Wednesday 23 December 2009

Carol singing!

This week we did some carol singing in one of our local shopping centres


Here's Phoebe and Deacon Matthew rattling their collecting boxes to good effect!

Monday 7 December 2009

Getting into the Spirit of Advent!

Phoebe's School Christmas Bazaar was on Friday night, so we made Banana Brownies and Pumpkin Bread with Butterscotch Chips (Thank you Octomom!)

And Guy's Pre-school bake sale was on Saturday morning. We made Chocolate Logs and Iced Christmas Trees
Our new Ikea sofa-bed, assembled by my own fair hand, is being adequately tested!
And Phoebe is a cow in the school Nativity play. As every Nativity scene she has ever seen has a cow (or an Ox) in it, she feels this is a very authentic part.
Interestingly, it turns out one of her friends who told me he was an 'alien', turns out to have been an 'angel'! Easy mistake to make when you're five! Perhaps one extra-terrestrial messenger, is much like another?
I remember someone telling me once that horses can regulate the temperature in their feet independently, because they're herd animals. They might end up in the middle of the herd with three feet on dry ground, but one foot in a cold puddle. They could then send extra heat to the coldest hoof.
While this is impressive; I remember thinking at the time that it surely made most sense to develop the bit of the horse's brain that enables them to move somewhere where they're not standing in puddles!

I love watching the horses next to the school, but I don't think they're very intelligent animals!

Tuesday 1 December 2009

Getting in the logs!

There are some jobs that seem to work as team-building activities within families. For some it's cooking together, or tidying-up. For us it's bringing in and sorting, stacking, and storing firewood.


Wednesday 18 November 2009

The story of my life this month!

Being ill, pregnant, and busy is a really bad combination!
Most of the month so far has passed like this:

Monday 2 November 2009

Halloween/Bonfire night Arts and Crafts Party!

We had some friends round to do some vaguely Halloween-y/ Bonfire Night Arts and Crafts. We started off making cats and owls out of toilet rolls!
We made popcorn and stuffed it into vinyl gloves;
Of course, quite a lot got eaten - but popcorn counts as one of our 'five a day', so it's not all bad!
We made some chocolate refrigerator cake, then cut it into strips (logs),
And made bonfires!
We made spiders out of egg boxes and pipe-cleaners,

And painted them!

And we had Pumpkin soup, and Gingerbread with Apple Sauce for lunch! Yum!

Tuesday 27 October 2009

What we've been up to....

Firstly, and most importantly, Phoebe's Godfather came to visit!
Guy has decided that if even the horses are wearing their coats,
he will deign to wear his!

As the weather gets wetter the cats are spending more and more time indoors!
We went to Bicester Village - again!

Then down to London on the train,

And the tube,
To visit the dinosaurs!
Guy is equally frightened and fascinated by the dinosaurs! Particularly the animatronic ones!
Then back home in time for bed!

Saturday 17 October 2009

Monday 12 October 2009

SUCH a great weekend!

We started by going shopping at Bicester Village - which is more fun than it sounds!
Then back to listen to some seriously energetic folk music!Phoebe was drawing the band as they were playing. Then she presented the band with her portraits at the end of their set. I think The Reverenzas have their first groupie!
How she thought she could get Guy to sleep is beyond me!
Anyway, after that we went swimming;



Then, on Sunday we went to play conkers in the drizzle with our MayBe friends.

As part of the service, we had five loaves and two small fishes. Here are the left-overs! Not quite twelve baskets full!

Then a quiet afternoon at home, followed by an early dinner at our local Pizza Restaurant with friends.

The boys enjoying their ice-cream and "coffee" (frothed milk)


A good time was had by all!

Friday 9 October 2009

A modern re-working of a classic!

Phoebe learned a song about Goldilocks at school today.
Take it away Phoebs......

Friday 2 October 2009

Phoebe's Fifth!

Remember this cake from last year?

Well, after much discussion, Phoebe has eschewed options of mermaid cakes, Dora cakes, Disney princess cakes, butterfly cakes, and even Barbie cakes! No, what she has opted for is........
Exactly the same as last year!

Rapunzel is back in her tower, and all's right with the world!
Happy Fifth Birthday, Phoebe!

Thursday 24 September 2009

Next year's Black is....................a girl!

Introducing......


So, this is our big news! The next baby Black, due at the end of Jan/beginning of Feb is female! So I'm now researching New Testament Saints names. How do we feel about Olympia? Or possibly Chloe? I'm open to suggestions!


This was something else that made me laugh this week!

I can't help wishing that I got recognition for the stuff I'm 'trying' to do, regardless of whether I actually succeed or not!

Things are certainly getting harder for me physically. I have noticed that
- changing the sheets on the top bunk
- bending over to put the laundry in the machine
- cycling up-hill when we're late for school
- chasing an unruly two year old
are all much, much harder one you're past 20 weeks pregnant!
(Well that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!)