Crafternoon

You know what I love more than housework? Crafts that involve me using housework items such as an iron as a part of it. Obviously I'm joking. I hate the iron, but we gotta do these things for the kids we love. So for a little bit of afternoon crafts over half term, I suggested (yup, it was even my idea) to the girls that we get out the perler beads, or hama beads, I never know which one it's meant to be called.

There were no accidents. No spillages of a tub of beads across the floor. And no arguments over who used what. It was a really nice afternoon we had just sat making little bits of perler art. We had to take the geeky side to it all being a nerdy family so I got some Pokemon, Zelda bits going and a little Calcifer too.

I remember doing these with my mum when I was younger and her hating to get the iron out to them too. It was mainly a ton of multicoloured hearts that we'd give her to iron for us though. I wonder if these things will be around when my girls are all grown up to do with their children. Though, let's not give me Grandma status yet... for a long time.

Rhiannon xx

Trip To The Little Pottery Studio

Half term can be hell for some parents. I'm not perfect and yes, we've already had one day where we've spent nearly all of it in our jim jams so on one of my couple of days off this week, I dragged the girls out nice and early to go do some pottery painting! We've all been to the Little Pottery Studio before and made some cute little things for the house including salt and pepper shakers ,mugs and unicorns so we picked some new additions for the house.

Both the girls loved getting their creative minds going with what to do, which colours to pick, what stamps and stickers they could use. Out of all the colours, Ophelia managed to get black in her hair. I swear that her hair just attracts everything it goes near.

I decided to do something a bit Halloween-y so I picked this cute little ghost that I gave a little floral touch to it.

Aurora and Ophelia both picked their own plate to decorate to go with the mugs that we already have a home. I forgot to take photos of the finished plates of the girls but they added their names around the outside of the plate. It won't be long until I get to pick the finished products as it only takes 7-10 days from when we finish them for our little pieces to be glazed and put in the kiln for that shiny finish. I'm excited to see how these ones turn out and can't wait to share them.

If you're ever in Lincoln and are wanting something to do then I would recommend giving the Little Pottery Studio a visit, the staff are lovely and are on hand if you ever need any help and it makes for a great treat to do with the kids or even with friends. Just make sure they have room for you when you visit.

Rhiannon xx

Ragdoll Unicorn

Hi there. Me again. Yeah that person that just keeps coming and going and mental health just gets in the way of me enjoying myself or doing the things I love. It's such a fucker. So while I'm in a good place then why not try and just get on with the things I keep wanting to do and just bloody do them.

Getting that crochet buzz again and loving it! Out of all the patterns out that there to try I took a look through my Pinterest and knew that this Ragdoll Unicorn pattern by Spin a Yarn Crochet was the perfect one to go with. I got the girls to help me out picking the colours for her hair and it just turned out better than I thought.

Ta da! What do you think? How cute is this pattern and it's so easy to do. There are so many other beautiful patterns across Jillian's website so go check her out if you can, I've been making quite a few of them so far that I can share with you soon!

I've missed having the crafting bug and with having had so much going on recently and in my head, getting all crafty has been the best escape for me. 

Trip To Woodside Wildlife Park

Now I'm that I'm a full time working mummy, I want to be able to make the most of the summer holidays on the days that I have off and be able to take my girls away on little trips that before I wouldn't of been able to afford or do. So on Saturday, we took a little trip up to Woodside Wildlife Park which is only a 20 minute drive from my house, so with my voucher from a little magazine that the girls got from school for one child free with every two paying adults off we went. Bonus. We were lucky that there weren't so many people there with the weather forecast saying it wasn't going to be amazing so the girls got some amazing views of the animals.

I loved the Meerkats and Otters. I made an ‘awwwing’ noise which can only be described as high enough for dogs to hear. The park had recently had baby Meerkats which sadly we didn’t see, but we did get to see the baby Otters all grown up! Look at how soft their fur is!?

After walking around a bit we came across the Capybara family, (giant guinea pigs) with their three little ones all huddled around Mum while eating. Baby animals bring out the weirdest noises in me I swear. After standing around watching them a little while, we went to watch a show were we got to see a Fox, some birds as well as a few other little animals up close before wandering around some more.

The crocodiles were so still like statues. They only moved once while we were looking at them. I couldn’t get over watching their eyes blink because of the way they moved. Made me feel all funny.

Before the day was over, we went to look have a look at two other shows that were going on, one where we got to see them feed Julia the Tiger and the Lynx cats too, and then a Reptile show where we held a snake and got to stroke some lizards all while a woman stood way too close for comfort with a Tarantula in her hand.

It was a great little day out, we lots of animals seen, lots of cooing over the cuteness of them all and getting to exhaust the girls out on the little play area again. I can’t wait to go back when they get some new animals in!

What’s your favourite animal?

The Hair Diaries

Anyone who knows me, knows that I like to have different colours in my hair or experiment for all that matter with my hair. It's just one of the few things I do like about myself in some matter. My kids love it and so do their friends, I have to be one of the easiest parents for teachers to find in the playground when waiting for them to come out of school. Over the last year, my hair has gone from red to blue, then blonde and now there's some pink in it too! And it's been cut very short. Or short for me. I don't think I've had it this short for well over 10 years.

I've always just done darker colours on my hair until the last year as I never thought that anything near blonde with suit me just because of how naturally pale I am. I think for my birthday this year, I might treat myself and go to this amazing hairdresser in town who is known for her hair colours and see what fancy thing she can come up with for me. 

Do you like to do anything bright and colour or fun with your hair?

Bullet Journal: Week 28

This week I went for a bit of a spacey kinda theme as I had some shooting star washi tape I'd been wanting to use. I had a little bit of a play around with my watercolours and my crayons which you could add water too as well this time. I think I need just a little bit more getting used to them as it looks a little scruffy in places but overall I'm quite happy with how it turned out.

Check who learnt to drink water this week! That's right, I did. Mainly because I just kept filling my glass up at work every time it got empty, I just need to remember to do that at home too instead of opening the wine.

Bullet Journal: Week 27

This is how I set out Week 27 in my Bullet Journal. I like how I can see what's going on but I need the boxes in more of an order just because I felt it was a bit chaotic. I actually had fun for a change and got the kids' blow pens out and just decided to have fun with it. Even got the trusty washi tape in there for good measure too.

One thing I've learnt from this week is that I am absolutely shit at drinking water. I need to set myself an alarm or something when I'm at work and stop drinking tea and coffee so much. It is going to have to be a goal to get them all filled in each day.

Lazy Sunday

It was nice to spend the day in town. I forget how much history Lincoln has to offer itself and after going on the open top tour bus, there's a few little more things I notice now. I decided to treat the girls after having such amazing school reports from both Aurora and Ophelia and then having Aurora pass her SATS too (eeeeep!), I figured a little treat would go down well. So first stop in town to prepare us for the walk up Steep Hill was Coffee Bobbins for some epic cakes, if you've ever been to Lincoln you will know what I mean by preparing for THAT walk. I picked Chocolate and Raspberry cake and the girls had a Cookie Dough Cheesecake and a Strawberry Lemonade cake. 

When we finally got to the top, there was a few little bits going on around the Bailgate area, so after a wander round all the streets, the Craft fair and the Castle grounds, we had a stop and stroked some owls that were up there. I was prepared to take Mozart home with us, each time you went near to stroke him he did this adorable happy dance. I just loved him.

Food time back down the bottom of the hill was Carlucco's where the girls has lots of pasta as one of them has decided that pigs are too cute to eat so any meat is just a big fat no and well, the little one would just never choose sometimes when left to her own devices, and me this very healthy Abruzzese salad.

 

To end the day we relaxed in the back garden where I still managed to burn a bit more, even with layers of high factor sun cream on me surround by the odd bee that came to keep us company. It was so nice to have a day with the girls where no arguing happened and the only complaint was that Ophelia thought she would fall down the hill. More Sundays like this please. So now I'm going to end my Sunday with a glass of Gin and Tonic in front of Love Island.

I hope you've all had an amazing Sunday

xx

How to Start a Bullet Journal

I love my bullet journal. It's turned into a piece of item I can't be without and has been a massive help for when it comes to remembering appointments, work schedules, trips with the girls or even if I've just said I'd pop round a friend's for a coffee. Actual lifesaver. Every one that I see is completely different and I love being able to search across Instagram and Pinterest for some inspiration that I can use inside my own. 

If you had thought about starting one recently, then it is so easy! Here are the basics of what you'll need:

♥ A journal. You can use any note pad that your heart desires. I've gone with Scribbles that Matter one in blue. It's A5 size and all the inside of it is dotted.

♥ Pens. Now as a bit of a stationery addict I have plenty of them around but my favourite have been the Staedlter Fineliners in a pack of 36 to just make is even more colourful. 

Next, you might want to decorate you diary or keep it simple. It is all completely up to you now. To add bits of colour in mine along with drawings and watercolour pictures I have some washi tapes, coloured pencils and paints.

If you use a bullet journal then I'd love to see what your spreads and layouts look like

Goals for July

It's already more than halfway through 2017!?! How mad is that?! I don't even know where the time has gone, but I need to give myself a big kick up the arse and get things done. The rest of the year is going to be pretty busy and July is going to be one mad month as it is, what with Sport's day for both my girls and school ending along with all the Year 6 induction days and leaving days for Aurora. I'm not quite ready for her to grow.

So now that we are already 3 days into July I need to set me some goals and try and achieve them.

In the home:

♥ I need to start sorting all the rooms around my house bit by bit as the constant chaos is starting to drive me mad.

♥ Go through all my old clothes and see what I do and do not want to keep.

♥ Tackle the kitchen and start switching all the plastic cups and plates out as my babies aren't babies anymore. Sad face.

In my life:

♥ I have no other words for it apart from: sort it the fuck out!

Crafty bits:

♥ I want to finish at least two crafty projects as well as get back into some baking as I have a new cake mixer just waiting to be used in my kitchen.

♥ Carry on with my bullet journal.

And everything else:

♥ I would like to try an engage myself more on social media instead of being too scared.

♥ Treat the girls to a day out somewhere.

I'd love to know if you have any goals for this month.

Currently I'm...

Feeling: Deflated
Binge watching: All the latest series of New Girl I recorded

Reading: Red Queen

Eating: Jacket potato with a ton of cheese on top

Drinking: Gin and tonic (I seemed to have grown a taste to like it since turning 30)

Favourite Song: Foo Fighters - Run

Looking Forward To: A meal out with work Wednesday night

Last Thing I Laughed At: My chalkboard sign I did at work

Loving: Love Island! (completely obsessed)

Disliking: The sudden disappearance of the sun

Really Should Be: Dying my hair

Instead I'm: Too easily distracted by the internet

Bad Habit: Picking at split ends

Favourite Quote: Logic will get you from A to B, Imagination will take you everywhere else

Latest craft project: Made my own notebook

Things That Make Me Happy

Spending time with the people I love

Sitting down to relax and get lost in a book

Warm cups of tea

Husky Dogs!

Getting my craft on

Watching my girls grow up

Getting to watch cheesy TV

Nights out/in with friends

Unicorns

A good cuddle

Bubble baths

Seeing beautiful pictures and experiences from people across Instagram

Date Nights

Crafts and stationery

Flowers

Songs that make me sing so bad I forget people are around

When people remember the little things I've told them

A nice drive through the countryside

Rhiannon x

Always The Dreamer

Now for all my friends and I'll even go with the people that are on my friends list on Facebook, this is a pretty well known fact about myself. I have a big obsession with unicorns. I couldn't even tell you how it started. They just seemed to have invaded my life and my wardrobe, one hoof at a time. Though there are also tell tale signs from the moment you enter my house, you are greeted with a unicorn shaped chalk board and then all over the place there are little remnants around, like a money box, a picture,  little hangy quote things and over my bed.

I think I managed to really put the final touch to the love affair by adding a unicorn tattoo to my growing collection of five now. This is five different tattoos not all unicorn themed, I meant, that would be crazy. The picture is from the day after getting it done so it is still a bit sore but I completely love it! It fits my child like wrists perfectly and isn't anywhere near as big as the picture makes out.

I already have tattoo number six ready to book when I get a chance too. I hadn't expected this one to hurt as much as it did, I even got offered a lollipop! First time that's happened with me. Naturally, my Mum doesn't like it, my children think it's the best thing ever and I'm loving freaking a couple of friends out when they feel how bumpy it is where the skin is still healing.

Here's to being able to dream just that bit more.

Fighting The Demons

I need to start again. I want to start again. I let depression and anxiety really take it's toll on me the last six months. It really got at me. It took me so far down and to such dark thoughts that I'm not proud of them and how much I would listen to them. You become enclosed in such a bubble that nothing you do/say/feel is right. The insomnia and ways it would get me in the small things I used to enjoy is horrible. I would notice little signs that depression had got at me one day just by walking round the house. No beds made. Washing up still on the side. Staying underneath a blanket. Just the sheer draining of energy alone was taking up a lot of myself to force myself to be this positive person for everyone to see and my children to be happy about.

I've picked up a new bullet journal to start again with. My old one is the old me. The me I really don't want to have to know again.

Here's to a new beginning.

The new and improved Rhiannon.