Yarn along

Here goes nothing!  I'm having a go at 'linking up' (sounds like I actually understand what I'm doing hey!) with Ginny on her yarn along spot over at small things. 
I'm currently making a LOT of apple cozies (using a free Natural Suburbia pattern) to give to the kids, complete with apple, instead of party bags at the end of Tino's upcoming 3rd birthday party.  That Richard thinks this is a nice but weird idea, doesn't surprise me at all, but when a female friend asked me what the point of them was, I was a bit shocked!!  Anyways I ran the idea by Rémi and he thinks it's great.

So on to 'Guns, germs and steel', it's a very thorough and interesting study of why, if we all evolved from the same ape, is it that different 'peoples' evolved at different speeds - the answer (I'm only quarter of the way through) it would seem, depends on when and how they 'discovered' - guns, germs and steel, and thus the advantages these 3 things accorded them over other tribes/nations etc.  I only have time to read last thing at night, so despite being captivating, it's a pretty hard bedtime book!

Muffin Tin Monday

'Don't play with your food!!', no, sorry I mean play with your food!  

Rémi has a bit of a hard time sitting still to eat.  He's pretty good with what he eats, it's just he has to do at least 20 'yoga' poses whilst he's eating it.  He also loves building things, at the moment it's planes/rocketships/missiles etc, so Muffin Tin Monday is Rémi's dream meal. 

As we are currently enjoying a warm early autumn the boys had their Muffin Tin meal outside last night.  The only 'restriction' I put on them was that they had to try something out of every 'hole', I didn't mention sitting still.  I gave them some sword shapped tooth-picks to eat with and added some cocktail unbrella's to  pretty-up my ratty-tatty old muffin tins.

Rémi making all kinds of tooth-pick-carrot-peanut butter-vegi dog intergalaxtic missiles!



We also did another muffin tin activity this summer which involved making 6 pairs out of a tray of mixed goodies, then taking turns to be the leader in deciding what to eat.

The muffin-tins are also very good for making, well, muffins!  (and the slightly less heathly cousin, The Queen Cake).

The annual village POW-WOW

Last night was the Association du Village des Bossons Annual General Meeting!  and it was out with the old and in with the new - the 'old', president of many years, (I don't mean her age here) resigned and a new president was elected out of a choice of ONE!.  There was also a new secretary elected, again out of a choice of one!
Other than that not much happened. Carol, ex-president, doesn't like long meetings so the entire thing was wrapped up in about 20mins, and post meeting 'drinks' brought out (and some crisps too!!) .
2 hours later I was still trying to convice my father-in-law that it was time to go home, but quite frankly I was having a jolly good time aswell listening to the village 'elders' (I was the youngest one there)

They ended up planning a 'pig night', where everything on the menu has to be made of pork!! I wonder what the dessert is going to be?

Village Party 2011

Papy Bob and his crazy wood sawing act!

Rémi, Fabien and Bibi the donkey

Stars 'n stripes

I didn't set out with this theme in mind, I just wanted to 'renovate' the guess room, well Papy Tatoo's room actually.  He comes to visit about 3 times a year,  21 days in total, and  he's an insomniac!!!! So, I thought, what's the point in keeping a big old bed sofa in a itty bitty room for someone who doesn't come here often and when he does doesn't sleep!! (actually he sleeps all day on the lounge sofa so it's little wonder he can't sleep at night, but try telling HIM that).

I think I might paint one wall very pale green (aparently green is a calming colour and anything's worth a try with my monsters!) and then paint a silhouette of the world on it.?

So far...

The stars 'nap-mat' was my first sewing project!  The hardest part was threading the machine!  The idea was very simple, just three pillow cases sewed ,almost straight, in a line.




The stripy crochet blanket was made 36 years ago, by my mother-in-law, for Richi!

I'd added two big pear bean bags for added comfort and subsequently 'banned' eating and drinking in the room.  Turns out I should have specified a ban on 'peeing' also as Tino has already 'marked' his territory!!

And, I'm happy to say, I've finished the W.I.P. from the last post:-

THE CHAMONIX HOCKEY CLUB BOTTLE COZY

The Final Countdown

In 7 days time Rémi returns to school, and Tino starts school OMG!  Both my children will be in school, how weird is that? To help countdown the days (as they both can't wait!) we made a 'Back to School' jar- one sweetie a day for a week.  I hope they control themselves better than they did last christmas with the advent calendar "NO boys, just because you've opened and eaten the 24 chocolates on the 2nd of December it does'nt mean Santa will be coming tonight!"

Here's one of my little work in progress baskets.  Might actually get somethings finished as of next week.

?

Never put off until tomorrow...

...what you can do today!
Well with that in mind I decided to knit Tino a horse using a pattern that Linda from Natural Suburbia so very kindly sent me a few days ago; knit it and finish it in a day!  I told the boys that it was an 'unstructured activity day' which basically meant that they had to amuse themselves - biking, playing on the swings, in the sandpit, unarmed combat, it was a sunny day so the posibilities were endless.
So far so good, that is until Ginette (my mother in-law) turned up with a tonne of plums and a few tomatoes from her sister's garden.  Instantly the boys wanted to make a 'gateau' with the fruit and the idea of an 'unsupervised' cooking activity in my kitchen had little apeal to me.  So I had to help.



Plum clafoutis

 Never the less, I managed to get the horse finished (we had take out pizza for dinner) just in time for Tino to add it to his extensive collection of cuddly bedtime chums.

Tino named her Paquitta

I'm just pickled pink!

Home grown and beautifully rough around the edges!

After my sucessful foray into jaming I thought I'd give pickling beetroot a wirl.  We have lot of it in the garden and apart from picking it I've tryed roasting it with garlic and basil, eating it raw (grated) in salad, boiling it and serving it cold with sliced red onions and making it into mini soufflés. And i'm yet to try the 'Red Velvet' cake recipe that i got for my birthday.

Here's the recipie for the spiced pickling vinegar:-
1.5l cider vinegar (could'nt find malt)
2 cloves garlic
1 whole bruised ginger
3 bay leaves
25g chopped shallots
50g black pepper corns
25g mixed spices
salt

It's very easy, just boil the vinegar  with all the other ingredients (put the spices in a muslin bag or coffee filter) for 15mins, strain, let it go cold and pour over cold, cooked beets in sterilised jars.  Leave to 'pickle' for 3 - 4 weeks before eating.

Homegrow/made, you just can't BEET it!

Still on the subject of all things pink, I've just finished off jaming the rest of the redcurrents.  This time I did it the old fashioned way i.e putting the hot berries through a muslin cloth and burning my fingers squeezing the jus out!  Not only do I now have 4 more pots of jam I also have a pink tinted drying up cloth. Bonus!