Photo Scavenger Hunt 2013 - February

Good afternoon

What a short month February is - the days have passed so quickly and I was in danger of not completing this months hunt - however I've snapped the last few pictures today  - not 100% happy with all of them but hey its the taking part that counts!

 

Breakfast - just before I put my bulky shopping order away - this lot should see the 3 of us through breakfasts for the next couple of weeks!

 

 14 - Chocolate hearts for the boys on Valentines Day.

 Park Bench - well the bench in the garden that bottoms get parked on for rests when epic gardening sessions happen!!

 Bus - this is one of the few baby toys we have left - kept for visiting small children to play with.

 Frozen - the ground for parts of this month. Spring starts tomorrow so hopefully we won't see this view again!!

 Glass - sea glass found often washed up on local beaches.

 Heart - on one of the caravan windows earlier this month - I couldn't resist it!

 Kiss - magnets on the fridge.

 Red - noses waiting for Red Nose Day on March 15th.

 Not found elsewhere - those two daft boys of mine!

 Shadow - me on one of the rare sunny days this month - it was cold hence the dress over jeans!!

Trolley - quickly snapped before I did a supermarket shop earlier - not the easiest one to get as I didn't want to draw attention to myself!!

Thank you to Greenthumb @ Made with Love for organising us and for coming up with new list for March.

Here it is if you fancy joining in;

Green, 

3, 

A person in uniform, 

Bubbles, 

Shoes, 

Toys, 

A gate, 

Eggs, 

Dessert, 

Water, 

A bridge, 

Empty,

Should keep my eyes open again - I've some ideas already for a few :)

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

7 of 52 weeks of happy

Good morning

Bit bleary eyed today as the alarm went off for the first time in a week - today is back to school to day for those boys of mine. Never mind, we've had a good half term week together - they are such great company at the moment and have such wicked senses of humour - which I am the butt of for much of the time!!

I keep meaning to write a proper blog post but time keeps getting away from and I keep forgetting to take photos. I am way behind on this months Scavenger Hunt but I am hoping to get the rest of the pictures taken in the next few days so I can hand my homework in on time!

Here's this weeks post of happy pictures;

1 - Spring flowers planted in the tubs by the front door - a burst of colour for just 70p each :)

2 - Another parcel from the Dotcomgiftshop - this time two night lights - a rabbit and a cottage - the cottage changes colour - both are gorgeous :)

3 - A parcel from a friend came in the week - inside felt flowers - very pretty and they made me smile.

4 - Finally another hint of spring in the garden - crocuses have flowered :)

Right - time to hound a child out of the shower - I need my turn - my supermarket shop should be here sometime after 8 and I suppose I ought to get showered and dressed so I don't scare the driver!!

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

Dotcomgiftshop - Fairy lights are not just for christmas!!

Good afternoon

Slow down! Half term is going by far too quickly - its been a manic week here and I've only just got round to sitting down to write about something rather lovely that's happened!

Last Thursday when the rest of the country was getting excited about roses & chocolates I was feeling a bit sorry for myself when I stumbled upon an email in my inbox. Not one of those claim non-existent PPI or buy dodgy pharmacy items but something that was rather lovely and made me smile.

It was an email from the Dotcomgiftshop telling me that they had listed my little blog on their blog in the section - Gorgeous Vintage Blogs We Love - well if you look here and scroll down, you'll see lots of familiar names and then if you scroll down, you'll find my blog and the most lovely write up about me :)

Now the lovely Dotcomgiftshop people asked if this was ok to use my blog and my photo - of course I said yes, I was feeling rather flattered and chuffed that I was on a list with some lovely bloggers I know and others I am getting round to reading & following. Then then also asked if there was something that I would like from their range to use and review.

My goodness like a child in a sweetshop I spent time clicking on everything and coming up with a list of things that I liked and needed to whittle it down to one for now. 

I love fairy lights and feel that these are definitely not just for Christmas - however where I want to put them doesn't always work as sockets are not available or close enough. However I spotted these and knew that I could have some fun.

 Dolly Girl Led Lights 

10 Little spotty & rosy lampshades on a string - all powered by 3 AA batteries.

Out of their box - aren't they just cute :)

Just a matter of where I was going to put them. Sadly its been dull here again and not ideal for pictures but these give you some idea;

 Round the picture above my bed

 Across the desk in a my sewing room 

Or across the fireplace along with some bunting!

I think across the piano would have worked well or best of all I think these would be fab on a camping/caravanning trip when electricity isn't always an option!

Thank you Dotcomgiftshop for my lovely mention on your blog and for these lovely lights. I look forward to working more closely with you in the future :)

xxx Vicki xxx

Ta-Dah Tuesday

Good evening

Just a quick ta-dah post today. Its been a lovely sunny and busy day here for us - firstly a visit over to my Grandma's this morning - boys came too and tasks were found for them to do in exchange for a pocket money boost ;). Home then before visitors arrived - one of my sisters and her two children. We hardly saw the children apart from when we were having lunch. The little cousins love their big cousins and time was spent together - a share love of gadgets bonds them all :) 

I managed a quick snap of this weeks Ta-Dah this morning - the colours aren't great as it was so sunny here today until late afternoon when the mists came in very quickly.

Anyhow my little printers tray I bought from the CS about a month ago - eventually it got put on the wall and I could get painting. I did really well and then 3 sections from the end my little tester pot ran out! Luckily I was able to get another and yesterday I finally finished those 3 sections and gave the whole thing a 2nd coat. 

The colour is more a duck-egg blue than the grey the picture suggests and I love it. Since the picture was taken several more little treasures have joined Brains in there!!

Linking to Lakota's Ta-Dah Tuesdays - here.

Right - its no good - the washing up needs doing and it looks like its my turn again!!

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

6 of 52 weeks of happy

Good morning

Its half-term here this week and so whilst I am up, those boys of mine are still dead to the world. Little do they know that when I've finished my coffee and writing this blog post - they will be getting up to!!

Here is this weeks happy post - really not difficult to find things this week - we've had some sunny days and I've been out twice this week to brilliant things!

1 - Big Son on Pancake Day - for the first time ever my pancake making was successful - nothing burnt or looked like something a dog wouldn't eat. Instead fairly perfect looking pancakes cooked with no swearing! Of course if you're a slightly dopey 17 year old then you need to wear sunnies to eat your pancake!!

2 - Programme & tickets from the musical we went to as a family in the week. It was put on by students from the boys schools and was wonderful. Brilliant casting and the 80's theme was of course great. I could sing along quite happily much to the boys embarrassment!!

3 - A £1 bunch of daffs from the co-op - they lasted a whole week and filled the kitchen with sunshine.

4 - Last but not least. Last night P & I went to see Bellowhead in concert. Oh they were just wonderful - over 2 hours of them playing with just a small interval. Lots of dancing went on - those downstairs were dancing in the aisles - us upstairs we jigging around in front of our seats. 

Right - time to wake those boys and then tackle my list of jobs for today. There's two options for a Ta-Dah tomorrow but both aren't quite finished!!

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

Ta-Dah Tuesday

Good morning

Another cold one here in Suffolk - least there's no white stuff falling (yet).

Now I showed you some fabric a week or so ago and here's it made up into a new frock for me;

 Firstly the little detail at the back - these buttons spent 10 days as part of our snowman - when he left us and I tidied up I decided that I'd use these on my frock!!

My new cheerful dress - yes using the pattern I always use (one I made up) - seems to work and fit fine - the bow means I can tighten it if when like the moment I am losing some inches! I know not the greatest picture - the light has been really poor here since I finished sewing!!

All ready and waiting to be worn when I go and swoon over Jon Boden & Bellowhead on Sunday night! Am sure he won't notice but I know I've made the effort!!

Next week there's the potential for two ta-dah moments if I get another sewing project finished and can get some more paint for the other project - almost finished yesterday but I ran out with just a little bit left to paint!!

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

5 of 52 weeks of happy

Good afternoon

Expect a sudden influx of posts from me - for the first time in ages I've lots to write about!!

Thanks for the comments on yesterdays post - yep he is still cute even if he towers above and teases me almost constantly some days!

Here's this weeks mosaic of happy things;

1 - I had the Good Life boxed set for Christmas and am slowly working my way through it and loving it. This is my all time favourite TV programme and I've managed to get Little Son interested in it too. Lovely to snuggle on the sofa with him of an evening and watch an episode or two :)

2 - A very early birthday pressie from my parents - I saw this CK dress on an Instagram feed and fell in love - my favourite colour with bicycles printed all over - it just screamed Vicki :) 

3 - Bargain fabric from the charity shop - enough for at least one dress and possible another when the first one wears out! I've made a start and hopefully I'll get it finished by the weekend.

4 - Always making me happy but especially at the moment - those daft boys of mine. When we were in Southwold yesterday they went into the silly photo booth together and you can see the results :)

Brrrrr its gone very cold here again - I'm back into my thicker sweaters and waiting for the boys to arrive home so I can justify putting the heating on. Am really tired of winter now and would just like February to hurry by so we can reach the (hopefully) warmer days in March.

See you soon - off to hoover as that will keep me warm!!

xxx Vicki xxx

Wasn't he cute ;)

Good evening

Actually he still is - just that the jeans and converse are much, much bigger these days!!

Oh yes today - big son turned 17 - the photo above was taken when he was a few months old - we've decided he was probably plotting something - probably knowing him his next meal!!

After a birthday breakfast and a pressie and card opening session, we headed out as a family for a roast dinner and then onto Southwold. The wind was rather strong so the walk was much shorter than hoped but we made it to the Pier and spent time having fun.

 Air hockey - we played in various combinations - the boys gaming skills showed through and they were far better than us adults.

 Of course if you play on the Pier then you have to play the Penny Falls - he made his money last for ages.

Home then for cake;

The usual chocolate cake - a family favourite - decorated with a Brains from Thunderbirds in honour of Big Sons dressing up day in December and some special candles. These look like normal ones but are impossible to blow out!! 

My daft boy in his new sunglasses - obviously what you need indoors on a dull February day!! Oh how much smoke those candles produced - am glad I just bought one pack of 10 rather than the 17 we really needed!!

Of course he's hungry again - so the grill has just gone on with cheese on toast to cook!

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

Ta-Dah Tuesday

Good morning 

Thank you lovely people for your comments on my last boys. All doing ok here and getting used to our new routine and its scary to say I am finally getting organised and the poor house is getting a good clean!

Anyhow its Tuesday and time for a Ta-Dah moment. I've mentioned that my baby sister and her husband are expecting their first baby is about 6 weeks time - though if baby is like her Mum with time keeping it will be a bit longer!!

I wanted to make something for them that would be useful and decided to make a blanket. I asked about colours and was told as bright and cheerful as I wanted - excellent - no pastels here.

I started off really well and managed the first 18 of 36 squares in no time at all but the final 18 and the boarder took much longer. I picked up my hook again over Christmas and finally finished it the day before a family get together to celebrate the birthdays of my Dad and 2 others sisters!

Here it is - both little sister and my brother-in-law loved it and I can't wait to see my new niece or nephew snuggled up under it;

The edging is made up of rounds of single crochet in my six favourite colours from the project;

Yes you can see loose ends - I took the photos first as the light was fading ;)

As well as this project I shall use this weeks Ta-Dah to share 3 lovely new blogs I've found with you - all well worth a look and all gorgeous;

Scarlet-Sometimes

Ladybird Diaries

Oh Crumbs!

Right this mug of coffee is empty so time for a refill and then to chase those boys of mind - they are supposed to be getting ready for school but I've a feeling they aren't!!

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

4 of 52 weeks of happy.

Good morning

All rather quiet here - the boys are staying over with their Dad for the first time. Yep that's the bad stuff - MrVV & I have separated :( Still friends but not currently living together. Not 100% happy still but getting there and getting on with it.

Am lucky to have a huge family and pretty wonderful friends who are being great and making sure that I keep smiling and busy.

Anyhow onto this weeks happy blog post and photo;

1 - Snowdrops have been appearing in the garden - these ones were loving the sunshine yesterday.

2 - A bowl of sweets - a pressie from Little Son who went on a school day trip to France on Friday. Despite him being the most awful traveller and being rather ill on the drive over - he came home happy having had a great day out with his friends.

3 - Blue skies and white fluffly clouds - always lovely to see.

4 - Spring flowers, a scented melt and a bunch of red flowers - making my dresser cheerful for the weekend.

Time to get into the lycra and head to the gym!!

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx