The Gallery - Easter

I have blogged about our Easter already but this is for this weeks gallery post over at Sticky Fingers.

We enjoyed a bit of a quiet one with an Easter egg hunt for the girls and a lovely roast dinner cooked by Husband. It was a lovely day despite Rosie being pretty grumpy and unwell.

This was my favourite picture of the day:

Closely followed by these:

The girls are still young and don't get a lot of chocolate so were in their element! They thought Easter was the best thing ever.

Karen x

The Gallery - Extreme Close Ups

This weeks subject over at the gallery is extreme close ups. Now I thought long and hard about this topic and thought I could use a close up of a flower, or one of the girls eyes, maybe one of their old photos of their feet. I even thought about taking a close up of my bump!

Then  I remembered this photo I took recently of Poppy:

We had been messing around taking photos of us close up on my mobile. She thought it was hilarious as we kept missing off parts of our heads etc. Eventually I took this one of her and really liked it.

For more extreme close ups check out Sticky Fingers:

Karen x

The Gallery - Colour

This weeks Gallery topic is colour which as always is a title which is open to interpretation.

For me, I had to write about the colour pink.

A very pink and fluffy person myself I have been feeling as though our home does not reflect my personality. I guess I have been keeping it a bit more neutral for Husbands sake. Well since finding out we are expecting our 3rd little girl I have been sneaking more and more pink in to the house.

It started with some some new crockery and casserole dishes:

Then it was a sneaky cushion:

Then a few photo frames:

And of course bump needed some new dresses:

Luckily Husband tells me he doesn't mind too much as long as I don't go too mad and spend a fortune.

For more colours and interpretations of this topic, check out the gallery fr yourself.

.Karen x

The Gallery - Friends

I am a very girly girl and friends are very important to me. Due to the number of times we have moved I have friends spread all around the World that are important and special for various reasons.

However, the one friend who has been there through everything with me and knows all my secrets is Sarah. We have known each other since we were 17 and have never argued! She is more like another Sister than a friend and is like an Aunty to the girls. They love her too.

Despite not seeing each other for ages, we talk regularly on the phone and I know that next time we do see each other, it will be like we saw each other yesterday. I also know if I needed her she would be there in a flash just as I would be for her!

She is one in a million! A very special person.

Do you have someone like this?

For more friendship posts head over to Sticky Fingers.

Karen x

The Gallery - Landscapes

I love joining in with the Gallery. It gives me an excuse to trawl through some of my old photos as well as my latest ones.

This weeks topic is Landscapes.

Before children Husband and I went on some amazing holidays and our favourite sunny destination has to be the Maldives.We love the no news/no shoes way off life and totally relax.

We have actually been really lucky to go back twice since and love it. Its truly beautiful. This is one of my favourite pictures, we actually have it on out wall. It really was that peaceful:

I couldn't resist putting a few pictures of Canada in too. We lived there for two years and the landscapes were truly amazing.  This one was taken on the way to Lake Louise. I love the colour of the water and the snow capped mountains in the background:

Here we are with Poppy aged 8 months at Lake Louise. It was actually a warm sunny day so Poppy was more than warm enough. We had literally just put our jackets on to have this photo taken:

Again we have it on our wall.

Finally, it has been pointed out to me that I am lucky enough to live in a beautiful part of the country, South Devon. Therefore I have added in a picture I took a few weeks ago:

To check out more beautiful Landscapes head over to The Gallery.

Karen x

The Gallery - Embarrassing Outfits

As soon as I saw the title for this weeks Gallery I just knew which photo I wanted to use.

This is one of my Sister (on the left) my Mum (in the middle) and me (on the right) when I was about 9 or 10. OK so I probably ought to have sought the permission of my Mum and Sister to post it so if you see this I do hope you don't mind too much:

Now I love dressing my little girls in matching outfits but wow all matching in white..what ever was my Mum thinking? hee hee. Oh and what happened to my legs...what it would be to have long skinny legs like that now!

For more fab photos to make you chuckle head over to:

Karen x

The Gallery - Me Right Now

For one reason and another I haven't joined in with The Gallery for a while. But when I sat down and switched on my laptop, I spotted this weeks title and decided to participate.

After a morning out at a toddler group at my Husbands work, I had just put Rosie down for a nap and sat down myself.  Its not the best picture in the world but after about 20 attempts I finally managed to get my head in the photo (rather than my boobs, feet, hands, sofa etc).

So here I am:

Yes, definitely not the best picture in the world! I might need to get Husband to take a few more me with the girls as I haven't been in many of my photos recently. I might even be daring and take some of my teeny tiny bump!

For more pics head over to Sticky Fingers and join in the fun.

Karen x

The Gallery - My Awesome Photo

I am a bit late with my Gallery entry this week because I just could not choose the picture I would like blown up if I won.

I finally settled on this one:

I have used it several times for Gallery posts in the past but love it. My Husband took it rather than me but it is gorgeous and captures my little ones innocence perfectly. I think it would look fantastic blown up and printed on canvass!

To discover more entries head over to the gallery for yourself.

Karen x

The Gallery - The Kitchen

The kitchen in the house we live in right now is not my dream kitchen. In fact it is far from it.You see this is not our home. Due to my Husband's job we have to move every two years and the houses come with the job.

I absolutely hate the colour green and this kitchen has green worktops, green in some of the floor tiles and even a green oven! Yuck! In addition, the cupboards are far too dark for my liking.

However, this is also the room where the girls and I create magical moments. Apart from being the pace we prepare and eat our meals, it is also the place where we are let loose making all sorts of cakes, muffins and cookies:

And its the place where we can be found glueing, sticking, colouring and painting!

Whilst enjoying these activities I find Poppy opens up and tells me everything she has been doing at School and what all the other children are like. 

Our kitchen is a place where we are busy. Sometimes you will find us concentrating very hard, whilst at other times we are relaxed, having fun and laughing. You will often find us talking and baking or in the girls case licking the wooden spoon!

What's your kitchen like? To check out more entries or to join in head over to Sticky Fingers.

Karen x

The Gallery - Something I Am Proud Of

I have thought and thought about what I could use for this weeks gallery topic but kept coming back to my family.

Husband and I tried for years to have children and thought that it might not ever happen. Now we have each other and our two beautiful little girls and I couldn't be happier or prouder.

My husband is a fantastic husband and Dad. I know he will always be there for all of us. He always makes me laugh. Whatever he decides to do or learn he does really well like his photography. He has taught himself and is brilliant. I love that he has taken some gorgeous family shots which I am proud of. These are just a few of the ones he has taken:

Poppy is my eldest, now at  3 she is turning out to be a gorgeous, clever little girl who cares about others. Everyday she appears to be leaning something new. Next month I will be the proudest Mummy ever watching her perform at her first ballet show and watching her in her first nativity play as a Sheppard:

At 16 months, Rosie is turning out to be a cheeky little monkey and a bit of a character. No longer a baby, she is my gorgeous little girl. She is currently doing really well with learning new words and talking. Everyday she makes me smile.

Every time I look at my family my heart swells with love and pride and I know I am a lucky lady. They are what I am proud of most!

For more entries head over to sticky fingers:

Karen x

The Gallery - 11/11/11

Last Friday saw the date 11/11/11 hence the prompt for The Gallery topic.

I had a very exciting day myself.

 It was the day I met my new baby Nephew for the first time

He was almost 2 weeks old, very cute and cuddly and just perfect!

It was also the first weekend off I had from my children, I actually left them at home with Daddy and went by myself! Another little mile stone.

I got up that morning and got us all ready, then Husband drove us all to the train station. It was a bit sad saying goodbye but I quickly got over that.

The journey was very easy and I actually settled back and enjoyed it. I even managed to read almost a whole book. I have not done that for a while.

Arriving at the Station, I felt like I was coming home. You see I lived there myself four years ago. It was lovely. My Brother-in-Law picked me up and took me back to theirs.

I was really excited to meet my little Nephew as well  as see my Sister and my other Nephew too. On  top of that the lovely Hannah from Mummy and The Beastie was there with her little one too. Perfect.  We all enjoyed a lovely afternoon together, the children played well together and we enjoyed catching up, cookies and lots of lovely baby cuddles.

What a perfect day!

I did miss my family but it was really lovely to spend some time with my gorgeous Sister and her family. I only wish we lived closer as we are very close.

Karen x

The Gallery - The letter T

This week Tara over at Sticky Fingers has got us all thinking again with her subject for the Gallery. This week it is all about the letter T.  Ooohh a tricky one...or is it?

Last week we were fortunate enough to meet Thomas the Tank Engine, his friend Hercules and the Fat Controller but I haven't got around to posting the photos. This offers the perfect opportunity. Therefore for the purpose of this post:

T stands for Thomas The Tank Engine

My daughter is a big fan of Thomas. We were recently fortunate enough to get to review the latest DVD and she loved it.  Therefore when we heard they were in town we had to go and meet them.

We live pretty close to a steam train and several times a year they swap the usual engines for Thomas and his friends.  Last year we heard they did this too late, so this time we were determined not to miss it. Poppy was of course thrilled and even Rosie could not take her eyes of him. I'm not sure if it was because it was different, because he was bright or what it was but she couldn't take her eyes off him.

The Fat Controller was very chatty and friendly. Poppy was initially shy until he told her "don't worry, i'm only scary when I have to tell off naughty trains and you're not a naughty train are you"? haha. After that she happily posed next to him for photos and told her what she had been doing during her half term.

For more entries head over to Sticky Fingers:

Karen x

The Gallery - Faces

This weeks topic over at the gallery is faces.

Having been given two weeks to do this post I have been thinking long and hard about whose face to use but I kept coming back to my gorgeous little girls.

Their faces can change so much depending what mood they are in so I wanted to share a few of my favourite pics with you.

Sometimes they can be sweet:

Sometimes they can be giggly:

Sometimes they can be inquisitive:

Sometimes they can be cheeky:

Sometimes they can be grumpy:

Sometimes they can be dreamy:

Sometimes they can be adorable:

But most of all they are gorgeous....:

...and they are mine!

I have two gorgeous little girls who I love more than anything and hope that these innocent little faces, go on to lead happy, healthy lives.

Karen x

The Gallery - Colours

I love taking part in the Gallery and this weeks topic is another great one - colours.

Now for those of you who know me you will be thinking I bet she writes about pink....but no not today. Although we love pink in this house, today I am going to write about blue.

Blue because last week we saw beautiful blue skies and the river looked extra blue (can't find a photo but it was gorgeous).  It also meant we could get outside and have fun at the park.

Blue also for the swimming pool - I took Rosie swimming this week whilst Poppy was at School) We had a lovely time.  It is now going to become a weekly thing and I am going to try to take both girls next weekend.

Poppy Swimming at 8 months

We went with friends and it was perfect. The pool was quiet and clean and not too cold either. It took a little while for Rosie to get used to it but then she was happily splashing away at the other children. I feel a bit bad as I have not taken her as much as I used to take Poppy. We used to go every week when we lived abroad but when we moved back to UK the pools were so cold it wasn't fun for anyone. This one is great through so I am looking forward to doing it more.

For more entries, head over to sticky fingers:

Karen x

The Gallery - Guilty Pleasures

When I saw that this weeks topic over at the gallery was guilty pleasures I knew immediately what I would write about.

With two gorgeous little girls it easily has to be shopping!!

Girls clothes are so pretty. I love everything girly and of course pink!! A little bit of purple is creeping into their winter wardrobes but most of it is pink: bright pink, light pink I don't mind. Spotty, stripy or plain it does not matter as long as it is pretty. You will not find any trousers in there or anything too grown up, most of it is traditional girls dresses, and pretty cardigans, funky tights and tutus.

The top shelf of Poppy's Wardrobe

Lots of dresses for Rosie too

They each have a denim skirt and dress but no jeans for these girls. There is plenty of time for that! I am really fussy with colours too and can not stand all the browns, oranges and dull colours that appear to be in the shops this season. No I want to keep my little girls looking like little girls, pretty, girly and young, after all they are only 3 years and 14 months old.

I live in the middle of nowhere on the coast in South Devon and while it is very pretty the main drawback is that there are no shops to indulge in my guilty pleasure, probably good for our bank balance! Instead I resort to the internet. I love it when the girls are asleep, I settle back with either a glass of wine or cup of coffee and browse my favourite sites, purchasing when I see something I love.

For more guilty pleasures head over to Sticky Fingers to check out the other entries.

Karen x

The Gallery - Shoes

I love the Gallery and this weeks topic is no exception....shoes!! Well most girls love them don't they? Anyway, this week me and my shoes are not the focus of attention, no this week it is my girls and their shoes.

First there is Poppy who started pre-school today. In case you missed my previous posts, it is based within a School and she has to wear a School uniform...so grown up. Anyway these are her new School shoes:

She has always had Start Rite shoes but up until now they have always been pink. Having shiny new black shoes for School is a definite sigh of growing up. I couldn't resist the little flower design on these though...I had to get a little bit of girlishness in there.

This week Rosie has also started showing an interest in shoes. She is always trying to put on her Sister's so I let her try a pair of Crocs I picked up for her at CyberMummy. I thought she might have been walking over the Summer and that they would have been useful for the beach but no she didn't take off properly.  For the past 8 weeks she has been doing about 4 steps but when I put these on her she was so excited she did 10 steps.  Wow, they are like magic shoes. Now she doesn't want to take them off!!

So watch this space, I think now she has shoes she will be walking pretty soon. Then I can go and buy her some pretty new ones like the first pair her Sister had.

For more entries about shoes, please check out Sticky Fingers. I have a feeling there will be some pretty photos this week!!

Karen x