Happy Easter*

   *Hope the Easter Bunny brought you chocolate and not a bedwetting problem and lifetime of therapy like this poor child. 

Check out her rictus grin of terror and the sheer evil in his icy blue eyes.

More Easter horror here.

Lakota x

Spring resolutions and life lists

Despite my somewhat derisive post back in January about New year's resolutions, the fact remains that I am a girl who loves a list. I always have a notebook with me, and in addition to ideas for the blog, and random lyrics I've scribbled down so I can google them later and find out the name of the song, there'll invariably be a page that looks something like this:

 milk, bread, tomatoes, flour

pay in cheque

Easter bonnets - chicks - Poundland?

library books back
use up squishy bananas - cake?

PTA meeting - 7.30

New baby present

photographs for blog post

buy travel insurance

clean fish tank

Thrilling, eh? However, for ages now I've been meaning to write a list of things that wouldn't just keep day to day life ticking over, but would actually enhance it - things I want to do in this year, and the years beyond. It's easy enough to think 'oh yes, I'd love to do that', but I find unless things get written down they don't get acted on. The beginning of Spring is always a far better time to make decisions than the depths of Winter, and I've had 3 months since new year to give the matter some proper thought! I want the beautiful Frankie magazine journal I won in Kylie's giveaway to have some exciting plans and amazing memories written in it - not just shopping lists and reminders that the boys need new shoes.

Isn't it gorgeous? All the pages are beautifully designed, and I love the little touches like the perforated  calling cards, the ribbon bookmark and the pocket at the back for tickets and receipts and so on.

Anyway, here's my 12 things to attempt in 2012 (or the next twelve months if need be) - there's nothing too earth shattering here, just things I'd like to do which it should be realistic for a mother of slender means to achieve. And there's no New Year style deprivation either - I've had quite enough of that now I'm done with Lent.

1. Read 100 books this year - you can see how I'm doing with this on Goodreads

2. Go to a city/country I haven't been to before.

3.Date night once a month with husband. As espoused by every magazine ever. Hard to achieve in reality.

4. Learn to make proper jewellery ie. not sticking stuff to myself with glue

5. Actually attempt fancy biscuit decorating from 'Biscuiteers' book I got for Christmas
(if nothing else it may make a humorous blog post)

6. Keep in touch with friends better

7. Crochet something larger than a granny square

8. Get published somewhere other than my blog

9. Buy MORE clothes!

10. Try to make it to more boot-sales.

11.Start drawing again

12. Keep going with the blog and try to improve it - better photos for a start.

Some of these are from my 40 before 40 list,* which is in danger of becoming merely a list of hotels and travel destinations. We're actually all off to Scotland shortly for four nights in Edinburgh - when Sandy posted that she was going it reminded me that it's been on my mental 'go-to' list for years. So I can tick off number 2 - Edinburgh and Scotland itself will both be firsts! Any tips?

Do you have any plans for the year? Any new year's resolutions fallen by the wayside or worked out brilliantly?

Lakota x


*I'd just like to make it clear that it'll be before 36, 37, 38, and 39 too. It's just that the others aren't nearly so catchy.

Midweek pretties

I do love a bit of vintage jewellery. The boys and I dropped some clothes off at the charity shop, and while the eldest browsed the bookshelves for 'Beast Quest' books, I had a quick rummage through the saucer of  earrings on the counter. These were very tarnished, although I don't think they're silver, and one of the tiny pyrite stones is missing, but I thought they were worth £1.95.

A previous owner liked them enough to mend them, as they have different clips on the back.

I've been having a play with the photo effects in Picasa - trying to make a bit more of an effort with my pictures. I quite like this HDR look, what do you think?

I found this marcasite brooch in a junk shop a couple of years ago. It's a pretty good match for the earrings. Now I just need an emerald green evening dress and a suitable event to wear them all too...

Lakota x

Linking up with Favourite thing on a Friday

PS. The winner of my Facebook competition is Mary Lynn Riffe. Please let me know your address.