Sophie standing next to the steam train at Lappa Valley Steam Railway

All aboard a steam train to see Santa at Lappa Valley

One of my happy memories from our last family holiday with Jessica was a ride on the Isle of Wight steam railway. The girls loved the steam train ride and…

Jessica as a toddler with a speech bubble saying "From the mouths of babes" and the text "A linky for sharing the things kids say"

From the mouths of babes – January 2019

Happy New Year! From the mouths of babes is my monthly post capturing some of the things my children say. It originally started as a weekly linky but as this…

A double rainbow over houses - "#365daysofgratitude"

#365daysofgratitude – Weeks 51 and 52

The third year of my daily gratitude challenge has now come to an end. For three years now, I have been sharing one photo a day on Instagram of something…

Hubby, Thomas, Sophie (holding Jessica's picture) and me in front of our Christmas tree at Coombe Mill

Me and Mine – December 2018

For the last few New Years, my wish at the start of the year was always the same: to end it with my family still complete. As we saw in…

A Nativity scene with Sophie as Mary, Thomas as baby Jesus and Jessica as an angel

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my readers. I’m taking a break from the blog over the festive period but just wanted to say thank you all for reading my ramblings and…

Jessica standing in front of a tree looking out over a big branch - "Country Kids"

Country Kids 22/12/18

Merry Christmas to you all and welcome to the last Country Kids linky of 2018. This week’s linky will be staying open for a week longer than usual to allow…

A drawing of me sitting on the sofa holding Thomas with angel Jessica behind me

Grief and life after Jessica: Stillness in the storm

I sit on the sofa with a sleeping baby in my arms and a cup of tea next to me. For a moment, I think I should put him down.…

Sophie and hubby on the towpath next to a narrowboat

A festive narrowboat trip to Santa’s Grotto

One of my many happy memories from summer last year was our walk along Hatton locks. The girls had a wonderful time helping a boat through some of the locks.…

A double rainbow over houses - "#365daysofgratitude"

#365daysofgratitude – Week 50

For the last two years, I have taken part in a daily gratitude challenge – sharing one photo a day on Instagram of something I am grateful for. It’s taught…

A Nativity scene with Sophie as Mary, Thomas as baby Jesus and Jessica as an angel

Siblings – December 2018

I love watching Sophie and Thomas together. Seeing how gentle Sophie is with him and the way he smiles at her is just beautiful. It so reminds me of how…