Thimbleina

Starting to get ideas for Easter

 

The ideas are starting to brew for Easter. One of them involving knitting. I shall show you when I have finished them.

Ideas are also starting to brew for Spring/Summer wardrobe for the children. One clothing company which has given me some good ideas is Noa Noa if you flick through the pages of the Spring collection there are some lovely ideas; lacy knit shawl/wrap, gypsy tops with embroidery, pantaloons, layers ohh soo much lovelyness and those hairstyles. Lady A beware I am practicing the hairstyles this weekend - wait for the photos!

Hope you have a great weekend filled with ideas, creativeness and lots of fun, laughter and good food with friends and family 

Shrove Tuesday - pancakes for every meal

 

We had pancakes for breakfast and Lady A wants pancakes for tea, I think I might give them a miss this lunchtime as I don't want to overdose on pancakes!

Lady A also took this book to school with her today for them to read in class. 

 

Refashioning

 

Now my mother really didn't think did she that she could leave a bag of things lying around awaiting to go to the charity shop and not have me rummage through them. I pulled a few things out which I have ideas of what I am going to make with them. This is the first one for the chop. I cut it up and came up with this:

 

I made the sleeves a raglan shape and used paper underneath the cloth when sewing the neck so that it didn't stretch. The hem on the sleeves is the hem that was on the bottom of the sleeves originally, I just cut them nearer the bottom rather than have to do the hem again. I'm not sure about the bow, I might change that but otherwise I am really pleased with my new free summer top. I have another long sleeved t-shirt, a silk camisole and a men's pair of trousers. I shall let you see photos of the other ones when I get around to attacking them with the scissors.

Millionaire's flapjack

 

I didn't have to chance to bake something when I visited a friend earlier in the week and I bought Millionaire's flapjack in the supermarket. It was so good but was £1.99 for a small tub of about 10 bite size pieces. So I thought I could have a go at this.

I used the following flapjack recipe:

4 tbsps of Golden Syrup

200g butter

100g soft brown sugar

All melted in a pan then add:

250g oats

100g plain flour

Then spread in a greased tray and cook in a medium oven until light brown. Let cool completely then spread on half a jar of Dulce de Leche caramel toffee sauce and then melt 200g of milk chocolate and spread on top and cool in fridge until chocolate set. Then cut into bite size pieces (as it is very sweet) this makes loads and you could make another batch with the other half of the jar of sauce the following day when it has all disappeared.

Oh what a beautiful morning...

 

and I think it may be a beautiful day. The sun is shining, the snow has cleared, the kids are happily playing in the garden and the washing line is full of lovely white washing. I can feel Spring in the air, so to encourage it to come out of hibernation a little song for which unfortunately I do not know the person who wrote it. Lets hope this helps:

Spring is Coming Song

Spring is coming, Spring is coming,

Birdies, build your nests;

Weave together straw and feather,

Doing each your best, doing each your best

 

Spring is coming, Spring is coming,

Flowers are coming too,

Pansies, lilies, daffodilies

Spring is nearly through, Spring is nearly through

 

Spring is coming, Spring is coming

All around is fair

Shiver, quiver on the river

Spring is really here, Spring is really here

 

Get singing!!

The essentials

 

After a weekend our home really needs a good clean and tidy as we have done a lot of living in it over the weekend.  One of the jobs after Sunday is Mr Thimbleina's football boots. I think he brings home half of the football pitch on those boots, it is not a job that I look forward to each week but it is essential otherwise I think these boots would fall apart.

 

As it is half term holidays this week Lady A wanted to bake. She made a shopping list which we took to the shops to buy the ingredients for these farmyard cupcakes that she made from this cookbook that we borrowed from the library. 

I was busy doing nothing ...

 

I'm sorry I haven't posted for a while I have just been caught up with the general day to day. So just a photo of  a trip to the library which is part of our weekly rhythm and a poem which I saw in the very moving film of 'Bridges of Madison County'

There is pleasure in the pathless woods

There is rapture on the lonely shore

There is society, where none intrudes

By the deep sea, and music in its roar

I love not man the less,  but nature more

From these out interviews, in which I steal

From all I may be, or have been before

To mingle with the Universe, and feel

What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal

Byron

 

I hope you have had a wonderful weekend with all your loved ones and have cherished every moment.

Sometimes life makes us stop and think about what really matters

 

New to me knitting

 

I have learnt a new stitch in knitting - the picot edge which is quite simple but looks very effective. I am knitting a little Easter present from this book and thought the little kimono looked lovely with its lacey edging. I shall photograph the results when I have given the present. I have two projects on the go but need a little more wool to finish the other one so that may have to wait a bit longer. 

Living it up

 

We went off to London for a couple of nights while my mum looked after the children.

 

We ate lots of lovely food and enjoyed full English Breakfasts in the morning, so we now cannot eat for a week!

 

A lot of gazing in shop windows (This is Harvey Nichols and the pattern on the giraffe is made from broken green glass bottles)

 

(This Patisserie Valerie and those large cakes are decorated with large chocolate shavings)

 

(This is a Harrods window - such opulence in this store)

 

 

Saw the sights 

and the rather tame squirrels

Then came home to our children who we both missed dearly and quite often over the course of the days said, 'they would love this'.

Hope you all have a great weekend

Cake & Champagne

 

Will you raise your glasses to Mr Thimbleina on his 40th birthday!

My birthday is the day after but I have two more years before I get to that big 40, but it is getting closer!!!

 

This was (yes was it has gone) my cake that Mr Thimbleina and the kids bought for me from Waitrose (If you look in the Food and Drink section there are some lovely recipes to try). It was a victoria sponge with lemon curd in the middle and white chocolate buttercream on top so very tasty and moorish hence it disappearing so fast - it wasn't all me honest!!

   

We have had a good covering of snow the last two days although I think it is starting to melt, but our dog is loving it, I saw her rolling in it and with snow all over her face, but didn't grab the camera fast enough.