Life As We Know It

366 photos: day 135- 141

 

Hiya,

Did you have a nice weekend?

 

Monday: Oh my gosh! My heart just melts!!! For the first time in ages It wasn't lashing rain coming back from school, so we could let Kirby walk part of the way. Aoife gently and patiently guided him over all the uneven paving slabs. I don't know who was the most proud afterwards, me or them!

 

Tuesday: Alan was home a bit earlier than usual (like half an hour), so the kids quickly invented a new game to make the most of having their daddy home.

 

Wednesday: I got the last ticket for the Mr Marvel show at the school today! I was pretty pleased because it is supposed to be really good and the tickets went like hot cakes.

 

Thursday: Asleep mid play!

 

Friday: A good mail day! I was so pleased when I realised Jenny had turned one of her latest girls into a pendant because I loved the girl and the message (it fits in so well with my life right now) that I headed straight over to the Etsy shop to get it... and some note cards. Jenny generously threw in a couple of other bits too, and packaged it beautifully as always. Thanks Jenny!

 

Saturday: Kirby loves "reading" now. "Da, da, da" he says, pointing at words and pictures, turning over pages instead of just ripping them...

 

Sunday: Confession; this wasn't taken yesterday, but it quite easily could have been since he does this pretty often now. Why sit on the floor when you can get comfy on a cushion?!

 

So that was week 20.

I'm really looking forward to this week. After 5-6 weeks of rain and hail, they've forecast a few days of sunshine and 22-23 C this week. I'm giddy at the thought of some sun, even if it is just for 3 days. Keep your fingers crossed.

 

366 photos: day 128-134

 

Hello!

Hope you had a good week!

Sorry about disappearing on you last week, but I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by life, so had to take some time out to rest and sort out some things.

 

Monday: A bank holiday over here (for May Day). The kids played school, which basically involved Aoife walking Kirby all over the house, taking him to classes, Irish dancing and assembly. Kirby happily followed his big sis everywhere she went (as long as he could hold on to the school bag).

 

Tuesday: I was a bit late ordering my copy of the first Featuring magazine, but finally got it and happily sank into the sofa with a cuppa to read it as soon as Kirby went down for his nap. Good times!

 

Wednesday: Wrapping presents for 3 nieces and nephews whose birthdays are coming up soon.

 

Thursday: Gathering (copies of) special pictures and papers for a new art project.

 

Friday: Having my hair done...and feeling a tad self-conscious about taking a photo of myself in public, so trying to make it look like I am texting someone lol.

 

Saturday: Playtime :)

 

Sunday: Tickle me, mummy! Tickle me!

 

And that's the end of week 19! Back in a couple of days with a post on how I don't fit it all in.

 

366 photos: day 121- 127

 

Wow! That was fun!

Thank you so much to everyone who dropped by and left such sweet comments during the bloghop at the weekend! I loved visiting everyone on the list and was so inspired by everyone's projects.

Okay. Back to the 366 photos.

I think I'll rename week 18 the food edition. I didn't realise I had taken so many pictures of food until I went to edit them all. I'm trying to get back on track food-wise after having gone seriously off-track ever since the coughs and colds started a while back.

 

Monday: Menu planning for the week.

 

Tuesday: Ever since I made that quick and easy nut-bread, I've been desperate to try it as a pizza base. It worked, but was a bit dry, so will have to tweak it a bit more.

 

Wednesday: I am a messy cook. My old home ec teacher would have a fit!

 

Thursday: When the school bell rings, Kirby looks at the door, smiling from ear to ear. Aoife rushes out the door, side-steps me, and throws herself at Kirby in the buggy, showering him with kisses. Every. Single. Day.

 

Friday: Playing around with a sketch of Kirby's elephant, hoping to get it done for the hop. It didn't really work out this time, but I'll come back to it soon.

 

Saturday: Stir-fried sesame pork. Yum!

 

Sunday: Trying out a recipe for coconut milk panacotta. Bleh! My hunt for a good low-carb dessert/ treat continues.

366 photos: day 114- 120

 

Hello there!

It's Monday! And it's sunny!!! I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved doing the school run this morning without getting soaked through to the skin.

I was still shying away from the big camera last week, the phone is just so darn convenient for this sort of thing, but am hoping to use it more this week.

 

Monday: Have you ever loved a background so much you were afraid to carry on in case you wrecked it? This was one of those. I had to take a deep breath, then mess it up a bit on purpose so I wouldn't get too precious about it (a little tip I learned from Junelle). It worked. I'll show the finished page later in the week.

 

Tuesday: 7.15. In the morning. We're heading out the door for Aoife's first Irish dancing class with the before school club. She'd been pestering me about it for ages (and ballet), and I'm glad to say she loved it.

 

Wednesday: Warming up on the sofa for a while after getting soaked through in yet another heavy rain shower. Kirby took the opportunity to catch up on the latest news in tv-land.

 

Thursday: I found this, and dozens more, on the point and shoot. The toys set up "just so" between each and every shot. At one point poor Winnie the Pooh even had the sheep on top of his head! You gotta love that girl! She loves the camera as much as her mummy.

 

Friday: Alan was out on the lash with some of the lads, so I went to bed early and curled up with a good book. I needed that.

 

Saturday: Another blurry shot of the kids, but I love watching them play and seeing how much fun they have together.

 

Sunday: Sunday dinner. It was casserole weather last week. For sure.

 

And that's the end of week 17 in pictures.

 

366 photos: day 107- 113

 

Hello! Happy Monday!

 

Monday: On a particularly playful morning, Aoife asked for a picture of the three of us together. I, of course, jumped at the chance. With only minutes to spare before we had to leave for school we cuddled up on the sofa and snapped away.

 

Tuesday: Yay! The transfer worked! For once! My persistance paid off!

 

Wednesday: Do you see it? Do you see the heart? I love hearts and look out for them everywhere. When I can, I snap a picture. My hope is to create a photo book when I have enough.

 

Thursday: My poor deprived child complained about getting 3 cooked meals a day. She wanted sandwiches. So we had a packed lunch dinner.

 

Friday: When Kirby got this elephant for his birthday, Alan and I thought it was just another noisy battery operated toy. We were wrong! This rocking elephant has magical powers. He can calm a fidgety baby in seconds and turn a frown upside down. We love him!

 

Saturday: Muddy fun up at the rugby club (and this is the clean version!)

 

Sunday: I finally got to spend some time in the attic to sort and put away the clothes the kids have outgrown lately, and bring down some new ones. Now we just need to decide what comes next...

 

And that's the end of week 16!

This week looks to be as rainy as the last, so no doubt there will be plenty of reading, pottering, and indoor fun ahead.

 

366 photos: day 100- 106.

 

Hello again my dears,

So here's the second installment of 366 photos this week. These are from last week, which was mostly spent at home again since we were still sick (in other words; expect loads of pictures of the kids!).

 

Monday: Alan putting up the curtain pole in Aoife's new room.

 

Tuesday: A wonderful sight to wake up to, even though neither of them are supposed to co-sleep with us anymore!

 

Wednesday: Baking savoury cheese muffins for the kids as a treat.

 

Thursday: Guess who was painting?!?!

 

Friday: Friday night craziness.

 

Saturday: Looking through the scrap bowl for quick art ideas.

 

Sunday: The kids watching Sunday morning telly.

 

And that was last week in pictures. See you in a day or two for loads of art journal fun and other stuff.

366 photos: day 93- 99

 

Hey there lovelies,

Hope you had a lovely Easter.

We're slowly clawing our way back to health over here. Aoife has gone back to school today after the Easter break, and I have to say I'm looking forward to getting back into some semblance of a routine.

I have decided to break up the photos from the last fortnight into two posts. I'll show week 14 today, and week 15 tomorrow. I also have loads of art journal pages to show you this week. And I want to talk about some stuff that's on my mind. One good thing about being home sick for most of two weeks... I have had plenty of time to think (and read).

Anyway, let's see what happened the week before last:

 

Monday: Sorting all of Aoife's jigsaws before bringing them up to her new room.

 

Tuesday: Thick as thieves. I love the looks on their faces. Something tells me they were up to no good.

 

Wednesday: Trying out a new, quick and easy low-carb bread recipe. Yummy! I'm hoping to experiment with it a bit this week, because I can see a couple of other uses for it too.

Thursday: It happened! I forgot to take a picture! Aoife and I baked hot cross buns. I had Kirby glued to my hip all day, crying his little heart out, and I wasn't feeling too clever myself, but had promised Aoife we'd make some.

 

Friday: Good Friday... apparently. It went by in a febrile daze. At some point I apologised to the others for not having had the time, or energy, to decorate for Easter. Aoife said "no problem", disappeared around the corner, messed about in her craft drawers for a minute, and came back with this Easter egg scribble that she taped to the wall. That was the extent of our Easter decorations this year. And it was precious.

 

Saturday: She was so good with him. She always is, but I was so impressed with how patient and caring she was with him while he was ill.

 

Sunday: Easter egg hunt in the back garden. Her first at home. She was so happy every time she found an egg, she held it up to show me.

And that was week 14. Back tomorrow with week 15.

 

 

366 photos: day 86-92

 

Late posting again! The push to get Aoife's room ready for her to move in by the end of the weekend was on. And we did it...just. Phew! Now I just have to make her some art and we're sorted.

On that note:

 

Monday: First coat on and I'm hyperventilating! It is so bright!

 

Tuesday: Rubbish photo, but lovely memory. Kirby wakes Aoife up for school every morning. If she takes to long to get up, he throws the school uniform at her!

 

Wednesday: I was thinking a lot about my late dad last week, so I made a Greek salad (his fave) in his honour.

 

Thursday: Trying out a low-carb pancake recipe using cream cheese, eggs and cinnamon. Yummy!

 

Friday: It's a shame this picture was taken on the phone because I absolutely love it. Aoife showing off her summer uniform.

 

Saturday: Alan putting together the Expedit for Aoife's room. So close now we can taste it!

 

Sunday: Palm Sunday.

 

And that's the end of week 13! Full bedroom reveal coming soon.

 

366 photos: day 79-85

 

Here's week 12 for you in all its everyday glory.

 

Monday: That boy's antics crack me up on a daily basis. Right now he has a thing about putting his daddy's shoes in the laundry basket and on the dryer!

 

Tuesday: Wonderful Cherry blossoms we see every day on our way to school. So nice! Spring has definitely sprung!

 

Wednesday: When I tell Kirby it's time to pick up Aoife from school he gives me the biggest smile, then crawls out to the porch as fast as his little legs can go, sits down on the step, and tries to put on his shoes (even though I rarely make him wear them).

 

Thursday: This flower magnet Aoife made in school during science week makes me smile every single time I go in the kitchen. It is so bright and cheerful. I love it!

 

Friday: Non-uniform/ silly sock day at school in aid of CAFOD. Aoife looked suitably silly in her Halloween tights.

 

Saturday: Honey I blew up the kid!

 

Sunday: A trip to IKEA to buy some new pieces of furniture for Aoife's room. Obviously, a meatball dinner was on the agenda too :)

 

Isn't it weird how things work out. One of the reasons I started this challenge was because I wanted to get better at my big camera, yet as the year goes on, more and more of my 366 pictures are taken on my phone!

 

366 photos: day 72-78

 

Hello, hello, hello!

Happy Monday!

Hope you had a nice refreshing weekend.

 

Monday: I have never known anyone be so excited about a cardigan! I got Aoife some new school cardigans since her school sweatshirts were starting to look a bit grotty, and she was over the moon! A week on and she's still going on about how much she loves them!

 

Tuesday: A lovely St Patrick's Day gift for the kids from their cousins in Ireland.

 

Wednesday: A sketchbook, a mechanical pencil and a plate of radishes can only mean one thing... class is in session :)

 

Thursday: Right...let's just say it's been a very noisy week around here.

 

Friday: One of the many pretty parcels I got in the post last week. This one was from Helena. More on that later. It deserves a post of its own.

 

Saturday: Never mind St Patrick's Day, Saturday was Stitch & Craft Show day! My friend Tina and I try to go every year. And believe it or not, but this year I actually kept to my budget! Well, I did, until we  walked past a Monsoon (my fave clothes shop) on the way home and there was a 50% off sale!

 

Sunday: Yesterday was Mothers Day here in the UK, and Kirby chose that day to start standing on his own! I guess it's not long till he starts walking now. Time to step up the baby proofing again!

And that was week 12. Bring on week 13.