Happy Spooky 7th Birthday

We held B3's 7th Birthday party on the weekend, Halloween themed of course!

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Fortunately I have alot of Halloween decorations that I have collected over the years so the surprise theme change wasn't a problem.

Spiders and spiderwebs

Sparkly witches and more spiders; so there was something sparkly after all. 

Does anyone remember The Trap Door from the 1980s? 

I based this little guy on Drutt as my kids love that show as much as I do.

Over the years I have reduced the amount of sweets I serve at children's parties. There were eight guests and all the sweets were eaten by the end of the two hours.

I am pleased to say that all the strawberries and half of the blueberries were also gone.

I will never understand why children like these precooked, cold sausages. B3 doesn't like them but B2 does so I weakened and bought some for the party.

Our suitably blood-thirsty tomato sauce dish, bbwwwwhahahaaha (insert evil laugh here).

We played Pin the Fangs on the Vampire, Pass the Parcel, Freeze, Sleeping Lions, Musical Bumps and Aerial Apple Bobbing. B3 had seen a picture of this in one of my children's party books and wanted to play it. I thought it would be less messy than traditional apple bobbing so gave it a go. We tied apples, by their stalks, to a clothes-horse and had all the players kneel next to an apple. The winner was the child who managed to eat the most apple in the time given. It was alot harder than it sounds :)

There were spooky prizes for the spooky games. 

A spooky 'Girlie Ghost' from the Women's Weekly Children's cake book was chosen by B3. She was supposed to have a smaller mouth and eyes but the fondant icing caught on the edge of the plate and stretched just as I was laying it over the cake. B3 didn't seem to mind.

Mr Bee said it made it all the more scary as it looked like Edvard Munch's 'The Scream'.

Hhmmmm, yes thankyou dear :)

Snowdrops

I am so disappointed that we missed the 'White Gable' House open garden this year.

It is something we all enjoy doing together as a family (even B1).

We attended in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

We missed it last year and now we have missed it this year as well.

These photos are from our previous visits.

Snowdrops are such lovely flowers, they signify the coming of Spring.

Well, at least they do to me.

These sunny yellow crocus are a very cheery sight after the fairly colourless Winter.

It is amazing to think that when this field was planted out in the 1930s there were actually many, many more clumps of flowers than there are at present.

Daffodils are already popping their bright faces out of the hedgerows.

Soon the trees will be awash with lime green growth.

Guernsey had no snow this year, much to the Bumble B'eers disappointment.

The floral variety will have to suffice.

Daffodils

The daffodils are available in the hedge vege stalls by the side of the road.

You can buy a lovely bunch of unopened buds for only 50p.

This bunch is £1.00 worth of daffodils.

They are in one of my Maling lustre vases.

It is so grey outside at the moment their bright yellow petals bring a little sunshine right into my kitchen :)

£3.50 can make for a lot of entertainment

I needed to get out of the house.

I needed some cheap entertainment.

The charity shops were calling.

One and a half hours later....

I was entertained, out of the house, in possession of fine accessories and a lovely vase; what more could you ask for £3.50?

Jack-O-Lantern Invitations

I overheard B3 telling one of her friends that she was going to have a Princess Party for her seventh birthday.

I was so pleased to hear this as I have a huge amount of pink and purple sparkly party supplies I want to use up before my girls get to old to want a pink and purple sparkly party.

I was getting ready to make B3's invitations and I thought that I had better confirm the theme she would like, just one more time, just to be certain.

'Halloween, Mummy!' In those two words, gone are the dreams of my last 'little' girl party :(

I rummaged through my scrapbooking supplies and fortunately had some suitably pumpkiny orange card.

I wonder if my sister needs a huge number of  sparkly pink and purple butterflies and glitter?

If you need a laugh :)

The lack of sunshine is getting to me. This made me laugh so hard I had tears; just what I needed.

Notes from Chris

Please enjoy :)

Well done Australia

So much has been going on in Bumble Bee Cottage since before Christmas that I haven't been reading the Australian newspapers very regularly.

Look what happens when you don't keep up with the goings on; people power with united voices win the day.

Well done Australia (it is heartfelt, if a little late) xx