Rainy Day....

Where did the Summer go?? And now Autumn is racing past....

So many rainy days we've had. In the house, looking out at the grey, endless housework, too much t.v. Then a rainbow appears! Quick into raingear and wellies, Eoghan into the sling and out into the freshly washed outside!

 

Stamping in puddles is great stress relief....

So is peering into them.

Murphy is trying to tell us something...what can it be I wonder??

 

Ah yes...

 

 

No trip to the  lake is complete without a swim!

 

 

 

Thanks for the little break rain!

The view from here....

 Savouring these days of plentiful kisses, rubs of his fuzzy head and the breathing in of his soft baby scent.

If you are 'wearing' a baby these days link a photo in the comments!

xxx

Eoghan in the kimimela.

 

The view from here....

Wow. These days are going by so fast! It seems only yesterday I was cradling my newborn and now I have a little man who is starting to eat and learning to sit up!

He spends a good part of every day being 'worn', sometimes snoozing, sometimes taking in all that's going on around him but always ready for a chat or a cuddle. I want to savour these days of plentiful kisses, rubs of his little fuzzy head and the breathing in of his soft baby scent.

If your wearing a baby these days link a photo in the comments!

xxx

Play dough time!

Another rainy day, another indoor activity! Lack of clothing while making it was Maisie's nod to the summer. Making play dough is the perfect impromptu activity, as all the ingredients are usually to hand. We got the idea from this lovely blog.

Play Dough

2 cups flour
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 cup salt

The salt is to preserve the mixture and like Erin I didn't have enough so I just stuck in a little bit. We mixed everything together and heated it in a pot until the mixture clumped together in the middle of the pot.

When it cooled a bit we added some food colouring and mixed it up. Sticky and fun!

 

Truthfully though, our play dough didn't turn out that great. It was too sticky. I was too impatient with the cooking I think! Sometimes I have this problem with the simpler things...yesterday I made THE worst rice crispie buns ever and I burn the porridge more mornings than I'd care to admit to. So the play dough was more fun to make than to play with. But the making of it was fun enough to want to try again and hopefully a little more expertly next time!

More knitting baby gorgeousness!

These are Nifty Knickers baby longies, from a free pattern on ravelry. Link to my page here. The photos were taken on the same day as these and I am still looking at them and feeling guilty about how tired he looks when I put him through this 'photohoot'!

I had never seen a baby in 'longies' before but noticed them in someones blog (can't remember who now!) and thought they were the cutiest things. They're perfect for the baba in a sling, keeping the chubby legs warm when they're sticking out and reckon they'll be great when he starts crawling too. 

I've knit two different sizes as I love them so much. Wooly goodness and baby toes....can it get any better than this??

The Hippy Sack

So, while waiting for the little guy to arrive, some knitting happened! This post is just me wanting to show off really! Both my knitting...and my gorgeous little guy!! He was really sleepy when I took these pictures, but still smiling. That's my sweetie!

The pattern is 'sleepy time' from Pipsqueak Knits. I can't remember what wool I used, but it was a baby merino and it came from my lovely, local knitting shop Treasure. I changed the pattern a bit, as when I was knitting it I thought it was looking a bit narrow. Luckily, Catherine from Treasure is a whizz crocheter so I got her to crochet side panels for it. I also skipped the sleeves as I thought it might be too warm. I LOVE the way it turned out. It's super soft and roomy for my big boy. I knit a cord for the end so it can be left open or closed. It's perfect for keeping him snug when we're out and about or he comes out of the sling for a feed. Hugh christened it the Hippy Sack!!

On the beach...

We took a little holiday to Tramore recently. Our first as a family of 4! Clonea Strand is a beautiful beach outside Dungarvin. When we got there it was actually sunny, so we built a little sun shade for the sleeping baba.

I find it impossible to stop staring at him...so why try?

Rockpools were discovered, crabs were found, sandcastles built, it was a wonderful day.

Back on Tramore Beach a gypsy princess was seen dancing across the sand. She was accompanied by her faithful friend Murphy. As always partly delighted and partly tormented by her games. 

 

Here's hoping we'll get a few more beach days in the midst of this rainy Summer we're having!

Identifriday!

Cepaea hortensis - White-Lipped Snail and Helix aspersa - The Garden Snail

Homo sapiens- Little Girl!

Another garden favorite around here is the Snail! These gastropods were found during a recent dig around the garden and then joined us for lunch! Ok....I can see one of them has gone missing in the picture above but I can assure you Maisie is eating an almond in this shot!

Both these species are very common and Helix aspersa is actually edible although considered more of a nuisance in gardens than a tasty treat!

Hope you're having a great Friday!

After the storm.....

We had some pretty dramatic rain and wind a while back. Our beach disappeared and all the debris from the lake washed up along the shore. We play a game where we make little boats from the bits and pieces we find lying about, so the pickings were rich on this occasion!

And for a dog with a stick obsession it was heaven! A happy half  hour was spent getting him to jump off the pier and do giant doggie belly flops into the water. Very entertaining!

And I started a twig collection. Fun for everyone after the storm! 

Rainy Day.

Another rainy day! There's been a lot of them recently.....but what better excuse for a tea and biscuit party!

Our usual chocolate walnut cookies and the totally yummy peanut butter cookies.

Some ingredients were tested along the way....

Maybe these rainy days aren't so bad after all!

It's the little things...

.........enjoying the last of the daffodils.

...........loving  the grand stretch in the evenings!

...........giving Murphy his 'bath'!

.....watching these seedlings grow and looking forward to seeing them bloom...Hugh' favorite flower!

.......exploring and wondering where our beach went after all the recent rain!

.......spotting the first swallows arriving for the summer.

.......eating many many of these muffins due to all the left-over porridge around lately.

.......getting seriously excited about all the new little babies arriving later this Summer and Autumn!

......watching my 'littlest thing' grow bigger by the day!

All these little things are brightening up my days!