52 weeks of happy

{19/52}

love has most certainly been in the air around here this week!

1.some extremely yummy biscuits, made for a valentines themed school cake sale - the recipe was from my Rachel Allen 'bake' book, she had made them as christmas biscuits, but i thought they'd go down well as a valentines treat too

2. a sweet card from my littlest bunny

3. some beautiful flowers bringing a smile to my face whenever i catch a glimpse of them {i love how flowers can do that}

4. & no photos but i can't let the week pass without expressing my pancake related happiness - i love love love them! i make them quite a lot for weekend breakfasts round here but we all welcomed them as a weekday treat too

52 weeks of happy

{18/52}

1.playing around with my fabric scraps has resulted in an obsession with making a scrappy stripy quilt top! this one might take a while, but i get a big smile every time i catch sight of those fabric scraps

2. lazy Sunday morning, pancakes for breakfast = very happy

3. having to get up early on a work day was made a lot happier by catching a glimpse of a pretty moon & the most beautiful coloured sky

4. sorting through the baby clothes, this is a double edged sword, i'm going to become an auntie again which makes me very happy, but it also means no more babies for me, i must have a big clear out - but  being able to pass onto someone special certainly eases the blow

52 weeks of happy

{17/52}

1. hello february its nice to see you & just as nice to see the snowdrops peeping through

2. easy peasy muffins - cooking with the littlest can be fun {& easy!} with this great recipe from attic24, we went with apple & cranberries for ours, but sure we'll be making more 

3. an extremely wet dog walk today, was cheered up by the wearing of my knitted socks, they did a great job of keeping my feet happy

4. BBC 6 musics greatest hits top 100 countdown has had me dancing round the kitchen whilst throwing dinner into the slow cooker this morning - which is always good fun

52 weeks of happy

{16/52}

1. although i'd be quite happy to wake up tomorrow to find it all had melted, it still makes me happy to find the beauty in all that white stuff we've been getting

2. a bright & cheery new table cloth, a fab bargain in the cath kidston sale, i was lucky to find some of this in the chichester store as they'd sold out online, my last one had lasted years & years but had a few cuts in {mostly my fault!} but there were enough of them to mean that wherever i sat the smallest ones they always managed to spill their drink right on one of the parts with a hole in!

3. one a penny, two a penny, i love hot cross buns, even better are the discovery of the M&S apple & cinnamon ones {i'm also really keen to try out their belgium chocolate ones too, thanks to the tip from mrs biddle!} 

4. i've totally loved watching the great british bake off for comic relief this week & have been rather obsessed about making a bakewell tart since, it was an itch i just had to scratch, so i made some bakewell slices this afternoon, timed perfectly to be ready when we got in from school - they are every bit as yummy as i had hoped {i used the recipe from my very well used rachael allen 'bake' book}

52 weeks of happy

{ 15/52}

1. SNOW, so much snow, this has made me happy for a number of reasons, but it has certainly made the kids & dog happy, little Barns loves it! he's made me chuckle every time he asks to go out & run around like a loon in it

2. slippers, these make me happy every single day {if i'm home they are on} but i've been especially appreciative of them lately

3. some happy colourful knitting, a very quick belated birthday present made up for a small person, based on a basic mobius cowl, knit in garter stitch in left over yarn from another project - i've enjoyed knitting this

4. a new print for the littlest one, from the absolutely brilliant mr printables website

52 weeks of happy

{14/52}

oh dear, i seem to be getting later & later with my happy posts, this weekend seemed to creep up ever so quickly, which was a blessing really, this week was rather a shock to the system, but one which we all managed & are now grateful for a few days respite  {i've not been taking many photos lately, partly because of the grey skies, but also i've either been too busy or just too tired really}

1. a finished knit, oh how i love that feeling of sewing in the last of the ends, adding the buttons & then ta da, this ones come up a little big - opps, i'm still happy with it, will be back later in the week to share the details

2. dusting off the sewing machine & {almost} completing something, again i'll be back in the week with the details, as soon as i've finished off the hem!

3. as strange as it sounds but the drop in temperature here in the uk is bringing a smile to my face, an excuse to wrap up extra warm & get maximium usage of all the hats, gloves & woollen goodness {& fingers crossed there might even be some snow}

4. a trip to the panto with my kidlets tomorrow, a weekend treat

52 week of happy

{13/52}

i've found getting to the end of this week mostly more un-happy than happy, mainly because i've loved being surrounded by my family this christmas, the hubs took off the same holiday as the children, which has been just lovely for us all, as he normally works alot!, i also know i have to spend some time this weekend sorting out the school / work clothes, PE & school bags etc & will get that sinking feeling sunday night, we've had a quiet few days so when i take time to think about it i have many small {but important} things to be happy about, i did manage to capture a few pictures on the phone

1. fire lit, feet up & knitting - my happy place

2. my bandit girl print from the black apple, i'd been wanting one of emily's prints for such a long long time, when she had a little sale before christmas i couldn't resist, she took an age to arrive - so long so that i thought she'd lost her way, but she's now in the perfect frame & where i can look at her everyday

3. Hestons mince pies for waitrose, not like any mince pie i've ever had before but ever so good

4. a super quick knit for the littlest one & super cute on her too - pattern details found here

52 weeks of happy

{12/52}

far too many things keeping me happy this week, most of which has been beyond me to get photos of, but you will have heard & seen it all before, lovely time spent with my family & friends, being grateful to have them all close, cooking & enjoying lovely food together, the littlest one & i are taking today out to be quiet and make the most of having the house to ourselves, while the boys are out at a football match, i'm really looking forward to seeing the new year in with good friends {& plenty more good food & wine!} hope you've all found some quiet time over these busy weeks - i dont plan to be back untill the new year - have fun!

52 weeks of happy

{11/52}

1. making the most of todays peace, i found time in the middle of all the washing, wrapping, decorating, last minute knitting, to take a breather & put my feet up - it was lovely!

2. i finished of the last of the knitted gifts, phew! 

3. teachers gifts have been gifted, school has broken up - hoorah, no packed lunches or school run for two weeks

3. we're tucked up safe at home, candles are lit, dinner is in the oven, i can take a deep breath & enjoy it all

52 weeks of happy

{10/52}

1. another food related happy, grannys bread, made with the help of little O today, still warm from the oven, just perfect spread with butter

2. school evening carol service at our village church, my little angel, it really was lovely

3. made a start on writing some cards, feeling far more organised now!

4. the children decorated the tree & i actually didn't feel the need to move it all around again once they'd gone to bed! 

52 weeks of happy

{9/52}

1. homemade mince pies - you can't beat them {although i do cheat a little & buy a jar of mincemeat} i could make a batch of these every couple of days as they never last long,

2. being poorly is the perfect excuse to stay at home keeping warm & snug, the littlest one was off school a couple of days {seeing her in her new xmas nightie makes me very happy}

3. i had a go at making some sweet sugar & cinnamon almonds, they worked a treat first time & didn't last long either! i plan to make another batch to gift as presents, this was the recipe i followed, i halved it this time but won't be next!

4. more knitting on the go {knitting always makes me happy} another quick knit - will share when it's finished

52 weeks of happy

{8/52}

1. december is upon us - we're all rather excited

2. our latest film arrived - i've been wanting to watch this for ages, so looking forward to snuggling down later with it this evening  {or maybe tomorrow as we need to catch up with the killing III first} 

3. happy post! i was really lucky to win a little give-away from lilymoon, over on her facebook page, these beautiful postcards arrived this morning, just so lovely

4. i had my first gingerbread latte of the season this week - mmmm sure it won't be the last

you can visit lilymoons etsy shop over here or pop over to facebook as i think she has got another give-away going at the moment

52 weeks of happy

{7/52}

friday sure did come round fast again, the weeks are slipping by too fast, still i've got a lovely three day weekend thanks to a school inset day on monday - hurrah

1. i'll get the boring bit out the way first, a new washing machine, rather strange, but this is making me soooo happy, our old inherited one had been on the way out for quite a while, as always things go wrong when you could do with the money to spend on other things, but ho hum, i really can't live without one of these & its rather lovely to have properly clean clothes again

2. i couldn't resist these at the supermarket - the young girl on the checkout politely remarked that i had started my christmas shopping, i couldn't keep in a little chuckle as i replied i didn't expect them to last that long!

3. a little baking with the kids {we of course had to split the dough three ways, i got a little carried away with mine}

4. getting together the bits for my next project - i love new yarn & this lot was another bargain from kemps 

52 weeks of happy

{6/52}

what a week - rather unplanned but i've spent a lot of time at work this week, so i'm a little late with my happy!

1. so to turn a negative into a positive i am thankful that i do infact have a job, especially one which fits in so well around my family & i can't deny that the extra shifts will be a very welcome addition come payday

2. as it's children in need in the uk today, i {along with a whole school full of children} got to wear my pj's to work, which was rather lovely considering what a grey & miserable day it is here today

3. coming home for a warm bowl of soup & hot buttered toast at lunch time {this really did make me ever so happy}

4. i'm so glad that Barney & i got out for a very long walk on tuesday, as it's been his only long walk of the week - sorry boy, we'll make up for it this weekend

52 weeks of happy

{5/52}

1. a new dress, i'm in love - a little treat to myself for working so many extra shifts last month

2. ignoring the chaos & enjoying a cuppa with an eccles cake

3. catching a glimpse of the colours in the new baktus {when it's not keeping me warm that is}

4. making lists & planning my christmas makes

52 weeks of happy

{4/52}

1. think i may just have found the perfect pattern for my noro yarn, i'm loving how this is knitting up

2. school holidays = visit to my folks, the kids get very excited about visiting & its lovely for me to get to spend some time with my mum {& little O becomes ever so helpful around her nana} this visit we also helped my {not so} little sister to move into her very first house {& see her new baby bump for the first time too!}

3. in between the rain showers, getting out for blustery walks with my boys

4. then being able to snuggle up with them both {maybe with a movie} to keep warm & snug

twenty five - 52 weeks of happy

{3/52}

1. the little people & myself are getting a little excited about halloween!

2. last walk to school today for 10 days peoples - a much needed break from the routine for all three of us!

3. autumn, goodbye rain - hello cold {please}

4. tea, i'd be a really miserable person without it

seventeen -52 weeks of happy

{2/52}

1. a small 'background' project i'm working on, when one of my {many} other projects is not keeping my attention or i don't know what to start first, it's great to have a little slow stitching to work on, to keep my mind & hands busy

2. my slow cooker, i would truly be lost without this

3. my little O seems to have settled beautifully at big school

4. getting strict on limiting the amount of tv the kids watch, seems to have gone down far better than expected {although i may have to invest in a paper & felt tip company the amount of drawing they are now doing!}

six & seven - 52 weeks of happy

 {1/52}

1 .a weekend with very little planned, quality time as a family, the small people being able to get out front & play with friends, being able to slow down & take it all in

2. nutella madeleines, recipe from over here, so tasty

3. the last of the home-grown veggies - not very many but they tasted good too!

4. the sunshine, i don't mind the cold {in fact i rather prefer it sometimes} but i do love to see the sunshine