Last Week

Last week we were home from school and work, enjoying some relaxing family holiday time, a stay-cation if you like. There was much imaginative play going on around here, with dens and hideouts and simple fun with wool.....

....and buttons. Who knew a tin of buttons and a clothes peg could keep a four year old entertained for sooooo long?

I spent an embarrassing (but delicious) amount of time in my pyjamas, pottering about the house doing pleasurable homey things.

I baked (little iced lemon buns) and tried not to eat the baking. Damn hard work that. I do believe my waist line has reduced ever so slightly and I am thankful for that.

I bought Little B a new drawing set so that he has "pens of mine very own" and sat with him whilst he produced endless pages of drawings narrated with stories. Pirate ships sailing under big sunshiney skies, flowers and birds and robots and giant spiders webs.

We ate late breakfasts every day, and I even made scotch pancakes one morning which the Little Peeps smothered in syrup and strawberry jam.

I drank a lot of coffee and spent time catching up in Blogland and on Facebook and Pinterest, immersing myself in other people's creativity. I have sooooooo many ideas buzzing around at the moment for new projects I'm driving myself slightly mad.

I tried very hard to keep up with the mountain of mandalas that arrived each and every day. I had bizarre and funny chats (on the doorstep in my pyjamas) with my posties, and I marveled at the way the world wide web can reach so many corners of the planet. I have approx 500+ mandalas in the Attic now, from 38 different countries, you can see them all on the Yarndale Pinterest boards. The scale of it blows my mind somewhat.

I allowed the Little People to take over the house, spreading themselves messily in and out of rooms and across all available surfaces. This was the result of 4 children one morning (my youngest two, and my neighbour's two), colouring and stickering. There was much more mess when the lego came out to play, and when furniture was rearranged and all bedding from upstairs brought downstairs to make a Batman cave.

I gratefully received some tiny scraps of cut out paper from Little B, little notes of affection which touched my heart.

I enjoyed (for one morning only) crochet in bed with a cup of tea in that blissful early first half hour of the day before the Little People awoke.

We made a spontaneous up-and-out-the-door trip to the river beach, to drink coffee and eat chocolate after dinner one evening.

I sat and slurped coffee with J as the sun lowered in the sky and the Little People paddled, built dens and skimmed stones. It was pretty damn good.

I found beach treasure at the river which pleased me no end.

I swallowed down my loathing of public swimming pools and took the Little Peeps to the local pool early one morning. Walking through the quiet park, trying not to think bad thoughts about forcing myself into a too-small swimsuit and putting myself into a chlorine-filled box of water with semi-clad complete strangers. The Little People reeeeeeeeeeally enjoyed it, I did it for them.

I cleared out my back yard, yaaayyy!! In a fit of spontaneous, sweaty activity one afternoon, I cleared and emptied, swept and scrubbed, shifted and de-cluttered, with help from Little B and Little P (my neighbours 4 year old).

We evicted an enormous number of mollusks, relocating them to the back street (sorry neighbours), although of course they will probably re-home themselves back at number 24 at some point eh.

So I am all ready for some new colourful plant life now, yipppeeeeeeee!! After leaving my back yard to rest and lie fallow last year, I found I missed my homegrown flowers way too much. I am ridiculously excited about planting my pots up again this year, and am planning on a visit to Mr Plant Man's nursery this weekend.

♥

Last week was such a tonic, a lovely, leisurely relaxing stay-home week. Much needed as it happens, cos this week has been the total opposite. I'll update you soon on all that I am trying to juggle during these forthcoming weeks, I really hope I manage to keep all my balls in the air. Some days it seems like an impossible task. All I can do is try my best.

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Comments

[Julia Crossland]

Ahhhh sounds like a lovely week - nothing like recharging the batteries and letting life plod along for a bit. I hope you're keeping well, loving all these mandalas, they're so cheery aren't they!

Julia xxx

[Clare]

That little boy with the big red heart is just begging to be turned into fabric or embroidery. It is utterly lovely.

[Mitsa Xida]

A very nice week passed Lucy! I like to send you a knit and I mandala but a hand injury has forbidden me some traffic! Another time perhaps!

[Maria]

What a wonderful week - so needed in the rush of our busy lives. I love the little figures that Little B gave you - I so remember getting very similiar ones myself many years ago. Precious.

[Anne]

Looks like a fabulous week! I worked the whole weekene so i am busy catching up with all the beautiful crochet picures everywhere... the blanlet which was auctioned off got 290 € though which is a brilliqnt result... still i am looking forward to spent some quite days at home just like you days.

Take care
Anne
http://crochetbetweentwoworlds.blogspot.de

[Jo Navin]

Aren't children wonderful at this age? As for juggling, I think that as long as your children are healthy and happy (they certainly seem to be!) the other balls don't reeeally matter too much :-) it's so great that you're recording their childhood in this way. The mandalas look fab ;-) and I've seen your school yarnbomb of the bike over on Facebook, it looks amazing! Good luck with the rest. I'm happily arranging balls of stylecraft dk to make my first ever blanket, inspired by you of course! Lots of love, Jo Navin xxxx

[vanessa]

What a lovely week......and oh my.....so many mandalas! Your postman must love you! I bet it's a huge joy though having them all in your sight. I'd keep playing with them! ha ha!

Have a super week Lucy and I hope the sun stays shining for you!

Vanessa xxxxx

[Sandra (Cherry Heart)]

Sounds like a lovely and much needed restful week. You're such a busy bee lately and I can't wait to see what else you've been up to. My garden I think is having it's fallow year this year, it's really getting away from me and I don't seem to have the time to get out there. Well done you for making a great start!

S x

[Amy]

How lovely! It's looks like you've had the most perfectly idyllic week :)

Those mandalas are looking so beautiful - I keep thinking I should try & make one too...

[Emma Palmer]

Hi Lucy, I love your blog and was hoping you wouldn't mind me asking you question. I am new to writing a blog and am having trouble with my pictures. I have been cropping them in iPhoto and then loading them up, they come up all different widths. Do you know what I'm doing wrong? Just if you get a minute and I know this is a push as I can see what a busy bee you are! Thanks, Emma.

[Cindy G.]

I just went through the mandala images over on Pinterest, and I am reminded and amazed by how different a particular patten can look when done up with different colors of yarns. What a feast for the eyes and I wish I could see the final display in person! I'm packing mine up this weekend and popping it into the mail... hopefully 3 weeks is enough time for it to arrive :)

[Alison Barrow]

My two children have flown the nest some years ago to explore the world.They have both returned for a short stay ...so wonderful for me.Drop scones were always a Saturday morning treat,served with sugar and yellow squeezey lemon.Our house was always uptipped with games and felt tip pens and play dough ...and I loved my jim jams ,still do.My daughter is now an amazing artist and my son has a creative writing degree and works at his craft everyday.Our memories together are of our warm friendly and loving home and they still love to return for catch up cuddles,cups of tea and some homemade cake.More power to your elbow Lucy you are doing a great job :)

[Joy]

what a lovely life you have xx lots of love Joy xx

[Melody A.]

I think you have the same issue that most women in the world have, with a lot on their plates and how to make time to enjoy it! So how wonderful that you were able to! Even professional jugglers drop a ball once in a while! Happy weekend to you and yours!!

[Cherie Chudyk]

Thank you for sharing your week with us, reminds me of when mine we're little, 'happy days'. I'm experimenting with a strawberry plant for the first time, it has such a gorgeous red flower, I don't mind if I get any fruit because the flower is so lovely. Have fun choosing plants!

[Lizy Tish]

What a wonderful week of fun-ness and delicious-ness. The mandalas are gorgeous! Those lemon buns with the cute lemon candies on top look just yummy too.

[Karen@Mix•Ture43]

Lovely week had by all it appears! I love those little lemon and orange sugary slices for decorating cakes- Karen :O)xxx

[Deirdre]

Hi Lucy, reading this instalment brings back such happy memories, enjoy every minute of it cos before you know they'll have grown up & have lives(& kids) of their own...but then you get to do it all over again with grandchildren!!!I'm searching pinterest everyday for my mandala, cant wait to see it xxxx

[Catriona]

Perfect holiday and break from school for everyone. I share your "yeuch" about swimming pools and as the mother of an only child, I spent many hours in the early morning sessions trying not to think about what else was in the water!!

[justpootling.blogspot.co.uk]

A perfect week of 'just pootling' Lucy - sounds pretty good to me, and true therapy for
the soul ♥
Have a good weekend,
Kate
www.justpootling.blogspot.co.uk

[Jacky Russell]

Lovely summery pictures! I have been watching all the mandalas as they appear on the pinterest boards. Mine is in the first batch - they must look fabulous en masse!
www.thequietstitcher.com

[Alexandrea]

I can't wait to see what goes into all of those pots! We, too, have snails everywhere. We've completely given up on growing veggies in our small little garden area because really, we're just growing them for the snails. Oh, and how awesome are all those mandalas!? I can't wait to see to final display this summer. (From across the big pond, of course.)

[Isabella]

Hi Lucy! Welcome back in blogland! I'm happy to read your family life again! And I'm happy to see my mandala, number 213, in your screen too !!!
Have a good time with your flowers!
Isabella

[Jane Whalley]

What an absolutely perfect half term Lucy in every respect. It just goes to show you don't have to spend a fortune on activities, when good old fashioned dens, colouring and make believe come into play. Although my boys are now 20 and nearly 15, I can vividly remember spending cosy Saturday afternoons baking with them, just like I used to with my mum and hers before that. Long may it continue Lucy

[Lesley Buckle]

Hi Lucy
I love your blog, you are so talented in every way, an inspiration to us all. I am new to crocheting but already addicted to it. I have made 2 continuous granny square blankets and a granny square pram blanket, which I crocheted the squares together, please can I ask how you get the squares flat, should I have used a larger hook?
Thank you
Lesley, Stowmarket Suffolk