Baskets (and an attempt at being organised)

I am not a tidy person, my husband is (as you may have guessed by his Queen of Clean nickname), but me well.....it's just not where my strengths lie.

Having said that I do love the idea of being organised and can waste much time reading books on the subject or gazing through flickr photo pools devoted to organisation.  Yes, really - they do exist.  My best friend Harry even has this cupboard that I stand and gaze at whenever I am there...trying to capture every little ordered, organised detail.  Harry if you are reading - I have to photograph that cupboard.

So anyhow, on this little journey of mine toward being organised I have sorted out this chest of baskets in my dining room.  These baskets used to store toys and stuff when the kids were babies and it just wasn't being used anymore.  I also had all the craft stuff on shelves in the playroom, which  has no table.....so any crafting requests by the kids involved much eye rolling and moving supplies from one room to the other.  In a kind of grumpy and unenthusiastic manner.

Armed with some Ikea bathroom plastic containers (super cheap and used as dividers), and a somewhat frantic 'Martha Stewart' attitude I got sorting.  If multiple photos of contents of wicker baskets bore you, I make no apologies...just hit the back button on  your browser ;-)

Sewing stuff - bias tape, thread, webbing, scissors, needles etc.

Fabric scraps

Craft punches, rubber stamps, luggage labels (great as gift tags)

More stamps, bull dog clips, foam shapes, raffia, embellishments (don't you just love that word - not that much embellishing goes on around here)

Glue, spreaders, stencils, hole punch, pipecleaners, paperchains, felt bunnies!

Table runner and placemats 

Colouring and sticker books

Wrapping paper

The more observant amongst you (who have made it to the end of these pictures, please someone?) may have noticed that there are only 8 pictures, whilst there are 9 baskets. This is because I read somewhere you should always have an empty shelf/drawer/basket....room to expand.  Worth a try I reckon.

Ramblings about a chair

I have finally put my dreams of vintage bentwood chairs for the playroom to rest.  And settled for something more budget friendly and readily available.  This bright red kitchen chair from Ikea has made it's way into our home as the chair for the computer desk - I like how it contrasts with the world map mural.

It feels kind of 'flung together'...........although you and I know a whole heap of thought (admittedly too much) went into it.

Just don't tell anyone.  They'll think I'm contrived.

Cleaning up...

....at the awards ceremony.

I don't often speak about my eldest on here.  A combination of reasons I think - you may be aware he has special needs and I feel uncomfortable talking about those in this space.  Perhaps surprising as I am prepared to share every other tiny detail (!), but this has always seemed, well, sort of separate.  He is also a good reader and I would hate him to read something on here without my knowing that he may misunderstand.

Until this evening.  Because to be honest I am feeling rather proud. 

So proud I could burst.

You see he won 4 awards last night at his schools annual celebration evening.  I won't bore you with what they were for - but they weren't the token litter picking or handwriting awards. 

When you have a child who is different you begin a journey, perhaps one you never imagined you would find yourself on.  And on that journey along with a whole heap of worry, some remarkable things can happen, and emotions you may not experience in the normal parenting realm are there. And tonight I am experiencing one of those....imagine feeling your average parenting pride but ten fold.

It feels amazing.

And he is amazing.  He still has lots to teach me I think.

In my garden this weekend...

.....I wish I had spent more time lying on this blanket.  Instead it lay there mocking me whilst I ran around applying suntan cream to little bodies, making food and hanging washing.

I spent lots of time inspecting my little patch - we have eaten two cucumbers (am sure my excitement levels around this are abnormal), dug all our potatoes, harvested some carrots and courgettes.

 Again - I would have liked to have spent more time sitting under this parasol, but maternal duties called.

I made the Queen of Clean look at these sweet peas on more than one occasion exclaiming like a proud child 'Do you know I grew these myself?'.  He wasn't overly impressed.

Hopefully one of you will 'get' it.

The Godsister

The Queen of Clean and I became Godparents yesterday to my friends little Lottie.

Yoyo, having  badgered us for a sister for a couple of years (and to no avail), announced that she would be Godsister.

Of all the pictures taken yesterday, the above is my favourite, taken by my eldest and only discovered when uploaded onto the PC.  Our God daughters biggest brother (and one of Yoyo's best friends) looking the wrong way during the sermon.  Just brilliant.  May I just add we are not regular churchgoers - so along with his usual challenges our eldest had no idea that clicking pictures throughout the service wasn't really the done thing!

And here is Yoyo and her Godsister.  Who will more than make up for her overstock of brothers.

And as godmother (or fairy godmother as I have been nicknamed) what gift did I bestow upon this little girl?

Look away now if you are easily tempted/love crochet/know any little girls/have a fairytale fetish and don't want to part with your money.

Don't say I didn't warn you.  A princess and the pea playset. I won't share where or how much for your own financial safety.

This morning

Everything feels like it's been cranked up a level recently.  We all seem to be rushing from one thing to another...a combination of new schools, associated meetings, end of term activities, orthodondist appointments, school fetes, you get the picture.  It can all get a bit...well 'too much'.

I'm not the most organised of individuals so all this dashing around adds an element of stress to the Whoops-a-daisy household.  And this morning was no exception.  It went something like this:-

• Eldest could not find only pair of school trousers that fit him.  Cue me looking everywhere (even in the garden)
• No hot water for shower due to our rubbish boiler
• Find trousers in tumble dryer (completely random as I didn't put them in there)
• Go to make pack lunches - no ham left, have to subsitute with marmite
• Search desperately for £5 (and form, and envelope) for Eldests school disco
• Realise I need to let neighbours chickens out
• Eldest now complains he has no socks
• Littlest one still asleep....yikes (!)........ need to get him out the house in half an hour
• Lost Yoyo's book bag - find it under sofa
• Eldest's taxi arrives (chaperone checks where he is to be dropped off - it is completely different address tonight and I would have sent him to an empty house if she hadn't have checked).  Guilty mother feelings kick in.
• Littlest one still asleep.
• My hair looks rubbish and no time to sort out due to time and no hot water.
• Still haven't fed chickens.  Guilty chicken sitter feelings kick in.
• Littlest one still asleep.....and he can be very grumpy if you wake him.
• Yoyo inspects packed lunch and rejects marmite sandwich.  I get cross.
• Littlest one wakes and refuses to wear shorts I give him.  I get stressed.  Guilty mother feelings kick in.
• Phone call from work just as we leave house.  A visitor has arrived 1 hour early and is expecting to be let in.......wish I had some of his time management abilities.  Resolve over phone.
• Yoyo has written me a note saying 'Dear Anna, I hope you feel better soon'.  Think she is refering to my stress.
• Chickens sorted
• Run back in house as forgotten book bag.
• Run back in house again as forgotten Yoyo's water bottle.
• Drive to school and realise haven't applied suncream to kids.  Guilty mother feelings kick in.

So this is fairly typical nowadays and I need to get some strategies in place to make the whole thing run smoother.  Typing all that out makes me realise why I find it stressful. 

But tonight when all is calm, and my Yoyo came downstairs to get a drink and give me that gappy smile, I could suddenly look back on this mornings events and find them amusing.  Because as you can see from the picture even if I am stressed.............I don't think its rubbed off on her.

Littlest one and the digging

It all started calmly with a purple plastic spade and a flowerbed.  I was laid back Mum, enjoying my spot in the sunshine after hanging out the umpteenth load of post holiday washing.

Then I noticed the mound of soil on the grass getting bigger...... Now, I'm not precious about mud on the lawn I promise, but I was thinking if this enthusiasm for digging continues in its current vein.........well I'll have a mountain of the stuff to deal with I don't nip this in the bud.

And so I. told. him. off.  Yes, a shock to those who know me in real life, I actually told one of my children off (I'm not good at the whole discipline thing).  I asked him if he could keep the mud with the other mud.  His reaction?  Well he sat there huddled in a ball and it could have gone badly......

.......but Rose (my other kitten) saved the day with her remarkable skills of distraction, i.e. she walked past.  Phew.