an advent calender

November 30th and of course the completely brilliant, well planned, surprise filled advent calender I had promised myself to make hadn't yet materialised so I set to with what I had to hand. This was; a pile of envelopes, a large Baileys on ice, pens, bakers twine and tiny pegs (thank you Tom). It's quite fun I guess and the different little illustrations make me smile. (The robin is my favourite, I think... or the wreath maybe). Each day has a note inside with something festive to make/do together on. I'm sort of making it up as I go along -  but so far we have made special cakes, started colouring a HUGE Christmas tree poster (22 pages big, infact) and written a letter to Santa Claus. If I run out of ideas then maybe I'll throw some chocolate coins in, too.

home: procrastination, dust & progress.

This October just gone marked three years in our home. THREE YEARS?! Woaaahhhhhh... A lot has happened in that time. Matilda has grown from a dribbly crawler to an actual small person and I have borned her a friend by the name of George who is actually an actual person now, too. And plenty of living and doing and so on and so forth. That's enough isn't it? It is quite a lot really. Because not a lot has happened in the decorating department here. I'm pretty ashamed of the fact that we've been living in these wood-chipped walls for so long. (Wood-chip is a NIGHTMARE, by the way - we first started trying to remove it when we moved in, bleurgh.) So embarrassed in fact that very few humans besides Tom's parents have come over to visit. Yes so that's the truth. Enough is enough though. We're now making a huge push to really make this house our home. One that we love. And our little people love and that we really enjoy. Looking back, a great deal of procrastination has been going on, obviously but I'm going to allow myself one (or two) excuses. First of all is the eternal excuse of time. Everyone's short on time, there's never enough time, is there?. Tom's busy doing a brilliant job of running a busy hotel here on the Island so I am mostly just me. Second of all I should add that it's been only within the last few months that I've started to get some proper good sleep. When I had George and Matilda was 23 months old, she was still waking often through the night and then George's night time antics, since being a real newborn to maybe three or four months ago have been like that of a newborn, waking every couple of hours and never particularly keen on going back to sleep. Leaving me feeling pretty rubbish a lot of the time, in all honesty. These are just excuses, I know I could have got a lot more done, hey we live and learn. But enough with the excuses, that's all done and been and gone. And for now most of our furniture is squashed into one bit of the house and there's plenty of dust and debris and tools and ladders lying about but I'm very, very much looking forward to some results emerging. Because wood-chip certainly doesn't suit us. The thought of clean lovely crisp walls to fill really has me excited. I'm not embarrassed about that bit at all.

Matilda style

Long gone are the days when I could dress my little doll girl however I pleased. Putting together outfits for my lady small is fun (any mother who says otherwise is a liar) and I used to really love this part of getting ready together in the morning. Since she began dressing herself, however, there is absolutely no chance. She is very much in charge in the style stakes. Occasionally (very occasionally) I may be able to sway her on a practical level. "Hmmm, Matilda, It might not be a good idea to wear just pyjama trousers and goggles to nursery today." Says I. "Why?" (Oh the never ending "why?") Says she. "Because it's cold and everyone else will be wearing proper clothes." "Why?"... And so we continue but sometimes we do find a passable compromise. To be honest, although at times I'd rather she just went along with me, purely for selfish convenience that is, on the whole I love it. I love when she makes confident decisions and is proud of herself for doing so. I'd much rather walk along with a happy little girl who looks a bit silly but is delighted to be wearing all of her favourite things at once than one who may be understandably upset and refusing to cooperate because I don't appreciate how important it is to her. And on this particular Sunday, her ensemble was just too spectacular to not share. As you can see her theme was pink, all of the pink. Underwear on head and on bum, trousers, top, wellingtons, tutu, dressing gown and rain jacket.



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Incidentally, this was also the day I discovered how difficult it is to travel a couple of hundred metres back to our house with a giddy dog, a toddler who will not go back in the buggy but will also not walk and a girl who  also refuses to walk because she is upset that she is getting wet in the sudden downpour and a three wheeled buggy with a puncture. Ah, the perks!

garden green and tasty (...and swampy and weedy too)

Our lovely scruffy garden is definitely a work in progress but the children couldn't care less. Knee high weeds are a jungle to them and I'm certain they preferred it when I hadn't yet planted up the veg patch, they had a mud garden to squelch about in. It's a joy to pull the odd gnarley treat from the ground, though. I'm day dreaming of having a croft and a few animals one day. A donkey and a goat, top of the list. Donkeys are my favourite.

just pretend bedtime, Mummy.

Matilda and George playing beds on the sitting room floor a couple of afternoons ago. Today has been one of those funny stop-start, no George nap, teething and a bit all over the place kinds of days but with (just)  enough of those lovely hilarious moments to keep us all going. And look at them, simply the best.

sunday at home.

Play dough warm from the pan feels good on small tummies and chasing kittens is endless fun. Matilda and George obviously have each chosen their favourite kitten friend already. George slows down for gentle cuddles (between trying to carry his Rumpus around by her head/tail/ears) with clumsily careful holding hands. Bouncing on the bed and eating tasty treats. I loved slowing down with my two today.

along the sea wall.

Do you like Matilda's running face here? Makes me chuckle looking at this photo. I've been told that Matilda and I even run exactly the same and well... It's not too hard to believe, even with that face on. There are many some aspects of me that can be likened to a magnified toddler. I suppose. (According to Tom.)
It's been quietly busy here lately, as life mostly is with littles. Round about 137% of my available attention is required by both of my children and it's been more consuming than usual just recently. I find myself feeling the 'PHEW' a bit more post-bedtime. Getting anything above the absolute necessary done in the home is a bonus but indulging in the outdoors is still my reliable cure-all (and favourite thing to do, any excuse welcome), especially when no-nap, teething grumbles are with us and I'm holding onto that before the everlasting Hebridean winter hits again.

Our camera finally gave up on us last week, hence missing a week of the 52 project. But... hooray hooray we bought a new one. Our first DSLR. We went for a Canon in the end and so far it is brilliant.

I hope your weeks are treating you well and that you get to run around in the long grass, too.

LITTLE THINGS

Scots flag up high/Gathering clumps of cut grass/Lews Castle/Roses cut with Matilda one warm morning/We took your hilarious headgear a wandering/Playing together/Floatings boatings

Linking up with Emily at The Beetleshack and the 'Stills'.

52

Matilda: Up, up, up the hill we go... Leading the way and just making sure your head gear is in order. You'll go barefoot whenever the chance is there.

George: I gave you a haircut last weekend. It seems you are an actual boy now.

Thanks to Jodi for sharing these portraits of my two last week.

Joining in with Jodi's lovely 52 project.

summer rain, come again.

Yesterday found me tired and tense and on my best 'Un-Fun-Mummy' form. A long hot day that started just before 5am with much too much (for me) of Turbo-George's stuntman antics, a lot of playing 'I Smell A Naughty Kitten Poo, Now, Where The Hell Is It?!' and poor tired Matilda, the 5am wakee. By late morning I was definitely not in the mood yet quietly holding it together but come afternoon I'd had enough. Tea time I was on the verge and when bedtime finally rolled around I was well and truly over it, not winning any parenting points at that moment in time I can assure you. Still, I managed to cajole a kicking, sobbing Lady Small to sleep and settle George then I completely collapsed into the quiet of the evening. Just as if they knew, those dense and muggy summer skies opened up and down fell the warm rain. Soothing and clearing the air and my temper with it. I pushed every window as wide as they would go and let that clean air in. A nice Guiness (all I could get my mitts on) and a bit of lazy behaviour put me back together again.

N.B. Photo above... Just because she's scrumptious.

summer wanderings: lews castle grounds

Summer days are sweet but few, here. They could be snatched away before long, so a wandering we go whenever chance shows itself. 20 minutes stroll to 'The Grounds' (with my luggage laden phil & teds) turned into almost an hour with my lady small who must converse with every passing bug and speck of fluff... No hurry. We spent a lovely few hours taking summer in... Peeking through pretty gates, paddling in the shallows of the slipway, watching the ferry get smaller and smaller as it sails away, climbing dusty hills (barefoot, of course) and shouting really loudly from the top. Ice cream from The Woodlands Centre and we even almost made it home in time to avoid any no-nap-for-George-meltdowns, almost. Not a bad way to spend a beautiful day.