tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55010402939596567882024-02-02T14:22:53.917-08:00Sanderson Smith StoryWe're a family of three: me, Steve and our son Ben, although that's if you're not including our three legged dog Gizzy, the rabbit Benjy and all our wider family and friends. This is a simple blog to document our simple life.Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-21257651977344741632013-05-30T12:01:00.001-07:002013-05-30T12:01:19.578-07:00Style slump- update 1<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Eurgh, I'm <span style="font-size: large;">so</span> frustrated with being in a style slump (which I first mentioned <a href="http://sandersonsmithstory.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/style-shopping-and-er-stuff.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I know that <span style="font-size: large;">LOGICALLY</span> I really need some chic basics to wear day to day but instead I went out and purchased these Zara bad boys...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">You can buy them <a href="http://www.zara.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/uk/en/zara-neu-S2013/358018/1193567/HIGH+HEEL+SANDAL" target="_blank">here</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Yes, they are gorgeous, yes, they're a bargain at only £19.99 but do I need them? Er, that'll be a big fat <span style="font-size: large;">NO</span> then!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This is why I think the personal shopper may be helpful, I'm always tempted to buy with the heart, not the head; these heels, gorgeous as they are, have no place in my life at the moment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">On a more productive note, I have booked in with the personal shopper at House of Fraser, I have a package from ASOS with <a href="http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-New-Forever-T-Shirt/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2107742&cid=11550&sh=0&pge=1&pgesize=200&sort=-1&clr=Grey&MID=35718&affid=2134&WT.tsrc=Affiliate&siteID=QFGLnEolOWg-uSmJez1sfWYJSvmQHQg6fA" target="_blank">this sensible basic</a> in (that I'll try tonight) and a giant package from J Crew due any day now. It's the first time I've tried J Crew but there is a further 25% off sale goods at the moment which made the price of their basics comparable to most high street stores and from what I can gather, they have a reputation for long-lasting, stylish basics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Finally, I'm going to sit down later with a coffee and <a href="http://www.realgirlglam.com/?p=13536" target="_blank">read this blog post here</a> about finding your own style, I've only had a chance to have a quick glance but it defo looks interesting.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Another update coming soon, hopefully focusing on some things I <i>need</i>, not just gorgeous things I want!xxx</b></span><br />
<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-66254709605242777682013-05-27T13:12:00.000-07:002013-05-28T12:32:17.702-07:00It's obvious he's a Pisces...<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">...just like his mammy! Finn took his first dip in the swimming pool today; we were prepared for him to hollar after about ten minutes but he lasted a full <b><span style="font-size: large;">FORTY</span></b> and didn't even cry when we got him out to get him changed!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The giant inflatables were also out and both Steve and I went sliding off them in a ridiculous manner. Thankfully there is no photographic evidence of this, though the memory of a six foot four giant ginger man flying off a children's inflatable will be etched in my memory forever!</span></div>
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-17079806880904491512013-05-27T01:11:00.000-07:002013-05-27T01:11:16.658-07:00Sunday Summary 2<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Yesterday (Sunday), we headed up to Steve's parents to spend a few days away from home. They're still in France so it means we have the run of the whole house! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To start, we headed to <a href="http://www.chillingham-castle.com/" target="_blank">Chillingham Castle</a>, apparently the most haunted castle in England (but no, we didn't witness any paranormal activity)!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It was quite interesting reading <a href="http://theutahdoots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/a-sunday-dinner-outside.html" target="_blank">a recent post by Janine at A Handful of Peanuts</a>, talking about not taking time to enjoy the moment; I'd bought a special offer on <a href="http://www.groupon.co.uk/" target="_blank">Groupon</a> to get half price entry to the castle but when we arrived, they drew my attention to the small print: the offer wasn't valid on that day. We ended up having to pay full price and my excitement of a bargainous family day out was pooped on from a great height. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Annoyed is an understatement!</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> Then I stopped. I saw Steve and Ben running round the castle grounds enjoying the sunshine, I looked down at smiley happy Finlay strapped to my chest, I looked at the stunning sunshine that drenched the picturesque castle grounds we were sat in. I was missing the moment entirely. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Sometimes you need to make sure these beautiful moments aren't lost to sweating the small stuff, that really, when you look back, never really mattered anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Hope you all had a lovely weekend folks.xxx</b></span></div>
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Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-46518822831149000942013-05-26T23:54:00.003-07:002013-05-26T23:55:42.692-07:00Sunday Summary 1<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">On Saturday the weather was glorious, it was frustrating that we spent most of the day having to run yawnsome errands rather than making the most of the beautiful sunshine. However, in the evening we were off to the evening wedding party of friends Clara and Jamie, taking place on a gorgeous farm in the Northumberland countryside.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The whole thing was pretty spectacular, the most amazing part (and saying a lot about how much these two are loved) is that nearly everything was given or made for them, from the real ales, to the HUGE vegetarian banquet to the even huger marque that the dancing took place in- all made just for their special day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We did have our 'smart' shoes with us, but after we spotted the bride had swapped her sandals for white trainers, we took our cue from her and grabbed our wellies from the car.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Excuse the lack of decent photos, a certain 13 week old baby decided he didn't want to miss a single second and was pretty much wide awake the whole evening!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Just after the bouquet thrown... and caught by the 87 year old grandma!}</span></div>
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{Ben and the beautiful bride}</div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Ben and the boys}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Fading light}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{The baby that would not sleep}</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUiQ_R63eQ6XskioYjCtHRXdB-SPrAjaN9hU3geC4rEkfZY8kUoqS0gRqKMjXHQUZOSa1ygTHrqlxfW4Uu4jynSamGsQmx9_bli719diQfPnl_-6S89JfIxQZrH9T5IozavBKGC9Qir0/s1600/photo+3+(40).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUiQ_R63eQ6XskioYjCtHRXdB-SPrAjaN9hU3geC4rEkfZY8kUoqS0gRqKMjXHQUZOSa1ygTHrqlxfW4Uu4jynSamGsQmx9_bli719diQfPnl_-6S89JfIxQZrH9T5IozavBKGC9Qir0/s640/photo+3+(40).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Ben and Alex}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Congratulations guys and enjoy the honeymoon </span>(which they are spending in a lighthouse- how romantic!)xxx</span></div>
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Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-17586856177118360592013-05-24T15:08:00.002-07:002013-05-24T15:08:22.601-07:00Style, shopping and, er, stuff.<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Imagine a sad, slightly resigned face; that's my face every morning when I go to put something on. Rewind a year and I was sorted, I had a pretty smart work wardrobe that I liked, plenty of 'going-out' clothes for meals/ drinks/ theatre etc and, when the time came, I managed to buy a load of cheap maternity stuff that, being honest, wasn't the most stylish stuff but as it was only going to be worn short term so I was happy to compromise style for economy for nine months. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>But now...</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now I stand in front of my wardrobe with a sad, slightly resigned face. I seem to have very little 'casual' stuff that I actually feel comfortable in, everything seems to either be too frumpy, too impractical/ young (e.g. skirts too short) or too 'clearly fashion from 18 months ago'. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Everything is just a little, well, bleh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">So, I've decided to do something about it.</span></b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'll keep you posted on progress, it'll be slow as I don't have bags of money, but here's what progress looks like so far:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>1. Make an appointment with a personal shopper</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'm going to make an appointment with a personal shopper; I've left my contact details with the one at my local <a href="http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/" target="_blank">House of Fraser</a>, though by all accounts, <a href="http://www.debenhams.com/" target="_blank">Debenhams</a> and <a href="http://www.johnlewis.com/" target="_blank">John Lewis</a> have good ones too (they don't work on commission and are free). Hopefully the professsionals can offer some inspiration as I'm currently walking round the shops like a zombie, buying things then returning them within a few days as they don't feel like 'me'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>2. Get some role models</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'm going to try identify those who have similar body shapes to me (where I also like their style) and take inspiration from there. I discovered <a href="http://www.vogue.co.uk/topic/style-file" target="_blank">this part of the Vogue website</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> recently and it's a great source of inspiration being able to see how style evolves. I have since developed a bit of a girl crush on Alexa Chung, not that we have a similar shape mind you (I happily have more junk in the trunk, and everywhere else), I just love her style.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>3. Use blogs as inspiration</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I love browsing at blogs such as <a href="http://cupcakesandcashmere.com/" target="_blank">Cupcakes and Cashmere</a> for the gorgeous, 'put together' clothes but, realistically, they don't suit my lifestyle or budget. Occassionaly though, I'll be inspired by a blog to purchase something I can afford. Tonight I purchased <a href="http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-New-Forever-T-Shirt/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2107742&cid=11550&sh=0&pge=1&pgesize=200&sort=-1&clr=Grey&MID=35718&affid=2134&WT.tsrc=Affiliate&siteID=QFGLnEolOWg-YFrw0eQKnLis.5PNtOOI8g&r=2" target="_blank">this simple grey t-shirt</a> based on a review on <a href="http://www.buynowbloglater.com/2013/05/airport-ootd.html" target="_blank">Buy Now Blog Later.</a> I bought a Cheap Monkey dress from ASOS last year based on one of Laura's reviews and was really pleased with the quality. I think it's useful to find a blogger whose opinion you trust and whose style you admire, and then <strike>shamelessly steal</strike> be inspired by their ideas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>4. Sort my hair out</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As you'll have noticed, I had my hair dip dyed for a couple of years and while I loved it, I was really bored of it. I went into the hairdressers and asked for this type of cut...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And this type of colour...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Well, the result was more blonde than brown (cue photo from night out stolen from Facebook)...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I am defo NOT a blonde! I looked all washed out and ill. I went back and had a brown semi put on but it's already starting to fade which still leaves me with the question, what the hell should I do with my hair???</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Anyway, rant over. I'll keep you updated and hopefully I'll find my casual/ chic/ mama mojo again soon!Happy Friday. xxx</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-14729061777024730872013-05-20T01:58:00.000-07:002013-05-20T01:58:33.088-07:00Sunday Summary 2<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Once a year, Newcastle comes alive at night (or rather, more so than usual)for <a href="http://www.thelateshows.org.uk/home.html" target="_blank">The Late Shows.</a> The concept is pretty cool: numerous venues that are normally closed to the public or, at least closed at night, open their doors to everyone. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Everyone who attends gets a funky glow stick so people wander round the city illuminated, as though we're all part of some secret society.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The best bit? It's all pretty much free of charge. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In the past, I've attended with friends and was usually accompanied by a cheeky bottle of sloe gin in my bag for top-ups when walking round the venues. </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This year, we had the boys with us and it added a new, more placid vibe to the night. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: center;">We began with dinner at a local Lebanese restaurant</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: center;"> </span><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186394-d2320353-r123257974-Albaik-Newcastle_upon_Tyne_Tyne_and_Wear_England.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Albaik</a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Falafel is probably one of my fav foods of all time}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Amusing how in every photo Finn is eye-balling the food}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We managed to fit in a visit to a pottery, a print works and <a href="http://www.sevenstories.org.uk/" target="_blank">Seven Stories</a> (the national centre for children's books aka heaven for two English teachers) where they had exhibitions on Enid Blyton and 'How to Train a Dragon'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{In the story telling chair with my boys}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Ben trying his hand at being a Viking}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{The Gruffalo and his little friend}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Handsome boy}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Funky graffiti}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Runaway horses above a doorway}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Ben tries his hand at operating the printing press}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Another lovely weekend, and the best part? Next week it's half-term so Steve and Ben are off for a whole week!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-33897826349054098872013-05-19T14:07:00.000-07:002013-05-19T14:08:33.512-07:00Sunday Summary 1<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The North East Children's Cancer Run has been a bit of a family tradition, both for Steve's family, my own and, well, probably most families in Newcastle! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The aim of the day is to raise as much money as possible for running five miles around the course (or a mile round the children's course). This was the first year that Ben was able to do the full course and, motivated by the free picnic all runners receive at the end, they ignored the mud and came in at a respectable time of one hour three minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">{</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: left;">Well done boys, you make me and little Finlay proud} </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Extra special thanks to my parents who sat and kept me and Finn company while the boys ran.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>We had a busy weekend so part two will have to wait until tomorrow, until then...Rx</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-845975779290453222013-05-10T09:33:00.001-07:002013-05-10T09:33:12.053-07:00Howick Hall<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A rare and beautiful thing happened in England last bank holiday weekend- the sun came out; sunshine over a three day weekend is a seldom witnessed but beautiful creature. We made the most of it by enjoying every last ray while out and about in Northumberland, including our first visit to <a href="http://www.howickhallgardens.org/" target="_blank">Howick Hall and Gardens</a> (just past Alnwick).</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>After a long grey winter, it finally felt like spring had sprung!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{My baby boy}</span></div>
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{<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So delicate</span>}</div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Ben negotiating the map, the grounds were a LOT bigger than we had anticipated}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Kissed by the sun's rays}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Blossoms}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Heavenly scent of Eucalyptus from the sticky sap of pine cones}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{You'd think Finlay was on solids the way he is eyeing up Steve's scone}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The weather justified a picnic, but as we had lunch before we went, we 'made do' with giant slices of cake and scones from the coffee shop. Howick Hall was the home of Earl Grey (as in the tea), so really we should have had some but instead opted for milkshakes!I had the courgette cake which, if you should visit, is a must.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In a <span style="font-size: large;">totally random </span>aside, I loved that top photo but it highlighted how desperately I need my hair doing; it look less dip-dyed and more like I've just let my roots run wild! I'm getting it cut and dyed tomorrow (with 11 week old baby in tow) so wish me luck! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Hope you're enjoying a bit of warmth where ever you are,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Rach xxx</b></span></div>
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Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-3708609247794716352013-05-05T13:30:00.000-07:002013-05-05T13:30:13.110-07:00So it's been a while... but I have a very adorable excuse!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpcaGy1uruub47p3ZI5iCkDBId1miDM1ZPOMJjUfDWyzSOXVGonvC0iiMzte0BbSl7kmLJeWzhYcBFkXv2wP7Trltw38IVutJhGUGc_f3UzqsWb2k1UtE_Et22h7NvC-Fl8ssOM1OqZ40/s1600/photo+3+(10).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpcaGy1uruub47p3ZI5iCkDBId1miDM1ZPOMJjUfDWyzSOXVGonvC0iiMzte0BbSl7kmLJeWzhYcBFkXv2wP7Trltw38IVutJhGUGc_f3UzqsWb2k1UtE_Et22h7NvC-Fl8ssOM1OqZ40/s640/photo+3+(10).JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Introducing the very lovely Finlay Graham Sanderson-Smith</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So what can I tell you about this gorgeous young man? He was born three hours after my due date, 03:05 with wide awake blue eyes, red hair and weighing in at a respectable 8lb 5.5 ounces. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Needless to say he's rocked our world and we're utterly smitten. Though there have already been countless amazing moments being a family of four, the highlight for me is undoubtedly seeing the love between Ben and Finn- it just melts my mammy heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Anyway, sorry for being away for so long, I'm sure you didn't even notice but it's good to be back nonetheless! </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Rach xxx</b></span></div>
Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-44900655793786688492012-11-14T13:33:00.000-08:002012-11-14T13:33:17.536-08:00Bumpy bookends! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTGU2kux9ZeqvzKscN0grRmnpwXrMVmSu4Y6b-is9w4dqjy5coG465GZybdln5hWNr06yF5nw0a2sLtzjAtTXJXXyPfhcxEGpZEQalpo9iZgOCUX3GeJI-UlX5fdyAstd7mFZjLfCgCI/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTGU2kux9ZeqvzKscN0grRmnpwXrMVmSu4Y6b-is9w4dqjy5coG465GZybdln5hWNr06yF5nw0a2sLtzjAtTXJXXyPfhcxEGpZEQalpo9iZgOCUX3GeJI-UlX5fdyAstd7mFZjLfCgCI/s640/photo.JPG" width="556" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Yesterday was my lovely mum's 60th birthday! We went to see the fabulous <a href="http://www.franticassembly.co.uk/productions/beautiful-burnout/" target="_blank">Beautiful Burnout</a> at <a href="http://www.northernstage.co.uk/" target="_blank">Northern Stage </a> in Newcastle. My Dad has been itching to get a photo of his two grandsons 'in transit' and so here is Kim and I with our bumps at the theatre. Kim's 38 weeks and I'm 26 weeks now! How the time flies! Can't wait to snuggle my little nephew.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>PS- Taking my mum to Harrogate at the weekend, any suggestions welcome!xxx</b></span></div>
<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-27806296837950754802012-11-11T00:40:00.000-08:002012-11-11T00:40:02.988-08:00A super easy felt craft (heart created by hand)<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Though I love crafty things, I'm afraid my skills in the 'crafty' department are somewhat, mmmmm, <strike>none existent</strike> simple.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">That said, I was a little bit <strike>smug</strike> pleased about how this turned out. It's not going to fill you with awe but, if like me, you're not the most talented craftster (and yes, I did just make up that word) on the block, it may offer a little inspiration:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>A Lovely Little Heart</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirS6U_t8DwKWdlYs0-eKUQ6HY25onH-IIuA_6b6ji0Vh8ppSSJsAEjddaZPQdlKvi6T_hFtrf_siBjYtQNnU2qN6t5RXJiQC8t5KkR4rBcOLpOsk7ooufPRpFoFQvUlX9Qdfd1G_FcGM4/s1600/photo+3+(29).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirS6U_t8DwKWdlYs0-eKUQ6HY25onH-IIuA_6b6ji0Vh8ppSSJsAEjddaZPQdlKvi6T_hFtrf_siBjYtQNnU2qN6t5RXJiQC8t5KkR4rBcOLpOsk7ooufPRpFoFQvUlX9Qdfd1G_FcGM4/s640/photo+3+(29).JPG" width="500" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>felt (about 50p a sheet from <a href="http://direct.hobbycraft.co.uk/products-Hobbycraft-Plain-Felt-Sheet-In-Cream_272658.htm" target="_blank">Hobbycraft</a>)</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>thread</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>buttons (I got a giant bag for 99p from <a href="http://direct.hobbycraft.co.uk/search/buttons" target="_blank">Hobbycraft</a>)</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>ribbon</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>stuffing (pulled from one of Ben's old soft toys)</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>fabric glue (again, <a href="http://direct.hobbycraft.co.uk/products-HobbyCraft-120ml-Multi-Purpose-Fabric-Glue_244197.htm" target="_blank">Hobbycraft</a>, £2.99)</b></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">1. Cut the your desired shape. To make two either fold fabric in half and cut at the same time of use the first shape as a template. You may want to pencil sketch onto the felt first.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNj62rbJqONvERGU6-5aKaNO5w6QXB7apzrQHFHwHJDkDQuLB9ft4_5JBbO9T3atCRZ9iORmipMYOGuT0HqatXDdxSDkv3s0YWcB7sIPDtn6wxBTUhNmIoEamlQWHw627yKwT2m6uFyPA/s1600/photo+2+%252835%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNj62rbJqONvERGU6-5aKaNO5w6QXB7apzrQHFHwHJDkDQuLB9ft4_5JBbO9T3atCRZ9iORmipMYOGuT0HqatXDdxSDkv3s0YWcB7sIPDtn6wxBTUhNmIoEamlQWHw627yKwT2m6uFyPA/s400/photo+2+%252835%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">2. Using fabric glue, stick buttons on (this holds design in place while you stitch). Once glue has dried (about 20 mins), stitch buttons on with thread. </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">NB- it can be tough pushing needle through glued area so you may want to use one of those little rubber thumb protectors. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxyam3mtPpOFx5v0MwFJ8KFdHBxSqfS4fKdydLiGHinWxDJfNbeVj0C4qCQjRaDBIu9oyRzUwvkcskj4_DnoHGo9sCp_0bi_bMvGshxizWwmRkgIA0yToWwQS45rYDGOrd5OrvKjd4fg/s1600/photo+5+(12).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxyam3mtPpOFx5v0MwFJ8KFdHBxSqfS4fKdydLiGHinWxDJfNbeVj0C4qCQjRaDBIu9oyRzUwvkcskj4_DnoHGo9sCp_0bi_bMvGshxizWwmRkgIA0yToWwQS45rYDGOrd5OrvKjd4fg/s320/photo+5+(12).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">3. Glue the two shapes together and leave about 20mins. Leave a gap to add the stuffing.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOjG8du4fSS8MgJBnMo3Z1ZulHgebE1qyDdYCYtJXKpT_ncHLN8Q0CQQfqi4aMuihnU611rn9GAcKOCjpScxqJl7h73WOFPYnAz7KE4XU47EAeT7J0uGwreeX5kh_TPdlhUZy-rzczDU/s1600/photo+4+(16).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOjG8du4fSS8MgJBnMo3Z1ZulHgebE1qyDdYCYtJXKpT_ncHLN8Q0CQQfqi4aMuihnU611rn9GAcKOCjpScxqJl7h73WOFPYnAz7KE4XU47EAeT7J0uGwreeX5kh_TPdlhUZy-rzczDU/s400/photo+4+(16).JPG" width="313" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">4.Stitch round the edge, don't worry if it's not perfect- the glue should hold the stuffing in and it all adds to the charm (at least that's what I told myself).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEW362t0cuJ_TgelsKcOKiPeqouLH6Z3sdCzcFNgLSm1H2S4pfYxOko_l9ixDuJajh2zSlLkkL4l7l1d6jt2dyYydBFBxgucNFnGmHhHN3NRL8ubcm993MwiSG0Aai6jsG2mNDnpjykA/s1600/photo+1+(39).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEW362t0cuJ_TgelsKcOKiPeqouLH6Z3sdCzcFNgLSm1H2S4pfYxOko_l9ixDuJajh2zSlLkkL4l7l1d6jt2dyYydBFBxgucNFnGmHhHN3NRL8ubcm993MwiSG0Aai6jsG2mNDnpjykA/s320/photo+1+(39).JPG" width="251" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">5. Stuff it- poor Spongebob!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigibqMfqOlb6ZoU0uThOl_jkR28S53hSyrBAxePWuJrcQ2-zTjxFucgTdRlqhLJ_EWRQEA3c4EmT-elX55R6UFwTxtNWHeHyWNsxTwckfJ_k_EzSUetp7bJe3zLcaXm09JaRujkC6aqx0/s1600/photo+2+(34).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigibqMfqOlb6ZoU0uThOl_jkR28S53hSyrBAxePWuJrcQ2-zTjxFucgTdRlqhLJ_EWRQEA3c4EmT-elX55R6UFwTxtNWHeHyWNsxTwckfJ_k_EzSUetp7bJe3zLcaXm09JaRujkC6aqx0/s400/photo+2+(34).JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">6. Tuck a little piece of ribbon in the top, glue the gap where you inserted it and, when dried, stitch over that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Done! It took me about 30 minutes from start to finish but I found the whole experience really relaxing.I've since had a go at making bits on my friend's sewing machine and, I'm not going to lie, it's far easier and the results much more professional! I'll share those soon...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Take care and hope you're all having a lovely weekend.xxx</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-48000297364064629482012-11-04T10:05:00.001-08:002012-11-04T10:05:06.721-08:00Sunday Summary (Life lately)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">This isn't strictly restricted to Sunday but hey ho! Here's a summary of our half term escapades:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5hpmQMwnhyphenhyphenA2MCUdgFGWxYXUUALoE6ks_77HrusBJ3NygL3zUBkYugbf7lYBRdKLuoJszk354Mbpq8yMsWHpS5fcC3jONUxiCThXANTu-5wHtfFQDxZ1_JAJ7iSjJnKgo9NLq5rI-cc/s1600/photo+2+(42).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5hpmQMwnhyphenhyphenA2MCUdgFGWxYXUUALoE6ks_77HrusBJ3NygL3zUBkYugbf7lYBRdKLuoJszk354Mbpq8yMsWHpS5fcC3jONUxiCThXANTu-5wHtfFQDxZ1_JAJ7iSjJnKgo9NLq5rI-cc/s640/photo+2+(42).JPG" width="497" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{A <strike>rare</strike> date night at a local Lebanese restaurant} </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBKULBv93ef3c5Db53I29B3_yXxMJXgHTFuhNTqeeulMV_KeOCT59DsToMgjWNSyJwJ9MSxLLDuUcT8BsxjWIS5R-cP-Ns50kSJoWrJdQzXCDJNFpGmBGffkLIsw2b5arJcMJYlY9Ra0/s1600/photo+1+(47).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="497" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBKULBv93ef3c5Db53I29B3_yXxMJXgHTFuhNTqeeulMV_KeOCT59DsToMgjWNSyJwJ9MSxLLDuUcT8BsxjWIS5R-cP-Ns50kSJoWrJdQzXCDJNFpGmBGffkLIsw2b5arJcMJYlY9Ra0/s640/photo+1+(47).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Tree climbing}</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_fLWPn5D-glu2u8SsowOGaZZZPm8wSeWGVJkDoQINQ-22427uc7_4tKwbwaaN8RPSysaZFrBdZS3enSSS7hlSDU3fk8s6KRMQg-gLtbrZwkeubn3eHNr0StqgUzIVKYwbejS2DCbZY0/s1600/photo+3+(35).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_fLWPn5D-glu2u8SsowOGaZZZPm8wSeWGVJkDoQINQ-22427uc7_4tKwbwaaN8RPSysaZFrBdZS3enSSS7hlSDU3fk8s6KRMQg-gLtbrZwkeubn3eHNr0StqgUzIVKYwbejS2DCbZY0/s640/photo+3+(35).JPG" width="497" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Horse riding- how cute are the little ear muffs to keep the flies out? NB- Ben didn't have a helmet on as it was only a short guided walk}}</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM70f9b7Sa9Qa2knjfKNS1i7ikiNOw2RxCIbnJAp7y2fW-w88M_LJ8hRJbSqsEXHB0yWb5siFgDUgVrq1j6ZdC9ovpI5pg3pH0jOj85ipAr7JWRmWwRhCU3hM2_2Mycxn3tiZMC0taV7Y/s1600/photo+1+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM70f9b7Sa9Qa2knjfKNS1i7ikiNOw2RxCIbnJAp7y2fW-w88M_LJ8hRJbSqsEXHB0yWb5siFgDUgVrq1j6ZdC9ovpI5pg3pH0jOj85ipAr7JWRmWwRhCU3hM2_2Mycxn3tiZMC0taV7Y/s640/photo+1+(1).JPG" width="498" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{A <strike>terrifying</strike> friendly scarecrow}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{And to think he's the father of my children!}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{On the farm}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Photos taken from both the Lakes and at home. Seriously don't know how the time crept away from us!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Hope you're all enjoyed the holidays if you were lucky enough to have half-term off.xxx</b></span></div>
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Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-35970655095282531002012-11-03T02:25:00.000-07:002012-11-03T02:25:27.737-07:00A walk in the clouds...<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Literally! We were over 1500 ft above sea level for a walk in the Lakes. As we got to peak, the clouds drew in around and we found ourselves in the middle of a snow storm. There were a couple of hairy moments but we made it back down alive and it'll be one of my best memories of our time in the Lakes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Ice with that?}</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYsVdPxk3NUOMHkRr5Xg27Ef7U3HKKTapOAVI23NIHQq4GM8XMZLdKNzbH9iroSml6iHryMcZGxhbE7zohjFAyg-rsSr7ovjJeynyLSgpxSsN0gvThcCoRwWajMjFTWEs9DIwRnZrxjw/s1600/photo+2+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYsVdPxk3NUOMHkRr5Xg27Ef7U3HKKTapOAVI23NIHQq4GM8XMZLdKNzbH9iroSml6iHryMcZGxhbE7zohjFAyg-rsSr7ovjJeynyLSgpxSsN0gvThcCoRwWajMjFTWEs9DIwRnZrxjw/s640/photo+2+%25281%2529.JPG" width="498" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{The brave explorers}</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDHBENSELhwNpxOm-QZxBEwy4hHDf7CbAN155ZSZenithk61Aq1nQ-or6_vsP5t2x-v5tPhKw07NuWuFsh0aSmHQEPrUBw8br-Cz6ZysH5bswJGcT47N2QIGyBHxQMKmZW5so4jyvlMc/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDHBENSELhwNpxOm-QZxBEwy4hHDf7CbAN155ZSZenithk61Aq1nQ-or6_vsP5t2x-v5tPhKw07NuWuFsh0aSmHQEPrUBw8br-Cz6ZysH5bswJGcT47N2QIGyBHxQMKmZW5so4jyvlMc/s640/photo+4.JPG" width="498" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Oh so cold! Ben has giant sleeves as he's wearing my jumper on top of his own layers; don't worry about me, I had my bump radiator to keep me warm! Believe it or not I only had a t-shirt under the coat but was still warm}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Touch the sky! The tiny white pub bellow was where we warmed up in front of a lovely log fire afterwards}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{My boys}</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mNYS7LWj8wy6QdAbFvY3DJ14tX2Q0UhWuVueYVHFi6piC2PnbJ43hhA1xaH-wgOWyadvGBwjIArJoLBlm1pWHoozt2JdWwLFrK0nZgu_-8CQfUVZs7KDoEf09SWaU-CK_tIc67kReVE/s1600/photo+2+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mNYS7LWj8wy6QdAbFvY3DJ14tX2Q0UhWuVueYVHFi6piC2PnbJ43hhA1xaH-wgOWyadvGBwjIArJoLBlm1pWHoozt2JdWwLFrK0nZgu_-8CQfUVZs7KDoEf09SWaU-CK_tIc67kReVE/s640/photo+2+(4).JPG" width="498" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{<strike>A little mountain hobbit</strike> Ben}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I treasured every moment of this day as I realise the chances are it'll be a couple of years before we'll be doing this again but I'm sure we'll enjoy buba-friendly walks instead!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-46469148938247165222012-11-02T13:45:00.000-07:002012-11-02T13:45:01.263-07:00Stuff I wear... for 'drinks' with friends (pregnancy)<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And by drinks I mean diet coke and fruit juice! Excuse the poor photo quality, the room was pretty dark.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Necklace- <a href="http://www.warehouse.co.uk/?lng=en&ctry=GB&" target="_blank">Warehouse</a> {old}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Lippie- <a href="http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/168/310/Lipstick" target="_blank">MAC Girl About Town</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Dress- <a href="http://www.mothercare.com/maternity/cat_maternity,default,sc.html?cm_mmc=Google-_-Maternity-_-Maternity+-+Brand+-+Brand+/+Blooming+Marvellous-_-bloomin+marvellous+-+Broad" target="_blank">Blooming Marvellous {bought in Mothercare store in sale recently for a mere ten pounds}</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Next time I promise I'll take the photo in better light!xxx</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-72130204270009658482012-10-28T01:12:00.000-07:002012-10-28T01:12:05.463-07:00I've been putting off this post...<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">...but I really want to update on all the other things that we've been up to, but felt I couldn't without doing this update first as you've al been so lovely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It was bad news: Gizzy has cancer. We were absolutely devastated and I'm just about coming to terms with it now. It is stage one and it wasn't all removed but, after talking to numerous specialists, we've decided it would be wrong to put a three legged, elderly dog through a serious operation on his other leg (a large amount of muscle would have to be removed, leaving him incapable of walking for weeks)- and there would be no guarantee it won't reappear elsewhere.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Instead, we've decided to leave him be and spoil him rotten- even more than we normally do! We may just have months but the vet said there's also a good chance we could have him longer and he may even leave us through old age.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Strangely, the thing that helped me come to terms with this was when somebody (trying to comfort me) said: "Losing a dog is like losing and child." and, though I didn't say anything, I just thought no, it's not! I know people very close to me who have lost a child and it tears your world apart. Losing a pet is devastating, but simply not comparable. We've had the pleasure of having the wonderful Gizzy for over ten years and he's around twelve now, which is great going for a dog. So, we've tried to make the selfless choice and rather than put him through the trauma of an operation that may not work, just so we can have him longer, we've opted to allow him to be happy and enjoy as long as he's here and pain free. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>So, now that I've got that horrible post out of the way, some lovely posts will follow... I promise!</b></span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-5083729583581967932012-10-17T00:36:00.001-07:002012-10-17T00:36:56.197-07:00<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Feel like it's been forever but I'm sure you can forgive me when I show you the sorry little face I've been looking after:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I say I've been looking after him, he's been looking after me too as I've had a rough couple of weeks but we're both gradually beginning to feel more human/doggy again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The operation to remove his lump went well and at his first check up the vet was really pleased with the way the stitches were healing. His next check up is Saturday morning when hopefully they will have the test results to let us know what the lump was; I don't think we'll rest peacefully until we know that our hairy first born boy will be okay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>I'm hoping to post more fully towards the end of the week, hope you're all well.xxx</b></span></div>
Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-17377518641818240332012-10-10T05:31:00.001-07:002012-10-10T05:31:59.138-07:00Please send Gizzy your good vibes/ prayers/ happy thoughts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Giz curled up with some pom poms I'd been making}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Just under two weeks ago Steve was lying on the carpet giving Gizzy a scratch when he found a small pea sized lump at the top of his left leg. I took him to the vets the next day and they reassured me that it could be a whole host of things, to just ignore it for two weeks and then look at it again to see if it had grown/ changed (you shouldn't check daily as it's harder to work out if it's grown).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I checked it today. It's bigger, a lot bigger and very angry looking. I took him straight back to the vets and tomorrow he's having an operation to have it removed. We don't know what it is yet and won't until the results come back from the lab.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If I'm looking for the silver lining, it's that he doesn't have to stay overnight at the vets. Being a cat and dog shelter dog/ dog who spent a lot of time in the vets having operations on the leg he eventually had removed, he's not a dog to enjoy being left in a cage in a strange place overnight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>All good vibes/ prayers/ happy thoughts etc welcome. xxx</b></span></div>
Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-42969353674938567452012-10-08T13:05:00.001-07:002012-10-08T13:05:24.497-07:00Paris... the most beautiful city in the world?<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Or at least the most beautiful one I've visited!I hadn't been for twelve years but it didn't disappoint. I'm not sure these images need captions... except the last one!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Can you spot the (then) 14 week baby bump?}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">So, the last photo... </span></b>'Michael Jackson' was hanging around outside a Hollywood Stars type shop at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower. Thinking he was an employee, I asked if Ben could have his photo taken with him (to which he agreed). Just before Steve took the photo, he whispered to me that this guy wasn't working, he is just some peculiar soul who enjoys dressing as Michael- you can tell by the look on my face I wasn't sure whether to be amused or a bit freaked out that he was making a heart logo on Ben's chest! The more I look at this photo, the freakier it seems!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b style="font-size: x-large;">And the second last one? </b>This is Ben and Steve congratulating themselves after finding somewhere to eat. Imagine the scene: a pregnant woman (still at sickly stage) has been up since about seven a.m. and wondering the streets of Paris for nine hours (including taking the Steps up the Eiffel Tower, hitting La Louvre and all along the Champs Elysee) and kept being told we'd get food "Just around the next corner...". I had gone beyond huffy and was demanding to be fed! We finally found this little Chinese place (yes I know, not the most obvious choice in Paris but what the pregnant woman wants...) and were able to relax and eat!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I do love Paris, it's a stunning city aesthetically but I'm not sure it has, for example, the funkiness of Berlin or the warmth of Budapest, but that's what I love about exploring a city: discovering it's 'vibe' and Paris is all about the stunning (and I mean <b><span style="font-size: large;">STUNNING</span></b>) good looks. And let's be honest, everybody likes a stunner!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-81532558962506202682012-10-08T03:08:00.001-07:002012-10-08T03:08:57.436-07:00Sunday Summary<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Should I just rename this the Monday Summary ,given that's it's nearly always late anyway?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This weekend I've been taking it easy as I'm still not back at work and this pregnancy is proving to be more of a challenge than when I was expecting Ben (nb- I'm not complaining here, I know we're very blessed to be expecting).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Sooooo........</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Friday</b> was craft night with the mums from Ben's school (I'll post on this later)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Saturday</b> was Ben's break dancing class and then my lovely friend Emmie gave me a lesson on how to use a sewing machine (I hadn't touched one since school). The evening was spent on the sofa vegging out!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Sunday</b> we went for a walk on the beach...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EcPtO0F-kWyQL6zmOdu18H8Ydr5bk4Utbg9piF8b11r2NTkGVoX9IOE4Hp0-sPQ5tM9m5BggzlOa-w89b6I6paReD60HMU6w0B3wV5vTPs1-Lwu1SDi_lVHeqhvZc-mxKg9By_nCBng/s1600/photo+1+(45).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EcPtO0F-kWyQL6zmOdu18H8Ydr5bk4Utbg9piF8b11r2NTkGVoX9IOE4Hp0-sPQ5tM9m5BggzlOa-w89b6I6paReD60HMU6w0B3wV5vTPs1-Lwu1SDi_lVHeqhvZc-mxKg9By_nCBng/s640/photo+1+(45).JPG" width="611" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{My boys}</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbG5_Yb26MC4bFR-HYfXxkfkUTvPzLJ7UQHlCUWSf67YCVxgT0zlOrJxAFTEamWGDazSYqnYOT8vuYDGpBryuBBLJXCkbCAKcug5CvjfASF0auDl9zhYCuxskDHQGAzeyBbz5Lk9-Xo8/s1600/photo+2+(40).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbG5_Yb26MC4bFR-HYfXxkfkUTvPzLJ7UQHlCUWSf67YCVxgT0zlOrJxAFTEamWGDazSYqnYOT8vuYDGpBryuBBLJXCkbCAKcug5CvjfASF0auDl9zhYCuxskDHQGAzeyBbz5Lk9-Xo8/s640/photo+2+(40).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Ben and Granny Smith}</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89Q7f_ELlSPbn-bE1MbfHCQ0sakWGeig09SA8HDz7kWFkvQI2kCxKUkvOtN39zjDBVt2feqr8Mbz8JQwFpcxemjt1T21Xj4kVLZ3k0MbqlIhpBLrNIsbDQEOvEAAypQC0YU4mfEAQTrI/s1600/photo+4+(20).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89Q7f_ELlSPbn-bE1MbfHCQ0sakWGeig09SA8HDz7kWFkvQI2kCxKUkvOtN39zjDBVt2feqr8Mbz8JQwFpcxemjt1T21Xj4kVLZ3k0MbqlIhpBLrNIsbDQEOvEAAypQC0YU4mfEAQTrI/s640/photo+4+(20).JPG" width="554" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Yummy- I went for a tub of pistashio and hazelnut praline, Ben has bubblegum, Mum had ginger and banana and Steve had... none- he's being 'good'}</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAb5Gj7GXTgzKHON4VizWPd9CFAk5btY6UPDXIiCVrwS7lXmjFsOb7a7i4hyfY32wcxmEFDHb-S6aSGRJtREQ7cqpCyNu0TrXRq0sN8wRMXJbHsBS9XwMRsRTVas912BjtJNWvl49EYxU/s1600/photo+3+(34).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAb5Gj7GXTgzKHON4VizWPd9CFAk5btY6UPDXIiCVrwS7lXmjFsOb7a7i4hyfY32wcxmEFDHb-S6aSGRJtREQ7cqpCyNu0TrXRq0sN8wRMXJbHsBS9XwMRsRTVas912BjtJNWvl49EYxU/s640/photo+3+(34).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Picnic time}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Finally got round to sorting some more holiday snaps so the next post will be on the stunning city of Paris.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Hope you all had a super duper weekend.xxx</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-66204213486755840842012-10-05T01:14:00.003-07:002012-10-05T01:14:29.278-07:00Look at my lovely stick!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFEvtiBmAM013CwT6pY9RCMhcXwKsv-_mgCUA32CjjBuHlgmvOtO1K9Cq1YvIbW1qqN-dzxJOUXAmIiiao9WdZCyLE6E73n1Z-mnxmsq8d7tq9_cRLOxnhPkmllotWsj5jMK6SyX3Qyo/s1600/photo+3+(27).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFEvtiBmAM013CwT6pY9RCMhcXwKsv-_mgCUA32CjjBuHlgmvOtO1K9Cq1YvIbW1qqN-dzxJOUXAmIiiao9WdZCyLE6E73n1Z-mnxmsq8d7tq9_cRLOxnhPkmllotWsj5jMK6SyX3Qyo/s640/photo+3+(27).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Look at this stick I've found!</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQhCi2pNIdiiVM4DvrJ-hYTI0K8ikRFS1StSe9zo30JNEmOTSrkOrWGxW7_nZIPd2kWphBDrTfy7d7hGVYev-RDAlshIm815kUmJf9gcj9z8Sygxu6O7kw7sQJYD1-UaIk0WN98y_u1s/s1600/photo+4+%252814%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQhCi2pNIdiiVM4DvrJ-hYTI0K8ikRFS1StSe9zo30JNEmOTSrkOrWGxW7_nZIPd2kWphBDrTfy7d7hGVYev-RDAlshIm815kUmJf9gcj9z8Sygxu6O7kw7sQJYD1-UaIk0WN98y_u1s/s640/photo+4+%252814%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">It's a huge stick!</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7SIx99WT-TSV4P6yefHKiDLfSUgWXid02KurgqoL-zMUWPaRiNIlCqmKd6jGIG508ywXlKZAC37ieFJDNa7iCzD4Exli1J9ru_iDqUp1OB4Y_-WtVsrzOPHJMHA-p8mYUKBazccThts/s1600/photo+5+(11).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="497" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7SIx99WT-TSV4P6yefHKiDLfSUgWXid02KurgqoL-zMUWPaRiNIlCqmKd6jGIG508ywXlKZAC37ieFJDNa7iCzD4Exli1J9ru_iDqUp1OB4Y_-WtVsrzOPHJMHA-p8mYUKBazccThts/s640/photo+5+(11).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Can I bring it home... please?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Can somebody please tell Gizzy that he's eleven now and only has three legs? I think it's time for him to go for smaller sticks!<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">I can't tell you how much we love this hairy, stinky, mischievous mutt. xxx</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Pregnancy PS- we now know if we're having a boy buba or girl buba and I'll share as soon as all our friends and family know.</b></span></div>
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-57292330059273546092012-10-03T02:52:00.001-07:002012-10-03T02:52:17.480-07:00I Got Bitten by the Blog Bug!<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">The Rules</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1. If you are given the Blog Bug award, you must answer the questions that follow and the title of the post should be "I Got Bitten by the Blog Bug".</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">2. You must give the link of where you originally got this award and you can tag as many bloggers as you want. Link their pages on the post and also inform them through comments in their blog.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLDmeiFty52LKagO_eXX4dDlMHGX7RFDMbsXEF0a2YgUdo4ZoD5BkwkYjgtRk4Cqj4Tfku_PMcSyzfzCQdD9glQ73TzlBPD5s5oDD3uQQFAzSqEgAG4zoUgd4ew-M5lIl1azcvCMa_DE/s1600/blog+bug1+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLDmeiFty52LKagO_eXX4dDlMHGX7RFDMbsXEF0a2YgUdo4ZoD5BkwkYjgtRk4Cqj4Tfku_PMcSyzfzCQdD9glQ73TzlBPD5s5oDD3uQQFAzSqEgAG4zoUgd4ew-M5lIl1azcvCMa_DE/s400/blog+bug1+logo.jpg" width="311" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Questions</span><br />
<b style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1. When and why did you start blogging?</b><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">In January of this year- I'm a still a 'newbie' to the world of blogging. At the point when I started blogging, I'd already been following other bloggers for about a year and loved the idea of documenting your life but also having an interactive and community element that a diary just doesn't offer.</span></span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">2. What do you love to blog about and why do you like it?</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">My favourite blog is probably just my 'Sunday Summary' as it tends to just cover the usual things we do on a weekend. Important events in life (birthdays/ holidays etc) are easy to remember but I love being able to just look back on what we were doing at that point on an average weekend. I imagine the satisfaction of this will grow even more when I have years to look back over, rather than just months.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">3. How did you get your blog name?</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It's our family name and the blog was intended to be our story- it was that simple (plus, being an English teacher, I'm a sucker for a bit of alliteration).</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">4. What do you think is your best post yet?</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Is that not for the readers to decide? I enjoy writing all my posts (otherwise I wouldn't bother), but I guess it was pretty exciting to share the news of our pregnancy.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><b style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">5. What is your inspiration for blogging at present?</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">My 'Inspired by you guys' posts document a few of the things that have inspired me from the net and I always link them back to their original source. I love all the ideas you can get from the net, my favourites are recipes and easy crafts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">In my day to day life, my pregnancy is pretty all consuming although I don't want my blog to become consumed by it! It's great to share bits and pieces, but I think it's generally only close friends and family who want to hear every detail of your pregnancy!</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">6. Message for your readers?</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Just a simple thank you: firstly for all of your inspiring blogs and secondly so I don't feel a bit strange just writing off into the abyss! It's lovely to get your feedback.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">I award:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="http://myeverydayfairytale.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Leticia- My Everyday Fairy Tale</a></b>- pop over and check out her blog and her gorgeous new baby.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://theutahdoots.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank"><b>'Peanut'- A handful of peanuts</b></a>- another beautiful mother with a new baby.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://aclosetintellectual.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank"><b>Tabetha - The Closet Intellectual</b></a> - ANOTHER stunning mother (are you getting the theme here); she's one of the bloggers I've followed for a while and I look forward to her posts. I'm convinced if we lived near each other, Tabetha and I would be great friends!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>And last but most certainly not least, thank you to Sneha at <a href="http://sneha-says.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Sneha Says</a> for the nomination. xxx</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b style="font-size: x-large;">Pregnancy PS- </b>it's our 20 week scan today- so excited! I really want to find out what we're having but Steve doesn't- how frustrating! I'm secretly hoping he may fold and give in if I bed/ whinge/ annoy/ bribe him enough in the waiting room. I'll let you know how it goes.</span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-3807002405678413872012-10-02T01:34:00.000-07:002012-10-02T01:34:50.285-07:00Thinking about the cord...<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Steve didn't cut Ben's cord when he was born- to be honest I think there was just so much going on at the time that his priority was ensuring Ben and I were okay (we had a bit of a tough labour). Cue generic cord photo from Google images...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqHFgGBHU8E0f4LSAoNDMIQmvkhD6Q9zWMAoXutqMXk-_97jYkY7uTK8QIeuniI6jIH8g67Dwvfc0mYbF7LQwTGWUg0ubCS-E1eq5PThxOjOvP4qswfV_Kw4zPF150YIegflJOoBPW9o/s1600/Cord.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqHFgGBHU8E0f4LSAoNDMIQmvkhD6Q9zWMAoXutqMXk-_97jYkY7uTK8QIeuniI6jIH8g67Dwvfc0mYbF7LQwTGWUg0ubCS-E1eq5PThxOjOvP4qswfV_Kw4zPF150YIegflJOoBPW9o/s320/Cord.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This time round, I probably wouldn't have given it any further thought until I came across this-<a href="http://rebeccaawright.com/2012/09/your-babys-umbilical-cord-what-are-the-options/" target="_blank">link!</a> It really made me pause and reflect on this third part of the labour and what I would like to happen with the cord. I read up on <a href="http://www.lotusfertility.com/Lotus_Birth_Q/Lotus_Birth_QA.html" target="_blank">lotus birth</a> but decided this just isn't for me, however, when I reflected on it, I'm also not entirely comfortable with whacking a great plastic clip on my newborn's cord. As a new parent, most of us are hyper aware of what we will let touch our beautiful newborns delicate skin (buying organic clothes, beautiful lotions etc) yet somehow a big plastic clip seems okay? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'm not so sure now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I think that perhaps I need to further investigate and look into the option of making my own <a href="http://www.homebirth.net.au/2008/05/newborn-cord-care_22.html" target="_blank">fabric cord tie</a>. Ben could be part of this process too and I feel much happier at the thought of having sterilised silk press against my little one's skin.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>How about you guys? Any interesting tales to tell or ideas on what you plan to do with the cord?</b></span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-55786579583673324412012-10-02T01:16:00.002-07:002012-10-02T01:16:57.110-07:00Inspired by you guys...HD brows<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've always been nervous about tampering with my eyebrows- I've seen the results of over plucked brows on friends and it ain't pretty!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've had minor waxing/ colouring done before but I was eager to give them a little more shape.I'd heard bits and pieces about<a href="http://www.hd-brows.co.uk/" target="_blank"> HD brows</a> and liked that although they were very 'styled', they weren't super skinny brows.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After I read <a href="http://lifestyle-uk.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/hd-brows-whats-it-all-about.html" target="_blank">this particular blog post,</a> I decided to give it a go. The salon is local to me and I like that Jerri's brows looked thick but groomed.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVr01g_xHmPqdiHM92069vHf4s0PhIwq4lnYwI-oYzn1mv9fw-HEBCg5OZh2EvIC0K0rLwTA5UlJ1J28IpMgrV3dhicew0jRe1Ako9OKRKcLlzqMcpexNBZv69p0OI7viVwyx11TPqjr4/s1600/photo+2+(33).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVr01g_xHmPqdiHM92069vHf4s0PhIwq4lnYwI-oYzn1mv9fw-HEBCg5OZh2EvIC0K0rLwTA5UlJ1J28IpMgrV3dhicew0jRe1Ako9OKRKcLlzqMcpexNBZv69p0OI7viVwyx11TPqjr4/s400/photo+2+(33).JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{Let's pretend there aren't any wrinkles/random brown splodges of skin discolouration eh?}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I forgot to take a before picture (as to be honest I hadn't thought about blogging about this until afterwards)but these are the after shots <b>(word of warning- if taking a close up of your eye area and are over 30, you might want to heavily crop it like I have- scary crows feet ahoy)!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>So what did I think?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The treatment itself wasn't at all painful, if anything, it was quite relaxing. She did mention that she'd used a powder to fill the gaps using a palette but to be honest, I felt they looked a bit too OTT with this on so I wiped it off as soon as I got home! Other than that, I love the result and the shape. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">At £37, it certainly isn't cheap. I won't be getting it done the recommended every 5-6 weeks. Instead, I'll aim to follow the shape by plucking myself (I'm a bit weird as I find plucking relaxing) and just get your average £8 colour once every couple of months. If, like me, you're a bit nervous doing your own brows, it's certainly worth shelling out initially to get the right shape.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Happy plucking everyone!xxx</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">PS- any other questions about the treatment, please feel free to ask below.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-57340245083055198242012-10-01T07:54:00.000-07:002012-10-01T07:54:14.194-07:00France- I miss you already!<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">There are just some things the French do incredibly well...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJh7X4L9Sk6vbU4FQHDQnTSvD_QV3Mp2NyZ5ZfOV-RNvD4_7vKdPgVb-MqkbKYoCv0Uu20STO_uNfyT75yI6RM9j0Ga2Fe-fWD44qokgG-TLX6m1V9H288GJoMLBg7sQU1dpfytCExGp8/s1600/photo+5+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="537" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJh7X4L9Sk6vbU4FQHDQnTSvD_QV3Mp2NyZ5ZfOV-RNvD4_7vKdPgVb-MqkbKYoCv0Uu20STO_uNfyT75yI6RM9j0Ga2Fe-fWD44qokgG-TLX6m1V9H288GJoMLBg7sQU1dpfytCExGp8/s640/photo+5+(6).JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">{Warm enough to dine al fresco late into the evening}</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgEFUdFd4dAqVMNIU-fy6Aipwfw2I2J2cM4DgEBNA2e1Zhp_M7ZAQvH9Mrg6s7jZ6DCC_ZN_DZkUfX4E9X3VeyF0MoIqgLaY_AHUa8ORYV-boInCwvlH2zsYbFeW6Ue1pJfCpfO-4boo/s1600/photo+1+(16).JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgEFUdFd4dAqVMNIU-fy6Aipwfw2I2J2cM4DgEBNA2e1Zhp_M7ZAQvH9Mrg6s7jZ6DCC_ZN_DZkUfX4E9X3VeyF0MoIqgLaY_AHUa8ORYV-boInCwvlH2zsYbFeW6Ue1pJfCpfO-4boo/s640/photo+1+(16).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">{Beautiful attention to detail}</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7wHm_v-A9ro0mbZNTz-Luo173lYkQAf1eDPpGFlZ0j3zJf86tUghgezhgteg5-A-7b-0wRKs9yYc11AfH90mnwKxQMfEyhtKUs250kJxcWtbdJefE4uy1f4v5-rRooVuVkd216-iEFw/s1600/photo+2+%252814%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7wHm_v-A9ro0mbZNTz-Luo173lYkQAf1eDPpGFlZ0j3zJf86tUghgezhgteg5-A-7b-0wRKs9yYc11AfH90mnwKxQMfEyhtKUs250kJxcWtbdJefE4uy1f4v5-rRooVuVkd216-iEFw/s640/photo+2+%252814%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">{Gorgeous Châteaus- I <strike>did</strike> might have pretended this was my house}</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6A3_1MHJIloMyjGKbfF5P2vVJ4R9jxCNjHBZ-SFCOe2yCCzC_gryLM8VrGn-EcLOWbCk4LwgerB3ErBqrgyuTPmDlo8uDigNxWzk_hN7yM4mb-pJ01_WtAFYBAn7sczu6g4eyIWSIcw/s1600/photo+2+(13).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6A3_1MHJIloMyjGKbfF5P2vVJ4R9jxCNjHBZ-SFCOe2yCCzC_gryLM8VrGn-EcLOWbCk4LwgerB3ErBqrgyuTPmDlo8uDigNxWzk_hN7yM4mb-pJ01_WtAFYBAn7sczu6g4eyIWSIcw/s640/photo+2+(13).JPG" width="512" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">{Funky street art, even on the trees!}</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNkKRFPyZdZCI0Osr4U14X4eZX73mvBemdBxLwwZeZwUaFHTxChUK3j_2HkN3PabJZfBJIKGwkjrnJDtqBNAqsFF9_gOuE7Q8wjCbfLSgfEXGyFNJY2jeobKGFk1xiZack5JOILTU30c/s1600/photo+4+(9).JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNkKRFPyZdZCI0Osr4U14X4eZX73mvBemdBxLwwZeZwUaFHTxChUK3j_2HkN3PabJZfBJIKGwkjrnJDtqBNAqsFF9_gOuE7Q8wjCbfLSgfEXGyFNJY2jeobKGFk1xiZack5JOILTU30c/s640/photo+4+(9).JPG" width="496" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">{Lakes so warm you can swim/ throw your child around in them}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;">Just a few of the things I've been pining for since we've returned. Hopefully we'll get a chance to indulge in them all again soon.</span> </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large; text-align: left;">In the meantime there's always happy memories.xxx</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501040293959656788.post-64762651010932713302012-09-30T11:04:00.000-07:002012-09-30T11:05:58.394-07:00Inspired by you guys... bath time toys<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ben loves his bath time but as he's getting older, there are less and less bath toys available aimed at his age range. I have bought a few things in the past such as this <a href="http://www.newstreetmall.com/bathroom-duck-shoot-great-fun-bath-toy-11372-p.asp" target="_blank">shoot the duck</a> (fell apart on second use), these <a href="http://www.elc.co.uk/Bath-Crayons/116562,default,pd.html" target="_blank">bath crayons</a> (a nightmare to wash off) and this <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hawkins-Bazaar-Bath-Football/dp/B004KW1PF8/ref=sr_1_1?s=kids&ie=UTF8&qid=1349021807&sr=1-1" target="_blank">football game</a> (ditto the duck game). Normally, we've had little success and so Ben tends to play with plastic figures/ bottles etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Then I saw this <a href="http://www.filthwizardry.com/2010/09/craft-foam-bath-murals.html" target="_blank">inspiring blog post.</a> What a fab idea and great for any age!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicl_BmWe70aTgLKhyphenhyphen7m66km19Z6xyEfyrGpTlBpwFLvpDXiDwAN-wo30Hpu41LPG8mjDHb8gjFqHrlcKndSET72kJLU_L6BCzj22Vt12GhF9xE6yAMUKnOGXbKo6OLq3NbGQNdMLlhnW8/s1600/photo+1+(36).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicl_BmWe70aTgLKhyphenhyphen7m66km19Z6xyEfyrGpTlBpwFLvpDXiDwAN-wo30Hpu41LPG8mjDHb8gjFqHrlcKndSET72kJLU_L6BCzj22Vt12GhF9xE6yAMUKnOGXbKo6OLq3NbGQNdMLlhnW8/s400/photo+1+(36).JPG" width="313" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We went to Hobbycraft to get some crafty bits for various projects but the only foam we could find was quite thin and smooth textured. Unsure it would work, we opted to buy one sheet of grey (40p) as a trial and, if successful, we would buy the <a href="http://direct.hobbycraft.co.uk/productdetail.asp?productcatalogue=280701" target="_blank">£4.99 bumper pack</a> (the bright colour version) with 50 sheets of foam.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I have to say, this is super easy, super cheap and really satisfying to do.</span><br />
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<li><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">Foam </b></li>
<li><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">Scissors</b></li>
<li><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">A pencil</b></li>
<li><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">Ten spare minutes</b></li>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Draw your desired shape in pencil (if you're super confident you could even skip this stage). I got Steve to draw mine as I'm not blessed in the drawing department, if you're like me, you could always print your desired silhouette from Google images etc and draw around that.</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnATW0_RRisPvBSrAlXD-zrtBink-vqH8QoPUKDu8sISTKVaODu2hBDNGdWjUGXuTTfHY4lf-Ek5Qq7v0_bKldbSyBAca_hCxePXtDI5DBl3kqAfBA6r-_PvooZ3P86K0A3WtbeQl592I/s1600/photo+3+(28).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnATW0_RRisPvBSrAlXD-zrtBink-vqH8QoPUKDu8sISTKVaODu2hBDNGdWjUGXuTTfHY4lf-Ek5Qq7v0_bKldbSyBAca_hCxePXtDI5DBl3kqAfBA6r-_PvooZ3P86K0A3WtbeQl592I/s320/photo+3+(28).JPG" width="251" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Cut it out</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7QQPHVNm3MxpZhWNLc-rWBsT0JQBfqSo43S0drXelTlEjkecXpr2Jl_eEVbC4VjAMka8Pi9rm0rjC4jHGbCWDfzeMjRSbf-XgHNH9UXIW9brlAwiES7zhF4GkWsoDYcOmbrrbLvx7fs/s1600/photo+4+(15).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7QQPHVNm3MxpZhWNLc-rWBsT0JQBfqSo43S0drXelTlEjkecXpr2Jl_eEVbC4VjAMka8Pi9rm0rjC4jHGbCWDfzeMjRSbf-XgHNH9UXIW9brlAwiES7zhF4GkWsoDYcOmbrrbLvx7fs/s400/photo+4+(15).JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Wet and apply to tiles!</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">How easy is that? Now we know this smoother/ thinner foam works too, we're going to be cutting monster body parts, shapes etc (as shown in the previous linked blog)for Ben to wrap up for Christmas. As he's a bit older, we'll also give him some uncut sheets to make his own designs (though I think he'll have to do those outside the bath).</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Happy crafting everybody!xxx</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01885854816183482154noreply@blogger.com7