Sunday 27 November 2011

Christmas arrives at Alderville Rd


I had a little helper this year!
Max got to wear the special 'decorating apron' & Santa hat.
We started off with the bay tree out the front.....




Welcome to our winter wonderland!


Max took it all very seriously, and did a brilliant job. Maybe this stuff is in the genes???


I'll let you in on a little secret. I told Richard I would put up the tree 2 weeks before Christmas. And he was the one who went and got it out of storage and asked could I please put it up in November as per our Cardiff family tradition! Love that.




xxx

Thursday 24 November 2011

Husband hits 40!




HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARLING!
Hoping this is your best ever year of family, marriage, fatherhood, fun, work & play.
So happy to be on this journey with you!

Your Jo

xxx

Sunday 20 November 2011

Birthday weekend treats


The weekend I turned 37 went a little like this.....














Saturday - Windsor. A walk by the river. Max finding sticks. Trying not to skid on all the duck poo. A pub lunch.

Sunday - presents, afternoon tea at The Langham Hotel, a spectacular sunset, X factor & X stitch! (Cross stitch! My Emily Peacock cross stitch project arrived yay!)

xxx

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Pretty Coastal


Quite transformed by these pics found at Desire to Inspire.

Flowers, found objet, stripes, rough timbers, books, art, all thrown together in a seemly effortless manner.

More is more people!








xxx



Tuesday 15 November 2011

Today was all about.....


Those last few leaves.......


Long shadows.......


Icing ginger biscuits with Max......



Happy.
xxx

Cushion d'jour!


In love with this 'Concourse' cushion by Andrew Martin available at John Lewis.
Love it, want it, need it!
xxx

Monday 14 November 2011

Charmed I'm sure!


Okay, okay, okay.
I may just have found the perfect gift for the special women in your lives.
Guys listen up!
What could be sweeter than a completely individual and personal charming charm necklace?
As usual Anthropologie have nailed it with these babies.
The idea is you choose a chain, (from memory there were 5 different styles) priced at a very reasonable £14. Then you add whichever charms (all £12 each) take your fancy.
All the charms have that 'found at a flea market' feel about them.
Likey likey!














xxx

Sofa LOVE



Check out this super cool sofa my friend Holly had made for her son Artie's playroom.
JUST....LOVE....IT.

xxx

Sunday 13 November 2011

Today


Nesting mode went into overdrive! The nursery is DONE, pics will be posted soon.
Displays were arranged......




A very moving parade went by our house.......



The farmers market was heaving with autumn vege and I went to town making these chicken & vege pies.....



Decided to do even more veg in the form of sweet potato & potato mash tops......



Looking forward to tucking into these bad boys later!
What did you get up to?


xxx

Friday 11 November 2011

Dummy Wars!


Oh man! Oh man, oh man, oh man!
What a morning.
My son is seriously addicted to his dummies and I am at a loss.
He is like a drug addict needing a fix!
He wails like a banshee if I attempt to hide them.
I have tried cold turkey but it is just too hard. I crack after the first 3 hours of screaming and pleading.
Dear readers, can any of you offer me advice here?!
I am putting it out there right now - I have to get Max off these hideous things before baby two comes along. And NO DUMMY for baby two.
My Mum threw my brothers dummy into the fire in front of him when he was three and he still talks about it like he is scarred for life (he is now 35!!!)
Not sure if I am ready for such drastic measures?????
HELP!!!




xxx


Wednesday 9 November 2011

Winter project - Tapestry


I have decided to make one of these fab tapestry cushions designed by Emily Peacock.
But how to choose, how to choose!?
This is the PERFECT crafty project to take me through winter. Something I can have on hand, which does not make a mess and can be put away from busy little hands at a moments notice.
I am pretty sold on 'KISS' or maybe the 'HOPE' anchor.
Do you have a favourite?







xxx

Monday 7 November 2011

I won't be SAD this winter!


It's that time of year again when darkness descends. November - February for me is just bleak bleak bleak.

I'm such a summer girl, and I find these dark London winters hard to cope with.

A couple of years ago I was really suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder. It was so bad that I had to leave the UK and head back to New Zealand to recuperate.

As much as I would LOVE to be heading back to the sunny shores of NZ over the winter, there are two things holding me back this year........

1. I am hugely pregnant.
2. I am slightly poor.

So each morning while I am blogging, emailing, facebooking, drinking my coffee and eating my marmite toast I sit in front of my SAD light. (It should really be called a HAPPY light though!)
And bask in it's summery glow.

It is amazing the difference it makes for me. I can literally feel my serotonin tanks filling up!


Getting my daily fix of sunlight!


There are a huge range of lights on the market and you need to spend a couple of hours parked up in front of them, (no hardship for me!)

What coping strategies do you have to get you through winter?


xxx