Round-up for the Week

It's been a week like any other.
Oh apart from the fact I turned another year older!
No, can't forget that...

I had the sweetest card given to me from the boys.
Luca dictated the message for the inside of the card:

"Happy Birthday Mamma!

It's your birthday.

You're a good Mamma and I love you.

You are very pretty and have nice long legs

And a good brain."

That's pretty cute huh? 

How sweet that he thinks my legs are nice and long.

Bless him! 

:::

The answers from this post are: Max, Luca, Beni.

Yep they pretty much look exactly the same {especially Beni & Max} and even I get confused looking back on photos.

:::

It's something I do every year, but I make sure that on my birthday I go for a morning run.
{cos then I can eat all the cake I want to...}

So on Tuesday I headed out straight after dropping Luca off at school, determined to get up the Hill From Hell in Richmond Park while pushing Beni & Max in the buggy.
And I did it.
Three times.
MmmmHmmm! Thank you.
At the top of the hill is a massive pile of dirt and stones which is perfect for a certain little boy who is by now very eager to get out of the buggy and play in some dirt.

I have recently discovered and been very much inspired by this lady who is a seasoned marathoner who trains while pushing her 2 (sometimes 3) children in a buggy/stroller.
I've been thoroughly enjoying getting back into running again, albeit slowly but surely.
So anyway I'm planning to do the Maratona di Roma (Rome Marathon) on 18 March 2012 and my marathon training program starts on Monday... eeeeek! I'm excited though to get stuck into training - it makes my running a bit more purposeful, not just because I love it!
And I'm really hoping it will help get me out the door on the cold winter's days ahead between now and March...ARGH!
I must be crazy.
Don't answer that.

:::

Luca and Beni love to draw.
I have a space in our bookshelf in the lounge that is solely for their drawing things so it is always within easy reach.
But unfortunately the drawing extends to body-art and then wall/furniture/floor art.
So to try to help them 'contain' their need to be expressive on the furniture and floors I bought a big roll of paper (kind of like builder's paper) which I roll out and is taped to the ground and then let the boys attack it with their colouring bits and bobs.
Then when they are done I simply cut/tear off the drawn-on paper and so it is ready to roll out for the next round.
Awesome.
I think I done good on this one.

:::

I love it when these boys play nicely together with their cars.
They seem to have come up with an agreed system that works for both of them.
Beni chooses the cars out of the box and hands them to Luca, one at a time.
Luca then drives the cars to their assigned spot and parks them.
It is such a glorious thing to behold when they are sharing with each other and playing together nicely.
Lately it is happening more so than not which makes me very proud!

:::

I had a bit of a 'thrifty find' during the week.

Found these cups and saucers down at "The Wee Man's" shop {my father-in-law's favourite shop to visit when they came to stay - they liked going to visit 'The Wee Man' in his hardware store. And now I do too!}

4 quid for 2 cups and 2 saucers.

Bangin'.

They are great to have coffee out of {this is very important}.

:::

That's all for now folks.

Joining in with the Things I'm Loving party over at Paisley Jade's.

A Birthday

On the weekend we celebrated a birthday.

Luca TJ - our first born - is FOUR!
Crazy. Wasn't it just a short time ago that I was pushing him (quickly) out in the hospital on that sunny Tuesday morning?

He was treated to presents opened in the morning on Mamma & Papa's bed.

We had a special 'family' party in the afternoon at our friend's house. Unfortunately on the way there we got caught out by the rain... This meant Luca and Beni had no option but to wear the only dry clothes available in their sizes - girls clothes.

I spent the night before making a pirate cake for him. He chose it especially from a cake book for me to make for him. It's kinda crazy that the pirate cake also ended up being 'pink' themed... only cos I put a bit too much red food colouring into the icing... But we decided he was a true English pirate with fair English skin, therefore he was a sunburnt pirate.
Anyway, Luca enjoyed watching him burn and spark.

Which is on the other extreme to his 1st birthday when I brought out his lion cake adorned with a single candle - he cried when he saw the lion was on fire.

You can imagine our delight when Aunty Gretchie presented Luca with a PIRATE OUTFIT as his present! We didn't hesitate to get the pink minnie-mouse t-shirt off him and make him into "Luca TJ Pirate" (as he so named himself).

He wore the Pirate Costume to bed that night, he loved it that much.

The many faces of the Birthday boy:

And just because he looked pretty darn cute, here's what Beni would look like if he were a girl:

I love the dribble patch, dirty knees and his belly sticking out from the bottom of the t-shirt.

We're having a proper PIRATE birthday party for Luca in a couple of weekend's time so his Pirate Costume can have another grand outing.
Exciting {but tiring} times.

On another note, incase you were wondering, we're all good, safe and sound after the riots in London earlier in the week. It seems everything has calmed down again now, most probably due to an increased Police presence on the streets and the fact community members were banding together to protect their properties and community from the young hooligans (that's such a great word) who were creating so much senseless damage to our beautiful London. Go Neighbourhood Power!

Beni Boo Birthday Boy and Boilers

Where did this year go?!?
I feel like so much has happened in a year and yet it seemed to go by in a swift-moving blur.
My littlest guy is ONE. It's still such a little number and yet he's so big!

Beni Boo had his 1st birthday on Monday. He spent most of the day screaming in pain from his teeth. Thank goodness this is a birthday he won't remember because there were lots and lots of tears.
And dribble.
Lots and lots of dribble.
But we did manage to have a tiny celebration in his honour - making the most of the small window where the drugs were helping to keep the pain from his throbbing gums at bay.

We were supposed to have a wee gathering of people who love Beni come over on Sunday afternoon but on the Saturday our newly installed boiler decided to break down and the repair peeps couldn't fix it until Monday... So this meant the birthday party was off because our guests would have frozen...

But Monday came around, the boiler got fixed, the house warmed up and we ended up having an impromptu party for him.

Luca's drawing of Beni

He got some pretty exciting presents

A very exciting impromptu rocket birthday cake made out of lamingtons - designed by Aunty Gretchie.

I love his toes curling in concentration.

As I am writing this post Americans all over the globe are celebrating Thanksgiving. How apt because I am consumed with Thankfulness for this little guy Beni Boo.

:::

Dear Beni Boo,

It is strange yet wonderful to think that this time a year ago you were only a few days old in this world - our little guy who surprised us all by arriving 10 days early, beating Mormor's arrival in London by 11 hours. Not even giving her the chance to get off her plane to be present at your birth. But you were in a hurry and we are cool with that.

When you arrived we (your Mamma and Papa) weren't quite expecting it. I was standing up feeling confused by the burning sensation 'down there' I was experiencing. My waters hadn't broken but the contractions were strong and fast. Next thing I know, amidst an extremely strong contraction, you just slid on out onto the gym mat I was standing on, provided (just in time) by the hospital.
A teeny-tiny little 6lb9 bubba.

As I scooped you up and saw you were a boy my heart nearly burst with love and pride. My mind was instantly flooded with so many thoughts and dreams and possibilities of who you would be, what you would become, the hopeful expectation of the joy we will experience in raising you, our precious, perfect son.

In the past year you have grown and developed so much - each phase and stage of development, each 'first' has been marvellous to watch.

You are a cheeky little monkey.
Your laugh is uninhibited and free.
Your happiness is infectious.
Your contentment is obvious.
Your life is ordained and blessed.

We are so grateful and thankful to God for giving you to us to care for and to be a special part of our family.

Gems of the Week

Precious, Priceless, Pockets of Happiness during my week.

Here's some more of that Good Stuff. The 'stuff' that makes me smile / remember fondly / look forward to with great expectation.

~ Ladies and Gentlemen, Elvis is in the House.

~ Today we (Luca, Beni and I) went on a speed boat to see Mormor and Scrumpy. When we got there we saw a lion so we all had to jump back onto the speedboat and drive away as fast as we could. Luca drove (not Scrumpy). Then we went to visit Gretchie.
Then Papa came home and we had to move the speed boat so he could get his bike in the front door.

~ We now have a new oven and a new combi-boiler. Both were installed over the last 3 days so things have been rather busy/topsy-turvy in our household. But all the workers have now vacated the building and I am now confident our family will be well fed and warm during the long winter months ahead. This pleases this Mamma's heart.

~ My husband announced the extremely exciting news that Bon Jovi are confirmed to play in Hyde Park next year. AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One thing you probably don't know about me is that I LOVE Jon Bon Jovi. And I mean love love love him! Ever since I was 11 years old and saw their video for Living On A Prayer for the first time. *sigh*
I can still remember where I was: at my friend Karen's place for a sleep-over with a few other friends and we recorded it from RTR Countdown and replayed it over and over and over again - screaming each time we saw the silhouettes of their permed heads emerge from the amongst the spotlights and dried-ice.
Here you are my friends - watch it and weep/scream/faint:

I have my knickers all ready to throw at him. They have been ready to throw at him since I was 11 so unfortunately they are not the most feminine/sexy/lacy pair... but I'm sure he will still be flattened flattered...

~ My husband gave me a gift this evening when he got home - a very chunky-funky red and gold bangle and a pair of beautiful blue suede gloves. Why? Just because.
Just because:
- he loves me
- he wants to remind me he is supporting and loving me through this horrible journey with PND.
- he's wonderful.
Need I mention my husband is so blimmin awesome?!

~ The littlest guy is turning ONE on Monday - awwwwwwwww!! Cake-making commences tomorrow.

Happy Weekend One and All!
X

Everybody loves the sunshine

We have had beautiful autumn weather over the past few days and so it is (apparently) to continue for the rest of the week.
Yussss.

I took great delight in being able to hang our clothes out to dry in the fresh air and sunshine and having them (mostly) dry within the hour.

We enjoyed a family lunch out on the balcony with our sunglasses on! I even had to go inside after a while because it was too hot - I'm obviously getting a bit soft now that I am a year older than I was this time last week..... but we were eating hot soup which probably didn't help.

I love Mondays.
Monday is the day of the week Austin gets to work from home.
Monday is the day that I get to sleep in (more than usual...) and I get to have a nap and read my book, do some knitting, go for a run pretty much whenever I want to. Sort of.

Today was the perfect Monday: I did lots of sleeping and reading, I did the dishes still on the bench from Saturday night's dinner (which wasn't so great at all but I thought I'd better look like I cared about my housewifely duties while Austin was at home...), I went for a run and had a loooong soak in the bath.
Oh I do love Mondays! 

In the weekend I made this birthday cake for our neighbour's daughter who turned 1 year old.

It's a giraffe...

I think I'm pleased with it?... It passed the 'Luca Test' which was a good sign - as in, I asked him what it was and he said "A Giraffe!". Clever boy.

Some of you have asked for the recipes for the bread and cookies from this post - of course this is fine but is it ok if I post them up for you tomorrow? Fanks yeah. Bed is now calling {for the 3rd time today....}

Upon exit, make sure you take the time to enjoy a little piece of Incognito Sunshine for your day.

Birthday Flowers

My husband is wonderful.

Adding colour to my sunset sky

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, 

but to add colour to my sunset sky.  ~Rabindranath Tagore

The cooler temperatures and cloud-filled skies have been making themselves at home here over the past few weeks. As summer cools off and goes into it's slumber I can't help but reach out with eager arms and embrace Autumn. Welcome back my beautiful friend!

There's just something about Autumn which is so cosy. Maybe it's the smell of rain in the air, or the vivid colours of those Autumn leaves, or knowing you are not going to have worry about shaving your legs for at least 4 months. All these things and more make Autumn my most favourite fabulous season.

And I don't know if it is because of the change of season, but I have lately been feeling a deep sense of contentment - a very familiar feeling but one I haven't felt for quite some time, thanks to dirty ol' PND.
The Happy Pills have been keeping the skies clear but the contentment factor has been missing. 
But now, unexplained and unexpected, contentment is back.

I feel I’ve somehow turned a corner. I feel lighter, happier. 
The clouds that come floating into my life no longer carry rain or usher a storm, but they add colour to my sunset sky.
This is good. So good to feel like this even though I know the cold of winter will soon be upon us.

As normally happens around this time of year I find myself starting to 'nest' - readying my home and the people in it for the winter ahead.

Out have come the knitting needles and crochet hook.
Stock checks are done on balls of wool and fabrics.
When mum asked me what I wanted for my birthday - which is today by the way - I said "Wool!". Is that geeky or what?!

Because I am a Stay At Home Mamma and no longer earn a salary we are having to become very thrifty indeed. I found myself counting rows and stitches on a very cool slouchy beanie in Baby Gap the other day - even though it was on sale - but still, it's the principle of "I can make that for half the price!" which urges me on.

I'm looking forward to getting crafty again. My sewing machine constantly calls out to be to give it some loving attention once more. And I have ideas - so many ideas of things I'm wanting to make it's quite ridiculous! 
But first, I need to finish projects I've already started... Usually about half way through I get itching to start something new so there's a few unfinished projects lying around that are now frustrating me because I haven't finished them!
By this time next week I hope to have finished Luca's jersey I started for him last winter. Please remind me of this goal!! I want to be able to report back next week with a photo of the completed jersey...

:::

To celebrate Autumn we took a family stroll through Richmond Park on Saturday and into Richmond town. 

The beauty of Autumn was everywhere - from the chill in the air to the crisp leaves underfoot on the damp earth. Hues of gold, bronze and mahogany now overtaking the bright green of the last of the summer leaves.

We strolled past magnificent views of the River Thames, grand old homes, a front garden sporting a crop of sunflowers giving their last efforts at displaying their glory before they expire for the season. 

Coffee, toilet stop and then home again as the rain started to set in for the remainder of the afternoon and into the evening.

I love coming in from the cold and wet and being welcomed by our warm wee home. Getting changed into my comfy clothes and slippers and putting the kettle on.

It's the simple things, the things I so often take for granted that make me so thankful.

We have a roof over our head and a home that keeps us warm.

We have food in our cupboard and warm clothes in our closets and drawers.

We have shoes without holes in them (mostly) to keep our feet warm and dry.

I have my husband and children around me.

All of these gifts and blessings from my amazing Creator.

I have so much colour in my sunset sky.