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A topsy turvy week in the Sparkles household as the work on the bathroom continued, thus lots of trades people popping in at different times and a slightly different working week for me as I attended a conference for 2 days.  With these 2 events, I tried to keep things simple elsewhere to maintain my own sanity.  My head was spinning with the logistics of school runs and clubs on the conference days, everyone had notes to follow!

READ

One article which caught my attention this week was in Simple Things magazine, an interview with Caryn Franklin.  If like me you’re of a certain age, you will remember her as the host of the Clothes Show tv programme, essential viewing late Sunday afternoons looking at all aspects of fashion.  This article was about fashion and her personal projects.  It really made me think that whilst there are many magazines to sell clothes, there is little written or discussed about fashion, history, materials, designs etc..  Its time to bring the Clothes Show back!

MADE

On Saturday, Little Miss and I made a delicious celeriac soup. I make fresh soup weekly with whatever ingredients are in my fridge or cupboards but I had read a few recipes for celeriac soup and decided to have a go.  It was so good and definitely a flavour to try again.

On Sunday, we also made some reservations for holidays and weekends away.  We have really enjoyed going abroad in the last few years but wanted to show some of our beautiful country to the children and this year we have booked a week in Cornwall for August.  We’re staying at St Ives, home to a Poppy Treffy shop (yeah!) and a perfect base for some beach days and trips to St Michael’s Mount and the Eden project.  I’m really looking forward to the Eden project, Mr S and I visited it just after it opened so it will be great to see how it has evolved.  We also booked in a few visits to visit friends throughout the year, there are those whom you always intend to visit but time runs out but this year is different with firm dates for visits confirmed.

WORE

With my work conference, I was able to adopt a more stylish, less practical look and wear jewellery.  With the work I do, all we are allowed to wear for safety reasons is a wedding ring and watch so it was nice to wear a necklace, bracelet and pretty drop earrings.

HEARD

I know that I often choose it as my listen of the week, but Desert Island Discs with David Beckham was very sweet with some really surprising choices, Ella Fitzgerald, The Stone Roses, Stevie Wonder and some Spanish and French songs.  Each week when I listen to it, I try to choose my 8 songs but it is an impossible task.

AND FINALLY…

This weekend we’ll be staying local as Little Man goes to a neighbouring village for a beaver camp, his first night away from us.  We don’t want to be too far away from him, so it’ll give us time to catch up on jobs at home.

I’m linking up with Morgana at http://www.coffeeworksleeprepeat.com for her Little Loves.

 

 

After a few dull weeks, I felt that this week I got a little of my sparkle and zest back, I was parenting solo again but this time it was much easier and more relaxed.  I used my time wisely this week and as well as a lovely family day on Saturday, I’ve enjoyed lunch with a friend on my day off and a trip to the hairdressers which always makes me feel a little more confident.  Our bathroom is being done this week and its all gone very smoothly so far, just a little more tiling to do and then the nice little finishing touches.  I am really looking forward to relaxing in our new bath, I’ve bought a luxury bubble bath to celebrate!

READING

I’ve read lots this week, I finished A Boy made of Blocks and would highly recommend it, its written with strong characters whom you can easily relate to and it ends well.  As Mr S has been away I’ve been reading to both children in bed, so that’s Flat Stanley with Little Man and Harry Potter with Little Miss.  Finally I’ve been reading some magazines, a home magazine for inspiration for accessories for the bathroom and ideas for our next project our bedroom, it’ll just be a coat of paint and a few new accessories and the Simple Things magazine which is my monthly treat, its a lovely read.

WATCHED

On Saturday I watched the footage and saw the pictures of the Womens’ March around the world. It looked inspiring and empowering and was a great peaceful and powerful response globally to Trump’s inauguration and his policies and actions.

I do enjoy Call the Midwife so was delighted with its return on Sunday evening, its the perfect way to end the weekend although I’m sure like last series I’ll end up in tears over the story lines.

MADE

Feeling a bit low last week, I decided I needed a bit of colour in my life this week, I’ve fresh flowers in the house and bought a selection of lovely brightly coloured fruit and vegetables.  I’ve made some Mexican rice with bright peppers, casserole with the deep oranges of sweet potatoes and squash and a bright fresh fruit salad, with mangoes, kiwis and pineapple.

WORE

As well as injecting a little colour into my menus I also tried to add a little colour to my clothes.  It was only in little ways, fancy coloured underwear, a scarf, a belt or bag but it did perk me up in these grey, foggy days.

HEARD

Now I have Spotify I find myself listening less to radio and using Spotify in a variety of ways.  This week I have been listening to my daily mixes, they’re good and are introducing and reminding me of some really good music to match my tastes.

AND FINALLY

We have no plans again this weekend and with Mr S having been away, I’m sure he’ll want a quiet weekend locally.  This suits me fine as I have a few jobs to do around the house and in town.  I also fancy trying a new recipe and have promised a baking session for the children too.

I’m linking up with the fantastic  Morgana at http://coffeeworksleeprepeat.com for Little Loves and am looking forward to reading hers and her fellow contributors Little Loves of this week.

This week is a culmination of the last two week’s Little Loves, I had nearly finished last week’s when I got a really bad migraine which meant last weekend was sleep and sickness.  As the last thing I can do is look at a computer screen when I have a migraine, the post simply waited in the drafts box to be finished.

There are some weeks which no matter how you try to tart them up, simply are hard work and a bit dull, that’s been this past fortnight.  Mr S has been working away so I’ve been parenting solo, normally  I’m fine with this and quite enjoy a little extra time to myself in the evenings but these past weeks work has been really hard, its been dark, cold and miserable, I’ve been running around making sure everyone is at the right place at the right time and most nights I’ve simply crawled into bed once everyone is asleep, exhausted.  This is so not me, here’s hoping sparkly me returns very soon.

Read

I finished Marian Keyes’ Making It Up as I Go Along.  It was just like reading a conversation with a friend and was the perfect antidote to the busyness of the first week.

I also downloaded one of the new Richard and Judy book club books, A Boy Made of Blocks.  This is quite personal to me as I work with ASD children and young people and witness first hand the effect of the diagnosis on the family.  I am really enjoying this book and the presentation of the young son is typical of ASD, too often the child with ASD is portrayed in books or films as a savant or simply having a few quirky behaviours when the reality is more challenging and harder to understand .  I love that the book is set in Bristol where I grew up and  there’s some nice Bristolian humour and references in it,  its also the first book I’ve ever read where the main character’s surname is my maiden name which is not particularly common.    A book full of personal coincidences!

Watched

I rarely switch the tv on when Mr S is away, I prefer music and reading in the evenings.  Our exception was on Wednesday, when after school we all cuddled up for a movie night with popcorn and a few Christmas chocolates to watch Zootopia, we have seen it before but I like the character of Judy the Rabbit, she rocks.

Made

In the first week, I was Queen of the Lists, we are having our bathroom refurbished next week and I had a day in big town to achieve quite a few different jobs all over the town for the work.  It felt a bit like Challenge Anneka, shop, google map directions to the next stop, shop, google map etc.. all in the time deadline of the school day 9 -3pm.  When you live quite rurally you have to allow travel time for big town shopping visits, so it was very tightly organised but all completed, even if not the most exciting of trips out.

I have also made a lot of comforting food this fortnight, its been so cold and miserable so we’ve had lots of casseroles, veggie shepherd pie, homemade soups etc..  I use the slow cooker a lot and its lovely to come home to a kitchen full of delicious smells.

Wore

 

In the first week it was all about the scarves.  I do like a scarf and I had a couple for Christmas from friends (they know me well) so I was showcasing them.  This week its been about skinny jeans.  My quest in life is to find the perfect pair of jeans, I’m quite small so it has to be petite ranges but even then the leg length is difficult to get right.  I haven’t worn jeans for ages and seem to have a uniform of leggings and tunic / skirt.  However when I was in big town I went to Asda and passed a huge display of jeans, I measured some against me and when they were ok tried them on and to my surprise and delight found a pair of dark denim skinny jeans which fit beautifully.  I am so happy with them and the best thing they were a bargain £10!

Heard

Over the past fortnight, there has been a lovely Book at bedtime on Radio 4.  Its part of their Reading Europe series and is A Death in the Family by Karl Ove Knausgaard. The title is a little misleading as its only been in the last episodes that there has been a death, its more of the author’s memories growing up in Norway.  It is a little gem of an autobiography and well worth a listen or read.

I also caught up on Bruce Springsteen’s Desert Island Discs on Wednesday morning.  Little Man woke me up at 4.30am but whilst he went back to sleep, I couldn’t and decided to put my time to good use by catching up on this recording.  Springsteen came across so well with some great music choices that it was a really entertaining listen, even at a ridiculous time of the day.

And finally

I’m not sure what are plans are for this weekend.  I was poorly and the children had a few events last weekend so its family time, but I’m just not sure what that will look like.  A lot of local places close in January so we have to be creative, beach walks and hot chocolates, a trip to the skate park or a film at the cinema. I’ll be so pleased when Spring arrives with more opportunities for things to do.

I am linking up with the lovely Morgana at  http://coffeeworksleeprepeat.com and all her marvellous bloggers to share Little Loves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week saw the new year and the return to school.  I’m one of those people who is happiest at home on New Year’s Eve and we spent a quiet evening in before enjoying a beach walk and morning treat at a local cafe on January 1st.  We were all back to school on Tuesday but it’s been a shock with the early starts, we’ve all been so tired this week.

Read

 
One of the things I always wanted to share with my children was my love of reading.  Fortunately Little Miss is an avid and confident reader and we share a delight in good books.  We were both really excited that Grandma and Granfer bought her the illustrated version of  Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone and this week as we have settled back into our routines, we have been reading it together snuggled up on her bed.  I love that I am able to share her enjoyment as she discovers Harry Potter for the first time and cannot wait for all our Harry Potter chats over the coming years.

Watched

On Monday, our last day of the holidays we went to the neighbouring town to watch Moana in the independent cinema.  It’s such a treat to see a film in this cinema, it’s been refurbished and is in immaculate condition in a 1950s style with lots of original features.  I really enjoyed Moana, the strong female lead, the diversity, its legend theme rather than a love story and the amazing scenery.  I also decided I want to rock like Moana’s granny when I’m older!  Watching Moana was a really nice way to spend the last afternoon of what had been a special holiday.

Made

I am incredibly organised and like to finish everything off for the season.  I made our 2016 photo year book this week and am just awaiting its delivery.  Every year I consider doing it monthly to make it a little easier but end up reflecting on the full year at the end of December.  I love to take photos and it was difficult choosing my favourite photos, I think there are around 180 photos in the album, but as that’s only around 3 a week I don’t think that’s too bad considering the number of photos on my iPhone.

Wore

An uninspiring category this week, simply lots of layers as it’s been freezing.  I haven’t been anyway near the sales so no new purchases to enjoy and model.

Heard

I like a a little theme for my listening so on New Year’s day I listened to some new year tunes.  Happy New Year by Abba, New Year’s Day by U2 and Queen of the New Year by Deacon Blue.  The Abba track is such a lovely song and the words very prophetic, it talks about changes 10 years from now when neighbours become friends, the 10 years on is 1989, one of the most momentous years of the 20th century.

And finally, we’re looking forward to a quiet weekend, we have cricket club on Saturday and then we’re off to big town to choose the tiles for our bathroom renovation and possibly some bowling, an ‘incentive’ (bribery) for the children to counter the boredom of a tile showroom.

I’m linking up with the lovely Morgana and her gorgeous contributors for #littleloves at http://www.coffeeworksleeprepeat.com

 

Christmas Day was always going to be a bit different this year.  When we decided to take a sunshine break, it soon became apparent that this was only going to be possible if we flew back on Christmas Day. We carefully  considered this and concluded that it was better to have a week of special family time rather than not go on holiday because of Christmas Day. I was exceptionally organised this year, the message was repeated to the children that Santa would be delivering presents to our home address and we would simply open them a little later on Christmas Day this year.  Santa wrote this in his letter to the children and Tommy the elf’s letters reinforced this too.  In the days before we left, I took all our presents to our neighbours who had very kindly agreed to put the presents out, leave the half eaten carrot and mince pie and decorate our lounge as if Santa had been.   They also very kindly filled our fridge with all the fresh essentials we would need on Christmas Day.  Throughout Christmas Day I noticed all the small kindnesses and sparkles from so many different people, it was what made Christmas  special.

Although the children weren’t expecting presents, I managed to hide away their stockings in my luggage and so when they awoke on Christmas morning they had a few small presents to open.  They were genuinely surprised and happy to have these gifts.  We all dressed up for breakfast in Christmas hats and accessories and enjoyed a lovely relaxed and happy meal.  So many other people were dressed up too in the restaurant and the atmosphere was very uplifting.  Whilst I’m a real stickler for no screens at the table, on Christmas morning it was lovely to see so many people face timing or sharing photos at the breakfast tables, it really struck me how everyone was thinking of and enjoying their loved ones.  During the morning Mr S helped an older lady with her iPhone so she could contact her family, I think it must have been a gift from a family member and she was still learning how to use it.  Mr S was so kind and patient with her that not only was she incredibly grateful but I was so proud of him; between them they mastered Face Time, calls and messages.  During the morning we were able to enjoy the hotel and its facilities, the children were happy playing with their friends and the morning passed quickly and pleasantly.  Our journey home was so smooth and to time, we left our hotel at 12pm and arrived at our front door at 7pm. Our Christmas lunch was a cheese baguette at an airport cafe but we were all in great humour that it really didn’t matter.

One of the really Christmassy aspects of the journey was seeing the Christmas lights.  As we descended into our local airport we could see the outside lights twinkling, they looked gorgeous.  Our drive home took us through local villages all beautifully lit.  In the car the excitement started to build for our return home.  As we arrived the house looked lovely, our neighbours had been over to switch on the Christmas lights and heating and the shouts of he’s been, he’s been as the children peered through the window made everything seem rather magical.

After the presents, we had a very simple tea, soup and bread with Christmas cake and it was soon time for bed.  It was a different Christmas Day but one I enjoyed.  Sometimes there is too much pressure on what Christmas Day is supposed to look like yet given our circumstances for the day we were able to create a lovely little day for us.  The things we weren’t able to do on Christmas Day were simply transferred to Boxing Day when the children played with their presents, neighbours visited and I cooked Christmas dinner.  It was a special two days and a merry Christmas for us all.

 

 

This week has been a very busy one so Tommy’s hiding places have needed to be quick and simple.  I enjoyed making Lego Tommy although Mr S was bemused to what I was doing playing Lego when the children were in bed. Letterbox Tommy has the Santa letters arriving in the post.  My mum did the most fantastic letters again this year so personal and magical. 

Our Elf on the Shelf has returned home for his 4th Christmas with us.  I love this little elf so much and the magic and delight he brings to our family.  I hide him every evening and he always writes the children a letter everyday telling them all the brilliant things they did and looking forward to the coming day.   I love the creativity in trying to find new ideas, by the end of this year I’ll have tried to hide him in over 100 different scenarios. Piniterest and the app are fantastic sources of ideas.  If I see mini accessories throughout the year I’ll buy them to help a tableau!  We’re going on holiday soon and Tommy has a suitcase and tshirts ready, I may make him a passport too! Here are the scenarios from our first week with Tommy 2016. I was really pleased with the return when he brought Lego advent calendars, with a little photographic magic and magic dust he shrank the calendars to enable him to hold them on his journey and they were still sprinkled with snow and magic dust in the house!  Here are the other photos too.  

Whilst it is only November 5th, my plans for Christmas 2016 are well in progress and it makes me happy to be this organised and prepared.  I think this is partly because I grew up in a pretty chaotic family where Christmas eve shopping was part of the norm and everything seemed to be done quite haphazardly, I have happy Christmas memories but even at my young age craved some organisation in the season!  Now as a parent and teacher December is just a crazy, crazy month full of parties, events and concerts which I want to enjoy and not to feel stressed about other things I should be doing.  I should add that whilst I may not be running around the in the last week of term doing Christmas cards and presents, I’ll be making costumes, finding props and helping to create a grotto at work, so I will still have my share of Christmas madness.

I plan for Christmas from January, I do actually take time to reflect and record the good bits and what to improve next year and write them in my Christmas book.  This is incredibly useful and my Christmas book is a lovely momento of Christmas pasts, I record everything about our Christmas with a few photos. At this time of year, I start to plan menus, gift lists, decorations and cards and wrapping. This year, we are away so the menus have been deleted from the to do list, however given our holiday, my Christmas deadline for everything is December 17th, so planning is key.

I take great care in my present buying, each gift is always about the individual I am buying for and I take some time at this time of the year to start perusing Christmas catalogues and websites for inspiration.  I actually keep a note during  the year of any ideas or conversations to help me with ideas.  Mum has made a few comments about my soup maker, so its on the list for her, whilst a book I loved and know my friend will love it too has been bought for her.  I try and do as much shopping as I can locally, we have a fantastic toy shop specialising in Lego so I have already been there to purchase some Lego advent calendars,  they are an expensive calendar and different to our normal chocolate version but we’ve decided to deduct them from the Christmas present budget.  I am making great progress on my present list and have started to wrap them up and label those to be posted. I don’t wish to freak my friends out so they will be posted sometime in December.  I really think that this organisation makes Christmas so much more fun and relaxed.  Christmas is not about gifts to me it is something more spiritual and family orientated, as illustrated in one of my favourite Christmas quotes is from Dr Seuss in the Grinch Who Stole Christmas