two become four

BritMums Blog Carnival

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:30:00 +0000

Welcome to the latest BritMums Blog Carnival... it's a day late, for which I apologise immensely... I had completely underestimated quite how much work would be needed to put a carnival of this size together!

I have been sent thirty amazing posts to showcase and will openly admit to getting distracted on some occasions and found myself reading through whole archives of posts instead of focusing on purely the carnival posts in question. It really is a great way to find fantastic new reads that you may not otherwise have stumbled across unaided.

So without further ado, grab yourself a cuppa... turn off all distractions... put your feet up and settle down for some excellent reading...

Source: imgfave.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

First up, a post to get you all thinking. Hannah at Muddling Along asks can women have it all? In today's society, is it possible for women to reach that top rung of the career ladder and have an organised, tidy home? Pop on over to share your thoughts.

Along the same theme, Lydia wanted to share her post that discusses the differences in parenting styles of mums and dads.

Ellie instantly grabbed my attention with her amazingly delicious looking Chocolate Vanilla Muffin Recipe... she claims her daughter is a cakeaholic, but I think it's just an excuse to bake lots of cakes ;) This may have been one of the blogs that I got distracted on... there are quite a few more delicious recipes to be found here too!

Stacey also sent in a recipe - her first successful pie - Turkey and Gammon Pie. This sounds right up my street. Incidentally, I’m on the search for a traditional pie plate… not a dish per se, but more a plate with a shallow dip and wide-ish brim… if anyone could help by pointing me in the right direction as I’m coming up blank at the moment!

Carol gives us a carnival within a carnival! Over on Make It, Bake It is the round-up of her In Season Challenge featuring one of my favourite vegetables - savoy cabbage.

Another recipe... but this time a crafty one... Becky at Adventures of Parenthood shares with us a very concise recipe for edible finger paints so that our budding Picasso’s and Monet’s can get creative without the worry of them chewing on anything harmful.

On the subject of food, Elaine's daughter shares her experiences of food allergies and intolerance. As someone who is fortunate enough not to have any allergies and intolerances it is quite an eye-opener as to quite how much you have to take into consideration and the restraints it puts on you.

Next up we have the first of two posts that have been written as part of Nickie's prompts for the Clic Sargent Yummy Mummy campaign to help raise awareness and support for children with cancer. Debbie shares an honest post about what family means to her, and Amy talks about the indescribable feeling of separation and not being able to be there for your child when they need you most.

On a lighter note, Lisa (Write on Mum) shows us her cunning side as she manages to sneakily get access to funds from the bank of mum and dad! And Second Time Mummy entertains us with her embarrassing moment of the year!

Were you a Barbie or a Sindy girl? I had a Sindy... I loved her to bits and she even had a whole wardrobe of clothes handmade by my young self! Janine was a Sindy girl too... and now her daughter has Barbies she asks whether the clothes that Barbie wears have an impression on our young children.

Meanwhile MsExpat's little Angelo is running rings round her and constantly on the go... but she is happy because this is finally helping her to learn how to play.

Have you ever been told to pinch a babies toes when they are crying? Rebecca gives us her list of the worst parenting advice she’s received… do you have any to add?

Moving on, we have a selection of posts discussing the world of blogging and social media... Michelle talks about blogging and cliques, and comes to the conclusion that it's just like the real world. A great read for anyone disillusioned with blogging.

Kelly (Domestic Goddesque) shares her twitter policy - something I'd not considered before, and has given me a few things to think about... the most niggling being if everyone was to reply to all their mentions, wouldn't that mean we were tied up in hundreds of unending conversations? How do you know when a conversation has ran it's course? I'm never very good at these things!

I guested over on the BritMums blog this week with my blogger's guide to Pinterest... but in light of recent revelations I'm where to go from here? Is this just scaremongering, or should I also be locking down and/or deleting my boards? Are you carrying on as normal?

I think I may have been one of the few people in the country who didn't tune in to One Born Every Minute... perhaps it's because I didn't quite get the birth that I'd imagined? Who knows! There have been many birth stories recounted on the blogosphere in recent weeks, and MumReinvented shares with us her pain relief-free birth story that ends with one of the greatest Christmas gifts ever!

Desperately hoping for the chance to write a birth story of her own, Amy is holding out to see those double pink lines that indicate the start of the journey towards parenthood. I think Amy needs a little encouragement and support, so head over there to show her some love.

Multiple Mummy Kerry says farewell to her Home Start help and tries to break down the stigma associated with this lifesaver of a service (something I wish I had brought myself to use!).

I love this time of year... give me cold weather and I'm a happy bunny. Over at Kids One Stop Shop you can find out about all of the fun things you can get up to, even in cold weather, at your local parks. We had a very chilly picnic a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Smiling and Sparkling is a blog that talks very openly about depression... in her carnival entry she tries to work out when, or even if, you can say that you are officially no longer depressed... which also ties in with my submission for the carnival... things are good at the moment - and long may it continue!

Were you aware that this week was National Eating Disorders Awareness Week? Nope... neither was I! Emma has a very open and honest story to share about her journey through life with a eating disorder... a very moving post to help raise awareness.

Jen would like to share a post from her new blog, Love Chic Living, where she gives advice on finding our own home interiors style, and Helen would like to talk about cloth nappies - a subject she is extremely knowledgeable on... which is useful as she's also just recently launched her online cloth nappy store. Best of luck Helen!

Rebecca explains why chickens are clucking marvellous and manages to make me insanely jealous! I want some chickens now! And Steph shares a beautifully simple post... sometimes all a girl needs to make her happy is a pretty, twirly skirt :)

On February 12^th another great star was taken from us before their time. I’m guessing many of us also took a moment to stop what we were doing and consider what Whitney has brought into our lives, as HerMelness did.

To finish off we have a few thought-provoking posts... Sandy talks about friendship, Liz talks about the brother and sister she's never met...

And for the final entry we have a post from Sarah the Suburbanite… I’ve left it till last because I don’t think anything can, or should, follow it. Be warned though, you will need to go and grab some tissues as she talks about heartbreak and acceptance. I shan’t say anymore as I don’t want to do her incredibly moving post an injustice by attempting to sum it up.

I hope you enjoyed reading through all of the posts as much as I did. If I have missed you out, or mis-linked, please let me know so that I can make any corrections.

I think I may go for a little lie down now and give my eyes some well-earned rest!

Don't forget the next BritMums Blog Carnival will be hosted by the lovely Kelly at Domestic Goddesque on March 6th

Source: Uploaded by user via Rebecca on Pinterest

Wise Words Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Source: designscouting.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

And I'm Feeling Good

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:18:00 +0000

It's been a long time since I could say that I felt truly happy, stress-free, or relaxed... and I am not going to say that I am 100% there yet... far from it - there are big things going on in the background that I'm not blogging about - but... something has changed these last few weeks.

I'm not sure how, why, or what... but it's like someone has flicked a switch in my mind. I am beginning to enjoy life a whole lot more... I am a lot more relaxed and not letting every little thing get to me... and the knock-on effect it is having on all other areas of life is quite something.

Perhaps it's due to the big things that are going on... making me realise that life is for living, not dwelling, worrying, stressing? I don't know... but it is definitely making it easier to deal with, and focus on, the bigger things.

I am enjoying being with Tilly and Jasper even more... not that I wasn't enjoying my tireless bundles of energy before. The change in me has had a huge effect on them too. The old adage that a happy mum means happy children is definitely true! They are much happier... meal-times have become less of a hassle... they are perhaps a little more well-behaved (although we still have a way to go!)... and Jasper's confidence is soaring.

Listening and watching them play together just makes my heart swell to bursting!

Little things like...

Watching them eat strawberry cornettos together at Grumps', 'chinking' them together and saying "cheers"... something that they have been doing with their beakers since Christmas! They also did it with their first ever swizzler lollies, stretching across to each other between car seats.

Watching them run around Nana's house like the crazy little lunatics they are, with blankets grasped round their shoulders like capes and shouting "super Babba (Jasper)" and "super Tilly"!

Tilly announcing she has a willy... and then realising "oh no, it's just my belly button"

Or even Jasper declaring that his wee-wee (willy) is not working!

And my current favourite... Jasper's new phrase: "d'awlright then"... "Jasper, can you come and sit at the table for tea?", "d'awlright then"... "Jasper, can Tilly play with your red car?", "d'awlright then"... too cute!

I love my little family... they bring me sooooo much joy :)

♥ I'm linking up with... ♥

The things they say and do at Thinly Spread

Twin Peaks at Young & Younger

Reasons to be cheerful at Seasider in the city (the brainchild of Mummy from the Heart)

52 weeks of grateful at Maxabella Loves

Project 365+1 | Pages 4 & 5

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:08:00 +0000

So we're well and truly into February now, and my Project365+1 is still only in digital form! I've been spending too much time deliberating over which will be the most cost effective way of printing.

My options are:

Print at home... but that means decluttering space and setting up the printer... then forking out stupid amounts of money to buy ink cartridges... and then trawling through the boxes in the spare room to dig out my photo paper (which I have a feeling might be the wrong size for the images anyway, so might involve more expense)
Use a photo printing service such as Photobox or Kodak. Although I need 3"x3" images, which are difficult to find, I could get 2 images on a 6"x4" and trim to size (with a little wastage) or 6 images on a 9"x6" with no waste. And the OCD in me likes this because they will all be printed on the same type of paper (I do like everything to be uniform throughout!) rather than the mish mash of papers that I have.

Now I just need to sit down and work out which really is the better way to go... thoughts, anyone? Although it sounds like I may have already made up my mind!

Soooo, here are pages 4 and 5 of the album. I had to re-do these as I originally did what I knew I would do, and forgot to put in the February marker... at least I'm predictable!

peppermint tea before bed // self portrait // a super[natural] walk

favourite mug + yummy hot chocolate = 1 happy mummy // tabletop art gallery

duuuude! where's my facecloth? // the bionic woman // memory lapse

'sno(w) fun when you've gone to bed! // ponyo noodles! // pink, glossy, box

splatter painting + movies = a good day // planking? // dinosaur toast and lava soup

route planning // kitchen casualty // the muppets

How are you keeping up with Project 365(+1)? I'm sooo pleased I've not missed a day yet! Although I will be spending more time during the week at my mum's, which means I will be iPhone-less... so will be snapping away and then converting to instagram when I get back home each week... only 3 more months until I can upgrade my sorry effort of a Blackberry!

Don't forget... you can find out all about my plans for my project 365+1 here... and see all posts by clicking here... or follow my daily photoblog here.

Wise Words Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:42:00 +0000

Source: lifelovepaper.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Valentine's Make It | Frozen Milk Hearts

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:44:00 +0000

Inspired by pinterest again... this is what we've been enjoying today!

Milk coloured with a little red food dye and then frozen in heart shaped ice cubes. We've had them in cold milk and watched as it slowly turned pink, and also in hot chocolate to help cool it down! And the great thing is that being milk it doesn't dilute the drink!

For one ice cube tray I used 8 fl.oz of milk mixed with half a teaspoon of red food dye.

I'm thinking these would be good with creamy, liqueur-based cocktails too ;)

What have you been doing for Valentine's Day?

BritMums Blog Carnival | Call for Posts

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:24:00 +0000

Wow... It seems a lifetime ago that I put my name down to host a BritMums Blog Carnival, but it's amazing how quickly my turn has come around!

That's right... the next carnival will be held over here... whistles and costumes are optional.

The date: Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

The place: two become four

RSVP: Please email, tweet, facebook or leave a comment with a link to the post you would like to submit by 19:00hrs, Sunday, February 19th

The small print: No theme. One post per blogger, written in the last 4 weeks. No sponsored or commercial posts. Further details can be found here.

♥ credits ♥

carnival image source: flickr.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Storyteller Tilly

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:06:00 +0000

♥ credits ♥

cute mouse image from maileg

digital scrapbook elements from paislee press

itc american typewriter from myfonts

Wise Words Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:18:00 +0000

Source: etsy.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

I've been doing a lot of this recently... and it feels good :)

Style Inspiration: Thandie Newton at the 2011 Elle Style Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:00:00 +0000

The Next Blogger Network has just launched the Red Carpet Challenge for the 2012 Elle Styles Awards in which 2 lucky winners get the chance to go to the style awards and the after show party courtesy of Next!

Now that's a challenge I'm more than happy to take on! The challenge is to take one of the red carpet looks from last year's style awards and recreate the look using only Next products.

Browsing through the red carpet looks I was immediately drawn to Thandie Newton. A classic beauty... her outfit is simple yet stunning, and exactly what I would love to wear (if only I had her figure!). I did a bit of searching and found that she arrived, and left, the awards also wearing a rather glamorous faux leopard fur jacket... so I've added my interpretation of that into my creation as well.

Thandie wore an iris print Louis Vuitton gown with sequined waistline. The dress that I've chosen is not an exact representation... I was more inspired by the colours and the sequin detailing. The look doesn't require much in the way of accessories... but I've thrown in toning clutch and wedges, and a sparkly bracelet just to add a little bling. Finish off the look with simple make-up... a touch of lip stain and some vamped-up nails. Perfect!

Embellished Halterneck Maxi Dress, £68 :: Animal Print Jacket, £34 :: Sparkle Raffia Envelope Clutch, £16 :: Gold Wide Expander Bracelet, £18 :: Geisha Wedge Sandals, £26 :: Models Own Purple Grey Nail Polish, £5 :: Stainiac Lip & Cheek Stain, £10

What do you think? Is this a look that you'd wear too?

Disclosure: I am a member of the Next Blogger Network, a private online community for selected bloggers to connect with Next. I am not paid to write these posts, and Next have no editorial control whatsoever about what I blog about. Being a member of the Next Blogger Network means that I may receive the occasional goodie or product to review, or even invites to previews and other events. This does not affect how I write and will always blog with honesty and integrity.

Style Inspiration | Disney's Bolt

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:26:00 +0000

We are now at the stage where Tilly and Jasper are happy to sit for longer stretches to watch feature length films, whereas before we were lucky if they could sit through the entire recording of the Gruffalo. Which is great because we managed to record quite a few of the fabulous family movies (I'm calling them family movies to justify my enjoyment of them too!) that were on over the Christmas break.

But one of them is requested every day without fail... Bolt - or Penny as Tilly likes to call it. It's a fab film about a dog who thinks he has superpowers, on his journey to reunite with his human, Penny.

Tilly loves Penny... and I can understand why. She's strong, confident, and gets to fight the bad guys... I can see my tastes are rubbing off on her!

So Penny is the subject of my latest Style Inspiration... enjoy:

1 - Bolt 12" Plush :: 2 - Littlelife Ladybird Daysack :: 3 - Next Girl's Shorts (part of set) :: 4 - Villervalla Stripe Leggings :: 5 - Villervalla T Shirt :: 6 - Converse Kids Shearling Hi Tops :: 7 - Micro Sprite Diamond Red Scooter :: 8 - Villervalla Long Sleeve Top

What do you think? I can just see Tilly dressed in these... totally loving the Converse and stripy leggings!

You can see more items in my Bolt Style Inspiration pinboard... and why not follow me over there too!

Which characters are your kids currently idolising?

Disclosure: affiliate links contained within this post

Wise Words Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Source: cn-richardson.tumblr.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Make it: Tabletop art gallery

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:49:00 +0000

This morning when I was thinking what to do with Tilly and Jasper I suddenly remembered something that I did once when I did a short stint as a nursery assistant 5 years ago.

I was having trouble getting some of the boys to play at the drawing table, so I covered the table in paper and drew lots of frames all over it before inviting them to pretend to be a great artist and create their own masterpieces! They were all quite excited to join in, even the ones who were complaining that they couldn't draw/didn't know what to draw.

Afterwards my supervisor came up to me and told me she'd been watching and listening (I hadn't noticed as I'd been just a little bit engrossed in what I was doing!) and was hugely impressed with what I'd been doing considering I was unqualified... and had only had about 3 weeks experience of working with children!

Even though that was with 4 year olds I thought Tilly and Jasper would enjoy having a go too... and it has the added bonus of not having to continually pick the paper up off the floor for them... still have to do it for the crayons though!

I spent about 5 minutes setting it up, and when Tilly and Jasper got up at the table they knew instantly what they had to do... I've no idea why, but they instinctively went to draw inside the frames! Much fun was had by all :)

All you need is a roll of any type of paper (I used greaseproof paper, shiny-side down), some tape and a black marker pen... and then crayons, pens, pencils, paints to paint your masterpieces.

Tape the paper to the table... doodle frames everywhere... Bob's your uncle, you've got yourself one tabletop art gallery!

I posted these photos up on facebook earlier today and the lovely Maria suggested that you could also stick photos inside some of the frames and even stick the whole thing up on the wall when finished (although I would suggest using white paper if you are going to do this).

The possibilities are endless! You could use stickers... cut out and stick pictures from magazines... try to get older children to recreate famous masterpieces... use black paper and chalk. It's also great to keep them busy in the kitchen while you can get on with other things (hopefully) uninterrupted!

Tilly gets straight in there with her trusty red crayon!

Oh, and look... Jasper's gone straight for the blue pencil... imagine that! He's a leftie, just like his mummy :)

If you have a go at this I would love to see your pictures... and please let me know if you can think of any other things that you can to with a tabletop art gallery :)

motivation | inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:16:00 +0000

Catalogue image from Next

My new Next Directory came through this week and it took me back almost 16/17 years! It's amazing how trends come around again.

Flicking through the pages took me on a journey back in time... to when I'd just left school and was enjoying the freedom of earning and spending my own money... on major drinking sessions... new cars (I miss my purple mini!)... and clothes for work. Ahhhh, those were the days :)

Back then the Next Directory was my bible! I can picture it all even now... the cropped black trousers with the white blouse a la Pulp Fiction... short little floral dresses... bright red skinny jeans (although I'm sure the phrase "skinny jeans" hadn't been coined back then!)... and then there were my all time favourites... a pair of snake print skinny jeans... I lived in them! Worn with a black knitted jumper, a pair of German army boots, and lots of black eyeliner!

And it appears that so many of these are back on trend... knits, cropped trousers, floral dresses, skinny jeans, animal prints... perhaps not the army boots though - although I'm sure I could happily substitute them for a pair of motorbike boots ;)

I kept getting drawn back to the above picture... and yearning for the days when I was a size 8 again and didn't have to spare a single thought to how little, or how much, I ate. If Keith and I had met 17 years ago I am sure we would have looked like this... which is why I will be printing this out and sticking it to the fridge and inside cupboard doors.

I know it's highly unlikely that I (we, even!) could get back to the body that I had back then... but it's good to have something to aim towards isn't it?

Project 365+1 | Page 3

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:28:00 +0000

I cannot believe how quickly January is going, and that it will be February next week! Is it wrong to want time to slow down just a little bit so that I can take in and savour all the good moments?

In other news... I still haven't bought the supplies for this project yet, but as the delivery of Project Life goodies into Amazon has been delayed I will be buying the album and photo sleeves this week so that by the end of Tuesday I can print off, or send to print (not decided which way I'm going yet... although having no printer ink may be a deciding factor!), all of my January photos... soooo exciting!

So, as previously, here's the mock-up of what page 3 will look like...

sous chef // chipped and peeling // blurry beauty

shiny + new // rocking all the way home // #cravendale kermit

the look of concentration // partners in crime // making pizza

Find out all about my plans for my project 365+1 here... and see all posts by clicking here... and follow my daily photoblog here.

Guest Post: Driving you crazy? How to avoid arguments in the car

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:24:00 +0000

Your partner doesn't like asking for directions. You don't like sharing the CD player. And you’re both backseat drivers.

These habits can cause arguments and sour the atmosphere when you’re driving with a loved one. Worse still, they lead to stress and distractions which can seriously impair your driving ability. Let’s take a look at some of the common flash points while driving and how they can be overcome.

Navigation

According to the AA, 53% of people argue over map reading. A sat nav system can solve this problem. But without one, you’ll have to fall back on the old-fashioned art of map reading. The navigator needs to keep their wits about them as they may have to take split-second decisions on motorways. But, above all, everyone needs to be patient. A few wrong turns are nothing compared to a full-blown argument that ruins the journey.

Backseat driving

An AA survey has revealed that 33% of us admit to backseat driving. And almost 60% of women feel they are nagged by male relatives about their driving.

Constant criticism can severely affect a driver’s confidence. Try to avoid commenting on your partner’s driving unless you think it’s absolutely necessary. If you really want to make a point, wait till you’ve pulled over.

If you’re teaching your partner to drive - or they’re teaching you - and it’s causing arguments, perhaps you should consider switching to professional driving lessons.

Sharing driving duties

It’s not only fair to share driving duties on long journeys - it’s safer, too. Decide beforehand how you want to split the responsibilities to avoid last-minute disagreements.

Make sure that the same person isn’t driving continuously for too long. Driver fatigue may cause up to 20% of road accidents, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

Another point to remember is to ensure that both drivers have adequate car insurance before setting out.

Sharing the radio/CD player

Some people think the driver should have control of the car stereo. But why not be democratic and give everyone in the car a chance to listen to something that suits their taste?

To avoid unnecessary rows, try not to criticise the choices of others. Find neutral ground where possible, and make sure the volume suits everyone.

If course, passengers can always use their personal players with headphones.

Designated driver duties

Obviously, whoever is driving has to stay within the legal alcohol limit. To be certain, it’s best not to drink at all. Make sure you have a clear agreement beforehand so that everyone knows where they stand and there’s no confusion about who can drink and who can’t. Planning ahead will avoid any last-minute arguments or, even worse, getting stranded because there’s no one fit to drive home!

Lack of consideration

The key to avoiding arguments in the car is showing consideration to your co-passengers. Not thanking the driver after a long journey, adjusting the car’s temperature to suit only your needs, and being critical of your partner’s driving can all lead to flare-ups. Try to keep a calm and retain a positive atmosphere so that it’s a pleasant journey for everyone.

Disclosure: I have received no form of compensation for this guest post from Sainsbury's Bank. I am happy to post this as I agree with their values and am a happy customer of a number of their services.

Wise Words Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Source: cubiclerefugee.tumblr.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Out and About with the Pink Lining Twins Change Bag

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:44:00 +0000

Just before Christmas we were sent one of the first review samples of the Pink Lining Twins Change Bag to video and review before it hits the market at the end of this week.

If you missed my first post, go check out my introduction and initial thoughts... and now here's a very short snippet of us out and about doing our Christmas shopping. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised that the shoulder strap fitted across the handles of the double buggy with no buggy clips needed. A huge tick for Pink Lining!

Stay tuned later in the week for our final review of the Pink Lining Twins Change Bag...

Disclosure: I was provided with the Pink Lining Twins Bag in order to video and review, but this does not affect how I write and will always blog with honesty and integrity.

Goals for 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:03:00 +0000

Source: life-love-laughter.tumblr.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Despite the lovely time we had, and the twins thoroughly enjoyed Christmas, I found it a very difficult end to the year and struggled even more with the beginning of this year.

I've been putting off writing about my goals for the year... to be honest I just want to huddle away and for time to stand still. How are you supposed to celebrate a year that has so much uncertainty about it and most likely won't end well? How selfish is that? After all, it's not all about me!

So I have made myself to set some goals for 2012... if only to keep me going for everyone else's sake!

The big one for the year will be to declutter the house... there will be more on this soon, but I am tasking myself with getting rid of at least 10 items from the house each week, whether that be through selling, donating, repurposing or disposing... and to keep a record of everything to keep motivated and on track.

To create weekly. I need to use crafting as therapy and keep my mind focused and I'm loving using pinterest for inspiration. This will involve me putting aside one evening a week to have some time to be in control over how/what I make. I am a total control freak, and much as I love getting crafty with Tilly and Jasper, I do find it so difficult not taking over!

To make a better effort at keeping in touch with friends. I am useless at this and tend to be the one replying to messages (eventually) rather than sending out little texts, emails to let people know that, although we've not seen each other for a good while, they are in my thoughts. I have never had a huge network of friends outside of family, but I have had the pleasure of meeting and becoming friends with someone amazing, supportive, beautiful people in recent years, that I find it difficult to know what is 'expected' of me as a friend!

To preserve family memories. I have failed miserably at creating photobooks since the twins were born... we don't have a single one, and I am very annoyed at myself for this. Digital is great, but nothing can beat flicking through and poring over photos in an album. This is why I have decided to attempt project 365(+1) again to capture the daily snapshots of our life, and Project Life (when it becomes available in a few weeks) to document it in a little more detail. I've only ever done digital scrapbooking so I'm quite excited about this.

To lose weight and get fit. Well it had to be in there, didn't it! Not too much to add to this really... other than my comfort eating is totally out of control and I'm struggling to reign it in :( No food in the house is safe from me! I have just ordered Zumba Fitness for the Wii, so will soon be seen dancing around the front room with my 2 little sidekicks :)

To be an awesome mother and wife by becoming a totally domesticated, house-keeping goddess... I fear this is unfortunately the one goal that will take the most work!

So there you have it... my goals for 2012. I'm probably setting myself up for a huge fail!

How about you? I know I'm a bit late with this, but what goals/resolutions have you set for this year?

Project 365+1 | Page 2

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:46:00 +0000

As I'm not at the stage of printing off the first month's photos yet I thought I'd post a quick update of what page 2 will look like (sort of) in the flesh.

For more information on what I am doing with my Project 365+1, and to see page 1, please have a read of my plan. I am still yet to buy the supplies for this project as I'm waiting for the Project Life products to come into stock on Amazon and then I'll be placing my order... which should hopefully be in the next few weeks... exciting stuff!

we're in for some sleepless nights, i think! // getting crafty for our anniversary // mrs pineapple head

bargain anniversary roses... £15 down to £3... thank you tesco :) // dot weewuls // all wrapped up :)

angry bird? // i wanna hold your hand // coming soon to an ebay near you, aka the start of the big declutter

Are you doing Project 365+1? I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am! Please leave a link in the comments so that I can make sure to follow you :)

Wise Words Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Source: eversolovely.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Angry Birds Children's Face Masks

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I bought a pack of craft foam on a whim from Poundland ages ago and it has since been sitting in my stash glaring at, and taunting, me because I hadn't found a use for it yet...

That is until yesterday! Inspiration suddenly struck. Face masks.

My original idea was to make some nice little woodland creature face masks... but the craft foam is a rather spewtastic selection of rainbow brights. Not really very natural at all. I didn't want to stray too far from the nature theme so I settled for those cute little red and blue (yes, I know I should veer away from the gender-based colours) feathered friends otherwise known as the Angry Birds.

They were stupidly quick and easy to make... here is what you will need:

Craft foam of various colours
Paper, pen and a pair of glasses to create template
Scissors
Double-sided sticky foam or tape
Hole punch
Elastic cord
Circular object as guide for eye-holes

Simply use the pair of glasses as a size guide to draw your template onto paper, then trace around this onto your craft foam and cut out.

Use a circular object (I used a perfume lid) as a guide for the eye-holes... you don't even need to draw around it - if you press down it will leave an impression that you can then cut around.

I decided to use double-sided sticky foam because I'm impatient and can't wait for glue to dry... but you could use either to stick the beak piece to the main mask.

Finally use a hole punch to punch holes for the elastic cord. Attach the elastic cord and then find a willing child(ren) to model your fabulous mask(s) and run around the house shouting 'tweet, tweet, tweet'.

Angry Bird?

The boy was a little less willing to pose for photos so I had to step in...

Slightly demented bird?

Moody bird?

Not bad, eh? (The masks, not the modelling!)

I have a few ideas for the rest of the craft foam... all masks... perhaps a skunk and a pink rabbit for starters... watch this space ;)

Recipe: Perfect Chicken and Root Veg Roast

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I love one-pot dishes not only for their ease, but also for the minimal washing up that they produce too. No mountains of saucepans and wooden spoons at the end of the evening. Perfect.

Tilly takes after me and loves her roast parsnips... she could probably eat a whole plateful... in fact she probably did yesterday after hoovering them up off everyone elses plates!

Jasper, on the other hand, is a carnivore... so this dish keeps them both happy.

Perfect Chicken and Root Veg Roast

Prep time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4 generous helpings

You will need:

4 carrots, large - peeled and cut into wedges

3 parsnips, large - peeled and cut into wedges

1 onion - peeled and cut into wedges

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 tbsp olive oil

Chicken seasoning (I use Schwartz Perfect Shake - Chicken)

4 chicken breasts, skinless

125 g cous cous, crushed

150 ml boiling water

Directions:

Begin by preheating the oven to 200^oC.

Place the carrots, parsnips, onions and garlic into a stoneware dish, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with chicken seasoning, then toss until evenly coated.

Place the chicken breasts on top and rub in a little more olive oil and lightly sprinkle with a little more seasoning.

Place in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 45 minutes, then cover loosely with foil and continue cooking for a further 30 minutes.

Serve with cous cous that has been prepared by soaking the cous cous in a dish with the boiling water and allowing to stand and absorb for at least 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

A very thrifty anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

This year we are going into super-frugal overdrive... where we can cut costs and save money, we will... where we can make the odd buck, we definitely will... and we are trying to apply it to all areas of our lives.

The first chance we have had to put this into practice was today... our 4th wedding anniversary. I'm not really one for spending money willy-nilly on every single celebration of the year... and cards - well, you'll get a card from me if you're extremely special and I'm feeling flush! Christmas, for me, is the one big celebration of the year... and we've even got that down to a budget that works well for us now.

Keith, on the other hand, is quite the opposite... I'm having to re-train him ;)

So, how did we celebrate our anniversary on a tight budget?

After quickly finding out that the traditional 4th anniversary gift is fruit and flowers, and apparently there are also flowers associated with each year too (who knew?)... hydrangea for us then... I had a think and remembered there was a sorry attempt of a hydrangea bush outside our kitchen window, and it had a single bloom on it that had been slowly ~~dieing~~ drying away. Perfect.

My plan was to use an idea from pinterest to make a pretty, glittered jar for my lovingly harvested hydrangea 'posy'... a beautiful idea, no? It just oozes romance and Keith should love it ;) And best of all... I had all the materials to make it, so no money would be spent... result!

I'm quite pleased with the finished item... and secretly Keith is too, he just doesn't want to admit it ;)

Our next bargains to be had were the evening before our anniversary. We had taken the twins for a 'late night' shopping adventure in attempt to tire them out (it's been a nightmare week so far... new beds + twins = no sleep for anyone!).

In an attempt to recreate the tropical feel of our honeymoon in Malaysia we grabbed a rather large (ie head-sized) pineapple for £1 and a coconut for 60p... food sorted then. Lovely.

But the biggest bargain of the evening, thanks to the fact that we were shopping as they marking things down, was a gorgeous bunch of 14 red roses marked down from £15 to £3... not bad indeed!

So there you have it... our very thrifty anniversary... very little money spent, but much love and fun shared :)

How do you celebrate your anniversaries?

Wise Words Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca McLuckie) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Source: piccsy.com via Rebecca on Pinterest