springing along

things i’ve been doing with baby on my back (or my front, or my hip, or my arm…)

laundry (doesn’t seem such a chore when the sun is shining)

going on walks

making and eating things from the veg box vegetables, this is kale pesto

making bread

babysitting for a friend, and time to relax

what have you been doing these warmer days?

jo xx

my day in pictures

a typical wednesday in spring

william plays contentedly while i make my tea

…content…ish

until i’m halfway through and he wants a cuddle

cheer up, it’s the cat!

william intensely watching the seagulls

time to make my overnight starter into dough and knead

(five-time)daily seedling check: sunflowers

basil

dill and courgettes

RED beetroot :)

broad beans

content-ish again so time to make chutney:

daddy kindly takes over for an hour! bread in the oven now, and sun still up so time for the garden

.

that one was a photo from last week – the bed in the front is weed free now and blackberries moved to the far fence. this afternoon i dig over and dig in manure. time for herbs to go in with strawberries

warm fresh bread is just a pure joy

even better with butter and marmaralde (my last jar – recipe here)

afternoon tea – bliss

we also had some crawling classes with william on the floor – he’s getting close! and a nice walk in the sling to put him to sleep. i slept loooong last night!

jo xxx

soapnuts

a month ago i wouldn’t even know what this brown shell was. or what an absolute gem it is!

i got a box of them at the Green Shop – where else?! :) you have to try these. theyre the shells of soapnuts, naturally abundant in saponin – chemical-free soap! so far i have only used them for laundry, but i plan to branch out (they are very versatile) and will post on my soapy experimental adventures.

i quickly threw together a couple of muslin bags with drawstrings and packed off 10 soapnuts each to mum and my sister. so for them and anyone interested here are basic instructions:

put 5 whole shells (or the equivalent in broken ones) into a muslin bag and tie securely.

throw into washing machine drum with clothes and wash as normal.

simple! however – the soapnuts need warmth to help release the saponin, so you either have to wash on 30 degrees or higher (i normally do 40 as my machine doesn’t have a 30 option), or you can boil the kettle, stick the muslin bag in a mug and make a cup of soapnut tea! leave for a few minutes to heat through then put bag into drum, pour liquid into the drawer and start your cold cycle straight away. (that info is on the leaflet you get with the nuts and i haven’t tried it that way yet. the box also includes a muslin bag.)

all i know is that the laundry comes out clean and smelling of absolutely nothing, which i love :) you can put 3 drops of essential oil into conditioner drawer to make clothes smell nice, i tried peppermint but it was a little strong. i prefer no scent. and the nuts last 3-4 washes, according to the leaflet. mine last about 5 washes which is great! i put them on the radiator or in the sun to dry out to use the next day but you can just put on wash after wash until they go a bit grey and squidgey. then they can go on the compost – genius! i’m getting excited just typing this :) CHECK THEM OUT! and mum and abi – let me know how you get on. you have to try them to believe it.

oh and they naturally soften your clothes too, but not too much! nappies come out anti-bacterial and soft instead of crispy :)

jo xxx

plodding along

baby william’s been ill since last monday. that’s seven sleepless nights, mr hart and i taking shifts to sleep, calpol and nurofen and low immune systems all round. he finally started smiling again yesterday and got rid of his high temperature. today he’s finally feeding happily again and hasn’t vomitted for 24hours (touch wood). poor little man. he’s still not in the mood for a photo shoot with his new trousers, but i took one of him last week :)

getting us through the week has been lovely organic veg boxes from The Green Shop

clean favourite woolens after hand wash day

little walks around the cemetry or the beach

and of course, mr hart. he lets me sleep when he knows i need it, even if it means he misses out. he doesn’t complain even when i haven’t done the laundry and he runs out of socks. <3

jo xxx

baby legs

a spontaneous little sewing project :) i found this old (20 years old) pillowcase in a charity shop. it’s special. i think it was waiting for me. it’s the same fabric that makes up my childhood teddy bear.

here’s brian bear:

he’s very worn and the print has all but disappeared…

ever so slightly different but clearly in the same range of baby things :) i have just finished making william some ‘brian trousers’. will take some completed photos when said baby wakes up.

jo xxx

time for a change

raising a baby is hard. they don’t tell you that. or maybe they tell you that constantly and you just don’t listen. but i’ll tell you what, when he smiles, i smile. EVERY TIME.

i used to want something from this space, to use it to help myself and anyone else who might read it. but i’ve recently figured a lot has changed me in the last few months, and i think this blog needs to change a bit too. i started it as a way to remind myself of all the good things in my life. the little things. the simple things. i chose to show photos of the things that i was proud of making and the beautiful sights i’d seen. but you know, however good it is to read and write blogs that do just that – focus on the love and the good – it’s not where i am at the moment.

i can’t always see the good things that happen, even when they stare me in the face. sleep deprivation does that i guess :)

but it’s been putting me off writing here, because i think i haven’t been ‘happy’ enough to post. which is silly. i’m going to blow the dust off my camera today and take it out somewhere, with a baby on my front, and a smile on my face. i know, an actual smile for no reason at all? i think i’ve had an epiphany. or maybe spring’s here.

meet me back here soon for photos :) baby is whinging and crying even though hes been changed and fed and played with and cuddled and put in the sling. i think we need a change of scenery, lets go OUT!

but maybe change out of my pjs first…

 

jo xxx

a week in gratitude {day seven}

joining in with one of my favourite blogs to read – Earth Mama. please do leave a little note of what you are grateful for today in the comments!

i am grateful for:

tidiness

antiques, hand-me-downs and everything second hand

friends, their babes and their cats

a cup of tea at the right moment

well-wishers and hymns

i am also grateful for the inspiration of Lisa at Earth Mama 101, and everyone who joined in with a week of gratitude :)

mrs hart xxx