Day Four Thousand And Six In The Big Poorly House

Well, only day four but seems much much longer! Everyone slept better last night so that has helped, Francesca mightily cheerful when she got up this morning, or she was until she had to go and be sick. She always manages to get it in the toilet. What a trooper. Ten out of ten for aim!! The coughing seems to have gotten much worse but the temps (of all the three big ones) have been much more managable today and the peaks and troughs that go with paracetamol working and then wearing off have been less traumatic for all concerned.

I have finally managed to knit a successful hat;


I seem to be very bad at hats or else I have just never found a very good pattern. I knitted one for Sebastian before he was bron that looked lovely but it's too short (think I mentioned in an earlier post), I then knitted a bigger size for Nathaniel that came out so big it fits Elizabeth although she doesn't like it so it's waiting to be frogged at some point. I managed to get not a bad one for Francesca but that too is on the short side. I don't think it's just me though as the lovely cotton hat that Jenny knitted for Sebastian is too short too. Maybe I just make children with long heads? Nah........

This beret was so quick to knit and looks amazing and best of all it is made with some super chunky yarn that Elizabeth picked out for herself at the scrap store when we went during half term. She wants some flowers knitting to go over one eye and a scarf to match. She may have to wait a short while though as the Christmas knitting is going very very slowly at the moment.

Nathaniel's tower building skills have improved today;


A double tower. Give the boy a box of bricks and he will be happy for hours on end unless this happens.

When I was a little girl (and now I'm not so little) I wanted to live in a symetrical house, you know, door in the middle, windows either side, white picket fence, roses round the door etc. Well, I live in an end of terrace that is far from symetrical, the door is to the left of a rather nice stained glass window and the upsatirs is double glazed and down isn't and it is lovely our house but not symetrical. While my children on the other hand..... I have managed to have two girls and two boys. I have a brown eyed girl (Elizabeth) and a blue eyed girl (Francesca) and Nathaniel's eyes are the brightest blue and Sebastian's seem to be the darkest brown. So a little bit of symetry there me thinks. See;

Chocolatey brown eyes like his biggest sister and his Mummy. And look at his six week old chops, how I want to bite them!!!

Daisie xxx

Oh For Goodness Sake!

Blimey, we are ill! My poor daughters especially so. But because they have raised temperatures I cannot take them to see our doctor. We all have a rather nasty bug (to varying degrees) but I think Elizabteh also has a throat infection that would benefit from a course of anti-biotics (much as I dislike the things) but after answering lots of questions we now have a code number for tamiflu. I am not going to bother going to the swine flu tratment desk at the health centre. It's a virus. And just how many times have we been told as mothers of ill children that what they have is a virus and it will go away in 5 to 7 days. And how exactly can a diagnosis of swine flu be made using a tick sheet over the phone/internet?! We are doing the age old thing, lots of warm drinks, regular paracetamol and plenty of snuggles! Elizabeth is coming out the otherside already. I have no doubt that Francesca and Nathaniel will be back to usual by the end of the week too. I am not too concerned for Sebastian as he is getting homemade DaisieDavies antibodies every two hours (or more if he feels like it)! It's no wonder really that the number of cases of swine flu are so high if everyone who has a sore throat or headache is being given tamiflu! Oooooooooh, am ranting now, must stop.

Anyhoo, being stuck at home has enabled me to put some of these fab christmas buttons in my shop;


I have also managed to complete a very special custom order for a very special customer *waves at Laura with a silly grin* when the calpol has been effective and have managed to knit a little and Nathaniel managed to make a wonderful tower before the drugs started to wear off and he had to lay down again;


And I have discovered that it matters not the size of fevered child laying in your lap, you can still sew these;

Yes, I know they don't yet have laces but lets not be too picky!

Hoping you are all well!

Daisie xxx

Bargain!

Look at my new shoes, look, look, look;


A pound, yes £1, one whole British pound, one hundred pennies! That's 50p per foot (although Simon and Elizabeth have some theory that the right shoes is worth 65p and the left only 35p, I didn't ask them to explain as my brain already hurts)!

Can you believe it?! I hardly could! Brilliant though and spangley and I love them :-)

What's making you happy today?

Daisie xxx

Actual Knitting!

Terrible photos again but real life, finished knitting!!

Francesca's hat;


With love-heart shaped doo-dah on the top;

This pattern is quick and simple but seems to knit up a little short. She could do with another inch to tuck her ears in! Sebastian seems to have the same trouble and isn't very happy about it;

There is more Christmas knitting on the go after a recent trrip to SAMS (scrap store) and some gifty type things on there way into the shop. Just need to find a few more hours from somewhere......

Daisie xxx

This Is Me (again)!

I loved Gina's comment on my last post, made me smile!

During the Art-As-Therapy course we had eight weeks to work individually and as a group and look at ourselves from the past, talk about the present and think about ourselves of the future. For the beginning of the course I was huge and pregnant, full of hormones and tired, then I was huge, pregnant, full of hormones and fed up of still being pregnant. It was hard, I cried alot! We were a small group of varying ages and backgrounds and everyone was very supportive. I found my Friday afternoons a big comfort after a long week.

We all had a large canvas on which to do our self portrait, using any art medium we fancied. It took me a long time to decide what I was, what I looked like. I am a thirty something, five foot something, with long dark hair, big brown eyes, a large milky chest (which isn't always milky but is always large), an abundance of freckles and usually dark bags under my eyes and snot (not mine) somewhere about my person. I didn't fancy painting her!

I thought about what I was, what I am. I am a mother. I am a wife. I am a house keeper. I keep all that I love safe. I am a big warm sphere that pulls all that is special into the centre and keeps it safe from harm. The darkness around me is the holes that I frequently fall into (to varying degrees) and am always aware of even when they are far away. Probably a bit deep but it was a great experience and I feel better for it. I like the outcome and it will hang on my wall.

We also did a family tree exercise which isn't finished yet but will be.........

Daisie xxx

This Is Me!

No, really! After many weeks of self analysis and exploration (not always comfortable or easy) this is my self portrait. Painted in acrylics on canvas. I quite like it!

Daisie xxx

Managing And Failing

This week I have been trying to take a good picture of all my babies together for a Christmas gift (yes, it's that time of year again) and failing;


Miserably!! The problem with there being four of them is that they don't look the right way/smile/not look like a nutcase all at the same time!!

We did manage to make lovely pink buns;


And we had a great time sharing them with our friends!

I managed to make a shoulder bag for my sister's birthday (but failed to take a good photo);

And a zippy pouch to go inside filled with yummy chocolates;

We managed a lovely trip to Blackpool to see the lights. I even managed to take a good photo of the fancy tram;

There has been some slow but successful knitting, some button jewellery making by Elizabeth, a brillaint trip to SAMS for goodies for Christmas crafting and present making, some lazy half term holiday days, trips to the park and visits with friends.

I am mostly managing, which is good :-)

And my failures are not too major; mostly failing to iron and wash the floors but managing to snuggle and read and be together which will do me for now.

Daisie xxx