The Newtownabbey Way

I've been meaning to explore this little path for the past couple of weeks.  Last year Daddy had shown me photos of some of the sculptures and my interest was sparked, but my brain was slightly muddled about how to access the path.

At the scrapbooking day a couple of weeks ago, a regular trickle of people passing the window of the museum gave me a clue that the path had opened, so this afternoon, armed with gloves and a dolly pram we set off to explore....

There were many interesting people to encounter.

Before we knew it, we had reached the end of the mill section of path!

So we decided to venture on....

This is the bridge that EVERY day after school from first year to LVI Gillian and I played pooh sticks at.

This is the forest that Chris built secret dens in and that we, from time to time plucked blackberrys and the occassional sloe in for the local bootlegger Daddy.

Today there is a path, that links up Mossley Mill with the shore at Whiteabbey.  It rather took husband's breath away.  His fingers were flying with tweets!  We actually couldn't believe that this path was right on our doorstep and was so good!

We ambled back up to the mill.  We wanted a cup of tea, but the restaurant was closed, so we made do with feeding the ducks.

It is a pretty special place, and I'm glad I got to share it with some pretty special people.

The Balloon Rocket

Caution!

There may be science in this....

Grace is now four; she is no longer three and a half.  To celebrate her Daddy constructed a small scientific demonstration.....

The observers trying to predict what will happen

Balloon is filled with air (co2 if you prefer)
and attached to a cardboard tube...

...which is on a sting which the grad student holds tautly.

The tube / balloon aka "rocket" is released.
Grace wisely closes her eyes as
silly Daddy failed to provide safety goggles.

Bea observes the experiment from an alternate angle

Perhaps extra string length will alter the results....

Super speed and distance travelled....RESULT!

A final attempt before Daddy expired ;)

spot the rocket.

Bears and Books

On Friday morning I popped into the hospice shop and found these little gems.

Now you might not consider this little thrifting haul something to be celebrated, but I do!  

Lot consists of...

1.  A Disney Princess 12 x 12 scrapbook....totally unused.  This will be perfect for scrapbook pages of our trip to Disney Paris last year.  

2.  A Care Bear in PERFECT condition.  I longed for a cuddly care bear when I was growing up.  I made do with the little plastic Grumpy Bear that Chris bought for me one day when I too was inconsolable after dropping an ice cream.  

However, Care Bears is beginning soon (Feb 16th if you are really interested) on Tiny Pop, and I know one little lady who is excited about this.  So I have hidden this little bear until a suitable occasion arises. Incidentally, this bear is Wish Bear who according to Wikipedia " helps make wishes come true, and although they don't always come true, making wishes and working hard to help make them come true is still fun."

3.  A cake plate which matches a beautiful tea set I recently fostered.

4.  Two novels, one selected (Tiger Hills) because I liked the title and more importantly loved the cover and "The Other Queen" by Philippa Gregory.  The first Philippa Gregory book I ever read was "The Other Boleyn Girl".  I loved it.  I have picked up most of her others and found them enjoyable, until I encountered "The Cousins War" I quite enjoyed the White Queen, I tolerated the Red Queen and I endured the Lady of the Rivers.  I have thus far avoided "the Kingmaker's daughter" (although I have recently finished the "Virgin Widow" which was about the Anne Neville).  But this book is about Mary Queen of Scots and so I am hoping that this Tudor / Stuart saga will suit me.

That was Friday.

Saturday brought even more treats.

Chloe and Melissa kidnapped Beatrice this morning and took her off to Build a Bear....here is my update of Bea and Thomas kissing their bear's hearts.

(I am reliably informed that they also rubbed the bear's hearts on their eyes - so they could see and on their bottoms - to the bears would be "smartypants")  As you might have anticipated Rainbow (Bea's "builder bear") is pink.  She arrived home wearing a wedding gown, accessorised with sparkly shoes, a bouquet, veil and, I jest not, a garter!  But she was quickly transformed into her second outfit...a Rapunzel dress.

But what did I do with my morning?  Two hours in which I could mark, or clean....so I choose to clean and then the postman arrived bearing ebay treasures.  Namely.....

I bought this because I couldn't find my copy.  My copy was the book I was given by Mrs Currie in fourth year, some 20+ years ago.  I determined to read this again for two reasons.

1.  I want to read a book I know I will love, rather than taking risks with books I hope I will love.

2.  I am feeling rather nostalgic (thanks Kerry) and as I read this book I always felt that Mr Rochester echoed my husband *

*  obviously NOT my husband at the time.

Thus, my hour was spent here.  Attempting to conclude my current novel.  

It is "Changeling" by....Philippa Gregory.  The best I can say is "meh...it's OK"

Bring on Lowood!

But, I hope you can see that my life is bears and books at the minute.

I win

In our family, it is my mum who is lucky.  She enters competitions and regularly wins them.  Honestly...get her to buy you a scratch card....you'll see.  Now she has yet to scoop the Euromillions, but there is time yet.  Anyhow, a while back I was seized by her spirit when I "liked" a post on Facebook.  Turns out, my name went into a hat and came out again...I am officially a winner.

I won art.

This kind of art

Kerry (aka 17twelve) emailed me.  

I emailed a reply. 

She designed. 

 I sent her a picture of my curtains.  

I requested a paw print rather than a dandelion.  

This is the result.

The process was incredibly simple.  I told Kerry the date of our wedding and the name of the church.  I typed out a list of some of our favourite places.  I mentioned that husband loves coffee and wife loves tea (OK I love coffee too, but I love tea sets more).  I gave her a Bible verse that has been a life raft in stormy times.  I gave her some quotes....

from Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 which Mark read at our wedding 

"Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

   Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no! it is an ever-fixed mark

   That looks on tempests and is never shaken"

A little movie / book quote.... 

"Nothing important, That is, I heard a good deal about a ring, and a Dark Lord, and something about the end of the world"  

Obviously Sam's lines from the Fellowship of the Ring....This little bit of the film always makes us chuckle.  The trilogy of films always brings back happy memories of days spent in the Grifeon revising for the next film.  But when we first began dating (21 years ago) we would talk about the books.

As for songs, they all have to be Muse

   

"Together we're invincible" 

 or 

"Hopelessly, I'll love you endlessly

Hopelessly I'll give you everything

But I won't give you up

I won't let you down

And I won't leave you falling

If the moment ever comes"

I had to toss in a little Kierkegaard...."life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced" 

The final quote I had slipped in was

“All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed.

For after all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog.” 

― Charles M. Schulz  

This one didn't quite make the final cut, but it was in honour of Dilly and Beans and they made it.

The name, and it's meaning of our other offspring also made it.

The final result is lovely, perfect, unique.  Kerry has in 50 fonts or less captured the essence of the Seath family in a very beautiful way.  I am deeply sentimental about it.

Now go and pay her a huge sum of money to design one for you *  

I promise you will love it and the process of thinking about what quotes, places, words and songs sum you up will make you cherish what you have.

Couples artwork

She also does a lovely range of beautiful bits for your baby.

Framed prints / Thank you cards / Look at the cute hand & footprints

Or just get her to create a bespoke nursery for you....

Twins?

Or if you want wedding stationary designed, she does that too.

I have NO need of this...but it's lovely

*If you don't want to pay her huge sums of money...you could just pay her what she charges

Go and visit her

17twelve

Eight Instants

Eight instagram photos that show how Bea and I passed our time on Friday 18th January

Snow White

Tiana

This is how I get housework done with Bea.  I dress up as Snow White and she dresses up as raggedy Cinderella.  I give her a duster and a broom and we "clean quickly before the dwarfs come home."  Sometimes they arrive from the diamond mines early and we have to dance with them.  Sometimes Grumpy pops home early and demands requests an apple pie for tea.  Yesterday, the fairy godmother arrived and turned the raggedy dress into Tiana's ball gown.  Bea went off to a ball in the lounge while Snow White finished the dishes.  I knew the game was over when she appeared naked in the kitchen (no photo).  I told her to get dressed.  She appeared 5 minutes later dressed in a bath towel.  I stressed the getting dressed must involve clothing.  I accepted the pyjamas which subsequently appeared.

Lunch was made for the toys and then they were put down for a nap.  All of them.  In the one pram. (Clockwise, Igglepiggle, Upsey Daisy, Mrs Pratz the elephant, Lambie the lamb, Rose and Sleepy Wakey.)  It looks cosy, but I suspect it doesn't meet current Health and Safety legislation.

This was the extent of the snow in our garden.  IMAGINE THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE 4 YEAR OLD!

 So we baked chocolate buns

Then we iced them in frosty blue with snowflakes and smarties.

Then we played with the Barbies.  This is a latergram.  I swear they are breeding under Bea's bed.

Then we ate chicken fajitas beside the fire.  

The library book stole my feelings

by Jess Mikhail

Bea choose a book from the library last month called "I love you little monster" written by Giles Andreae and illustrated by Jess Mikhail.  As we cuddled up in bed to read it I immediately enjoyed the chubby monsters...but, by the time I had reached the end of the story I was a sniffling, emotional mess.  I kissed the top of Bea's head and whispered, "That is just the way I feel about you."  She smiled, snuggled in and fell asleep.

On Wednesday, I struggled.  The library books had to be returned.  I typed out the story.  I aim to use it for journalling on a scrapbook page someday.

This is it:

One evening, long after my sleep time
Big softly crept to my bed
And stretched out warm fingers to ruffle my hair
“I love you, my darling,” Big said 

Now, Big must have thought I was sleeping
And I didn’t open an eye.
Instead I just let the words float through my mind
Like balloons floating up through the sky.

“I love you, my Small,”  Big continued
“But there’s so much to do in the day 
That it’s hard to sit down and to make enough time
To say all of the things I should say.

And it’s funny, but now that you’re sleeping
And everything’s quiet and calm
The words seem to be much more easy to speak.”
And Big laid a soft hand on my arm.

“You’re everything I always dreamed of
You’ve got so much beauty inside
The way that you smile, that you laugh, that you dance
Makes my heart want to sing out with pride.

You live as though life’s one huge present
Unwrapping a bit every day
That’s just how we all should be living, my love
And look at you showing the way!

And sometimes I know when I scold you
You feel that I’m being unfair
But please understand that it’s just out of love,”
And Big swept back a strand of my hair.

“There are things in this life that can hurt you
They come to us all - that I know.
But they all give us chances to learn, darling Small
And they all give us chances to grow.

So when you get knocked down, my sweetheart
Look up at the sky without fear
For sometimes we need to be flat on our backs
Before starlight begins to appear.

And please, above all else remember
Keep love in your heart, little one
Reach out to the world like a beautiful flower
Stretches out to the warmth of the sun.

It’s the only sure way to be happy
The only sure way to be free.
Believe in yourself and believe in your dreams
And you’ll be what you dream you can be.”

With that, Big lay down on my pillow
And planted a kiss on my head.
“My beautiful, wonderful, glorious child
You light up my world,” Big then said.

With that, Big crept out of my bedroom
Turning round for one last little peep.
I hugged my small pillow and smiled a big smile
And then slowly I drifted to sleep.

So I'm pulling on my snowboots and I'm heading out to Amazon.  I will be returning with this book tucked beneath my arm.  If you would like it too, you can meet me here at the back of the bookshop.

Time for toasting

This was my manifesto for 2012.

For 2013 I think...

try

love passionately

live extravagantly

embrace thrift

keep using ribbon

read more; watch less

decrease

practice kindness

enjoy the everyday

celebrate

I shall usher in the new with an old husband, champagne and new cheese.  I will raise a glass to 2013 in expectation of growth and contentment.  I will toast Jools and pray for old acquaintances as I sing about them.

Happy New Year.