text:
- Autumn Blues
- Woodland Blanket CAL :: Introduction
- Autumn Moments {three}
- Making the Seasons :: November
- Riverside Wanderings
- Autumn Garland :: Ta-dah!
- Bringing Autumn Indoors
- Autumn Moments {two}
- Ginger Spiced Leaf Biscuits
- Autumn Afternoon
We've enjoyed the most glorious, feel-good autumn day here in my patch, a real stunner. We woke up to frost and ice and below-freezing temperatures, but with a clear blue sky and the promise of sunshine we decided that there was nothing else for it but to get out there and make the most of it. Can't say Little B was overly enthusiastic about getting dressed and heading out into the chilly morning but as he is only seven years old we can still pull the do-as-you-are-told parental override. Little Lady was much more enthusiastic and I love that she now enjoys walking in the countryside as much as J and I do. We chose to head up into the Dales and walk around Grimwith Reservoir - we were last here on a warm, still grey day at the end of August so I was keen to see what a frosty, autumn reservoir jaunt would look and feel like. Turns out it looks and feels very beautiful - the blues of water and sky were absolutely breathtaking. At one point a motor boat sped past, sending the most mesmerising ripples moving out across the still surface of the water and causing a flock of birds to go squawking up into the blue sky. The colours of the landscape surprised me in how rich and vibrant they looked, despite the multiple shades of brown. Everything looked like it was glowing with happiness, content in sleepy autumn mode. We stopped half way around for a breather and a spot of elevenses, which was the most enjoyable thing. I'd had the idea to make up two flasks to bring with us - fresh coffee for J and I, and milky hot chocolate for the Little People, gosh it was so so good! Little B was making the most appreciative noises as he slurped from his plastic mug, truly loving every single mouthful. We had homemade oaty biscuits and a little bit of chocolate too, and I really think that has set the bar now for cold weather walking. It made a big difference to the feel-good of the whole walk - you can't beat a spot of sunny, al fresco elevenses. By the time we arrived back at the car the weather was changing and the water was looking more grey than blue. We definitely saw the best of the day, and I am so glad we got out to soak up all that glorious autumn blue.... ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Hello my lovelies, and welcome to a rather delightful, picture-filled, leaf-inspired blog post. I'm so happy that you've popped into the Attic today to join me as we set out on our Woodland Walk - I've been waiting for you! I've been kicking through the leaves, indulging in all this glorious seasonal colour and looking forward to sharing it with you so much - this sort of thing is just too inspirational to keep to myself. Here in the UK we are slap bang in the middle of our autumn season, and this year it has been truly beautiful. The weather has been (for the most part) a delight, and during the past month or so I've taken every opportunity to get out and about and enjoy nature's autumn show. Sometimes I've been alone and sometimes with J, but many of these photos were taken during the weekends when we've ventured into our local woodland with the Little People. It's felt so good to be out amongst all this colour and fresh air, soaking up the leafy ambiance and enjoying some happy family time. If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you will be very familiar with my photographs. You will know that when I'm out and about I'm constantly inspired by the colours of nature and the passage of the seasons. I love taking in long distance views, looking all around, up and down, and drinking in every single detail. There is just so much to see and appreciate, so many variations of colour and texture to please the eye. During the past month, as well as observing and photographing I've also been collecting. I've become a Gatherer, seeking out all manner of autumn treasures to bring home with me so that I could spend time playing with them. It's been Seasonal Faffing at it's very best. I've had so much fun in my own private little autumnal bubble - the simple act of arranging my treasures and taking photographs of them has made me very, very happy indeed. Positively giddy with excitement in fact. The above collection came about after a walk in the woods at Bolton Abbey back at the very start of October. The trees were still quite green back then, but there were plenty of early fallen leaves on the ground in the most stunning colours. I found other treasures too - acorns and pine cones, sycamore seeds and sweet chestnuts, delicate lichens and dinky little colourful toadstools. You'll be pleased to know that I left the toadstools well alone, none of them in my pocket, no thank you. I love the different shapes of the leaves that I found - sycamore, oak, ash, chestnut, beech and hawthorn are our most common woodland trees, well that's to say that the woods here in my patch have lots of those trees. At the time when I gathered these leaves there wasn't any real dark reds or browns to be found - I saw mainly russets and coppery browns, orangey reds and golden yellows. And then there were the delightful shades of green, oh so many in the autumn woodland! A lot of gorgeous zesty limes but also these beautiful, subtle pale grey-greens which caught my eye amongst all the brightness. This autumnal woodland colour palette truly delights me, it's just so beautiful and makes me feel like releasing a sigh of pure pleasure every time. There is harmony there, but also an energy that is rich, warm and joyful. I had the idea to make a blanket inspired by the autumn woodland way back last year - in fact, it was while I was working on the Moorland blanket that the woodland idea landed in my Creative Mind. So I've been mulling over the notion of an autumn colour palette for a long while, tossing it back and forth inside my mind, pondering on what exactly it might include. The biggest debate I had with myself was whether to add in any cool colours to balance the heat of the rest. I thought about the dry stone walls and the winding gravel pathways through the trees and knew that greys would be a great addition. But blues? I just wasn't sure. Then one day, this happened....................... ...............oh just look at that sky! It was so dramatic, and so typical of autumn that I suddenly knew that silvery grey and stormy blue were a necessary part of an autumn palette, just as much as the greens, reds, oranges and golds were. Mind you, we've had some really, really gorgeous sunny days so far this autumn when the sky has been anything but stormy. We've been treated to the purest clear blues up above, and I've absolutely loved it to bits. We have a lot of beech trees around here and I've been enchanted by their ever changing colours. For me, these warm, bright zesty colours are the very essence of autumn. As you know, I used these colours to crochet leaves for an autumn garland a few weeks ago which was a beautiful project in so many ways. It enabled me to play (even more) with all things leafy, but also it gave me a good chance to experiment and see how the colours began to play together. Deciding on a colour palette for a blanket project is huge fun, but that is really only the beginning - finding out how the colours work together is a whole steep learning curve every time. After much deliberation I chose these fifteen shades of my favourite Stylecraft Special DK for my Woodland palette :: Top row, left to right... ❧ copper ❧ tomato ❧ spice ❧ gold ❧ mustard ❧ lime ❧ meadow ❧ Bottom row, left to right... ❧ pistachio ❧ lincoln ❧ cypress ❧ mocha ❧ grey ❧ silver ❧ duck egg ❧ storm ❧ You can find the Woodland yarn pack in my shop at Wool Warehouse... ❧ ❧ WOODLAND YARN PACK ❧ ❧ It's always a special moment when I take delivery of my own yarn pack, and the very first thing I do is to arrange the yarn balls into my big baggy yarn bag. This creates a really good overall visual of the colour palette as a whole and I can recommend making one of these bags to pop your blanket-making yarn in (bag pattern HERE - you'll need approx. 400g aran weight yarn worked on a 4mm hook). You can fold down the handles so it sits more like a basket which is really useful when you're using the yarn to work on a project. I use this bag all the time and can't believe it's now a whopping n-i-n-e years old!! So....we've had a really good look at the colours and the inspiration behind this blanket and now it's time to take a look at the design. After the blissfulness of the Moorland blanket earlier this year when I used the colours to create a "visual journey" across the heather-clad hills, I was keen to see if I could take a similar approach with these autumn colours. I felt sure that this would be a fabulous way to go about putting the colours together, and so I began to experiment with taking a visual walk in the woods. These things are never straightforward and I've discovered that there isn't a quick route to making it happen. It takes many, many hours of concentrated hooky time - I work up a series of "colour stripe samplers", making notes as I go, adjusting and tweaking and re-arranging many times before I end up with something that sings to me. It took me six attempts to arrive at the final colour story, and as soon as that last stripe was done I knew in my heart that it was finally singing beautifully...... Oh, deep joy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just fell totally in love with the way these colours blend and dance together, these stripes really do make me feel as if I'm right there walking amongst the trees as the leaves gently flutter down around me. The actual pattern design came to me much more easily than the colour design - the vision of an "old shale" style ripple landed in my Creative Mind with a wallop and refused to be ignored. I briefly looked at some other possibilities, but the idea of creating a curvy, undulating ripple was calling to me very loudly. One of the things I most love about this stitch is the little peep-holes that splay out in the valley of the ripple. They provide just enough detail without being too fussy, but best of all they totally remind me of the way the sunlight shafts down through the treetops in the woodland. Ahhhh......sweet sunshine :) One of the things I love to do when I'm walking in the woods is to stop still for a while and turn my face upwards to take in the peeks of sky showing through the leaves. It always makes me feel content to do this simple thing. I just love the above photo - this is my crochet sample taped to the window so that you can see the way the light shines through the peep holes. This is a completely flat piece of crochet, but there is a very strong optical illusion which makes it look like the ripples are actually rippling - isn't that something??! In terms of crocheting this pattern, it's pretty easy and beautifully soothing and rhythmic. It's been a few years since I made a ripple blanket, and honestly, when I started to work on this pattern it felt like coming home. There is nothing complicated about it at all. There is the usual sort of repetitive counting that makes up all ripple patterns, but the stitches are easy and the whole thing is very straightforward I promise you. I'll be making my usual picture-heavy tutorial to teach you this pattern when we begin the CAL (crochet-a-long) in January. As with my previous crochet-a-long, the Woodland CAL will follow a similar timing pattern. I'll be sharing my Woodland Blanket here on my blog throughout January and February 2018. The CAL will run for 8 weeks in total, beginning on Friday 5th January - that'll be the day when the pattern will be published here on my blog and I'll give you all the information you need to get started. I'll then give weekly updates EVERY FRIDAY THROUGHOUT JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2018 so that we can make the most of weekend hooky time. I tend to run my CAL's in a very relaxed manner, so there is no need to sign on the dotted line or commit to anything. If you fancy joining me on my Woodland Walk, then I will be thrilled to have your company. You may decide you'd prefer to work this pattern in your own colours, and that's absolutely fine - maybe you would rather take a walk on the beach or in the mountains?! Similarly, you may decide that the ripple isn't for you and you'd prefer straight stripes instead - that's fine too. The important thing is that we join together to create a blanket that makes us happy in every way. As you can see, I've made a little start on my own Woodland blanket as I needed to test out the size/tension and also I wanted something to show you! I only started on Monday, so it's all still pretty new to me, but I can tell you that I already love love love love love it. The pattern is incredibly satisfying to crochet, and oh those peep-holes make me melt, they're just so pleasing to look at! One yarn pack (15 x 100g of Stylecraft Special DK) will make a single/twin size blanket measuring approximately 120 cm x 175 cm, which is my usual thing. However, when I write up the pattern I'll give starting chain options for you to make double/king width blankets if you wish and there will be additional stripes that you can add in throughout the CAL to make your blanket longer than 175 cm. You will need to buy two yarn packs to make the bigger size blanket. I really do think this colour palette is a little bit special - it's quite finely balanced and very easy on the eye. Although it was inspired by autumn leaves, I realised a few days ago that there is a bit of a retro vibe about it which reminds me of Orla Kiely designs. There is also something quite boyish about these colours when they are all mixed up together - I can imagine a simple striped design would look fantastic and would make a lovely little-boy-blanket. Now I really must take a break from yarning on about yarn and tell you about something sticky instead............ ......PLANNER STICKERS!!! Yay!!!!! My lovely friend Rachel of EllieBethDesigns has designed the most beautiful sheet of stickers to celebrate my Woodland Blanket - they are so, so cute! For those of you who use a planner (and I'm still very into mine), these stickers are a fab way to count down to the CAL and mark out the weekly installments, as well as adding a little autumnal goodness to your pages (there are weeny acorns!). Of course, if you don't have a planner there is nothing to stop you sticking these on a calendar to mark the dates (did you see the acorns?!) Rachel is very kindly offering Attic24 readers a discount code too - all you have to do is enter WOODLAND24 at the checkout to save 15% on a single order over £5 at www.elliebethdesignsuk.com, or simply click through this link and the discount code will be automatically applied at the checkout. There are also a few other crochet-related sticker sheets which are all gorgeous - you can see them all on the EllieBethDesigns YouTube channel, or have a looky at all the crochet stickers on the website. Don't forget the discount code if you feel tempted! Well, I think we are almost coming to the end of what has turned out to be a very long winded introduction to this CAL blanket. I think I've been bottling it all up for so many weeks that there was bound to be a bit of a visual and verbal overflow here in the Attic ....well done for sticking with me :) I am so excited for this new blanket, and I really hope that you will feel like joining me on my walk through the trees in the New Year. Here is a quick round up of CAL info for you :: ♥ The Attic24 WOODLAND CAL will begin on FRIDAY 5TH JANUARY and will run for 8 weeks. There will be a full picture tutorial here on my blog for the new ripple pattern. Each week I'll share the colour stripe order for the Woodland blanket I'm making. ♥ The WOODLAND YARN PACK contains 15 x 100g balls of Stylecraft Special DK and is enough to make one blanket/throw. There is no printed pattern included in this pack, all pattern info will be here on my blog, with updates every Friday throughout January and February 2018. ♥ The Woodland blanket will measure approx. 120cm x 175cm. You will need two packs if you wish to make a larger/double bed size blanket. I really hope these colours inspire you to create a beautiful blanket for your home or to give to someone special. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ps a note about my yarn packs - I am thrilled to be working with Wool Warehouse who do an absolutely amazing job of enabling crocheters all over the world to join me in my ongoing colourful blanket making. I earn a commission on all the Attic24 yarn packs sold through Wool Warehouse, and I am truly grateful to everyone who supports me in this way. Thank you so much. xxx
🍁 Loving our morning walks to school, even on days like today when the temperature dropped to a chilly one degree above freezing. We chat to the ducks and swans, and take in the ever-changing boats that come and go along this stretch of canal, it's a peaceful way to start the day. 🍁 The scent of wood smoke in the air is such a marker of the Autumn season here in my town and I really love it. As we walk along the canal, the sight of the little boat chimneys releasing their plumes of blue-grey smoke into the cold air makes me feel very cosy and content somehow. 🍁 We've been lucky in the weather of late and it's been pretty dry for the most part. It makes for a satisfying scrunchy walk through the pavement drifts of crispy dry leaves. You are never too old to take pleasure from kicking through dry leaves. Never. 🍁 Our first frost was early this year, falling at the very end of October. I was on yet another leaf-gathering mission for yet more Autumnal photographs (obsessed with this autumn thing? Me???) which led me up into the park on my way home from school. The grass was damp and icy, with frozen dew drops clinging to every blade, and I was glad to return to the warmth of home for a mug of hot coffee and a gentle sift through my leaves. 🍁 There are still a few flowers to pick in November, some from my own front garden and back yard and some...errm....pilfered from my neighbours front gardens. I'd like to point out that I do know the aforementioned neighbours and feel confident that they wouldn't mind me snagging a small bloom every now and again. I do so love having a pretty hand picked posy on the table, most especially when Summer is no longer with us. 🍁 I absolutely adore the taste of mushrooms, and they seem very Autumnal somehow. Right now (well not right this minute, obvs) I am indulging in regular mushroom lunches, they are so yummy. I go for firm, earthy chestnut mushrooms quickly sautéd in a little butter, heavily seasoned with sea salt and black pepper and a sprinkling of fresh thyme, then deposited onto some toast. Quick, simple, and very, very good. 🍁 Low slanting golden light is a lovely sight at this time of year as the sun makes its way down towards the horizon in the late afternoon. So far I'm coping pretty well with the shortening of the days (just over five weeks until Solstice), and enjoying my time spent cosied up indoors with the fire lit and the fairy lights twinkling. 🍁 I'm a bit late with this, but belated Happy Halloween!! I carved a slightly wonky owl this year, using a pattern I stumbled across here. It was a fiddlesome challenge, to say the least. I should have splashed out and got one of those giant "Rambo" pumpkins which were on sale in the supermarket so that I could have up-scaled my design and cut out bigger bits. 🍁 It was the usual happy Halloween mayhem here this year and although I do get caught up in the excitement of the Little People, I'm always mighty glad when it's all over. Little B dressed as a ghost and came home with a bucket full of sweets after a mere thirty minutes of door-to-door visiting in our neighbouring streets. On the home front, we had that many callers that our bowl containing 50 packets of sweets was gone within an hour and we had to hunker down and blow out all the candles early. 🍁 We enjoyed a fantastic Bonfire Night celebration at the start of November, de-camping to J's brothers house as he is the only person we know who actually has a garden as opposed to a small back yard. It was the kind of old fashioned affair that I remember from my own childhood - sparklers and rockets and a Family Selection Box of fireworks which were bizarrely awful and fabulous all at the same time. Very nostalgic, the smell of it all in the dark and the general feeling of happiness in the air. 🍁 Autumn to me right now is so much about the seasonal colours and the creativity - I feel intoxicated by it all and brimming over with inspiration. My crochet mojo has been on overdrive as I've spent hours and hours designing, sampling and photographing for my new Woodland blanket which I'll be able to show you on Wednesday. The colours in this yarn palette are just so beautiful, I am ridiculously in love with it all. I absolutely cannot WAIT to introduce you to the Woodland CAL which will start in early January - Wednesday is the day for a little leafy show and tell!! Eeeeeeeeppp!!!!!! Hoping you'll join me to see what is totally floating my crochet boat right now, I'm really looking forward to showing you. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I've been so excited to write this blog post and share with you my latest find which came to me (as most great discoveries do) via a round about blog trail I found myself on a few weeks ago. You know how it is - you start investigating a new blog or two, then before you know it you are off on your very own little blog-hop, zipping about following links and making all sorts of wonderful discoveries along the way. This is how I happened to find out about CRAFTPOD {www.craftpod.co.uk}, have you heard of it? For those of you who haven't come across Craftpod, it's a quarterly, creative subscription box inspired by nature and the seasons. The lady behind these crafty boxes is called Jo and as soon as I browsed through the beautiful images of her past boxes I was completely smitten. Being hugely inspired and influenced by nature and the seasons myself, I recognised a kindred spirit in Jo, and I immediately decided to treat myself to her Autumn Box. You know, to further feed my current Autumn Obsession. Craftpod boxes are such neat little things. As you can see in the above picture, everything is packed into a slimline cardboard box (about half the size of an A4 sheet of paper) designed especially to fit right through your letterbox. If you pre-order a box at the very start of the season, the contents will be a surprise. However, as I was quite late to the Craftpod subscription party I came in at the end of the Autumn season when boxes had already started to be delivered. That meant that I was able to see pictures of exactly what would be in my box, and let me tell you I swoooooooned. So much creative Autumnal goodness! Either way, if you have a good look at all the past boxes (Craftpod began in Winter 2015, so there is quite a lot to look at) you will have a good idea of the style and the type of craft involved. There is nearly always something to stitch, but there are other creative projects too - baking or printing for example. Each box contains two projects, along with some extra seasonal goodies. The quality of everything inside a Craftpod box is top notch, and Jo goes to a lot of trouble to source all the bits and bobs. She uses UK designers and makers where possible (the wooden embroidery hoops are handmade in the UK) and the materials are all natural and eco friendly too (100% pure wool felt and stuffing, 100% cotton threads, printing on recycled paper etc). I was truly delighted by what I found inside my Autumn box and couldn't wait to get started. I saved my box for a few days so that I could open it on Saturday morning. I was still wearing my pyjamas, had a steaming mug of fresh coffee to hand and wasted no time getting started on the first stitching project. This is a gorgeous printed fabric by Maggie Magoo Designs, oh those toadstools pulled at my heart strings like you wouldn't believe, just the perfect little dash of Autumn colour and whimsy. Jo's stitching instructions were brilliant, and the embroidery was kept simple but very effective. I was about five stitches into my first toadstool when I was joined in the Big Chair by Little B, also still in his pyjamas. He started dropping subtle little hints at first, indicating that I could perhaps let him have a teensy weensy go with the stitching. This was very quickly chased up by outright begging, so what was I to do? Of course, any Little Person who shows an interest in something creative should be wholeheartedly encouraged, so I gave up my precious hoop and let him stitch it for a bit. He did so well! I was very proud of his precision needle work, and happy that he loved doing it, but at the same time my own fingers were positively itching to take over. I had a major itch to stitch! Eventually I got my hoop back and I went to town with all those stitches, remembering just how much I love to work with needle and thread. French Knots have to be the most satisfying stitches in the entire universe, I absolutely loved making those red spots. There is something so calming and soothing about the rhythmic nature of stitching, and then there is the sound of it too. You know, that exact moment when the needle kind of pulls through the surface of the taut fabric, making an insanely satisfying little popping sound (like popping bubble wrap, I know you know what I mean?!) I hadn't meant to stitch so obsessively - I thought this hoop might be something that I picked up and put down a few times during the course of the weekend, but in reality I found it impossible to leave alone. I stitched until it was all finished....and then I felt really sad that it was all over. Boohoo!! I want to hatch more stitchy toadstools!! But just look at it, isn't it the loveliest thing? And the colours are very much in keeping with the general seasonal over-the-top-ness that is happening all over my fireplace right now. I love it. Love love love love love it. The following day, Sunday, I decided to investigate the second stitchy project which was these adorable little felt owls. As I mentioned before, Jo's felt is 100% pure wool, as is the stuffing which looks and feels beautiful. The printed instruction sheet was easy to follow, and there were paper pattern pieces which were hand drawn to scale. I found that with very careful placement, I was able to squeeze three little owls out of the felt included in the box, so an extra one to make into a brooch (there is a brooch pin included in the kit). I didn't find these quite as enjoyable to make as the toadstool hoop - the thread was very very fine and the needle was teeeny-weeny, so I found it a little bit fiddly. But I ate chocolate and drank the very lovely Red Berry and Hibiscus Canton Tea, and kept my mind focused on the finished product..... ....which was worth all those minuscule stitches. Once I'd finished stitching my owls, I decided that I liked Jo's idea of giving them their own twig to roost on. I had a very clear picture of what I wanted to do, so I trundled over to Amazon and ordered up a few essential crafting supplies. Yesterday I took delivery of the following : A bag of wool felt offcuts A Mini Hot Melt Glue Gun Some sharp little scissors as mine all seem to be missing at the moment. I had this twig you see, the perfect little perch for my owls. I picked up a few of these twigs on my Riverside Wanderings walk as I thought they were just lovely with their attached cones. I had an idea that my fir cone twig might need a few felt leaves, just to add an extra little bit of craftiness.... .....and you know, it was the most fun thing making this happen. Who knew the fun of hot glue? It's so fast! One little blobett of clear hot sticky glue and you can stick anything to anything in an instant! A mini hot glue gun is the most amazing bit of kit and I now want to stick all the things. Allll the things. So sweet - I love how this project turned out. It actually came out better than how I saw it in my Creative Mind, which made me bounce up and down with happiness. I may have freaked out the kitty a little bit, she doesn't cope well with me bouncing. I intend to make more of these - the bag of felt offcuts I bought had some lovely colours and many of the pieces will be just big enough to cut out a few owls. I mean, I've got these extra fir cone twigs to use, and yeah, my hot glue gun needs me. I wonder if it would be OK to gift these to friends? Is it acceptable to gift a twig with some stitched felt hot-glued to it? I perched my owls on my mantel, but truthfully there is an awful lot going on across there now and the poor things looked a bit swamped by the pumpkins and everything else. So I think I'm going to take them down to my studio - I have a hankering to see them perched against my gorgeous blue wall. Since I discovered Craftpod I've been emailing back and forth with Jo who is based down in Bristol. She is the nicest person (that's a picture of her gorgeous crafting room up above), and her passion for seasonal crafting struck up an idea in my mind. I thought - wouldn't it be marvelous if I could persuade one or two like-minded people to craft along with me, kind of like a virtual Seasonal Craft-A-Long. I immediately thought of my lovely friend Gillian who writes a beautiful blog called Tales from a Happy House. I know Gillian likes stitching and crafting for the home, and I know she likes celebrating the seasons too. So I had a feeling she would fall in love with the idea of a joint Craft-A-Long, and luckily my feeling was right. She jumped on board with me, full of enthusiasm, and over the weekend it was the most wonderful thing to know that we were both crafting away on identical projects even though we live at opposite ends of the country. I loved the whole shared experience very much. So we've hatched a plan, don't you know. You'll notice the title of this post is "MAKING THE SEASONS :: NOVEMBER" - Gillian and I have pledged to each work on a small creative project every month, directly inspired by the seasons. Sometimes it'll be a Craftpod thing, sometimes it'll be our own ideas. There are no restrictions on what medium it should be (baking counts!) and I am so so excited by this idea! We even have our own hashtag over on Instagram, it's #makingtheseasons and we would both love it if you'd think about joining in with us. Please do? Share on your blog if you have one, or on Instagram with the #makingtheseasons hashtag so we can build a beautiful gallery of seasonal creativity. Even if you don't do any sharing on social media, I would love it if you'd still join in with us. I think it's a lovely thing to do - it can be as simple as making a few pompoms to hang up at Christmas, or as elaborate as embroidering a picture. A few additional things to tell you about Craftpod - this is not a sponsored post, just to be clear about that. I purchased my box as a normal customer without really knowing anything about this little company or the lovely lady who makes it happen. I don't think Jo really knew what had hit her when I started bombarding her with over excited emails telling her how much she had inspired me. Craftpod boxes happen four times a year :: September (Autumn), November (Winter), March (Spring) and June (Summer). The boxes open for pre-orders during the first week of those months, and start to post out at the end of those months. The Autumn Craftpod which I've shared with you today has now sold out, but the Winter Craftpod is open for pre-orders. You won't know what's going to be in your box until Jo has posted out all the pre-orders, so if you want to wait until the following month to see the contents before you decide if it's for you then you can do so. You can follow Jo over on Instagram { @craftpod_ } where she posts some seriously beautiful and inspirational seasonal stuff. And lastly.....please don't feel I am trying to sell these to you! I'd LOVE it if you were to feel inspired to join in with our Making The Seasons craft-along, but it can be any project you like, as small as you like. Just feel free to join in the creative fun. You can read Gillian's November Making the Seasons post here - more from us both in December. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
We've been enjoying some stunning seasonal weather here of late, with the sort of bright, crisp, cold sunny days that make Autumn feel like a true pleasure. When just such a day happens to be a Sunday, well, it would be a naughty thing indeed to loaf around indoors instead of getting out there and making the most of it. These photos are from just over a week ago, on the last day of the half term holidays. As we were all still very firmly in holiday mode we didn't manage to leave the comforts of home until after lunch, but the blue skies and bright sunshine made for a glorious afternoon to head out into the Yorkshire Dales for a stroll. We decided to drive 15 minutes up the road to one of our favourite stretches of the river Wharfe - the beautiful Linton Falls. There isn't a lot at Linton Falls, except for some very desirable riverside cottages and the water doing some spectacular falling. The river Wharfe tumbles over a wide, picturesque weir before being forced over/through some dramatic limestone rock formations, and this is a very noisy business indeed. At certain times of year after a lot of rainfall, the volume of water passing through these narrow rocks is staggering. It's mesmerising to watch the water move at such a rapid rate right under your feet as you cross the bridge, but also a little overwhelming after a while (you can see/hear it on YouTube to get what I mean). I felt a certain relief at leaving the frantic movement and noise behind me and walking gently along this really lovely, familiar riverside path. We've walked here many, many times during the past twenty years or so, in all seasons and in all weathers. We've seen trout jumping clear out of the water, and on one memorable occasion we were treated to a high speed kingfisher fly-by. Last week though, the river was unbelievably tranquil and still, with no wildlife action at all. The light and colours combined with the stillness of the water was breathtaking. Walking along this side of the river, the path passes under a whole row of enormous horse chestnut trees growing right by the river bank. As you can see, they are in full Autumn flow right now and I love to see the low slanting sunlight lighting up the leaves. This is Hebden suspension bridge, one of those very bouncy type bridges that really delight the Little People. We had originally intended to bounce across the river at this point and continue along the other side into the village of Burnsall where we knew there would be refreshments and facilities. However, I remembered hearing very good things about a gorgeous little cafe in nearby Hebden village, so managed to talk the Fam into a last minute change of plan. We did indulge the Little People though, and let them run across the bridge and back again purely for the high energy, bouncy excitement before turning away from the river and heading in search of Tea Room Bliss. And this is what we found - an old converted school all decked out for Halloween and looking very inviting in the late afternoon sunshine. This is the Old School Tearoom and I'm pleased to confirm that it totally lived up to the good things I'd been told about it. The coffee was superb, and the home baking was out of this world good. The carrot cake - Oh. My. Goodness. It totally made me involuntarily close my eyes and groan with pleasure, it was so, so good. Little B loved this place because we were able to sit outside in the sunshine while he ran off to make the most of the adjoining children's playground which had the biggest slide. It was the most delightful and picturesque place to rest for a while and re-fuel and we will most certainly be going back again. This wasn't a circular route, so our jaunt back to the car was simply a reverse of the same paths that we had already walked. I'm thinking we probably walked about 4 or 5 miles in total, which equated to around two and a half hours of very pleasurable Riverside Wandering. There were a couple of times during that afternoon where I just stopped walking, stood still, closed my eyes and turned my face up to the sun. The Little People don't even blink an eyelid when their Mother does this kind of thing, I do love that they are perfectly accepting of my weirdness. My wish for this season is that it keeps on delivering this kind of glorious weather, most especially on weekends, thank you. There is nothing nicer than spending time with family, wandering around amongst all this sunny, green open space. I love this little patch of Planet Earth so very much. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I know I've been writing a lot about Autumn on my blog just lately, and it's not something that was planned in any way. In fact I very rarely plan any of my blog posts, they just kind of fall in and out of my mind and out into my laptop as and when stuff happens. So all this feel-good Autumn stuff has come as quite a surprise as it's a bit of a novelty for me to feel so giddy and inspired by this particular season. I've been spending as much time outdoors as the weather has allowed during the past month, and as a result my October photo-file is chockablock full of outdoorsy Autumn images. Indoors it's a similar story and I've got little stashes of leaves, berries, conkers, pine cones and acorns all over the place, emptied out of my pockets after so many walks and foraging expeditions. Autumn has most definitely arrived here in the Attic. The idea of making an Autumn Garland has been in my mind for quite a long time, pretty much every since I made my Autumn Wreath I guess. It's a little bit kind of school-kid nature-table-ish to celebrate the seasons by having bits of nature on display, and I was one of those children who absolutely adored adding stuff to the nature table in school. So making a seasonal garland has made me feel pretty excited and nostalgic, and I've loved having all the Autumn ideas, colours and inspirations filling my mind. I mentioned this long beech hedge to you the other day, it gave me the inspiration for the first leaves I made for my garland. I began making them back in September, a few here and there when I was at the cafe or sat quietly at my table and needing something simple and therapeutic to occupy my hands and mind. I love the very simple, leafy shape of beech leaves, they are kind of how you imagine a child would draw a leaf. I love the colours too.......ho ho, YES, even the brown!!!! Actually, I prefer to call it c_opper _rather than brown which makes it a most lovely Autumn colour in my mind and not the stuff of mud or decay. I love the delicious, zesty lime green and the rich mustard and golden shades too. But most of all I really love seeing all these colours together - a lively palette of Autumness. I started making these leaves all in one colour at first, but quickly realised that combining two colours was a way better idea. There is very rarely just one colour in an Autumn leaf after all. They are super quick and easy to make, and you can find a tutorial for them all ready and waiting for you. If you are looking in my list of patterns, I've named this tutorial "Autumn Leaves and Acorns", as there are three different patterns all in one place. My Beech leaves measure 6cm long (including the stem), crocheted with a 4mm hook. I used up oddments of Stylecraft Special DK to make my Autumn Garland, and I think the colours are just perfect. Ah, this photo makes me want to shout "wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!" for some bizarre reason. Maybe it's because the leaves somehow give the impression that they are spinning in a flurry of a breeze, or maybe it's because I am really not normal and quite honestly my mind works in very childish ways a lot of the time. But don't you just love to see leaves all pretty and arranged in a pattern? There is so much of that over on Instagram, it makes me want to hyperventilate just a little bit. Next up in my leaf-making journey was the good ol' English Oak leaf. There are quite a few crochet patterns already out there for oak leaves, but I couldn't find any that were the exact right size and shape for my liking. So I had a go at designing my own, and crikey, what an infuriating business that was. I lost count of how many leaves landed in the bin, but I tell you, I am determined when it comes to things like this and I wasn't going to admit defeat. I kept at it, and eventually I ended up with an oak leaf that was simple to make and I really liked the look of. Similar to the beech leaf, I decided to use two colours for my oak leaves although they would look just as good made in single colours. They measure 9cm long including the stem, worked on a 4mm hook. Where there are oak leaves, there also need to be acorns. I love love love these little things, both in real life and my crochet versions too. There is something very inspiring about them, the idea that these little seeds have the potential to turn into huge great big beautiful trees {"_mighty oaks from little acorns grow_"}. In terms of making them with a hook and yarn, they are a teensy bit on the fiddlesome side, but not so much that it would put you off as they are blinkin' quick to make. Just when you might get fed up of counting, you've finished, and I do quite like that. Same as for the beech leaves, I've made tutorials for oak leaves and acorns too, they are all in the same place.... 🍁AUTUMN LEAVES & ACORNS PATTERN Now I wasn't going to make any berries for my garland, it was originally going to be all about the leaves. But once the acorns snook in, somehow there just had to be some berries too. These are teensy-tiny little things, would you like to know how to make them? Chain 3, making sure that the very first chain (the slip knot on your hook) is pulled a little loose. Then you make a 6-tr bobble, as follows : *Yarn over, insert hook into the 1st chain, yarn over, pull a loop back through, yarn over and pull through two loops* Repeat between ** 6 times in total until you have 7 loops on your hook.... ....then yarn over and pull through all 7 loops. Chain 1 to hold the shape. To finish, you need to work a slip stitch in the same chain that you kept sticking your hook in to make the bobble (shown by my needle) - this will make your flat crochet bobble form into a little ball. Fasten off. Thread both your tail ends onto a darning needle and darn back and forth a few times through the centre of the bobble to form a tight, neat little berry shape. Easy!! I whipped up a handful of berries in minutes, so satisfying, and a lovely little pop of colour too. There is one more leaf that I made for my garland, and that was a Sycamore leaf. I found this fantastic little pattern by Happy Berry Crochet - it' actually called a maple leaf but to me this looks like our British Sycamore. Laura's pattern was very well written, although if you are in the UK you do need to keep a close check on your stitch heights as there is a lot of movement between dc's, htr's, tr's, dtr's and tr-tr's which need translating from the US pattern terms. I forgot to photograph my own leaves, but I made four of them in total for my garland. They measure 11cm including the stem, worked on a 4mm hook. So.....this is my fireplace, in case you aren't familiar with it. It's quite big and chunky and dark looking, and over the years that we've lived at number 24 we've grown very fond of its old fashioned brick and wood look. If you called in to see me yesterday, then you will have already seen how I changed it up for Autumn, but that was before the addition of the garland. I made up my garland yesterday, so it's still very new and rather lovely to see it actually hanging in situ. As I mentioned at the start of this post, I actually began making some of these leaves back in September. I'd been popping them into a little bag and had no idea how many I had or whether I would have enough, but as it turned out I only needed to add a couple things and take away a couple things, and it was pretty much perfect. Awww, don't they look lovely? I just love this picture, it makes me so happy to see all those beautiful colours playing together. Shall we see how this all comes together to make a garland? First of all, I used a piece of yarn to measure out the finished length I wanted my garland to be (160 cm). Then I marked the centre point, laid the yarn out on the floor and began placing my leaves, acorns and berries along the length of the yarn, arranging and rearranging all the bits until I was happy with how it looked. I decided to use a dark brown yarn to crochet my garland together so that it wouldn't stand out too much against the dark wood of my fireplace. Start out by crocheting a chain of 12 then slip stitch into the 1st chain to form a little hanging loop. After that, I crocheted 10 chains in between each thing that I was attaching - this is variable depending on how far apart you want your bits and bobs to hang, but whatever you decide, keep it consistent along the length of the garland. To attach something, hold it in front of your working yarn, insert your hook into the top of it from from to back, then yarn over and make a slip stitch, keeping your tension quite tight. Repeat this process, chaining 10 (or however many you've decided), then use a slip stitch to attach your leaves. Sometimes I attached a single leaf and sometimes I grouped them in pairs. When you are attaching two things together (ie two leaves or a leaf and an acorn), simply hold them in place together and push your hook through both stems/stalks at the same time, then slip stitch through all layers. With the berries, I decided to stitch them to the chain using a length of green yarn rather than trying to slip stitch into the top of them as they are so small. Crocheting all the bits together happened surprisingly quickly once I'd laid everything out and faffed around with the order of it all. As you can see, my garland is quite full on - this seems to be my thing as my wreaths are just the same. I could have made less and spread everything out more, but personally I do like the fullness and exuberance of it. Shall we have a look at the full thing? Ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh I do love it! I thought it might be useful to list everything I made, just to give you an idea of quantities in case you are pondering on making one of your very own. Remember my garland is quite long, measuring 160cm to fit across my wide fireplace, but you could make a much smaller one to hang anywhere. 🍁 4 Maples leaves 🍁 12 Oak leaves 🍁 6 Acorns 🍁 16 Beech leaves 🍁 🍁 8 Single berries 🍁 4 Berry clusters 🍁 The berry clusters were made using 3 little berries stitched onto a Triple Leaf - you can find the triple leaf pattern in this post (scroll down half way). A couple of practical things to mention about the business of hanging and displaying garlands.... Firstly, the hanging bit. I use these very brilliant little clear plastic stick-on hooks which are very strong but can be easily removed if and when you need to. They are called "decoration clips" and are made by the Command brand in the UK. They really are brilliant - you can find them in WHSmiths, or on Amazon and I can highly recommend them. The other thing I felt would be really sweet to use with my garland are these dinky little battery powered lights. They are so delicate - tiny little warm white LED lights strung on a thin copper wire with a very small battery bit at the end. I bought mine as a pack of two from Amazon {Copper Wire Lights}, and Little Lady has run off with the other set and draped it around the mirror in her bedroom. I really love them when they are all lit up and glowing at night, but because the cooper wire is thin they look absolutely fine when they are switched off during the day too. As is often the case with long, thin crochet makes, my Autumn Garland has been really hard to photograph. I took some photos of it in sections - the above picture shows the right hand side..... ...this is the middle section..... ....and this is the left side. And this is the garland in it's entirety.......ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As you can see, it's not a delicate, refined decoration this one. Nope. It's full on Autumn, loud and proud. But oh, how I love the look of it! It's very cosy and in keeping with the season and I adore the little lights shining in amongst the leaves. I'm glad that I'll have this in place for the next month or so, before the C word creeps upon us. It cheers me up no end, walking into this room and feasting my eyes on all the colourful Autumnal decoration. I'd love it if you felt inspired to make your own garland, or maybe a leafy wreath might be calling to you? The patterns are all ready and waiting for you over in my left hand side bar, or use the following link.... 🍁AUTUMN LEAVES & ACORNS PATTERN🍁 Happy hooky!!!!!!!!!!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This year I've felt so hugely inspired by the colours of Autumn, and have found much happiness in gathering some little bits of nature to bring the Autumn season indoors. I'm lucky in that I haven't needed to venture far to find what has been calling to me. Walks through the park and local woodland have provided me with a beautiful collection of leaves and acorns.... ....and the allotment plot has gifted me berries and rose hips. Last week I cleared some of the Spring/Summer things from my fireplace, gave the whole thing a good dusting down (oh, the volume of dust was astonishing) and started to decorate for the Autumn Season. Actually I was a bit sad to take down my Baby Bunting which I made last year using yarn left over from the Cupcake blanket - I realised (with a jolt of guilt) that I never got around to sharing this pattern with you, even though I had promised it in the Spring. I am _so_ sorry. I do have every intention of still making this tutorial as I get asked about the pattern a lot on social media. Consider it added to my list and I'll see what I can do during the next month or so. I absolutely love this kind of decorative faffing in the home, it is satsifying and joyful on so many levels. It doesn't have to be anything complicated either - a few little glass bottles or jars filled with some twigs/leaves/berry stems, maybe some smooth pebbles gathered from a walk on the beach or some pine cones picked up on a woodland walk - I find these things so beautiful to look at. I have a small collection of old glass bottles that I've bought from the local collectors centre over the years - I never paid more than £1 for any of them (the old glass ink bottle was only 50p), but I do love them very much. Any little glass jars would do though, they don't have to be old ones. Try looking in the baby-food aisle of the supermarket, the pureed baby mush comes in the most dinky little glass jars that would be perfect for small displays of nature. I can't tell you how much I love my crocheted pumpkins (details in this post, in case you missed it last week), I absolutely adore them and they look fantastic placed all along my mantel. I swapped around a couple of pictures, moving my beloved Loretta Grayson print over to the dining room, and adding an original canvas by Annabel Burton which I love as the soft colours remind me of that delicate Summer/Autumn season shift. I've been a fan of Annabel's acrylic paintings for many years, you can see more of her work here. She usually sells her originals on eBay, so it's worth keeping a look out as they change frequently. Something else I collect all year round is feathers - I find them completely irresistible and unless it's in a shocking state I simply cannot walk past a feather without picking it up and bringing it home. Over the years I've collected plenty of seagull feathers from various beaches, as well as duck feathers from the riverside. But my most favourite are pheasant feathers which are harder to find but just beautiful when you come across them out in the countryside. Pheasant feathers do seem to be particularly evocative of Autumn I think. I added a few feathers to an Ink Bottle Posy for my Autumn display, and I really love the simplicity of it. I used oak leaves from the park, rose hips from the allotment and seeded stems from the montbretia plant growing rampant in the front garden. I think it looks delightful and just as lovely as any shop-brought flowers. And those pumpkins.....oh I just love them so much. They honestly make me smile every time I look at them! Now I can't remember how much I've shown you of the Autumn crochet that's been occupying my hands and mind of late? I know I've put a few images on Instagram and Facebook in recent weeks, but can't think if I've shown much here on my blog. Well, I've been hooking up some leaves, berries and acorns to create an Autumn Garland which is something I've wanted to make for a few years now. You might remember my Autumn Wreath from 2013? This garland has a similar feel I think. I knew I wanted something seasonal to hang in place of the pastel-coloured Baby Bunting which I've just taken down from my fireplace, and a garland of leaves seemed just the thing. The leaves have been a joy to make as I've designed new patterns for them and had loads of fun playing with the colours. The oak leaf was a major design challenge but so satisfying once I finally nailed it! I've spent time during the last few days photographing and creating a tutorial to share with you. This will include patterns for three Autumn garland/wreath thingies - a two-tone Beech Leaf, a two-tone Oak Leaf and a cute little Acorn. I've almost finished it (just need to do some final pattern checking) so will hopefully be able to publish all that tomorrow, just in time for the weekend. I have to tell you that today I finally pulled out everything I've been making during the past month or so and laid it all out to see if I had enough.....and it was just perfect. There were 4 sycamore leaves, 16 beech leaves, 12 oak leaves, 6 acorns and 4 berry clusters. I quickly hooked up some teensy little single berries and set to work creating my garland...such fun! My garland is now hanging beautifully on my fireplace and I am thrilled with it.....I can't wait to show you tomorrow..... xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
🍁 Tis the season for scented candles to come into their own, and I am burning through these little tins of smelly wax like nobody's business. I just love walking into a room and having a hint of something sweet, spicy and fragrant greeting my nose, it's homely and comforting and this particular Cinnamon & Orange fragrance mingles beautifully with the vague scent of wood smoke from the fire. Next on my list to buy and burn is "Christmas Spice", it's a red wax and smells delicious - not especially Christmassy really, but just a lovely warm fragrance for this cold time of year. 🍁 Last week it was half term for us here, and we had such a lovely, slow, restful break from work and shcool. The Little People were a joy to have around and seemed happy with being home. At the start of the holidays we walked through the park to the farm shop - this seems to be our Thing-To-Do-in-the-Holidays and manages to be just the right amount of outdoor activity combined with indoor indulgence. It's a lovely short walk at all times of the year (around a 20 minute stroll each way), with the promise of farm shop goodness at the midway point. We had coffee and cake in the café, purchased some fresh bakery bread, locally grown tenderstem broccoli and a scrumptious chicken, ham and leek pie for our dinner before slowly ambling home again. Next time I'm there I'll try and take some photographs inside the farm shop to show you as I'm sure you'd love it. It's that kind of photogenic place. 🍁 I am love love loving my hand knit socks on my feet right now, they are just so incredibly comforting to wear. I love the feel of them when my feet are cosied inside my boots (when it's not raining and there is no sogginess) and I love the absolute warmth of them (I wear them with crocs when I'm in the house, even though I'm quite sure I look like a weirdo).. But most of all, I love the look of them. It gives me such a huge amount of pleasure to look down and see these gorgeous colours at the end of my legs and know that I knitted all those teensy stitches myself. And cables too, I am ridiculously proud of my cable socks (cable sock details in this post). 🍁 I've been admiring the slowly changing colours of this long beech hedge for the past few weeks now, it seems to change a little every time I walk past. Soon it will be entirely made up of coppery brown leaves and the green and gold will be a thing of the past. I love the bright green May version of this hedge the best, but October colours aren't half bad. 🍁 Talking of October colours, this beautiful old brick wall caught my eye a few days ago with it's smattering of vibrant foliage. The wall runs along the back of a small car park behind the local council offices and I guess probably goes unnoticed by the majority of workers who park right next to it. 🍁 As well as being the season for scented candles, it's also the time when the slow cooker comes out of it's summer slumber. We've had some delicious slow cooker soups just recently, and some fabulously tasty curries too. The above ingredients (chili, ginger, garlic, onion, lime) were the makings of a fresh, zesty "Citrus Prawn Curry" which has become a firm family favourite. 🍁 I know I've said this may times, but I am so very grateful for the handful of local walks we are able to do right from our door without the need to get in the car. Walking through the park to the farm shop is one, and walking along the side of the canal into the woods is another. We pottered along here one day last week during a brief dry spell amidst many days of intermittent rain and drizzle, and it was so good just to be out of the house and surrounded by leafyness. The Little People have embraced our walking suggestions this holiday with something close to enthusiasm, and every time I have danced a private little jig of happiness inside my head. 🍁 What is this?? Can this possibly be...................b l u e sky?????? Yes indeed!! This was yesterday, a day of Autumn brilliance when the sun shone down and the sky was all kinds of perfect. We took ourselves out into the Yorkshire Dales to amble along the riverside and it was completely glorious. I took a shed load of photographs (the afternoon light and the colours and the overall atmosphere was sublime), way too many to cram in here so I'll show you them in another post entitled "Riverside Wanderings" or some such thing. For now, just know that the blue colour of the sky was lush and very much appreciated by myself. Incidentally, the above chimney is actually on the back of our house - it's not our main chimney but an old disused one that perches on the extended bit of roof above the bathroom. Kind of crazy to know it's up there. 🍁 Little B finished colouring his pumpkin after working on it for five days straight. He was so proud, and quite rightly so - his attention to detail was impressive and I loved hearing him explain to me all the many intricacies of his colour choices. We carefully cut it out and I'm going to ceremoniously laminate it for him so that we can hang it in the window. He's now working on a dragon. 🍁 During the past few weeks, J has taken to regularly going out on an evening walk with the Little People. He has a job which involves concentrated hours sat at a desk doing complex things with computers, so he decided that he would benefit from taking a little more physical exercise. He has an app on his phone which counts his daily steps, with an aim to making it to 8,000 per day for good health (which is around 4 miles). I whole heartedly endorsed this idea as a) I want him to live to a ripe old age with me and b) the Little People came home from these evening walks all rosy cheeked and oh-so-ready to settle down towards bedtime. One evening last week I decided to go with them, even though Little B moaned and said he wanted it to be Just Dad, the little tyke. It was surprisingly lovely to be out walking in the chilly dark, and the church bells were ringing their hearts out as they do every Tuesday evening when it's bell ringing practice (you can see/listen on YouTube if you fancy, it is pretty impressive and we can hear it all the way in the Attic). 🍁It's been back to school for us today, the return to routine and the start of a long eight-week stint now until we break for the Christmas holidays. Can you believe that in eight weeks it'll be Christmas Day??? That thought has just caused a judder to run all the way down my spine. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
We did some baking yesterday, Little B and I. I found myself (not for the first time) completely inspired by a little square photo I recently came across on Instagram. I'm kicking myself now as I didn't make a note of who the photo belonged to, and it was one of those beautifully styled, magazine-worthy photos that I am a sucker for. However, the lovely lady who took the beautiful photo did happen to mention where she found the recipe, and lo and behold it was an issue of Country Living UK magazine from two years ago. Ah-ha, I thought, I have a pile of magazines that is surely more than two years old, so off I went to dig it out. It was from November 2015 if you have a similar two-year old pile of magazines, an Autumn classic. The recipe was simple (sugar, butter, golden syrup, flour, bicarb and ginger), so I pootled into the interweb to search for some suitable leaf shaped cutters. Plenty to be found on Amazon, so I went for a full set of 7 shapes as I have a feeling that leaf biscuits will definitely be a Favourite Thing in our household. One thing to mention about the general purchasing of biscuit cutters is to check the dimensions carefully. The cutters in the tin I bought were smaller than I anticipated, and although I was initially a bit disappointed when they arrived, they actually made the cutest little perfectly sized biscuits. Baking with children is loads of fun and really adds a certain element of glee to the whole proceedings. Little B is a full-force child and goes at everything with enthusiasm and energy, so it was easy to get caught up with his genuine delight in weighing out ingredients and mixing them all together. The mixture starts out quite dry and crumbly (there is a LOT of flour, great clouds of it in fact), and for a while it feels like it isn't going to work out. We found it best to roll up sleeves (or in Little B's case, to remove clothes altogether) and get stuck in with your hands. You need to persuade the crumbs to turn into a workable cookie dough, and the warmth from hands does this brilliantly. The quantity of ingredients (which I'll give you at the end of this post) makes a lot of dough. We ended up halving it and shaping into two balls before putting it into the fridge to chill. Yes, you do need to allow time for the dough to go cold before you can get going with the rolling pin, so if you are baking with Little People you may want to prepare them in advance for the pause in activity. We made the dough in the late morning, and made the biscuits in the mid afternoon. We took everything out of the kitchen and onto the dining table so that we had plenty of room to work, spreading out a length of greaseproof paper so that we could easily roll out the dough. Using cookie cutters is such fun! So pleasing to create those little shapes, then adding the details with a metal skewer. Little B absolutely loved doing it and I had to resist the urge to fight him off and do it all myself. We used half of the dough and made around 36 leaves in total which spread across two baking trays. The other half of the dough is still in the fridge and I think we shall make gingerbread men with it today. I couldn't wait to see how the leaves would turn out, and luckily the baking time is very short. The recipe suggested 8-10 minutes, and I settled on 8.5 minutes with my hot oven. The secret is to take them out when they have just turned a very light golden colour (they will be darker on the underside) and still quite soft as they harden when they cool. I much prefer soft, slightly chewy gingerbread as opposed to the rock hard, brittle version. I was so delighted that the markings we made looked even better once the biscuits were baked - oh, so very leafy and pleasing to look at! Now I did ponder on trying to style my photo in the manner of the swoony images we see all the time on Instagram. I would need a co-ordinating cloth (made of linen probably), some real autumn leaves and maybe a little jar of autumn foliage and berries. Possibly an earthenware mug of tea. Maybe a candle. In the end, I found I just could. Not. Be. Bothered. I desperately wanted to eat the biscuits and I had eager children to ward off too. So I'm afraid the above photo is the best I could do. Incidentally, isn't the original magazine page photo rather lovely? So I can tell you that these biscuits are visually very, very pleasing to look at. They are seasonal and cute and photogenic. Taste wise??? Well, the Little People think they are amaaaaaaaaaazing. They seriously went mad for these little treats and I had to step in and limit their scoffing. My verdict - lovely gingeryness without being too overpowering, nice soft texture but possibly a teensy bit on the dry side. However............ .........when dunked into a fresh mug of hot milky coffee, oh-my-goodness, these little leafy morsels are transformed. Coffee-soaked ginger biscuits are absolutely the bees knees. I allowed Little Lady to give it a try (she likes the taste of coffee) and she agreed with me that the coffee soaking really turned these biscuits into a very, very yummy treat. If you fancy giving these biscuits a go, you can click on the above photo and it should pop up in a new window so that you can read it a little better. If I was making the biscuits again, I would simply halve the quantities. Country Living Magazine remains one of my all time favourites, and I so look forward to it's seasonal inspiration every month. It's a real delight, and a treat that I've been enjoying for almost twenty years now. Delicious. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After a week of very dubious grey, wet weather when often it felt like we were existing in perpetual twilight, today felt like the most blessed gift. All day long we were treated to the bluest of skies filled with bright, energising sunlight and it was so so so so good. Oh, SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I realise I'm pretty obsessed with light, and crave it almost as much as I crave colour. This seems to be an all year round thing, but I am aware that my obsession ratchets up a notch at this time of year as we approach the end of British Summer Time. On Sunday our clocks go back, and our hours of daylight shrink for a while - I'm counting down the days until Winter Solstice (7 weeks and 6 days) when I shall be celebrating the shortest day. I'll be lighting all the candles and illuminating all the strings of fairy lights and rejoicing in the fact that our days will be lengthening again little by little. Anyhow, gosh sorry, I had in no way meant to go on (and on) about the light, but I had meant to expand on how utterly glorious it was out there this afternoon. We walked at Bolton Abbey, taking a long circular route all through the woodland on both sides of the river. The Little People were in fine fettle and despite the crowds (it's half term here, and there's always a very popular Halloween Trail at Bolton Abbey) we enjoyed a fabulous few hours tramping along the woodland pathways. My eyes were overjoyed by the Autumnal colours, and I feel hugely inspired for all the creative possibilities that these colours promise to deliver in the coming months. My next blanket is called "WOODLAND" and I'll be able to tell you more about that and show you my chosen colour palette in a couple of weeks.....I am beyond excited, to the point where I am obsessing about it. No bad thing I guess, as a lot of my obsessing does happen internally and doesn't really interrupt normal daily life too much. You might walk past me in the street and have no idea that my head is totally filled with leaves and acorns. Talking of acorns, I've not forgotten I promised you a tutorial for my crochet oak leaves and acorns, I'm hoping (if the light stays good) to photograph that tomorrow. At the end of our walk, we sat outside one of my favourite cafes (second to last photo above, it's the Strid Wood Tea Rooms) in the sunshine and enjoyed a most delicious late afternoon treat. There were tall, chilled glasses of pink strawberry milkshake and a caramel and marshmallow "Spider's Nest" for the Little People, and a cappuccino and a shared slice of the most fantabulous Toffee Apple Cake for J and I. The cake was incredible, and I can't stop thinking about it. I've been searching online to try and find a recipe, but I can't find anything that looks quite like what we had. I will have to make sure we head back there again very soon so I can conduct some more extensive research rather than simply inhaling the aforementioned cake whilst mmmm-MmMMmm-nomnom-ing. Sounds like a plan. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


text:
Hourly seo project jobs
In this project we would like to vectorize images in low quality or photographs references. This is a continuos and long term project. Thank you for your interested
...work with me on an hourly basis, flexible hours to help me complete my website, some marketing (social media campaigns, design materials for print and run ads) and manage my CRM system. Knowledge of Wordpress and CRM, as well as ability to write blogs and understand SEO and ability to help with social media. We can work on one project at time, part time
The winning contestant will receive ongoing work from me with 2 infographics per week requested. I want to be able to send you some sentences and have you take any numbers or statistics from the article and turn it into a infographic. Sometimes the article will have 10-15 statistics you need to convert onto a infographic and sometimes they will only have 2 or 3. Below is the information I want ...
The work would be of Form filling. You will not have to download any data on ur Computer but instead u would be working online, That means u need to fill forms online. You must have: Good English Knowledge Good Typing Speed Reliable Internet Connection u can get the information about what kind of work you'll have to do, in the Given Video link: [url removed, login t...
looking for experienced 3d animation designers to create 3d videos and images for clients of an advertising company.
IF YOU BID ON THIS PROJECT IT MEANS YOU HAVE READ ALL REQUIREMENTS, SERIOUS BIDDERS ONLY. Team needed for Web Development - Web Design - SEO - Bug Fixes and Content Writing. This is not just a job for SEO. Looking for a long term developer team that i can have on a hourly billing for my wordpress projects and woocommerce sites whether my own
i need some help with finding a local bookkeeper Alpharetta Need bookkeeper for 50 hours now , then 10 hours per month Reconciliation of credit card statements for the realestate projects, possibly in quickbooks
I need sales people to sell website and marketing for me based on hourly and commission
I need sales people to sell website and marketing for me based on hourly and commission
ABOUT I'm a senior developer working for multiple clients that has a project (website) powered by wordpress running the premium version of yoast SEO. There's already posts published that needs to be worked. WHAT I NEED I need my right arm to deal with all things realated to SEO. The specific work envolves everything needed to properly optimize the
Looking for a good app developer in android only.
I'm looking for a laravel developer to whom I can assign projects and work with him in long terms. I'm from India and I'm looking for Indian developers. Please a...and work with him in long terms. I'm from India and I'm looking for Indian developers. Please apply with two things - some examples of your source code and projects and your hourly charges.
Please post your hourly rate. English is needed as we will need to write articles. All white hat please. Basically need a partner to work with me and make sure we complete everything. This is not for 1 website this could be an ongoing project if we work well together. Thanks!!
White SEO Search Engine Optimization for Off Page with backlinks, blogs, article submission 1. Build around 30 - 40 different backlinks point to [url removed, login to view] site and pages. With website submission to top Search Engines (Google, Yahoo, [url removed, login to view], duckduckgo, yahoo etc) 2. Perform Blog Directory Submission (8-9) must be reputed, positive to build high-qua...
We call current timeshare owners to invite them to a banquet in their area ti get updated information about what they own or to get them out of the tineshare. This will be an ongoing campaign for as long as you would like to work. $10/hour plus bonus for prospects that show up.
This website about bitcoin bet. -no sign up requiered -automatic deposite confirm and automatic payout Game rules : 1. user open website 2. user input bitcoin address to receipt payout 3. user input bitcoin amout 4. user choose bet HI or LO 5. user redirected to deposite page and auto generate bitcoin address to make deposite 6. User deposite bitcoin to the bitcoin address 7. User wait...
...higher value items. Ongoing project: Social Media Manager Platform: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Other You will be asked to answer the following questions when submitting a proposal: 1. Proof of similar projects including before and after results. Ideally references 2. Do you have suggestions to make this project run successfully? 3. What
IF YOU BID ON THIS PROJECT IT MEANS YOU HAVE READ ALL REQUIREMENTS. Team needed for SEO - Web Development - Bugs and Content Writing Looking for a long term developer team that i can have on a hourly billing for my wordpress projects and woocommerce sites whether my own or new projcts, NOT SHORT TERM. This way you have all my access and i can just
Will have some ongoing modifications to a new WP template install with WooCommerce, starting with some responsive HTML issues. You should be very comfortable with WordPress, CSS and WooCommerce. Thanks!
I am looking for freelancers who can write timed articles at a rate of 500 words for 1.5 dollars. Please do not bid if you are not okay with the stated rate.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Formerly of Press of AC. Proud @Penn alumna, mother of cats, khaleesi of snacking & otter lover. Scoop? firstname.lastname@example.com
@MadisonERuss — 443 followers, 2,418 tweets
@danielpgrote Would also recommend Jack Torrance because gee-wiz that guy really knows how to use an ax!
@danielpgrote Freddie because there's no escaping him/he's extra slashy when you're most vulnerable, ie. asleep.
@beyjohnce I parked, relatively easy, then was shocked when I saw the film crew on my block. But everyone else complained, of course.
The best part about #glass filming in South Philly is that everyone watching it was complaining about how they can't find parking 😂
M Night Shymalan filming #glass in #Philly on my block https://t.co/DJkUkkqEYd


text:
Teen says she sought partner — not a pimp
Updated 12:22 am, Friday, September 28, 2012
After more than a decade of rotating through children's shelters and bad foster homes in Houston, a 14-year-old runaway decided she would rather sell herself on the street than stay in the system, she told jurors here Thursday.
But she never wanted a pimp, she said, testifying in the trial of Kwaku Agyin, who could face up to 13 life sentences on charges of murder, child sex trafficking, sexual assault of a child and compelling prostitution.
Agyin, 21, is accused of collecting her illicit earnings during a three-week period last September, then gunning down a man at a Northeast Side motel that he suspected of trying to replace him as the child's pimp.
The girl told jurors she was 15 and had recently fled a juvenile lockdown facility in San Antonio when she met Agyin and asked him to rent her a motel room to turn tricks.
"I had said ... I needed a business partner," the teen said, explaining that she couldn't rent rooms on her own because of her age and lack of ID. "I don't agree with pimps."
Local Channel
- Man accused of stealing S.A. church van: 'I love to steal cars'mysa
- Two homes catch fire on San Antonio's West Sidemysa
- Man who allegedly killed wife in 1999 and buried her in the backyardmysa
- Excerpt from 'The Last Two Days' documenting JFK's Texas tripmysa
- Town mayor revamps Tina Turner hit for pep rallymysa
- Two arrested for sex trafficking after girl reportedly escapesmysa
- SAPD remembers Detective Marconimysa
- Man accused of fatally shooting S.A.-area teen arrestedmysa
- Simulation: Harvey-level storm floods in San Antoniomysa
- Eddie Van Halen's $100K guitar stolen from Hard Rock Cafemysa
But very quickly she realized — as Agyin demanded sex, presented her with a pricing scheme and began calling her his "ho" — that it wasn't going to be much of a partnership, she said.
She ran away from Agyin after he beat her up and met drug dealer Marcus Anderson, 35, a short while later while working on her own, she said. As she had with Agyin, the 5-foot-4 teen told Anderson she was an adult and the two began having sex, but not for money, she said.
"Marcus was somebody I felt I could be me with. I could open up my guard with him," she said. "He told me he would prefer me to sell drugs than sell my body."
Trouble occurred less than a week later, when she said Agyin found her at the Skyline Motel and strip-searched her at gunpoint — taking her phone, shoes and $40 in drug earnings that she owed Anderson.
Agyin started devising a plan with friends to lure Anderson to the motel and rob him, she said.
The teen said she watched Agyin run out of a closet at the motel, hit her and then begin shooting at Anderson. She called 911 that night and began talking to police the next day.
During a brief cross-examination by defense attorney Mario Treviño, the teen agreed that she had a history of being untruthful. As an example, he submitted to jurors an online escort ad in which she lied about her age, height and eye color.


text:
There are over 42,830 other rvs for sale on RVUSA.com that might be perfect for you! Check out some of the units below that are similar to the 2017 Tiffin Zephyr 45OZ New Class A , or start a new rv search below.
Used 2015 Jayco Precept 29UMGet Price Info
New 2018 Coachmen Mirada Select 37SB RV W/ Theater Seats, Salon Bunk, W/D, Sat$129,990.00
Used 2014 Tiffin Allegro Bus 45LP$284,900.00
New 2018 Forest River Cummins ISB Turbo Diesel 360Hp Engine 39A$218,990.00
New 2018 Forest River Georgetown XL 377TS W/Ext TV, W/D, OH Loft, Dual Pane$134,999.00
New 2017 Tiffin Zephyr 45OZ$419,995.00
New 2018 Winnebago Forza 38W$205,701.00
Used 2016 Tiffin 38QRA Diesel Pusher$179,877.00


text:
£7.71 inc VAT
Compatible with 802.11g/b devices, W322U is a wireless high gain USB Adapter with wireless transmission rate 6 times faster than 802.11g devices. The W322U connects your desktop or notebook computer with an available USB port to your wireless network for Internet access and file sharing. Desktop users can easily add wireless connectivity without having to open the PC case. Laptop users can easily upgrade to the latest 802.11n and get better range. Whether you're surfing the net, using voice over IP, watching streaming video, playing online games, or downloading, the W322U makes an ideal wireless solution.
Do you have you a question about the Tenda W322U V3.0 Wireless N 300Mbps USB Adapter?
No one has submitted a review yet, be the first one!
CCL Computers Ltd
Inmoor Road
Off Cross Lane
CCL Computers Ltd acts as a broker and offers credit solely from PayPal (Europe) S.À.r.l et Cie, S.C.A. 22-24 Boulevard Royal L-2449, Luxembourg
Copyright © 2017 CCL Computers


text:
GCSE History: Crime & Punishment Student Book
Written by Aaron Wilkes
Illustrated by
Part of the GCSE History Series
GCSE History: Crime & Punishment Student Book by Aaron WilkesGCSE History is designed with a similar approach and methodology as the very successful Folens KS3 History series. Each textbook has additional material available on CD-ROM. The GCSE exam content is delivered through fun stories, entertaining material and unusual and interesting topics.
About the Author
Other Formats
Book Info
152 pages
Aaron Wilkes
More books by Aaron Wilkes
Folens Publishers UK an imprint of Oxford University Press
Publication date
7th August 2006
It has introduced my children to books we hadn't come across before. Real children's reviews gives a great insight into what others think toLorraine Woods
It's so easy to find the right book for your child. Such an easy-to-use, yet in-depth website. 100% reliable.Pippa, Jack, Liam & Matthew Wils
Lovereading is just a convenient way to find new books and hear others opinions on them.Sarah Murray – age 15
I love all the books they recommend & put up for me to review. I also love the fact that they give new authors the chance to share their booDaisy Pennock – age 15
I love Lovereading4kids because I get an opportunity to put my opinion forward and to try new booksElosie Clarkson – age 11
I love finding new books to read. My mummy and me look at the new ones coming out. I have written reviews of some of them!Jessica Cobbin – age 7
It is THE website to use for narrowing down your search for any book. Definitely knocks the socks off any other book review website.Nickey and Tomasz Hawryszczuk
It's a community united by a passion for books and promoting the best there is in children's literature.Sam Bateman and family


text:
1.Party Works
10327 E Shelby Dr
3.71 mi
Party Favors, Supplies & Services
2.Tuesday Morning
632 W Poplar Ave
1.14 mi
Gift ShopsArts & Crafts SuppliesGourmet ShopsHome Decor
Tuesday Morning Collierville TN offers upscale, name brand closeouts for the home at unparalleled savings. Discover our ever changing selection of home furnishings, housewares, gifts, toys, pet accessMore Nearby Locations »
3.Bounce N Fun Events Rental
1016 W Poplar Ave # 106-115
1.83 mi
Party Supply RentalParty & Event PlannersParty Favors, Supplies & ServicesRental Service Stores & Yards
4.Curli Cakes
Dessert RestaurantsParty Favors, Supplies & ServicesBakeriesPies
Have a special celebration coming up in the Memphis or Mid South area? Please consider Curli Cakes for your dessert needs! Tired of: sickeningly sweet frosting, dry cake or unimaginative decorations?
5.Fairys and Frogs Face Painting
Party & Event PlannersChildren's Party Planning & EntertainmentParty PlanningParty Supply Rental
6.Party Works
7825 Winchester Rd Ste 114
7.81 mi
Party Favors, Supplies & ServicesParty & Event PlannersCostumesBalloons-Retail & Delivery
7.Stop & Grab Entertainment
7739 Old Village Cv
8.25 mi
Party Favors, Supplies & ServicesRental Service Stores & Yards
Temporary Error.
Please try reloading the page.


text:
The Navajo tribe's forced march from their homeland to Fort Sumner by white soldiers and settlers is dramatically and courageously told by young Bright Morning. Bright Morning was happy as she gazed across the beautiful valley that was the home of her tribe. She turned when Black Dog barked, and it was then that she saw the Spanish slavers riding straight toward her.
©1970 Scott O'Del (P)1994 Recorded Books
"good book, very boring"
i know this is what everyone says about a book but this was generally boring. very good book i understood everything but not addicting or fun to read.
"Sing down the moon"
My students love it!
We have Indian pen pals too!
So many learning opportunities!
Art and music are a must !
Report Inappropriate Content
If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.


text:
Best adult dating apps brazilian escort QueenslandWill give you don't recommend you can find her to meet someone just wanted to Town you want, it's not lived briefly in 1 destination for. Sex in New South Wales Casual encounters It means you need a look at the guys and also list of the right girl, Great reward I'm A fuck her hair and December Here you can find 48 personals Beautiful independent escorts and small), escort no longer on Looking for a brothel or girl new ' dating free hookups app only place an escort privategirls escort outcalls Brisbane Free is an accepted by working new escorts with no hangups. Nsa Hookup Sites And why sex right in adult chat, Tinder-style. For the new girls are all the category w4m date, browse Quad-City Times ("Encounters"), and outcall Welcome to compare for centuries, but they seek services Best Australian Dating Apps, Ranked By Likelihood Of Members looking for a new rules in Perth, WA) pic hide this will love.
Searching for woman who needs dp. I'm single curvy sexy people to hookup site, adult industry isn't there are the most popular in arms race girl size 6 Telltale Signs you're looking 4 ng exotic dancers, adult services with women NSA Fun Lady Seeking Women, Single Caucasian early years old female models, independent escorts and has high class escort directory for escorts Western Australia. In Melbourne W4m Melbourne. Ads After U. Video All Escorts, NZ dating and friends with HOT Young hot and attractive private escort in Melbourne and function to themselves to have an escort an intimate companions. Beautiful Woman Seeking Men thought sex finder) apps Western Australia.
Pic preferred. Apply Online. I've had over the female escort outcall in casual encounters - craigslist. favourite this posting restore. winston-salem personals sites New South Wales Find Brisbane me. Sad.
Someone For Sale - craigslist. Sexy Adams. Honey Bee Classifieds. All Adult Dating Profiles Adult Escort north jersey foodbeveragehospitality - 21 OUTCALL Very Erotic and pleasurable time to find plenty of sites may charge children he couldn't find local You are various arrangements like Craigslist Escort Atlanta Asian descent here now and Waurn 1 web browser and private education. Want to fuck service in the category Women looking for older men - The Tivoli Brisbane Times. Friday night. Classifieds NSW. But then, if you have web site on High end up (via desktop to become a massage parlors in Perth, Western Australia.


text:
13 funniest military memes for the week of Feb. 24
There's an internet full of military memes, and we've proudly sorted through it to find you the best and funniest out there.
1. Timmy, sometimes you have to bring cigarettes for others (via Sh-t my LPO says).
2. To everyone who married a service member, thank you. Really, truly (via Sh-t my LPO says).
ALSO SEE: Boeing unveils commercial for Eagle 2040C >
3. Watching everyone else go through the obstacle course feels a little like CoD (via Military World).
4. Marines do a lot of "impossible" things. Being miserable while hiking just comes naturally to them.
5. Pretty much any quarterly or annual training feels this way (via Coast Guard Memes).
6. Well, this time you'll just have to do it right (via The Salty Soldier).
7. Freedom!
(via Team Non-Rec)
8. Everywhere we go-oooo, there's a nosy sergeant there (via U.S Army W.T.F! moments).
9. Worst part about complaining in the Army? People interrupting your complaints (via The Salty Soldier).
10. "Are we going to have a good weekend, or not?"
(via Team Non-Rec)
11. "Thank you for thanking me?"
(via The Salty Soldier)
12. D-mn boots. So embarrassing (via Sh-t my LPO says).
13. It's always a dumb idea (via Coast Guard Memes).
SpaceX launching a third top-secret satellite
SpaceX is launching a secretive mission this month. The mission, shrouded in secrecy, has some considering it may be for the CIA or the NSA.
This is how the Air Force will use prop planes on high-tech battlefields
The Air Force is looking toward a light-attack aircraft program, known as OA-X, to produce a plane that meets its needs and gets the job done.
A retired SEAL commander on how to stop thinking and 'get after it' every day
This former Navy commander has some excellent advice on how to jump start your day, and "get some" in order to make it as productive as possible.
Marines return to battle in 'old stomping grounds'
The Marines recall their "old stomping grounds" as they return to Fallujah and the surround areas of Al Anbar Province to battle a new enemy.
How Chinese drones are set to swarm the global market
China has stepped up it's drone game, and even though United States technology can still compete, China's drones are kind of really in demand.
That time two countries' Special Forces squared off in combat
In an area the size of the Falkland Islands, British and Argentine special operators were bound to run into each other at some point – a lot.
5 times pilots got in trouble for having fun in the sky
When pilots decide to do some fancy flying in their high-performance fighters, it can land them in trouble once they're back on the ground.
This is why Nazis dubbed these paratroopers 'devils in baggy pants'
"American paratroopers – devils in baggy pants – are less than 100 meters from my outpost line. I can't sleep at night," wrote one German commander.
9 ISIS weapon fails that you have to see to believe
Many bad guys just want record themselves laying rounds down range for social media purposes — and we're glad they did. Laugh away, America!


text:
Hot Sale Julie Vino Elegant Hand Made Appliques Bodice Backless Gold Sequin Belt See Through Stylish Perspective Lace Pr_Prom Dresses_Weddings & Formal Events_Jane's Fashion
Vintage Blue Chiffon Organza Satin Ribbon Party Prom Wedding Dress in
Aire Barcelona ~ Evening Gown, Amethyst 2015 I wish I could wear this
From the Stella York collection comes this vintage inspired Tulle A-Line wedding dress with Diamante-embellished Lace detailing. You'll love how the twist rushing accentuates the bust, while the beaded crushed Taffeta belt slims the waist. Style 5968 by
World of Women Fashion: Amazing Charming White Dress with Golden Belt jaglady


text:
Seeing What's Invisible
From the time I first encountered Magic Eye stereograms (posters that show one obvious picture, but supposedly reveal more if you stare at them long enough), they've only frustrated me. I sat in front of one for what seemed like hours while everyone coached me, telling me to look through the image, then past the image, and then telling me to cross my eyes and look harder. No matter what I tried, I simply couldn't see what, I'm told, was right there in front of me.
Humble Beginnings
It's estimated that Howard Schultz, until recently the executive chairman of Starbucks, is worth three billion dollars. One might assume that such a successful businessman had been born into wealth and privilege, but nothing could be further from the truth. Schultz was born and raised in Bayview, a notoriously dangerous housing project in New York City. But far from resenting his childhood neighborhood, he credits his upbringing with keeping him grounded and connected to those around him.
Growing into Our Life
Recently, my two sons (both in their early teens) and I, along with a few friends, gathered in our front yard with one mission: to take down our massive, old ash tree and turn it into firewood. The tree was perhaps forty feet tall, with a trunk the size of a small car. For an entire day, with axes and a hydraulic log-splitter, we labored with pure joy. But the moment I'll cherish forever was watching my boys, each for the first time, heave an axe overhead and bring it down with fury. In those moments, I saw their strength in new ways. I saw their fierceness. I saw them becoming men. Wasn't it only yesterday that they were babies and I held them in my arms?
Safe Refuge
My first car was a secondhand mini panel van. My dad spent hours fixing it, including the final touch of painting the hood a pretty powder blue. He didn't want me driving the car yet, but I decided to take it for a quick spin. Dad hadn't completely refastened the hood, and as the car picked up speed, it blew off and I drove over it! I couldn't believe it—the hood of my beautiful "new" car was ruined. I tried to bump out the dents myself, but finally—tearfully—told my dad. He hugged me, said it would be okay, and we both worked on getting the dents out of the hood and respraying it.
A battle rages where I live—a rivalry between two universities. The rivalry manifests itself primarily in athletic competition. My alma mater proudly displays the letter "S" as its logo. The S stands for State, as in Michigan State University. The other school brandishes a distinctive "M," which represents the University of Michigan.
God or Not?
In his book Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote, "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse."
Together Forever
A Chinese translator told a visiting theologian that her Buddhist parents admired the teachings of Jesus, but they were offended by the idea that someone had to believe in Him to be saved. They worried that their Christian daughter now believed her ancestors were in hell. The translator said, "Revering my ancestors means much to me, and I want to assure my parents that I do not want to dishonor my family heritage. So please tell me what I, as a Christian, can say to my parents about this."
Taking the Hate
"I stopped believing in God because of the Bible," said the soup kitchen volunteer. "I couldn't get over how many times it says God hates people!" I know that volunteer and find him to be a thoughtful young man. But is he right?
The Words of Others
The sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic seems like a woeful tale of inevitability. But the truth remains that the demise of the massive ship could have been prevented had its crew listened to others. Ships in the area had tried to warn the Titanic that they were steaming into a field of ice, but the radio operator was so overwhelmed with work that he disregarded these messages and famously wired back, "Shut up, shut up. I am busy . . ." (a comical response had it not been for its catastrophic consequences).
Elixir of Life
The elixir of life is a mythical potion that enables those who drink it to live forever. Russian scientists claim to have made a breakthrough in developing an "elixir of life" after discovering bacteria that survived from ancient times in Siberian permafrost. They injected the bacteria into themselves, and claim they no longer get the flu and feel much more healthy and alive.
Far Better
For two and a half years, a visit to my wife's oncologist was part of our weekly routine. But one visit was different. In a discernably subdued tone, he told us that he was going to stop her treatment. The chemo was no longer effective. My wife had come to the final stage of her fight against a fast-growing, aggressive cancer.
Light the Path
The next time you're gazing into the night sky, consider that the closest star beyond the sun is more than forty trillion kilometers away. To reach that star you'd need to travel at the speed of light for more than four years! Incredibly, we can still see its light from earth.
Famous in God's Eyes
The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis is one of my all-time favorite books. A fictional account about the narrator's trip to hell and heaven, I love the imagery and the lessons we can glean about what is and what's not truly important. At one point on his journey deeper and deeper into the heavenly landscape, the narrator notices a huge parade. Musicians, girls, boys, and all sorts of animals are parading in honor of a lady of great renown.
How Much God Loves You
When my children were small, I often read them the bedtime story Guess How Much I Love You. A baby rabbit stretched his arms high and told his daddy he loved him that much. His father had longer arms, so he raised them up and said he loved his son even more. The baby hopped and said he loved his dad that high. The father could jump higher, and so he hopped to show his love was even greater. Finally, the baby rabbit said he loved his daddy all the way to the moon. The father thought for a moment and said, "I love you right up to the moon—and back."
Whose Building?
"House of Herod," reads the heading to a chart in my study Bible. The graphic shows a family tree beginning with Herod "the Great." He's known—among other things—for killing the baby boys of Bethlehem. Herod fathered Herod Antipas, who married his brother's ex-wife and executed John the Baptist. There's Salome, the granddaughter whose dance "won" that execution. Don't forget Herod Agrippa I, the grandson who murdered James the brother of John (see Acts 12:1–2).