Over 3 years later...

... and I am back on my blog! I am only posting this to say two things:

1.) I really really should not spend any more time than I already do on the computer. I have enough distractions from work as it is. So I don't think I will be adding anything often...

2.) ...but I have been making Octonauts and I am so impressed with them!

What are Octonauts?

Isla is obsessed with them. So I am trying to make toys for her!

Look what I made!

This is the reason I have been very quiet recently... meet Isla, born 5:40 am on 9th April, weighing 5lb 5oz and 4 weeks early!



So instead of being on mumsnet, blogger, gmail and facebook, I have been feeding, changing and sleeping!



My son is impressed with his new baby sister!

Tigger bookmark

What a crazy weekend, I am totally exhausted. I've worked out how to upload photos from my phone so here is the Tigger bookmark I made for my friend Michelle a little while ago.



I am off for a sleep now!
xxx

I have an award!

I have been given this award by Tillyboo who is a wonderful friend and has cheered me right up. Thank you Laurie!

I am going to pass it on to vInTaGeViOlEt as her picture has also been making me feel better over the last few days.

I am also going to virtually pass it on to my mum, who is slowly regaining her speech after a brain operation and stroke.

Love and hugs to all 3 of you
JBR
xxx

Prune bars!

The simplest ever recipe for someone to eat prunes (maybe you are also taking iron tablets?) Altered from a recipe in a 'the three ingredient cookbook' by Jenny White. Here we go:

1 large bar milk chocolate (150g)
2/3 large bar dark chocolate (100g)
8 digestive biscuits (115g)
20 ready-to-eat prunes (115g)
2 spoons of unsalted butter or margarine (50g)

1. Break up the digestives in a bag using a rolling pin or a potato masher :)
2. Chop up the prunes.
3. Break up the chocolate and melt in a microwave. Add the butter and stir until melted.
4. Mix the whole lot together and spoon into a shallow tin or bottom of a tupperware tub.
5. Put it in the fridge for 2 hours until set, then turn it out and slice into bars.

This is the only cake-like thing I have made since we moved into this house, as we don't have an oven as yet. And this is probably the healthiest thing I've eaten for about 2 weeks!

JBR
xxx

I got my Easter swap!

Megan (aka vInTaGeViOlEt) sent me the most beautiful picture as part of the Mumsnet Easter Swap! It is for the nursery, and here it is photographed in situ:


Isn't it just perfect for a babies room? It's the only decorative thing I have in there at the moment - there is still a lot of work to do on getting it finshed - but it looks at home already, and has really brightened up one corner!

I absolutely love the fact she put '2008' on it - it is personal, and so beautifully done! She put a little card with it, and I have tucked it behind the picture - I'll keep it them together. The little Easter basket that came with the picture would be perfect to decorate a cake, if I had an oven!!!

Anyway, this gave me a much needed boost on Saturday evening, when I opened it, so thank you Megan, you are a star!
xxx

Vintage Violet got her Easter swap!

So now that Megan has it, I will post what I made! Sorry about the colour, the first pic is with the flash on, the next two with it off. I can't decide which is more true to the real colours.


This was such a lovely calming thing for me to make! The card has a cross stitch Easter bunny and has gold/green/yellow coloured sequins all around the edge; I always have beads or sequins on my cards!


The bag was 'recycled' (if I had thought to take before and after photos this might make more sense...) from a little skirt, I sewed the waistband of the skirt closed to make the bottom of the bag. Then I sewed a hem for the ribbon into the lining of the skirt, then sewed the lining to the floaty material of the skirt.

I thought that Megan could use the bag to keep crafty bits in, like small material pieces - the opening is wide and you can see inside easily.

JBR
xxx