365 - 266

Big Monkey is doing Sewing Club as one of her after school activities again. Because she had done this once before she was allowed to sew something while the teacher explained something to the other children.


She made this Autumn acorn hat that can also be used for Christmas.

Sick boy?

Little Monkey woke up early this morning with an upset tummy. I told him he had to stay home from nursery...


He was very happy.

Counterfeit Kit layouts

Two layouts I made with the kit I prepared for the Counterfeit Kit challenge. That patterned paper has inspired me to dig for photos that include some of the 70s furniture. Sadly I couldn't find the photos with the wallpaper we had in the sitting room. I think they are in an album already, they are black and white anyhow which would not show its wonderful brown-beige colour combo. But it was pretty much like that swirly paper.

365 - 263 Carrots

I just realized I forgot to upload the photo of the cut up purple carrots. Interestingly they are orange in the middle and they colour the cooking water purple. I wonder whether that could be used as a dye. The taste, however, is just like in any other orange carrot.

Friday Hipstamatic Day

Suddenly remembered again that I wanted to take lots of funky photos with the Hipstamatic app every Friday. Ah well, starting from now. Still love how they turn out.
Ah, clean jumper but spots on the film. Yay, gotta love that.


These little critters are way to cute for plastic and I couldn't find the baby hedgehog, it's the cutest ever.


During the day I make numerous cups of teas, I either forget to take the tea bag out or I forget to drink it. Doesn't stop me though, I drink it anyway because as my Grandma said, doesn't get off, you can drink cold tea. I normally drink Jasmine tea though so it's fine but English Breakfast, nah that would be yuck.

365 - 257 First Saxophone lesson

was yesterday and it was amazing! I take it Big Monkey enjoyed it. As soon as we arrived home from school and birthday-present-for-a-friend-buying I got a presentation.


She already knows two notes and she gets a remarkably nice sound out of it. Still, the rule of no playing after dinner and only inside still stands. I'm not sure about her building skills quite yet, I'm sure that piece of cork shouldn't be visible. But what do I know, the only instrument I can play is the CD player...

Counterfeit Kit

I've been following the Counterfeit Kit blog for a while now. I've resisted so far because I thought I don't have enough matching pieces but when I prepared some page kits for a crop recently I thought I can do this. This months kit to counterfeit is from Sweet Peach Crop Shop So here's my first attempt.


I concentrated mainly on the colour which gave me the chance to use this very funky retro Sassafras Cardstock. I will use this, I will, I will... there are some fitting photos from the seventies somewhere in a box that feature a wallpaper just like this. Even the colour is close if I remember correctly. My Mum was really at the height of fashion back then. Other than that I've got a bit of everything, Scenic Route, October Afternoon, My Mind's eye. The embellishments are some Maya Road ribbon slides, Prima flowers and lots of lonely little pieces lost at the bottom of boxes which will now get hopefully their place out in the limelight. Now I just need time to get some layouts done.

365 - 255 Carrots

These were in my veggie box this morning.


Aren't they the coolest? Apparently all carrots were purple before they orange ones were bred and took over.

Funny people

I just had to line them up when I saw them sitting in the bathtub after Little Monkey's bath. So funny.

Big Monkey had to sort out their heads because not all were looking at the camera. Can't have that really.

Scrapbooking

I did quite a few layouts recently. I really enjoyed doing them. I even got the fluid chalks out again after what must have been years.

Siblings - Peace at last (for a minute or so)

Aww, they do like each other after all.


After all the squabbling during the holidays and the scratching, hitting and biting they finally also shared a big hug.


Now that the school has started again, they get along a whole lot better again. Which is a relief. I felt like I said nothing but, stop, don't hit/bite/scratch/scream your sister/brother...

Little Monkey does eat

Sometimes I need a reminder.

Peaches

I forgot to upload this photo of the peaches from our tree. In the garden of our house in Germany are two peach trees. When Daddy Monkey went there last week he brought back a bag full of them. They are a bit wonky and most of them have a little hole from moths but they taste wonderful. I didn't even know that peaches would grow that for north. Obviously they need a bit TLC as also a branch had broken during the recent storms but I hope for another crop next year. Homegrown peaches, yum! That beats plums and apples. A little bit only... Definitely beats walnuts. The tree is beautiful the nuts not so much.

Pasta...

Little Monkey loves pasta, some weeks that's the only thing he'll eat. I try really hard not to give in. Sometimes this is very hard especially when I then buy him a new pair of trousers and even though it's his size it just slips down his frame. On good days I blame the creative ways shops label their clothes on bad days I feel like putting the pasta on.

Meanwhile we're really creative in what things we call pasta. Now, these here are technically ramen and not really spaghetti but if we call it spaghetti he will eat them even though they swim in a chicken soup. There's always the chance he accidently eats a bit of chicken.

The British Museum

This is just round the corner, well sort of, from the World's best saxophone shop so we walked there after lunch. Daddy Monkey had never seen the Rosetta stone. Neither had Little Monkey but he didn't really want to know, he didn't care.


He wanted to see the exhibition about death...


A mosaic made out of pills.


Nah, he didn't really want to see that, maybe the African textiles. No, not that either. Maybe the Chinese Art? Or maybe the gift shop? At this point we dragged him to the Ancient Greeks. He didn't want to see these either but I decided that Big Monkey should have a look. They did Ancient Greece in school before the summer break so she might need a little inspiration to get back into the swing of things. Not long until it's time to go back, you know.


We did go and see the Rosetta Stone, Daddy Monkey did have a good look around, made the suitable noises of being impressed. Then we raced after Little Monkey to make sure he didn't start climbing any Ancient Egyptian statues...

By the time we left the museum it had started to rain. Again. This is getting boring.

The saxophone

Big Monkey has been learning the recorder for a while and for the last two terms she had a new teacher. A teacher who also plays the piano, the flute, the clarinet and THE SAXOPHONE! Apparently there is nothing more exciting or better than the saxophone. Her teacher offers now lessons in all the instruments she plays and at the end of the summer term she gave a little demonstration. Ever since Big Monkey has been convinced that the saxophone is the best. Accordingly she asked every other week when she can get one. Well, yesterday was the day, we took the bus all the way to its last stop in Tottenham Court Road and went to what is apparently the best Saxophone shop in the world, sax.co.uk. We didn't buy one as they are rather expensive so we rented one for three months, which still isn't cheap but a lot less than an unused instrument.


It is pretty, isn't it? And it does sound very nice. Very nice if you know how to play it that is. Anybody know how long that might be? We met our neighbour on the way home and Big Monkey had to show her the new saxophone of course. Our lovely neighbour asked for practicing inside the front room, the one furthest from her house. Fair enough I think. But she also asked to hear a demonstration once Big Monkey has mastered a little song...

Sunflower surgery

Way back in spring the Monkeys chose seeds while we were at the Garden Centre. They wanted sunflowers which we started off inside then transferred them to bigger pots outside. I didn't want them in the flower beds because they have big roots. Anyhow after the early spring onslaught of slugs and snails only two survived. One of them grew really nicely and got really tall. The other didn't look very pretty because it too got nibbled by someone. So imagine my disappointment when I walked outside one morning and the tall sunflower was pushed over, its stem nearly broken. Right I thought, I want a sunflower and I don't let anybody or anything deny me this. So I made a little bandage of sellotape for it.


Then I hoped for the best. And:


How pretty, I got my sunflower. Weeeelll, when it was windy and rainy last week it broke off again, not on my sellotaped part but a bit higher up. This time I didn't get the sellotape out again, instead I got a pretty bottle and now it is on that little table in my hall where I walk past everytime I go anywhere in my house.


Its lovely sunny yellow fluffy head makes me smile every time I go past.

Art stuff and park stuff

We walked to a different park this afternoon. Walk?? asked Big Monkey in a very surprised voice, no, we need to take the buss it is so far. Well, we did walk, even little Monkey. Although on the way back he was too tired to run with his push bike and half way he had to leave his stick behind he found in the woods but we walked all the way. I have to admit it was a bit further than I remembered and I'm really tired today but it was a good use of the lovely weather we had today. I even forgot to take photos.

I've made some art recently. Mostly colour onto paper whenever I found some time. Rarely a finished project to show. But I made these Atc's for a swap, they were well received. Always a relief.