The Thompson's Summer Fun List 2013

Well, Summer is upon us, apparently. Not the holidays, we have another 8 weeks to go yet! - and the weather is pretty temperamental at the moment but the sentiment is there. I really enjoyed completing as many things as we could on our 2012 Summer Fun List and we did manage to complete most things even though my blogging didn't manage to keep up! The idea is from the folks at the Happy Family Movement and really helped to focus our summer activities so that we actually did the things we always plan to but never quite get round to doing. This year we are doing it again and hopefully I'll manage to remember to keep up with the blog too!! It will be pinned up on the cupboard in the Kitchen where everybody can see it as a reminder to all of us that there is fun to be had!

 So our list for this year is....

1. Feed ducks 2.Climb a tree 3. Puddle jumping 4. Write a letter 5. Make a fingerprint tree 6. Make a den under the table 7. Watch a rugby match 8. Go to the cinema 9. Find a crop circle 10. Make pavement chalk 11. Play with cornflour 12. Decopatch 13. Visit an aquarium 14. Watch a sunset 15. Ride bikes 16. Go camping 17. Go to the beach 18. Build sandcastles 19. Go on a fossil hunt 20. Wash the car 21. Have a walk in the woods 22. Make ice cream 23. Have a picnic 24. Have a PJ day 25. Water gun fight 26. Make string balloons 27. Visit a zoo/farm 28. Go swimming 29. Have a bbq with friends 30. Paint rocks 31. Do the Summer Reading Challenge 32. Go to a real drive-in-movie 33. Go geocaching 34. Go to Go Ape 35. Make water balloon sponges 36. Fly a kite 37. Visit a museum 38. Go on a train 39. Visit the theatre 40. Send a message in a bottle 41. Make splat paintings 42. Have a back to front meals day 43. Stargazing 44. Make Self Portraits 45. Buy school shoes & uniform 46. Learn to write your name (Oscar) 47. Climb a Mountain 48. Ride without stabilisers (Oscar) 49. Learn to tell the time (Alfie) 50. Learn to tie your laces (Alfie) 51. Take lots of pictures of our adventures!!!!

Just like last year this is a mixture of things that we would do anyway and things that are slightly more adventurous and I can't wait to get started!!!

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week: Day 3 - Infographic

Being a mathematician, when I saw this I was really quite excited and had every intention to spend yesterday evening sorting through all of the projects I've knitted over the past year (none of which are on Ravelry otherwise it would have been soooo much easier!!) and plot them on a chart to see what I tend to knit most.

Unfortunately as I arrived yesterday afternoon at my eldest's school to read with the class, as I do every week, I was met by a grey faced deputy headteacher. We had just had THE phonecall. Ofsted had phoned just an hour before to announce that they were coming today.

As a school governor this meant that my Tuesday night was now filled with re-reading of policies, School Improvement Plans and Self Evaluation reports instead of making pretty graphs about my knitting.

Poo.

So very quickly here is my infographic for today's blog post:

Hopefully I'll be back on form by tomorrow's post!!

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week 2013: Day 2 - A Mascot Project

As soon as I saw the title for today's post I knew that there was only one project for it. The Beekeeper's Quilt. 

It is an ideal project for a Bee like me. I can puff away between projects with each little puff not taking too long for me to feel like I'm being negligent to my other ongoing things. It can fit into my handbag and be worked on whilst the boys are at one of their many activities. I can use different yarns and colours to stop me getting bored. I can even embrace my inner Monkey with different types of cast on and techniques, my inner Peacock with embellishments, and my inner Manatee because they're just so cuddly and therapeutic to knit.

Unfortunately, like many almost all of my projects this has fallen by the wayside due to my terrible distractability. I started MY Beekeeper's Quilt in February 2012 and I have the grand total of about 20 hexipuffs completed. Absolutely pathetic! I daren't even attempt to count up how many projects I've cast on and completed in the time since then. My intention was to knit a few hexipuffs a week whilst my husband was in Afghanistan for 7 months last year but that didn't happen, he's been back seven months now and I know I haven't touched it since he returned! I will dig the little basket of puffs out of the cupboard that its been hibernating in and see if putting in view will spur me on.... I'm not holding out much hope though!!

What project would best represent you and your style of knitting?

If you want to join in with Knitting and Crochet Blog Wek it isn't too late! Have a look here.

Knitting And Crochet Blog Week 2013

Knitting And Crochet Blog Week 2013 is here and I'm going to use it as an attempt to get back into my blogging. Next week I'll try to update on my Summer Fun List and Year of Projects but for now I'll stick to this.

As before we have been given a list of topics for each day and today's is the House Cup (very Harry Potter-esque) where we need to decide which house best represents us. This will also set the tone for the posts for the rest of the week.

The House of Bee: Bees are busy and industrious but can flit from one interesting project to the next as bright and shiny things capture their interest.

The House of Manatee: Manatees are gentle, calm and cuddly. Relaxed and unflashy they represent the comfort and soft side of knitting and crochet.

The House of Monkey: Intelligent and with a fun loving side, Monkeys like to be challenged with every project presenting them with something new and interesting.

The House of Peacock: Peacocks take something good and make it brilliant. Buttons, embellishments and a bit of sparkle prove that perfection lies in the details - like a Peacock's Tail.

Now there is no denying that I am a Bee. I am slightly Monkey-like in that I like to be challenged and am always trying new techniques but the fact that I am totally incapable of casting on a project and then just seeing it through to completion without straying onto something else is what dominates my Knitting.

I am currently knitting Levenwick in some scrummy purple Rowan Creative Focus Worsted, along with Eryn in Rico Alpaca DK, plus Florentine in some pale blue Rowan Drift, a Shale Baby Blanket and some Leave These To Me fingerless mitts in Scrumptious 4ply. I'm already eyeing up Thyone in some Scrumptious DK from my LYS or possibly Etty in Felted Tweed..... although the new Kim Hargreaves book should be out this week...... See!! I just can't stop myself!!

If you fancy joining in have a look here or just to have a read of the other blogs taking part type the daily tag into google and a list will magically appear before your eyes.

Summer Fun List 2012: #2, 3 and 4!! Bournemouth Beach and Oceanarium

Well yesterday we went on a fantastic day trip to Bournemouth with some of the families from 26 Engineer Regiment. The weather was amazing considering all of the rain we've had for the past couple of months and we all had a brilliant time. It also meant we got to tick some things off our Summer Fun List too!! Bonus!
We got on a coach on camp at 9.00 and wound our way through the countryside down to the coast. First stop was the Oceanarium where the boys loved walking through the tunnel under the big tank, then over to the beach for lunch, sand angels, sand castles and fun in the sea.
Finally we dried them off and went for a walk in the beautiful gardens and scoffed ice cream.
The hardest part of the day was trying to keep them awake all the way home on the coach because if they'd fallen asleep then there would have been ho chance of getting them into bed at a reasonable time!
Some pics from the day.....

Summer Fun List 2012 - #1 Puddle Jumping

Well yesterday we had the perfect weather to tick one of the things off the Summer Fun List. Sports day was cancelled and the rain came, and with it came the puddles!!!
Being the very kind, efficient (cough, cough!) Mummy that I am, I had the kettle filled, mugs, hot chocolate and tea bags ready and towels warming on the radiator. (yes, the heating is on in July!)
Oscar and I donned our wellies and took Alfie's with us when we went to pick him up from school and went straight to the Basketball court by the Leisure centre where the biggest puddle was to be found. Then the jumping, running and splashing commenced!!

We squelched home and wrapped up warm on the sofa, bliss!

The Thompsons' 2012 Summer Fun List

Well after I mentioned making a Summer Bucket List here I got down to it and wrote everything down. I decided against the name 'Bucket List' because I just couldn't face the questions on why it was called that from my 5 year old! So The Thompsons' 2012 Summer Fun List was born, and here it is for you!

• Feed ducks
• Puddle jumping
• Climb a tree
• Write a letter
• Make a fingerprint tree
• Make a den under the table
• Watch a rugby match
• Go to the cinema
• Use chopsticks
• Make pavement chalk
• Play with cornflour
• Decopatch
• Go to Legoland
• Ride bikes
• Go to the beach
• Go on a fossil hunt
• Build sandcastles
• Make a fort
• Visit an aquarium
• Go camping (even if its only in the garden!)
• Have a walk in the woods
• Make ice cream
• Have a picnic (once again, even if its only in the garden!)
• Wash the car
• Have a PJ day
• Make string balloons
• Visit a zoo/farm
• Go swimming
• Have a bbq
• Paint rocks
• Do the Summer Reading Challenge
• Make cardboard box cars
• Have a drive-in-movie at home
• Go Geocaching
• Go Tree RUnning
• Make water balloon sponges
• Fly a kite
• Go on a train
• Visit a museum
• Visit the theatre
• Send a message in a bottle
• Make splat paintings

So here goes!!!

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