Season's End

It's been a lovely long Summer with the boys and I don't feel like I'm quite ready to give up on the long evenings and lazy bedtimes yet; the meandering days and carefree atmosphere.  Life inevitably moves on though and I waved goodbye to them all,  all kitted out in their new uniforms, slightly nervous and reluctant, but old enough now to know that it has to happen. (Me too!)
I think it takes a while as a parent to get the hang of summer holidays.  You still have memories of when you were a child and they seemed endless and responsibility free, full of long days of sunshine and pleasing yourself. I'm finding that with each new year I understand better how to tackle this season.  Maybe by the time they are all grown up I will have got the hang of it!  This year, we did our usual Summer Activity Planner - basically a long piece of paper with the days on it, which we fill in together at the beginning and decide on the things we most want to do - interspersed by some of the things we have to do, like shoe shopping (UUuuuGGhGGhhh!!!).  It worked well, and I felt happy that I had managed to entertain and occupy each day without any of us falling over the edge of sanity.  I also trialed a short term pocket money chart this year.  We don't do pocket money really; the honest reason being that we're not usually organised enough to remember!  Short term though, to raise a little pocket money for our camping holiday,  I could manage and as we expect the boys to help around the house, they gained ticks for things that were above and beyond - like helping a brother without being asked, being kind, generous and enthusiastic. All of these things thrown into the mix of 5 boys and one Mummy at home make a HUGE difference!

Goody bags for each of the children, left on the seat of the car, for them to find at the beginning of the journey to our holiday

This years' camping trip took us to Suffolk and a part of the world I hadn't visited since I was a child.  My parents lived here when they were first married and took my older brother home from hospital to live in a mobile home on a friend's farm.  We stayed on the same farm this year and it was beautiful.

I feel the need to write some more about some of the musings and thoughts I have had over the Summer, but I think they are still settling in my head, so I will leave them for another day when they have "Crystallised" as my dad would have said.  For now, I'll mark the end of the holidays by sharing some of my favourite pictures of our time away. 

Our campsite in the morning sunlight.

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Our campfire cup of tea, nearly ready......tastes so much better than from a kettle somehow - maybe it's the waiting!

A little fire lighting instruction from "I grew up in the woods" Daddy.

Waiting for dinner to cook....

 My version of chilling out by the pool!

Blue skies....

Sunsets....

Eating very well....

Climbing in castles...

Still being parents...

Laughing at the washing (this was one of 3 loads that week!)

A bit of insect spotting in the woods...

 Simple boy fun...wave hopping and stone sploshing....

 Chips and cups of tea on the pebbly beach....

 Some of the prettiest cottages I've ever seen...

Anniversary tea and cake....

Beach combing for future jewellery projects....

Soaking it all up....

Loving the tribute plaques on Southwold pier; what a beautiful idea.

Finding lovely things in vintage markets....

  

 Probably our best holiday yet.

 

Teeny Tour

What a glorious day we're having here!  The sun has finally found his long lost hat and all is restored in the world of Summer Holidays once again!

We've been on a family outing to the Model Train Shop today - a 10 minute journey on a Real Life train with all 5 of the boys and fake grass has been purchased ready for some Mummy and Eldest time later in the holidays.  It's amazing what a short journey on a train can do and although it certainly wasn't the cheapest day trip we've done this Summer, it was absolutely value for money and effort.  Eldest son can get a little nervous doing things like this, so it was good to do a bit of Calmness Coaching and as for the younger ones - they just loved every minute.  Little Reu used the full breadth of his vocabulary in describing the various things whizzing past the window and such delight at cows and sheep!  Look at these two - eagerly watching  for the train to arrive!

On the way back, we stopped at Arundel, which not only has it's very own Castle, but is also an extremely pretty town, with an abundance of vintage and gift shops, a wonderful book shop, food shops of every variety and yes, even the obligatory charity shop.  Perfect!

It was made even more perfect by my husband insisting that he take the boys to the play park for a few minutes while I wandered off on my own!  Bliss!  I have to tell you about this lovely little place I found - Lulamae's.  A delightful new venture by my new friends, Sally and Alison (sisters) who only two months ago opened this pretty cafe and shop, full of all the sorts of vintage and retro goodies I love.  I didn't get to taste the foodie goodness on offer, owing to Naomi Time coming to an end, but I have made a promise to myself to visit again when term starts again....and maybe even take a friend or two!

In the meantime I am hoping that Sally and Alison will visit me here, on my blog to tell us a bit more about their lovely venture, how they made it happen and their dreams for the future, so watch this space.

I was thinking today that you might like a Teeny Tour of my Teeny Studio, so I rushed out and took a few photos of the things I'm up to out there at the moment, and the things I sit there and look at for inspiration.  It's only 11 feet by 6 feet - just big enough to sit at a desk, with every available space filled with shelves of fabric, buttons, ribbons and vintage finds that I will someday "Do Something With!"

 

Lots of vintage dress patterns, some of which are totally beautiful, all of which I would LOVE TO WEAR given half the chance.

 

Vintage bedlinen fabrics, of which I have TONNES, and all of which I love so much, I find it hard to cut!

 

Oh, I love my old children's books, especially this Enid Blyton series which mostly sits in our bedroom, waiting for a quiet moment.  I just love the illustrations - there's something so charming about the way children were drawn in this particular era. Legs and arms that look almost edible.  Just like my Little Reu's.

My stash of small print cottons in a suitcase - because they regularly get transported indoors for a spot of evening needlework. (Or even on holiday, like below!)

An art folder idea I was working on and my wire chicken hanger with all sorts of things perched on it.

 

Shelves which are home to my collections of buttons, ribbons and scraps....and the odd inspirational thing or two...

Vintage buttons, which are just too beautiful on their cards to use for anything....my, my, I seem to feel that way about a lot of vintage things....no wonder my Teeny Studio is so jam-packed!

Bon Maman jars filled with my collection of buttons, in colour themes.....because it was fun to do one lazy afternoon!

Vintage embroidered hankies found on a recent trip to Bath, machine embroidered Motto Hearts ready to be stuffed and other small projects on the go.

 

 My latest love.  Can't get enough of detail and fine stitching for these appliques hearts and pictures.  I am SOOO enjoying doing these, I can't tell you how much! By the way, I'd love to do one for you - maybe a little embroidered picture of your home?  How cute would that be!  Go to my Facebook page if you'd like to find out more.

This little heart has it's own beaded hanger.  It's hanging in front of one of my vintage scrap quilts in progress.

The Teeny Studio my lovely Dad built for me has become more and more filled with fabrics and findings over the 5 years I have been blessed to have it and I continually have to re-stash, re-jig and re-organise, but all this helps me re-member every time I do it, what a privilege it is to have a space like this to re-treat to; something I truly dreamt of all my life.

Thanks for going on my Teeny Tour with me. 

xxxxxxx

The first decade is the hardest

Excuse me for not writing for a while - it has been a whirlwind of cake making, Fete preparation

My stall at the Fete in the Park last week

.........and sleepover management in the Welch household over the last few weeks!

First of all - a quick look at the couple of cakes I promised you in my last post.  The Wedding cake.....

 

A three tier, cheerfully colourful cake, draped in bunting and topped with it's very own tea party!

 
The little mouse on the top was a special addition requested by the happy couple to represent their son, cheekily chomping on a sugar cube - as he apparently loves to do when visiting cafes!  In my book, anything can be meaningful, and it was important to me that the grooms cup, held the bride's cup, holding the little boy's mouse - a picture of family in tea party form!

And, yes, I did indeed maintain the general stickiness for one more week and make an Olympics Themed cake to raffle for Children on the Edge and I am sooooo chuffed to report that it raised an amazing £400.  Thank you so much to everyone who took part in the fund raising.  The generous donations you contributed will go to COTE's work in one of their many projects with marginalised and vulnerable children across the world.  It will make a difference.  You have made a difference.

You may not be surprised to know that I was relieved when eldest son announced that what he would most like for his birthday cake was a good old fashioned chocolate cake, which he wanted to smother in sweets himself.  Oh, the joy of simplicity.  He has been itching to use the chocolate cake recipe from the Roald Dahl book he was given for being ring bearer at our friends' wedding last year and could I deny him?  Yummy.  Delumptious, even.

 

Can you spy that naughty hubby eagerly waiting, fork in hand?

After a very wet adventure in the nearby river, his guests were treated to Mexican wraps around the fire and a night under canvas in our garden.  we filled their tents with those brilliant light up balloons you can get now and I made each of the guests their own sleep over pillow, roughly based on this tutorial.  This is such a neat idea; each pillow has a zip up pocket, to store you Pyjamas, book or midnight feast in and a handle to carry it with across that field after and evening round the camp fire!

 

They loved them, especially as the pocket was filled with sweets.  Well, he's too old for party bags....but I'm not!

So, even after a 5.50am wake up for us (and our neighbours) the whole thing went OK and they are now all back in their beds.  Phew!

These are the girls' versions of the pillows....so lovely to make something that could work for both boys and girls and to use some of my lovely vintage fabric for something that will be used again and again and hopefully be part of making new memories.

One decade ago we began this adventure of family by bringing into the world our precious first son.  Since then, we've brought 4 more into this world (the youngest of whom is stubbornly sitting on my lap as I type - refusing to succumb to sleep!)  The thoughts and feelings I have around this are probably too profound to put into words here, although I wish I could.  It's been an amazing 10 years, of growing, changing, challenging, discovering, learning to love more, learning to let go more, finding balance, seeking stability, yearning for peace (!), embracing the chaos, creating the order, searching for better ways, kinder ways, softer ways, more honest ways, working hard, playing lots, laughing often, crying sometimes, loving always.  It has been an honour to be mum to these boys so far.  I am honoured.

Eldest and youngest.

And Reu has finally fallen asleep on my lap, so I'd better transport him to bed.  Good night. xx

Cakes galore!

Just stopping by for 10 minutes (I must be strict this morning as I have a heap of stuff to do), to tell you about some things I've been working on.  I usually try to start work for the day in time for Woman's Hour at 10am - it gives me enought time to deposit various children to various places and whizz round with the hoover.....alhtough this morning my lovely husband has done that job.  Hence the 10 minutes!

This month is all about CAKES!  So far I have delivered a 30th birthday cake to a very happy mum, looking forward to treating her daughter to champagne today.  The family have two black labradors; mother and daughter and apparently the younger dog is cheeky and mischevious and loves to chase blackbirds in the park, whilst mummy dog looks on in disdain! 

Hopefully I have captured the different characters. 

I hope they have a wonderful day today.

Next on the list is a surprize, so I can't tell you about that one yet....
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Next week I am working on a Wedding cake - a four tier affair with intricate details and a fun colour theme - again - I'll have to show and tell that after the Big Day!

These are some beautiful poppies in my mum's garden - aren't they gorgeous?!

The week after that is The Fete in the Park at which I am holding a stall, selling my stuff.  Now, I may be slightly mad to even think of this idea - but I saw a poster yesterday for a Sports themed cake competition.  "Hmmmm," I thought, "Should I just extend the period of stickiness in the kitchen for a week or so longer?"  The thought has kind of gripped me now, and I'm really bad at not doing things once I've had the idea.  My thinking was, what if I did an Olympics themed cake and auctioned it to raise a bit of money for Children on the Edge?  The Olympic Torch is coming through Petworth a couple of days after the Fete, so it would be the perfect Party centrepiece.  The idea is a hot one.

Last year, I auctioned one of my dolls for this brilliant charity and it's such a fantastic cause.  What do you think?  Am I one step away from madness?
Oh, it's aslo Cadan's 10th birthday the week after that.....but, hey, I'll be on a roll by then!
So, this morning's task is a bag commission and I can hear the news on the radio starting, so I'd better get on.

Aaaaah, so lovely to have a morning in the house without children.....just for a bit! xxx

Give me your hands, if we be friends....

Nobody really tells you that the most exhausting bit of parenthood is not the sleepless nights, smelly nappies, taxi runs and constant tidying up job....oh, no - that's just the beginning.  The real hard work is in the emotional shaping and nurturing of a child and the way you feel every minute of it with them.  This week has been much like any other, with a few Mummery moments thrown in and my heart has been tested and squeezed by those ever growing boys of mine.

My family moved from Yorkshire to Sussex when I was 9 and I left behind  a lovely, sweet friend called Zoe.  I went through a really tough time in the next few school I was in as my family gradually settled into life "Down South".  I have a large "Port wine" birthmark on my left cheek which was significanly brighter when I was a child. Added to my very peculiar accent, this made me the perfect target for bullying.  I was thoroughly miserable for the 6 months I was at my first Southern school - being called all sorts of horrible names and spending most break times on my own, frantically writing down how I felt so that I could relay it to my mum when I got home; a kind of comfort blanket tactic.  I must have looked as odd as I sounded!  Things improved a little in my next school, but then the time came for "Big school" and after a family holiday booked in the first two weeks of term (NEVER do this to your children, please!) I found myself in a school where everybody seemed to have already made their friends and found their way round this terrifying complex of buildings.  I threw myself into working as hard as I could.

 

There is a reason I'm giving you this story of my life!  I've been having lots of conversations with my eldest boys recently about friendship and confidence and compassion and all those other things that go into growing up into a world worthy person.  I found myself telling number 2 son my story the other day - partly because I wanted him to know that others (even his mum) had been there before him on this well trodden path, but also because I wanted him to know that you do get through it and you are a better, more rounded, more compassionate and loving person.....not despite of it, but because of it.  I reckon a lot of the resilience I have now is thanks to the girls who pushed me over in the hall as I was waiting for lessons.  I think the empathy I can feel for others who are hurting is due to those boys who called me foul names.  I believe I am able to see things through to the end and work hard now, partly because I was branded the "school creep" and "Teacher's pet".  It was horribly tough at the time and I know I cried myself to sleep many Sunday nights.  I felt battered and bruised emotionally and remember feeling like I was someone very strange not to see the world the way these ever so confident people did.  Because they did seem ever so confident......

It's harder still when you are coaching your own child through the rigours of institutional education, which I have a definite love/hate relationship with at the best of times.  I would go through it all again rather than them if I could.  You just can't know as a child that these things are not only temporary, but are usually the product of someone else's unhappiness and self doubt.  I know in my heart though that they will be OK, because the message they get here is "You are loved, you are special, you are amazing and unique and you are watched over, every minute of the day." 

 

One of my deepest hopes for all my 5 boys is that they receive the precious gift I did when I was at school - a faithful friend.  A few weeks into this horror, I met two friends, one of whom is still my "soul mate" friend, who I don't have to talk to for months, but will know how I am feeling after the first "hello".  Knowing that you have one person who will know your heart - know who you are inside and who you can trust utterly is the most precious gift you could ever be given.

My other deep hope is that they take these experiences and absorb them into their personalities, like food for the soul, one day becoming fine young men who are confident enough in who they are not to stick up for themselves - because that's easy with a bit of bluster and attitude - but to stick up for others.  That's where the real bravery lies.

P.S. The photos have nothing to do with the post, I just thought I'd show you some of my pretty rain covered flowers and a few things I've been making.....because that would be better to look at than pictures of me as a 9 year old....