INDOOR Camp OUT

This month our eldest turned 13! In all honesty it's made me feel rather old. 

We asked her how she wanted to celebrate and she suggested a camp out with her friends. I have to say I wasn't that keen on camping outside so I suggested a compromise. We'd camp in the scout hut. 

 There's not many advantages to being a scout leader, but using the scout hut when we want to is one of them! 

A 10th Birthday

 I know I keep saying it, but it never fails to amaze me how fast their childhood is slipping by! 

It doesn't seem five minutes since I was announcing that the Middlest was born, now all of a sudden she's in double digits. 

She certainly wants to be grown up! We often joke she's already a teenager (her temperament is a little too similar to my own), she is the first one to offer to help, does jobs around the house without being asked, works hard when she needs to. She's funny, smart, caring and thoughtful. Honestly everyone who knows her loves her. 

Willow Wands As Party Favours

Our boy had a birthday party on Sunday. It was pretty full on, a whole class of 6 and 7 year olds! 

He wanted it magic themed (I'll share the cake soon) and so we decided to make some willow wands to give to everyone in their party bags. 

Years ago we used a local weaver to make some for the bags, but now we have enough willow growing to have a go at making them ourselves. 

Carved Tool Box For Nine Year Old Daughter's Birthday

I shared this on social media the other day but never got round to writing a blog post.  

A few weeks back it was my Middlest's birthday. Nine years old! (who can believe it! Some have followed this blog for that long!)

She is such a character and always knows her own mind, is smart, funny and capable. She's good company and fun to be around. 

She wrote a little list of things she'd like for her birthday. None of them major but the top item was there...

The Great Alviti Bake Off - Birthday present

With birthdays this week I decided to make the children a small joint present. It's one I've been thinking of for over a year now but never found the time (that old excuse). 

We're lucky in the fact that the children will play for hours together. Last Saturday is a perfect example of this. It rained all day and I was soft and didn't kick them outside. But they played the whole time with Lego, not a cross word spoken all day and a whole world created. 

Another favourite is "playdough bake off". They get the play dough out, my wife and I set them a task and theme then judge what they create.  One day I went off to do some work for a customer, set them a task as I left, came back over 8 hours later they were still playing (with different task and had lunch in between). 

So I decided that a bake off box would be ideal. I made it with some local sustainable sweet chestnut (from say it with wood).

In the top is a spinner that choses what type of task - technical, signature and showstopper. Then there is two compartments, one for the theme (we had fun putting these together) and another for the week it is (e.g. pastry week, cake week, etc). 

The top is hand carved then painted.

I know how I built it could possibly cause some expansion/contraction issues as I routed the top in, but with a little box like this I'm willing to take the risk! 

Hopefully it should provide a bit of fun for them and have some good ideas for their playing together. 

Birthday week!

 We have a few birthdays this week (bad planning to have them together...) and I honestly can't believe six years have gone past for this little dude. 

Not a day goes past where he doesn't make me laugh or tell me that he loves me. He is funny, passionate about everything he's interested in, so artistic, caring towards his friends, will play for hours in his own little world or with his sisters. He's so clever with the world as well and his enthusiasm for learning knew things rubs off on everyone around him. One of the best bit about him (and his sisters) is they're just such good company, I love spending time with them. I'm a truly lucky father. 

The girls and I have made his cake for his birthday, with his favourite subject matter in mind - can you guess what it is?

Who else enjoys a making a good (and bad) birthday cake? 

Anyone remember my Peppa pig cake? 

Birthday Cakes

Last week we had two birthdays in the house - The eldest turned 9 and the youngest turned 5! 

So that means more birthday cakes to make! I have a little help now as I can't bake without my middle child taking control. I basically leave her to it to make the sponges now! 

Growing Up Fast

 My little girl turned 9 this week. I honestly can't believe I've been a dad for 9 years now! 

She is a wonderful human being - full of kindness with a wicked streak of humour. 

Having birthdays so close to Christmas it's always tricky to know what to get them, but she is always helping or undertaking some task on her own (last year she took apart a chest of drawers all on her own as she wanted them out of her room and got fed up of waiting for me) So we thought she might like some tools of her own, she had already talked about a draw knife that she could use on the shave horse (mine is huge), so I ran with the idea and decided to make her a tool box as well. 

Of course having a carpenter as a father has some knock on effects, that's why the tool box is hand made and carved with a Victorian design on both sides! If you go over to my other blog you can see the carving process and my challenge I've set myself to carve or turn something every week this year - 52 weeks of carving!

I was a little worried when we gave them to her on the morning as it is it's not your normal set of presents for a nine year old girl, but she was really happy and pleased with them (she also got fabric for sewing and a lightsabre for fighting her siblings). 

Practical gifts for a practical girl! 

Another Birthday - Children Are Now 3, 6 & 7!

I honestly can't believe that our children are now three, six and seven! It's gone so fast but it's been amazing!

A bridesmaid dress she got form the jumble sale that she wore the whole day. 

This one turned six this week. She an incredible young lady, full of fun, , humour, intelligence, mischief and fiestiness, and she certainly knows how to keep us on our toes!

Three Today!

Three years seem to have gone in the blink of an eye! 

Sorting seeds with daddy

It doesn't seem like five minutes since this little man was born. 

My Eldest Turns 6!

Another birthday!

Can't believe it was six years ago that she came into our life and we were suddenly parents!

Our eldest is so calm, caring and thoughtful. She will stick at a task until it's done, even at six I can tell she's going to be a hard worker. Her sense of humour is pretty wicked and she's far braver than people realise. She a total girly girl at times painting her nails and wearing dresses, but will happily get her hands dirty, plucking chickens, planting seeds, helping with the sheep. 

My Friend likened her to James bond. She'd come in covered in mud, wearing overalls then with one swipe of a zip she's wearing a beautiful dress! 

For a her birthday she just asked for a pair of sunglasses, she never wants much bless her!

We also made her a den building kit, with a sleeping bag, camo net, ground sheet and some bungee cords. I'm sure she's going to have hours of fun building dens on the homestead! I'm also going to take both girls camping this year, even if it's just in our fields. 

We had to build a den in the sitting room tonight! Apparently bad guys were coming and they needed to hide!

Two Years Old Today

I can't believe its been two years since my wife and I delivered my youngest on the bathroom floor.

My smallest partner in crime has grown into quite the character, he keeps his older sisters on their toes, has a wickedly mischievous sense of humour that makes everyone laugh and is so loving and affectionate. 

ot sure where the last two years has gone, but they sure have been fun! 

Four Today!

There's lots of moments where your life changes, and four years ago today was certainly one of them! 

I can hardly believe my middle child is now four! 

What can I say other than I love the girl she's turned into. 

She's brilliantly clever, with a wicked sense of humour and keeps me on my toes with interesting and thoughtful questions. She loves to help me when ever she can and is learning the whole time, her knowledge really does surprise me. 

Yes we argue and she is sometimes too head strong, she's always active and on the go but these are traits I've given her! I sometimes worry she's a little bit too much like me! 

Yes, it's another strawberry cake - this time with a stalk. She's been on about it since her sisters party in January! 

Just the other day I was being naughty and looking at Instagram as she ran in and jumped on top of me 

"What you looking at daddy?"

"Just this picture" 

I replied showing her a picture someone had put on of some raspberry leaves they were making tea from.

"Why are you looking at raspberry leaves?" 

And with that she ran off to do whatever she was doing. She knew they were raspberry leaves straight away without me saying anything!

She's great with the animals as well, I took her with me to catch a lamb the other day and said it had a poorly foot, she straight away knew what I was going to do to make it better! 

She can even remember places that we visited when she was only one, and as we drive past recount who we went there with! 

I'm so lucky to have spent so much time with my children as they grow up and I'll be forever thankful of that. I took over full time child care with her when she was 6 months old and although it not always been easy, it's always been fun! 

Happy 4 Birthday my mad little girl! 

Strawberry Cake

I use this blog as a diary of things I've done here, amongst other things.

Also as a record of all the birthdays cakes I've made over the years!

My daughter was five over the weekend and when I asked her what she wanted she said a cake in the shape of a strawberry. 

I didn't try to discourage her as I thought I might be able to pull this one off! A random request though but still easier than if she'd have asked for a raspberry! I think I've got to make another one for her party at the weekend now!

Dinosaur Cake

After a few less successful birthday cakes, a few of my friends cruelly wait with baited breath to see what I'll "create" for the next birthday.

My little boy loves Dinosaurs or anything that goes "raaa!!" 

So I made a dinosaur cake for him. 

I'm certainly not going to give up my day job (if I had one) but he and the girls loved it and it has a certain homemade charm to it. He did try and rip his eyes off when he got near to it though!

I've got to make another cake for my eldest who turns five at the weekend - any ideas? She keeps changing her mind on what she wants (last request was a cake shaped like a strawberry)!

My Youngest Is One!

It's amazing how fast a year goes! This week my youngest daughter turned one, it doesn't seem five minutes since she was born.

A great day out again at the Safari Park

 Last weekend we used our free return pass to the Safari Park for a cheap day out for her and this weekend we're having a little party for her with some family and friends. Believe it or not we actually spent less on this visit to the safari park than last time as we had some animal food left over!

The "Peppa Pig" cake - although this is actually Philipa Pig, Peppa's ugly cousin! 

She's already had her presents and a cake made my me. 

After making it I suddenly have a lot more respect for the cakes my mum used to make for our birthdays. This one looks like Peppa Pig has had some re-constructive surgery, every time I added food colouring the icing went mushy and then every time I went for the icing sugar to dry it out, poor old Peppa Pig looked like she'd been snorting coke!

The girls managed to work out who it was though, so I guess so long as I  improve each year, by the time they get critical I might have the skills to pull it off!

I can't believe a year has gone already and I'm so glad I get to spend so much time with my girls. Everyday we think we made the right decision with me being a stay at home parent. 

She'll be helping me on the homestead in no time!

A Week Away

Sorry no posts or comments for the last week or so, we've been quite busy.
We've just got back from a week in Devon and before we went away I turned 30! Can't quite believe I've left my twenties behind but I'm exactly where I want to be in life - married to my beautiful wife, with a wonderful daughter, living in an amazing place, doing a job I love. I can't complain really (a smaller mortgage would be nice though)!


Starting to find her feet

We really enjoyed the break and it was nice to get away. We didn't go on a proper holiday last year so it was nice to spend some time together and although it's early in the year and still pretty cold the weather was quite good.


Peach Blossom

We even had sunshine on the day we went out for my birthday treat, to the Lost Gardens Of Heligan - but more about that amazing place later! I've come back with a massive list of jobs to get through so I think the next few days are going to be fairly busy - this afternoon I've had 6 tons of cow muck delivered, planted two cherry trees and had a good tidy up of the garden and thats before I've got started!