Back and ready to share some holiday goss...

Helloooo my lovelies, we are finally home after a glorious few weeks away. I hope you all enjoyed a bountiful Easter in the company of loved ones. We arrived home late Tuesday and to be honest this week has been a little surreal. It seems that a big part of my heart is still in South Africa, but I am equally embracing the comforts of our own home and spending time with our creatures whom are beyond happy that we are home. Today I just wanted to quickly share our pit stop in Amsterdam on our way to South Africa.

 

We didn't have a great deal of time, but we hoped to at least manage a visit to the house of Anne Frank and the Rijksmuseum. Sadly the cue to get into Ann Frank's house was beyond anything we could have endured with two small children and as it turned out the Rijksmuseum closed too early for a proper visit, hey ho, it certainly didn't stop us from enjoying our afternoon in Amsterdam.

 

 

We enjoyed a lovely trip along the canal and when we finally got off at the Rijksmuseum, the kids ran straight through to the park at the back of the museum and that is where we spent our last hour of the afternoon. It took the kids no time at all to get themselves pretty wet and the water fun didn't stop there! They also found this amazing fountain where they could dance in the middle without getting a great deal wetter and the most fun was had trying to synchronise their running with the water, lets just say there were quite a few excited screams. It certainly provided good entertainment for everyone around.

 

 

I could have spent hours in this pretty park, which seemed like the perfect place to soak up the ambiance whilst enjoying a good book, and maybe even a glass of bubbly, now one can but dream. Our brief visit to Amsterdam seemed like the perfect way to begin our holiday and definitely made the journey a little more tolerable.

 

 

 

 

I have spent the last couple of days starting to work through our jungle of a garden, I honestly couldn't believe how much things have grown in the time we were away. We also celebrated little Es's fifth birthday yesterday and I still have to pinch myself that my baby has turned five, where has the time gone???!! It really only feels like yesterday when I held her small body in my arms and looked at her beautiful face with complete love and adoration and how that love has grown, wow!

 

This of course means a birthday party to prepare for next Saturday. Now any of my friends will tell you that I am a girl who likes a good kiddies party and if I am honest I generally tend to get a little carried away with the whole affair, but hey who says we can't! I am however usually soooo organised by this point, but this year it seems that my more laid back approach and my 'no-lists' motto might be landing me in a pot of hot boiling water, or not, time will tell. Not that I am too bothered about it seems as I spent a few hours this morning cutting fabric (not for the party I will add), which is pretty constructive right?!

 

It seems I have hundreds of photos to work through from our holiday in SA and I promise to share a few posts about our trip. In the meantime though, I need to make a start on this mandala for the Monthly Mand-a-long project, for any of you who missed this post you can catch up here and for all of you lovely people who already joined in THANK YOU!!! you are amazing and I look forward to spending some time over the next week visiting all your blogs and catching up on these gorgeous mandala's you have created!

 

For now though

I have piles of washing awaiting a hot iron, parcels to post, letters to write, emails to deal with, not to mention blogs to read. I suspect that I will struggle to catch up with all your news from the last three+ weeks, but I promise to do my best to at least get to the most recent ones.

 

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend, lets hope this rain goes away for us folk here in the UK.

 

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxoxo

Mothering Sunday

I just quickly wanted to drop in to share a few of my Mothers Day moments with you and also share my lovely little blog swap that I did with the gorgeous Penny behind L is for love.

Jo from Three Stories High organised a lovely little handmade Brooch swap and I was fortunate to be paired up with the very lovely Penny from L is for Love. She sent me two very beautiful brooches and a very beautiful beach pebble that she covered in a crochet jersey and then for a little love she also included a gorgeous little lavender bag, thank you Penny, I really love my gifts and I have my brooches pinned on my jacket that I am wearing in SA.

I am really not a brooch maker, but I quite enjoyed making Penny's brooches for her. So this is what I sent her, a little embroidered brooch and a lace and crochet brooch. Thanks Jo for organising.

 

So now on to Mothering Sunday, I didn't have the best starts to my day as it seems that my health has crashed again and some days this just seems a little too much if I am honest, but nothing that two small kids jumping on the bed can't put into perspective. It is times like this when you realise just what really matters and even though I would like good health, all that matters at the end of the day are the people around me and the love we share. It was so lovely to be pounced upon by two small creatures baring gifts and gorgeous cards and I was so very touched by the beautiful poem that little J wrote for me and the fact that little E couldn't just give Mummy one card, no it had to be three, all 'because mummy is special', oh how blessed I am to have two such perfect and beautiful children.

A poem for Mum

 

Gifts for my Mum

I will give you

a beautiful rose that smells

of love

a bowful of cheesy yummy lasagne

a stirring cheetah on the African planes

hearing the ocean splashing around

in a hermit shell

and a cuddly hug from me

 

What a gorgeous poem and it is clear that this six year old already has some insight into reverse psychology as he attempted to order his favourite food, lasagne! It sure made me giggle.

 

 

 

I was so spoilt with a gorgeous plate that I have wanted for quite a while. I spotted this on Etsy quite a while back and just thought that it was the perfect Mothers day gift and fortunately for me hubby was quick to act. I am not normally a Wedgwood fan, but this gorgeous plate has my birth year on so I just felt really drawn to it the minute I saw it. Now that I have it, I am really beyond delighted with it. I also received a beautiful dress that I can't wait to put to good use during our holidays.

 

Dad and little J baked me a vegan and gluten free chocolate cake, which was beyond delicious and I am not sure who loved it more the kids or me. They would have eaten the entire cake if they were allowed and what is great about this cake is that it is also free from refined sugar. Definitely worth a try.

Fresh bread was baked by the darling other half, the picnic basket was packed

 

the most idyllic spot by the brook secured (not that we had anyone else to compete with)

 

 

 

and lots of fun was had by all. The kids just ran around for hours on end laughing and having fun. They enjoyed endless downhill races where the fall at the bottom seemed the biggest hit (pardon the pun). They crossed streams not always too successfully and little E got absolutely sopping wet, but fortunately for Mamma this called for lovely cuddles under the picnic blanket. It was a perfect Mothers Day, I couldn't have asked for anything more. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and two such gorgeous and funny children, thank you for making my day so special.

 

I hope you all enjoyed your Mothers Day in the UK, I know that my Mum and those in Oz & NZ and America will be celebrating it in May, so we look forward to sharing it with you then.

 

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo

 

Monthly Mand-a-long - A Project

Hello my lovelies. I have something exciting to share with you today, no April fools pranks I am afraid. All my recent Mandala making has got me thinking that I would quite enjoy trying out a few other Mandala patterns and it suddenly occurred to me that a Monthly Mandala project might just be the thing to do. Anyone fancy joining in??

 

 

So the plan is to report in on the first day of the month with your newly made Mandala simply by adding your link to the link-up below my post. For anyone interested in grabbing my button, you can simply add it to your blog just by adding the text below my link on the right hand side of my blog. As for patterns, I will be sharing a few patterns here that I will be working on from time to time, so you can either join along with these or you can use your own pattern, the choice is entirely yours.

 

To kickstart it this month, I have yet again followed the gorgeous pattern by Wink that was published in the Simply Crochet Issue 7. In fact I have now officially made around ten of these mandalas and NO I am still not bored of this pattern. Each and everyone has turned out differently and that is what I so love about the concept of the Mandala, colour and mood plays such a pivotal role here. For those of you who want to learn a little more about Mandala's you can read this post I wrote a few weeks ago. Now don't worry, I know that none of you would be prepared for this months 'Monthly Mandala', if you like you can join in next month, or else you can add yours at any time this month.

My aim for this project is to try and make twelve mandalas, so yes I am going to run this project for twelve months, by far my longest crochet project yet, but I am actually quite excited about it. I love having these mandalas scattered around the house and in the garden and what I really like about this project is the fact that it might just, dare I say it, have me a little more prepared for Christmas! Yes, I can't quite believe that I have just uttered the Christmas word, but it seems that this gal has already got her Christmas-gifts thinking cap on. Last year I made a few of these for presents and they were a BIG hit amongst some friends, so I figured a few more might just be in order, so I am starting now. No time like the present and all that.

 

 

So on to the next month's Mandala project, yes you've guessed it, it's another Wink project, I mean this girl has oodles of talent and especially when it comes to making Mandalas. I have chosen this tutorial that I found on ravelry largely because it just looks like a fun project to work, so if anyone fancies joining in, lets get started. We can show and tell both here and on ravelry and get some colour inspiration for the next month.

Now when I typed this blog post up on Friday last week, I was completely unaware that the very lovely Chrissie and Mrs Daisy had been plotting and writing up a very similar post, dare I say great minds think alike! Fortunately it seems that their little project is a one off and will only be lasting for a week or so, so I figured I would go ahead and stick with my original plan and get the idea rolling so to speak. So if anyone fancies continuing in their mandala mode, then do pop over here once you have made the gorgeous Wink mandala on  Chrissie's blog to come and try another one of Wink's patterns over here. This lovely lady is happy for us to hook away and she is also happy for us to use a couple of her other patterns, thank you Wink!



 Now you don't have to commit to the entire twelve months, you can simply join in as and when you feel up to the challenge or in the mood to make a mandala. The beauty of the Mandala is that it works up so very quickly, so it is all in an evening or two's work and should hopefully not interfere with all our other crafty plans.

So that's it my dearies for now anyway, I am very soon jetting off, in fact only one more sleepy, and who knows by some minor miracle I might just have one more blog post to share with you, but don't hold your breath.

For now though totsiens!

Warm Wishes
Hannapat
xoxo

An InLinkz Link-up

A little award

So a few weeks ago the very lovely Clare from The Summerhouse by the sea nominated me for this very special award, and if I am honest, I was very touched by it all!! This is what she wrote in her post: 'First up we have the lovely Hannapats blog, which is a joy to read, such a positive and fun place to escape to, it's really an inspiration as to how much can be achieved even when you are battling this terrible illness. Plus there are lots of tips and healthy recipes.'

 

 

As I have mentioned before it was never really my intention to make this blog about my struggles with Fybromyalgia/ME, but seeing that it is just such a big part of my life, I have found it near impossible to exclude it. You see my first dilemma came about last May when I knew that ME Awareness week was fast approaching and I just knew that I couldn't NOT use my blog as a platform to raise awareness, so I just felt that I had to bite the bullet and get on with it. Don't get me wrong writing this first post was very far from easy and I very nearly didn't post it, but I kept thinking of all the thousands of people affected by this debilitating condition and how people really need to start being a little more aware of this so called 'silent illness'. You can read my first post here. I also included three videos in this post, which might be of interest to some of you and also some information for those looking for some support.

 

 

 

 

Another M.E post was inspired by one of my bloggy friends, someone I will be nominating today for an award, who shared this video on Facebook and you can read/watch it here. One other post that I know has really helped my Mum and other people to pass on to others asking the dreaded question that is so difficult to answer, 'but what is M.E??',  is this 'Sleepydust video' which I shared here. If you haven't already watched it or you don't know much about this condition, then do yourself a favour and watch it to give you a little more insight into this very debilitating condition. After the ice was broken the rest was pretty much history.

 

I think there are so many wonderful M.E blogs out there and credit goes to those people behind these blogs who keep writing about this day in and day out, it sure takes a great deal of courage, energy and dedication and it offers such a wonderful support to so many sufferers who so desperately need it, so thank you!!

 

So without further ado, I would like to nominate this award to:

 

 

First up is my lovely and gorgeous friend Leisa behind the very chic and stylish blog Vintage Bird Girl. I love everything about Leisa's blog, not only does this girl have the worlds biggest collection of fabulous vintage clothes, but she has oodles of style and what I love most about her is her get up and go and ALWAYS positive outlook on life, regardless of her health. I have become so very fond of her and it feels lovely that we have established a close bond outside of our blogs too, it is just such a shame she lives on the other side of the world. Even though Leisa doesn't write specific ME posts on her blog, she is a very strong advocate for it on Facebook and is clearly very passionate about it too.

 

Then we have the very lovely Annie from Knitsofacto who admittedly doesn't write specific ME posts, but as a fellow sufferer she has been incredibly supportive of my little space and especially my health.

 

Rosie from the Old Magnolia Tree - I really enjoy Rosie's blog as it is always such an honest account of life and one would never know that Rosie has been struggling with Fybromyalgia for some time. I love her crochet work too and it has been a gift to meet someone else also battling daily with the challenges that come with living a life with Fybromyalgia.

 

Then there is also the lovely Sue from Sweetpea Family,  whom Clare already nominated.

 

So for those of you who need to pass it forward, here are all the information that you will need.

 

ME & CFS & FMS BLOGGER AWARDS:

Awarded by bloggers, to other bloggers, to acknowledge outstanding endeavour in promoting awareness of Myalgic Enchephalomylitis (ME), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)  and/or Fibromyalgia (FMS).The blogs receiving the awards do not need to be dedicated solely to ME, CFS or FMS, but they should contain at least one post that has helped to increase awareness.It is hoped that these Awards will increase blog readerships and also encourage networking between ME & CFS & FMS bloggers themselves.  No matter the title of our diagnosis, patients of these conditions all suffer from a frustrating state of health that is poorly recognised by most of society.

 

HOW IT WORKS:

1,   On receiving the ME & CFS & FMS BLOGGER AWARD, you should be directed to a post that describes why you (and others) have been given this award.  The page will also include this set of instructions and the two award images.2. Please note, you do not need accept the award.  The aim of the awards is about recognition and a bit of fun, NOT extra work! Please do not feel pressured to participate.3. To claim your award: a) Create a new post on your blog, in which you thank the individual who gave you the award  (remember to include a link back to their blog).  You can then copy the images to your blog post and/or side bar as you wish.

 

Below is the code for adding the small image as a link in your blog side bar if you wish to do so:<a href=”
http://sallyjustme.blogspot.com/2014/02/launching-me-cfs-fms-blogger-awards.html
” target=”blank”>
< img src=”http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/salpublicphotos/BloggerBadge_zps26d28ded.png”/&gt;
< /a>

b) List three to ten blogs that you would like to recommend, giving a brief description of why you think each one is special.  A couple of lines is fine, but be sure to include a link to each blog you name (or specific page if you prefer) so that others are encouraged to visit.c) Copy and paste these instructions into your post. Copy from the first *** above, to the last *** below to ensure that every thing is included. (Add the images separately if they don’t copy automatically. Control-Shift-V also removes crazy formatting during pasting if that is a problem. )d) Alert your chosen blog owners to their awards by making a comment on the most recent post of their blogs.  The comment could simply read:

“Congratulations, I have nominated your blog to receive an ME & CFS & FMS BLOGGER AWARD.  Please visit <insert link to the post you have just created> to collect your Award”3. Hopefully these awards will spread far and wide.  I would love to keep track of where the awards end up, so I would be very grateful if participants would also copy their list of awards into a comment beneath this post:
http://sallyjustme.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/my-nominations-for-first-me-cfs-fms.html
I hope that collecting all the recommendations in one place will help each of us to find and explore new blogs.

THANK YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATING.

Sally
http://sallyjustme.blogspot.co.uk/

******************

Thank you for reading another looooong post, but some things just has to be done! I hope you all have a lovely weekend ahead of you and that you all enjoy a very special Mothering Sunday. What do you have planned?? We are very hopeful for some good weather as this Mamma here just wants to have a picnic, so fingers crossed the sun shines. The rest of the weekend will be spent getting kids to birthday parties (do they ever stop?) and trying to get organised for our little trip 'home' that is SA for those of you who don't know. I haven't been home now for well over five years as my health has not allowed for it since the little 'princess' was born nearly five years ago now, in fact the last time we visited I was 22 weeks pregnant with her. So you can just imagine that we are all just a little giddy with excitement right now and the kids especially so as they will be meeting their cousins for the very first time!!

 

I do promise to pop back soon as I am really hopeful to share at least one post with you before we jet off. A big welcome to my new followers, it is so lovely that you have decided to stop by here and I am really looking forward to getting to know you a little better.

 

Wishing you all a very happy and fun weekend.

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxoxo

My finished Spring Throw

Hello lovely people. I have been meaning to show you this blanket since I finished it in the middle of February, but for whatever reason, it is finally happening today.

 I started this blanket during our holiday to Italy last year, it seemed like the perfect poolside companion and also a good way to kill time during our journeys to Pisa, Florence and Rome. Sadly due to my fund raising commitments at the end of last year it was put to one side as soon as we returned from holiday and it didn't get a look in until shortly after Christmas.

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed working on this throw, not only was it very easy crocheting, but it was also the perfect companion through the cold and dark winter months whilst watching countless episodes of Silent Witness and Sherlock.

 

All in all it took me around two months to make my Spring Throw, baring in mind that I very rarely crochet during the day and generally only crochet for around 45 minutes max whilst I watch telly at night. So if you have a little more time each day, you could whip this up in no time at all.

 



 

I used Stylecraft Special DK and followed a pattern from Catherine Hirst's book Granny Square Crochet, which I have spoken about here and even though I wouldn't say that this is to my usual taste, I am just a little in love with this throw. I am very much a muted colour kinda gal (greys, pinks, greens, blues, etc), but I love the zingy and zesty spring colours and it certainly knows just how to lift the soul. It also feeds my current obsession with anything yellow!

 

 

The process was devoid of any systemic approach with regards to the combination of colours, but that worked well for me. Vibrant and free.

 

 

For the border I just worked the recommended crab stitch edging, largely because I was curious about how it would look. I must confess that I was very tempted to give this blanket a picot edge, but in the end, I went for the simple crab stitch, which I personally think is a little to simple for my liking. Maybe one day I will feel the need to redo the edging, but for now it is happily lying on our bed waiting for warmer days so I can pack away the eiderdown to reveal its full beauty.

 

 



 

 

This is the second blanket that I have crocheted and I must say that despite hubby's comment that we don't need any more blankets around the house, I am already secretly planning the next, which I suspect will be another picnic blanket (ssshhh don't tell him! Lets hope he's not reading this post!). What is it with my obsession with picnic blankets? I suspect that it is my constant yearning for a little sun and some warmer days where we can ground ourselves whilst lazing around somewhere by a brook enjoying family picnics.

 

 

 

One of the things that I love about blogging is that you can look back over your achievements and record your emotions surrounding a particular project too. We often forget how we felt when we made something or the exact time we made it, what inspired it, etc. Life is short and precious and I often feel so grateful that I can surround myself with handmade things that bring a little colour and joy into my life.

 

Before I go I just wanted to say thank you to each and everyone of you who read and commented on my Balance post. It was something that I just felt an intense urge to write. Thank you for all your words of wisdom, love and support, you are all pretty AMAZING!

 

Wishing you all a very lovely and enjoyable weekend.

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo