The British Homemaker - One day at a time

If good intentions were as visible as the lack of posts here I'd have a pretty full blog! However, since the last post... all the way back to October last year (!!!) I have got lost in the fun, challenges and happenings of life. The diary I keep for this blog is still sat on the shelf next to me, loaded with things I've noted down or added to share here, but still they sit. At the moment I am working like a trojan getting orders out, preparing for my youngest to finish school for the summer and getting the caravan finished ready for us to take off on our travels. There is so much to share that I'm not sure where to start. When I started this blog I had so many hopes for it, so many things I wanted to share, experiences to lean back on and places I wanted it to go, a few years on my business has taken over much of my days, my health is up and down so I have to accredit that the time it needs to get back in control and I have a weakness for hanging out with my friend...

Day 2:  Tell us all about your favourite craft gadget and why it’s just the bees knees OR Craft something that has a summer theme This one is a tough one to decided between, in short my favourite craft gadget is my sewing machine, Kitty. She is easy, fast, modern and just never lets me down! Once Kitty and I get started we are lost in our own lushness for hours on end :) I decided to hike with the summer theme though, simply because I don't have photos of Kitty but I do of the one corner of my garden right now... Just in case you missed it, I love colour! Having such a long winter meant I had to enjoy the British weather as much as I could while I could...so out came the spray paint! Nothing was spared left out :) The old wrought iron parasol stand got the green... bright green! A metre of lush fabric from Nortex Mill and the table looks happy! Since I took these photos the rotary washing line is now a bright purple and I've decided to paint the p...

Time flies eh? So many plans were scheduled for this 6 week period but with the loss of my little Billy-Norman life has taken a couple of twists and turns I didn’t expect. The alternative hasn’t all be bad though, just unplanned! Taking up bike riding to replace the car has been fun {so far} Charley loves our night time rides out where he can just chat, chat and chat some more. Having this time with him has been priceless, listening to him talk about his day, his friends and see how he’s developing his opinions and boundaries is refreshing. The dude is totally my kid! So using pictures and a few words, here’s a little how it all went.... Kirsten doesn’t do well in the heat but she does enjoy being in the garden so this little ‘tent’ was ideal for her and Jake to chill out....odd pieces of fabric, a few canes and plenty of cushions made for a happy teen! Of course, Charley had to follow suit but he wanted something a little less ‘made up’, if I could have made a cave...

  The first week of the school summer holidays was fun. Friday: I ended the week cutting the grass, strimming, putting up new buntings and lights, getting plants repotted. This ^ is  how hard I worked! Saturday: The kids decided that poor Jake was going to get it again...this time as Baby Jake from a CBeebies programme! Why are these two even watching that channel??? Sunday: We went over to my sisters for dinner, hung out for the afternoon and most the evening and just chilled, ate and laughed. Monday: Kian {nephew} and Charley playing ‘fencing’. Kirsten and my heads were always in danger! Tuesday: We freeze our favourite drinks with a lemon or lime inside, ideal on hot days like today. Wednesday: Preparing for the online craft fair summer sale. Justo ne of the items I’m offering. Thursday was spent packing and travellin...

Photo fun whilst we were on a trip to Minehead two weeks ago….. Sometimes just walking, sitting, watching and idle chit chat is all we need. Peace.

Preparing for our camping trip I debated the options on how to cook, gas or bbq. In the end the bbq bucket won because I just love the taste of bbq’d meats. I had it all planned out in my head how I was going to serve a variety of good food whilst in the basicness of camping. This little baby got used twice! For these yummy chickens and for roasted marshmallows! My Bffffffff and F {secret joke} Michele {who’s tent we stayed in} allowed us to use her gas stove, cheating I know! But it was still the best £12 I’ve spent and I can see it becoming a permanent fixture in our lives. Kirsten and Charley love nothing more than to sit in the garden with me at night and now we have this they toast their marshmallows easily and safely. I picked this one up from Sainsbury’s just after their sale, but that’s ok, I did manage to snag me a water filter for half the cost at the same time! {Review on that another day!} Please remember that this should still be used under adult supervision...

On 29th July the kids and I took off to Cardigan in Carmarthenshire for an 8 day camping trip with our fellow Lds Single Adult and families and had a blast of a time. I’ve camped before but not a whole week with limited facilities but I have to say we just totally loved it. The Gellie-Liahona Campsite is owned and run by a fellow Lds family who are awesome, we’ll definitely be going back there again next year! Over the last few years the kids and I have really rethought our lifestyles and realised how materialistic we’d become so going back to basics wasn’t a hardship {though at times it was uncomfortable having dirty hair and limited clean clothes!} but actually freed us of all the things the worldly shackles. Now I am hyped on camping and already have another weekend planned with Single Adults only! We got there around 2ish but late on the night we hit a local beach in New Quay… Charley, along with my friends kids, jumped in the water…only Jules and Michele went in full...