"There is no friend as loyal as a book" - Ernest Hemingway

My current wish list of books:

1. Helen Fielding - Bridget Jones: Mad About A Boy
2. Amy Silver - The Reunion
3. Maggie O'Farrell - Instructions for a Heatwave
4. Collette McBeth - Precious Thing
5. Adele Parks - The State We're In
6. Emily Barr - The Sleeper

So if anyone reading this would like to buy me an early Christmas present *wink* or send me their copy I would be over the moon! I know I can just request these at my local library but latest copies have a one week rental allowance and I cannot guarantee I could finish reading it in that time!

Soggy Walk

We had planned to visit Wollaton Hall today and when we woke up the weather looked extremely gloomy. Trying to keep positive I wrapped us up and drove us off, forgetting to put in the rain cover for the pram!
As you know I am trying to visit more places that are on my doorstep that I haven't been to before and Wollaton Hall was one of them.
Wollaton Hall is a stunning building which was built in 1588 and took 8 years to complete. It is built in the style of English Renaissance and it's appearance is a masterpiece. It is also a deer park where deer roam freely but sadly today they must have taken shelter as we only saw a few.
It costs £2 to park for 3 hours which is plenty enough and if you can avoid the pricey tea rooms and take your own flask of hot drink, it makes for a cheap enjoyable day out.
Benjamin and I got extremely soggy but he thought it was great as he got to show off his new wellies!

October

October is the beginning of all the enjoyable occasions such as Halloween, Bonfire Night and our son's 2nd birthday. I also feel October is an acceptable time to commence Christmas excitement, even if it commenced in secret a month or so ago for myself. I enjoy planning gifts to buy for everyone and even when money is tight, giving is still a very good feeling.
October reminds me why I would never emigrate from this country. I love our seasons and Autumn is by far the best. Why are fluffy, thick socks and cable knit jumpers so appealing? Autumnal fashion is my favourite too. That ultimate decision of 'yes, today I am going to wear my winter coat AND my scarf'

Sourced from Pinterest

The crisp mid-morning light fools us into thinking there is warmth outside, that is until the fresh air hits us straight in the face. The nights start to draw in and the curtains start to close earlier and earlier. The late summer evening buzz begins to hush as everyone retreats indoors to their fire lit homes.

Sourced from Pinterest.

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the Autumn tree." - Emily Bronte

Tight Month

We have had to budget for an awful lot this month. We have had to pay off the balance for a hotel room which we are staying in for a wedding we are going to (a total of £220 for one night *cries*), a new suit for Luke as he has lost weight and can't even get away with wearing his old one £100 and five family birthdays at £15 each totalling £75. We have hardly any money left for ourselves once our monthly bills, petrol and food are accounted for.

So when people ask me or Luke to go on a night out or go for a meal we really have to be careful. We try to balance it so that we each see our friends and also do things together when we have time. Obviously with having Ben we can't just both nip out at a moments notice.

We have both previously lived in a world where our social calender was full and we preferred spontaneous evenings rather than planned in advance, babysitter at the ready evenings. Everything in that sense changes when you have a child.

Not only that but as I have chosen to work part time it results in me having 4 days at home with Benjamin and I have had to learn to fill our time inexpensively! And as Benjamin loves to be out and about rather than stuck inside I have had to work around this without spending too much money.

So what do I do to combat this problem?

• As the old saying goes - there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. Whether it's a sunshine filled day or a gloomy dark day you can always go out for a walk. Just wrap up! It's getting cold now but me and my friend are this week, going round a local park, sticking our wellies on and filling our flasks. We are letting the kids run wild and letting their cheeks get pink. Sometimes all you have to pay for is the car park.

• I don't have a lot of friends with children but the ones that do we sometimes take it in turn to have each other over at our homes. I get all the toys into the living room for the children and make hot drinks and a home made cake for the adults, cupcakes or biscuits for the little ones. Even if you don't have the ingredients in like I didn't last week, I nipped to Birds bakery and spent a total of £2.50 on a variety of cakes which everyone enjoyed. A very cheap but wonderful morning was had by all!
• If I do venture out to a soft play centre I make sure I go when there is an offer on. For example, our local soft play centre has an offer on a Thursday morning where if you arrive before 10:30am you get the entry price really cheap. Or if you come on a Wednesday morning you pay the full price but receive a free coffee/tea for yourself and juice and a biscuit for your child.
• Although Ben is getting more and more interactive we couldn't, for example, bake cakes together or play a game together as sometimes he just doesn't understand it. However, he does enjoy colouring and playing animals so we would have a morning doing this and then I would get on with my own thing and he learns to do his own thing too.
• Visit family - sometimes we visit my parents or my grandparents and this is a nice, social thing to do for free. (Usually includes coffee and biscuits and allows me a bit of relief from entertaining Ben!)
• We have a play park nearby and Ben could spend hours there if I let him. We have a nice walk together there and I sit and watch him play or help him on the apparatus and then we have a walk back together. Sometimes we pop into the library next door to the park too.

I try and do something everyday with Benjamin. This isn't to live my life around him but sometimes it's more for me to ensure we get out and keep him occupied otherwise we would both get bored! The other time during the week I will be doing jobs such as having an afternoon cleaning where Ben pretends to help or doing the food shopping.

I believe it is all about utilising what you have around you whilst you are on a budget. Feeling glum because you can't afford that meal and night out on Friday? Pop on a DVD from your pile that you haven't seen in a while, cook up something you fancy (far cheaper at home) and buy a bag of pop corn for £1 in most supermarkets. You won't regret saving that £60+.
If I have a day with no-one to see and nothing to do, I make sure I do some jobs around the house I've been meaning to do but haven't got round to doing.
If I need a bit of relaxation I run a warm bath and indulge myself for a while.
If I have an hour whilst Ben is asleep I read my book or carry on with my sewing projects.
If I am fed up with my clothes or lack of, I organise my wardrobe and rearrange it all to remember what I have and refresh what I could put each item with.
If I can't afford to have my eyebrows waxed at a salon I spend an hour with the tweezers perfecting them myself.

It's amazing where you can save money even when you have a child!

Matlock - Fish 'n' Chips, 2p Machines and River Lights.

I have done a fair bit of overtime this week at work to cover people and help out a little. I don't normally like doing but I need to be flexible. It resulted in me working all this weekend just past and I missed Luke and Ben a lot so on Sunday once I finished work, we headed straight for Matlock.
We had a stroll past all of the shops and happened to linger in front of a shop called 'Fabric Design'

Image sourced from their web site.

We played in the arcade and changed too many pound coins into 2p's. Darn those machines, why are they so addictive?!
We marvelled at the huge array of motorbikes and their owners. Some of them look scary with their leather outfits and studs and spikes!
Ben had a play on the swings and then we stopped off for fish and chips. They were so good. I love a naughty treat now and again. (Or every day in my case - woops!) I forgot to take my camera so that is why I am rambling on rather than showing you the things we did.

And today we went to Marks and Spencer to get Luke a suit for an upcoming wedding we are going to and a lady must have overheard us talking about how much it was going to add up to and she gave us a 20% off voucher! My faith in man kind is restored! I haven't received such generosity in a long time. Then, Luke and Ben went for a hair cut much to Ben's dismay. I have to bribe him with copious amounts of chocolate buttons whilst Luke wedges his head still and try to stop his screaming. It's a traumatic experience to say the least!

We returned home and Luke decided to build a mini bird table with some scrap wood and I made some chocolate smartie cookies as my friend and her 2 year old daughter are coming over the day after tomorrow for lunch. I am making us the Pea and Courgette soup I showed you in this post and will add a granary cob.

This is before they went in the oven. They came out twice the size and all joined together. I made two trays so I will be packing some up in Luke's lunch boxes. These are the nicest, gooey-ist, chocolatey cookies I have made for a while. They are soft inside, on par with Millie's Cookie's which I adore. Luke is trying to be good so do you think he will believe me if I pretend they are low cal?

And to top it all off, Luke surprised me with a bunch of flowers. I am a lucky girl!

My Bookcase

I love my book case. I find comfort in choosing the next book to read or flicking through a book I have previously read. Sorting them into order of favourites and observing what sort of reader I am. I sound strange, I know but I don't care.
Whether I'm on a sunny warm beach soaking up the rays or snuggling under the duvet drifting off to sleep. Whether it's a lazy Sunday afternoon with a cup of coffee or midweek once Benjamin has gone to bed there is always time to read.

Above I have shared with you a selection of photo's from my book case. The first picture is a selection of my cookery books and the second are my craft books. The third and fourth are a series of books which I have collected over time.

The Agatha Raisin Series are slightly old fashioned books however they are so easy to read if I am in between books or just want something light and humorous to read.

The No1 Ladies Detective Agency books by Alexander McAll Smith are a detective themed series based in Botswana. I haven't got the all of them yet however I urge you to read these as they are truly magical. There was a TV Series based on them a while ago but it wasn't the same as the books.

I have compiled a small list of websites I look to for inspiration on new books or ideas.

1) Richard and Judy Book Club - Sounds an obvious one but I do enjoy a lot of their recommendations. A few times a year they release a list of books which they have read and think we will love as much as they do.

2) W6 Book Cafe on Twitter and Facebook - A Book Club/Cafe set up by HarperFictions and they provide you with their latest releases and also run competitions to win free copies.

3) The Willoughby Book Club - An East Midlands based young business about how a couple's love of reading turned into a business idea. In their words 'A personalised Book Subscription for the Bookworm in your life'. By choosing a category such as 'Bespoke Book Club', 'Contemporary Book Club', 'Classic Book Club' or a variety of others you can pay up front and each month the recipient will receive a book wrapped lovingly for their perusal. The idea is that they introduce you to new books that might not be heard of just yet. You can have personalised messages and they offer book subscriptions for children - perfect for present ideas. This is a business idea I wish I had thought of!

4) http://chicklitchloe.blogspot.co.uk/ -  I am not a huge 'chick lit' fan however some of the reviews that Chloe writes make me want to buy the book! She is sent books to review and gives her honest opinion even if she doesn't like it. She reads over a 100 chick lit books a year so she knows what she is talking about!

I have caved in and I am (fingers crossed) getting a Kindle for Christmas. Didn't think I would ever want one but as time if moving on and technology is evolving I should really see what all the fuss is about. I will never stop buying books and I will always support Waterstones and I will always peruse my book case but I actually feel excited about getting a Kindle!

Benjamin Birthday Planning

I know it's a while off but next month Benjamin will be turning TWO and I am deciding on how to celebrate and what presents to buy.

Now in terms of party idea's I cannot wait to hire out a venue and invite all his friends...however he is only going to be two. He doesn't have heaps of friends and I don't think he will remember or appreciate it if I spend £150 hiring out a soft play centre. I would much rather do that when he is a couple of years older and understands what is going on.

For his 1st birthday we had a big family party and probably spent more than £150 on buffet, drinks and decoration when we totted it all up.

I'm not saying I don't want to spend money on his birthday because I understand it is only one day of the year but right now, although he is becoming more and more aware, I just don't feel its a necessity to throw a lavish party for a two year old.

Cool cake idea - Pinterest

Luke has booked the day off and I thought it would be nice if we either went swimming or a walk somewhere with our wellies on. Or, because Ben is obsessed with every aeroplane he spots flying overhead, we were thinking of going to the viewing platform at East Midlands airport. Maybe have a spot of lunch somewhere nice. Also, I was going to make a cake and then in the evening keep the house as an 'open evening' for anyone who wants to pop over and see him. This is just a rough plan and I'm sure he will have a lot of fun (and us!).

He is being bought a lot of presents such as 'My First Scooter' and 'Push-a-long Motorbike' and I think my mum is buying him a pop up teepee/den type of thing. I thought me and Luke could put some money in his bank account so that in the summer months next year we can treat him to something nice.

What are you doing for your children's birthday's?