{good morning, two-year-old}

Today, Tilly is two -- a morning celebrated with a breakfast picnic, and a first play in her newly-finished, newly-furnished house.

Inside the house, she has a little kitchen, some animals, and a lovely miniature grand piano that our neighbours passed along. So far today, Tilly has been finding new and unusual combinations of putting these three elements together -- using a spatula to play a tune on the piano, cooking up a big pot of peanut-butter-and-animal soup, and sitting her little wooden tiger on top on the piano so that she can serenade him.

Now having a little midday rest, Tilly will no doubt be all-energy again in time for the dinner party she's having tonight for her friends. Let's hope they like stewed elephant.

 

 

And, if you'd like to see a little of us all in (stop) motion, here's a video that I've made, just remembering the last few weeks of playhouse building and decorating. 

Watch out for:

• Justin recreating one of his favourite Simpson's moments.
• Tilly walking the plank.
• me proving that IKEA kitchen scissors can do anything. Yes, even cut roof shingles.
• a lot of dancing cups, and a Marmite jar that likes to twirl.

Enjoy!

{all work and no play... yet}

This is the house that Justin built.

Perhaps you remember it as the giant pile of wood that I showed you in September? (Inspired by a little playhouse we saw while on holiday in Denmark) Well, that's almost exactly what it still was until last weekend. Almost all this -- walls, studs, screws, paint -- in three days. I keep having to pop out into the garden and touch it, just to make sure it's really, really real.

There's still plenty more to do -- several more coats of paint on the inside, and a whole roof to go -- and then the proper fun can begin. Curtains! Pictures! Little window boxes full of bright little flowers! Oh, and Tilly will probably enjoy it a bit, too.

Our final deadline is the 29th of June -- Tilly's second birthday, when hopefully a little crowd of friends will help her warm her new home with apple-juice toasts and a little summer picnic!