Mermaids and birthdays

I was just having a look and a catch up through some lovely blogs when a thought suddenly stuck me.........didn't I write my very first blog post around Halloween last year? So I just looked back and realised I've missed it!!! Oh dear, it was on the 23rd October, so I am only a couple of days out!
Whenever I thought about my first 'blogiversary' I always planned on doing a giveaway - but as I am unorganised with this now, it will be a belated giveaway!! I shall have a think about what to send.....maybe a mermaid doll  a bit like this one...

(but not this one as it was a little girl called Flo's birthday present!) and a few bits of fabric from my stash?

I will sort this out in the next couple of days! I'll keep you posted.

Time to snuggle up with a good book!

I love reading and it is that time of year again when the heating goes back on and all I want to do is cuddle up on the sofa with a really good book (in between watching X-Factor - god, I hate to say it but I am totally hooked this year!). 

I have just finished this fantastic book.

I loved it, although it did take me a few chapters to get used to it being narrated by Death - but what an amazing read and as with all good books it made me laugh and cry. It is a teenage book and what a brilliant read for teenagers to read and learn about WWII, from a young German girls point of view.

In another life before kids I worked in Children's Publishing and was amazed at the fantastic and totally brilliant teenage/young adult novels that are out there, that I had the pleasure of reading as part of my job - so many adults miss out on reading them! Many adults have probably read Harry Potter and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy but there are so many more of these fantastic books out there - my list could be endless but authors such as Robert Cormier (very dark novels), Philip Reeve (Mortal Engines - wow!) and Eoin Colfer to name just a few of the fantastic authors whose books I have read and loved (and was lucky enough to have met).

If only I could get to my box of books which are tucked away in the shed, waiting for some shelves to made in the living room. They have been there since we started building our kitchen extension about 2 years ago and I am itching to get them out and just be able to look at them!

After singing the praises of young adult novels I will have to say that another book that I read recently and is currently up there as one of the best books I have ever read is this amazing one, which is not a YA one!

But you must read it, if you haven't yet read it, please you must. I promise you will not regret it!

Woman's Weekly Knitting & Crochet special

I apologise for not posting for a long time, been lots of upheavel in our house at the mo - but glass half full, everything happens for a reason etc I will spare you the details!

Please, please excuse me for the proud parent bit, but I am very, very proud!
In shops at the moment in the uk you will find Woman's Weekly Knitting & Crochet Special.

Look, there in the top left  - you see that gorgeous blonde girl and boy....they are ours!!!

My mum used to work for Woman's Weekly until she was made redundant in January. During the many years she worked there we have all appeared in there at some point!!   This was F's third modelling session for them, which have all taken place at beautiful houses in Whitsable, on the beach.

The jumpers were lovely and the kids...wow, they were brilliant and so amazingly behaved! The shoot organiser said D should be called Grace as she was so calm and graceful..........What!!! Not the words we normally use to describe the D we know and love!!!

Here are a few behind the scenes shots I took during the photo shoot!

And F even appears in the Knitting & Crochet special twice as he is in it again from a photo shoot he did a couple of years ago!

Ok, proud parent bit over with now!