Hiya folks. Haven't blogged for a couple of weeks, so much has been going on and by the time I sit down in the evening I've been flaking out too much to write anything! Last week our schedule went completely out of the window as my youngest daughter had a nasty cold and cough and as a result I felt as if it was a completely wasted week. I don't know if it's just me or if it's something all homeschooling mummies go through but every so often I feel as if I lose my way a little and panic that I'm not doing enough or that they are somehow missing out by being at home with me. Last week was one of those moments. But then I sit down, think it through, look at the bigger picture and realise that actually even when we haven't stuck to our schedule and done any planned learning, the learning has never stopped. It's impossible not to learn. It's amazing how left to their own devices children formulate the most incredible educational games and teach themselves. I was attempting some cleaning last week in between cuddles with my runny - nosed child and I hear the two of them outside my door on their way to solve a 'mystery', kitted out with their little backpacks and magnifying glasses, planting handwritten and intricately illustrated 'clues' all around the house and making up a complex story as they go. The game involved a lot of counting, addition and subtraction using various objects that they deemed relevant to their little story. And of course the whole thing was punctuated by bouts of uncontrolled giggling. I was fascinated and thrilled by how they were teaching themselves so much without even realising, while enjoying just being children and flexing their little imaginations. It's how learning was intended to be for children, I'm sure of it. By the end of the week I was feeling confident again and this week we are back with a vengeance. I got a fantastic free poster from open university this week based around the seasons, with a nature hunt for each month of the year, and that set my mind spinning with lots of new ideas for projects in the coming weeks.  I'm always on the look out for free resources to use in schooling, so I was thrilled to discover that the open university has a load of great stuff on their website. Check it out!
 We visited my sister in law and hubby the weekend before last as she is about to pop with her first baby and I wanted to give her a special gift I had made for her.  A while back when I found I was having my first baby I looked for a nappy bag that was big enough to carry the rather bulky cloth nappies I wanted to use but was still pretty and stylish, but to my dismay I really struggled to find anything that I considered to be reasonably priced. So I decided to make my own using one of the very lovely Clarke and Clarke printed oilcloths that you can buy for a very reasonable price. My first attempt was pretty clumsily executed, just a simple boxy rectangular shape, and made out of one rectangular piece of oilcloth, no cutting. The pretty pattern made sure it still looked acceptable and it was really very hard wearing,  so I was pleased with the result. Over time I made many more as gifts for friends with babies, and gradually I tweaked my design to make it easier to make and better looking, and of course as practical and useful as possible. So having seen my more recent productions, my sister in law requested a bag and change mat as her baby gift and chose her fabrics. She went for the beautiful bold Clarke and Clarke 'Agnes' in duck egg combined with their spot fabric also in duck egg. I made a cotton and fleece pram blanket in the matching spot print so that it could be used for a boy or girl. I was really pleased with the result and I think my sis in law was too. I like to try and get a professional finish using proper magnetic bag clasps, bag feet, adjustable slide bar on the strap and chunky d- rings for the strap also, all of which you can buy in craft shops or good old ebay. Here is a pic of the finished product, which included a padded change mat with white bias binding.....

Being new to this blogging lark, I keep forgetting to take pictures of the various steps involved so that I can give you step by step instructions to make your own, so I'm afraid you will have to make do with a basic sketch and my simple explanation of how to make one i'm afraid. But believe me when I say you really need only basic machine sewing skills in order to make this bag. I use only one metre of oilcloth to make the entire set as the clarke and clarke oilcloth comes in 135 cm widths which is a fairly decent width. In this case I wanted to combine 2 different patterns so ordered a half metre of each. Half a metre will do the outside of the bag and one side of the change mat, and the other half metre will do the lining, other side of the change mat and pockets. I also used a small piece of fleece to line the flap, another piece of fleece as wadding inside the change mat,approx 3 metres of bias binding and 1.5 metres of webbing strap.  To begin, I marked out the pieces of my bag on the back of half a metre of oilcloth like so: 

Sorry for the useless diagram but hopefully you get the idea. I rounded off the corners on the front and back pieces of the bag. You can cut out identical pieces for the lining but in this case I wanted more pockets out of the lining fabric to fasten to the front and sides of the bag so when cutting out the lining I replaced the flap piece with fleece and used that section for pockets. I don't want to be too rigid with this tutorial because the beauty of making your own bag is that you choose for yourself the size and location of pockets, whether you want squared or rounded edges etc. So don't hold back, just go for it with your design and personalise it! I wanted a large rectangular pocket on the front which would be covered by the flap partially when it was closed, another rectangular pocket inside on the back, and a pocket on each side. I fasten the pockets on first before I piece the bag together as it's just so much easier that way. When sewing with oilcloth I usually put a piece of masking tape underneath the foot on my sewing machine to help prevent sticking. I also use a denim needle and heavy weight cotton. Doing those few little things seems to mean that my basic little machine copes fine with the oilcloth.  To make the pockets, I cut a piece of oilcloth twice the size of the finished pocket, fold it in half and literally sew it straight on to where I want it, making sure the stitching is as close as possible to the edges and the fold is at the open part of the pocket. The beauty of oilcloth is you don't need to bother with seams as it won't fray easily so as long as you have cut nice neat edges and sew very close to the edge it looks well finished. The reason I don't bother with seams is that on a standard sewing machine you will find that it struggles with sewing through the extra thickness of a seamed edge when you sew the pockets on.  When sewing on the pockets at the sides of the bag I sew only the bottom edge of the pocket as I then sew the edges of the pocket into the seams of the bag when I piece it together. It just looks more professional and a neater finish.  (I hope this is making sense....Apologies for such rough instructions but really you just need to use your common sense with a project like this!).  Once all the pockets are in place, I move on to the flap. This is simply made by pinning the oilcloth and fleece together and sewing around the edge with your bias binding.  Before closing up the edge that will be sewn onto the bag I insert my magnetic bag clasps.  With those in place, I finish the final edge with the bias binding.  The next step is to sew the flap onto the back piece of the bag, which you do by pinning it in place about an inch from the top edge of the back piece and sewing straight across.  You are now ready to piece the bag together.  Begin by sewing the long strip for the base and sides onto the back piece of the bag.  Always start in the centre of this piece as if you have made any fractional error in your cutting out it won't matter so much this way as you can be sure it will still look evenly placed on either side. Line up the centre of your base with the centre of the back piece and pin the edges right sides together.  If you have pockets on the sides, make sure the edges of these are neatly sandwiched between the back piece and the side/base piece.  It should be fairly straightforward to sew these pieces together as you are sewing onto the cotton side of your oilcloth so there is no sticking and it runs through the machine nice and easy.  You can repeat this same process to fasten the front piece of the bag to the sides and base. Turn the bag right side out.  You then need to do repeat this whole process to make your bag lining, of course there is no need to turn it right side out at the end as it will sit inside the bag as it is. Once you have the bag and lining made, it's just a case of putting them together. Place the bag inside the lining, yes inside...We will flip them over when we are done.  At the sides of the bag you will need some leftover rectangular strips of oilcloth to thread through your d - rings for your strap. Thread the rectangles through the d - rings and fold them in half, then sandwich them between the bag and the lining at either side with the d ring facing down toward the base of the bag. Pin in place.  Sew the bag and lining together around the top edge.  I usually use double rows of stitching where the straps poke through just to make them extra strong. Leave the long edge where the flap is at the back of the bag open.  You can then flip the lining over so that it's sitting inside the bag through the open edge. At this point fasten the other sides of your magnetic bag clasps to the correct spot on the front of your bag. All that remains then is to close the final open edge by turning the raw edges in on themselves and sewing a neat line of stitching along the top.  You can then thread your strap through the d - rings and if you are using a slide bar to make it adjustable, add this also.   To make the change mat, I just sandwich a rectangle of fleece between two pieces of oilcloth and sew the edges together using bias binding. I sometimes like to add a little piece of applique, perhaps a heart shape or teddy or something if I have a scrap of oilcloth left. And that's it! Easy peasy!  I realise this is rather a rough set of instructions but if anyone wants to ask about anything in more detail I am more than happy to answer questions! I hope this inspires some of you to have a go yourselves because I am honestly not an expert at sewing, I just go for it and hope for the best, but this really is a lovely little project and can be finished completely in under 3 hours. Happy sewing! 

Steph xx

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Hi all, had such a busy day today so I'm just flaking out on the sofa with my candles lit and the fire going...Bliss!  Made a super delicious steak and ale pie for tea; at this time of year stews, pies and casseroles are the order of the day, hearty comfort food is just the ticket when it's so cold outside.  If you fancy making your own here is my mum's tried and tested recipe: 1 1/2 lbs lean diced steak, three handfuls of mushrooms roughly chopped (any will do but porcini are particularly delicious),plain flour, salt and pepper,1 bottle of 'old speckled hen' ale or similar, 2 or 3 beef stock cubes according to taste,2 strong white onions and 2 cloves of garlic, dash of worcester sauce,1 dessertspoon english mustard. Dessertspoon of cornflour.
For the pastry: 8 oz plain flour, 6 oz butter, 150ml cold water.
Method:  season the flour and toss the steak in it. Brown off the steak in a little oil in a heavy casserole pan. Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until golden and softened. Add your ale and stock cubes. Bring to a steady simmer...not a boil...and cover. This can simmer for a minimum of 2 hours on the hob. While the filling cooks, make your pastry. This is an easy puff pastry so not too much mixing or kneading required. Cube your butter and add to your flour, mix with a knife till the butter is covered. Gradually add your cold water and mix with the knife to form a soft but not sticky dough. Roll dough out on work surface till you have a rectangle that is twice as long as it is wide. Fold the two shortest sides into the centre, turn and roll again. Repeat the process a minimum of three times. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge until needed. When your pie filling has stewed nicely for a couple of hours, mix your cornflour with a little cold water and add to the mix gradually, stirring constantly. Finally add your mustard and transfer to a deep pie dish. Roll out your pastry and drape over your pie dish. Pierce the top several times and place in the oven at 200 °c until the top of your pie is golden brown. I would love to show you a picture of the pie but unfortunately it did not last long enough to get the camera out! You will have to make do with the one remaining slice...

There is just something about the autumn that I absolutely adore, the crispness of the days, the golden quality of the light, the beautiful rusty colours in the trees and the feeling that there is no place like home.  It really does warm the old cockles to set up camp next to the fire with a glass of mulled wine by candlelight and curl up in an enormous comfy chair with a good book and a favourite blanket. My favourite snuggly quilt that I like to snuggle up with of an evening is homemade and holds many memories for me on account of it being made out of my children's old pram blankets and cot quilt. I just couldn't bring myself to give away these precious items that my babies were once wrapped in for nighttime feeding, sofa snuggling and wintery walks, so I decided that a patchwork made from all these things would be a lovely keepsake and a way to feel close to my girls as they grow up and become more independent from mum. I have never done a patchwork before so mine is really the most basic bit of sewing you could possibly come across, but the finished article is still very lovely. I basically cut out the blankets into equal sized squares. I then laid them out on the floor to decide on a pattern I liked. I decided the simplest way to make the quilt would be to have a large rectangle in the centre and use the patches as a sort of border around the edge. I started to piece the quilt together by sewing all the patches in a long row wrong sides together that would fit along the long edges of the rectangle. I then did the same for the short edges. When I had four lengths of patchwork to fit around the rectangle, I pinned them in place around it and sewed them on wrong sides together. I now had an extra large rectangle with patchwork edges. I then did the same again, creating long lengths of patchwork to fit around the edges of the rectangle and sewing them in place. I finished with an applique heart in the corner of the patchwork. I had a small cot quilt which obviously was too small to be of any use in a normal sized bed, so I used this as the centre padding for my quilt. I also had an old cream coloured heavy cotton throw that had a couple of stains in the corner, so I cut out the clean part and used this as the back of my quilt. I sewed the throw to the patchwork piece wrong sides together leaving part of the short edge open. I turned the resulting 'envelope' right side out and stuffed it with the cot quilt. I hand stitched the opening closed. To hold the quilt in place inside the cover I sewed around the whole thing about an inch in from the edge.  I am so thrilled with the result and I definitely intend to try doing a bit more patchwork as it just looks so pretty and is a really great way to upcycle any pretty fabrics of sentimental value. You could even use precious items of clothing. I'm certainly not the only one in the family who loves the quilt! Have a great evening everyone xxx

Homeschool

Hi folks, how was your weekend? I had a lovely weekend, we had family staying with us so enjoyed a jaunt out to beautiful Tenby, a couple of fabulous pub lunches and a mushroom picking walk in the woods, during which we got caught in a freak hailstorm and were drenched to the skin. Which was so much fun. Coming home soaking wet through and huddling up by the fire with a hot chocolate and a healthy glow in our cheeks is what autumn is all about. Ella enjoyed herself immeasurably, she told me excitedly that she's sure she was born to be an explorer. So dramatic about everything. Love her.
I thought I would write a little about homeschooling today. Of course it's not for everyone, but we are lucky enough to be in a perfect situation to teach our girls at home. I'm a full time mum, we live in an area of outstanding natural beauty where fuel for learning is literally everywhere when we step outside our door, and there is a great network of other homeschooling families in our area which means support for me and lots and LOTS of playtime for the girls. So we decided to go for it. We actually made our decision when Ella was 3, and as we were already very hands on with her learning and development it just became a very natural progression for us into schooling both girls full time. It has taken me a while to find my 'rhythm' though. We started out with ideas of following the national curriculum and sitting down at a desk in a designated 'schoolroom' in the house for a set amount of time each day. As we settled into it though, we began to realise that our children were actually learning more during their 'free time'. The saying that they are 'little sponges' is so completely true, they soak up information and constantly surprise you with their knowledge of things you did not set out to teach them but they have simply picked up along the way. So we began to change tack. I began to each day consciously make a number of activities available to them and allow them to dip into these as they felt the inclination. I began to plan lots of 'hands on' activities, such as kitchen chemistry, baking, and art, art and more art. I began to read to them as much as possible (I have read to my children every day since they were born, but it became more intentional, I would link the topic to what we had been learning about that week, I would point out words to them etc ). And I played with them as much as possible. We became more child led, meaning that when their interest was piqued by something we saw or experienced, we would grow that into a whole project and incorporate all the subjects into that one topic, the benefit being that because it was something they chose and were already interested in they were engaged and fascinated by what they were learning.And as we did so, we observed their confidence growing, their curiosity growing, and their problem solving ability being refined. It is so immensely satisfying to see your child's natural curiosity and inquisitiveness translate into a real love for learning. So, that is how we learn now. And so far it's working. The best part is that we get to really enjoy eachother as a family. There are days I admit when I wonder if I can really do it, my mind feels completely muddled and I'm stressed out to the eyeballs, but when I remind myself of why we are doing this and consider the benefits I know I wouldn't have it any other way. Just lately I have been reading a lot about Waldorf Steiner education, and it really seems to fit with our way of doing things. I love how it centres a child's early learning around the arts, and encourages a deep connection with nature. I also enjoy the way learning is structured into daily and weekly 'rythyms', so that you have some structure but room for a lot of movement within that structure. This term I have tried a new schedule which I have written on a little 'wheel' so that the kids can go to it each day, turn the wheel and see what they are doing that day. I'm also planning to try a year long theme of months of the year, meaning each month we will take the month itself as our inspiration and structure our lessons around that, for example as it's November we will be doing some lessons based around fireworks, hibernation of animals, and continuing our autumn theme. Ella has requested that we throw in some learning about horses.

It makes me feel calm and organised when I have some idea at the outset of where we are going with our learning that month. I've got new workbooks for the girls this month, one for 'words', one for 'numbers', one for their topic and one for 'art'. I hope I can share with you as we go along and hopefully give some support and inspiration to you other homeschooling mums out there, and I would love to hear from any of you regarding your ideas. Happy homeschooling everyone!