love this video!!!

If you have not seen this video you have got to watch it. It is so clever!

easter

Just wanted to share this photo with you of Lucia at easter. You know when you press the button and capture a moment? Well this was it for me. Lucia had lined up all her chocolate bunnies and eggs and was taking to them, telling them stories. I took loads of photos but this was the one that stood out. The actual photo was a bit washed out so I have had to adjust the brightness and colour. I just love it when I get THAT picture.

Easter this year has been crazy bc of the weather...I mean snow at easter! We have had Colin's parent to stay and have had to be really creative with what to do so we have not all gone stir-crazy. Here is the hightlights

Friday:

• decorated eggs, made crispy cakes and decorated cupcakes in the morning
• went to Virginia Water in the afternoon and had a great time doing our own egg hunt
• Had hot chocolate in the sunshine looking at the lake
• rolled chocolate coins down the hill in Valley Garden at VW...children loved this!
• Walked leisurley back to the car until mum became a crazy mum and hustled everyone in the car saying "quick in the car...look at the sky...its coming..GET in the car NOW...its coming....everyone in the car, last door closed and whoosh hail stones came down!!! (mum is always right!!)

Saturday:

• chilled out morning and spent most of it trying to decide what to do on a wet chilly day
• snowed hard!
• decided to do the very off the wall activity of driving to homebase and buying pots and plants for the children to pot....reason for this...dry, sort of warm and big enough for the children to have a run and make some noise. It had the desired effect!!

Sunday:

• Special children's services at church based on Willy Wonka
• Beckah (my sis) came round
• Easter egg hunt was hurriedly set up in the momentary break in the weather.
• Gorgeous roast lamb dinner...yum!

Monday:

• Took Phoebe to visit one of her friends in hospital and also visited one of my friends.
• Planted the flowers
• Actually got to go for aowalk and the sun shone!
• Grandad and mum (me) got a urgent desire to weed, prune and tidy the garden...the result- ;) lovely pruned plants and several enormous mounds of twigs and leaves which will need moving.

All in all considering the weather we have had a lovely weekend...what about you anything fun?

tidying up

Does anyone have any good ideas of how to really sort out their house?
I am tidying up which means a massive sort out of everything. The only trouble is I always run out of time and never seem to really finish the job. I also get bored of tidying up and need an incentive to motivate me. Unfortunately a tidy room is not enough to keep me motivated.

Any ideas of things which motivate you?

I can't remember the last time I was so cold.

We were face painting under a gazebo so out of the drizzle but after a gust of wind blew the remaining wall off it was freezing! My fingers were so numb I could hardly hold the brush. Also I have never in all my times face painting had my arm wobble bc of the wind. Honestly, the gusts were so strong that sometimes my arm moved. The best bit was holding a cup of hot chocolate aaaagh...I felt my fingers again.

I can say that apart from the cold it was fun. I enjoyed seeing Sara and Sarah again...you two are great fun to paint with, so inspirational. I really wanted to get some good pictures but we were so busy there just was not the time.

I really enjoyed the fantastic crowd. All those people who had their faces painted- thanks for being so happy and upbeat, it made the whole afternoon so much better. Especially all the guys who had the green lips, eyes and shamrocks!!! Also the bands were great, The Overtures and the Reels playing some of my fav songs.

Afterwards me and Sarah went to the hotel and had a coffee...after 1 1/2 hours we had thawed out and caught up with all our news!

St Patricks Day...

yes I know it is tomorrow but I am face painting today at the London Irish StPatricks Day match in Reading. Going to be super fun I think!! Im not Irish but to look the part I am dressed in green and Phoebe has approved my outfit!

Colin was going to come with the children as there is a whole kids zone but he was invited out for lunch to watch the opening season of the grand prix...guess which option he took!!

inspiration

Spring is in the air. The sun is shining and I have got a head full of ideas. Most frustrating thing is I have had to do housework today, so no creating! Good thing about housework it is so mundane that I have time to churn ideas over and over. I need to get my sketch book and put a few of these ideas down before I forget them.

I am going to do something creative with the children when we get back from school as tuesday is my free evening.

I have found a big twig which we are going to decorate for easter so may be we will begin that or Phoebe want to make a little film. We will see what takes our fancy. I love afternoons like this when there is nothing to do...a kind of chilling out creative time.

These are some blogs that are inspiring me right now...

Moopy and Me Such a cute idea for an art activity with children

Print Pattern thanks Emily for the heads up on this web site it is full of inspiration!

Garden Trading..mmmm love all these vintage look things....could easily buy most of the shop!

your park + my park = satisfaction

Your Park

When you go to the park you see a world of possibilities. Slides to go whizzing down, steps to climb up, swings to make you fly, seesaws which make you bounce. Challenges to overcome. Imaginary games. Running, climbing, action, round and round, trying, repeating it over again, never still, always moving and non stop fun. That is your park.

My Park

Watching you play and listening for your call for help. Waiting, usually on my own, devoid most of the time of adult conversation. Part of your world but outside it... a spectator to your imagination. So I look and see things differently while I am waiting. I see colour, pattern, texture, shape, line and form. Your playing and my looking makes me love going to the park because it satisfies the mother and the artist in me.

(The Lookout and Yateley Park March 4th and 7th 2008)

see things differently

I had a good day at work teaching art. Really tired out after being on my feet all day and then coming home to finish the things in my house. :) So after all the jobs (well nearly all) had been done I could not resist doing some blogging to chill out. Found some interesting blogs I will share with you another time.

I wanted to share some photos I had taken yesterday. It was a really cold, sunny day but with lots of cloud around. The light was fantastic especially as most of the photos were taken late afternoon.

I was trying out some different settings like the multiple photos ( i can take only three quick sucession) This was fun with two children on the swings!

I was also trying out different angle....ie using objects as a frame for my subject.

The best one (bc the light and cloud was so contrasting ) was half holding down the button whilst pointing at light/dark object and then moving the camera onto my subject. This resulted in the contrasts in the dramatic sky.

discoveries

Have been sorting the loft out and found some really interesting things. These buttons were taken off old clothes which were not good enough for the charity shop.....all for free, how good is that! The metal heart is an old cake mould. I love old vintage items.

Vintage door keys

Grandad's prayer book and an old school ruler

Letter from a relative of Colin's from 1922

Old jeans with a cool design