I made this

Here are a couple of items I’ve thrifted recently. Now while children’s clothes may not seem like a great thrift to some of you, you moms out there can definitely appreciate the bargains. I’ve managed to buy two pair of pants for Betty for £1/$2.

And this Elmo toy at 75p/$1.50 has been a big hit with both Jackson and Betty.

Notice the bruise on Jackson’s head? He’s fallen and hit his head THREE times

in the last 4 weeks in EXACTLY the same place. What are the chances?

It’s been a very busy day today. I managed to get Alex to school on time. And ended up bringing home Thomas, Jackson’s friend from nursery, for a play date and lunch. How cool was that? I loved it. So did the boys. They are such sweet friends. Thomas cries because he misses Jackson. Jackson gives Thomas little cuddles before yelling a hearty ‘good-bye’. I absolutely adore that these two little boys like each other so much and are such good friends. It occurred to me that this was the very first time that Jackson has had a proper play date. Alex has had her friends around loads of times. But this was a milestone. They even bounced together on the trampoline despite the fact that it was freezing outside.

Well, we all trekked back to nursery and that was supposed to be that. But just as I was ordering a coffee to sip while I knitted for the two hours before going back to pick up Jackson, Elizabeth bolted upright from sleeping and demanded food and drink. Damn. There goes my mommy time. No bother. I ended up hitting the charity shops in the village. Not actually having any money to spend, I try to avoid temptation. But the library is closed on a Tuesday afternoon (lazy bastards) and, with my back up plan now shattered, I had to spend my time thrifting. I saw some great fabric, some decent buys for the kids and only a couple of things I was interested in. I did buy one thing, though. I bought a fleece for Jackson (£1.50). Size 5 years, but in great condition and very cool. If I see anything particularly good, I’ll buy it and put it away for them to grow into. Like this size 10 shirt I bought for Jackson (£1).

Anyway, went back to pick up Jackson, Alex and Isabelle, who came over for dinner tonight. We decided to walk home, about 1.5 miles. Jackson cried THE WHOLE WAY HOME. That’s 45 minutes straight. Without stopping or coming up for air. He was shattered, poor thing. And to top it off, he fell early on and scraped his knee. He was aching for a dummy (pacifier), but I’m a hard woman and sat him in my lap for a cuddle watching Horrid Henry instead. We are a DUMMY FREE household as of tonight! Woo Hoo!

So I suppose you might be wondering where the SMACK comes in? Well, rest assured I neither partake in SMACK nor do I (on a regular basis) SMACK MY KIDS UP. No, it’s something a bit more medical. I’d never actually heard of it before this morning. Alex woke up this morning looking like someone had either smacked her face or she was really sunburned. Turns out it’s something called Fifths Disease, because it’s the fifth most common pre-school illness. You can read about it here. Suffice it to say that girl is staying home tomorrow! All three look like they’ve fallen asleep in the sun.

Hey, did I mention it’s only 2 sleeps and my Dad and Debbie will be here? Alex cried tonight because she reckons she’s been waiting SO LONG for them to arrive and they’re almost here! I think it’s all too much for her sometimes. She’s such a softie, thankfully.

Take a quick look at my new site, why don’t cha?

Do you like to make things? Sew? Knit? Crochet? Craft? Scrapbook? Paint? Cook? etc… etc… etc…
It’s pretty simple, really. If you’ve got something homemade and are LOUD and PROUD, then come on and be the first to join my new web ring. This is a ring for anyone who is creative.

I’ve noticed that a lot of people who stop by my site are interested in several different crafts. It ranges from fibre arts to photography to cut paper to quilting to photography to cooking to recycling thrifted goods. The list is endless. And when I had a look at the different rings available, I didn’t find one for those of us who like to do A LOT of different things. So that’s where the I got the idea. I’m hoping it will serve as a great starting point for new projects as well as a way of sharing ideas.

So if you’re interested in being the first brave soul to bare your goodies, then

CLICK HERE

see ya there!

Here are some things I’ve rescued from the thrift stores. Everything is handmade by someone who obviously knew what they were doing. I really like taking these things home to be loved and appreciated. I hate the idea that someone spent a lot of time on something and it just gets passed by and forgotten.

Granny Square Afghan £1/$2

These doilies were 50p/$1 each.

cross stitch detail

Have a look at this really cute teddy bear that a sweet lady gave us at a charity shop in town. Isn’t he cute?

This is what we found once we were home. He has secret compartments and turns into…..

a bit spooky isn’t it?