Last Bank Holiday May weekend 2013

Hooray, we finally have some sun!!

It is the last bank holiday weekend in May and also the start of the school holiday here, which for us started yesterday. I love the fact that for a week there will be no morning frenzies and chaos, but just calm and pj's for as long as we like (yes that's me included). The kids were eager beavers to do some baking yesterday, so we chose a Rachel Allen's Chocolate and Vanilla Marble cake, but with some slight alterations.

All the usual plain flour was substituted by Doves Self raising flour (only because I think it works better than the Doves plain flour) and then some Pure sunflower spread and Almond milk. We also added some blueberries just for fun. So basically you divide the mixture into two batches, one vanilla & blueberry (as in our case) and the other chocolate

 

and then you swirl it all together with a skewer or something similar

then your trusty little helpers do a little more helping

 

and voila you have a rather delicious cake for all to enjoy and some very messy children offcourse!

The eagerness to help didn't stop here as Es had a bee in her bonnet about being a little bee. A friend of mine has just had a baby and I have been making some little bibs for her lovely baby girl, which has inspired Es to want to make one too. So yesterday we set out to teach Es the basics of sewing, which I have to say involved a great deal of praying as Es wanted to control every little step of the process, the scissors (oh my she did well with these humongous scissors), the pins and offcourse controlling all of the sewing machine including the foot pedal!!! I have stopped counting the many uses for these little bathroom steps, and again they came in super handy to balance the machine foot on. Although we didn't quite finish it, here are some of the steps along the way

 

She thoroughly enjoyed the process and I love her enthusiasm, long may it last!

These are the little gifts I have made for my friends baby girl

With the bibs I just played around and used a bib we had to get the template as for the booties I followed a pattern from Niki Trench's 'Cute and Easty Crochet'.

So what's in stall for this weekend, hopefully doing a little more work on my blanket and also starting a new little project with some cotton. I have only used Rico cotton in the past, but for this project I will be trying Drops Paris Cotton for a change. I have to confess that it doesn't feel half as nice as Rico. Isn't it funny how we find the little things we like in life and shifting over to something else can feel a little weird sometimes. I am really looking forward to the next project as it feels like I have spent far too long on this blanket.

There will be lots of time spent outside in the garden as the weather is supposed to be sunny for most of the weekend and I think it is fair to say that we all need a very good dose of vitamin D, well almost as badly as our garden needs a little TLC!! Tomorrow is Treacle Market and I can't wait, I just love this little market and I can't wait to go and soak up the ambiance! On this note I am off to the sun and wishing you all a very lovely weekend.

 

 

 

Warm wishes

Hannapat xo