Birthday Surprise for Granny

Way back in June it was my Mum's 70th birthday.  My Mum is one active lady and we all joke that despite being firmly retired, she is always 'so very busy' - you know, theatre trips, Guiding, taking classes, looking after others, being a fab Granny... So her reaching the ripe old age of 70 came as a bit of a shock to me I mean 60 something is still at the end of middle age these days but 70, that seems to tip the balance into old age, a label I really can't attribute to my Mum just yet.

Anyway, to celebrate this auspicious occasion her very kind friends threw her a lovely lunch party and the Little Monster and I got crafty with the fabric paint and the sewing machine.  Following our success with footprints in fabric paint for Granddad's birthday I thought we'd have another go for Granny's however I didn't count on the Little Monster being a couple of months older and a whole lot more wriggly - wriggly baby = very smudged prints :/

The pink prints on the left were pretty much unrecognisable but the silver ones turned out a little better. As Granny is really into her scrapbooking I thought we'd make her a big denim bag to carry her albums in with the footprints as an outside pocket.  I found this pattern over at SewMamaSew for a really simple tote that was just the right size.  As I didn't have a lot of time an unlined bag was definitely the way to go and even though I'd never attempted french seams before I finished the bag in one nap time (my measure of time for all things crafty these days).  I lengthened the handles so she could wear it over the shoulder but left the rest of the pattern alone.

I know its getting lots of use as it was returned to me the other day for repair - should have double stitched the handles.

Going Bananas

Here at Monster Towers I have a bit of a reputation for making banana themed baked goods, you know banana bread, banana and blueberry muffins, banana pud etc. So when my hubby was feeling a little peckish the other night (he's one of these lucky people who never gains weight despite eating everything in sight), I had a look for a quick biscuit recipe and of course I managed to find one for banana and chocolate cookies in a really old McDougall recipe book that my MIL donated to me.

They were really yum and about ten disappeared in the 2 minutes after I took this picture - apparently fuel for body and brain, one of your 5 a day don't you know!

From Tiny Acorns Mighty Oaks do Grow

Well ok, not exactly mighty oaks but pretty decent runner beans!

Despite having a really good start in life being carefully nurtured in the sewing room window, these fellas have had a tough time with the wet summer and the inevitable slugs and snails; not to mention the heavy clay soil.

My 'natural' pest prevention techniques, i.e seeing if Brian the Snail and Cyril the Slug liked to fly, were having no effect whatsoever so I reluctantly resorted to slug pellets, something I was trying to avoid so the Little Monster could enjoy the garden too. However, these did save the day and we have definately been rewarded for the hard work - the Little Monster even had one with her tea :) and there are lots more to come.