bigbucketgirl

Alphabet on skates

Hold onto your hats..here comes the rest of my Encyclopedia of Me Alphabet. All in one day. All on the last day. Last minute..me?

My camera is still suffering from E18 so i'm hoping that some old photos will colour up the post.

H is for habadashery. We have an old fashioned one here, and I LOVE it. Truly adore it. Want to work in it. Hell, want to OWN it!

H is for halcyon days. We've enjoyed many this Summer and I'm hopeful that Autumn will bring more!

H is for havoc. Havoc \ha-vək\ n 1: Wide and general destruction. 2: Great confusion and disorder.  If we were to name our house then it would be apt to use the name 'Havoc House'. No joke.

H is for heirloom, and although our family don't seem to have ever been left anything to take to Antiques roadshow..and there are no million dollar paintings hidden in the attic...I do have my late Grandmothers fabrics, crochet, notions etc. They are my heirlooms. Some I use and others I keep for the right 'moment'. This week I took a sample of fabric to be framed because it was too precious(to me) to use and lie in a cupboard. I can't wait to photograph it to show.

Another thing I inherited was phrases and words that my father used to use. When someone looked bad, maybe in a mess, (often me and my sister!) then he would say that we looked like we'd come off the Wreck of the Hesperus. Years after he died, I still laugh when I find myself telling my kids it! Often at the state of their bedrooms. When havoc reigns.

H is for house. If you were to come around..maybe for a beer or chilled glass of wine then you'd walk past the hydrangeas by the door and undoubtedly be met by a higgledy-piggledy, hilarious, hullabaloo. Our HOME.

(The photo was taken almost 4 yrs ago...the day when we moved in. There's no denying I love floral patterns..but hell.....we felt like aphids!)

I've done I already, so i'll jump straight to J.

J is for Joyance (rejoicing; festivity;delight). I wasn't sure it was a word but the kids have found it in the dictionary, and they like it!

J is for the jubilations that we have when we find a matching pair in the clean sock jumble, and for jiggered. How I feel when we can't find those elusive socks. (A term I like to use because otherwise I could increase my children's vocabulary in ways that would not make me proud.)

The time has come for a break...i'll be back after a large, strong coffee with more of the letters. (I'm going to add them as an edit to this post.)

Edit 1

K is for Kinder. My kinder. Boy, girl, boy. Their favourite K word is Kerfuffle. They are particularly good at actively demonstrating the words they like!

These are pin badges from Kittythimbles Etsy shop. They are my DS#1 and DD. (I'm still looking for the one that must be out there of DS#2!)

Edit 2.

L is for Lunch. I'm not a great fan of formal food and formal dining. There is a time and a place, i know that, I'm just not usually there at the right time. Or in the right place!

Relaxed, impromptu, easy lunches. They are my favourite.

My 36th birthday lunch in a Brighton beach cafe. Perfect.

My 36th birthday high-tea in Food for Friends, Brighton. Perfect.

And for those times when nothing else will quite hit the spot...Sunday Lunch on the beach.

L is Logisitics. One of my most favourite words in the world. I love the way it sounds and the kids like it! They are learning the about the logisitcs of running a home!

M is for Mrs. I love being my other half's Mrs. Mr and Mrs. Love it.

M is for Mumma. I love being that. That goes without saying. Mumma. Love it.

M is for Messages in Magnetic Letters. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them!

N is for Nasturtiums, Neurotic, Nocturnal and Neroli. These are words the kids picked for me. So I guess..I worry about being orange at night!

O is for Octopus. I like the imagery of an Octopus..to doodle one or softies that I've seen, but not the real thing. Well, not up close. We saw a giant one in a Sealife centre last year and it haunts me. Seriously. It looked so...wise and really looked like it was thinking. Eurgh and the beak that they have. Oh, i have to stop right now. Eurgh.

P is for...that's a post on its own. That'll have to wait.

Q is for Quarrel. We hear a few of them here. With 3 kids you may expect more than a few...but no..just a few quarrels.

Q is for Quibbles..Ah! now that's another matter...(and of course full blown arguments, but I've gone past A!)

Phew, got to go and feed the troops.

Edit 3

R is for Rambunctious. The word makes me smile. Makes me think of Robin Hood and rolling around in woods. Not that I do! Other R words we like are rainbow, rain. ramshackle, regurgitate(!) and radish.

Edit 4 (Yes, i know its late...technically its September but is there a timezone somewhere that is still in August!)

S is for Sibling Rivalry. We witness this daily. It makes me laugh. It makes me cry. It makes me swear. It makes me remember. I remember being hit really hard on the kneecap with a white stiletto by my younger sister. My younger sister who always was taller, bigger and heavier than me. Silly sister.

S is for Stubborn. I am stubborn. So stubborn that it can be a bad thing. Most of the time, it's a good thing. It's got me things and got me to places that otherwise I wouldn't have got. It's me. It's a big part of my Spirit.

S is for Secateurs. DD wanted that word. She loves dead heading the borders with my pink ones.

T is for Trees. I have become obsessed with the imagery of trees. Stylised, 1950's, 60's or 70's trees. This is weird because trees also scare me. I had recurring dreams as a young child and teenager about trees. Perfectly uniform lines of fir trees. That's another story...! We also didn't buy a perfectly good, solid, family house because it had a tree in the garden. We liked the house enough to put an offer in, and then after a night thinking about that tree...I couldn't do it. We had to withdraw the offer. The house is around the corner from where we live now, and the tree is still there. It still makes me uneasy. There's a weird, tangible aura around that tree. Like it knows something. Eurgh.

U is for Unicorn. DD adores unicorns and this is the book of the moment.

U is for Umbrella. I don't remember the last time I used one in the rain because the winds are always too unpredictable, but our garden umbrella has a place in my heart! It's purple and it's faithful and loyal. Our previous one was very flighty and took off more than once to the bottom of the garden!

This was the view as I looked up from one of my leisurely lunches in Brighton. DH was a little embarrassed as people actually stopped to stare as I was taking the photos. (Oh yes, I have more!) Unbelievable!

V is for Vulture. We saw one at a Country Show on the weekend and it was just... Wow! We loved it and the handler was letting it fly around the fields and calling it back like a puppy. She was called Bertha and DS#1 and DD both wanted to bring her home. Obviously there was no need to frisk them after leaving the tent!

W is for Wales. My homeland. W is also for Wales. As in the rugby team that represents my nation. Ah! the World Cup starts very soon and We don't seem to have a snowflakse chance in hell of doing very well. Fortunately for me, being Welsh born and bred, I have a well honed skill for believing in the unbelievable. Magic and Fairytales. Wales winning the World Cup. We will watch, we will worry!

This is Adam Jones and we joke here that he is DD's clone! It's all in the hair!

(DS#1 and DD would like to add "CYMRU AM BYTH" DS#2 would like to add "GO, GO, GO")

X is for Xylophone. DS#2's favourite instrument!

Y is for Yak. Wikipedia says; The yak (Bos grunniens) is a long-haired humped domestic bovine. DH often refers to me as a Yak. Thankfully he means it in the nicest possible way and he's merely letting me know that I need to make a hair appointment. Of course it could also be a direct response to my incessant Yackety-yacking. Yack.Yack.Yack.

Z is for "Zip It". My most commonly used phrase over the Summer Holidays! There have been so many laughs, long chats about 'nothing', deep and meaningful conversations about 'everything' and lots of fun with words. The whole family have used this meme as reason to read the dictionary! The kids have learned knew words and spellings to add to their tally of vocabularly and hopefully taken on the meanings of new ones. BUT...despite all the good in talking, talking and talking..there have been times when I forget my mantra of "Keep Calm" and simply yell "Zip It". DS#1 and DD are too old now to fear my threat of stitching a zipper in their mouth like this darling.

I loved him so.

Well, there you have it. An Encyclopedia of Me. Alphabet inspired entries of things to do with me.

THANK YOU for reading and commenting from A to Z. Time for me now to Zip.

I is for Impromptu Lunch

The sun is shining, the kids are immersed in their role play on the sand ship, and I am taking a 5 minute break to do this...What could go wrong today? Well, I've already left DS#2's Crocs behind at my sisters this morning. Ah!

It's lunchtime and I am too hot to eat. Too hot to cook. The kids all enjoyed boiled eggs in pitta bread. Really simple, really good. Really quick! They requested food that they could eat in the garden..."to 'inspire' us Mumma"!? Oh what could they be up to now! Anyway before that...

Would you like to see my lunch?

Yum yum. Peas are one of my favourite foods...

Shelling them into my lap..and eating them as I type.

Leaving the shells on the side until the entire bag has gone...all washed down with a bottle of diet coke. I know that's not good in the health stakes but there is no juice here of any kind, and besides the caffeine does help!

So, it seems that the kids are playing chefs outside. They are running some kind of short order cafe...and they have knocked up a few specials for today.

To begin..you may choose mud and apple pie or would you rather something a little lighter..the play grade sand dip? There is a very stodgy mud log on offer, apparently it is laced with nasturtiums and a few dandelion heads. As a side order they have prepared dried onion skins and there is fuschia juice to satisfy your thirst.

Thank heavens they washed their hands first...

Old fashioned fun in the mud. I love watching them playing with not a care in the world. I've mentioned before about DS and the stresses he has at school with his work and the increasing expectations that the teachers, and school system in general, put on him. We are three weeks into our Summer holidays and all this time away and role play is doing him the power of good. He can Be and Do without having to worry about making a mistake. Mud is good. Very theraputic. Very.glad.I.don't.have.to.eat.it!

Anyone braver than me? Any orders? DD is wearing a vintage apron if that helps!!

Edited to add...Yes, I know H comes after g....but I forgot. Temporarily. In a scaley, fan-tailed, 2 second memory kind of way.

G is for goldfish...

G is for goldfish..aren't they reported to have a 2 second memory? This could be the reason I find them so appealing....it's how I feel a lot of the time! What was that..???  Seriously, my memory has good days and bad days. It is undoubtedly affected by what day of the month it is...:(

As we speak, it is particularly bad. Today I am a living goldfish. I have remembered to wash, clothe and feed my children. I have remembered to wash and clothe myself. (Note the absence of feeding myself..that'll explain the shocking headache I have at the moment...I need food. Can anyone throw me a few flakes!?)

The ultimate proof that my hormones and body are out to get me?..I went to the supermarket that is hell on earth to get DS#2 his soya milk. I was feeling jolly (! should have recognised that as a bad sign...jolly in Scumerfield!) and indulged the kids in "What do you want for lunch?" The trolley was soon filled to bursting with 37 different lunch options and a cake mix, 3 comics and a 4 pack of Magners. What happened then was I went to pay..£87.86 and handed over my card. Declined. Ah! Ok..modern technology, not to worry..use this one. Declined. Double Ah! When I used my credit card and that too was declined, I started to drop my mouth open like a goldfish, my heart was having palpitations and I wanted to cry.

I left the shopping there. Came away without ANY of it. 24p in my wallet didn't cover 1 egg. The kids didn't know anything was wrong, I calmly told them that we needed to go to the bank first, "Mumma doesn't want to use a card today"...so they hopped, skipped and jumped along. I had to physically drag one foot after the other.

At the bank, the teller couldn't help herself and disssolved into giggles. I do know her, but it.did.not.help. It turns out that me, the goldfish brained one, had idly used the wallet that the kids play shops with. The cards are 'real' (I like them to have realism!!!) , but they are the ones that I had cancelled because my wallet was 'lost' a few weeks ago. You can all laugh now. I have. Just about. I.am.getting.over.it.

I am such a goldfish brain. Simple.

F is for Friends

A quick one this..Dh is away for the night on work so I can hog the TV for Project Runway with a box of Cheerio's. (He just doesn't get that programme.)

F is for friends.

The kids didn't choose this one from the dictionary but through their actions! Just before we went to town for essentials today, we read a post about a brave little man who got a little too close to a bee nest. Ah!

On our travels we called into one of the charity shops as they had put a new batch of kids books out. They do a 3 for £1 offer in there, so we had a healthy rummage and came away with 16 'new to us' books. There were some fabulous finds in the haul, stories of meerkats, cheetahs, buglitastic bugs and of course we had to find one about a dragon. The kids were idly chatting and trying their hardest to occupy DS#2 who was in his pushchair(poor thing!) when they spied a book that they wouldn't normally go for. Today however they had to have it. They shot me down with looks of fury when I noted that we were up to a tally of 16 with this extra one. I know my place and paid for all 16.

The book was about bees. They were thinking of the little boy on a blog.

DD "If we put his name on a parcel will it get to him"

DS "You have to put an address on"

DD "Oh there's no time for worrying about things like that...LOOK! Mumma. We have to get him one of those!"

Now admittedly, if you've just been stung and traumatised by a bee, I'm not altogether sure that you'd want reminders given to you as gifts..but the kids hearts are in the right place. Big, full, generous hearts so perhaps it wouldn't be sooo bad. That and the fact that the balloon was part of a shop window display and NOT FOR SALE. DD was not impressed with that and is plotting a plan! I can feel a storm brewing...

If you're wondering..Yes I had my camera to hand and yes, I did feel a complete prat for taking a photo of a chemist window in broad daylight (especially as the crow who'd refused us a balloon was staring through the said window at me!) But as I said, my kids have got hearts of gold. So I indulged them!

Friends. Never met them, never likely to, never matters. Look forward to seeing them every day, like the same stuff, do the same things, all that counts.

E is for Exasperated

Adj.

1.

exasperated - greatly annoyed; out of patience; "had an exasperated look on his face"; "felt exasperated beyond endurance"

It started when I noticed some...crumbs around my computer desk.

Cornflake crumbs. They made a trail. So I followed it.

Mysteriously the trail wound around the stairs in the hall to the kitchen. It was here that I found THE foot. Had we suffered an alien invasion? Had the plague of flying ants we're suffering at the moment eaten the rest of the Green Footed Thing? The trail was still going...on into the hall...at this point I became exasperated. Very exasperated. "I must keep calm and carry on...No Mrs Dragon, keep calm and carry on....."

As always though...I couldn't fail to be entertained, laughing until my sides almost split...when met by the not-yet-2-yr-old with an upside down box of cornflakes shouting "bowl-more, bowl-more". The bowl he was refering to was lying prone in the hall...as I went to pick it up he was crying "bowl-bad-aargh, bowl-bad-aargh". All the while he's pulling the most scared face. I looked at the bowl...

and witnessed Peppa Pig  being held at knifepoint by one of Robin Hoods men.

I reached into the bowl and took out Peppa, DS#2 grabbed her "got-Pep, got-Pep". He was so delighted that he went on his belly through the hall eating the cornflakes off the floor. It seems all is right with the world when he has Pep. (The floor was clean. Not yesterday or tomorrow...but today it was clean!)

D is for Doormat

Corrrh blimey! Kittythimble has a lot to answer for...she posted tonight here, about Wisecrafts fabulous gnome doormat. I agreed with her that I too was envious of the gnome mat. It hadn't occurred to me to search for one..she did. She found fantastic examples of doormats that are more like pieces of art...I wouldn't want them used and abused! Pop over and see what she found..enough to cheer up any door!

I popped over to the shop site to see what was what and found these two darlings! They speak volumes and I want them.

Imagine...you have a visitor you don't want..you could Oh so subtlely put down the Exit one and give them a hint, and when the need arose...whip down an Enter one. An invitation. HaHa.

Oh. I think i've lost the plot. How can a grown adult, mother of three, get so excited about a doormat.

  Kittythimble...its your fault......xxx

A,B and C.

I found this idea on domesticali which i think came from belladia..so i'm joining in...I know I'm a few days late getting started but hopefully I won't get berated too much...the sun has been shining!

Its an Encyclopedia of Me meme and it's got the kids reading dictionaries, morning, noon and night to help me! Their vocabulary can only get richer, but it does worry me that the words they're choosing for me are a little...harsh! I've limited them to one word each a day so that they can save it to memory properly. (And of course I can escape lightly!)

A has to be for Adoption. Without it our lives as a family would not be complete. Life would not be as we know it and I can't bear the thought of Us not being Us.

A is also for Aubergine. I love to eat it fried with cheese, love the shape and adore the colour.

and Appendage. I can't help but love that word. There are a few words that make me smile just by saying them and that is one of them!

and Amazing,, sorry Abysmal. Apparently DD thinks this is a good description of my cooking. Charmed.I'm.Sure.

and Appreciation. According to DS#1 he appreciates me. I love that!

B is for bucket. There is probably no rhyme or reason as to why I love buckets so much! Psychoanalysis would probably have an explanation but I'd rather not know! My craft odds and sods are stored in galvanised buckets, kids bath toys in blue enamelled ones. In the shed there are a range of plastic jelly coloured ones that often get used as impromptu mini-paddling pools by the kids, or habitats for snails. Oh I do love a bucket.

and Buddleia. A favourite plant of mine.

and beavering away. The kids chose this as their take on me working!

and Bacardi. And Coke. Simple.

C is for Camel. These creatures intrigue me, and after being to Tunisia several times on Camel Trains over the desert..I am completely smitten. I once read that camelsn are unpredictable at best and have the reputation of being bad-tempered and obstinate creatures who spit and kick. In reality, they tend to be good-tempered, patient and intelligent. The sound they make when they're loaded up and have to rise to their feet is like the grunting and heavy breathing of a weight-lifter in action, not a sign of displeasure at having to do some work. Very much like me around the house!

and Crab. I am a Cancerian. I am a Moon driven girl. The moon and the tides. The water. The Sea. I cannot CANNOT live away from the sea, from the coast. I went to Derbyshire for 4 days once and I was gagging for sea air on day 2. It was not a pleasant trip and I have sworn DH to promise that he will never make me do that again. EVER. If we go on day trips away from the coast, we have to drive the long way around our town when we get home..just to see as much sea as we can. DH is also a Cancerian so he does get me, thankfully. The kids are not Cancerians, but they are kids, and for now that means they will not moan and grizzle when I call for a detour 'up the front' on route to x, y or z. In return for understanding their Mumma..I will understand them..and I will not moan or grizzle when they run with complete abandon into the sea fully clothed becasue they 'don't have time' to strip!

and courteous. The word the kids chose. They are very aware of manners at the moment! For this one they are also memorising courtesy and curtsy because DD loves to do them. ESpecially if you've been courteous to her!

That's my A,B and C. D is due today but that'll have to come later... Oh and I have to ...D is for Daughter. Our incredibly creative, artisitic, generous, funky, loving, comic, exuberant daughter. We waited a long time for DD, as we did our DS#1 and 2!, but to say the wait was worth it is an understatement of gargantuan proportions. DD makes me laugh, makes me cry but makes me proud. So very proud. Not just because she loves vintage aprons and would probably sell her toys to buy another one!

This is her recording a song in the garden..wearing of course, a pinny!)

OK. That's it. The rain has come again today but would anyone in this house notice. Only me. The rest of them including the not-yet-2yr-old are ecstatic over a football pre-season friendly. Incredulously..the season starts again next Saturday. Urgh. I don't mind football at all..but August. August is HOLIDAYS. Grrrr. Off to rant. Deadheading always works for geting rid of the rant!