the art of giving

so the wedding was perfect, really lovely and in such a beautiful setting. a stunning castle. we even had snow which made it even more romantic. our friends planned the whole event meticulously down to the last detail. and the groom wrote the guests names on eggcups filled with chocolate easter eggs, for the tables. a very sweet touch. it was so great to see two old friends get married to each other and the ceremony and speeches were so heartfelt and emotional. j was best man and did a fine job! i'm sure everyone felt the specialness of the day.












i decided to make the happy couple an envelope cushion cover in the end. something to throw on their bed, was the idea. i finished it in the nick of time so didn't manage to take any decent photos, silly me. it had some child like writing embroidered onto the front along with a heart made from the same fabric i used on the back. the writing was a line from a song by an artist they both like. Bruce Springsteen. i must admit i felt really shy and nervous when we gave it to them. it's probably the first gift i've made for about 15 years and i thought making it was the hard part and giving it would be the easy bit, so feeling that way surprised me. i did really enjoy the creating process though, and was pretty pleased with how the cushion turned out. i do hope they like it!

sw

making beautiful frog sporn

the garden is really coming along as is the studio that stick is building. we are so lucky to have this green space for our little one to explore. it's such a joy watching him discover all the secrets this garden has to offer, and watching him as he experiences his take on the world around him. with this in mind we have finally, after much deliberation decided to keep the small pond in the corner. the educational benefits appear to out weigh the potential safety issues. after all, where these days do children get to witness the froggy hug first hand?

'tis the start of wedding season

we've just come back from a lovely week in london staying with j's younger brother and his wife. some good friends of ours are getting married this march. the first of a few weddings we're going to in the next few months. so with baby stan tucked up in bed and daddy on duty, my sister in law and i got our glad rags on and headed off into the night for the hen do. it was a burlesque dinner and dance. there were some amazing hairdo's, great swing dancing going on, and some really dressed up people. i do love people watching! we chatted with the other girls taking it all in whilst sipping on gin rickeys. really good fun and so nice to catch up with friends that i don't get to see that often.


the actual wedding is in two weeks and i am slowly working on a gift for the lovely couple. well i say slowly. it's more like, i had an idea of what i wanted to do, but so far i've spent hours just looking at the fabric i've chosen. i think i better get my skates on!

oh and finally. my new favourite thing...


my mothers day present. it was such a lovely surprise and apparently baby stan chose it himself! the necklace is by dagrow morvorenn, which means mermaids' tears in cornish and it's made out of sea glass. I love it!

for our mother and all mothers everywhere

happy mother's day


it's an amazing thing being a mummy and it makes you appreciate your own mum so much more, as well as all the other mothers that are travelling on this incredible and at times difficult journey. carrying that life inside you for 9 months doesn't begin to prepare you for how responsible you will feel for this tiny creature that needs you so desperately to care for them. like the love, so much bigger than you expected, that you have for your children, it's totally overwhelming. and you never cease to worry over your child's happiness and welfare even when they have long flown the nest. in fact it's a bond that will even surpass death. so thank you mum for always being there for us. for enduring all those sleepless nights. kissing all those scraped knees. still loving us as horrible ungrateful teenagers. we are so thankful for all that you have given and continue to give us, and we are more glad than you could ever know,that you, are our mum. i only hope we can do as good a job as you in our lives as mummys.


before you were conceived i wanted you
before you were born i loved you
before you were here an hour i would die for you
this is the miracle of life

maureen hawkins


a baby's thumb is minuscule - but you are firmly under it

charlotte gray


a wise woman, (our mother), said to me once that the pain of childbirth prepares you for the challenge of motherhood. so this begs the question, what is it to be a mother? is it to be cross when one is naughty and to rise early while others sleep? to prepare those endless meals in various forms of puree, progressing finally to the end result - a combination of chews and stews? i think so!! we live with the constant rivers of snot and muddy hand marks, and will live your dreams and disappointments. to be a mother is to be selfless. to always be there and to forget about your own dirty washing and do someone else's. let's face it, what's a dirty jumper between friends? and they, the little ones, won't even notice. so thank you mum and mums everywhere for going through all of this for us, and showing us the way forward. so now it's mother's day ironically take a step back, relax and let someone else do it for a change.

serendipity

the serendipitous way in which the child chooses a crayon and then marks the paper.


what occurs within the mind to make this choice? why red over blue? why dots or scribbles? the happy chance developments of the drawing are joyful to see, and therefore beneficial to all. how serene.