Is blogging hereditary?!

Those of you who are particularly observant may have spotted a new blog in my blogroll. Blogging is a bit of a family obsession; I have lost count of the number DH has. For about a year DS has been nagging us to let him join in.  After a bit of discussion we have allowed him to go ahead, with some safeguards. Frankly, anything that encourages an eleven year old boy to write has to be a good thing!

A spotty parcel!

I was fortunate enough recently to win a giveaway over at Dorothy's creative blog "Dorothy's Room". Dorothy must have put a lot of thought and care into her prize, because a fun-looking package arrived today:

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I really like the bag it came in. It made me smile, and I am sure the postman was smiling too! DD was almost as excited as I was, but I managed to persuade her to pose with the package before we opened it. It did feel rather like Christmas...

Inside was a beautifully wrapped parcel. The rose is actually a clip! Inside the parcel was...

...this lovely bag. You can't see from the photo, but it is a "Dorothy special". She has lined it, embroidered the flowers and inserted a zip. I am very impressed. Zips appear to be a black art to me, which go in by some sort of unknown magic. Inside the bag was...

...this beautiful selection of fabrics, buttons, cotton and all manner of things. It really is a treasure trove. The dark blue spotty material is Cath Kidston, who I usually admire from afar as I have never actually bought anything by her. I really liked the beige material in the bottom left. It fits in well with our living room, so I am thinking of possibilities for it. The chocolates didn't last very long! Here is a close up of the rather sumptuous peacock material, with a sweet little scented dog who somehow missed the original line up:

He is now hanging up in my kitchen. So, thank you Dorothy for such a wonderful gift. I feel inspired to get out my sewing machine...

Liebster award

Dorothy from "Dorothy's Room" has very kindly nominated me for the Liebster Blog award. I've never been nominated for an award before! I've decided to answer Dorothy's interesting questions, but not to nominate anyone else. Most of the blogs I read either don't accept awards or have been nominated fairly recently. 

Dorothy is a craftswoman with a lovely sense of humour who hasn't been blogging for very long. We are at similar stages of learning to crochet, and she has been very encouraging over my struggles with my sewing machine! Here are her questions with my answers:

1. If you could spend a day anywhere and with anyone how would you use your time?

I would love to take DH to the Austrian Tyrol. I went with my parents when I was seventeen and I was awestruck by its beauty.

Photo from Destination360.com

DH and I would wonder in the hills with a picnic lunch and then pop into a town for "Kaffee and Kuchen".

2. What craft person would you like to meet and why?

I would like to meet Lucy from Attic 24. She is the main inspiration behind my love of crochet. Her patterns are simple to follow and she is very down to earth. She does a good line in homemade cake and frothy coffee too. Can you spot a trend here?

3. Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

In ten years time I will have two adult children, so I suspect that I will be working. I don't know quite how that will look as I haven't been in paid employment now since DD was born. I have been volunteering in various roles in the education sector for years, so maybe something along those lines.

4. What is your greatest quality and the thing you would like to improve about yourself?

My greatest quality is probably that I am reliable and will stick with something until the bitter end. The thing I would most like to improve is my self-control. I am far too fond of cake!

5. Apart from your family, pets and home, what is the one thing you would save in an emergency?

If I am being prosaic I would say my folder with all our financial information in it. If I am being less practical I would say my Mum's wedding ring. Or our wedding photos. Or my children's creations. Let's hope I never have to choose!

6. Who has influenced you the most in your life?

My Mum! She was a very gentle and affirming lady. If I can be half as good a mother as she was then my children will be OK.

7. Who is your favourite actor?

David Tennant! Don't tell DH... For his acting ability, of course!

8. Describe a meal you always enjoy.

My current favourite is a Hugh F-W recipe for barbecue chicken available here. I serve it with couscous and roasted vegetables. Really lovely and fairly healthy too.

9. What was your best subject in school and it is still something you enjoy now?

My best subject was maths and I went on to study it at university. I do still enjoy it, but in a more abstract way. I don't sit down and contemplate second order partial differential equations, but I do think about the beauty of maths and the way the universe hangs together.

10. If you had £1000 to spend on yourself what would you buy?

Like most mothers, I would struggle to spend it on myself rather than the family! But if I was absolutely forced to I would like a better camera. Although DS has a very cheap camera and takes better photos than I do! 

11. If there was a big craft competition and you were asked to take part what would you make to show off your skills?

I don't actually feel that I am particularly good at any craft, but I suspect that I am best at knitting. I have always wanted to have a go at a lacy shawl, so perhaps something like that.

And the winner is...

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on my blogging anniversary post! DD carefully wrote all the names on slips of paper, folded them up and put them into a mug-cosy...(crocheted by Gracie)...

and selected a winner!

Joan, I will be dispatching a parcel shortly! I have your address already. Joan is brilliant at crochet, and blogs here.

Celebrating my first year...

One year...
19 followers...
129 posts...
278 comments published...
11,067 page views.

Please forgive this rather self-indulgent post! Just over one year ago I started my blog. Nervously I wrote my first few posts, unsure if anyone outside my family would ever read them! I had no idea quite how blogging would enhance my life.

• I have made some wonderful, supportive friends who post encouraging comments about my ramblings. 
• I have discovered vegetarian cooking and we now eat veggie at least once a week.
• I have learnt to crochet and discovered that I really love it.
• I have conquered my fear of the sewing machine.
• I spent a month baking all our bread, cakes and biscuits from scratch.
• I have found that I enjoy photography, which I would never have guessed. 
• I have been encouraged to live more sustainably and have started getting a veg box.

I think I have found my blogging voice now. I don't have time to blog every day, but I try to manage every few days. I have had a few comments that were like the "howlers" in Harry Potter; I felt that I was being shouted at! Although I don't like getting them, I have learnt when to respond and when to leave well alone. 

I am very grateful to everyone who reads, comments on or follows my blog. To thank you I would like to host my first giveaway! I am going to put together a little parcel which represents me and the area that I live. To be entered into the draw for the parcel, please leave a comment by Sunday 14th July. You don't have to be a follower, and I am very happy to post abroad.

A parcel from America

I love receiving parcels. Well, who doesn't? Last week I got especially excited because I was sent a parcel from America. I am part of the "Great Tea Swap" over at Lucy's blog "Lucy in the sky". I have enjoyed discovering new blogs as well as trying some new types of tea. Being typically British, I am a bit of a teapot! The very creative Gracie over at "One Saylor's Log" sent me a packet of loose Chiran black tea from Oregon.

It comes with very precise brewing instructions! I thought I knew my Darjeeling from my Earl Grey, but I hadn't heard of this variety. After a little research I have discovered that it is a premium brand from Japan, and it definitely makes a lovely cuppa. The parcel didn't just contain tea...

Gracie is a talented crocheter. (Apparently that is a word!) She has sent me a cosy for a tea glass. I love the colours of this, as it is very similar to my project bag I crocheted last year. (It took me a substantial chunk of last year - it was one of my first crochet makes!) The little brown bags are for making my own teabags to keep my pot clean. How clever is that? In actual fact, I belong to the school of thought that says that you should never use soap on the inside of a teapot. I only ever rinse mine. Does anyone else do this? The postcard has a photo of a very industrious lady knitting socks, which is apt for me as I am fond of my DPNs!

So thank you, Gracie, for my lovely parcel. I feel like I have made a friend over a cup of tea.

A Fenland parcel

The postman often knocks at our door, as DH works from home and has a fair few deliveries, but today the parcel was for me! Morgan at "Growing in the Fens" has just reached 100,000 page views and held a giveaway to celebrate. (100,000! I am in awe!) I was fortunate enough to win!

The first thing I unearthed was this beautiful ball of wool. It is a lovely heather and green mix. Morgan also included the pattern she uses for hats which go into Operation Christmas Child boxes. My church also supports OCC, so I will knit a few up myself, just as soon as I've finished DD's cushion cover. (I'm about half way through now, and speeding up slightly as I get the hang of rippling.)

This cute little notebook is excellent timing. Being of a forgetful nature, I carry a notebook around in my handbook, and my current one is just about full up. As, presumably, is my brain!

These will be great for when we travel. 

I have read a few Philippa Gregory books, and normally find that I can't put them down, so I am looking forward to reading this one! I will probably save it for a holiday, or else nothing else will get done!

So, thank you very much Morgan for the lovely parcel. Thank you too for an excellent and useful blog, which I personally find very inspiring. Here's to your next 100,000 page views!

A timely parcel!

For various reasons I have been feeling a little down for the last few weeks - not helped by an old fashioned cold. DD has been very generous and shared hers with the entire household. I have the immune system of an ox but this one makes me wish I'd taken out shares in Kleenex! So I was very happy to receive my first parcel from The Great Tea Swap started by Lucy at Lucy 'In the sky'. Joan from Just Joan had put together a lovely package for me. It was a great surprise because I was honestly only expecting some tea.

Joan is very talented at crochet - just look at this doily!

The package really cheered me up. The sweets have been eaten, (children in the house), but the tea will be savoured. Especially the camomile and spiced apple, which I had forgotten I liked so much! So, thank you very much Joan!

Anyone for tea?

It is a bit of a standing joke in my house that I am a chain tea-drinker. I can't get going in the mornings without a cup and need frequent top-ups throughout the day, much to the bemusement of DH who survives on minimal amounts of coffee.

So I was pretty excited to read about "The Great Tea Swap" over at Lucy "in the sky". The basic idea is to exchange exotic varieties of tea-bags with other bloggers - the details are available here. So if you are a tea-aholic like me, it is worth a look! The list of tea-drinkers will be open for a few more days yet.

A Somerset Christmas

We spent our Christmas with my Dad and my brother's family, which is why it has been a little quiet around here this week. They all live in the Somerset levels, and Dad lives at the foot of the iconic Glastonbury tor. It is a very beautiful area and very different from the equally lovely but crowded corner of the South East where we live. The pace of life seems to slow as you go along the A303. (Usually the traffic does too!)

This is the view from the end of his road!

Like most of England, Somerset has had a very soggy few weeks. I now know why the area is called the Isle of Avalon!

Fortunately Dad lives slightly above the flood level, and, apart from a few hairy moments driving alongside an overflowing river, we were unaffected. The sun did break through occasionally.

We had a lovely week catching up with family. DS had his birthday on the 23rd, my brother's wife had her birthday on the 24th and of course it was Christmas on the 25th so it was a time of many celebrations and much food!

We are now back and easing into the New Year. Today is also six months since I started blogging, and it has been a very interesting journey. I have been challenged, encouraged and inspired by all the wonderful people I have come into contact with, and I am looking forward to the next six months!

 

Sealed Pot Challenge

I stumbled on this over at Sft's entertaining blog "Life After Mortgage". It is such a brilliant idea that I just had to sign up. The basic idea is to save loose change in a sealed pot. Hopefully after a year this will be a reasonable amount of money which can be put towards a specific goal. 

I have decided to save up towards a family trip to the theatre. I would love to take the kids as it is something that we have never done. I looked into going to see a production for my birthday in September, but couldn't justify spending that much money at the time. Don't get me wrong, we are very fortunate in that we have a reasonable income, I just like to use it wisely! 

I had great fun making the pot. It started off life as a jar of hot chocolate! I have decided to collect all the 50p and 20p coins that come my way. It may be we have enough to go and see the local amateur dramatic society, or it could be a trip to London to see a musical. I'll find out in a year's time!

A lovely parcel

I love getting parcels through the post, and yesterday I received one from Morgan at Growing in the Fens. She has had a giveaway and I was lucky enough to share a stash of little cookbooks with two other bloggers.

 

They had to have a bit of a dry out, as it was a bit soggy here yesterday. DD has already looked through them and decided which recipes I need to try out! There was also a little card:

I was quite excited to see this, because this is how my Mum taught me to read. I remember Peter and Jane very well! I tried to teach my children to read using the same books, but didn't have quite the same success. They both love reading now, but I can claim none of the credit!

What's in a name?

So I have finally decided to write my own blog. I have been loving reading other blogs for a while now and now I am going to join the blogosphere. I feel like I have been given a brand new notebook with crisp, empty, white pages. I love those!

So why "Calmly Creative"? I must admit I spent half an hour frustratedly entering likely titles into Blogger. I finally called in my husband and a thesaurus and this is what we came up with. It is an aspirational title; I can sometimes manage "creative", but "calmly"? It is often more like "chaotically", but I can hope!