Dying Flowers

Over the Easter holidays Pickle and I decided to try and dye some flowers. We had a lovely chat about how plants get their water and how it travels around the plant. I would be interested to try this experiment at some point with a potted plant rather than cut flowers to show the involvement of the roots...I think this level is sufficient for now but it would be an interesting extension.

So Pickle had tried this experiment at preschool but they did not see a very strong colour change. When we did it we decided to make the colour of the water very concentrated. We used a lot of food colouring, so much that the water was very dark and you couldn't easily see which colour was which from first glance.

We also cut some of the stems very short to see what difference that would make....

It turns out quite a lot! The shorter stems meant that the colour showed up in the flowers much faster, within a couple of hours.

 After an extended period of several days the shorter stemed flowers also had a more intense colour. I would conclude that this is due to the fact less of the colouring is lost on the way up, in the stem and remaining leaves for instance.

I love the pretty striping of the colours running through the veins of the petals.

The blue and red were more successful than the green colouring. We swapped a red and blue flower over to see if the colours would mix afterwards. They didn't. When placed in the blue water the red one went blue with just some red patches left at the tips of the petals; the blue flower stayed blue in the red water. This gives me ideas about future experiments mixing the food colouring to make purple before adding the flowers....what would happen? The green colouring did give green lines in the petals rather than blue and yellow so I don't really expect a chormotographic effect....but I am not sure what would happen, it might be an interesting conversation to have with Pickle in the future after some chromatography adventures....

Until next time...

A most Egg-cellent adventure....

Oh yes, a cheesy Easter title. Happy Easter! Things have been wonderful, busy and just a tiny bit stressful here. We are nearing the end of a nearly 3 week Easter break here Pickle is only at preschool but it makes a big difference having him off. Penguin has decided she doesn't like to nap when he is at home and at just 18 months she is not really ready to drop that afternoon snooze. I really must look at getting that sorted before Pickle is off for the summer and then starts nursery in the mornings rather than the afternoon!

Any way. We have had a lot of fun building junk robots, making krispie cakes and easter crafts with a few trips scattered in....a post on that later.

Today's post is all about my new crochet Easter bunting! It has taken me a while and progress certainly slowed down without Penguin's nap time these past few weeks.

Not the best light I am afraid, it is hard to get away from the kidlets to take photos in the daylight. 

These are crocheted up with dk yarn I had left over, not sure what the yellow is but the white is stylecraft special. I then cross stitched on the egg shapes with some Patons 100% cotton 4 ply. I am not sure they do the green anymore but the other colours are Candy, Lilac and Pale Blue. I think the green was called sage or similar but I no longer have the ball band. Hook size used for these was 3.75.

To make the egg shape: (Uk Terms)

Ch16

Row 1: dc in 2nd chain from hook and then in each ch until the end. Turn. 

Row 2: ch 1, dc in each dc. Turn

Row 3: ch 1, 2 dc in first dc, dc in the next 13 dc, 2dc in last dc. Turn.

Row 4: ch 1, 2 dc in first dc, dc in the next 15 dc, 2 dc in last dc. Turn. 

Row 5: ch 1, 2 dc in first dc, dc in the next 17 dc, 2 dc in last dc. Turn

Row 6: ch 1, 2 dc in first dc, dc in the next 19 dc, 2 dc in last dc. Turn. 

Row 7: ch 1, 2 dc in first dc, dc in the next 21 dc, 2 dc in last dc. Turn. 

Row 8: ch 1, 2 dc in first dc, dc in the next 23 dc, 2dc in last dc. Turn. 

Row 9: ch 1, 2 dc in first dc, dc in the next 25 dc, 2dc in last dc. Turn. 

Row 10-16: ch 1, dc in each dc. Turn. 

Row 17- 45: ch1, 2dctog, dc in each dc after that until the end. Turn.

Row 46: ch 1, 2dctog, dc in each dc after that. You should now have 7 dc in a row. 

Row  47: ch 1, work dc down the side of the egg shape, 1 in the end of each row. Along the foundation ch work 1sl st, dc, dc, dc, htr, htr, tr, 2tr, tr, htr, htr, dc, dc, dc, slst, then dc up the other side of the shape. In the top row, work sl st, dc, htr, tr, htr, dc, sl st.

Row 48: dc around the edge to finish boarder.

I then cross stitched random patterns onto the eggs and joined them with a sl st along a simple chain. I am really pleased with my easter bunting. I think I might do some bunny bunting for next easter.

Until next time....x

Broad Bean Maze

One of our recent experiments involved growing broad beans in a jar. You can find that here. Once we had seen the beans sprouting we planted them into pots and moved the pots into different positions to learn more about plant growth.

We placed one on a windowsill, one in a cupboard and one in a plant maze we made ourselves.


We made it by cutting a hole in one end of an upturned shoe box. we cut some squares of card from another box and taped them on opposite sides inside the box. We added a broad bean plant and shut the lid of the box, leaving it on the windowsill.

Over the course of a week it grew..

And grew....

It navigated the maze to find the light. We have put a book on top to see if it can make it past one last hurdle.
Isn't that amazing!?

Until next time....S x

Bekonscot model village

So last week my parents treated us to a day out at Bekonscot Model Village. I love it here and boy do Pickle and Penguin love it here! I grew up not to far from here and remember visiting several times as a child, with family, friends, Brownies, a school trip....I even organised a trip here with my Brownie group as a leader, a recreation of my very first Brownie meeting!

It was a beautiful day and we were so busy running around after Pickle and Penguin I didn't manage to get any close up shots without them in! This is just a perfect day out for their age (17 months and 3.5). They ran around spotting trains on the fantastic model train network. They liked looking at the fish and spotting frog spawn. They ran over bridges and spotted animals in the model zoo. They watched the fair ground rides go around and the boats race by. There is even a train ride and a playground which they loved too. A really great day out.

Bekonscot Model Village is a not for profit organisation. They support local charities through their admission fee. It is a really great day out and lovely to see such a quaint tradition being kept alive. It is a fabulous model village and I would recommend a visit if you are in the area.

Until next time.... S x

(This is an honest account of our experiences. My parents paid for our entry fee and I was not asked to post a review.)

Growing beans

One of our latest projects with Pickle and Penguin is growing broad beans in jars. Pickle added cotton wool to a jar with a coffee filter around the outside. He then added 3 broad beans against the jar and poured water onto the cotton wool.

A few days on and we have this!

They are really starting to grow. We will pop these into pots soon and use them for another experiment!

Until next time...S x

SAHM Without the SHAME

So, I am a stay at home Mum, SAHM, Housewife, unemployed not seeking employment or Just a Mum. It is something that over the past 3 and half years I have never once regretted. I do however have hang ups ont he subject. I feel like I should do more, like I am not working as hard as those with jobs, like I am lay and not worth as much. I feel like I need to justify my choices.

Someone told me recently that it doesn't matter what you do in life as long as you do a fantastic job. The same person also made a passing comment or two along the lines of 'I love your life' and 'I want to live your life' You have no idea how amazing it is to hear that! It started me thinking - what is it my life looks like?

My life is singing loud at the park, growing seeds in cupboards, bubble painting, digging holes and finding worms. It is roaring like a dinosaur, snotty noses and dirty nappies, line dried washing and home-made pizzas. It is playdough and glitter, toddler tantrums, mud everywhere, a messy house and Pintrest boards. It is groups trips to the bathroom and never peeing alone.

My life is lonely days and Mum guilt. It is dirty washing, making nests, foam stickers, screaming, peeling apples and too much TV. It is making excuses and explaining choices. it is running down the street like a lunatic to fill the gap between dinner and bedtime. It is repeated stories and the right cereal combination. It is glue and paint and pens, bananas and raisins, cooking and cleaning. My life is good, great, hard, maddening and sometimes lonely. I have a fantastic life, I don't have to deal with mental health problems, I have great kids and a wonderful husband. We are all healthy. I am lucky.

So now I am looking at my life and choices from a different perspective. I am finding pride in how I spend my days. I am refusing to feel bad for not working and not 'doing it all'. It is a mismatch of great and not great. I am lucky.

I know all Mums have Mum guilt and I think we should all stop for a moment and give ourselves a pat on the back. Whether you are a working Mum, a Mum whose babies have flown the nest, a new Mum just starting out or one without a baby to hold.....feel strong. Revel in the good days and move past the bad ones. Tell yourself you are great and believe it. Know that the best you can be is what you are and it is more than enough.