Easter Day

You are never to old for an Easter egg hunt!

I love that the blue eyed boy still gets excited by the little things.

I'm feeling the need for a snooze now lunch is over and the house is quiet. Not sure that toad in the hole was appropriate as it's hardly traditional Easter Fayre but the rellies seemed to enjoy it so that makes me happy.

I haven't had much spare time lately so I didn't even get around to baking a simmnel cake this year (Mr. H is still sulking!) but I did make his 2nd favourite, scones with jam and clotted cream and mum made a truly scrumptious banana and walnut loaf.


She also brought me these and they smell gorgeous.

I did manage to throw together a new Easter tree as last year's branch had become a sorry excuse and was nothing more than a twig.
Mr H was not a bit happy about me chopping into the pear and apple trees but I think I just about got away with it as I managed to convince him it was essential spring pruning, I also muttered something about him having his Easter egg early if he didn't make a fuss!

Sadly the Easter bunny didn't manage to bring me this as requested

never mind there is always next year!

I'm looking forward to the next two weeks at home pottering around finishing a few projects, snuggling up on the sofa with the blue eyed boy and having the traditional Harry Potter day as we do every school holiday.
I'm also excited about the trip to the imperial War Museum in Manchester we have planned.
I also have a little excursion of my own to look forward to, I'm off up to the Lakes on Friday with my mum, we have been invited up to a friend's cottage for the weekend and I'm really looking forward to spending a bit of time with my mum as I haven't seen much of her since I started my job, it's also the quiz in the village hall on the Saturday evening which should be a good giggle.
Wishing you all a very Happy Easter Day

I'm off now to brush up on my general knowledge.......just after Iv'e snatched 40 winks!
; )

This made me smile

Just started to unpack from Saturday's vintage fair : (
SO glad I didn't sell this : )

It will look super duper with a chocolate egg perched in the top!

Happy Monday everyone : )

A Marvellously Vintage Weekend

Another hectic week and as usual not enough hours in the day or days in the week, although I did manage a crafty 40 winks here on Tuesday!

However a massive kick up ones backside was in order if I was ever going to be ready for Mary's Marvellous Vintage and Craft Market on Saturday.
There were still buttons to be stitched and pom poms to be made and tons of vintage to be priced and wrapped. This is the hardest part for me, deciding whether to keep or sell.
It was touch and go as to whether I would make it in time as once again Babs decided to show off again and wouldn't start despite just having a new starter motor fitted GGGRRRRRRR!
There was nothing else to do but to reload everything into our teeny tiny fiat 500.
Luckily there wasn't much traffic so we made it in plenty of time and I even managed a quick whizz around after I had set up my table to take one or two snaps of some of the stalls.


My lovely friends Claire and Marie A.K.A George and Mildred (still not sure who is george and who is Mildred!)

My what lovely brooches you have ladies!

gorgeous hand stitched felt from Tommy and Zac.


Sadly I didn't manage to get this lady's name but her cushions were beautiful and Stan didn't last much longer than half an hour before someone snapped him up.

and last but not least this is my little table

it was a great day and as usual it was packed with vintage gorgeousness.
It's so very well organised and a really friendly event with a great atmosphere.
...... Oh and if you are reading this St Mary's the chocolate and guinness cake was absolutely amazing and if there had been any left I would have been back for more!


We took the blue eyed boy here today.
Not counting the ladies who were serving teas and coffees I was the only other female there!

He has quite a large collection of Hornby which has outgrown his bedroom so we are in the process of emptying the loft to house his trains and as a little locomotive layout inspiration was needed we thought this would be ideal as its only about a 20 minute drive away.

We came away with some really good ideas and can't wait to get cracking, just got to get the loft sorted out now, something else to add to the never ending 'to do' list.

We took a leisurely stroll around the Botanical gardens just to round the day off nicely and as the ice cream van was parked outside the gates we thought it would be extremely rude to walk past without stopping and I did need to rid my purse of some of that change from the fair after all, so 99's all round then!

the blue eyed boy took this on his i pod and I don't think he did too badly.


The Easter Hols haven't started for us yet as we don't break up until Thursday and boy are we ready.
We are planning nothing more than a trip to the Imperial War Museum in Manchester and eating our own body weight in chocolate eggs........ providing we don't get snowed in!

hope you are all having a great weekend : )

HURRAY it's the weekend

Well I have survived a full week in my new job and lived to tell the tale!
It's been quite a tough week as I had become so used to being at home and pretty much doing whatever took my fancy. This usually amounted to a bit of blogging/pinterest/twitter and facebook with the odd bit of baking and crafting thrown in for good measure, and at least a cup of builders tea every hour!
Alas all good things come to an end and I find myself back in the workplace 5 days a week, but only for 4 hours a day so I suppose I shouldn't really complain.

I arrived home from work on Thursday gasping for a cuppa and generally feeling sorry for myself, to be greeted by this little package.

As you can imagine this cheered me up no end : )
Although it turned out to be a teeny bit larger than I imagined I fell in love immediately and can't wait to use it, unlike my friend - mentioning no names ahem... Donna Flower who takes it out of its box, looks at it admiringly then puts it back again!!!

Can you guess what it is yet?

Isn't it a thing of beauty.


As it's Mothering Sunday tomorrow and Mr. H's Birthday on Monday we decided to book a table here
http://www.oldsmithybeeley.co.uk/aspx014/article.aspx?CID=0&SID=36a33c82-e271-429b-a060-45be8a344026

It's on the Chatsworth Estate and a stones throw from Bakewell so plenty of walking opportunities, that's providing we can actually move after the lunch! It will be the perfect end to a tiring week.
Oh well only 14 more work days until the Easter Holidays (not that I'm counting!)


last Sunday was beautiful here in Sheffield and the sun shone all day, so we pulled on our wellies and headed out into the garden for a spot of clearing and tidying and of course the obligatory bonfire.

I think this picture was taken last year around this time. This is about halfway up the garden looking back down towards the house, so as you can tell its quite a large plot, not very wide but very long and its a fair old walk if you forget to take your trowel up to the veg patch at the very top.

this must have also been taken last year because the shed is now this colour and hopefully some time in the next month or so will become home to a few chickens - Can't wait.

and this is what I'm looking forward to in a few weeks time

Off now to make the old man a cuppa, he's been fixing a starter motor to Babs our VW, who decides every now and again to throw a tantrum if she feels she's been neglected

Happy weekend everyone and love to all the mums
: ) X

All Good Things........

The last couple of months have been quite stressful for me as I have been job hunting after being made redundant back in October last year.
I had been working in a Convent for nearly six years and I can honestly say it was the best job EVER.
I had known some of the Sisters for over 20 years and over this time they had become more like family to me, sadly this made it even harder when the house finally closed and the Sisters had to move on.

Sister Ursula, Sister Brendan and Sister Elizabeth, affectionately known as
THE GIRLS!!!

The blue eyed boy doing a spot of watering during the summer holidays!

School holidays were never a problem as he used to come along with me.
The Girls would make a fuss of him, sneaking him chocolate and treats and generally treating him like a little prince (which of course he is!).

I loved being a stay at home mum but when I was offered the job at the Convent it was the perfect opportunity for me as it meant I could work a few hours a week and not have to worry about child care.
Jobs like this are like gold dust and just when I thought I would never get another one, low and behold I was offered a job last week......WAIT FOR IT........TERM TIME ONLY *does a celebratory dance*
I can't quite believe my luck. Im just waiting to hear from them with the final details as the post wasn't originally term time only but they have very kindly adapted the hours to accommodate my child care situation.
I consider myself a very lucky girl to be given another opportunity to earn some extra cash and be at home for my boy(s)

So all is well in the Hotchpotch household and on this cheery note I leave you with a couple of my favourite snaps from the last few weeks.

don't be fooled by their prettiness as they gave off and odour which can only be likened to cat urine... EURGH!!!

Brucie doing it Cheryl Cole stylee!


Happy Wednesday everyone
: )