When composting could go so horribly wrong...

I was really chuffed at the beginning of the summer when I dug out the compost from a rusty old barrel. It was a beautiful colour and there was the most fantastic colony of worms living in the top half with the partially rotted veg etc.

I transfered the top layer into a new barrel, noticing it had a useful tap at the bottom, great for drainage I thought.

Picture my horror today after the rains we've had, I looked into the compost bin and there were worms floating in the water logged bin.

I quickly unscrewed the tap at the bottom and got a fork to try and loosen the compost so the water could drain down, thankfully I had put an old cat mat in the top and when I moved it aside discovered there were loads still alive. After I fished them out with a trowel I put them on the garden to live another day.

So the moral of this story is, always make sure your compost bin is well drained as it can be perilous for those vital worms.

Best toys

No 1 son has just had his 6th birthday.

I've been thinking about toys lately. We have far too many in the house, in our lives. Not that I don't agree with playing, I do. Playing is one of the most important aspects to a child's development and growth and as I have also come to realise, important for adults too. How else do we learn how to problem solve creatively, be co-operative, dream and aspire?

I'd like to record some of the toys/games that have been signicant to mine and my children's lives.

I hope it might inpspire you to play too.

The first I will tell you about is a peg doll. Literally a peg, with pipecleaner arms and perhaps some wool for hair.

I was about 8 or 9 years old, living in Nigeria. It was probably a gift from one of the other missionaries out there who thought I would benefit from such a thing.
I kept her in what I think was a pencil case, with some oddments of fabric, scissors, needle and thread. Whenever I got the chance I would open it up and stitch away, creating new outfits for her. I loved it.

It was my first introduction to design and fashion. I later progressed to knitting for my Sindy doll, then making interesting outfits for GCSE and A level Art, costumes in my degree and then working for Hayley J a bridal wear designer, where I got to do it for real! Designing wedding dresses and hand finishing them.

So if you are not sure of what to get a 8 year old girl or boy for their birthday, howabout making them a little peg doll kit. All you need is:

• An old fashioned wooden peg
• A pipe cleaner
• A pen to draw the face on
• Some wool and glue for the hair
• Oddments of fabric (if patterned use a design with small detail)
• Needles
• Thread (The plaited kind with lots of colours in it)
• Small pair of scissors
• Small pieces of lace and ribbon
• Small buttons
• and a Small box or pencil case to put it all in.

happy creating!

Fab book...

The Phantom Tollbooth (Essential Modern Classics)
by Norton Juster

I haven't quite finished it yet, but it is so good I had to tell someone about it!

It probably would be aimed at children age 12+. A friend recomended it to me saying `it changed my life'. There are not many books you read to which you can hold that claim. When I quizzed him further he said it made him look at things differently.

Without giving much away, it's the story of a boy called Milo who enters this strange world throught a phantom tollbooth. This world seems to be able to shed light on the quirks and idiosyncrasies of our world and the way we do things in an entertaining way. All I can say is please read it, it will change the way you view the world.

I think it will become one of those books that will be read, re-read and recommended in our household.

How to make virtually free or very cheap rugs!

A few years ago we visited a friend of ours and was so inspired by his funky and frugal way of carpeting his living room. He had got a load of carpet and samples and attached them together. I had a go doing it and got aching hands from the stitching. Recently I have discovered an easier way - hot glue!

So here is what you do...

• Get free or very cheap sample pieces of carpet from your local carpet shop (they have a clear out every so often when their neew sample books arrive)
• Lay them out in the pattern you would like.
• Plug your glue gun in, and make sure you have supply of extra glue sticks.
  
• Turn them over remembering to reverse the pattern.
• Holding pieces together as close as you can, run the glue gun down the join of two pieces.
• While the glue is still warm keep holding the pieces together and use the tip of the gun to rub the glue in.
• Keep gluing all the pieces together.
• When you have finished, it's worth waiting a few minutes to allow the last pieces to set properly.
• Place somewhere useful.

Things we say...

Holidays...

Just got back from a Christian family conference, had a great time. The children didn't stop playing from the time they woke to the time they went to bed. My one yr old was surrounded by a cloud of teenage girls who seemed to serve his every need and give us a nice break from his constant need to explore.

• I put into practice a tip that was given to me at the same conference last year.
• When packing the children's clothes, roll up the outfit for the day with pants and socks.
• Then either put them in a bag for that child, or lay them somewhere where they can get to.
• Encourage them to reach for a roll of clothes each morning when they get up, and dress themselves (dependant on ability and age of course).

It saves having to scramble to assemble a set of clothes each morning, giving you those welcome extra minutes in bed!

Shelves!

I am constantly on the look out for cheap storage ideas. Ones that will get "stuff" off the floor and on a wall somewhere. However, I also like things to be fun and look good. I think I have found the answer... and it's eco friendly!

Ironically its called the chaos bookcase! and can be found at Nigel's Eco Store