lately

We've returned. Back from our mini spring break. We had a really great time, playing in the sunshine and dodging showers.

We went to Strangford in County Down and stayed in the lovely Number 42, a proper home from home.

Strangford is a little village on the mouth of Strangford Lough. There is a small harbour, overlooked by rows of chocolate box cottages and a lovely georgian terrace.

We made the most of every ray of sunshine and visited some local National Trust properties. Mount Stewart was particularly gorgeous. The plants were covered with beautiful blooms. The bluebells were abundant and we visited a swan sitting on eight eggs in her nest on the lake shore.

We enjoyed a sunny afternoon in Newcastle, walking along the seafront, letting off steam in the playground and finishing up with strawberry milkshake for the littles and coffee and lemon drizzle cake for us.

We hoped to drive along the Mourne Coastal Route but were forced back by the pelting rain.

So plans were changed. We visited W5. It really is a great place to enjoy on a wet day. The boys had lots of fun in a science workshop about slime. They even learned how to make their own. Fun for the school holidays.

We visited a great garden centre and bought a few more vegetable plants for the garden. Pickleaf lettuce, mangetout and swiss chard. I am really looking forward to eating some home grown veggies.

Strangford was a lot of fun. Far enough from home to feel like a proper break but only a two hour car journey. Really important when travelling with wee ones. There are only so many times you want to hear 'are we there yet?'

Hope you all had a lovely week and are enjoying the rest of the weekend.

52 weeks of happy (31/52)

Joining in as ever with the lovely Jen at little birdie, here are my four simple happy things for this week.

Spending the long weekend at home, gardening, planting the vegetable beds and enjoying some sunshine between showers.

Gorgeous blossom in the garden. Blackthorn and a new addition called The Bride. I love the simplicity of white blooms. 

Going to the cinema to see a film. It was the little fairy's first time and she loved it. We don't go often so it always feels like a special treat and i loved seeing Paperman which won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. A lovely story with beautiful animation.

Ironing. I know, not what you might expect, but i was ironing and packing for our little jaunt to the coast. We head off tomorrow. There is a lot of excitement in our house tonight.

So I will be disappearing for the next few days but am looking forward to catching up when we get back.

I hope you enjoyed the weekend. Thanks for the advice and lovely comments about my rabbit. I will let you see, when I get it framed.

rabbiting on

Hundreds of little stitches became, a cross stitch rabbit. Or maybe a hare. I love hares. A few visit our garden to play in the early mornings.

They aren't always the most welcome visitors as they feast on new plants and vegetables, but thankfully these are an obliging bunch and leave well alone.

Anyway, I digress. Back to the rabbit. I found this lovely pattern on pinterest designed by hancock's house of happy. It was a pleasure to complete and was thoroughly addictive.

I chose different colours and used two strands of embroidery thread on 14ct aida.

I wanted the finished piece to be larger than the original pattern so i scaled up. Each square on the pattern became four, one wider and one taller so the pattern grew to scale. The finished rabbit is 19cm by 22cm.

I'm going to have it framed but need a little advice. How do I iron it to remove the creases without damaging the stitches. To steam or not to steam?

Any tips from you crafty souls would be greatly appreciated.

goodbye april

Eventually spring arrived in April, late and a little unsure of itself. With a little luck it is here to stay and we will have a lovely May full of sunshine. I think we deserve it, don't you?

My garden moodboard for April has some pretty blossom. The trees and shrubs are coming into leaf in beautiful shades of green.

There are lots of yellow tones in this month's collection but I was determined to find another colour. After some rooting around I found a tiny blue flower. Speedwell. A weed but a pretty weed, so I was happy to find it.

Next month will be the one. My garden will be ablaze with colour and my moodboard will be happy and bright. Here's hoping anyway.

Linking up with karin a fotografi.

52 weeks of happy (30/52)

Another week has flown by. April has been a really busy month here. Now it's almost over, I'm looking forward to a more relaxing May.

So for the thirtieth 52 weeks of happy (I do hope you aren't bored to tears) here are my four simple happy things. The look of pure happiness on our birthday boys face at his birthday party on Saturday afternoon. He had an absolute ball.

Getting reacquainted with my digital SLR. I really love my camera but had gotten out of the habit of using it as it was easier to carry a smaller digital camera. Now I have no need for a bulky baby changing bag I can carry it again. I would love a pretty camera bag though.

An afternoon out with Mr F on Sunday. A few precious hours stolen for ourselves while the little ones visited their grandparents and the opportunity for lunch in our own company. Bliss.

Beautiful blossom everywhere. So pretty and delicate.

Wishing you all a really happy week.

seven

Today we have a birthday to celebrate. Our eldest is seven. He is so precious and we are so, so proud of him. 

Our gentle soul, brimming with kindness and the most infectious sense of fun. We all love you so very much.

There was much excitement on your birth day. Being parents was new to us but you were and are perfect and have made it easy for us.

Happy birthday to our beautiful, blue eyed boy. Wishing you every happiness.

52 weeks of happy (29/52)

My four happy things this week. Daffodils picked from our garden, the blooms of the bulbs planted late last year.

Visiting the Creative Crafts Show with my lovely friend and feeding my fabric habit.

Cross stitching like crazy.

Preparing our vegetable patch for new plants. One bed done, another to do.

It just proves it is the simple things in life that make me happy. Hope your week was full of happiness too.

As always, I'm linking up with the lovely Jen for 52 weeks of happy.

april showers

Today, we played a game of 'will we, won't we'. Should we brave the unpredictable April weather and head out for a spring walk. One minute we had blue skies and gorgeous sunshine, and the next grey skies and pelting rain showers.

Tiring of being cooped up at home we decided to go to Derryvore, one of our favourite places for a walk.

It hailed as we drove there. Such crazy weather, but after a few minutes wait in the car the weather faired and we went rambling.

We dodged raindrops and puddles. We walked to the lough shore and watched the fishermen in boats from the jetty. I think they appreciated the cloudy sky much more than we did.

As we wandered back up the lane, past the church the skies cleared and the sun shone.

We explored the woods. Spotted lots of new growth. Buds and blossoms were everywhere. Primroses, blackthorn blossom, violets and dandelions were all around.

The sun was warm. We even managed to shed a few layers.

This photo says it all. A day of two halves. Did you enjoy some sunshine today?

52 weeks of happy (28/52)

Spring has sprung and that makes me very happy indeed. As always the simple things making me happy this past week.

Orange tulips. A change from yellow which I always seem to be drawn to, but just as beautiful. I adore this pretty spring flower.

A welcome rise in temperatures, despite the fact is it blowing a gale at the moment. The sun is shining, the sky is blue and I definitely feel warmer.

The little fairy mothering all her 'babies'. She has many stuffed toys and dolls and these gorgeous little mice from the lovely Lazy Daisy Jones are her current favourite. She loves to make them dance together.

And also, booking a little family getaway to the coast for the May bank holiday week. I can't wait. I do hope the sun comes out to play.

Linking up as always to Jen at little birdie. 

nature in the home

Linking up with Lou's nature in the home series this week, some pictures taken at the Ulster American Folk Park.

I love the fact that having nature and plants in our homes is something which has spanned hundreds of years.

This is the main living room of a thatched cottage in Ulster. On the table is a fern in a glazed terracotta pot. The style and furniture is quite en vogue now, don't you think?

And the fireplace in a log cabin on the American Frontier, complete with herbs and flowers drying on a line of string above the fire. Inspiration for ways to include nature in our homes today.

52 weeks of happy (26/52 and 27/52)

Following Jen's lead, I am including two weeks in my 52 weeks of happy this time. I have fallen behind and I'm hoping this will help me get back on track.

It's difficult to believe that just over half a year has passed since I started recording my simple happy things. Time flies by so quickly.

Week 26 and 27 brought Easter, lovely days out and a birthday. A really busy time but one full of happiness.

Another lovely #postcircle letter.

Easter fun. Decorating, crafting and hunting for eggs left by the Easter bunny.

Help and support from my lovely parents when we really needed it.

Country walks in bright spring sunshine.

And a lovely birthday for my little one.

We have had a fun two weeks and now it's back to routine. School again this morning.

Thank you for all the lovely messages you have left recently. Lack of time means I don't always get the chance to reply but they mean the world to me and I really appreciate them. I just thought you should know.

three

Today our little fairy turned three. Our baby has grown into the most beautiful little girl, full of love, fun and laughter. Adored by her family and friends.

She arrived early on a warm, bright Easter Monday morning and has filled our lives with sunshine every day since. You are so loved, little one.

We have a small birthday party planned for tomorrow afternoon. She is so excited.

nature in the home

Just popping in with my picture for Lou's nature in the home series. We have had an interesting Easter. That,s the best description I can come up with.

Mr F and I have been very ill after eating something dodgy on Saturday and are feeling a little delicate. To say the very least.

My lovely mum and dad came to our rescue on Monday and took the little ones out for the day so we could recuperate.

We are much better now and enjoyed a gentle afternoon walk yesterday and a more boisterous day out today, so all is well again.

And the sun is shining. Spring is finally here.

happy easter

March has been a bitter month. So cold with harsh east winds and plummeting temperatures.

My garden is paying the price. The plants have wrapped themselves against the wind and only a few brave little souls have blossomed. We have lovely willow branches with their little furry buds, daffodils from bulbs planted late last year and a shamrock for March. A mellow yellow moodboard this time.

Our garden is a work in progress. We built and moved into our house just over three years ago so the garden is quite immature and more abundant in trees and hedging plants. We do have a lovely wildflower bank but it doesn't appear until later in the year.

As a result, I am a little envious of the beautiful blooms in Caroline and Polly's pictures. So I have fluttered my eyelashes at Mr F in the hope he will find some pretty flowering plants this year.

He is a landscape gardener so you would think I should be on to a winner.

Wishing you all a really lovely Easter and I hope that the sun shines on you all whatever you get up to.



52 weeks of happy (25/52)

Late again. Busy, busy. Excuses, excuses. Anyway, here are my four happy things for 52 weeks of happy. 

Receiving my first #postcircle letter. Lovely words written on pretty stationery with a little gift too. I am loving #postcircle.

Cross stitch which is proving pleasingly addictive.

The Easter holidays and a welcome break from school routine.

And planning a little family break for May.

Wishing you all a happy week. It's nearly Easter meaning chocolate amongst other things. I'm happy already.

washi tape egg garland

I love washi tape and the endless possibilities. With Easter very nearly here I wanted to cheer up our home in the absence of spring sunshine.

So, I made a simple Easter egg garland using washi tape, bakers twine and white card. It is so simple and one the kids can help with. The little fairy had a lot of fun helping me cut and stick, one of her favourite activities at the moment.

So to make the garland, draw or find a suitable egg template in a size you are happy with. I found one through google images and then sized it to suit.

Cut out the egg shapes. I made nine which made a garland long enough for my mantle. You could maybe measure where you intend to put it and work from there.

Next, cover each egg shape with strips of washi tape. Have a play around and choose what you think looks best.

Trim the excess tape from the edges. To attach the eggs to the twine I used some hot glue and attached the twine to the back. You could punch a little hole and thread the twine through. I didn't have a suitable punch so stuck to the glue. Not literally, thankfully.

And that's it. Simple. Take your garland and hang is somewhere to cheer up a grey day.

You could also use the eggs individually to hang on an Easter tree or as tags for Easter gifts.

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Please be kind and excuse the atrocious photos. There is little or no light today.

52 weeks of happy (24/52)

My four simple happy things linking in with Jen from little birdie. 

Yellow tulips. I love them. So bright and pretty.

nature in the home

Wishing you a very happy Saint Patrick's day.

A little cup of shamrocks, linking up with the lovely Lou from littlegreenshed for her Nature in the Home series.

mysterious letters

I love letters. Snail mail, happy mail. Whatever you care to call it. It makes my day to receive mail which isn't brown or has its own transparent window.

A little while ago I came across Mysterious Letters. An art project by two artists, Lenka Clayton and Michael Crowe.

They aimed to mail everyone in a world a letter. A personal, handwritten letter to every household in the world. Quite an ambition.

So they began in Cushendall in Northern Ireland mailing 467 individual letters to the inhabitants of the small seaside town. Each letter was different, sent on the same day, in order that they be received at the same time. Lenka and Michael hoped that the letters would create curiosity and neighbourly discussion about where or why the letters had been written.

The letters caused quite a stir and you can find a video of a local news programme discussing the letters here, and more pictures here.

They have continued posting letters to Polish Hill, Pittsburg, St Gallen, Switzerland and Cologne, Germany. Over 2000 letters have been posted to date.

So when #PostCircle caught my eye on twitter recently. I rushed to join in. I can't resist the prospect of little slices of happy popping through my letterbox.

If any of you are interested, you can find out more in this post from Anna who has organised the whole thing. Now I have the perfect excuse to stock up on some pretty stationery.

52 weeks of happy (23/52)

 My four simple happy things.

A lovely Mother's Day. Breakfast in bed, handmade gifts and cards from the wee ones followed by a lazy Sunday.

ultimate chocolate cupcakes

If you love chocolate, you'll love these.

ultimate chocolate cupcakes 
makes 14

ingredients

115g self raising flour

½ tsp baking powder

1½ tbsps cocoa powder

115g butter, softened, or soft margarine

115g caster sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

55g plain chocolate, melted

method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a bun tray with 14 cupcake cases.

Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl.

Add the butter, sugar and eggs and mix with an electric mixer until smooth.

Fold in the melted chocolate and fill the paper cases.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 mins or until firm to the touch.

The topping is 60g of 70% dark chocolate melted with 60ml of cream to create a ganache style topping. Melt the chocolate and mix with the cream over simmering water.

The ganache will thicken slightly as it cools and is easily spread over the top of the cupcake. I finely grated chocolate on top.

The cupcakes are very chocolatey and my topping is not sweet. If you prefer, you could use a buttercream topping.

They would make a lovely treat for Mother's Day.

52 weeks of happy (22/52)

52 weeks of happy. Almost half way there. It amazes me how time is flying by.

I'm a little late with this post but better late then never I suppose. Linking as always to the lovely Jen. 

I had lots of outdoor happiness this week and all the fresh air definitely agreed with me.

Sand, sea and sky. Our day out to the beach on Sunday made us all very happy.

Beach treasure. A collection of shells, so tiny but so beautiful.

Blue skies. The colour, the clouds. What's not to love and finally, making a start on planning our vegetable plot. We have much to do but hopefully lots of reward later in the year.  

Wishing you all a happy week to come and the weather for some outdoor time too.

a winner

weekending

Oh how I love March and the promise of spring in the air.  The sun shone a little, it wasn't too cold and the rain stayed away so we decided to go to the seaside.  Granted not exactly toe dipping conditions but perfect for a walk and some exploring.

We flung together a picnic and took off with 'are we nearly there yet' ringing in our ears.  

We had a great day, walking on the almost deserted beach searching for pretty shells.

We drew sand pictures, explored rockpools and popped seaweed.

We arrived home exhausted in the best possible way.  The little ones are all snuggled up on a journey to dreamland, a side effect of the lovely fresh sea air.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

goodbye february ......

my garden moodboard for february ...

 

spring is awakening ...  and many of the plants in our garden are unfurling themselves from a deep, dark sleep ...

 

little buds bringing the promise of beautiful green foliage and wondrous blooms ...

 

 february's moodboard is sparser than i expected but full of promise ... the last remaining berries are all but gone, but the trees and hedges are budding and showing the gorgeous pale green of new growth ...

 

and there are even a few tiny blooms to be found ... pretty snowdrops and catkins are among the few in our garden ...

 

i have loved searching in the garden for new growth, collecting and photographing the changes in nature these past two months ... thank you Caroline for the inspiration ... x

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my january moodboard is here if you fancy a look ...

52 weeks of happy (21/52) ......

joining in with Jen and 52 weeks of happy ...

 

here are my four smiley happy things from the past week ...

 

enjoying the weekend at home, doing a bit of crafting and baking ...

 

a poorly little fairy feeling much better and completely unable to resist temptation ...

 

drying washing on the line in the sunshine ... and an airing cupboard scented with fresh air ...

 

simple pleasures ... xx

 

hope you are all having happy times whatever you are up to

 

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don't forget to pop over and enter my giveaway if you'd like ...



giveaway ......

while looking back through my previous posts i realised that i had missed a small blogging milestone ... 100 posts ... that's a lot of rambling ...

 

so i would like to celebrate with a little giveaway ... and as my 100th post was lovely things ... anna wiscombe ...

it seems fitting that my giveaway gift is a lovely brooch made by Anna ...

 

 if you would like to enter ... all i ask are two things ...

that you please leave a comment on this post ... and that you are a follower of the linen cloud ...

the closing date for the giveaway is 3rd march ... i will choose a winner at random ...
and let you know who the lucky recipient is in a blog post on monday 4th ...

wishing you lots of luck ... xx



52 weeks of happy (20/52) ......

four simple happy things ... linking as always to Jen at little birdie ...

 

spring is in the air ... the sun is shining ... and we've been ...



going for a walk in the spring sunshine with my mum ...

 

finding pretty primroses on the roadside ...

 

playing with our shadows ...

 

finishing up for half-term on friday with the promise of fun times ahead ...

 

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Mr F and i had a really great day on sunday ... we mooched around a museum, visited a craft and vintage market and finished up with a lovely meal for two ... it really made me happy to have time together to just be us ... doing some of the things we love ...

 

wishing a warm welcome to all my new followers ... it's great to have you here ... xx

happy valentines ......

happy valentines day ... just wanted to wish you all lots of love ...

 

we're not big on the commerical side of valentines here ... but i am not averse to finding pretty things to adorn our home ...

 

with this in mind i bought this gorgeous little print for Mr F ...

 

it is just perfect ... and he was thrilled ...

 

 

and to make it even more perfect ... it is the work of a blogging friend ... the lovely Jen ...

 

pop over and visit her etsy shop and blog and see her beautiful artwork for yourself ...

 

i get to enjoy this lovely print too ... clever me ... and Mr F has arranged for his parents to babysit for us on sunday so we can have a date day ...

i am very excited ... xxx



52 weeks of happy (19/52) ......

just a quick one ... 52 weeks of happy ... my four simple happy things this week ...

 

pop over and visit Jen ... this was her wonderful idea ... 



pretty porcelain knobs to finish off a diy project ...

 

weekend crafting with the little ones ... book page garlands ...

 

my eldest reading to me from some of the books i have read to him since he was little ...

 

planning a child free day out with Mr F in the very near future ...

 

 

hope you are all having a happy week ... thanks so much for reading ... xx

lovely things ... anna wiscombe ......

another lovely thing to share with you ...

 

the work of Anna Wiscombe ...



'Anna uses birds, animals and leaves in her designs, she produces a collection of decorative and functional wooden products that are full of intricate details and have their own special character.

 

 Anna's love of nature and the shapes found within it are given a contemporary edge by using bright colours and stylised forms whilst always complimenting the natural beauty of the wood.

 

Whilst pieces are replicated, no two will ever be the same, making each one an individual character for you to enjoy.'

 

 www.annawiscombe.com

 

 

 Anna makes and sells beautiful necklaces and brooches ... as well as wall birds and ornaments in her etsy shop and through her website ... you can click on the first two pictures to be taken to their listing in the etsy shop ...

i am thrilled to have welcomed a family of wall birds into our home ... i can't wait to get them up on the wall ... 



 

 

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this past week we have been otherwise engaged ... they hasn't been much time for blogging ... we were working on something special ...

 

we are happy to be a nappy free zone ... the little fairy 'is a big girl now' ... the last of the baby stage ... xx

 

crochet owl ......

a little owl ...

 

after completing the little fairy's blanket, i decided to stick to small scale crochet projects ...

i found the tutorial for the owl on pinterest ... it is from the Bunny Mummy blog ... you can find it here ...

the tutorial was really helpful and i managed to follow it until i had finished the pink ... a minor miracle, you understand ...

i got muddled with the darker pink whilst shaping the head ... but i sort of made it up as i went along ... and i think i've managed to salvage it ...

i changed the eyes slightly too ... making them smaller and stitching the pupils rather than adding beads ...

all in all ... i am pleased with this little offering ... it would make a lovely gift for a little one ...

but i am determined to master the head shaping ... so will definitely be having another go ...


52 weeks of happy (18/52) ......

52 weeks of happy ... four simple happy things this week ... joining in with the lovely Jen at little birdie ...

  

 

seeing snowdrops appear here and there ... the first glimmer of spring ...

 

bright blue skies ... a welcome change from steel grey ones ...

 

a lovely forest walk on sunday afternoon ... completely rain free ...

 

attending a parent teacher meeting today for my second little boy ... and hearing great things ...

 

wishing you all a very happy week ... xx

 

apple cake ......

apples, cake ... apples in a cake ... what's not to love ...

 

this recipe for apple cake is inspired by my mum and granny ... i grew up eating homemade apple pie ... made with delicious shortcrust pastry ... sadly i am not so skilled with pastry ... so i deviated a little and made an apple cake instead ...

it is quite moreish served with cream or custard ...

 

apple cake

ingredients

300g self-raising flour
150g caster sugar
85g butter, at room temperature
3 large eggs
approximately 3-4 tbsps of milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp of cinnamon
3 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced
juice of 1 lemon

method

preheat oven to 180 ... grease and line a 20cm cake tin ...
peel and slice the apples thinly ... once sliced, pour over the lemon juice and set aside ...

whisk the eggs with the caster sugar until light and fluffy ...
mix in the butter and add the vanilla essence ...

sift the flour gradually into the mixture ... and fold carefully ... the mixture can be a little heavy ... if this is the case, add a couple of tablespoons of milk to loosen the mixture a little ...

pour half the cake mix into the tin and arrange most of the sliced apples on top ... pour the remaining mix into the tin and add the remaining apple slices ...

bake for 45-50 mins or until golden on top ... a skewer will come away clean when it is cooked through ...

allow to cool in the tin and enjoy ...
 

i always add cinnamon ... as apple and cinnamon are one of my all time favorite flavour combinations ... my brother hates it ... so if any of you are in a similar boat feel free to leave it out ...

happy baking ... xx