine now though & we're settling into life with a child at school full-time. How did that happen?!!!</p>
<p dir=ltr>I've been really trying to get into a more organised state-of-mind when it comes to domestic matters & so far I'm pleased with my progress. I have also been very mindful about taking time for myself & doing things that make me happy, which has included a lot of crochet & nattering with the lovely ladies at Knit & Natter. I've got a couple of posts coming up of the woolly variety but in the meantime I wanted to check in with my very neglected internet space.</p>
<p dir=ltr>I hope that life is treating you well?</p>
<p dir=ltr><u>xxx</u></p>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-15945926830799204492013-06-20T00:00:00.000-07:002013-06-20T00:00:01.716-07:00The Living Room Snuggle BlanketAfter decorating the <a href="http://www.domesticdoris.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/living-room-reveal.html" target="_blank">Living Room</a> I wanted to crochet something that co-ordinated with the room but didn't really know what. I had seen<a href="http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/granny-stripe.html" target="_blank"> Lucy's granny stripe blanket pattern</a> a while back & wanted to give it a go & then I came across this on Pinterest that sealed the deal for me!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mXQxJIpk748/UbuCFCDGrgI/AAAAAAAABWE/oqRAvoNNsaA/s1600/2f8d4d8ac8c4b15b378d3d047601cbbf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mXQxJIpk748/UbuCFCDGrgI/AAAAAAAABWE/oqRAvoNNsaA/s320/2f8d4d8ac8c4b15b378d3d047601cbbf.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/121176216/crochet-granny-stripe-blanket-mustard" target="_blank">Source</a></div>
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I thought that this would be a perfect way to use all of the colours that were in the room without it being too overbearing. So off I went! I ordered some Stylecraft Special DK & excitedly embarked on a new crochet project. I won't lie, I went into this one with my rose-tinted glasses on somewhat. I looked at Lucy's pattern, read that her starting chain was 240 and thought <i>240? pah! I'm going to start with 300 chains! </i>So off I went, row after row after row. 300 chains led to a rather long blanket but <i>that's ok, </i>I kept telling myself, <i>I want this to be big enough to have a proper snuggle under in the winter.</i> </div>
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I will hold my hands up & say that I was being seriously over-ambitious with this one. I could have let this project go on & on, increasing the size gradually over time, but I got bored. I got to a stage where I thought <i>that's it! I've had enough! It can wrap around someone's shoulders nicely so it will do!</i> Despite this one being stopped much sooner than I originally planned, I'm still really chuffed with it. The colours work really well together & it has been used quite a bit by Hubby - if he says it's big enough then I can live with that!!!</div>
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Here's my "finished" blanket:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-660MxxbTGJU/UbuFHWAJ5WI/AAAAAAAABWU/1mnnfcUO3kQ/s1600/2013-06-14+10.54.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-660MxxbTGJU/UbuFHWAJ5WI/AAAAAAAABWU/1mnnfcUO3kQ/s320/2013-06-14+10.54.34.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Annoyingly there was a gust of wind as this photo was taken so the blanket was being blown backwards!</div>
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A closer picture so you can see the colours:</div>
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and an even closer one!</div>
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It's not as chunky as the original blanket in the photo above but it still works well. I used black as the main colour, equal amounts of green & cyan & then a few stripes of charcoal grey, pink & white. It goes nicely with the decor in our Living Room anyway!!!</div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-22604564446828386152013-06-19T00:00:00.000-07:002013-06-19T00:00:00.485-07:00The Art of Crochet - the Finished Blanket!In January 2010 I subscribed to the Art of Crochet magazine and at the end of last year (I can't remember exactly when but I think it was about October/November time) I finished the blanket that I had been making, square by square, as part of the series. <br />
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I know that over the years it has cost me a lot of money but I have really enjoyed every minute & have got a pretty impressive library of patterns to start working my way through!!! It was the blanket that actually made me want to get this series - I don't really know whether it was the colours or the pattern but I just HAD to have it!!!<br />
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Here is the finished product:<br />
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I am so proud of it! I love the fact that it gets used everyday by the girls, whether it's to snuggle up in on the sofa or as the roof of an indoor tent - it's holding up pretty well!<br />
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Here is a close up of the middle of the blanket:<br />
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I have a few favourites when it comes to the individual squares. I really like the multi-coloured stripy ones that surround the middle squares (above). I also really like the purple spotted ones:<br />
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I wasn't as fussed on the ones with the funny men on them - embroidery was certainly not the strong point for me on this project! I also liked the various granny squares that are dotted around<br />
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and finally I think that the cream ones with the colourful holes in are also quite cool!<br />
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Colourful loveliness!<br />
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xxx<br />
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<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-23614457787892744292013-06-18T00:00:00.000-07:002013-06-18T00:00:05.906-07:00Dining Room RevealThis one has been a long time coming but I am happy to say that our Dining Room is finally finished!!! We have got to get some curtains & cover the chair seats but these things are not urgent so will get done as & when. It is so nice to use a table at mealtimes again & Hubby has done a really good job.<br />
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As a reminder, here's what the room looked like before:<br />
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Here's what it looks like now:</div>
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I am forever amazed at the difference just having the woodwork painted white makes!! I love the <a href="http://www.domesticdoris.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/freecycle.html" target="_blank">fireplace</a> that we got via Freecycle, especially now it's painted. In addition to the free fire surround that we got, we also managed to get a couple of other bargains for this room. Our wallpaper was found in the Next outlet shop for only £3 per roll - we bought the last 3 that were there - so our feature wall only cost £9. We also found a lovely canvas in the B&Q clearance back in February that was reduced from £24.98 to £10. I love this picture</div>
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We have it above the sideboard on the left hand wall as you walk into the room. The purple glass vase that is sat on the sideboard was also from the Next outlet for £8 (originally £35).</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GRFvloKPRsA/Ubt6L6EeymI/AAAAAAAABUY/Gxood-yQGQU/s1600/2013-06-14+10.57.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GRFvloKPRsA/Ubt6L6EeymI/AAAAAAAABUY/Gxood-yQGQU/s320/2013-06-14+10.57.38.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My favourite colour (purple) is on the bottom half of the walls. The wallpaper has pink & purple in it & we didn't want to leave the rest of the room plain. Having this darker colour also helps to hide any dirty marks that my lovely girls my make as they play!!!</div>
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I think this room is a success. Hubby has been busy elsewhere in the house - he's stripped our little side room off the kitchen of its wood paneling & is currently using this room as a home gym (I have got photos to share) & he's also stripped the wallpaper in the play room as this is our next decorating project. We have yet to decide what colour to put in the play room though (if any). Watch this space!</div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-66618571815936974622013-06-17T00:00:00.000-07:002013-06-17T00:00:13.312-07:00Garden UpdateI am back today with an update on our (mostly) finished garden! The final thing that we were waiting to be done was for the rotten fence to be replaced. Without further ado......ta dah!!!<div>
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I have got the beginnings of a flower bed running along the fence & have planted out some sweet peas that I had been growing in the greenhouse:<br />
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I have also planted some sweet peas in a few pots & have made a make-shift climbing frame for them using mesh wiring:<br />
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The <a href="http://www.domesticdoris.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/stuff.html" target="_blank">metal bicycle</a> has been planted up & is looking lovely<br />
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We also have LOADS of beautiful flowers coming out in our flower beds, we're really lucky. These blue ones are starting to die off now but they're stunning - I'm not sure what they are, Mother-in-Law thinks they might be cornflowers but we're not sure.<br />
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We also have 3 peonies, which I am very excited about<br />
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Please ignore the stinging nettles in this photo!!!<br />
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And more waiting to bloom<br />
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We are really enjoying spending time outside when we can & it's lovely to see all of the new flowers coming out. I remember how I used to moan at my Mum & Dad when I was in my teens for being "so sad" (in the tone of Kevin the teenager) for wasting so much money & time in their garden. Mum used to tell me that one day I'd have my own garden that I'd enjoy, to which I told her that there was no way I was going to spend money on plants & that I was going to concrete my garden! Hmmmmm. Mothers obviously do know best! </div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-41565050049380792132013-06-14T12:56:00.002-07:002013-06-14T12:56:48.298-07:00Village GalaI am a bit behind on my posts & have lots to catch up on! I hope that you are well? <br />
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A couple of weekends back our village had a gala, which was lovely. On the Sunday morning the view from Freya's bedroom was getting the girls excited as everything was being set up:<br />
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This isn't the greatest picture but the colourful bouncy castles were in the line of sight, leading to very hyper children!!!<br />
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When we walked around to the field where the gala was being held there were a few things that were of interest - for Freya & Abby these were the bouncy castles, the ice-cream van & the swinging merry-go-round; for us it was the Hog Roast & the birds of prey on display that caught our eye.<br />
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There was a brass band set up in the middle of the field to provide some entertainment:<br />
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Despite arriving only a couple of hours after the gala started (it was on 11am-4pm) the Hog Roast stand had run out (?!?!?!) so we weren't able to treat ourselves to that! Birds of Prey it was then!<br />
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Look at these fabulous birds:<br />
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There were about 15-20 different types of bird, thankfully all tied to their perches or I would have been running for my life (I am MAJORLY scared of birds!). From a distance though they were fascinating.<br />
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This owl was HUGE & he spent most of the time on this handler's arm - he must have the strength of an ox to be able to hold it up for so long! <br />
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Hubby & I also found it amusing that the handler had a remarkable likeness (both in looks & the way he spoke) to Bill Oddy.<br />
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There was a Kookaburra, which we'd never seen before:<br />
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A couple of the birds were getting a bit fidgety & needed to stretch their wings:<br />
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This stunning creature was my favourite though:<br />
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Beautiful, no? It reminded me of the film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091369/?ref_=sr_3" target="_blank">Labyrinth</a>!<br />
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Of course we weren't able to spend too much time looking at the birds as we had 2 very eager girls tugging at our arms & begging to go on the bouncy castles/archery/swing/get an ice-cream. We had a lovely time, although we were a little bit disappointed that there wasn't a bit more to do - I suppose we had been to the <a href="http://www.domesticdoris.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/berkshire-bank-holiday-weekend.html" target="_blank">Donkey Derby</a> the weekend before so compared to that this was very tiny!! Overall though we had 2 happy little girls, & that's the main thing!!!<br />
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xxxLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-15008819958605390792013-05-30T02:38:00.001-07:002013-05-30T02:38:18.690-07:00Berkshire Bank Holiday WeekendI hope that you are well & had a lovely Bank Holiday Weekend (UK)? The weather was unexpectedly gorgeous so we were able to take advantage of the sunshine, which is always nice! It's a shame that it's gone back to being so miserable now though!!<br />
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We took advantage of the long weekend by going down to Berkshire to stay with my parents for a few days. It was also my Dad's 60th birthday, so we were looking forward to celebrating that with him. My Dad has always loved steam trains & railways so we bought him a solid stone/concrete train planter for his garden. He was very impressed with it, I'm pleased to say!<br />
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It was Dad's birthday on Tuesday & we went out to lunch with all of the family: my parents, our family of 4, my brother, his children & their mum & my 3 Aunties. It was such a lovely afternoon spent catching up with everyone - I haven't seen 2 of my Aunties since Freya was a baby so it's been a long time!<br />
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When we got home we were able to actually get a picture of the 4 grandchildren when they were all looking & smiling - not an easy thing to do when you have 4 children aged 5 & under!!!<br />
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My Mum got a better one as she was taking the photo from directly in front of them so they were looking at her, not me!!<br />
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Bank Holiday Monday was spent outside in the sunshine with the children. We went to the Sandhurst Donkey Derby, which was in its 47th year. I remember going most years when I was a child so it was nice to be able to take my girls as well. <br />
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Here's the official blurb from their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/204165319725290/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">Sandhurst Donkey Derby and fair is probably the biggest community event in our local area. It attracts thousands of people each year to join in the fun and raise money for local charities and groups. The family event is Organised by the Crowthorne and Sandhurst Roman Catholic Parish and sponsored by the Sandhurst branch of Romans’ Estate Agents</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">There are a series of donkey races with special events where you may have the opportunity to become a jockey and have everyone cheer you on! There are fairground r</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">ides for the young at heart and many stalls from the surrounding area where you may win a prize, find out about a local group or bag a bargain!</span><br />
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According to the programme that we were given on entry, <i>"the Donkey Derby started back in the 1960s, with only a few hundred people in attendance, but over the years has grown and developed into the largest annual community event for Crowthorne, Sandhurst and the surrounding area.</i><br />
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<i>The donkey races are still the focal part of the day, as they were when the first donkey derby was held, and supported by local pubs, clubs, businesses, along with the fun fair, charities and commercial stalls."</i><br />
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Unfortunately we didn't get to see any of the donkey races as the girls were too excited about the many stalls & rides that they could go on but I did manage to have a look at them in their enclosure at least!!!<br />
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Cute huh?!!<br />
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The girls loved their time at the Donkey Derby. Freya & my niece, Amy went on a humongous bouncy castle slide:<br />
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Poor Abby was too little to go on this ride but she made up for it inside the "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" bouncy castle!<br />
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They also went on a swinging merry-go-round (if anyone knows the proper name for the ride then please let me know!!)<br />
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On the walk back home we stopped off at a small play-park so the girls could all let off some of their excess steam!!<br />
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All in all, a wonderful weekend away!<br />
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xxxLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-10293463307879582972013-05-13T00:15:00.001-07:002013-05-13T00:15:57.096-07:00Early StartBoth of my girls were awake at 4am due to horrible coughs that were making them sick. After half an hour of changing beds & trying to get them to go back to sleep I decided to give up & come downstairs with them. I was feeling quite awake myself at the time so at 5am I embarked on a mammoth ironing session (I haven't done any ironing for a couple of weeks & Hubby & I had run out of clothes to wear!). Here's the pile when I started:<br />
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At 7.15am here's what the basket looked like:<br />
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and here's what the rest of my kitchen looked like!<br />
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Phew! I'm glad it's all done but now I've sat down I am starting to feel my early start!!! On days like this I am so grateful that I don't work & that Freya's not at school yet as it means that I don't have to rush to get ready & go anywhere (& that I might be able to take a nap later if the girls do!!!). It'll be a different story in September as Freya starts school then but for now I'm going to take advantage of my lazy mornings ;-)<br />
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xxxLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-41329673338984188312013-05-09T14:18:00.001-07:002013-05-09T14:18:24.196-07:00What a difference a (Bank Holiday) Weekend makes....What fabulous weather we had over the Bank Holiday weekend!! We decided to take control & spend our time sorting out the garden.<br />
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I mentioned in my previous post that we had been given a new (rather large) rockery where the pond once was. Well, there was a lot of top soil left over & there were piles of bricks that had been dug up from where the caravan stood so Hubby decided to utilise these materials & create a patio area for us. He had some help from his dad to lay the bricks etc & they did a really good job! Here was the rockery before:<br />
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Here it is now:<br />
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I think it looks fantastic! We enjoyed a few lunches at the table earlier this week - the weather has now done a U-turn, so I don't know when we'll be doing that again though!!!<br />
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Previously there had been a small rockery/border that separated the pond from the lawn & there were paths that went from the lawn & along each side of the pond. Hubby had the idea to extend this rockery/border to meet the border along the left-hand side of the garden & effectively sectioning the patio area from the lawn completely. Here's how it looks:<br />
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This is where it meets the existing border:<br />
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I'm very grateful to my Mother-in-Law, who very kindly took charge of arranging & planting the rockery plants in this area - she did a wonderful job. We added a few animals to this little area for the girls & to give it a bit more interest. When my Mother-in-Law asked Freya what sort of animals she wanted the response was "an elephant, a lion & a cow" - ???!!!!!! I don't know why she came up with those. As you can see in the photo above, we managed to give her a cow to put in the garden (courtesy of Mother-in-Law's garden) but I don't think she'll be getting her elephant or lion any time soon.<br />
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Here are a couple of close-ups:<br />
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I can see this rockery from my kitchen window & it makes me smile every time I look out there. It's now such a usable, pretty space.<br />
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In other garden news, the seeds & plants in my greenhouse are continuing to do very well:<br />
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and we have 2 beautiful trees at the bottom of the garden that are covered in pink & white blossom (the photo really doesn't do them justice)<br />
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Unfortunately the blossom is starting to fall off so the garden is beginning to get covered with pink & white flowers - not really looking forward to clearing all that up, but Hubby did just buy a leaf blower/vac so that should at least make it more manageable!!!<br />
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I hope that you had a lovely weekend wherever you are.<br />
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xxxLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-78159651510027254162013-05-03T14:19:00.001-07:002013-05-03T14:19:57.623-07:00Out & About in the GardenWe're well on the way to having a lovely, child-friendly garden to enjoy in the Summer! We're just waiting for the rotting, collapsing fence to be replaced & it will all be done - we've been told that it will be done the week of 13th May so watch this space!<br />
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In the meantime I've been out today taking some photos & I thought I'd share them with you. First of all, the side where the caravan stood for over 20 years has been completely transformed. Here's what it was like before:<br />
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and here is what it looks like now:<br />
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Hubby has put up a make-shift fence to stop the dogs from trampling all over the turf while it's bedding down. It makes such a difference though & we're really pleased with it.<br />
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The other major development is the newly-designed pond area. The pond was drained & filled in & the plan was to put some paving slabs over it to make the patio area larger. Our landlord obviously had different ideas though as we came home to this yesterday:<br />
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We've got a rather large & sparse rockery!!! There have been a few little plants added, so it does look nice. We might move the plants & rocks to another part of the garden & re-pave that area ourselves, but we haven't decided yet. At the moment it's made a lovely addition to the garden & we're really pleased that we don't have to worry about the girls falling in the pond any more! (Of course now we have to make sure they don't climb over the rocks & split their heads open, but on the whole it is a much safer place for them to play!!)<br />
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I've also been admiring some of my plants that are growing along nicely. The seeds in my greenhouse are sprouting, despite being knocked over by those awful winds! I have absolutely no idea what's planted where as the soil got mixed up & I just scooped it all up & put it back in the trays. I definitely have sweet peas growing but it will be pot luck as to what else might appear!!!<br />
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I've also planted some broad beans & was pleased to spot a little shoot making its way to the surface:<br />
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In addition to the seeds that I planted I've also got some geraniums that I bought as plug plants that are getting bigger. I've got 10 (5 different colours) so I can't wait to see what they're like & possibly use a couple in my bicycle planter.<br />
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My Azalea is also flowering:<br />
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and I have a rhododendron that is starting to bloom:<br />
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Finally, my Mother-in-Law bought me this camelia:<br />
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I've always wanted one & she saw some at the Cash & Carry for less than £5 so she picked one up.<br />
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Before I go I'll just share some better (sort of!) photos of my tea light holders & the sun catcher that I mentioned in my last post:<br />
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I hope that the weather remains nice for us over the Bank Holiday weekend. I have got so much weeding to do to tidy up both the front & back gardens. On top of that I also have a mountain of ironing to do (but if the weather's nice then the ironing will have to wait!)<br />
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Enjoy, whatever your plans are.<br />
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xxxLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-50114550242986187392013-05-02T01:04:00.001-07:002013-05-02T01:04:11.486-07:00StuffThings are ticking along here at the moment. We've been getting out in the garden quite a lot with the girls, which is really nice. I've been adding a few "pretties" to our outdoor space to give it some more colour.<br />
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Please excuse the photos - it's not easy to capture a sun catcher! I've had the plastic sun catcher in my cupboard for years & thought it was about time that I actually used it!! It was picked up from the pound shop so a real bargain! Also picked up from the 99p stores was this little pink lantern. It's metal & I bought 6 - 3 pink & 3 purple, which I've put on shepherds hooks around the garden. If I can get a nice photo to show you then I will do!<br />
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We've also had a beautiful cluster of red tulips come out in the back garden. Obviously we didn't plant anything in this garden so we don't know what's there, so it's nice to see what comes up!<br />
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Last Sunday morning we got up early to go to a local Car Boot sale. I have to say that we were quite disappointed on the whole but we did pick up a couple of bargains. My favourite was this metal bike/plant stand for the garden for £10:<br />
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I've got to plant it all up yet so when I have I will take another photo.<br />
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I haven't really done much more over the past few weeks. I've continued to go to Knit & Natter & am loving the couple of hours spent with some lovely ladies. It's really nice to hear more experienced knitters talking about their craft & just generally chatting - I've spent the past 4 years (since Freya was born really) at home with just the children, Hubby & our parents to talk to so it's great to get out & expand my conversational skills a bit!!!<br />
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It's looking like it's going to be a beautiful day here in South Yorkshire & I've been out early hanging my washing out. We've got a guy coming to finish filling the pond in today so by the end of the day that should be done. He also laid some turf where the caravan had been standing in the back garden last week so it's all starting to look lovely - I'll update you with some photos soon.<br />
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I hope that you have some lovely weather wherever you are today.<br />
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xxxLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-81149413712323706252013-04-18T01:37:00.001-07:002013-04-18T01:37:34.307-07:00Mother NatureIt seems that Spring has finally sprung here & our front garden is looking lovely with all of the daffodils that have appeared in the flower borders.<div>
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We also had some beautiful crocuses appear around the pond in the back garden, but they have now died off.</div>
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I have spent the weekend and first couple of days of the week out in the garden with the girls, doing a general tidy up. I have bought some roses to put in pots & have yet to plant them. I got the orange & white ones from Poundland, the Climbing Rose Blue for 68p in the local Cash & Carry & my Mother-in-Law kindly picked up the blue rose for me while she was out shopping, although I can't remember where.</div>
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They are all currently sitting in make-shift milk container pots in some water on my kitchen windowsill. It is raining today so I don't think I'll get out to plant them today but hopefully in the next couple of days they will be outside where they belong!</div>
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I have also been given a Greenhouse by my Mother-in-Law as they have just replaced their PVC one with a glass one. The girls & I spent a bit of time in there at the beginning of the week planting lots of seeds that we'd bought. We'd bought some different varieties of Sweet Peas & we'd also planted some tomato seeds & some runner beans. Alas, Mother Nature had different plans as when I woke up this morning the really strong overnight winds had made a complete mess in the garden. As soon as I opened the back door I was greeted by the girls' playhouse, which had been blown across the patio:</div>
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I also saw that the door of the greenhouse was flapping around. On closer inspection I found that the wind had actually broken the zip & knocked EVERYTHING onto the floor:</div>
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Oh joy! I'll have to go out later to see if I can salvage anything but I didn't really fancy standing there doing that in my dressing gown first thing this morning!!! Still, in comparison to the trouble that the wind has caused in my In-Laws' garden next door, I really shouldn't complain. They've had panes of glass come out of their new greenhouse & smash (despite being fixed in with multiple clips, tape etc), a new bird bath get blown over & smash, taking with it a couple of new solar lights that had also just been put in. Thank goodness that the wind wasn't strong enough to take any trees down or injure anyone (that I know of).</div>
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I hope that you are safe wherever you are.</div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-90344477793532548662013-04-11T14:59:00.002-07:002013-04-11T14:59:43.022-07:00Play Room UpdateAfter my last <a href="http://domesticdoris.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/play-room.html" target="_blank">post</a> about our Play Room we have made a few changes. With the table & tall bookcases it felt very cluttered & dark, despite putting a lot of the girls' stuff into lidded boxes. When we started moving stuff out into the shed we decided that the table & chairs should also go out there. As nice as it was for the girls to use the table for play doh & drawing, they couldn't really do much else in their little play area as there was no room.<br />
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We also decided to get another couple of Expedit units, like the one in our living room, from Ikea to store the toys. The old coffee table from the living room is also now being used (in time I'd like it painted white). Here's is what the Play Room looks like now:<br />
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The OCD in me hates the fact that the boxes don't all match but I'm not going to spend more money than is necessary on storage boxes that will likely just get sat on/in by the girls!!!<br />
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They use this area much more now as they have floor space to play with their houses & little people, as well as the table if they want to draw or play with Play Doh.<br />
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The added bonus also is that at the end of the day when they've gone to bed I can also put their cars & prams away in here rather than having them lined up along my hallway!<br />
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I also took the opportunity to do a little bit more organising of the girls puzzles when taking them off the old bookshelves. We had bought a box of jigsaw puzzles but once the packets had been opened you couldn't reuse the bags & the puzzles all got jumbled up.<br />
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I decided to get rid of the box altogether & use freezer bags to separate the puzzles. I cut the pictures of each puzzle from the box to put in the bags so we know which puzzle is in there.<br />
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Of course they will still all get jumbled up at some point, but at least they've started off in separate bags & therefore have a better chance of going back that way!<br />
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Overall we are very pleased with this improved space. It will be decorated at some point soon but for now it is fulfilling its purpose nicely!<br />
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xxx<br />
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<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-38060178038115863442013-04-10T12:03:00.000-07:002013-04-10T12:03:00.206-07:00Knit & NatterI have been looking for a local Knit & Natter group to join for years & I found out about one being run from a wool shop in Doncaster Town Centre ages ago. I've been debating whether or not to go for a while, knowing that I really wanted to but too scared to actually do anything about it. That & the fact that it would mean leaving the girls with Hubby for a couple of hours & I felt guilty about doing that - what kind of mother goes out for a couple of hours to have a chat & do some crochet while leaving her children at home?!!!<br />
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Hubby has been telling me for ages to try & get some "me-time" so he talked me into going to my first Knit & Natter session today. I am sooo glad & grateful that he did. There were only a few ladies there today but they were all so lovely. I enjoyed a couple of hours just crocheting & chatting about sewing, knitting, crochet etc & I felt like a person outside of housework, motherhood & my husband. Maybe that sounds a bit selfish but I really needed that time & Hubby has told me to go back again next week as I enjoyed it so much.<br />
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I can't wait!!<br />
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xxxLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-3462874627179780192013-04-08T00:00:00.001-07:002013-04-08T00:59:52.510-07:00Spring GardeningHello! I hope that you are well. This weekend was lovely & I finally managed to get outside into the back garden to start making it look a little less like a dumping ground!<br />
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When we moved in we put all of our plant pots together on the patio, so it didn't look very pretty - although with all of the cold weather it did add a bit of extra protection for the smaller pots. Added to that there is still a lot of things that our landlord needs to sort out for us in the garden. There's an ancient, decaying caravan that he's going to get rid of, a pond that he's in the process of draining & then he's going to make good the area where the caravan is once it's gone so that it's a usable space & fill in the pond. In addition to that the whole fence on the right-hand side of the garden is rotten & falling down so that is also being replaced. When we signed the contract, he promised to get it all done by the end of April, so hopefully we'll have a totally "new" garden to use soon.<br />
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Anyway, I took advantage of the weather this weekend to try & make the garden look a bit prettier! The first thing I did was put our new bird feeder out in the garden.<br />
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I've always wanted a bird feeder & we got this one at B&M, reduced to £7.99. I've still got to get a couple of hanging bird feeders to add to it, but in the meantime I hope that the birds will be happy with this lot!<br />
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You can see in the background of the picture above the delightful caravan & all of the plant pots that have been gathered on our patio!<br />
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The next thing I did was sweep all of the debris & dig out the little weeds from the dirt patches in front of our shed:<br />
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I thought that this little area, being directly opposite the conservatory & therefore in full view, could do with a bit of prettifying so I added some of my pots:<br />
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A close-up of the pots on the left:<br />
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and the pots on the right:<br />
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The bigger blue pot at the back here has my hydrangea in, which I'm pleased to see is starting to come back!<br />
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I'd bought a couple of solar light/plant stands from B&M that I wanted to put either side of the conservatory doors, so here's my before shot:<br />
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and after:<br />
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Looking a bit better with some colour! Here are the stands up close:<br />
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(excuse the manky water butt!)<br />
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I still have more tidying to do & a few things to plant but so far so good! I'm pleased with the results & it's starting to feel like Spring is finally well on its way!<br />
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xxxLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-84628891118253141792013-04-08T00:00:00.000-07:002013-04-08T00:00:08.646-07:00Using our ConservatoryWe have 2 really big sheds in our back garden but they hadn't been emptied by our landlord so we were unable to use either of them to store our things. So, when we moved in our conservatory became a bit of a dumping ground for everything that would ordinarily be stored outside (garden tools, lawn mower, gardening supplies, camping equipment etc). It didn't look pretty!<br />
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Despite the mess, we still had to use this room on a daily basis as our fridge & tumble dryer are stored here.<br />
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Our landlord finally emptied one of the sheds last weekend, which meant that we were able to move everything out of our conservatory! Yay! Now we have a lovely, light, bright room that I have been using as a kind of utility room. The roof, doors & windows need repairing so it's very cold out there & not usable as a proper conservatory/relaxing space overlooking the garden yet.<br />
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Here's how it looks now:<br />
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We moved one of the bookcases from the play room in here to store some bits & pieces. Washing powder, extra kitchen rolls, old towels that we use to dry the dogs off when they come back from a particularly wet & muddy walk...<br />
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Dog stuff (treats, wipes, brushes, flea & worming treatment etc) along with shoe cleaners & sprays....<br />
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Other miscellaneous things such as hoover bags, plant food, spare air freshener units etc<br />
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Over all, I'm so happy with this space now!!!<br />
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xxxLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-77793190399115113022013-04-06T01:01:00.000-07:002013-04-06T01:01:06.255-07:00Catch UpHi there! How are you?<br />
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Things have been quite busy around here for the past couple of weeks & I haven't had time to update the blog with all that's been going on - I will remedy this! I hope that you had a lovely Easter?<br />
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Freya & Abby loved waking up on Easter Sunday to a mini Egg Hunt that I'd set up for them in the living room & play room. Here's their treasure:<br />
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They were very happy with their loot!<br />
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I think it goes without saying that it didn't last very long!<br />
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We've spent the last couple of weeks sorting out our conservatory & also improving the play room, which I will update you with this week.<br />
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I've also been doing a bit of baking. I made a banana loaf earlier on in the week to use up some bananas that were going a bit brown. It went down so well that I had a request to make it again but with added walnuts & cherries. I tried it last night & here's the result:<br />
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I'm not convinced that it works but Hubby assured me that it was delicious. He's helping his parents put up a greenhouse this weekend so I'll send some round there to get some more opinions!!!<br />
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I hope that you have a lovely weekend - it's looking a bit more Spring-like here, albeit still cold. Maybe I'll get out in the garden to do some tidying & planting this weekend?<br />
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xxxLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-3021146585402239232013-03-25T00:00:00.000-07:002013-03-25T00:00:14.442-07:00Play RoomWe are lucky to live in a house that has plenty of extra space downstairs for our young family. We have a lounge, dining room, conservatory & also a funny little room that is currently being used as a "play room". I call it a funny little room because it is like an extension of the hallway as it sits between the dining room & the kitchen. It is a through-room but is big enough to hold our old (small) dining table & chairs & the Ikea Billy bookcases that were previously in the living room at our old house. We are currently keeping a lot of the girls' toys, craft stuff & games on the shelves & are trying to encourage them to do their drawing, painting & play doh etc out on this table to prevent the mess from spreading through the rest of the house.<br />
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Anyway, I find myself getting very frustrated with the mess that accumulates on the shelves. My girls are not very good at tidying up & they just shoved stuff on the shelves so that it was all off the table. <br />
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I did have 2 pink plastic crates that housed their mega bloks & also the collection of little people, cars, animals etc that they play with. These sat on the bottom 2 shelves but were a bit too big really so kept getting knocked off. Also, they haven't really proven to be very sturdy over the past couple of years as they have been very easy to break - I started off with 6 crates!!!<br />
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We went to <a href="http://www.jtfmegadiscountwarehouse.co.uk/" target="_blank">JTF</a> last week & I saw some slightly smaller, lidded crates for sale at £18 for 5, which I didn't think was too horrendous. After a little bit of sorting the shelves look better:<br />
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It's still a work in progress as the crates are a bit big for the smaller bookcase but this room is next on our to-decorate list once the dining room is finished so we'll be looking at better solutions then.<br />
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Here's is what I have put in the crates:<br />
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1. Mega bloks<br />
2. Little people, cars, animals, fences etc<br />
3. Small houses, stables etc<br />
4. Paper, pencils, crayons etc<br />
5. Play doh pots, cutters etc<br />
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We'll see how long it stays organised like this for!!!<br />
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xxxLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-80951015039238007272013-03-22T02:08:00.001-07:002013-03-22T02:08:52.240-07:00FreecycleHave you heard of <a href="http://www.freecycle.org/" target="_blank">Freecycle</a>? I joined our local group at the end of last year when we found out we were moving & I had lots of decluttering to do. I have used <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ebay</a> many times but some of the stuff that I wanted to get rid of was very unlikely to make much/any money & I didn't want to just throw it away. <br />
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Freecycle is great as you can just advertise the things that you have to offer & people will contact you to take them off your hands for free. Perfect! I managed to give away some old framed pictures, baby equipment, wallpaper - all sorts!! When we moved into this house there was a HUGE electric organ (church-style) that the owner had been trying to get rid of for months. I asked his permission to put it on Freecycle & it was gone within 24 hours - result! Of course, the other benefit of being a member of Freecycle is that you can also GET stuff for free.<br />
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As you know, we are in the process of decorating our dining room & you may have noticed in <a href="http://www.domesticdoris.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/stripped.html" target="_blank">previous photos</a> that we have a fire in there. Previously there had just been a shelf above it to act as a mantelpiece. When someone advertised a solid wood fire surround on Freecycle I jumped at the chance to ask for it. I was so lucky to be chosen to have it. This was a perfect solution to update the room without spending a huge amount of money as we are only renting. Here's the fire surround that we got:<br />
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Nice right?<br />
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Hubby is going to paint it white to match the rest of the woodwork. He's in the process of doing the glossing at the moment:<br />
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It's made such a huge difference to the room already & he's only put undercoat on the cupboards so far! Fingers crossed that I'll be able to post a dining room reveal post in the next week or two.<br />
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I hope you have a lovely weekend. Stay warm - we've got more snow again today & I think that more has been forecast for the weekend.<br />
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xxxLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-82116850799805280642013-03-15T05:13:00.001-07:002013-03-15T05:13:44.680-07:00Being DomesticI have never really been interested in following any type of career. I was lucky that I fell into a job after I left Sixth Form at the company I did my work experience for and had since done the odd week or two during the school holidays. To be honest, I only ended up doing my work experience there in the first place because our family friends at the time owned the company and arranged it for me. I did enjoy working there though & I ended up staying for 5 years until I left because Hubby & I relocated from Berkshire to Kent.<br />
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I managed to find another job in Kent but it wasn't anything particularly exciting - I was working out of necessity, like most people, but my ultimate "ambition" was to settle down with the man of my dreams, have children & become a housewife. Hardly the great feminist message to pass down to my daughters is it? Please don't assume me to be of the WAG-type variety though. I have never been bothered by money (it's a good thing too because we don't have much!!), society status, material possessions or the latest fashions etc. I've always wanted to live quite a simple life with my family & be as happy & as healthy as possible. Sometimes I feel so lucky that I am able to stay at home with my family but other times I feel like I'm failing in my life's ambition as I'm hardly the domestic-goddess that I aspire to be. The main thing though I suppose is that my children are happy & have everything that they need to grow up in a happy, comfortable environment - I think that we're doing ok with that part!<br />
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Half of my battle towards becoming the "Perfect Housewife" is just getting on & doing it, as I've mentioned <a href="http://www.domesticdoris.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/balance.html" target="_blank">before</a>, so I've started trying to make little lists of daily tasks that I hope to get completed. Oh my goodness! What a difference this makes to me actually DOING stuff!!! I love crossing things off the list as I complete them so it gives me that extra bit of motivation to do it! (I'm a bit sad like that!)<br />
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BUT, I do find that I end up putting more on my list than is necessary, just so that I can cross it off. For example, yesterday I had a few loads of washing to do so rather than just put "washing" on the list I put each separate load down (whites, darks, lights, bedding etc) & then had fun crossing each one off when it was done! It's really helping to keep me motivated.<br />
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Another thing that I've found really helpful over the past week or so is putting on some music while I do my jobs. I've got a Nokia mobile phone & there's a Nokia Music app that has a load of preset "radio" mixes so I've been putting this on & having a good old sing-a-long while I work! I've just recently discovered a mix called "Housework Pop" - appropriate, I thought - & it's FABULOUS!!! It's got all of the cheesy pop that I loved listening to when I was at school/Sixth Form & it makes me so happy to hear these old tunes again. You can't beat dancing around the kitchen to a bit of 5ive, NSync, Britney Spears etc!!! Even the girls like to dance around with me, so it's fun for everyone!!! Anything that brings us fun while keeping me going is a plus in my book.<br />
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xxx<br />
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<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-12781338003029010012013-03-12T00:01:00.000-07:002013-03-12T00:01:00.348-07:00ArtI did manage a little bit of productivity on the home-making front over the weekend. I put up two fabulous works of art in the kitchen:<br />
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I was given these two Caroline Rose prints for my birthday back in November but have been trying to decide where I wanted to put them in the house. I really wanted to be able to see them daily because I love them so much. I finally decided to put them in the kitchen, seeing as I spend a lot of my time in there!<br />
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These prints are by <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/CarolineRoseArt?ref=shop_sugg" target="_blank">Caroline Rose</a> and I first heard about her on <a href="http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2012/03/artwork-in-progress.html" target="_blank">Lucy's blog</a> & just fell in love!! There are other prints that I would like to get to add to my little display (or put somewhere else in the house). In the meantime though I'll just enjoy the colourful cheerfulness that I have.<br />
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Sorry that the photos aren't a bit closer - it's hard to get good photos of pictures in glass frames! If you want to see the prints in more detail though then have a look at Caroline's Etsy shop - if you're like me then you'll be looking at them for ages!<br />
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xxxLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5440236963432837566.post-28844573803955245162013-03-10T23:44:00.001-07:002013-03-10T23:44:07.534-07:00LazyGood morning! I hope that you had a lovely weekend. Ours was a very lazy one, mainly due to the fact that we're all still full of colds. Most of the weekend was spent in our pyjamas & dressing gowns just chilling out.<br />
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At the moment Play Doh is the favourite thing to do in the house, closely followed by watching films & childrens' TV on Netflix so there was a lot of that going on. There was also a bit of indoor tent building:<br />
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I've also just realised that I haven't actually done a reveal post about the blanket used in these pictures. It's the finished blanket from The Art of Crochet series. I'll try to do that in the week.<br />
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I have been doing a lot of crochet as well over the weekend. I finally finished the Brown & Orange Union Jack cushion that I was making for my In-Laws (to match the one we gave them for <a href="http://www.domesticdoris.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/crochet-christmas-presents-comfy.html" target="_blank">Christmas</a>). I have also started on a new blanket that will live in our Living Room.<br />
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We were hoping to be able to get out & do some tidying in our back garden today but I've woken up to this:<br />
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It's not terribly deep but it's still very inconvenient!!! Fingers crossed it won't last long. Typical British weather - bright blue skies & sunny days one week & snow the next!!<br />
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xxxLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01184480963403888424noreply@blogger.com0