desparate to post but...

so busy with bathroom. Every moment I can spare is spent ont the bathroom. We now have a nice shiney bath which I have re-enamelled and have plumbed in.

I tested its water-tightness today with the children, now I am going to test it myself...eeek slightly more water to cause complete flood if the seal on the waste pipe does not work. (it leaked once but I have changed a few pipes and put loads of sealent round the base so, so far there have been no leaks!)

Reading back on it, I have made it all sound so easy...not so LOTS of hard work ...total respect to plumbers!!!

Back soon.... will post pics of holiday in Devon and some gorgeous stash I got from America this week! Just too yum!

we're back!!!

actually we have been back for a week but I have not had time to blog...will explain later.

We had a lovely time. The sun was out all week and it was dry!! Yippee! The campsite Cottage Farm was lovely.... really clean and well kept but just the basics. It was small,l so the children could wander around and I would know where they were. This was the view from our tent 9taken by Ewan).....

We visited Buxton..had fun it the Pavillion Gardens...the children went paddling in the stream.

Chatsworth House Gardens were such fun...they have introduced a fun pack for the children to do which kept ours more than occupied. I got lost in the maze ...again!! (last time I could not work it out)

Other places we visited were Poole Cavern and Bakewell...mmm...lovely cakes!! While we were there Colin;s Dad introduced us to a cafe called Treeline. It was tucked away in a courtyard and was lovely. The best thing was the gallery...kept the children well under control!!! The was some stunning glass work which the link doesn't do justice to. I bought a small hanging with four hearts suspended in the glass.

Phoebe did a 3 hour walk with Kath (Colin's sister and myself) and it was not an easy walk. She did not complain once!!

Well when we got back it was straight back to work...I have been gutting our bathroom and then trying to put it back together! I know mad timing but our friends are away and we are using their bath and shower so it was now or never. If I keep to schedule then I should be taking the children away on Thursday to Mullacott Farm for some more camping...and Stephanie is joining us on Saturday which will be fun!

yes..life is chaotic!!!

We are off tomorrow (6 am) to the Peaks for our camping holiday and yes the sun is going to shine! (I've decided!!!)

But before that today we had 10 children, 6 adults and a dog round for lunch!!!

Lucia managed to find a lovely squishy muddy puddle and got totally plastered up to her waist...her nice pink trousers were black!!! But thanks to good old persil and vanish they are now pink again!

So see you in a week!! enjoy the sunshine!

how many activities!!!!!

lets see today we have.....

* played Lego
*computer games
* made a yogurt exfoliater
* buckaroo
* made cakes
* tidied up (me)
* played playdoh
* tidied up (me)
* made an avocado face mask
* iced cakes
* more play doh
* made rose water eye masks
* more play doh
* enforced play in the garden (with doors shut so I had some peace!)
* spinning paintings
* blowing paint pictures
* babies
* repeat all beauty treatments
* more Lego
* oh and more tidying up for me...how fun!!

holidays are here eek!!!

Monday....I am trying to be positive about the holidays. I love them really but they can be quite exhausting epecially when it is RAINING!!!!
Ok so I decided that as we go on holiday next monday I would start the packing today! First job was to clear the car out...then it was entertaining the children while it bucketed down.
That was solved by putting up a beach shelter tent in the lounge and they played camping..lasted for ages and kept them all occupied.

Tuesday...IT WAS SUNNY!!! they all slept in and we had a slow start but while it was sunny went to the park....as you can guess it was heaving! Everyone had the same idea..but it got them out and exercised. We are also feeding Liz's cats..yesterday one of them decided it would be nice to bring in a half daed bird..thanks I really needed that!

Wednesday...more rain! I had made my mind up that if it rained we would get all togged up and go out in the rain and jump in puddles but it was that horrible rain which is fine, very wet and makes absoluteley no puddles. So we went to M&S for Phoebes uniform and then Tescos for the rest of it. We only made it through with the *incentive* of doughnuts. (found out it is not *bribing* bc bribing is giving someone a reward to make them do something against the law but an *incentive* is giving them a reward to get them to do something which they need to do...I like this!!!) We then visited Emma R for the afternoon..thankyou for letting us come...it was so lovely getting out of the house and..... you just rock!!!

don't you just love inspiration...

I was reading Phoebe her bedtime story and we had such fun looking at the illustrations. I have always like the *Charlie and Lola* books bc their illustrations are so quirky and funky. I love the way patterned paper is used and the mixture of collage and pen lines. I am going to try to do a Charlie and Lola inspire page ...and it has just got to be about Lucia. Also the stories are really funny!

Also noticed Basic Grey have got another new line coming out just revealed at CHA called *Periphery* oh so good ...their stuff just keeps on getting better.

little pickle....

what can I say .... as fast as I tidy up, sort out, put away, Lucia with her charming smile and blond hair comes and tips out, messes up, and generally destroys.

I have never known a child quite like her (although she does remind me of Elisha) the only word to describe her is marauding. She wanders round and meddles with anything and everything she can find....So this week we have had

* a whole box of honey puffs tipped out on the floor

* turn the washing machine on with nothing in it

* tipped out a box of toys I was sorting twice

* taken the cushions off the sofa more times than I can count

* raided the pringles

* pulled all the heads off my geraniums

* thrown numerous things on the floor

* refused to eat dinner and thrown it on the floor

* escaped from her buggy with alarming speed

* poured water all over the kitchen floor

* eaten a whole box of jaffa cakes with Ewan

* thrown a soft dolly in a swimming pool

Say no more I think that is quite enough for you to get the picture!!!

I am getting quite worried about the holidays...she might just drive me a little crazy! Any ideas of what I can do?