My home, my family...

Welcome to Friday!

Can you believe how quickly this week has gone?

I’ve realised over time that I actually watch the year go past by observing the light on any given day. I know the light of an afternoon in late November. I know the light of a morning in June. I know the light of a late night on a Saturday in August and I know the light of a Sunday afternoon by the fire in January.

I've spent the morning pottering about the house. With Elena up at a ridiculous hour (again), I have been able to do some washing and a bit of cleaning with the help of almost a whole pot of tea!

As I was pottering I was inspired by some of the little treasures that lie in our house, so I thought I'd take a few pictures and share them with you.

 Time seems to be going so quickly at the  moment. Our son is 9 weeks old today - Incredible. But even as time is passing us by so quickly, we're so very thankful for our children. They’ve drawn us in to their world and we’re so happy to be there. A world where everything is new and there is only the here and now. A world where love is freely given and expected in return. A world where dirty nappies are no big deal, even when they leak, because all you have to do is clean up and then it’s right back to playtime. It’s a world where everything is taken at face value and everyone is trusted. It’s safe in bed and sleep comes easily (most of the time!). The days are fun filled and full of people who care about only their welfare.

It’s not life as we know it. But it’s life as they know it. And it’s a nice place to be.

I just hope and pray that Elena will always trust me even though at times (teenage times) she may not always like me. She must know that if she ever has a heart that needs fixing her father and I will be there if she calls. To hold her heart in our hands and take care of it while it heals.

And I also hope and pray that Ben will always trust me even though at times (teenage times) he may not always like me. He must know that if he ever has a heart that needs fixing his father and I will be there if he calls. To hold his heart in our hands and take care of it while it heals.

It is worth everything to me to be a mum. And I tell you the truth when I say that I am no longer afraid of anything that life has for me as long as those two human beings are safe and well.

And, through it all, I have fallen in love with the Daddy of the babies. All over again.

He’s pretty cool.

...I’ll tell you about that another time.

But right now, my babies are sleeping and I am relaxing by letting my thoughts flood my computer screen. I hope you don’t mind. Thank you for letting me do it.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love

Bex 

x

Home Cooking... Mushroom Risotto

Good Morning!

I hope you are well today.

I was up reasonably early today at 5:45 woken by Miss Gould as she sang along to her lullaby toy. So feeling fresh from my 3.5 hours sleep *cough* I wondered what I could write today. Then I got it...

Mushroom Risotto!

   
Just let me make a cup of tea and then we can take on the world...

I have to admit that up until last week, I had never eaten Risotto, let alone cooked it, but I was surprised at how easy it was and even more surprised at how wonderful it tasted!

I then came to the conclusion that I could eat risotto every day of my life. I could eat it out of the pan with a spoon and never actually serve it up on to a plate.

So this Mushroom Risotto is a compilation of a few recipes with my own added bits. It takes about 25 mins to prep including the prep of soaking the porcini. Cooking time is about 35 mins and it should serve 4.

Ingredients

  1 onion, finely chopped

  50g of butter, plus extra to serve

  300 g superfino carnaroli rice

  3 tbsp plus 1 tsp white wine

  20 g dried porcini, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes

  1 litres hot chicken or vegetable stock, preferably home-made

  1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

  200 g wild mushrooms

  20 g finely grated parmesan

  4 tbsp chopped parsley

  black pepper

 

Heat the butter in a non-stick risotto pan/heavy based casserole dish on a gentle heat. Add the onion and cook slowly for 5-7 minutes. Don’t allow the butter to burn or smoke.

 Add the rice and stir in to the heated butter. Allow the butter to coat the rice and heat it a little until the rice is made almost translucent by the butter.

Stirring continuously, add the white wine and cook for a few minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate.

Drain the dried mushrooms, squeeze out any excess moisture and add them to the rice

Gently pour in about a fifth of the stock to the pan, stirring constantly, allow the rice to begin to soften in the stock. After a few minutes when the stock is beginning to dry up in the pan add another fifth and continue stirring.

Keep an eye on the stock levels and if it starts to look like the pan is drying up add some more. Keeping it moving and not allowing it to come anywhere near close to burning dry.

With your eye on the pan and stirring when you can, chop the garlic up very finely. It’s important that it is as fine as you can manage as large pieces of garlic are not nice to chew on! Add the garlic to the pan, along with the ground black pepper, and continue to stir. Continuing to add the stock little by little until it is all gone.

If at this time when you taste the rice it is still a little bit crunchy but all of the stock has been used then feel free to add a tablespoon of water. I ended up adding four tablespoons of water as my rice took longer to cook than expected. I was pleased about this though as I realised it was because I had the pan on such a low, simmering heat. This gave the risotto a magnificent texture and was worth the extra time and stirring.

Add the rest of the mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes

When you have tasted the rice and feel that it is past the crunchy stage, a teeny bit ‘al dente’ and not yet soggy then you’ll know it’s ready to serve. At this point you can add the parmesan, parsley and the rest of the butter to the pan. Continue to stir the ingredients into the risotto until it has completely melted.

Serve immediately!

For my first attempt, I think Paul was pleasantly surprised by how well my risotto turned out. So, with the kids in bed, we sat down and enjoyed our dinner with an indulgent glass of wine (or two).

What are your plans for this evening? Thursday nights here are certainly more low key than they were a few years ago but it has to be said that they are certainly not any less fun. I love chewing the cud with family & friends. We all have such big plans and dreams. My kids will grow up listening to us adults get excited over what we plan to do. Excitement is so infectious and I believe that they too will get excited and allow themselves to have their own dreams. They’ll learn to converse and debate correctly at the dinner table and we’ll encourage that. Of course if they ever disagree with me it’ll be straight to the naughty step for them… :)

And when they come home after an adventure I’ll get the pot out and cook for them. That way I can stand and listen while my kids entertain me with stories that they think I couldn’t possibly have heard anything about or experienced because I’m just Mummy.

I look forward to those times, but for now, this is perfect.

I want to thank you for reading today and hope that if you are thinking of cooking something different this weekend you’ll give this a go.

Have a fantastic Thursday.

Bex

x

Looking forward to life...

Ok, my thinking is... it's Thanksgiving in the US this weekend, so I feel that this means it is time...

.... To talk about Christmas!!!

Although we don't celebrate Thanksgiving in the UK the majority of us know about it and know it happens "near" Christmas, so I'm taking it as the go ahead to start being all Christmassy!!!

I have to be honest though, I put a few sets of fairy lights up on Saturday whilst dancing around the house to Michael Buble's Christmas album - well,  why not! Fairy lights always create such a wonderful, romantic ambience don't you think? I'd have them up all year round if I could!

We had my very good friend Lauren & her Fiance Chris over on Sunday for Sunday roast. It was wonderful, I don't see her as much as I'd like but we try to see each other when we can. So, with a table full of food, fairy lights twinkling, good converstaion and Christmas music in the background, it was the perfect start to a beautiful festive season.

When are you putting up your decorations? I think I might be able to convince Paul that December 1st is a reasonable date to start putting up the rest of the decorations. Tonight, however, Paul is putting up a Christmas Tree in the garden complete with (more) fairy lights, for the kids to enjoy from the dining room window. I'm sure Paul and I will enjoy them too.

I hope it snows this year. I look forward to the look on my daughters face, as last year she was too young to notice it. This year, I'm excited to play in it with her, to watch as she feels the cold and to embrace her when she comes running up in her wellies, Peppa Pig ones no less.

I'm looking forward to so many things over the next month or so. I'm looking forward to starting my Christmas crafts, to the many family gatherings, the special visits to and from friends, homemade cakes, the soft glow of a dying candle at the end of the evening, the smile on the faces of my children, especially Elena as she sees that Santa has been, and most importantly I'm looking forward to the happiness that surrounds everyone at Christmas. The compassion and peace that people carry at Christmas is incredibly touching. I think we should all strive to take a bit of whatever creates that, and enjoy it all year round.

So as I get my sewing box and all my other bits and bobs ready, I hope that in whatever way you choose to start your festive season over the next few weeks, makes you incredibly happy, you deserve it.

I'd just quickly like to wish my very dear friend Hannay the very best of luck in her new job today! You'll be great!!! xox

I'm off now to make another cup of tea and because Mummy wants another cuddle.

The precious Present. Full of moments that are here and then gone. Never to return.

So if anybody needs me I’ll be in the ‘Now” because I don’t want to miss a thing.

I love you and thank you so much for reading

Bex

x

Please feel free to leave a comment as I would love to hear from you!

Welcome back..!

My goodness, I can not believe it has been 5 months, (literally to the day) since I last wrote & I have to be honest, I have really missed it!

So here I am, complete with a cup of tea, ready to share, briefly, my last few months.

I hope you are well and that you've had a delectable 5 months. I also hope that whatever ventures you've taken on or life changes you've had to endure, have put you in a place of happiness or at least a place of peace.

In my last post, I mentioned it being the first day of Summer! Well, what a summer, I can't really say I remember too much sun. As the nights are drawing in, it somehow feels like it's always been this cold and wet. But, on the plus side, (and Paul will curse me for saying this) it's almost Christmas!!!

Have you done your shopping yet? I can't quite believe just how excited I am this year, although I'll get into Christmas and all its' festive loveliness later this week.

So, the last few months... I don't know quite where to begin. Well, the main event of the Summer/Autumn was giving birth to our lovely little boy. Born on the 23rd September, Benjamin George popped into the world a little after midnight. The labour, a whole 2 hours speedier than Elle, was pleasantly manageable - but I won't get into the gory details. Needless to say, Ben has been with us 8 weeks already and I honestly can not remember life without him.

Elena has taken wonderfully well to her little brother and is forever giving him kisses, prodding his feet and poking him in the eye. It really makes me feel so warm inside when, on waking, the first thing she says is "Ba-by". She is not quite settled or content until she has seen him and given him a kiss. Whenever Ben sneezes or coughs, she is the first to go running to him with a "OH" to check that he's ok. Few things in life are this precious. There's been many moments over the last 8 weeks, which have made me gasp. I am completely in awe of my little family and the amount of love that surrounds us. Our little Elena is growing up so quick and if the love she gives to Ben is anything to go by, she is going to have her heart in exactly the right place.

The Summer was a bit of a blur really, the pregnancy seemed to take over most of my life & with the task of growing ever bigger and a toddler to look after, most days were like climbing Everest. But here we are 2 months on and every second was worth it. Ben has just started to smile, words just can't describe the feeling as a parent, that these little moments give you.

Our, now not so new, house has been a blessing. We're so very lucky to have been able to move somewhere bigger for our ever growing family. Within weeks, the house was part of the family, and underneath it's tall ceilings and half painted walls, we're more a family now than we've ever been.

Life here is good.

With the start of a new life, my husband and his new job, a growing toddler, and Christmas on the horizon, I ask myself if there's anything else I could want in life, and the answer is no. I am the richest woman alive and I couldn't ask for anything else. My happiness is here and now, with my family in our home. With fantastic friends and a loving family there's nothing else to want for, I am complete.

I wish you a very happy Tuesday and as we all embark on this wonderful adventure together, I want to thank you for stopping by.

Love

Bex

x

A Tribute...

A very cosy welcome to you today. I hope you are well.

Are you being kept inside by the impending rain too? I'm considering putting the heating on. Apparently it was the first day of Summer yesterday. Please, if you have some Summer, can you send a bit my way?

Yesterday morning my husband received some sad news. The news that his beloved Nan had passed away in the early hours. Such sad news but it had been expected for a while and although Paul and his family were deeply saddened, it was a blessing that she was now out of pain and in a much happier and more beautiful place.

I first met Rhoda Byers about three and a half years ago when Paul and I first got together. A wonderful, wonderful woman and at the grand old age of 89 when I met her, she had those wonderful eyes that you know could tell a lifetime of stories. Stories that you and I could never imagine being able to tell. The stories of a war, of a hard life and of a love with a man that would last her entire lifetime, a love that proves that soulmates truly do exist. A love with Bill, Paul's grandad. A love that stood the test of time and a love that you only hear of in fairytales. A match made in heaven and which is now flourishing in heaven once again.

I had never known of love being so pure, so unbroken and so missed. Her world fell apart when she lost Bill about 6 years ago. Remarkably they had been married over 60 years. I never had the pleasure of meeting Bill, but he lived in Rhoda and I felt like his spirit never left her side.

Rhoda was truly a remarkable woman. A very well known and well loved woman, she had an army of great-grandchildren and lived in a town where everyone knew her name. She was kind, loving and you were always welcome, anytime.

Paul, my wonderful husband, was very close to his Nan and Grandad especially as he was growing up and although he's putting on a brave face I can see the hurt in his eyes and wish I could help ease his grieving.

It's never easy to lose someone close to you, but I truly believe that we go to a better place, a place where the sun always shines, there is no pain and upset. A place where you are returned hand in hand with your loved ones never to be parted again.

I feel so very privileged to have known Rhoda, even if it was only for a short time.

I write this for my love, Paul, and his family & I write this so that one day my daughter and son can read a little memento about their Great Nanny Rhoda.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am a 1,000 winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow
I am the sun on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled light
I am the soft star that shines at night
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there; I did not die.

I'd like to think of today's post as a tribute and not as a sad one.

I hope you have a wonderful day and I thank you for letting me share this with you today.

Love

Bex
x

A Wife and Mother...

Good Morning.

I was sat thinking last night of the last 14 months or so and what an amazing journey it has been. I found myself thinking about Elle mostly and how she is growing up so quickly. Over the last 14 months she has gone from being the most tiny, beautiful &quiet little baby to quite a tall, noisy and humourous little toddler - she's still beautiful of course!

This morning as we sat watching Peppa Pig I found myself giving her that little extra squeeze as I thought how lucky I was to be able to enjoy these little moments. She loves Peppa.

I remember being so scared, ok, petrified, that day we took her home from the hospital. What do we do? Will she be ok? It was the most daunting feeling in the world. Paul and I were now responsible for this tiny little being. Looking back at the pictures, I can't quite believe how small she was and find myself wondering how we did it. The thing about being a mum and dad is that I don't really think that you have time to think about it and the most wonderous thing is, it all comes so naturally and even though she was only a few days old, she  already knew how to let us know what she wanted and when.

Watching her grow has been the most incredible experience. It's been hard work but I wouldn't change a second. The lack of sleep is the hardest part but you even get used to that (most of the time).

My happiest moments are when the three of us are together. I love my daughter and my husband and I wouldn't be who I am today without them. They are what drives me, what completes me and what makes me the happiest I could ever be. As we wait in anticipation for our son to arrive in October, I start thinking of how it will be to have a baby in the house again. I can't wait!

And as Elle continues to grow, we all do. I'm learning everyday, learning how to be a better mother and how I can help my daughter grow into a caring, polite and loving little girl. She's definitely on the right track.

So my promise to you, Elena, is that I promise to be the very best mum that I can be. I promise that your dad and I will always be there and that we will always love you. Nothing will ever change that. And as the future is not yet written, all I can promise is our love as that is the only certainty and that will never change.

And for you, Paul, I want to say thank you. For all that you are and all that you do. I promise you my love forever.

I hope that you have a wonderful Thursday and thank you for reading.

Love

Bex
x

A Brand New Adventure...

Hello Friends!

& a very happy Monday to you!


How have you been? I hope that I find you well.


It has been such a long time since my last blog and so much has been happening! I've managed to grab myself a peaceful corner in our gorgeous new dining room, warmed by the sunshine, to write today.

I am missing a little something...

A cup of tea... Sorted.

You may remember that the reason for my lack of blogging was due to the fact that we were in the process of moving. Well the move went well, it started at 9am on 26th March and we completed the move at around noon on April 12th. Not the quickest house move on record I'm sure! - and that was only half of it!

We had the bulk moved into storage on the first day of the move and since then my husband, Paul, had been working around the clock to tidy up all the odds and ends, painting here there and everywhere and general finishing all those little jobs that you seem to move by on a daily basis and not really notice them. As of 11th April, the keys were handed to the estate agent and the realisation of never stepping foot in our beloved house again, started to set in. The stomach churning feeling was quickly set aside by the fact that I was now ueber excited about moving into our new house in Penkhull.

After 5 weeks at my parents house and Elena's very 1st birthday, we finally moved into our new home and although tiring and albeit slightly stressful... The house is just perfect.

I love it.

We have a fair bit of painting to be getting on with and even though we've been here a month there are still boxes everywhere! I must admit the cellar has come in pretty handy as everything is dumped down there first and brought upstairs when a suitable space has been cleared. I just can not believe how much stuff we have. Goodness knows how it all fit into our old house!

The last few weeks I've surrounded myself in colour charts, home decorating magazines and various other catalogues. Sifting through the pages and pricing everything up. Elle has been helping me pick out ideas by ripping pages out and either attempting to shove them in my mouth or hers. Ever the helpful child.

The place is coming together piece by piece and we are so very happy here. It seems we have filled the house with warmth and happiness already and the plain walls and soft white furnishings seem to be basking in it and even smiling back. This is definitely home.

There was also more wonderful news shared over the last few months. Paul and I had found out that we were expecting our second child. We were also blessed to find out  a few weeks ago that the little one is that in fact a little boy and we couldn't be happier. Being able to bring one being into this world is the most amazing feeling so to be blessed with two, well words can not describe how truly happy we are. We just hope and pray that the next few months go as smoothly as possible as we wait in wonderous anticipation to meet our son.

There is so much, I'm sure, still to tell you. My gardening projects etc but I'll be sharing them over the next few weeks.

I really hope that you will continue to read and I thank you so very much for reading today.

I wish you a truly magical Monday.

Love

Bex
x

When you're smilin', keep on smilin', the whole world smiles with you...

Have you ever noticed how much difference a smile makes? They're contagious. I often notice if I'm out for a walk and someone smiles and says hello, how much it lifts my spirits. It also works the other way, smiling at someone and seeing their face change into a smile is also a lovely feeling.

The reason for my babbling is because Mr Sinatra has just started singing the song on my iPod. It got me thinking about happiness and what makes us happy. I know that happiness runs a lot deeper than just smiling at a stranger but I think that when you take on a happy demeanour people can't help but get sucked in.

I love that little things like a song, can lift your spirits. I listened to Frank and I had a little spring in my step as I popped the kettle on. (Do you think I drink too much tea?!)

Along with the song, a cup of tea and 5 minutes of peace whilst Elle is asleep, I'm also being made to smile by the warmth of the sun coming through the window.

Signs of a good day?

I hope so.

It's the calm before the storm at the moment. I've got a lot to do today so I'm just having a few moments to myself before my day really starts. Technically my day started at 6:30am but so far I've been fuelled by caffeine so it's all a bit of a blur..!

What are you up to today?

A little update on my gardening projects... All my tulips have flowered and are now basking in the sunshine outside. They are the most wonderful colour, and have a real "Springtime" glow about them. My potatoes are still chitting. I think I'll have to leave them a slight bit longer before I pop them into the potato bags. My onions are growing wildly and I'm going to have to replant them into larger pots pretty soon. The other herbs that I was going to plant will be planted after our move.

Sad news on my grandad's cuttings that I took. They've all wilted and died. I've taken a few more so I'm hoping these will root. I'm going to buy some rooting powder today to help them along. Fingers crossed this will work!

I'll put some pictures up later when the sun makes it's way around to the back garden.

I'd like to invite you to take a few moments today, forget about any worries you may have even if it's just for a moment, and think of something that makes you smile. Something that makes your whole being lift. Close your eyes and enjoy that feeling for aslong as you can. I'd like to share my smile with you today.

My smile and my love.

I wish you a very happy Tuesday. Let's share our smiles today.

Thank you so very much for reading.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Love

Bex

x

Take a stroll with me...

Good morning! A very happy Monday to you. How was your weekend?

Do you fancy a cuppa? I'm lacking sleep again so I'm probably going to have a few..!

Take a seat and tell me about your weekend.

                                                              
Our weekend was lovely. We didn't rush around as much as we usually do. Most weekends we have so much to do that we barely come up for air. Elle is usually wisked away here there and everywhere as we go to visit family and friends, coffees at Trentham Estate, strolls around garden centres, walks in the countryside and trips to the supermarket. It's a busy life but one that we enjoy together.

So instead of all that, my mother in law came over on Saturday to take Elle out for a bit so I could make a start on the packing. It's funny how attached you become to a house. The mere thought of saying goodbye on Saturday is tearing me up inside. I thought the reason was because of my grandad and although this is still the biggest reason, it's also quite upsetting because this was our first proper home. It was where we lived before we got married, where we lived when we became husband and wife, where we brought Elle to when she first came out of hospital, the house where she first smiled, first rolled over, first sat up... you get my drift. I believe that all these moments in life are set into the brick work of a house. This house will forever hold those memories and never let them go. I love this house and shall be so very sad to leave.

Having said that, our new house will hold many more wonderful memories, first steps, first words and first day at school, so I shall keep a smile on my face and remind myself of how lucky I am.

I must admit that Saturday's packing only saw 1 box packed as I did indulge in putting my feet up and enjoyed a WHOLE cup of tea uninterrupted. On her return my mother in law was accompanied by no less than 8 cream cakes/ fresh fruit tartes and so I popped the kettle on. I must add that we didn't eat them all, well not all at once anyways!

We thought we'd take full advantage of Saturday's sunshine and so we ventured to Barlaston Downs for a walk. It's not exactly suitable for prams but we had a good attempt. In true Elle fashion, she fell asleep and missed the whole glorious walk. The trees had all lost their sad winter look and seemed to be smiling as the odd ones were bearing the start of their summer attire. The grass was looking greener and the odd daffodil was dotted here and there.

Sunday was nothing more than a lazy day. We continued to pack but I saw no point in Elle and I getting out of our pj's so we stayed cosy all day. In the afternoon Paul went food shopping and treated us to a wonderful Sunday roast. He's such a great cook, Elle loves his Sunday dinners, she wolfs down his food and almost always wants more!

And before we knew it, it was Sunday evening again.

I always have some time to myself on a Sunday evening. Paul sorts Elle out and puts her to bed whilst I pop on a face mask and jump in the bath to read my book by candlelight. Sounds cheesy but I look forward to it all week. I think it's important to take time if you can, it grounds you, calms you down and definitely de-stresses! After my bath I even managed to replace my horribly chipped nail varnish. I felt like a new woman.

I hope you enjoyed your weekend as much as we did and I hope your Monday isn't too gruelling.

Thank you for stopping by, it's been lovely to have you.

All my love,

Bex

x

Friday's Child is Loving and Giving...

A very happy Friday to you & a happy Red Nose Day!

I must apologise for my absent blog yesterday. Elena is having real difficulty sleeping at the moment, I'm hoping it's due to her teeth (and not because she just doesn't want to sleep!) fingers crossed it passes as soon as possible. Due to this, yesterday Paul and I were absolutely wiped out. I was also feeling a bit delicate so I tried to sleep when I could. Today, well I'm not too much better but I can't leave you another day, so I'm accompanied by some homemade carrot and corriander soup, a bottle of water and a couple of paracetamol. Such a brave soul..!

How blue is the sky where you are? It's glorious here, there are a few clouds about but having had a potter out in the garden earlier, I'm pleased to say that there is some warmth coming from the sun today. Beautiful. I've pushed the curtains as wide as they'll go in a greedy attempt to capture all of the warmth for Elena and I as we sit and have dinner. I think it's working.

I had promised you a "crafty" post for yesterday so instead here it is today.

I was made a very happy lady last week, when my wonderful husband surprised me with a huge bouquet of flowers and a very thoughtful little card. Every day I would walk downstairs and be greeted by the most welcoming and fresh smell coming from the lillies and the roses. They sat proudly on top of my piano and I wished that they'd look that beautiful forever. Obviously not possible. So I thought I'd try my hand at flower pressing and then I can frame them. A lovely little piece to hang in our new home.

So today I've cut the flowers from their stems, heart-breaking but it'll be worth it. I've cut some leaves too. Unfortunately some of the flowers had started to wilt so I had to discard them. If you're pressing flowers, the flowers have to be in full bloom or just about to bloom. I read somewhere that a flower will still open fully whilst being pressed, so I've taken a few buds off to test this theory.

The flowers now need to dry out for a day and then over the weekend I'll be popping them onto some tissue paper - you can also use newspaper - and entering them into my German dictionary to "press". I'll probably weight them down even more by placing another book or a brick on top.

I was cheered up greatly yesterday when to my amazement I found that my tulips had started to flower. They're stunning!

What plans do you have for the weekend? I think we're going to spend the weekend packing as this will be our last weekend in our house. I'm trying very hard not to think about it too much as it's too upsetting. Paul said the most touching thing to me the other week, he said "Let's make a pact, when we're older and the kids have left home, if this house is for sale, we'll buy it and grow old here..." it made me cry then and it has just had the same effect writing it. I miss my grandad so very much...

Anyways, I hope you''ll be joining us tonight in watching Comic Relief. It amazes me everytime and with Children In Need also, how the nation comes together to give so generously to chairty. People really do have such big hearts and it's really wonderful that by donating just a small amount that you know you're making a difference.

I wish you a very happy weekend. Enjoy every second!

Thank you for reading & I'll see you on Monday.

Love

Bex

x

The Wonders of Life...

A very happy Wednesday to you. What are you up to today? I know a lot of you read this when you get home from work in the evening, so I hope you've had as good a day as you can at work..!

Today, Elena and I are pottering. Well I'm pottering and Elle is making a mess. To be honest my pottering is mainly cleaning up her mess & I really can't believe how much she makes! For example, she's just had apple for a mid-afternoon snack and it has ended up everywhere. It's stuck in her blanket, in her ear, down her top, on the television stand, under the sofa and embedded in the footstool. Actually, I'm not quite sure she's eaten any at all. The smile on her face as she crawls up to me, shows me how pleased she is with herself. She gives a little sqeal and as I pick her up she plants a big kiss on my cheek.

I love being a mum.

I don't think you can ever really understand until you have a child, how much love is involved. I have always wanted a family, from in my teens I knew I wanted to be a wife and a mum. I'm not a career person and although I got my degree (eventually) I struggled to really decide what I wanted to do. I spent the last 10 years working in Restaurants/Hotels etc and worked my way up to manager but I knew there was more to me than that. I know now that being a wife and mum is my calling in life and I strive to be the best I can be. I make sure that the house is always full of love and laughter, home cooking and clean underwear! I want what every parent wants, for their child to grow up well-rounded, happy and healthy. The gravity of love is imense. I can't even begin to describe it.

My life changed when I became Paul's wife. I can't explain my happiness. I love him with every ounce of my being and I wouldn't ever be without him. I think that when you are with that special someone, they become your best friend and Paul is definitely mine. I love being able to sit in the same room in silence but surrounded in that wonderful blanket of happiness and security. Knowing you don't have to say anything but knowing you can say anything. I believe I found my soulmate and I love him so very much.

Our time is not our own anymore but it’s richer and happier.The last four years has given us a great many stories to tell and an even greater number of nappies to change! But at the same time we’re rarely happier than when it’s us, Elena playing on the floor, banana bread on the table and two fresh cups of coffee sitting nearby.

Is that a big life?

Yes, I do believe it is.

I love our journey that we've started together and I'm so very excited to see where it takes us.

So in a nutshell that's me. Not a complicated being. I love the little things in life. I love that I can love & I love that I can be loved.

I hope that you have the same wonderful glow inside of you and whatever gives you that glow, keep hold of it. It's the most precious thing you'll ever have. It'll make you laugh, smile and pick you up when you're having a bad day. Put your arms around it and squeeze it tight.

As the world continues to crumble around us, death and destruction wherever we turn, we need to keep our faith and hope alive. Sometimes it's hard, but when you have love anything is possible.

I love you and thank you so much for reading today.

I'm off to change a dirty nappy... not one of my loves!

I'll see you tomorrow for a crafty post.

All my love, always

Bex

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