There's a bit of excitement in our house....

I know it's not enough to get everyone excited but we are hopping around a little bit.....

We received our first postcard via the wonders of postcrossing!


It's from Finland..... just beautiful.... and it came with rather a splendid stamp - Isaac has already added it to his collection!

We've sent three postcards off altogether now and have one more ready to go to China.....

We are eagerly awaiting our next one......

We've decided to stick them up around the edge of one of our world maps (we have three world maps on our walls at the moment!) and put lines from the postcards to the places they came from .....

such fun..... you should try it!

Aaaahhhhhhh.......

School is out.....

Look at this table.....


usually it is laden with books and files and pencils and glue sticks and projects and more books..... you get the picture.....

we have a two week winter break to celebrate and I love to completely clear all the school-y stuff away and use this table for 'other things' (like pattern drawing and fabric cutting, you know, important stuff!)

On our final day before 'clear up' we put some more touches to our Ancient Civilization time line map..... Evie did the colouring in and Isaac cut and placed all the coloured strips for the time lines, I got to do the labelling!



The kids are really enjoying our 'walk' through history at the moment. We're focussing on the ancient civilizations and they love hearing not only the stories and legends but the facts about what life was like and how people lived thousands of years ago. We start next term with the ancient Greeks!

The time line map we have made is really a take off of this poster which I didn't want to spend over $36 on - so I just printed out a blackline map of the world and we did the rest ourselves - I think the kids enjoyed it more this way anyway!

We have no plans for this holiday except for a couple of days at the beach right near the end..... but there will be lots of pyjama wearing, hot chocolate drinking, book reading, happy crafting going on, I can tell you....

Oh, what a weekend.....

I had one of those weekends which makes you all happy and yet all sad at the same time.....

I became a GREAT aunt last Thursday evening (well Friday morning for me here).... now that's something that doesn't happen every day isn't it? ..... and something very definitely worth being happy about..... very happy.... bouncy happy infact..... along with my daughter, who was also very bouncy and very happy!

We were so excited and delighted to see the newest addition to our family via the wonders of the internet and skype.......

She's beautiful.... 10 finger and 10 toes..... all there and all scrum-diddly-umptious.

HOWEVER, the fact that I had to see my new great niece through a computer screen instead of being able to hold her in my arms and kiss the top of her head whilst drinking in that unmistakeable baby smell.....

the fact that I am not present to celebrate with the people I love so very much the exceptional gift of new life.....

the fact that my beautiful daughter cannot sit and gaze at this tiny poppet and let her grab her finger just like her cousin, who is now a mamma herself, did to her nearly nine years ago......

these things all made me a bit sad....

And so, I look forward to December 3rd when I can hold them all and enjoy their presence and can laugh with them (without the time delay that you get with being 9,500 miles away)..... that thought, that date, makes me happy......

Couch potato......

it's official.....

I have a severe case of 'couchy-potato-itis'.....

My evenings are becoming a bit of a routine that goes something like this....

1. kids to bed..... check
2. cup of coffee in hand..... check
3. a couple of squares of chocolate to go with the coffee..... check
4. laptop within clicking distance.... check
5. crochet supplies within grabbing distance..... check
6. anything else which I need to have nearby in order to prepare for tomorrow's school day..... check

and at the moment I have my camera books at hand as I am trying to learn how to use my camera better...... check

These things occupy one half of the couch....


And my big bottom occupies the other side.....

A perfect evening ahead for me.... and Brian will just have to find his own spot I'm afraid - there's not enough room for sharesees!

Phase one......

here's a picture of phase one in the secret plans and clever tricks....


a little sofa for the corner in the school/craft room.....

In our house in Bristol we had a little sofa in the corner of the kitchen/diner/school room and it was where the kids always used to snuggle up to read while I got on with other things.

And I've missed it..... the kids have missed it too.... missed having a special little reading 'nook' to which they could retreat and get lost in a good book while still feeling part of what was going on in the heart of our home.

So last weekend we acquired a little sofa and within minutes it was claimed and made 'theirs'....

They pulled through one of the quilts from the front room (nothing like snuggling under a quilt on a chilly day to read) and took a couple of cushions off the chairs just to make it all a bit more comfy and squishy.

I have plans for a new quilt and cushion covers to brighten it up ...... but wait, that's getting into phase two of my plans!!

Anyway, it's not just the kids that are enjoying the new space..... I tell you, leave the computer alone for 2 minutes and the cat will be enjoying the warmth!!


Oh, and our postcard has arrived at its destination in Germany (that was quick) so we should get one fairly soon..... I need to go out postcard buying so that we can send some more......

Postcrossing......

Have you heard of Postcrossing?

I read about it recently and thought what a fabby idea it would be for the kids and I to get involved in......

they are really excited......

I reckon it can definitely count as part of our geography studies for the year!!!

This is our first postcard which we sent off today and it's off to Germany....


will let you know when we get our first one back.... oooooooh, I wonder where it will come from.......

A little corner......

see this little corner?


I have secret plans and clever tricks planned.....

it involves a little sofa.....

some squishy pillows.......

and a snuggly blanket or two.......

plus a couple of kids and a few books..... just for good measure.....

June 2nd...

Winter......

It's here..... or so the calendar tells me....

But it doesn't FEEL like winter.....

It just feels glorious.....

And look at the buds on the magnolia tree in our front yard.....


It is going to be full of flowers before we know it....