Hoooooray!!!!

Hello! It's me again!

And I'm sooper happy cos I got Jim-Jams!

And they do turny-roundy!


But Lucy said that just because my Jim-Jams did turny-roundy it didn't mean that I had to do it too and that I was being a bit of a pumpkin. But that's just silly cos my jim-jams be bluey not orange!

But I said I liked doing turny-roundy so there!

And do you know what we gotted to do yesterday?

No? Shall I tell you then?

We gotted to go out on a 'naventure!

Firsty we went on a loooooooooooooooooong journey all the way to Katie's house because she was having people round to play in her shed all day.

But Katie's shed isn't like Lucy's shed at the lotamunt.

No it's not.

It's a sooper-dooper shed with lots of pretties in it


and I wanted to stay and play in there ALL day.

But Lucy said NO, and that we had to have our pickernick


so we sat in Katie's garden to have our lunchtime but Ollie and Mattie be'd silly billies and climbed on Katie's willow archy thingummy which grows over her bathy (cos Katie has a bathy in the garden!) and I told them to "Get Down Right Now".

And then we went to see Katie's Treehouse


but it was a bit scary for me and Mattie and Ollie because it was very too bigger for us so we had to be carried up and then Lucy said we couldn't bouncy on the bed so that made us sad.

Dorothy and Daisy and Fred told us all about the otherer time they came to see Katie and they helped make the bed in the treehousey and put a pebble under the mattress to see if the lady who was going to stay there was a princess.

(Dinky Little Daisy and Fred May 2007)

And Lucy bought lots of lovely things from Katie's shed but she says she's going to show you them a nutther day because she wants me to tell you about going to see her Mummy and Daddy on the way home from Katie's house.

Only it wasn't really "on the way home" and she and Mr Locket did drive and drive and drive but it was very pretty out of the window and I only sleeped for a little bit.

And Lucy's Mummy and Daddy's garden is VERY pretty so Lucy tooked lots of photos of their flowers


and then she took some photos of the naughty Little Lockets too


and Fred be's laughing cos he sneaked up on Grandpa Dog when he was snoozelling and whispered "Chocolate" to make him wake up and he did!

The End.

Happy Families (Part 2)

Hello there! My name's Hattie and I'm a Kinder Girl.

Sumtimes Lucy says I be's bossy but that's only cos my little brother and sister always be's naughty and silly which makes me be crossy.

This is my sister Mattie.


She's smallerer than me.

And this is my brother Ollie.


He's very smaller and very silly.

We all live at Lucy Locket's house and our bestest friends are the Little Lockets, Dorothy, Daisy and Fred.

But Jodie (she's the really clever lady what lives a verrrrry long way under the ground from here) she said that if you wanted to make us invite us to stay then you HAD to make us clothes cos we don't like being nudey.


So we don't like this photo and we told off Lucy Locket.

And said her had to give us "our clothes back RIGHT NOW!"

So she did.

This is me in my favourite dressy with owlies on. I like owlys cos they be cleverer like me.


And Mattie likes her birdy dressy.

But I don't know why, cos birdies don't be as cleverer as owlies.

And this is Ollies outfit for when he be's good and goes to play at the seee-side, only he HAS to wear his hat so he doesn't get sunburnted cos Jodie says so.


Mattie and Me is happy cos our dresses do turny-roundy and be pretty on the OTHER side too!


But it's not fair.

Cos Ollie has TWO dressy-uppy outfits so he be's Robin Hood

(but Fred be's a silly sausage and doesn't know where he putted Ollie's robin hood belt and quiver!)

AND he be's a pirate!


But that's just cos he's a silly boy.

And he kept wriggling when Lucy was trying to take the photos so they went all fuzzy-wuzzy.

But do you know what?

What's even worserer not fair!

Mattie and Ollie be's lucky and have pyjamas too!


But Lucy hasn't made ME any pyjamas.

No she hasn't.

Even though she's made founded a whole new Kinder Girl called Tilly for her friend Janice and she's made her a dressy AND pyjamas.

So I be's cross. And I've told Lucy Locket that she HAS TO MAKE ME SOME JAMMIES NOW!

And I've even chosed the fabrics for my Jammies


even though Lucy said she wasn't sharing these with ANYBODY!!!!

Hee hee hee!

Happy Families (Part 1)

Miss Maggie, Master Mike and Miss Midge Magoo

Just love hanging around together


climbing trees

having piggy-backs


and playing in the garden


but sometimes they just like to chill on the sofa

(now why can't the children be as calm?????)

The grass is always greener

Why is it always the case

no matter how many beautiful fabrics you have in your stash

(and believe me, I have plenty!)


that other people's fabrics always look so much nicer?

Or is it the way they have chosen to combine them,

the very fact that each arrangement is unique,

that makes my own combinations and choices look so dull in comparison?

There are obviously things I've created that I love

and enjoy


no matter how often I look at them



but I still get a very bad case of that pesky old

I'm-a-green-eyed-monster-and-your-grass-looks-better-than-my-grass

ENVY

whenever I go blog hopping!

Apart from when I get gorgeous gifts like this

from a very kind friend

and then I don't feel any envy at all

just a pleasant smugness

(cos it's mine, all mine!!!)

Such a lovely book

I was recently asked to review a cookbook and was rather anxious as I waited for it to arrive.

What if I didn't like it?

Now I know the whole point of a review is that you say what you really think of something but I was worried how I'd manage if I couldn't find positive things to say.

Well I needn't have worried.

I can honestly say that this

The Abel & Cole Cookbook Paperback

is one of the NICEST COOKBOOKS I have ever seen.

And when I let my mum look at it she nearly didn't give it back!

(At least that's solved what to buy her for her birthday)

But why do I like it so much?


Is it because of the gorgeous photography?

(this is my most favourite picture of all - don't you love it?)

Yes, that's one of the reasons.

Is it the delicious recipes?
like "Garlicky Broad Bean Salad", or "Rhubarb Bread and Butter Pudding", or "Roasted Squash and Wild Rocket Risotto"

Yes. I love it for that reason too.


Is it the way the book is laid out by season?
So that you can easily see what to use with vegetables when they are fresh and available (either from an organic box scheme, farmer's market or your own allotment)


Yup. I love it because of that too - especially as it has lots of innovative recipes and ideas for using purple sprouting broccoli which is one of the lovely surprises each Spring.


Or is it because it is so darn funny?
"Health Warning: this recipe only works with English Strawberries in June. Do not attempt in February as the lack of taste may induce clinical depression."


and cheeky?

and irreverant?
(by cooking standards that is)


Yes, I think that's what I love most!

But, I guess it's all of those reasons combined.

A really cool book.

And you can get it for only £5 if you live in their delivery area and buy it from here or you can get it here. You can also look at some examples of their recipes here.

Have a look. I think you'll be impressed.

Birthday cakes and Pyjamas

Fred was VERY lucky this year when it came to birthday cakes.

Not only did he get the traditional and exceptionally yummy Granny Biscuit chocolate cake that we all have for our birthdays,


but he also had a lovely cake at Granny and Grandpa Dog's house yesterday (photos on Granny's camera unfortunately)

and this fabulous stack of chocolate cakes made by my friend Jane!

And look at the lovely ones she made for Daisy's birthday - seriously scrummy!


But finally his birthday has come to an end and, although Fred hasn't got his pyjamas on yet, and is currently impossible to drag away from all his new Playmobil, Ollie is all dressed and ready to sleep (and so are we!!!!!)

Hopefully I will now be able to get back to blogging a bit more regularly - although I'm still going to be working fairly full-time for a bit (what a weird experience that is ;o) Not used to that at all!)

Hope you all had a fun weekend too! Lucy x

Happy 7th Birthday Fred!!!!

Well, we had even less of a lie in this morning - after a very late night last night as we wrapped and built and sewed and finished off Fred's presents.

and I think we can safely say that this


is his favourite present of all time!

But he loved everything he was given and was also very pleased with his two new friends


Mike Magoo (medium sized this time!) and Kinder Boy Ollie - masquerading as wicked pirates!

Ollie has a whole range of outfits

Including shorts and a t-shirt and a matching sun hat to stop him getting "sunburnted" and dinosaur pyjamas

and most excitingly of all


A Robin Hood outfit with mini bow and arrows to match Fred's own!

(Oh how I loved making them!)

Happy Birthday darling boy - there's loads more fun to be had today!