this week....

.... is the last full week of our summer holidays! So far, it has been a busy one, and it is only Friday. Here a random collection of things that were happening around the house, in no particular order:

......Baking rolls. I like baking rolls. We don't have a bread maker or a fancy do-it-all kitchen machine and making rolls or bread means kneading dough. I like the time it takes to knead to think about life and other important necessities of life (for example the shopping list). I wonder actually, if prolonged kneading is necessary, as accomplished bread makers would make us want to believe, or if it is merely an excuse to have time to think. These are the potato bread rolls I made after reading this post. You may notice the odd shape of my rolls. I tend to flatten the dough on my work surface and then cut it into random pieces with a huge knife. I call it rustic. Others may call it lazy.


......Walking and driving three of my children to and from two different holiday clubs. There is the morning club at the local church, run by a friend and in the afternoon, there is a basketball and football club at the local High School. The second club is free of charge, can you believe it? The morning club is £3 per child, with is probably barely enough to cover the running costs. The kids have fun, and are tired in the evenings, what else can a mum ask for?

......Wondering if my oldest son's pyjama has fused with his skin yet.

......Inhaling the smell of wool. I bought two hanks of "Hazel Knits" sock yarn, beautifully hand-painted yarn in indigo and wild rice



......Labelling new boxes of colouring pencils. This is a highly satisfying task. I scrape away 2cm or so of the paint and writing names on the exposed wood. I know, there must be quicker ways. For example writing on the little name box on the pencils....


......Being part of the interview process for a new social worker for our adoption agency. I was mighty nervous even though I was only on the informal panel, consisting of four adoptive parents. I hope that the decision we helped to make was a good one!

......Catering for uncounted numbers or children .... and cleaning up after them. We do have a welcoming house and the more the merrier. It may sound slightly mad but really, having lots of (additional) children in the house is a selfish act: I can read a book because I am not required to entertain them. The mess is only marginally worse. Play dates after holiday clubs add to the general tiredness in the evenings, which is welcome.



......Having the odd temper tantrum when all was a bit much

......Using labels for school shoes for the first time ever (after 10 years of school shoe buying). I am not sure why I bother now, we have only ever lost one pair, and that has probably been taken and chewed by our shoe destroying urban fox population.

......Admiring a bundle of fat quarters that has arrived in the post.


......Unsuccessfully trying to adapt a ziggy zaggy spirally lace pattern to be knitted in the round for my August sock pattern. I resigned myself to knit a diamond trellis pattern instead

......Finishing two job applications and submitting one (the other one is due on Monday)

......Cleaning the kitchen top to bottom. I have a small kitchen but it was a two hour job. My children think I am obsessive about cleaning but I am not. Honestly. I just don't like crumbs under my feet and months old grease that has settled on my spice jars. I am feeling most satisfied with myself. A shame I have to cook dinner later!

......Using the last of my Nancy Smilie vouchers. I bought salad servers and a (completely unnecessary) mug with a picture of the Duke of Wellington and his traffic cone hat. Only Glaswegians would find this funny.


This evening, I am going to put my feet up with a large glass of G&T, or maybe two small glasses of Margarita. On Sunday we are planning to visit James' and Alistair's foster parents. I am bit nervous but it is James's wish and after discussing this with our lovely social worker, we decided it would be ok. I hope it is. Other than that, we have no plans but no doubt we'll be busy anyway.

Before I go and mess up my beautifully clean kitchen I would like to welcome all my new readers. Thank you for stopping by!

Have a lovely weekend, wherever you are! Cx

Comments

  1. Oh, I have those types of temper tantrums regularly when everything gets to be too much. I'm not proud of it, but there it is. Those rolls look delicious! xxx

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    1. I am glad I am not the only one. Sometimes I get the impression I am.....

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  2. I'm not really sure what a fat quarter is - what are you planning to make? Well done on kitchen cleaning. I'm also getting through my list of dull holiday chores but haven't got to the crumbs in the kitchen drawers yet.

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    1. A fat quarter is a quarter of a square metre or square yard I think, roughly anyway, depending on the width the fabric from which it is cut. I have a vague idea for a quilt in my head but can't quite capture it. I shall collect fabric until that then. x

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  3. I really need to clean my kitchen, in fact the whole house but my vacuum cleaner has broken and the builder took my sweeping brush to work! So I guess there's no point in starting when you can only do half a job! Have a lovely weekend Christina , I hope Sunday goes well, I'll be thinking of you all x

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    1. You are right Jay. Annie put a card on my pillow the other day. It said "housework doesn't kill - but why take the chance". I shall make this my new motto, at least until the crumbs get too sticky. x

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  4. Another great post Christina, full of energy and truth as always. The rolls look totally delicious, I laughed at your Duke of Wellington mug made me laugh; we have a print of the Duke with his traffic cone. I did pottery classes many years ago at Nancy Smillie's, I absolutely loved them. Good luck on Sunday, there will be so much love flowing your way from all your readers! X

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    1. I didn't know Nancy Smilllie did pottery classes, that sounds very tempting. I might ask the next time I "accidentally" step into the shop. x

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  5. Your week looks bright and beautiful, very colorful and fun. The boys will love to see their Foster Parents, I was worried about that too with Little Buddy, but it all turned out beautifully, He loved to see them, but knew somehow in his little three year old brain that he belongs with us now. Best of luck, the Foster Parents will be thrilled to see how great your boys are doing.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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    1. It is not the first meeting with the foster parents. Unfortunately the first one went horribly wrong and we have left it two years for this reason. I think the first one was way too soon after placement with us but maybe not. Thanks for your kind words Meredith. x

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  6. Such a fun post Christina. It makes me look back fondly to when my four were young and the house was always full of children. I miss it! Have a good weekend. x

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    1. I long for the days when I will fondly look back to these days! I am sure I will miss it, too. x

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  7. How lovely to have a beautifully clean kitchen. The kind of thing that makes me happy. I hope you have a good weekend and that the foster parents visit goes well. CJ xx

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    1. Yes, it is amazing how good it feels to have a clean kitchen for once, even if it is only temporary. x

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  8. Oh how I wish I could eat those rolls they look delicious. Lovely fat quarters, any plans for them? Love the mug :)

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    1. The mug is funny. Duke Wellington outside the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art does always wear a traffic cone. I would like to make a quilt someday soon but I can't quite visualise my vague idea for it yet. x

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  9. Those bread rolls look gorgeous, sounds like you're all having good holidays. Wearing the kids out sounds wise! Hope meeting the foster parents goes well.

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    1. There is a fine line between wearing them out and wearing them out too much.... the latter causes endless tantrums and tears. x

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  10. What a wonderful round-up post. I love those rolls and the dining table as soup and crusty bread is my idea of heaven. You are so lucky to have been given Nancy Smilie vouchers. I'd have gone with the mug too. It's totally iconic but yes, the whole cone on head thing doesn't always travel or translate well.

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    1. There are plenty of mugs left in the shop, no harm checking them out :) I was given vouchers from my colleagues when I was made redundant and I have been feeling sad every time I spent some.

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  11. I have enjoyed reading your news and agree that children in numbers is a great way to pass a day and get some knitting done. Jox

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    1. Unfortunately I had to frog all my knitting back to next to nothing... I lost my concentration temporarily. Maybe there were just a few kids too many :)

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  12. Your bread is beautiful. I love the way you labelled the colored pencils, that was a good idea. I enjoy labelling things. I use my Dymo label-maker a lot, it's my best friend. :)

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    1. I quite fancy one of those label makers but they are very expensive here. I used to have one at work, it was magic. x

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  13. Those rolls looks so light and fluffy - please pass the butter! I love the fabric, so bright and fun! Would you share where you bought them? And wool died from wild rice - so interesting, I have never heard of that before. Cleaning house always gives me a satisfied feeling of productivity.

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    1. I am not sure if the wool is dyed with wild rice or if this is just the name for the colour. An interesting idea though, I have some wild rice that we don't eat and might experiment a little..

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  14. It sounds like a great week. I love your rustic rolls, much nicer that they actually look homemade, rather than all perfect and shop looking. I hope that the visit goes well tomorrow and that it brings only the best possible things. xx

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    1. Yes, I suppose home made looking is quite nice. I don't aim for the look, I am just too lazy to make them look neat and round :)

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  15. You have been busy! Love your bread rolls. I know what you mean about kitchen cleaning. I hope your visit goes alright today - I'm sure it will. All the best, Gillian

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    1. We are always so busy... I wish we weren't. I never mind cleaning much because of the feel good feeling after. It is the picking up children mess that I really hate.

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  16. Sounds like a really great week, those rustic rolls look a real delight. Kitchen cleaning is on the top of my list for tomorrow when the last of my visitors leave.

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    1. I always get stressed when we have visitors, worrying that my kitchen is not clean enough, or that my house is a bit shabby....

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  17. Sounds like a fab week. Love the yarn and the FQs...have you decided what to make with it? Those rolls look delicious :) x

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    1. The yarn is for the September and October socks I think. The FQs for a quilt that might never happen. :) x

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  19. Hi Christina, it sounds like a very busy last week for you! The bread looks delicious and I think it looks much better with the rustic look (I think I would take that option too!) I am a cheat and have a bread maker, mainly because I am not sure I would have the patience for real bread making. I watched the Great British Bake off recently for the bread edition and it looks like such hard work! Maybe one day I will try. The yarn is such a lovely colour, especially the first one, so unusual! I like the idea for the pencils, I might have to do that myself. :)
    PS I deleted the above comment as I was reading Amy's comment before I typed mine, and typed her name! Doh!

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Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment, I love to hear from you, I really do. I sometimes reply by email but I am not all that reliable... Christina xx

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