This week’s been a bit of a funny one. It seems to have dragged at work and then gone super speedy in the evenings, leaving me a bit confused as to what the day is but very happy that it’s now Friday.

Things to smile about this week

1. My floral daps. I found them in the sale in Office’s kids section. I may not be able to wear them for another 6 months but when the spring arrives, I will have very happy feet.

2. The i-Touch shuffle function. Johnny Cash and the Rolling Stones followed by some classic Prodigy. Last night I was B’s assistant in the kitchen as he baked stuffed aubergines and we danced and sung as they cooked. Kitchen discos are so much fun.

3. Perfecting the mattress stitch. I knitted up some practice squares and spent the evening doing it again and again, feeling very happy with myself as each attempt got neater. Thank you to the awesome Meghan for your knitting advice.

4. Yummy treats from my husband. B stopped in Waitrose on the way home from work on Tuesday and bought me a cookie topped with Smarties. Edible surprises are always the best.

5. The fabric selection for my first ever quilt. Kathryn’s beautiful creations have inspired me and this weekend I’ll be making a start on my own. Wish me luck.

ps. I hope you all have a spookily magical Halloween on Sunday x

Our flat is a little bit mis-matched. The shelves are lined with books and records and pictures and trinkets and vases and any other random bits and bobs we’ve collected over the years. But that’s the way we like it.

These awesomely bizarre papier-mâché figures and prints are some of our favourites. My Dad found them at the Festival of the Dead in Mexico and I adopted them when he moved house. Originally we were looking after them while he found somewhere new to live, but he soon realised he wouldn’t be getting them back so they’re here for good. My favourite is the little bride and groom.

This weekend we plan to finally frame and hang the prints. They’ve been in a carrier bag in a cupboard for too long so enough is enough. They’re a freaky kind of beautiful.

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The last couple of days have been blissfully autumnal, with blue skies and plummeting temperatures (coldest October since 1993 according to the weather girl this morning). The hats, scarves and gloves are now must-haves, which can only mean one thing. Christmas is a-coming. Eeek. This prompted a flourish of knitting activity over the weekend and I’ve come up with some new designs, which I’m really pleased with. One of these designs will be featuring in my little business, so you’ll have to wait a bit to see it. I enlisted the opinion of lovely Jaclyn with one of my ideas for little gifts though and now all her coins have found a new, snugly home.

The weekend was very lazy in an attempt to get better quicker. Annoyingly it hasn’t worked and I’m feeling worse again today. Sorry B for keeping you awake with coughing fits. After a little walk yesterday though, and after taking my new connies for a spin, I caught some very pretty leaves glistening in the last of the sunshine which certainly cheered me up. The trees outside our house are very old and impressive and I’m pretty sure the entangled branches house some magical creatures. Oh, like the Minpins. Roald Dahl anyone?

ps. the new brogues had to go back to the shop today. Here’s a tip for you. Don’t try on shoes you plan to wear with tights with crazy thick socks. Turned out they were at least a size too big and maybe three inches too wide. Blast. The hunt for black brogues continues.

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Thank you for all your lovely get-well-soon comments. I feel that I’m on the mend. Hoo-rah.

Things to smile about this week:

1. Finishing our nephew’s scarves for Christmas. Pretty simple, but they’ve got stripes and pompoms. What more can you want in life.

2. My new brogues. They were £5 in the sales. That’s right. £5. Awesome.

3. Eating B’s gingerbread house. Each week a member of his team have to teach the others a crafty skill as part of some team-building type thing. Laura baked all the pieces and then everyone had to build and decorate them. I thought B went to work each day. Turns out he goes to nursery school. Most fun working day ever.

4. Having our best friends round for dinner on Tuesday. Eating the pizzas B made, polishing off this chocolate cake and playing board games. So much fun. We love you guys.

5. Jammin' with our nephews last Saturday. Some sweet music was made. Or maybe not.

ps. of course the person who made me smile most was B who took awesome care of me when I was being a lame sick person. So lush.

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I'm ill. Sore throat, tight chest, aching bones: the whole schbang. I've taken the day off work and have been knitting through the general feeling of rubbishness. Oh and I watched Stardust. One of my favourite films when I can't be doing with thinking too hard. I also munched a Fondant Fancie, because you're allowed to eat anything you want when you're ill to make you feel better. Well that's the motto in our house anyway. (Same applies when you're feeling a bit blue or if it's a special occasion. Basically any excuse to eat lots.)

Thankfully I did get an awesome gift (bought by me for me, but a gift all the same I reckon) in the post to cheer me up. It arrived a couple of days ago and is now sitting proudly on our sofa. Thank you awesome Nath for packing it up so beautifully. I ♥ it. Visit her shop now for some brilliant vintage finds.

So it's a slouchy afternoon in front of the TV for me, hoping that I feel better soon and maybe feeling slightly sorry for myself. But ultimately loving that I have a day without going to work. There's always a silver lining, right?

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Yesterday it was our ten year anniversary.

Breakfast in bed, some lovely presents, a lazy walk around town and some new DVDs. We got home, put the PJs on and grabbed a blanket ready for some serious movie watching. And in case you haven’t seen it, Pineapple Express is genius.

As a treat we got some amazing steak for dinner too. We walked up to the meat counter in Waitrose just as they were reducing the super expensive stuff and got a complete bargain. We had a whole steak each (normally we share one) that B marinade in plenty of red wine, with some of his amazing rosemary and garlic roasties, peas and runner beans. We even used our fancy schmancy plates. This taste sensation was followed by chocolate fudge cake and some Green & Blacks ice cream for pudding. Dude, it was good. Real good.

We had such an awesome day. Just me and my best friend eating good food and laughing lots.

Happy anniversary my love. I adore you.

ps. the top two pictures are some damn cool presents. I designed the picture heart for B and he got me a super duper knitting needle roll, a lovely vase, some vintage fabric he found and some awesome wool. We love a good present selection in our house!

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I’ve been finding recently that it gets to Friday and there have been some rather lovely things that I haven’t posted about. Little bits and bobs that make life worth living and make me a happy bunny.

I love the This Moments some of you guys feature at the end of the week and Anna’s post a couple of days ago about things making her happy this week. Sophie’s Things to be Thankful For on a Friday is also really cool and last week she put a shout out to everyone to join in. So today I’m starting my own little Friday round-up.

Things to smile about this week:

1. The arrival of my new Chuck T’s in the post. My pink ones finally kicked it last week. I was tempted to get some red ones, but B persuaded me to go with the black. I think this maybe husband talk for “don’t buy yellow or red ones as I’m buying them for you for Christmas.”

2. Getting free things at press launches through my job. Brora just opened a store in Bath and I got these lovelies. They’re normally £25 each. For a pair of socks. Insane but oh so soft.

3. Peanut Butter Cookies. Ben had Monday off work and I came home to find two trays of my most favourite cookies. I may have eaten a lot of them.

4. Feeling my best mate’s baby kick in her belly for the first time. Most beautiful thing ever.

5. Getting my pay rise at work. Awesome news for two little savers like us.

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I have a new Store of the Month. It’s called Wool. That’s all I need to say.

Bath wasn’t exactly the friendliest city for a budding knitter before, but now it’s a whole different ball game. Turns out heaven is wool shaped and can be found round the back of Marks and Spencer. This shop has the most incredible selection of wools and they have the coolest knitting needles ever in the history of knitting needles. Friends, they’re tie-dyed. That’s right, tie-dyed.

But the best thing? The best thing is the beautiful colours the owner Laura has selected. I’ve been working on my plan for my future little business and one of the main things I’ve been thinking about are the colours I want to be using. I have a definite palette in mind and I may even have a little notebook with collages of shades and colour combos I like. If you didn’t know already, I’m a bit of a geek like that. And yep the business has a name and my sister’s even designing a logo of sorts for me, but it’s all still under wraps for now.

Last night, excited by these three new lovely bundles and the perfect timing of this store’s arrival (it’s like it was put here especially for me!!) I spent a while (aka all evening) scouring the web for inspiration. Now I need to stop spending so much time looking at other people’s amazing knitting and get started myself.

ps. the store even has it's own knitting class on a Wednesday night. It starts November 3rd and I think I might head along. I am a bit scared that the other knitters may be masters of the trade...surely the prospect of a new knitting buddy is worth it though, right?

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There's a crazy fabric shop in Bath that appears to be the one time forgot. It's got fabrics in there that must be 30 years old. At least. But sometimes, amongst the piles and roles of dusty fabrics, you can find a hidden gem. That's why I go there whenever I'm searching for something a bit different and, when I was looking for fabric to recover some cushions for our sofa last week, I found a couple of treasures.

How lovely are these prints? And they contrast with our sofa and Union Jack cushion (a wedding present!) rather beautifully. Plus I took the zips out of the old covers and whipped them up in about an hour on my Mum's far superior machine. Man, I love that thing. It's quiet and smooth and actually works when you want it to. I will be stealing it more often!

ps. thank you for all your lovely comments about our family's latest arrival. He is so cute, isn't he! x

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Introducing the teeniest Mallia.

B's bro Jace and his girlfriend met their little boy Austin at 9.45pm yesterday. His DOB is 10.10.10. How cool is that? He's very skinny but very long. And we can't wait to meet him.

Welcome to the world gorgeous nephew, we love you lots already xx

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We had such a fun birthday weekend. Or Birthday Eve, Birth-day and Birthday Boxing Day as B likes to say. On Saturday we had a long lie in and cups of tea in bed. And a few little presents, of course. Then we met B's brother and his girlfriend for cake and coffee in the River Cottage Canteen. Lemon cake with lemon icing. It was good. I forgot the camera though. That was annoying.

After a wander round town (and a new griddle pan for B!) we headed to the art gallery B's mum works at to see Shaped by War: Don McCullin. A simply amazing exhibition featuring McCullin's war photographs. Harrowing but beautiful. We've been wanting to see it, so were really glad we managed to actually get there. Sometimes these opportunities come and go before you realise it, don't they.

We enjoyed an afternoon nap (we're old now) and headed to our favourite pub to catch up with some other lovely people. It was fun and lots of cider and Guinness was drunk. Oh and then we had chips. Good times.

I forgot the camera. Again.

This morning I did a bacon sandwich run to one of our favourite cafes and after some lazing around, we headed out for a Sunday walk. Autumn has most definitely arrived and it was beautiful to see. An awesome weekend, only fitting for my favourite person's birthday.

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Today is a special day. Today is the birthday of my best friend, my soul mate; the person who makes me cracks me up a hundred times a day and makes me yummy food even when he can’t really be bothered or is very sleepy after a hard day at work. The boy who gets lovelier every day and even when I’m grumpy and not much fun to be around, is patient and charming and has me laughing in no time.

I love you more than you could ever possibly know B. You are my world; my heart and my soul.

Happy Birthday baby. I hope you have a stupendously awesome day xx

Picture taken last year on a rainy walk along the Cornwall cost. Our most favourite holiday location.

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October is a prime birthday month in our family. Tuesday it was my cousin Gabie’s 18, yesterday was my brother’s and tomorrow it’s B’s.

Last night we had a little family party for the boys complete with cake, jelly and icecream and bowls of sweets and chocolates. A faux Pizza Hut Icecream Factory if you will. I made B’s birthday cake in my lunch break and decorated it with white melted chocolate dyed green. The scene depicts Manchester Utd thrashing Chelsea and B was suitably impressed with my cake making/decorating skills! Next up, a weekend packed with birthday-related activities. Fun times are a-coming.

So, to my little/tall brother. We love you lots and are very glad you had a super day and liked your present. The last few months have been tough for you, but you’ve dealt with it all rather beautifully. We know that the good things peeking through the clouds right now will only get brighter over the coming months if you want them to. You’re an awesome papa and a pretty cool bro, even when you mock my shortness and give me scary fireman lifts when I don’t expect them. Happy Birthday Charlie xx