Friday 27 January 2012

I would give you the whole world ...

As a parent, you are always worrying, always thinking about what the right thing to do is..

are they eating the right foods?
am I too soft?
how are they coping?
what does 'this' mean?
if I make 'that' decision now how will it impact on them in later life....?

Obviously, like most of us parents, I want Ethan to grow and thrive and learn and love and continue to be the happy free boy he is...

I 'think' he is doing well,
I 'feel' like he is happy,
that he is content and confident...

But there is always doubt, frustrations, happiness, tears and sometimes anger! (but that story in the supermarket is for another day, lol!).

So it came as a real surprise to both Daddy and I when Ethan announced a few months ago that he had auditioned for a lead singing part in the school play. We are both confident people (the type of outwardly confident people who still have internal anxieties, lol!), both good at public speaking, i guess 'people' person... but Ethan has a shy quality and now and then he can get quite anxious, the thought of being late for school would send him into a tail spin and the one time he was late he was in hysterics! So to know he felt brave enough to audition felt like a big step. Ethan is very confident in his school, with the people he knows. Volunteering answers, information and questions to the teacher, is popular amongst his peers and doing very well academically. But last year, when he did a performance at our local theatre for part of the music festival he was quite nervous and had an 'accident' on stage (not that anyone noticed!). So yesterday, on the day of his big performance, my stomach was in knots and i felt sick.

I was in school in the morning as I now volunteer 2 morning a week for the children who need additional reading support. I dashed home, had some lunch, grabbed the video camera and literally ran back up to school, bagging a front row seat! (Yes i am that annoying parent!).

The show was amazing, all the children did so well, it was one of the longest shows they had done. There were no fluffed lines, superb singing and all the children coped well under the stage lights, standing on the stage faced with 100 eager faces! The school know their stuff as this was their 3rd performance. They had done full (including make up, costume, stage lighting etc) shows for the entire school/faculty on Tuesday and to the nursery on Wednesday. So by the time it came to yesterday and their 'public' performance they were all perfect!

Ethan was wonderful, he belted out his song (he played the tom cat, singing about his lost love who had been swept away by the owl!). At 7 1/2, standing on that stage, singing on his own.. I felt so proud, that burning of admiration and awe. My beautiful boy! Just to add to that he had an additional job of 'musical technician' throughout the show, so multi tasking at his best, and i must say all the music started and stopped where it was supposed to lol!

So basically the point of this post, is not to boast about my amazingly beautiful, kind, boy (don't get me wrong, he can be equally frustrating, tiring and challenging!) haha. But to say that they will always surprise you, surprise you in their ability, their desires, their drive. The choices they make, the paths they choose, and I guess our job is to stand back, watch them, love them and in my case film it :-))

Happy Friday everyone!
xx































Saturday 21 January 2012

Hey ya...i am currently stretched out on the sofa, bathed in sunlight from the sun streaming in, wiggling my toes and having a little 'sofa dance' to the radio (something about the Outcast song, that just makes you want to dance!!) ...

Anyway... back to the task in hand....blogging!

I took Ethan back over to Edinburgh again yesterday, and it would of been extremely rude not to have paid a visit to my good friend Cath.. I had noticed on the website that there were a number of fabrics heavily reduced, but they were out of stock .. so I went along to investigate. and oh my!! Oilcloth for £4, cotton duck for £6 and gorgeous patterned cotton for £4!! so I snapped up a couple of meters, mainly for BuzyMums projects (have made a couple of roll up towelling travel mats this week and the oilcloth is perfect to the 'wipe clean' side!), but since it is so cheap I am tempted to go back tomorrow to stock up (I will be going to Edinburgh to collect Ethan anyway!).

I also made a return trip to the bead shop in Comely Bank... this place is a wee gem that i discovered by chance last week after I dropped E off... I bought a few goodies, which were admired by Kelli, a Twitter friend. We decided to do a swap (i am getting some gorgeous knitted mug cosies for myself and Ethan, can't wait!!) and my end was to snaffle some beautiful buttons/beads and I am also going to send down a darning foot as our sewing machine shop sells them v cheap!

Then this morning i heard that familiar 'plop' of a jiffy bag to doormat, and was greeted by some lovely trims, bakers twine and gingham bias binding.. so today i think I am going to have a play with pretty fabric! I have become a bit obsessed with my darning foot, oh my... freehand embroidery... 'such fun'!! Got lots of ideas running around my mind ... lets get creative!!

What more could a girl ask for?

Sunday 15 January 2012

Going HOME!

well, survived my first week back...! I know, I have a cheek ... my job is a joy, a pleasure, fun and I am very fortunate... but after 3 weeks off, mostly spent in my PJs... it was a shock to the system!!

I finally finished Ethan's bedroom, and it looks amazing...I spent all day in there on Friday, 'dressing' it and listening to his Disney CDs ... even now, I keep going back in to look at it. LOVE it. I got him a big desk and legs from ikea so he has a lovely space to create, got him a bygel rail and some hanging pots for all his pens and lots of storage.. so hopefully he will stop nicking mine :-) His new curtains (made my me, obvs!!) and paint colour make a real difference, brightening the room and making it feel much warmer ... love the colour yellow, is my fav and best!

Spent the day in Edinburgh yesterday, wandering around old haunts and feeling nostalgic and formulating a plan for moving back ....... Edinburgh is a beautiful city. Bursting with beautiful buildings, bustling with people, bright with ideas and opportunities and always feels very much like going HOME... Stockbridge is a special place and there are so many fab little places to stop and indulge. It really has the feel of a small village... loved being back, exploring, remembering, planning...

But until the day I can go HOME I will have to make regular visits.. to sooth my soul... in fact I am going today!! ha .. I had better get up and get with it!

Here are some photos from my week;

Lotta getting snuggles


Finally getting my mojo back!


Being back at work ... lots of paint... it was a messy class!


On the train...



Skittles tongue!



Beautiful vintage artwork i bought whilst exploring all the nooks and crannies in Edinburgh!


Meatballs!!!!


My beautiful boy ... LOVE!


US!!



Lunch ... it MUST of been Tuesday!


Us again... my boy and me.. forever and always xx (ps.. you will see ethan's fringe, this is it finally growing in from where he cut it himself in august!!!! He has had rest of hair cut in meantime ... lol!)




Right.. better get up and at 'em

xxx

Monday 9 January 2012

purging ...

I am currently mid way through an overhaul of the house ... you know that point when stuff is everywhere, the 'eye of the storm'. Moving from one room to another, 'staging' areas... while you try to get everything sorted. Am gutting wardrobes, cupboards, airing cupboard. Finally getting rid of all Ethan's baby (*sobbbbb) clothes, sorting through towels and bedding...my clothes. Added to this I am also in the middle of decorating Ethan's bedroom, but I ran out of paint, and am waiting until school goes back tomorrow to finish it off .

BUT i see light at the end of the tunnel. I am off to ikea on Wednesday for (meatballs) storage, a play table and a new tv unit for my new living room tv when it comes. A load of baby clothes were picked up this morning and I have arranged for a charity pick up for the rest ... so fingers crossed, this time next week everything should be pristine, ordered and organised and calm will be restored ....

ahhhhh and relax!

x

Saturday 7 January 2012

Christmas photo round up

Enjoying the last few days of the holidays, soaking up every relaxing moment, I have thoroughly enjoyed this break and it is so nice to take some time out for once.

Ethan and I blew the cobwebs off by heading down to the park this afternoon, then I had every intention of building my new bed, but I couldn't even dismantle my old one as the screws were too tight ... and i lost the will live. So it will have to wait for my brother to come and help!

But now I am going to put my feet up and snuggle with my boy, so i will leave you with some photos...


enjoy
em xx

Tuesday 3 January 2012

2012 ... looking forward to another great year!

Well... I got a bit slack there at the end of the year again ... apologies. I was just so swamped with all the BuzyMums side of the business, orders, 12 craft fairs, orders, orders, orders and more orders!!! Not to mention normal family life, teaching classes and getting ready for Christmas!

But I coped, i survived, all orders were delivered to happy customers, a fantastic year and to top it off a fantastic Christmas. I think my best ever Christmas. Just loved it, we had nanny this year. So it was a special family occasion, lots of love and laughter.. special memories. I was thoroughly spoiled, I am very, very lucky.

2011 was an amazing year and I am so looking forward to 2012... now that I have been enjoying a few weeks holiday I have found some time for scrapping, which is lovely....

so I am really looking forward to 2012.. it is going to be great!

I promise I will be back SOON!!!

em xx