Coastal love

So here I am again, writing about how much we love living by the sea and how we so adore the feeling of climbing into the car with salt on our lips and knots in our hair. Our happy place, our big space of joy, the calm and serenity of the sea is just utterly intoxicating and I adore that my children love it as much as I do.

We took full advantage of a warm afternoon and my Mum being off work and headed down to the sea straight after school. This trip wasn’t so calm though, with my Mum joining us we played ‘it’ for most of our walk. Chased seagulls, hid behind beach huts and giggled our socks off.

More trips after school like this please. Can. Not. Wait. For. Summer. GAAH.

 

The big smoke

A weekend spent in London, wandering the streets of Shoreditch and marvelling through Brick Lane.

Great company, delicious food, good weather, lots of (some terrible) cocktails, a gig and barrels of laughs. Not so great ending hugging the loo but we don’t have to talk about that, do we?! Overall a bloody wonderful weekend and I wanted to share my snaps here.

Char x

Dear Elsie.

Dear Elsie,

5 years ago you entered this world with speed and determination, nothing was going to keep you from making a fast entrance into our lives and I guess I should have realised at that point how much you were going to change my life.

I am the first to admit I longed for a girl after having your two brothers. Of course, I absolutely adore them with everything I have but I was desperate to complete our unit with a small pink one. And here you are, gracing us with all your wonderfulness and I feel so incredibly lucky that the boys and me get to be in your presence on a daily basis.

You are creative, kind and so very caring. You love to laugh and to make others laugh too, you love to be the star of the show and by golly gosh do we know it. You enter each day with a positive outlook, you take care of others (mainly the boys… and me) whilst taking pride within yourself and you do it all with a fist pump and a “go get ’em” attitude.

Your approach to school is delightful and something to be proud of. You take on everything that is thrown at you and handle it with such dexterity. I couldn’t have asked for an easier transition into your first year as school child, thank you.

You have fight in your belly and determination in your bones, and I couldn’t be more proud of you. You are so incredibly beautiful, to the point I do wonder if they swapped you at birth because wow girl, you are going to break some hearts. You are captivating and motivating and inspiring.

I love you with every ounce of my heart that is meant for you, I can’t wait to watch you grow and flourish. You are just the most perfect little 5 year old we could ever know, don’t ever stop being you.

Happy Birthday Darling,

Mummy xxxx

Saturday highlights #1

Whether at home or out and about – our Saturday highlights are going to become a ‘thing’. In a vague attempt to pick up my camera more and also because I want to blog more too.

So consider this Part 1 of our Saturday afternoon roundup.

Colouring, lounging, moaning about wiping bums, cuddles and coffee.

Me & Mine | February 2017

February… Errr. WHAT? Where did that go? Even sans the few days we miss out on in Feb – Those 28 days whizzed by in a weird windy doris induced blur!

#isurviveddoris #butmyhairdidnot

We had a lot of downtime this month, with a sickness bug taking over our half term we were sofa bound for the most part but we did manage to get out to the beach a couple of times. I’ve said it before but ‘big days out’ are totally overrated in our house. Beach trips, walks in the woods and park dates is what its all about for us.

So here we are at our favourite place on the planet, salt in the air and wind through our hair. (unintentional poetry for you.)

Funny fact – It was so windy and we were freezing when we took these photos. The kids were hungry and we just wanted to cuddle up on the sofa after a weekend apart. I didn’t check my camera settings properly and didn’t check back of camera mid session. Got home, uploaded them. All out of focus. So we’re winging it. I actually really love them! Not all bad!

I am still feeling incredibly chuffed that I am co-hosting this link up. If you don’t already join in – it’s not too late! You can join in whatever month you like, it is such a lovely project to look back on no matter how long you have been doing it. Do go check out the other wonderful co hosts and have a nosey at their photos too. Lucy, Alex, Katie, Fritha, Jenny and Lucy.

Char x

http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=277047

Day 1 of no puke.

Half term – Let’s do this. Let’s love it, enjoy it, bask in it. Let’s ignore the sickness, the cold and the snuffles. Can we kick ass, can we do a little jig and sing a little song, please?

Day 1 of no sickness.

We went to Hastings pier and then the beach. It was chilled, lovely, breezy. We loved it.

Some snaps.

Char x

I miss them.

When sorting childcare between me and Joe I didn’t think I would miss them as much as I do. I know that sounds ridiculous, of course I miss them when they aren’t here but I hadn’t accounted for the impact it would actually have on me. We have it all set out, the kids get the best of both worlds and it really is a good routine for them. But it means I don’t get a single full day with them without a club going on. It is breaking my heart and quite frankly i’m not sure how much longer I can do it for!

Half term could not have come soon enough for us this week, I am so craving some full days with the kids without a club to go to or an errand to run. This week is all about making time for just us, and I can’t tell you how excited I am. We have 3 full days out of the week just for fun things, we have nothing planned and we will just go with the flow. Stay in our PJs all day or spend the day in the rain – whatever takes our fancy. The world is our oyster and we’re ready for it!

Sunday nights are usually a bit of a rush after I get them all home. Dinner, bath and bed and it all goes in a flash and before I know it it’s Monday again and they are all back to school. So this Sunday we didn’t need to rush, we had dinner and we watched a film and spoke about our weekends. We talked about what we wanted to do this week and decided we would film a couple of our days too. It was as if an entire boulder had been lifted, it was such an elated feeling to just spend time with them and not worry about all the boring things we usually have to do. More of that feeling, please!

Project People | Self Portrait

One of my resolutions for 2017 is to challenge myself more creatively. Be it photography, sewing or writing. So of course, I have to start with photography as although it isn’t the ‘easiest’ it is where I most feel at ease. I always have a dozen ideas in my head, as any creative mind does, but one I wanted to put into practice was to achieve a self portrait I was mildly happy with. I preach to so many others about existing in photographs but the only photos I exist in are silly selfies on my phone, and nothing really for me. 

So I took myself to my studio and took a few snaps, 98% of which were outrageous and got laughed at then deleted upon uploading onto my laptop. But I was quite pleased with a couple, and so here begins my ‘Project People’. Starting, selfishly, with myself. Many more ideas to come and I have decided I will be using this blog as an outlet of photography and creative ideas more often than not.

Movement will play a big part in my photography this year too, so it only seemed fitting I get my L’oreal hair flick on.

*disclaimer. I can’t promise I won’t post the odd 50 woodland photo too.

Char x

 

2017, we’ve got this

2016.

You took so many incredible, inspirational and creative people away from us. You made me sob uncontrollable tears at Brexit, you made me fear for my childrens futures and even seriously question why I am raising them in this country. You made me angry with Trump. So fucking angry. You shot a gorilla. The Syrian crisis reached an all time low.

But.

You did give Leonardo DiCaprio an oscar. And that is just bloody wonderful.

And you moulded me.
You made me grow and learn and love.
You made me alive when all I felt around me was tangled mess.
I woke up. Finally, after 9 and a half years I woke up. I didn’t realise how low I had been for so long, and you made that change. And although 2016 was one of the hardest years of my life, it will go down as the most life changing too. I am so incredibly grateful for all that you have done for me this year, be it a weird twist of fate or purely coincidence. Or maybe this is just what was supposed to happen. My wild card drawn in the chapter of 2016.
For whatever reason, thank you 2016.

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goals // resolutions // plans // unachievable ideas

Travel.

I say this every year, but 2017 and me have a deal. We’re doing it. Throw the tent in the boot and head along the coast for the weekend is my idea of a few days perfectly spent. 2017 will see a lot more of this. I also want to do a few weekends away without the children, I want to enjoy them whilst I have them but I also need to enjoy some time apart too. The odd couple of nights away will do us all the world of goodness.

Challenge myself.

Just say “Yes!”. I need to say yes to more opportunities, I need to jump in with both feet and stop thinking of reasons why I shouldn’t do it and just do it. I need to challenge myself creatively, and this really excites me.

Focus.

Focus on work, focus on this blog, focus on parenting. Just focus. If there was an award for the person who gets bored easily and becomes distracted by something new I would hands down win it. I need to stop flitting between ideas and just focus on the things that matter most and knuckle down.

Read.

Read a book before bed, read more blogs, read more poetry, read more of the news, read more photography tutorials and articles. Read.

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With all of that in mind, I am SO ready for 2017. I am excited to meet new people, share more laughs and love with the people that are already in my life and get to know the ones who have entered my life in 2016 a whole load better. 2017, it’s on. Give me your best.

Wishing you all so much happiness for 2017, may it be filled with laughter and incredible memories. May it be fuelled on gin and wine. May it be healthy, happy and heartfelt.

2016 round up of my favourite pictures, grab a cuppa there are quite a few.

Char x

www.charlotterawlesphotography.co.uk

Christmas bucket list

I realised I never shared my Autumn bucket list on here a few days ago, I had it all written down and we did quite a few of them without even referring back to them so I thought I would share our Christmas bucket list instead!

We are definitely a Christmas mad household. I do go a bit fairy light heavy and I am super traditional in my colour schemes. I don’t do any pink/blue/purple decs I only do gold, silver, red, green and of cooourse copper! Last year I did a complete copper and silver tree and it did look pretty bladdy wonderful. I cannot hide the fact I am so so excited to get all the decs out and find all the things I forgot I had and start tarting up the house!

So without further a do…

1. Bake and decorate Christmas biscuits
2. Put on our Christmas jumpers and take a million pictures with the polaroid camera and make silly christmas bunting from them
3. Watch Elf. This needs no justification and should be on everyone’s bucket list as standard!!
4. Make our advent treasure hunt from the 1st December
5. Make at least 5 gifts to give to friends and family
6. Go to a Christmas market
7. Go to a Christmas fayre
8. Go late night Christmas shopping in our local town
9. Take the kids ice skating
10. Visit Father Christmas in a grotto
11. Make mulled wine. (and drink it. all.)
12. Spend one evening wrapping presents listening to Christmas music. Drinking mulled wine. A lot of mulled wine.
13. Go for a drive and see all the Christmas lights
14. Wear red lipstick as much as humanly possible through December
15. Make our own Christmas cards for close friends and family
16. Make delicious dairy free hot chocolate
17. Make up a shoe box to give to a local childrens charity
18. Write a letter to Father Christmas
19. Make a paper snowflake garland
20. Make a gingerbread house

I’m fully aware this is a pretty unrealistic bucket list for the next 6 weeks, especially with work being so busy this time of year, but a girl can dream! And of course no blog post of mine can be without photos so here are some of last years Christmas snaps!

If you are local I am also running a couple of days of Christmas Mini photoshoots in my studio, head on over to my facebook page for all the info!

Char x

Sorry! | Ordinary Moments

“And the award for worst blogger in the world goes tooooooo….. CHARLOTTE!!”

Yeah. I AM really crap at blogging right now and although I have been super busy, I really miss it. All the things I want to write down don’t feel quite right when I start typing and I guess it is just a case of writers block.

I can’t deny that I have been in a huge rut with everything the past month. I haven’t really settled into life with no kids at home very well and I seem to be making excuses for everything, reasons why not to do things and reasons to do them too when I know I shouldn’t be.

So this is me letting go, taking a deep breath and telling myself it IS all going to be okay. And also a HUGE kick up the backside. I had all of these plans and goals for September and not a single one has been achieved and that is all about to change! I am done moping and stropping. I am done acting like a teenage hormonal idiot.

SOOOOO… Hello October! I will be happier, less boring and MUCH more productive! Promise.

Whilst I haven’t picked up my camera for personal use for over a month, we did go to our first bonfire night of the year and I did have time to take some snaps! And nobody does bonfire nights like our Sussex crowd! Consider it the start of a fresh month and a few weeks of exciting plans! We are off to Norfolk, we have a few more bonfire nights planned and I am itching to get some cheesey autumn snaps of us to make up for my lack of September Me and Mine photos.

Char x