I Love Where I Live

My smile lines recently:

Blossoms arriving on the trees:

Walking along the coastline:

Stone hearts on the beach:

The Shaldon ferry:

Carved wooden seats:

Sweet poems on benches:

Hide and seek in the trees:

Piggy backs:

Peacocks:

Woods:

Green door in a garden wall:

Devon has my heart.

Smile Lines

Noah: 'Why do they have to spoil a song with a rap? (Sigh.) They're doing two raps, what's wrong with them?'

Rosie: 'Ben, you look awesome. I think it's your hair. Yes, if you had hair like Ethan and Noah's you wouldn't look so awesome. You have great hair!'

Ben: 'Noah said I was a freak.'
Me: 'Well, you are a little bit!'
Ben: 'You're not supposed to say that!'
Ethan: 'She's your mum, she can say what she likes...even if it is child cruelty!'
(Sarcasm is our love language.)

Wednesday's Smile Lines

Noah: 'Mummy, I love you all the way to heaven (that's higher than space isn't it?) and all the way back down to the lava in the middle of the earth!'

Smile Lines

I love this photo of Ethan with his cousin Isobel:

A couple of weeks ago we set off on a trip to my sister-in-law's farm in west Wales. Unfortunately we got stuck in traffic for hours so we spent an unexpected night at my sister's house in south Wales, halfway to our destination. It was worth it to have some extra snuggles with Isobel!

The next morning we avoided the motorway and took the scenic route to the farm through the Brecon Beacons. You can't help but fall in love with the place:

We spend a lovely couple of days with James' sister and family, the children loved spending time with their cousins and being at Mikey's baptism:

I love waking up to a sunny Sunday at Gellie:

My other highlight of the month was this:

Ten and a half years ago when we moved into our home, James took off the living room door which had a huge hole in it. We hadn't got around to replacing it until last week when I finally decided to buy one. I can't tell you how happy I was when it was hung and I could close out the sounds of the house when I wanted! It's the little things in life...

Smile Lines

My favourite smile lines of the week:

James: 'You look lovely....pretty....or whatever....flowery?'
Me: 'You're such a romantic!'

Noah: 'I've decided my favourite Killers song is Prize Fighter, then Flesh and Bone. But my favourite Brandon Flowers song is still Jilted Lovers and Broken Hearts!'
Me: 'I've taught you well son!'

Friday's Smile Lines

Noah: 'Yes! I love pitter-patter bread for lunch!'
Ethan: 'It's pita bread Noah.'
Noah: (Giggles) 'Oh yeah...well, I think pitter-patter sounds better!'

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Another thing making me smile today is the arrival of these plastic lunch boxes for Rosie and Noah's return to school next month:

I used to have lunch boxes just like these but when my children were old enough to need them the trend for sturdy lunch boxes had been replaced with material cool bags...which are a nightmare to clean (not machine washable!) and look rather shabby after a while. I thank you Internet for finding me a random plastic company that still makes these!

Thursday's Smile Lines

Ben: 'Can I put on my 80's playlist mum?'

Other children: 'Yessssss!'

Is this normal?

Monday's Smile Lines

Rosie: 'Mummy, come here quickly!'
Me: 'What is it?'
Rosie: 'Oh, just look at those love birds having a cuddle outside!  Quickly, take a photo.'

Sunday's Smile Lines

Wednesday's Smile Lines

Today was lunch number two with Lisa and Jenny, this time it was at Cafe Rio (one can never eat too many times at that place!).  I first met Lisa 10 years ago when she and her family came to England for a year while her husband studied Shakespeare.  Her boys were the same age as ours and we had lots of adventures around Devon together.  Jenny is a friend of Lisa's and I've read her blog for years now, I was excited to get to meet her on this trip and not just be a stalker!  The only picture I have of us all together is rather awful (for me), but I shall still share it...for posterity.  (I'm being brave!)  Lisa and Jenny look as gorgeous as ever, but somehow the windswept car park of Old Navy was not doing me any favours.  Where was I looking?  Where did my hair go?  Why did I not straighten out my clothes?  No amount of Instagram can save me from this:

Thanks for a lovely afternoon ladies!

Monday's Smile Lines

Rosie: 'Mummy, in the olden days when you were little, was there any electricity?'
Me: 'Of course, I'm not THAT old!'
Rosie: 'Well, did you have hair dryers?'

Tuesday's Smile Lines

Noah's front tooth has been wobbling its way through Christmas but wouldn't give up....until today!  He wrote a note for the tooth fairy:

It says: 'Dear tooth fairy my toot was so so wobly that it was hanging out so it fell out.  the end.  From Noah.'

Sunday Smile Lines

Ben: 'You're like a ninja master hot chocolate stirrer mum!'

Monday Smile Lines

Writing Christmas cards with rosy cheeks left over from the school play:

Friday' Smile Lines

Noah: 'Mummy, I had a dream this morning. Squirrels were surrounding me 'cause they wanted my nuts!'

Thursday's Smile Lines

There's nothing I love better than a snuggle while reading school books, especially when they remind me of ones I used to read to my little sister.

Squishy Love

Is there anything better than spending the day holding a gorgeous new baby so his mum can get on with packing up her house to move?  I think not.

Thursday's Smile Lines

Me: 'What did you do at school today?'
Ben: 'In drama we did Physical Theatre. Or something like that.'
Me: 'What's Physical Theatre?'
Ben: 'You act like an object.'
Me: 'What object did you pick?'
Ben: 'A microwave rotating plate.'

Smile Lines Round-Up

The things that have made me smile this week start off with my new bowls.  I love eating cold cereal from these!  The children picked their own bright colours and I went for these, I originally only wanted a set in the top colour but Rosie told me 'You have to get lots of different colours otherwise it's boring!': 

Also, are these dish brushes not the funniest you've ever seen?:

One of Noah's reading books he chose from school this week was a tale about a witch.  Her broomstick had a baby.  Did you know broomsticks could have babies?  Apparently they do!  Broomstick babies drink warm milk and eat acorns.  Now you know:

My favourite slip of the tongue this week came from James.  He was talking to me about a bush craft event his friend was running and accidentally called it 'butch craft'.  Never have I heard a truer slip-up before!

Now the children are back in school I started my 6 mile country walks again this week, it feels good to be back into an exercise routine, and with this beautiful scenery it's not at all hard to endure!

Last night I found out Brandi Carlile had added a London date to her solo tour, I was so excited to buy tickets as it's been over two years since she last came to the UK and I needed my Brandi fix!  I am also happy that James finally gets to come with me and see her live too, the last four times I've seen her James hasn't been able to take time off of work.  And I only have to wait until next month!

Noah made me the sweetest card today, I was sicker than a sick dog last night and James took the children to school so I could stay in bed.  How could this card not make anyone feel better?:

Saturday's Smile Lines

Today we were in Exeter and after a couple of hours shopping with Rosie we stopped outside the cathedral to wait for James and Noah.  The bells started to ring.

Rosie: 'Oh, they're playing the Hell's Bells song!'

Me: 'No darling, churches don't play AC/DC songs!'