As you all may (or may not) know, I am currently studying for a master's degree in childhood and youth studies. I'm doing it part-time with the Open University and will hopefully be finished in 2025. I thought, this year, I would bring you along for the ride. Master's Degree in Childhood and Youth: The…
Author: Claire
My Stickers!
I've just sent off my first sticker sheets to be printed! It's so exciting (for me, probably less so for you...). Anyway, I thought I'd give you a peak of my first four designs: The sheets above contain a trim and bleed, so there won't be the gaping background all around the edge. I'm so…
Art Journal # 9
I'm so happy with this one! I really enjoyed painting it and watching it all come together. I need one more design and I can put in an order for 200 cards in four designs. This is so much fun!
Wonder by Beatrice Blue
Before I tell you about Wonder by Beatrice Blue, let me tell you a little story about how I ended up with a copy ❤️ Sooo...on Saturday we had Abigail's birthday celebrations with her friends. There were 16 of us (gasp!). Fortunately, Lillie was there to run the team games that Abs had requested and…
Reading, Watching and Listening Over the Weekend
It's a super quick post today as we've spent the day playing lots of team games for Abigail's second birthday party. This is the first chance I've had to write, so I'll not be saying too much 😀 Reading I'm still plugging my way through Critical Practice with Children and Young People (my master's text…
Charlotte’s Love Story: The Wedding
I'm going to let the photos do the talking today. Suffice it to say, it was small, intimate and just how the bride and groom wanted it. Oh, and I'll also prefix the photos with the fact that Charlotte and Ads married in the same church as Gary and I did. It's a very old…
A Homespun Hen Night {Charlotte’s Love Story}
Lillie and I organised a lovely homespun hen night for Charlotte. The only things Charlotte wanted was for it to be small, at home and all about the pink! Everyone got in on the night. Ollie, Charlotte's best friend, took her shopping in Kingston for the day to allow us to set up (thanks Ollie!).…
Charlotte’s Love Story: The Proposal
Last December, Ads took Charlotte to Norway and proposed to her. This was no surprise to us. Ads had approached Gary a couple of years prior to this and expressed his wish to marry Charlotte sometime in the future. Just before they went away, he double checked it was okay. They had a wonderful time…
Charlotte’s Love Story
Charlotte had been ill for at least three years before we finally got her first diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) brought on by a nasty throat infection. It explained the reason why my most energetic and vivacious daughter fell asleep sitting upright whilst reading. And why her normally rosy complexion had taken on grey…
I Did Something I Never Thought I Would…
Lillie and Charlotte turn 21 in October. Thomas was given a car for his joint 18th/21st birthday. This was a perfect present for him, because it gave him the independence he desperately wanted. The girls' 18th birthday presents were wonderful but I wanted to give them something super special for their 21st which was very…
Reading, Watching, Listening for the Weekend
Reading This week has been a week of flicking through books for inspiration for my next painting. I had decided to do another miniature world to create a second card to go along with my mouse card: I have a goal to try to create packs of six greetings cards. I want a safari pack,…
Murder in Mesopotamia {Book Review}
As the title suggests, Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie, is a murder mystery occurring in Mesopotamia with Christie's premier detective, Hercule Poirot at the helm. It is set during an archeological dig in Iraq, modern day Mesopotamia. Incidentally, the Royal Cemetery at Ur in Mesopotamia was where the author met her husband, Sir Max…
Even A Little is a Win
So...August arrived. School stopped. This meant that my routine during the day, which is the backbone to my routine at night, was suddenly not there anymore. August is traditionally my time for relaxing from the school year that has just finished. I am always exhausted and taking a month to work my way through The…
Mesopotamian Ziggurats Homeschool Lesson
In this homeschool lesson about Mesopotamian ziggurats we will explore what ziggurats are, where and when they were built and by whom. We will then investigate why ziggurats were built, looking into depth at the Anu Ziggurat and White Temple at Urek. Pin this post to bookmark it for later! To recap so far, the…
Happy 15th Birthday Abigail
Happy birthday my darling girl! I can not believe it's been 15 years since you were born. You've heard the story of your birth so many times. For me, though, I can not tell it enough. You were born after the twins horrific birth when I nearly died. With no recordable blood pressure and no…