Im back!..Again!

I know I know, it happened again!..

I said I would keep up with my blog and look, another year has gone by already!.. Seriously how does that happen?

I have no idea, but anyway I'm here now so enough of the mummy guilt!

It's 3am, and I've been inspired (by reading the 'home that made me' blog, by the lovely Charlotte Valentine!) to update my own blog as it was such a lovely diary to be able look back on!

Can you believe I've had my blog about seven years now?..where did the years go?!

So Mr P has finally finished harvest-thank god. It's been really hard work this past couple of weeks, just doing bedtime by yourself, & being the only person who ever tidies up the house, walking the dogs, food shopping, general day-to-day chores and every day life in general-sitting down at the end of the day & having no one to 'share' with has been tough! This Sunday he spent the entire day mowing beautiful stripes in the lawn, and tidying all of Williams hideous garden toys away! So although he wasn't 'in' the house, it was still lovely to have him around!

I'm now 32 weeks pregnant, and it's going by so quickly!...

With this post I thought I would just update you on our lives in general, bring you up to speed on what's been going on around here lately?

So it was Wills first full day at school yesterday, I'm a bit sad for him as he's not the most confident of children and he hasn't bound in with endless energy. Maybe the fact that he didn't go to preschool with his classmates has set him off on the wrong foot?.. I'm sure in a few weeks time he'll make some firm friends, for now, I'll be gentle with him & make sure he's well fed, & in bed on time every night, tired children do not make happy children in my experience!

Poppy started senior school too, and whilst she doesn't love the idea of school (neither did ,I I can't exactly blame her!) she's settling in really well, is being very organised about her homework & is up on time for her mini bus every morning! 

Ruby has been her usual self, very helpful, talks endlessly about the baby, & is pretty much always in a good mood! Go Ruby!

I've been trying to be super organised now that the kids have gone back to school, just doing one little thing each day has been a huge help. 

From sorting out a box of photos, to washing and putting away a bag of baby clothes I've been given or maybe even just sorting the dog leads into their own 'place', I feel like if I can do a little bit at a time it won't seem like such an overwhelming task!..I really do believe in the 'tidy house tidy mind' mantra, and I'd like things to be a little more organised around here, before little miss parsnips makes her arrival!

Next on the list is Williams huge mountain of farm toys and books! There are just so many, that at the moment, I can't see the wood for the trees, and I feel like they're overtaking the downstairs of our house!.. Once I've cleared them all, it'll be a little easier to see any options of Christmas present ideas too..! 

Don't get me wrong, before you start start shouting 'wow you're so organised', don't forget I'm due to have a baby on 7th of November, & I don't plan on doing any Christmas shopping between then & December 25th-if I've managed to leave the house for a pint of milk in that time I'll be giving myself a huge high five!!

I'm just eagerly anticipating the shops stocking their Christmas wrap right now-come on hurry up!! Then I can really crack on. I hate wrapping & the sooner it's over with, the better!

Well, that's it, you're all caught up I think?

If here's anything you'd like me to blog about, maybe leave me a comment either on here or on my Instagram page & I'll get writing! 

Lots of love, 

Kirsty xxx

Three things...

The three things brightening my little world this week are....

1. Stunning Tulips


2. My new Keith Brymer Jones fruit bowl


3. AND my new Keith Brymer Jones Mug...

Look LOOK at these little beauties-for me this is pure, unadulterated HEART SKIPPITY STUFF!

Wow wow wow-ive been a fan of Keiths work for a few years now, but, its pricey to say the least-so i never thought id actually own a piece. Let alone two pieces?!!

So-i hear you cry-whats the story? Well girls, if you hadnt guessed, good old TK Maxx has gone and pulled a blinder again!! I only 'nipped' in their to look for a bath ladder for the new bathroom...and of course i had to have a browse..which is when i fell in love. I adore this huge white HAND THROWN ceramic bowl, i guess you could use it to serve salad on a summers day-or fruit salad..but for now its beaming its calming whiteness into my lounge as a fruit bowl. I adore the little hand carved hearts-they sing to me-you can see them better in the close up photo.

So the story goes, i spotted the mug first-along with all the other mugs, and instantly recognised it..Then further along the same shelf, a little cereal bowl-the same blue as my mug(swoon!)-Basically a mini version of the big white bowl, perfect for 'bits' in my new bathroom i thought, BUT, the price tag said 12.99, yes, nearly thirteen earth pounds for teeny tiny cereal bowl-i believe you can probably buy a whole dinner service for that price in Ikea. Then, with my beady i, i spotted the big white bowl-with a price tag of -you guessed it 12.99. So, i headed(speedily)to the till to have the prices checked-lo and behold the manageress said they were marked at that price, so, thats how much they were. You could have blown me down with a feather!

Now i know less is more, but really, in this case-its not. I know its a little bit silly getting this giddy over some china, but ive hankered over this particular china for a looong time, and never thought id own a piece.

If you click on the link at the top of the post you can have a look at the other bits on the website keith sells through, and learn a bit about him.

I wasnt leaving the mug behind, in that perfect blue-for 2.99!!!!!!1

Can you see the little hearts?

Id already bought these that day from Morissons, they are even more stunningly rich in colour in real life.

I think thats it for treats for me for January-dont you??

Love Kirsty xoxo

Quick catch up x

Just thought id drop in and update you with a few 'pre new year' bits and pieces. As i write this im struggling with words containing a 'y' as Ted got very excitable this week and jumped on the laptop taking the 'y' key with him, so its kinda wonky now, usable, but wonky.
This afternoon i made red onion marmalade, it was simple but took a loonng time to create and didnt go very far, just filled three kilner jars with a little left over-these ones are for gifts which i shall reveal shortly.
The weather here has been really dismal and i woke up this morning feeling rough again so we've been in all day watching evey film BBC 1 had scheduled. Mr P was at a ploughing match so we were home alone for our girly day(he came 3rd for those who are interested).


This christmas we managed to see most of our family, and catch up, look how much this little man has grown!

The girls were at their dads for part of xmas so i had a nice relaxing time making the most of my other baby!

I popped to the Next sale on boxing day and was glad i did as i picked up a few lovely outfits for the girls, its Poppy's birthday on 22nd Jan so got her some great stuff i know she'll love. H ere they are in new togs with new xmas gift gardening sets.

Would you like a sneak peek at how Mr P and i spend our evenings when the kids are in bed?-Duvet castles! We put a big blanket or sleeping bag on the floor then our duvet on top, open the doors of the fire and snuggle! Its heaven when its cold and drizzl outside.

And while we're on the floor, guess who gets the sofa??...

I like to lie there admiring my pretty tree for, i guess, just a few more days.

This is my current bedside drawer, a little secret place with allsorts stashed away inside, at the moment is contains my christmas choccies, and a very sweet card from my eldest baby.

And on top? These are just a few of my christmas presents, i love books and cant wait to flick through the fresh pages of these.

Oh and look, a few more choccies and a new friend, a beautiful steiff bear from m step mama, his name is Edgar. The pansy plate is from my mum, as are the beautiful soaps contained in the little box, they smell utterly devine, i shall be bathing alone to enjoy those beauties-no kids allowed!

This beautiful little jar contains some fizzy bath 'stuff', also bought for me by my mum, aside from the very sweet dinky jar, the sentiment on the label is beautiful. I will stash it away until we redo the bathroom so i can appreciate it sat on the shelf.

These goodies made me very happy too, a naked farmer calender from Mr P's brother and a CK notebook and M&S diary from step mama.

Ooh ooh, and another book! We're real fans of this series in our household, santa even bought the girls a dvd of it, so it'll be interesting to delve into these pages.

Look what i found stashed down the side of the sofa-best place for hiding choccies! MY FAVOURITE CHOCCIES!!!!!!

I was very spoilt by m brother this xmas, firstly some vouchers to spend in a little shop a few of you may have heard of! And also a HUGE box of Guylian shell choccies, wont take me long to pile back on the weight i lost when i was poorly at this rate!

This ham is sat waiting patiently for the Nigella treatment...to be soaked in the black stuff-and topped with black treacle, mustard powder and cloves-mmmm yummy!

The tipple of choice this xmas has been Advocaat and lemonade, who can refuse a snowball to lift the spirits-ooh look, ive nearl drunk the whole bottle to myself-oops!

This is my other winter addiction, stewed bramleys with cinnamon. Warm. a hint of cream. delish.

The thank you cards are all written and just waiting patiently to be posted, im working tomorrow afternoon so i shall have to do that in the morning.

Im only working until 8.30pm but NYE isnt really my thing so i dont think we'll be partying hard-to those of you who will, have a great time and all the best for the new year!

This popped through the door this week, tempting, but im waiting for the new stock as i wasnt a fan of last seasons wares!

And just one last thing, i popped to Hilliers, a local garden centre this week and all of their xmas decorations were reduced, just look at these stunning glass baubles, i bought them to hand from the curtain pole in the red room next year, they're reall heavy though so must be careful, and not forget where i put them! I also got the bowl yo can see in the background, its huge, perfect for all those clemantines, and hand painted with trees, just so pretty, i couldnt resist......

Love to all and be safe.....

Kirsty xxx

Mixed bag, pretty garden,new folk and my room!

This is a bit of a mixed bag post today, im thinking my posts will probably be a bit thin on the ground over the next few weeks-as we all know the holidays are(or will shortly- in our case)be upon us so do forgive me if i dont get round to leaving comments and stuff, i always read ones left for me and will surely still spend my evenings reading through everyones posts(scanning for lovely photos is what i really mean).
Ive got a little list of the things i want to do with the girls, an actual, written list, so im thinking if i share the list with the girls it will guilt trip me into actually carrying the activities out, instead of getting carried away doing mummy things! Plus my little Ruby is ging to be a big girl in spetember so i need to make the most of our special summer left together.
Firsty then, i went to my mums friends house in the hampshire countryside this week, she runs a cattery and always has a house full of dogs and different animals so its always a lovely visit, i took a few inspirational photos(mainly of the garden)which i thought you might like to share?....Plus a few other things which we'll have a look at too.....

I have GOT to get me one of these-a secret garden!!

I took lots of inspiration from these borders, packed with plants of so many varieties, the photo somehow looses the detail, it was stunning in real life....

Janet,the lady who's garden this is loves post boxes! She bought this one on ebay, i feel a new obsession coming on!

These cheeky little fellas were tucked between the plants all over the garden, i cant decide if they're creepy or cute?

I love the whole 'box balls'thing, and her garden made me more determind to incorporate some in my garden next year when i start figuring out how id like it to look. She also has a stunning pond, and a mediterranean mosaic seating area/cove type thingy which i will photograph next time,im going back shortly to collect a beautiful pine wardrobe ive bought from her, cant wait!

How charming is this chap? He looks great in the garden-a bootsale bargain so im told, our Janet has a bit of a boot sale obsession-worse than me! He suits the garde so well.

PLUS yet more box balls!

I dont think my budget will be stretching to one of these! Its so lovely, inside and out, i honestly could live in it!

Although its not vintage enough for me i love the classic style of her lounge, the wooden oak floor and laura ashley chairs are my favourite features of the room, you can just see the dresser in the conservatory in the background, full to bursting with blue and white china!

Ruby and Jade the Dachshunds found a kindrid spirit in my Ruby, they let her carry them like babies and didnt leave her side while she quietly watched tv while we ate our ploughmans sat in the kitchen(i was drooling over the green aga the whole time!).

Back home now ladies....

Three guesses whats through the mesh?...Whats that, chickens you say-you'd be right!!

We had some new family members join us this week-of the feathered variety, five chickens to be precise! Mr P's friend bought them over from his farm for me on wednesday.

The girls are so majorly excited, this morning poppy got up, pulled a jumper over her nightie, put on her wellies, and begged me to let her go and check for eggs, naturally i let her(i had been asleep at this point,sleepiness induced by 2 bottles of wine and a very late night of chatting with my best friend M over for dinner! Im a good mother honest!). Poppy came back triumphant with one huge egg. Yesterday at school she had lovingly crafted and painted her very own 'egg collection box, grain pot and feeding pot' she had carefully placed her blankie inside said egg collection pot and the egg was lain on top like some golden artefact, bless her, thats my (country) girl!

Want to meet the ladies? i think these two are Daisy and Fenella, theres also Charlotte Lucy and my one-Aunt Bessie(named after my favourite frozen food supplier!) I suggested the girls name the chickens after school friends.

Now, im not sure how much of my little spare/junk/craft/sewing/dressing room ive shared with you up till this point so i thought you might enjoy a sneaky peak? The idea being i'll give it a tidy have a play with the pretties and show it to you shortly, come on in then!...

My cosy place...

The following are a couple of goodies my day thought i 'might like?' and dropped by with earlier in the week!!! The old sewing box belonged to my nanny but i think she has a new one, it even has old sewing stuff in it!!!!

But this has to be my favourite of the treasures, an old pink chair! It even has the name and address on it of the lady who first owned it!!!

Well, thats it for todays show and tell, im annoyed as i dont think there will be a bootsale on tomorrow given the inclement weater, never mind, i shall have to amuse myself feeding the cows or something.....Happy holidays everyone!!!! x