Free Calendar Download - Mibo Studio

Don't you just love finding cute free stuff online? Well I sure do :)

During one of my surfing episodes earlier, I found this cute cute calendar that you can download FREE and print off yourself. I plan on framing the pics later to hang on the wall. 

You need to visit this site and then sign up for their emailing list. They will then email you a link to the download. Easy peasy! Thankyou Mibo Studio :)

Sunrise/Sunset

After seeing this post on Elizabeth's blog, I looked at the info for where I live compared to where my sisters and some friends live (as you do!) and here are tomorrow's times, lol!.

Me (Ossett, England): Sunrise 07:30 Sunset 17:07

Twin Sis (Livingston, Scotland): Sunrise: 07:44 Sunset 17:10

Little Sis (Derby, England): Sunrise: 07:27 Sunset 17:10

Jen (Lytham, England): Sunrise 07:36 Sunset 17:16 (hey! you get 9 mins longer in the afternoon!)

Renee' (closest was SLC, Utah): Sunrise 07:26 Sunset 17:57

Susan (Mesa, Arizona): Sunrise 07:26 Sunset 18:23 (and I'm not even going to mention wall-to-wall sunshine!!)

Stavanger, Norway: Sunrise 08:18 Sunset 17:24

Aberdeen, Scotland: Sunrise 07:46 Sunset 16:59

I'm sure this was as thrilling as watching paint dry for most of you. But it kept me out of trouble for a few minutes finding this out, lol!

Australia

My heart aches for those who have lost loved ones in the fires in Australia. What a tragic event. Even more so since some were started by arsonists. Thinking of all you down under right now.

MMMMMMMMMMMM Limes!

I went to Lidl today and they had limes on sale for only 7p each (about 10c). So I bought ten and am now looking recipes for them.  I'm definitely going to make a Lime Cheesecake with a few of them (a new recipe). Let me know of any ideas you have that take 7 or less limes!!  I'll be popping to Asda tonight to get the rest of the ingredients as I have vouchers to use.  I'm almost salivating with the thought of Lime Cheesecake! I'll probably make it tonight or possibly in the morning and eat it for dinner tomorrow (well for dessert!). I'll let you know how it goes!  I made some cupcakes a few days ago, but used a different recipe from normal. They were a disaster! They didn't rise at all! They were all flat and heavy. But that didn't stop the kids from eating them, lol! I'm going to make the cookies that are on Attic24's blog sometime soon too.  I already have a great choc chip cookie recipe, but I'm all for trying new ones too.

Don't forget to post your best lime recipes :)

Meme. and. the. pox.

Here are the rules: Bold the things you’ve done and post on your blog!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band 
4. Visited Hawaii - when I was 3
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis - haven't held one, but saw one on my neigbours window when I lived in usa
10. Sang a solo - unless you count in my car!
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris 
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables 
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train 
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked 
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing - no but been splunking so literal opposite!
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung Karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance 
47. Had your portrait painted 
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud 
54. Gone to a drive-in theater 
55. Been in a movie 
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class - does kickboxing count?
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar 
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job 
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone 
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle 
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life 
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake - not but been there
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Who's next? Leave me a comment if you play along so I can read your answers. 

Also, we got a phone call this afternoon from school. They asked us to come and pick up Zac as he has spots on his chest which they think are Chickenpox. We mentioned that he's already had it but they said that it's going round his class and that we needed to pick him up and keep him at home until next week.  So I'm going to check him again tomorrow and then possibly take him up to the doctors to see if he really has got it again. And I'm not sure whether we should take Nathaniel to school and school couldn't tell us whether we should or not!! Argh, what's going on!!

Oh, and another thing. I've given a few things away on Freecycle over the last little while and no-one has ever left a 'received - thankyou' message, or sent an email, or text me back to say Thank You.  I find this quite rude. What do you think?? I just gave away a Little Tikes train bed that cost £200 when I bought it new a few years ago. Obviously I trashed the mattress but it was still a good item to give away. Yet the recipient has not even sent a quick 'thankyou'. She has my mobile no. to send a text and also my email address.  Is it just me who things this is bad manners. Rant over, :)

odds and sods

It's been a while since I blogged, I know.   Here's a bunch of random thoughts!

* I enjoyed a fab weekend just gone. On Sunday, my sister had her baby's blessing down in Derby. It as lovely to spend time with family (my other sis and her hubby from Scotland came down too). And it was lovely to have cuddles w

ith baby Eli too :)

* LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!!  Yes, we've finally had a decent amount of snow (well overdue!). The biggest dumping of snow for 18 years they say.  The boys LOVE IT.  They've never seen snow like this in their little lives before! School was closed yesterday so they went sledging in the morning. We were back at school today, but only a small amount of the kids turned up. It was really nice having such a small group there! I was in at lunchtime and then stayed for the afternoon, doing individual reading with the kids.

* I was frustrated by a couple of things at school today. Firstly. Let's just say - as adults we are responsible for ourselves. We are big girls so surely we can't rely/expect others to spoon feed us (not literally!).  Secondly. Do not stifle childrens' creativity. I so believe in NOT restricting how children do things when it comes to them being artistic/creative. There is not only one way to draw a snowflake and who says that an adult's way is the only way, and who is to say how a snowman should look.  It really bothers me when adults want children to be creative - but tell them 'how'  their art should look and insist they alter or amend their work because, for example, the snowman should have an orange nose. I hope this makes sense without me going into too many details.

I'll come back to add pics etc later :)