Things that made me smile this week

Posted in Family Life by A Spoonful of Style

Having breakfast out on the terrace in the sun.

Seeing my two-year-old daughter’s first ever pair of Converse (pink of course!) next to mine

Checking the weather forecast on my phone in the morning and being greeted by this! Not exactly a heatwave but a vast improvement on last month.

Finally fitting into my favourite pre-pregnancy jeans, one month before my last baby turns three!

My little princess in the gold crown she made at playgroup this week

Having tickets to go and see The Great Gatsby at the cinema tonight with a friend. Spending a couple of hours being transported to the glamorous 1920s in the company of Leonardo Di Caprio will be a fine end to a busy week.

5Jun2013

Patience is a Virtue (that I do not possess..)

Posted in Family Life by A Spoonful of Style

They say that practice makes perfect and, while I’m certainly not an accomplished gardener or photographer, I love learning (probably the reason why I have two degrees and a postgraduate diploma – staying in full-time education was much more appealing than getting an actual job!). My downfall, however, is my lack of patience – I want to do everything now and fast. But sometimes, especially when you’re doing something new, it’s better to take your time, think about it and have it all mapped out in your head before you actually do it.

Take these flowers I planted today which go by the rather impossible name of Osteospermum. I saw them in the garden centre and was drawn to them because they look like daisies which are my favourite flowers. Knowing I had an empty pot at home, I bought four and rushed home to plant them only to realise that I didn’t have enough compost so back to the garden centre I went to buy some more. Then, instead of waiting until this evening when I would have more time, I just had to plant them straight away even though I only had half an hour until school pick up time. I think they turned out OK but I can’t help thinking that if I had spent more time on the preparation and planting, the end result would have been prettier.

Both photography and gardening are skills that require patience and a steady approach, stopping to think about the composition of a photograph before you press the button or making sure the flowers are positioned correctly before adding the layer of top soil. I think if I could just slow down I would enjoy it more and as a result improve my skills faster. I’m impatient by nature and it’s an aspect of my personality that has been honed by years of working in a fast-paced newsroom where the next deadline was always looming. Perhaps if I could teach myself to slow down that would the greatest lesson of them all.

I had lunch at the garden centre with the loveliest companion.

25May2013

Date Night ♥

Posted in Daily Musings, Family Life by A Spoonful of Style

Ready to go out in skirt from H&M, top from Zara, clutch by Mulberry and cuff from H&M (last year)

After 17 years together (11 of them married), three children and four homes, my husband is still one of my favourite people to spend time with. Of course like all couples we argue (let’s face it family life can be extremely stressful at times) but he still makes me laugh and I value his opinion above pretty much anyone else’s.

But while we’re quite good at giving each other ‘me time’ (to do exercise, see friends etc) and socialising with other people as a couple, it always feels like a bit of an indulgence to book a babysitter just so the two of us ca go out together. Every time we do manage to organise a date night though, I wonder why we don’t do it more often. It doesn’t have to be a big elaborate occasion – this time we just went for a meal at a local restaurant. We had a glass of wine at the pub first followed by a lovely two-course dinner and were home before midnight so I still managed to make it to the gym this morning.

A chilled glass of rose tasted like summer even if the temperature outside was anything but. Chorizo and king prawn skewers with chilli mayo to start followed by chicken saltimbocca with pan fried potatoes and rocket.

20May2013

The Weekend in Pictures

Posted in Daily Musings, Family Life by A Spoonful of Style

I kicked off the weekend by having three of my girlfriends over for dinner on Friday night (my husband was at home but decided that it was safer to retreat into the living room rather than join in the girly gossip!). We started with some croustades filled with smoked salmon and a chicken and tarragon mixture, followed by Chilli Corn Carne and finished off with my lemon and white chocolate cake. They very kindly brought me some beautiful flowers that have brightened up the house no end. I also got to use my new placemats from Svenskt Tenn which I love but they make me feel a bit nostalgic as the design depicts a map of my hometown of Stockholm .

Feeling rather delicate on Saturday morning, I went for a long overdue haircut and colour and caught up on some celebrity gossip over a cappuccino . On a whim I asked the hairdresser to put some curls in my hair rather than the usual straight blow dry. I really liked it and have now booked in for another blow dry before one of the parties we’re going to next month.

This weekend we finally got some sunny weather so off to the garden centre we went on Sunday to buy some flowers to plant in the pots on the terrace. I’m not green-fingered by any stretch of the imagination, but I actually quite enjoyed it and think they turned out pretty good for a complete novice, even if I do say so myself! Now I just have to make sure they stay alive, and with my track record I know that’s the tricky part.

19May2013

American Vintage + Becksondergaard = My daily uniform

Posted in Daily Musings, Family Life, Fashion by A Spoonful of Style

I once read an interview with Vivienne Westwood where she said that she likes to wear the same outfit two days in a row so that every other day she doesn’t have to think about what to wear. It sounds like a great strategy but with three children, the youngest of whom is only two, my outfits rarely remain presentable for more than one day (if that!). I love fashion, but when the alarm goes off at 6.45am and I’m racing against the clock to get the kids off to school and nursery I don’t have the time or head space to think about experimenting with new looks.

So just like my boys have their school uniform I have selected some pieces that form the basis of my ‘mummy uniform’. It won’t set any catwalk alight but it’s comfortable to wear, looks good and can easily take me from the school run to a lunch date or shopping trip. Good basics are the backbone of any functional wardrobe and you can’t beat French label American Vintage with its flattering T-shirts made from the softest Supima cotton in a vast array of colours from neutrals to mouthwatering sorbet shades. I admit that I’m somewhat addicted to scarves and probably buy far too many, but they’re such an easy way to add a bit of colour or change the look of an outfit. My go-to scarf label is Danish brand Becksondergaard which has a huge selection of scarves adorned with stars, stripes, hearts or skulls.

Add a pair of Paige Denim Skyline jeans (their 29″ ankle peg cut is perfect for shorties like me as there is no need to take up the hem) and, depending on the season and weather, some biker boots or ballerinas and I’m good to go!

14May2013

Party time for young and old(er)!

Posted in Family Life, Fashion, Products I love by A Spoonful of Style

Much like the run-up to Christmas, the months of June and July are prime time for social gatherings and the calendar is already filling up with summer parties and birthday celebrations. There is not much that beats a glass of Pimm’s or two in the company of good friends on a balmy summer’s evening (hopefully a few warm days will be coming our way again!)

We have three parties lined up in the next few weeks and, having booked the babysitters, I can now concentrate on the more fun dilemma of deciding what to wear. As all three events will be attended by the same crowd of friends I want to vary my outfits without spending a fortune on new things. You can’t go wrong with an LBD and my go-to party outfits for this time of year are a short-sleeved knee-length black dress and a strapless maxi dress, both from Asos. Neither of them cost much but they are wonderfully versatile and work for both day and night.

I couldn’t quite stop myself from splashing out on a couple of new things though…As one of the parties is in a local riverside pub I thought this white sleeveless blouse from H&M would look good teamed with a pair of jeans and these neon heels and gold clutch from New Look. The bracelet is also from H&M and a steal for only £2.99, proving that you can easily update your party look without busting the budget.

We also have our own reason to celebrate in a few weeks’ time when Clemmie turns three. As she’s not at pre-school yet, I think I can get away with a smaller party at home with close friends and family. She’s the only family member with a summer birthday so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we can make use of the garden. I have found loads of cute party invitations, decorations and going-home bags online, but I think I will show those in a separate post when I have more time.