Today the boys are sharing their beloved books to read together at bedtime!

It can be tricky finding stories that are appropriate for both of them given their 2 year age gap, but all of these are firm favourites that we read endlessly!

I am also sharing the beautiful vintage inspired print pyjamas the boys were sent a little while ago from Their Nibs. 

Over the past couple of months they have become the boys' top choices and have been suitably road tested and ready to review!

As a parent, mornings still in pjs are to be savoured and so actually their bedtime wear is often the clothes they are in the longest! The ones that get splattered with breakfast, pulled around in wrestling matches on our bed and the ankles get pulled over the tops of their toes whilst watching a film on a Saturday morning.

For me, they need to be tough to withstand all that!

The boys feel grown up because they have an elasticated waistband "with writing on like Dada" and they wash and tumble dry beautifully. No fading, stretching or shrinking and the knees haven't sagged either unlike some of their cheaper character print supermarket pyjamas. 

They have elasticated ankles so even though Ollie's are a little too long still, they don't make him trip and the soft cotton has been lovely for Sammy's skin which has been delicate over the last few months with a rash.

I dress the boys traditionally (regular readers will know they have an extensive bow tie collection) and so these are a joy to see them in, rather than the scratchy fabric bargain versions with characters on they soon fall out of love with. The cowboy prints are young without being babyish and are perfect for us as they adore playing in their wigwam tent.

So without further ado, here are the boy's top bedtime books!

Bedtime is a happy time, time for calm and stories are brilliant for that. My boys love funny stories and it's magical to see their own little senses of humour developing. We are even at the stage now, with Sammy being half way through his first Reception year at school, that he reads a number of the words independently.

Mine are boisterous boys, so watching them lie together for a story at bedtime is wonderful.

Siblings who share a thirst for reading.

Do you have budding readers? Is reading a bedtime story part of your routine?

I'd love to hear what your favourites are to add to our little library!

The boy's were kindly sent the pyjamas from Their Nibs for the purposes of this article, have a peek for yourselves at their unique children's collection, you won't be disappointed.

I was so happy when Carpetright contacted me to work together as we are on a countdown to the big move now and carpets and flooring are on the top of the to do list!

It all hinges on tomorrow and the big question is, will we or won't we exchange?!

I am so glad that we plan to stay in the new house for at least 20 years because I am not sure I could take the stress again!

The first room that we will be getting up together is the boy's play room. The sooner they have all their toys around them the more settled I think they will feel.

We have big plans for the kitchen (which I will share soon) which means the current dining room can be transformed into a play space for the boys.

The room is a great size at almost 12" by 10". It has a large window over looking the garden and when we have finished the works in the kitchen the 2 doors off the hallway and current kitchen will be replaced with large french doors to let even more light in.

This is the boys current play room (in our dining room). 

It is almost the same size and as you can see bursting with toys! We are taking all but one of the bookcases with us as well as the green chest unit that fits lots of baskets in.

There was no real theme to this play room just a mis match of colours and I rather like that. But with the boys planning to share a new aeroplane bedroom this time, I have an abundance of gorgeous nautical themed accessories from Sammy's current bedroom.

So the question is, do I go for a red, white and blue theme in the new house or stick to a deluge of colour?! You can find all these images on my Pinterest board here.

Here is my current inspiration, if we abandon the nautical theme!

The one thing I know is we will be sticking to a laminate floor! With small children and dogs carpet in a play room is a no in my opinion! The boys love messy play, play dough and paints and it's so easy to just clean it up at the end of a play session.  

With two smelly dogs with scratchy claws I would always go for a laminate finish too, really hardwearing and if you fancy a change bring in a small rug in one corner for a cosy reading area.

What other ideas would you have for an awesome play room - I've seen some wicked ideas with swinging trapezes and hanging chairs.... on the dreamy wish list!

You can follow my Pinterest board for the play room here and I will definitely share the finished room once we are in! 

Posted in collaboration with

I am going to do my very best to squeeze an extraordinary amount of photos into this post, because quite simply you need to see them all! 

I was completely honoured to be invited by the team at Pedlars to visit their Central office and tour their warehouse, Charlie's studio, the farm on the estate and Farm Shop. I was giddy when I saw it was an overnight stay at no less than the only Prime Ministerial Library in the country, which the late Prime Minister (and Charlie's great great grandfather) Gladstone, lovingly founded with his own personal collection of over 20,000 books (with handwritten notes in the margins) and tried to contain my hysteria when we arrived for lunch to find who I was sharing the trip with.

The editor of Domestic Sluttery and her friend, the founder of Pretty Nostalgic, the well respected My Interior Stylist from London, the Entertainment Editor from Wallpaper Magazine and me. Me?! I felt like I was in blogging and journalistic royalty. And then, within seconds of sitting down for lunch, I realised that we all shared a common interest. A passion for vintage, alternative and creative ideas and instantly I was, too, a valued part of the group.

There were too many moments that I wanted to take a photograph of. Picking fruit straight from the trees and watching a bevy of pheasants fly by, brainstorming in Charlie's rustic barn studio complete with neon painted steps to what would have been a hay loft, and sat chatting, (almost without pausing for breath), with Nicole before we all met for dinner about a magazine I adore. To the founder!

It was a delight touring the beautifully and eclectically decorated Glynne Arms in the village, goldfish bowl glass of wine in hand, that is part of the Pedlars empire. A pub that is more like an interiors photo shoot set but with an atmosphere that makes you want to tease out your drink or dinner until closing time. The food was tremendous.

I even had to take a photo of my packed lunch we were all given for our train journey's home from the farm shop!

The best thing about the different facets of the business and the buildings they encompass is that the styling is all the team's own work. Their passion, their style. And the genuine and authentic purpose and love of each carefully selected and placed piece, shines through.  

Pedlars is true to their word. They do indeed sell wonderful stuff for your home. And vintage. Bone fide (every piece comes with a guarantee of authenticity), hand picked by Charlie and beautiful packaged, their vintage collections available on line are like viewing the gallery pages of a museum. Charlie takes several buying trips each year across the globe, shipping container loads from America and India. He has little moles and has built relationships with selected suppliers who can source him the most wonderful range of pieces that makes Pedlars a unique shopping destination. 

Every Friday morning they launch Pedlars Friday Vintage and on a number of occasions I've tried to click through and buy in the afternoon and someone has beaten me to it! There aren't hundreds of each product. These are genuine vintage items that need to be snapped up. To be saved and admired by their new owner.  

I have never felt more inspired in a group of strangers.  

And what was lovely, was it was obvious everyone felt the same. 

If you are ever in the vicinity of Hawarden you must visit the Farm Shop and the Library. Two totally different experiences. One bustling with shoppers and families stocking up on their fruit and veg and buying speciality foods from local suppliers, perhaps stopping for lunch in the thriving cafe and the other a serene yet commanding venue with an air of understated grandeur and elegance. The Library will take your breath away when you prise open the heavy door. I felt like I wanted to tip toe around whilst running my fingers along the spines of the books but only recently the Library was full for a successful first ever literary festival Gladfest!

And if you haven't clicked through to the Pedlars home page yet, do it now. You won't be disappointed!  This is on my Christmas list if Father Christmas thinks I've been a very good girl this year!

Thank you to Sophie, Charlie and all the team, it was THE MOST fantastic 24 hours! 

I came home to three Heath men waiting for me at the train station looking like a packhorse laden with goodies. The icing on the sweetest cake!