Make, Bake, Sew, Grow

The strangest thing happened to me this afternoon. It was about 3 pm and I was in the middle of doing some small jobs and sitting on the second to bottom stair (as I like to do when I am distracted by my phone) and thinking it would soon be time to set off and collect the children from school, when I heard a baby cry. My first instinct was to glance upstairs, thinking (as I did so many times in the past) that someone had woken from their nap in a grump and that I needed to get them up anyway as it was mid-afternoon. Of course the noise came through an open window from the street outside but, for a split second, I was back in the era of nap times and it was so vivid! I've been thinking that this pre-work week has felt a lot like being on maternity leave. The list making, the mild anxiety over silly little things because it's easier to worry about them than the big ones (WORK! AGH!), the feeling of a looming date, of impending change, the need to get things done because there will never be time to do anything Ever Again. It will come as no surprise that, happy as I am to be returning to work, I'm sad to be ending my time as a stay at home mum. It also closes the door gently but firmly on the prospect of baby number three which, if I'm honest, was never really a realistic option but always a little dream of mine. 

Anyway, moving on, before I well up. I want to thank you so much for all your kind words and support for my new job. For those who asked, I'll be working in the admin department of a local primary school and when I saw the advert I thought I'd be mad not to apply. It's Monday to Friday during school hours and term time only so absolutely perfect for childcare, but does mean that my days will be very full and very different, and there'll be less time for pottering and coffees. Because, you know, that's all I've been doing for the last eight years.

Anyway, on to my first Make, Bake, Sew, Grow post!

{ Make }

Making our tiny wardrobe more effiecient and organised. 

Exasperated by trying to untangle necklaces when in a rush in the morning, I spent a very pleasant hour banging picture hooks into the inside door of our wardrobe so that I had somewhere to hang them.

My friend Abigail said "It's like seeing the essence of you, all neatly laid out".

{ Bake }

A chocolate coca cola cake* for John's birthday on Monday.

This is one of his favourite cakes and he often requests it on his birthday, or any day for that matter. It's incredibly easy and you can't really taste the cola, it just makes it quite moist and caramely. It's amazing when it's still a little warm and gooey.

{ Sew }

I am ready to start my Midsummer Springs Sampler. I spent at least two very gentle, soothing hours last Sunday afternoon slowly sorting the threads onto labelled card so that I'm ready to start sewing.

There are so many colours. And you only use a tiny amount of each of them, so there will be loads left over which is a bit annoying. I just need to pluck up the courage to start that first tiny stitch now. I'm worried I might have forgotten how to cross stitch.  

{ Grow }

We have two large, beautiful rhododendron bushes in our back garden. They face each other on opposite sides of the garden; one on the right by the decking...

and one on the left by the shed. 

They are currently covered in big, blowsy, lilac coloured blooms. 

They took a real battering in that wind and rain we had at the start of the week and I gathered up handfuls of sad looking flowers which were scattered all over the grass.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Ours will be quiet, which is good. 

* The recipe is from Nigella's How To Be A Domestic Goddess which is one of the first cookery books I ever bought myself and probably one of my favourite and most used, too. I don't think the recipe is available online exactly, but if you google "Nigella Chocolate Coca Cola Cake" I'm sure you'll find it if you want to.

*

One last thing: the BBC are looking for people to participate in the new series of BBC One's Home Away From Home. Any kind of TV where you get to nose around real people's houses is interesting to me. Details below.

HAVE YOU EVER FANCIED A HOME SWAP HOLIDAY?

BBC One's Home Away from Home is back!

And we're looking for people who want to try out a home swap holiday in the UK.

Do you live in a home you'd be happy to swap with someone elsewhere in the UK for a short break?

Would you like the chance to have a new experience and discover local cuisine, sight-seeing that goes beyond the guide book, and an authentic place to stay?

With Home Away from Home you could be enjoying a unique holiday experience in a stunning part of the UK...

For an application form or an initial chat, please get in touch right away!

Email: homeawayfromhome@bbc.co.uk

Phone: 0208 008 1468