Creating Something out of Chaos

Yeah Yeah

2011-02-02T11:52:00.000-08:00

I know. It's been a while :)

Update on previous post - last weekend was our trip to Chester. It was flipping freezing so on the Saturday we went to the Blue Planet aquarium and then to Cheshire Oaks outlet. Yummy meals and Krispy Creme donuts were enjoyed by all!!

I was planning on going into Chester on the Sunday but it was just too cold so we had a lazy morning and had lunch out on the way home.

All this travelling was done in my new car! Two weeks ago we bought a Vauxhall Zafira. My old car was getting to the age where it was going to start needing lots of work (read: money) on it. I just felt that now was the right time to trade it in. Our Zafira is just over 3 years old. Its price when brand-new was £18k and we paid £6k. It's only done 16,000 miles and is like a brand new car. It's crazy to think that in 3 years it has lost 2/3 of it's value - a total of £12k!!! One reason I'd never buy a brand new car, thank you very much :D

Also, I'm still using the laundry detergent from the last post. I don't even think I've used half of it! And still loads of the shampoo left (and I wash my hair everyday!).

Will update more interesting news later.

Recent Bargains

2010-09-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

I've booked a one night stay in Chester at a Travelodge for £9 (about $13.50) for a family room. My friend recently went to Chester for a weekend and says it's a lovely city so when Travelodge had their recent sale I booked a room there. We are going at the end of January to tie in with David's work shifts. Can't beat a price like that can you!! The rooms are basic but clean and to be honest, what more do you need for just a one-nighter??

I also got a great deal on laundry products and shampoo at Sainsburys yesterday. Certain laundry products were on offer at half price which in itself is a good deal. But they had an offer where if you bought £10 of goods (including the items that were already half price), you got 2 x £2.50 vouchers - one for laundry detergent and one for shampoo (items that were also in the first deal). Now keep up here because it sounds more complicated than it was, lol. I spent £10 and got 3 bottles of detergent (already half price remember?!), got 2 vouchers. Went back and got more products that totalled £10, used the 2 vouchers previously given, paid about £5 cash. This generated another set of vouchers. Did this a couple more times. Finally, when I'd had enough!! I went back and used the vouchers for a laundry detergent and shampoo and only paid £1.50.

I now have 7 bottles of detergent and 5 bottles of shampoo. The value of these goods is £78.45

and I paid £24.20!! The detergent should last me at least 6 months and similar for the shampoo (they are big bottles). Deals like this are obviously only good if you actually need the items and will use them and if they don't have expiry dates on! Some people on the forums I visit have bought shelves and shelves of these deals! I only bought what was sensible for me to store.

Then yesterday afternoon I went into Ossett to get a few bits and bobs. I went into one store to get a few items for the freezer and at the checkout I was given 4 packs of yogurt frubes. Each pack has 6 inside. My kids have these in their lunch sometime so are items I normally buy. They are today's date and so they wanted to get rid of them. I brought them home and popped them in the freezer. I'll put one in each boy's lunchbox on a morning when I get them ready. They keep all the other items cold and by lunchtime they have defrosted and are ready to eat! They cost £1 a pack so I received £4 worth FREE. Can't beat that :)

New School Year!

2010-09-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

Well we are now 2 weeks into the new school year and the days are flying by!! Nathaniel is now in Year 5 and Zac is in Year 3. Nathaniel has the same teacher he had 2 years ago so has just transitioned smoothly. Some of his friends are in the other class and so misses them, but has still got lots of friends in his own class. And of course he can play with the others during playtime. Nathaniel just get on with things. No drama, just plods along! Zac is in the class that I worked in last year so I know his teacher very well! It's a lovely class and he seems to be doing fine, if he just picks up the pace of his work. He struggles with his handwriting (being a leftie!) so it sometimes takes him a little long and looks like a spider walked across his page, bless him!

I'm finding the days busy and speedy! I'm in Year 2 from 9am until 12 noon. Then I assist a Year 3 child from 12 until 1pm. I have a 20 min lunch break then work in Year 4 from 1.20 until school ends at 3.20pm. I barely have time to breathe, but I love my job!! All the teachers, staff, kids are fab!! Couldn't ask for a better place to work!

This next weekend I'm going on a school residential from Friday until Monday so that should be an interesting experience! There will be about 45 eight year olds and 5 adults. I'm really looking forward to it, to get to know the kids better in a different environment. When we get back, we have the Tuesday off work to recuperate, lol.

Meet my Washer

2010-09-03T08:52:00.001-07:00

It's here!! It's here!! It's here!!

My washing machine has arrived!!

My 'man with a van' delivered my new machine, plumbed it in, and took my old one away. All for £30. The store were going to charge £80 for this service. Even if I had been able to collect the machine myself in the car and plumb it in myself, the council would have charged £10 to collect and dispose of the old machine. As soon as it ready, I put in a few shorts and shirts of the boys and put it on a quick wash. 29 minutes later, freshly smelling laundry was pegged on the line. I can't believe how much I appreciate being able to do something simple as laundry my clothes again!! The things we take for granted.

Here she/he (what gender are washing machines?!?!?):

York part 2 - Site Seeing

2010-09-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

I apologise for the poor quality of theses pictures. I used my iPhone to take them as I had forgotten to take my camera with me. There are lots more pictures on my facebook page. We had a lovely time just walking around the city. We went into the entrance of the Minster but didn't go all the way in as they charge admittance which would have been quite costly for the four of us. The boys enjoyed what they did see of it, however. We marvelled at how it amazing it was that something this awesome could be built without all the technology and machinery we have today. There is no way to get the whole outside of the Minster on one photo because of its vastness. It's truly a beautiful building!

We also walked down the cobbled streets, including the most famous of all The Shambles. I love all the quirky little shops and alleyways!

We went for a walk on the city wall. The wall is 1.9 miles around the city. The boys loved all the information that David gave them on the way around regarding the historical nature of the city. They loved looking through the slits in the stone walls that the soldiers would have shot their arrows through.

York is such a great city and we must go again sometime soon. Even at this time of year the place was heaving with people. I guess it was a beautiful day, around 70 degrees F. And it's such a tourist destination. The little tea-shops were full to the brim and the famous Betty's tea-shop had a long queue outside. I guess tea-shops are so quintessentially English that it's a must for a tourist to visit! When we were walking around the wall, we could see into the garden of a tea shop and it looked so civilised! Ladies sitting out having tea and cakes in an English country garden!

York part 1 - shopping

2010-09-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

Because yesterday was the last day of the summer holidays that we would all be home together, we decided to have a day trip out. Plus, the weather was beautiful so it would have been a shame to have just stayed home. We debated on where to go and came up with York! It's only about an hour away but somewhere we don't get to very often. Since it was about 10am before we decided where to go, York was perfect as we'd still get there before lunch and have an afternoon out.

Now going to York with David and the boys meant that I wasn't able to go shopping. David suggested I go later in the year with either friends or sisters and go shopping, possibly Christmas shopping, so I'll be sure to do that :) There are so many beautiful shops (with prices to match!!) but what eye candy!!

Here are just a few drool worthy shops I saw. I couldn't take too many pictures as David and the boys were giving me strange looks!

David did comment on the number of jewellery and watch shops and enjoyed looking in the windows, as evidenced below. David likes watches but at these prices (notice the price of the watch at the back of the picture that David liked!!) we gave it a miss, lol.

Wash Day Blues

2010-09-01T01:58:00.001-07:00

So I've been without a washing machine for a few weeks now. I have a combined washer/dryer and about a year or so ago the drying function ceased to function! It was fine for washing until the past few weeks. It wouldn't drain the water out. So I had to do it by hand which just isn't fun!! I've been taking my laundry to my mom's to do (she's fab!!) and last Tuesday finally got around to ordering a new one. They called me on Friday to arrange delivery for today. So I got up this morning and called the hotline to find out my 4 hour delivery slot. But of course they knew nothing of my delivery. It hadn't been entered on the system. They said they could arrange delivery for 2 weeks time. Two weeks!!! Mmmm, no way Jose!!! I told them I specifically mentioned that I needed it before Monday 6th since I was back at work then! The lady from customer services just called and said that she MIGHT be able to get delivery for the weekend but didn't promise anything. I'm waiting to hear back. If I don't hear back by lunch I'm going to call them to cancel and order from somewhere who CAN deliver me a machine!! Is it too much to ask that I can actually do some laundry?? And we are actually having some lovely drying weather this week. Just my luck!!

Thrifty Goodness

2010-08-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

Most car boot sales are held on a Sunday, which is infuriating for me as I don't shop on Sundays for religious reasons. So when I find sales that are on a Saturday I get excited (I'm easily amused, obviously). I've been lucky this season to find a few to go to. The biggest and best is at a local rugby union ground. It's HUGE. It takes several hours to walk around. They have one on a bank holiday Monday in May (which I attended) and then one on August bank holiday Monday (next week!!). They have others throughout the summer but on Sundays. I also went to one at a local Catholic church, a couple at a field a couple of miles away, and then a couple just up the road from me. I've just the one at the rugby ground to attend next week then that's it for the year. I can't even tell you how much fun I have walking round the sales!!

So what have I bought this year? Well I've been looking at kids clothes (as usual). I buy jeans and tshirts mainly. My kids wear a uniform to school so only wear regular clothing for playing. Therefore, I don't want to spend a fortune on them! I usually spend either 20p or 50p and item. Last Saturday, I bought 3 pairs of jeans for Nathaniel for 20p each. My kids are growing like weeds!! Nathaniel has just turned 9 but needs age 10 jeans and I look for age 8 for Zach. I was also fortunate to get lots of hand-me-downs recently too so they are well stocked for the next year or two.

I've also been buying clothes for my nephew Eli who is about 20 months old. I've bought some fantastic items, again for 20p or 50p each including designer brands such as Diesel and Timberland. I'm glad I can help out my sister as she has very little time to attend sales herself as she's usually working Saturdays. Plus she's busy renovating a house they've just bought and looking after her little boy while her husband has his own business! AND she's just graduated from university!! Crazy busy woman!! And I have to admit, buying little boy/toddler clothes is far more fun than buying older boy clothes!

On Saturday I also bought a few bits for my mum. I bought her 3 Slimming World recipe books for 50p for all 3 total! And 2 cushions (Ikea) that match 2 she already has for Christmas.

I've been buying myself some fun costume jewellery and accessories this year. I have a drawerful and love to have a rummage in it to find bits to finish off an outfit. I've also been fortunate to find some shoes this year. One pair is from Wallis - black patent heels. Worn once. £1.50. And another sale I found a brand new pair of black patent shoes with cone shaped heel with a strap for £2.00. I'd been looking for a pair exactly like that so was excited and couldn't believe my luck when I found them!! I've also bought clothes for myself. I pay either 50p or £1 an item. In fact, the top I get the most comments on was £1 at a car boot in May!! Most of the clothes are smart clothes for work and church. I get a thrill looking at what I'm wearing when sat in church, knowing how little I've paid, lol. And they all look new!

I've also scored on some fab childrens books too. Again, either 10p, 20p or 50p each. I bought another copy of The Jolly Postman for school as the library copies are a little dog-eared since they are so popular. I bought it along with 2 others for £1 total. I also bought Pigeon Finds a Hotdog which has to be one of my favourite books for 25p. And last week I bought Man on the Moon (a day in the life of Bob) for 50p. At one sale I bought 10 books for £1 including a brilliant one on Ancient Rome that we were able to use at school. I have a 'thing' for kids books. I have to really control myself or I'd buy way more than I do!

I've also bought some magazines because I can't bring myself to pay full retail price. I got a pile of O magazines and some Everyday with Rachael Ray cooking magazines. 20p each is good for me! I've also bought a couple of DVD's for £1 each including Rat Race which the kids LOVE and Juno (which I'd not seen but wanted to!).

I know I've bought way more stuff than listed here - I should have made a list and taken a picture after each one! I'll have to have a wander through the house one day and take pics of things I've bought at car boots or charity shops and pop them on here just for fun. And hopefully after Monday's upcoming car boot sale, I'll have more bargains to show :)

Summer Time

2010-08-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that we only have one more week after this one until we go back to school?? It's gone wayyyyy too quickly for my liking!! I was ill for the first two weeks though (some sort of chest infection that rendered me bed-bound!) so that shortened the actual time I had to do stuff and enjoy the break!

We haven't been away (we went on our vacation back in May) so have just pottered around here. Sometimes it's just nice to spend time home, doing very little, just enjoying each others company! We've had crazy weather though - some hot sunny days, some cold rainy wet days, and everything inbetween, lol.

A couple of weeks ago my grandad celebrated his 90th birthday and we all went out for lunch with him. He does so well for his age. He's just decided that he's not going to drive his car on an evening when it's dark as his vision isn't so good when it's not bright. Up until just a couple of years ago he used to go to mainland Europe for a month or so every August - getting the ferry and driving thousands of miles! And he speaks the language of wherever he goes. He can get by in Spanish, French and German. Pretty cool! I hope I'm as active as he is when I'm 90. Although I'll probably be drooling in a corner somewhere, lol.

My washing machine broke a couple of weeks ago so tomorrow I went and ordered a new one. It will most likely be delivered next week. That's one of the exciting things I have to look forward to before school starts again. It gets exciting around here I tell you!! :) I'm sure you're jealous!!

We went to Ikea yesterday as they were celebrating 15 years of Ikea in Leeds and they were selling their hotdogs at 15p at the Bistro. So I pushed the boat out and treated the kids, heck they could have two if they wanted, lol. They had a hotdog and an icecream each. So 50p total per kid. I'm generous to a fault, I am!! I actually had 2 hotdogs (no icecream). £1.30 for lunch. Excellent hee hee.

As time goes by..............

2010-07-18T13:16:00.001-07:00

On Friday we celebrated Nathaniel's 9th Birthday. Nine!!!! Can you believe it?? I certainly can't! He is growing up so fast. And my baby, Zac, is now 7. How I love those boys!! They are so different personality and looks wise.

Nathaniel likes playing with the bigger kids. He's a smart kid too. Loves Math, Science, History. Doesn't particularly like reading, literacy etc. Much more a facts kinda kid. And he know what he's good at, lol. He loves his sports - loves a game of footie and is quite good! He's going into year 5 at school in September. Just 2 more years until he goes to the high school. Gulp!

Zachary is my little cool dude. So loud and confident, whereas Nathaniel can be more of a thinker. He too is brilliant at Maths but he's also a fantastic reader. He loves reading and is flying through the books at school. He's a muscular, tough kid. He plays with kids his age or younger at school. He's very sensitive and has a strong sense of justice. He hates it when people get in trouble for things they didn't do at school and can get emotional about it. He still loves hugs and kisses from his mama!

Both kids are social and popular and are never short of friends. They are generally good kids but do have their moments (usually with each other!!). I do worry about them being sheltered. They aren't very 'street-wise' but I just want to protect them! I like them being at home or with family/close friends. They LOVE spending time with their Nana and Grandad and their other grandparents. They LOVE their aunts, uncles and cousins and are so blessed to have many of them close by.

I know my kids aren't perfect - but they are perfect FOR ME!

For Nathaniel's birthday, we went to Flaming Dragon - an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. He took a friend with him and we had a lovely time. On the way home I dropped Zac and Nat off at my parents where they were having a sleepover. My boys (along with my nephew, Eli) are the apple of my parents' eyes. They dote on those boys and love them as much as I do. They would do ANYTHING for them and they know it :) They wrap my parents round their little fingers, lol. David and I had a quiet night in, watching DVDs and enjoying the quiet!

On Saturday morning we went to a local car boot sale. It was only a small one but I still managed to get a few fun things. I got a small tan leather bag for 50p, a larger Italian leather bag/purse for £3, a Bop It game for £2. Some clothes for Eli (mostly 20p an item, some 50p), a cute cotton tote bag for me made of an retro owl print fabric for 20p, a wooden airplane toy for Ethan for 50p, a few necklaces for 30 to 50p each. That's all I can remember for now! I'm looking forward to the really big car boot sale I go to on August Bank Holiday Monday.

Just 7 more school days to go until the summer hols. It's a long time coming! The summer weather has gone for now but I hope it comes back soon!! I'm actually looking forward to the break so I can get some jobs done around the house before I start my new jobs at school in September. I'll be working 30 hours so won't have much time for house projects!!

Here's wishing everyone a happy week :)

Grinning like a Cheshire cat

2010-07-01T11:00:00.001-07:00

A couple of days ago, the headteacher at my school told all teaching assistants what jobs we'd be doing from September. And I've been grinning like a Cheshire cat since :) At the moment I'm working 12 hours a week with a girl with a statement of needs for speech/language. I also supervise an autistic boy during the lunch hour. Well from September I will be working with the same girl on an afternoon and on a morning will now be a TA for a Y2 teacher (who I LOVE!!) covering the whole class. So working a total of 25 hours (not including lunchtime). The headteacher has decided to give me the extra hours and in a younger class on a morning to help me get more experience that will help me get on the GTP for next year. I'm so happy!! I feel really blessed that they are doing all they can to help me. Then hopefully if I get on the GTP next year, I will go back into the class I'm in this year. I need to make the most of these opportunities and use them to their fullest to get me on the GTP and then obtain QTS. I'm finally starting to feel positive and that I WILL get there!! And it's so great to have the support of my school.

MOJO

2010-06-25T16:35:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get my mojo back.

After the disappointment of not getting on the GTP for this year I'm attempting to lift myself back up. I just felt disheartened, gutted, angry, annoyed and other such emotions. I started to doubt my own abilities and potential and need to shake those feelings off. I still have moments when I feel 'why bother trying, I'm probably not good enough'. The fear of future rejection sometimes scares me into thinking can I bear trying again. And I know that's just stupid. And then I hear of other people's successes and that just magnifies my feelings of inadequacy again. This probably makes no sense to anyone. Just what AM I suppose to do with my life??? Answers on a postcard.............

Loser!

2010-03-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

I've just realised that I've not updated on my weight loss. I've now lost 28 lbs. Pleased about that, but this week I've just eaten whatever I've wanted - pizza, chocolate, junk!! Need to get back on track and get focused! It would be so stupid of me to undo the good I've done so far. So here's to the next 28 lbs!! :D

Blah-Dom

2010-03-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

Oh how I've neglected this poor little blog of mine. Not that anyone has likely noticed, lol. We've had Christmas, new year, valentines while I've been absent. It's just a case of not finding the time!

In January I started a new job at school as a teaching assistant in the mixed Y3/Y4 class and love it! I work 18 and a bit hours a week which keeps me busy! It's so wonderful to get paid for doing something I just love :D

Working as a TA has just made me realise that I want to be the teacher!! So since this 'wonderful' country doesn't recognise me as a qualified teacher, I need to jump through the hoops to get qualified status here. Which is so frustratingly difficult really. There's no way I'm going back to university to get qualified (isn't my 4 years enough??!!) so the best option is the GTP (Graduate Teacher Programme). Basically this is a program for anyone with a degree that is relevant to an area of the curriculum and some classroom experience to gain qualified status. It's a classroom based program which means you are assigned to a school, get paid as an unqualified teacher, and work along another teacher gradually taking on more and classes as the year progresses. It's a year long program. So this is what I want to do. Along with millions of others!! It's ridiculously difficult to get a place on the program. Hundred and hundreds apply for a handful of places. In the school district I work in, there are 6 places for next year! 6! Well I applied but didn't hear anything!! But I also applied for a neighbouring school district (don't ask about the 10 hours it took to complete the application form and self-audit which I sent but don't have a copy as my old laptop died last week!!) which has 18 places available for 2010/2011. Well I have an interview!! In two weeks time! And this interview has been on my mind since I got the letter a couple of days ago. This is my one chance this year to move forward with my career. I want this soooo bad and the thought of messing up the interview, or not being able to impress on the panel my suitability for the program and how wonderful I am(!!) scares me!! So please be thinking of me on March 16th!!! Because not only may I not have a place on this course next year, I might also not have a job at all! Our school is having to make budgetary cuts for next school year due to having to make payouts for unequal pay in past years. So the only place they can make cuts is in TA staff. And me being last in doesn't bode well.

So the last few weeks (and the upcoming weeks) will involve me reading up on all current issues in education to prepare myself for the interview. My head is full of APP, Letters and Sounds, the new national curriculum, AfL, Every Child Matters, Safeguarding Children, Rose Report, blah blah blah blah blah etc!!

I hope to update with good news in the next month or so. If I don't, please be gentle with me! It's been over 17 years since I started on my journey to becoming a teacher. Surely I'm ready!!??!!

I'm a loser :)

2009-11-25T06:46:00.000-08:00

I hadn't managed to get to my slimming club for the last 2 weeks as I was working the first week then the kids were sick last week. Well I went yesterday and lost another 4 pounds. So that's 16 pounds in 8 weeks so I was really pleased about that! I'd like to lose another 5 before Christmas which is definitely realistic. I can tell a difference in the way my jeans fit. I can't wait until it starts to become noticeable to other people, especially since I've not told many people I'm doing it. When people who don't know I'm doing Slimming World comment, then I know it's really showing as they aren't particularly looking for it. So I hope to be able to update after Christmas with news that I've met my mini target :) I'm really positive about doing the program this time around and don't find it difficult at all. I am never hungry as I eat a normal diet. In fact, I could even say that I'm enjoying it!

Craft Sale - this Friday!

2009-11-18T07:02:00.000-08:00

We have been so busy lately getting ready for Friday and I'm so excited! I'm kind of nervous too - wondering how people will receive our creations, will they love them like we do!! Finishing touches are being made and inspiration for next years items are being received. No sooner do I finish one project than another one is whirling away in my head! (in fact usually before the current project is finished - so many things, too little time or talent!).

Don't forget that after the event any items remaining will be put on our blog http://cuteasabuttonuk.blogspot.com for sale. That's if there's anything left, lol. Of course there will be! But I can always dream that we will sell out completely within the first hour, ha ha.

Wish us luck :)

Craft blog is live :)

2009-11-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

Our craft blog for our craft sale is now live :)

http://cuteasabuttonuk.blogspot.com is the place to visit!!

If you can't attend the sale, don't worry! We will be listing items for sale on our blog too. We wouldn't want you non-locals to miss out now would we??? :) :)

Please leave honest feedback on our goodies. We are still new at craft sales so appreciate all your comments.

Christmas Sale

2009-10-29T04:01:00.000-07:00

On November 20th, me and my MIL and SIL are having a crafty Christmas sale. This is our second annual sale. We get together once a week and craft various items (and also work on them at home) to sell. This year we are also starting a blog. After the sale, any remaining items will be put on the blog for sale. We are really excited about starting this new venture. We know that not all our family/friends/potential customers will be able to attend on the 20th, so having a blog will enable us to reach more people. I'll add a link to the blog nearer the time, when we've put items on it!! lol.

This year we decided to craft some different items from last year. I believe the star of the show will be the aprons we have made (adult and childrens). We have made some adults and girls from Cath Kidston fabric but at amazing prices!!

I've been busy making crochet flower brooches. At the moment I'm busy with the actual crocheting. Finishing them off will come later. I love making them and hope that people will like them and want to buy them, :) But they aren't limited to just being brooches. They can also be pinned to bags, hats, hairbands, and whatever else you can think of. Here is a sneak peak of a few of them in their natural state (unfinished!). What do you think?? I've also done a few different styles but, if I'm honest, this style is my current favourite.

Confidence

2009-10-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

I'm a little worried about my 6 yr old son right now. He seems to be suffering from a lack of confidence at school. He has just started Year 2 and seems to have gone backwards. He is left handed and has always struggled with his handwriting. He is great at reading and also very good at spelling. Today he had 3 sentences to write, each of which contained a spelling word. Well he got all upset and started crying saying he couldn't do it. I know that he can. After quite a bit of coaxing, I managed to get him to spell out the words for me and then write them. He COULD do it, but he didn't acknowledge that he could. I asked him if he got upset and cried at school and he said yes. He said that he can't write sentences and when they were asked to he got all upset and cried (I didn't know this before now). I know that he's a perfectionist and gets upset when he gets something wrong, but now he's getting upset BEFORE even having a go! He's got it in his head that he can't do it when he can. I just don't know what to do!! It's awful watching him get so sad and discouraged, especially when I know that he is a very bright and clever boy. {sigh} - the struggles of being a parent! Oh, and does anyone else thing 'juice' is a difficult word for a 6 yr old to know how to spell?

Old Friends

2009-10-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

This past week I have been touched by the generosity of an old cherished friend (not that she's OLD but we've not seen each for quite some time, lol).

Imagine my delight when I returned home one day to find a package waiting for me!! All the way from Texas!! I went to school with Anne Marie when we lived in Norway (oil business fathers!). She's one of those kind, sweet girls that your parents are so pleased you are friends with :) It's funny how you can be friends with someone for a short period of time (just a year in our case) but feel a bond and connection. And even 17 years later (gosh it is that long??) I believe that we could pick up our friendship from where we left off. I sooooooo hope that in the next few years I can visit her. That would just be amazing :)

She sent me loads of Big Red Gum which I LOVE. She also sent a fantastic craft magazine that has LOADS of great projects for me to try. AND she also sent me lots and lots of little baggies filled with punchies. Me and the boys can do so much with those! AND she sent me the most delicious smelling lavender sachet she'd made (can't believe she'd not made them before!) with local lavender. I just LOVE LOVE the smell of lavender so this went directly into my bedroom. Mmmmmmm. Aren't I a lucky, lucky girl!! What a special friend Ann Marie is!!

Not ready for this at all.........

2009-10-05T00:29:00.000-07:00

This morning when I went to the door it was so cold outside. There was frost on the car windows and I could see my breath. I'm so not ready for this weather. Bring back the sun!!

Inspirations

2009-09-27T03:12:00.000-07:00

Last November/December time, me, my sister in law Cait and my mother in law Joyce had a craft sale at Joyce's house. We had met together for weeks before making lots of goodies to sell. It feels so good to be creative and then so satisfying when people actually want to buy what you've made! I'm sure I posted about it on here.

Well it's that time of year again that we are gathering together to create for our sale. We have been gathering ideas and excitedly telling each other what we've found!! Well tomorrow is our first official meeting. We will all take whatever materials and stash we have accumulated over the past year and decide on a final list of what to make. We will then get busy making, both individually and collectively. It's always hard to find a suitable amount of time to meet since Cait works at the beginning and end of the school day and I work during the lunchhour! But we do our best, lol.

It's so exciting to get together with others who share a mutual love of crafting. Most of my other friends just don't understand how giddy I get when I see beautiful handmade things that either others have made or I have made. I'm forever reading through blogs of creative people. In fact my bloglines list is crammed full of crafty blogs. I just feel so uplifted and inspired by them. And everytime I see a wonderful project, I put it on my mental list of 'things to make'. Of course I never remember them all! I should really make a written list! I used to do lots of papercrafts (cardmaking, scrapbooking) but lately I've been drawn to crocheting and sewing. Not that I'm great at it - but I'd like to be. And they do say that practice makes perfect!

I've also had the idea of starting a new blog for our craft items. A site where I can put items for sale perhaps. I was thinking that after our sale, whatever is left I will put on the blog for others to buy. I'll put details of that blog onto this once we have created it.

Now look at this amazing scarf!! Isn't it to die for?? FABULOUS!! This will be on my list for after Christmas, when I have time to make things for myself.

http://doyoumindifiknit.typepad.com/do_you_mind_if_i_knit/2009/09/littl.html

Eddie Izzard - Sport Relief

2009-09-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

I dropped my boys off at my mum's as they are having a sleepover there. I'm working tomorrow but the boys don't go back to school until Wednesday so my mum said she would watch them for me. As my dad is in Houston on business, my mum asked the boys over for a sleepover so that I don't have to get them to her first thing in the morning.

Well anyway, on the way back home I happened upon this:

Now you may have to click on the pic to enlarge (if that works!) or have a good squint. Do you see who that is?? YES its Eddie Izzard!! THE Eddie Izzard, comedian and actor. In case you weren't aware, he is running an unbelievable amount of miles for Sport Relief. How amazing is he?? Read more about it here

And so it continues.....

2009-09-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

Well I'm still working on the bedroom makeover, but we got a little sidetracked because before we started our room we started the kids' room and then today we ended up working on the living room as well, lol. So 3 rooms on the go at once. I really should start and actually FINISH one room before doing the next. But that's just not me.

We moved the furniture around in the living room a couple of months ago. Well today we decided on the spur of the moment to change it around again. We moved this piece of furniture from near the window to another area of the room. We then cleaned the windows and radiator a baseboards and did a spring clean! We then put a 2 seater sofa there. Then, also on the spur of the moment, went and bought a new TV!!! and took our old one to my BIL and SIL who live a few doors away (their TV had just broken this week). My husband is happy playing with his new 'toy'. He's excited to see how awesome the picture looks with his game consoles (yes, plural - we are talking Wii, Xbox360, PS3). And also how it looks with his Blu-Ray DVDs.

I went to a car boot sales again today (so rare to find ones not on Sundays!) which was only a few minutes away. It was so much smaller than the one I went to on Monday, but I bought a lot more. Pictures will have to follow as I haven't taken them yet!

So pictures of bargains to follow soon, and then pictures of room makeovers when they are finally complete :)

Bargains again.

2009-09-02T09:36:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to spend time with my sisters this weekend. In fact, my twin sister was down from Scotland for a week. We spent some time hanging at my parents, catching a movie, etc. Then on Sunday I saw my younger sister and her gorgeous son Eli. That boy is just delicious!

Monday was a Bank Holiday so David was home too, yay! We got up early and headed to a car boot sale. I don't get to many because they are mainly on Sundays and we don't do that kinda thing on a Sunday. Well this car boot sale is an awesome one. It's huge and I can easily spend many hours looking around. David and the boys usually go their own way and head back to the car to wait for me once they have found a toy or two. I take a little longer, perusing every stall, looking for that one bargain that everyone else would have missed, lol. Because I have be decluttering, I was much more selective in what I bought. Only I was a little TOO selective as I now regret not buying a couple of things I saw! One in particular! It was a lamp, very similar in style to ones I have seen in Laura Ashley. It had a glass stem that looked like stacked balls. Somewhat like this:

isn't it gorgeous?? I also passed by some lovely frames (didn't like the pics but they could easily have been changed). I also passed up a lovely clock for 50p but didn't want to take the risk in case it didn't work. But 50p! Not much of a risk! What was I thinking?? Lesson learned!!

Anyway, I did buy a pair of shoes for my nephew (clarks 50p). And a selection of children's books and a bedding set which I LOVE!

There is another car boot sale, closer to home, this Saturday. And it's at 10am, not some unearthly hour!! yay!

Today we went to Ikea to get the table for the kids room (which wasn't in stock on Saturday). Well it STILL isn't in stock, grrr! I did manage to snag a few bargains from the bargain corner though. I got a pair of white, fairly sheer curtains for 1.00 (they may go on the window at the top of the stairs) and a couple of aprons for 50p each. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of them. Well I didn't want to have a completely wasted journey did I?? :)

Busy Busy

2009-08-29T02:43:00.000-07:00

We've been busy working on the bedrooms these past couple of weeks. We got a new bed for our room (heavenly!!) and decided to de-clutter and reorganise the room. It's still not quite finished. We bought a couple of bedside tables from Ikea yesterday so they need assembing and putting in place. They are actually little white metal filing type drawers but will look cute! I'll add a pic when they are in place. I still need one new piece of furniture and need to find just the right piece! And we have also been working on the boys room. Taking out an old shelving unit and deciding on how to re-do the room. Again it's work in progress. We sorted out their toys and junk and took 7 huge bags to the dump. Then got new storage boxes for the rest of their stuff. I found the perfect desk to go in there but it just happened to be probably the only item not in stock at Ikea yesterday!! It's a simple white table top with an assortment of leg styles to choose from. The legs were in stock just not the top. And the whole thing only costs £15.99. Bargain. Once the bedroom are done, we are thinking of getting new carpet for the living room. It's never-ending!

Vote for Jen!

2009-08-21T05:10:00.000-07:00

My friend Jen has entered the Dorset Cereals Little Blog Awards. Please vote for her! Thanks :)

Expenditure

2009-08-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

This will probably not be very exciting for other people! But I want to keep a tally of what I spend (and what on!) just to see where the money goes! It will be interesting just to see how much gets spent on clothes etc throughout the space of a year.

Today we went into Wakefield and I bought a goalkeepers top (football/soccer) for Nathaniel for 50p and a Ferrari F1 tshirt for Zachary (also 50p). I went into the hospice charity shop as they were having a half price sale on all clothes. I bought myself a pair of brown linen cropped trousers and a white with cream and brown striped shirt (go together nicely as an outfit, probably for work). Both items cost a total of £2.88! So that's £3.88 spent today.

Market Bargains

2009-08-11T08:00:00.001-07:00

As much as I try not to buy new things (I'm trying to be thrifty and shop at charity shops as much as I can), sometimes you can get better deals elsewhere. I was visiting the market in our little town today and came upon a jewellry stall. There were a few people flocking around so I went over for a nosey (as I do!). The lady on the stall was selling all items for 60p each (about a dollar). The jewellry is ex-chain store stock. The original prices were on them (cheapest was about £2 up to about £10). Well I love accessories and figure I needed some more! So this was my little haul. I'm thinking they would also be great to buy for gifts and put in little boxes.

I love this large silver heart on a long chain. The earrings aren't from the same store but match well enough! And the other necklace looks very classy (it's silver plated)
The stones in this necklace are a vibrant pink. Again the earrings are from a different store but will match okay.
These were hard to photograph! The beads on them both are the purple color as on the earrings. The colours kept coming out skewey when I took the pics!
2 strings of beads, one black, one white and a set of stretchy bracelets.
The metal butterfly on the left hand necklace is quite large and has a good weight to it. On the right are 2 strings of green beads.
Lovely turquoisey blue beads and a pair of orange/red earrings.

So all that for £7.80 as apposed to the original price of $53.00

Charity Shop (Thrift) buys

2009-08-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I got to various charity shops and find nothing to buy. Other times I go and find things that I like. And on vary rare occasions I go and LOVE what I buy. They make me giddy. I know that I might be rare in feeling like this, lol. Well I went into a nearby town yesterday and feel like I hit the jackpot with my purchases. I was giddy.

Firstly, I found these brand new and in box jam jars (8 oz size) and pack of gingham patterned lids from Lakeland. They would have cost £8.50 from Lakeland, but I paid £2.00. The lady in the shop said that she'd only put them out on the shelves about a half hour before. I'm thinking of making some homemade salsa and putting them in the jars for gifts. What do you think?

Then I went into a different town and visited a number of charity shops. None of them had anything that really grabbed me UNTIL I got to about the 4th shop. I headed to the book section and found some great crafting books and one in particular had me drooling. It was this book. It is written by Korean designers and is so stylish and inspirational. It's never been used and still has the paper patterns attached to the back. It's one of those books you could stroke all day, lol. It cost me a measely £1.49. I'll definitely be trying to make some of the bags and possibly skirts from this book (the skirts are all written for a size 4 (!!!) so will have to be adapted). There were a few other books (knitting and such) but I didn't think I'd actually use them so left them on the shelves).

After paying for my book and heading towards the door something else caught my eye and had me squealing with delight (internally!). It was a brand new Amy Butler pattern. Now Amy Butler is hard to come by in this country. You generally have to order them from the States and get them delivered. So to find a NEW one in a charity shop is just unheard of!! This pattern makes a layered skirt, an A-line skirt and apron overlay. The possibilities are just mouthwatering!! And the patterns have the directions for sizes US4 up to a US 18-20. So I can make them for anyone, any size!! How fab!! And once again it cost me £1.49. They cost $15.99 in the US and I managed to find 2 on ebay.co.uk for £8.95 and £8.75. So another fab bargain.

Today we ventured to another nearby town, just to get out in the sun really. We had a walk around the shops and I popped into what must have been the most expensive charity shop ever! Mmmm, dresses for £14.99, shirts for £7.99? I don't think so! And bizzarely priced pillowcases. One pair of pretty white cotton pillowcases with embroidery along one edge and fancy edging cost £3.99. Then a plainer pair cost £5.99 and a totally plain pair cost £7.99!! And some small tablecloths were £9.99!! Forget that! I saw a beautiful cotton sheet with a pretty floral pattern that I thought could be transformed intoa skirt or a little girls dress cost £5.99. As much as I loved it, I couldn't bring myself to pay that price so I left it on the shelf. As I was leaving I heard an old lady speaking to some of the shop assistants about what a lovely shop it was. I was so tempted to say 'I should think so at these prices', but I managed to hold my tongue, lol.

So have you bought anything exciting lately??

Check out what others have found at Southern Hospitality and join in the party :)

Nathaniel's Baptism

2009-08-08T07:47:00.001-07:00

Well last Saturday was Nathaniel's baptism. It's an event that he has been looking forward to for a long time. We were blessed to have many family and friends attend the service. Nathaniel was baptised by his grandad Vince (my dad). He was baptised in the afternoon and we had a small party afterwards with lots of delicious food. Here are some pictures from the day.

Nathaniel before the baptism. All dressed in white and ready to go :)

With his Grandad Vince (my dad).

Nathaniel and Zachary with their little cousin, Eli.
With my side of the family.

Nathaniel and Zac with mum and dad. I HATE having my picture taken so you are privileged to see these, lol.
With the Brown side of the family.
My nephew Eli with his Auntie Claire (my twin sister)
My sister, Helen, with her husband and son.

Car Boot Bootie

2009-08-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

Today was a very special day for a certain 8 yr old in our house, but I'll save all that news for when I have the pictures to accompany my post from my sister. So check back in a couple of days for that!

But I did want to let you know about my great bargain. At a recent car boot sale, I bought my youngest son, Zac, a cute cute suit. And boy does he looks cute in it when he wears a shirt and tie too. He wore it today for Nathaniel's special day (are you curious yet??). Oh yes, I forgot to tell you the price didn't I?? Well I paid £1 for it! Yes, that's right. One pound. What a bargain! I bet whoever sold it bought it for her son to wear probably once for a special occasion. It's like new. Zac will be wearing it for church every Sunday. What a smart boy he'll look.

Sports Day!

2009-07-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

Today was Nathaniel's sports day at school. It was for Years 3 and 4 this morning. The older kids had theirs this afternoon and the younger kids (including Zac) have theirs tomorrow morning. The rain held off and we had a lovely morning. I should have been working in school, but most of the kids I work with are in years 3 and 4 so I was able to go out and watch. Nathaniel was in the Blue team and was delighted they won! Oh, and if you're wondering about Nat's shorts - he'd left his own ones at home and had to borrow Zac's! That's why they are so short :)

Nat flying the flag for the Blue team.

I LOVE this picture of Nathaniel with one of his best friends. He's the only other child who has been in the same classes as Nathaniel through Y1 to Y3!

When they announced the javelin event, all us parents were a little concerned! Until we saw the soft foam javelins. Phew!!
Run Nathaniel, Run!!

Nathaniel is 8!!

2009-07-20T09:50:00.001-07:00

ast Thursday, my oldest son Nathaniel turned eight!! How did that happen??? On his birthday we went out for dinner and met Nanna and Grandad there. The children had their dinner and then had their traditional birthday dessert - the mega sundae for two. They love it and who wouldn't - icecream, profiteroles filled with fresh cream, brownie bits, whipped cream, chocolate button, chocolate flakes, wafers....... (I'm drooling just writing about it!!).

Instead of a party, we had a family day out on Saturday. I had booked 2 nights Travelodge (£9 a night of course!) at Donnington Park. We left here after school on Friday, went out for dinner, then travelled down the road. We stayed at the Travelodge overnight then went to Drayton Manor theme park on the Saturday morning. We stayed there all day. It was a little busier than it was when we went last year, but still we had hardly any waiting in lines for rides. We had such a fun time! And the weather was PERFECT. Warm, sunny and dry!! Yipee :) We then went back to our Travelodge for another nights sleep. On Sunday we visited my sister, her husband and their beautiful 7 month old baby Eli. We had dinner with them and just hung out together. What a perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon! Shame I didn't take any pics of them!

So here are some pics from Drayton Manor, but be warned. For those with a delicate disposition - there are pics of me on here, lol. Both David and I HATE having our pics taken. But I thought I need to be brave and put a couple on - just to prove that we exist. And I'm sure in the future my ggggg grandkids might like to know I existed, lol.

Chester Zoo and Cannon Hall Farm

2009-07-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

Zachary was one lucky boy a few weeks ago. He had a school trip to Chester Zoo and a week later he had a trip to Cannon Hall Farm. And because I've been working at school, I got to go on both trips too! And the weather couldn't have been any better! Hot, sunny and dry both days. Excellent!!

Farm pics first (although my camera batteries died soon after arriving so I didn't get many shots!). Zac isn't in any pics as he wasn't in my group. I haven't posted any pics with other kids in for obvious reasons. So it's just animals, lol.

The sheep had been herded up, ready to be dipped. The sheep looking right at me made me laugh. It's hilarious :) I'm so easily amused, obviously :)

I'm glad you can't SMELL what we could smell when we were at the cows!
And now for the zoo shots. Again, only a few without children in.

Beamish flowers

2009-07-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

David bought a new camera last month and I've been loving it! It's a Canon Powershot SX110 IS. The pictures are so clear and colours so bright. It has a great zoom. I'm determined to learn more how to use it fully. Anyway, when we were at Beamish, I tried using the macro function to take some pics of the beautiful flowers we saw. Here are a few samples. I think they turned out quite well! Don't forget to click on them to see them better.

The blurry bit on the next shot is actually a bee. I was taking a pic of the flower with the bee inside. Just as I clicked, the bee shot out! I would have dropped my camera had I not had the wrist strap on. It totally freaked me out!!

Beamish Museum

2009-07-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

As you know, I LOVE a bargain! So last December I booked some Travelodge breaks when they were on the £9 a night offer. The first of these breaks was on my birthday towards the end of June. We booked a night at Washington, Tyne and Wear so we could go to Beamish Museum on the Saturday. I've never been before but wanted to go so we went for my birthday! It's a really great place to spend a day. Check out their website for full details. It's basically an open air museum. You can travel around the site on an old fashioned bus or tram. Different areas of the estate are set in different times in history. There's an old farm, mining village, church, school, manor, high street with shops and businesses. I took far too many pics to post so here are just a few! Remember you can click on them for a larger and clearer view.

The old high street.Inside the dentists.
The old tram.
The printers.
Inside the old sweet shop. The busiest shop there. I wonder why??? Of course we had to buy a few bags :)

Zachary ringing the bell at the old insurance office.Look at all these delicious fabrics in the old-fashioned haberdashery type store!
In the old school house.
My attempt at looking like a bossy teacher, lol.
David trying to look intelligent :)

Nathaniel and Zachary at the old school. They loved writing on the slates!
Ready for work down the mine! We had the chance to go on a little tour down a drift mine. It was fascinating. Sure glad I don't have to work down there!!
Gorgeous cottages near the farm.
David and the boys looking at the little piggies :)

Playing Catch-up

2009-07-20T08:48:00.001-07:00

I'm going to try and play catch-up since it's been so long since I last posted!! So here goes! I'll add them all as separate entries. Are you ready??

2009-06-10T08:16:00.001-07:00

I'm going to add some more pics from the waterfight as there were some really fun ones! I just didn't have time when I put the last one on. Also, the pics looks really washed out because of this blog template. They really are more vibrant (click on them to enlarge and see the proper colour). And because blog entries aren't as fun without at least one pic, here is a pic of my youngest nephew, Eli. This as taken a few months back. He is now 5 months and in this pic he was 3 months. We make really cute baby boys in this family, lol (on both sides). :)

Waterfight!

2009-06-09T12:01:00.001-07:00

Gorgeous little boy

2009-06-09T11:55:00.001-07:00

He is so gorgeous, I want to eat him up.

Soccer Stars

2009-06-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

Here are pics of my boys playing football (soccer) at their auntie and uncle's house a couple of weekends ago. We had a BBQ followed by a waterfight. The boys were in their element!! More pics coming of my gorgeous nephew (son of said auntie and uncle!).

New Start

2009-06-08T10:13:00.001-07:00

Last week we took the Kids to Butlins at Skegness for a 4 night, Monday to Friday break. And we went half-board so I wouldn't have to cook. Yeah!! I could totally get used to not cooking :) I took pictures of the kids on the beach but they are still on my camera. I will put some on here later. And the weekend before we left, we had a BBQ at my BIL and SIL's. Oh what fun we had!! The weather was perfect and the kids enjoyed a fun fun water balloon fight with my SIL. She's so much fun :) Again, I'll pop pics on later.

The kids go back to school tomorrow after having 2 weeks off. They have 7 more weeks until their summer break. I love having them at home (am I crazy??) so can't wait for the summer :) Plus, it means I get a break from work myself, lol. So tonight involves getting uniforms ready and lunchboxes made. Back to the drudgery :)

Still Here

2009-04-28T02:00:00.001-07:00

Bet you thought I'd gone for good??

Part of the reason for my lack of posts was just feeling blah about blogging - like I had nothing interesting to tell (if anyone actually reads this, lol).

And also because I've been working hard. I'm doing some teaching at my kids' school this half-term and am so excited!! I'd forgotten how much I love planning my lessons (crazy, huh!) and teaching the older primary school kids. It's been a while but I LOVE IT :). I only hope it will leader to bigger and better things.

More from http://dryicons.com

2009-03-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

And some more graphics from http://dryicons.com that I LOVE :)

Cool Graphics Site

2009-03-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

I was googling around on the internet today and came across a cool graphics site. http://dryicons.com You really must have a look. They have some awesome graphics on there that you can use freely, as long as you abide by the terms and conditions. I haven't looked at them all yet, but I LOVE the ones above. Might add some more later, lol.

Family Dinner

2009-03-01T13:08:00.000-08:00

Today was our regular family dinner at my in-laws. We all meet together every two weeks to have dinner and spend the afternoon together. My DH is one of 5 children. His older sister, Stella, is married with an 8 year old son. His brother (one child down) is also married with a cute cute baby boy. So when we get together, my boys have fun with their cousins.

Anyway, today as we were visiting, my SIL Stella leapt up shouting 'NAKED MAN ON A SCOOTER' as she was looking out of the window. She ran to the front door whilst shreaking in laughter so, as any other woman would, we went to follow. And outside we saw the most hilarious sight EVER. On the other side of the street was a man clothed only in a pair of boxer shorts tootling along on a kids scooter, with a police car (lights flashing) crawling along at the side of him!!!!!!!! What??? We watched as the scene continued up the street. A few young men who had been playing football on the nearby field we also agog at such a sight. Not exactly what you expect to see on a cold Sunday afternoon. But it certainly did cheer us up, lol. I wish I knew what the story was, why a grown man would think this an appropriate thing to do?? But since I'll never know I'll just have to use my own imagination, lol. If only I had a camera..........

Free Calendar Download - Mibo Studio

2009-02-13T13:40:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-12T12:15:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-12T06:06:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-02-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-02-04T12:49:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-03T10:55:00.000-08:00

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 :)

Inspiration

2009-01-21T12:54:00.000-08:00

I love to read stories that inspire me. Of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I read this article today and thought I'd share it with any readers I may have! I really believe in the 'power of one' meaning that one person can make a huge difference in the world. This man really illustrates this.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/telegraphchristmasappeal/4307453/Marys-Meals-feeding-the-world-from-a-garden-shed.html

enough said.

2009-01-11T09:09:00.000-08:00

Don't you hate it when you are having a really good day, feeling really good, spiritual even, then someone has to ruin it and you spent the rest of the day feeling cross and frustrated and not at all relaxed??????? GGGGGgggrrrrrrrrrrrr.

2009-01-10T07:48:00.000-08:00

My parents rang this morning to say that my mum's car had a flat battery so they wouldn't be picking the kids up as usual at 11am. So we took them with us to run a few errands. We popped into Matalan. And I know that I mentioned in the last post that I wasn't buying new if I could help it, but they had a Batman Dark Knight dressing up outfit for £3.50 reduced from £14.00 and I just know I couldn't get an older version batman dressup outfit for that! so I bought it to put away for Nat and Zac. I also got Nat a pair of leather boots reduced to £5.00, but I did mention that footwear is exempt from my resolution, lol :)

My parents got mum's car a new battery and came to pick up the boys at about 3.00 to take them back to their house for a bit. When it comes to my kids, my parents are like addicts, lol. They need to get their fix and if they don't they get withdrawl symptoms!

Resolutions

2009-01-09T06:16:00.000-08:00

I never admit to making resolutions or actually share them. Because that way I'm accountable for them and other people besides myself can see what a failure I am, lol!

Anyway. One thing I want to achieve this year to not buy anything brand new that I can thrift. I make exceptions for items like underwear, shoes for the kids etc. But other than that I want to see if I can buy gently used item. Both to be 'green' and 'frugal'.

So bearing this in mind, today I bought a brand new set of small ovenware dishes (with plastic lids) from the Hospice shop. They had half off their bric a brac so instead of being £4 for the set they were £2.00. I'll add a picture later. They are cute and pretty. They are made by Anchor Hocking in the USA and are in their Avalon range. They are not in their current ranges and the box and packing looks dated. But I like them!

I also got a couple of items for the kids. Including a lovely red wheelbarrow for Zac. I've stored it in my mum's garage thinking it might be for his birthday. The body of the wheelbarrow is red metal and the handles are wood. Again it looked new. Just a little dusty from being stored. It cost £5 but it really appealed to me. And when he's finished using it to play with, it can be used to house plants in the garden!

Oh, I've just 'googled' the wheelbarrow and this is it here:

http://www.activetoy.co.uk/product.php?id=1530

So my £5 was quite a bargain really!

And I also bought a Crayola branded little desk that opens up to be a magnetic whiteboard. It's like this but without the stool. It cost me £2.50! Another bargain I believe. It seems to be discontinued now so I can't see what price it sold for. One site I found sold it for 30euros. And some have sold second hand ones for $25. But I don't have the stool. I hope that Zac (and Nat?) will use it to sit at and do their homework in their bedroom or do colouring. I have whiteboard pens and erasers to they can draw on the underside.

http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/creative-toys/crayola-first-art-studio-desk-and-stool.asp

New Year

2009-01-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

On new years eve, we had my SIL, BIL and gorrrrrgeous nephew, Ethan over. We had a yummy dinner, watched a movie, played Buzz on the PS3 and have fun just spending time together. The boys had fun having a bath together. Ethan went to sleep on Zac's bed. Nat and Zac stayed up until 11.00pm when SIL, BIL and Ethan left. They would have stayed up longer had we allowed them! Then on NY day, we took them to a great Chinese buffet restaurant for lunch. The boys love eating there. Especially the icecream for dessert!!

I hate, hate, having my picture taken. So it's rare to see one of me on here. But to start off the new year, here's one of me with Zac. This might be the only one I put on here during 2009 so enjoy (??) the rare treat, lol.

Baby Eli

2009-01-02T10:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas also involved lots of cuddles with my newborn nephew, Eli. He's just the cutest, tiniest thing! He was born on 18 December and weighed 5lb 15 oz. Isn't he just perfect?

Christmas morning

2009-01-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning looked a lot like this around here!

Nativity

2009-01-02T10:39:00.001-08:00

Nathaniel and Zac were in the Nativity at church as a wise man and shepherd respectively.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

Just want to wish you all a very happy Christmas! I need to go to bed soon otherwise Santa won't stop by and my kids will not be happy :)

Phew!

2008-12-23T15:34:00.000-08:00

I just got back from Asda and it was crazy busy!! Obviously everyone else thought that going grocery shopping at 10.30pm would be a good way to avoid the rush. Not so. Anyway, I didn't need too much to I wasn't so stressed. I was planning to go to my parents when I'd finished to visit with my new nephew (and his parents!) who were coming up this evening, but my sister rang at 10.00pm to say that they hadn't even set off yet. So I'll just see them tomorrow.

So tomorrow I need to finish cleaning the kitchen. Finish wrapping a few gifts. Make some oreo truffles. Visit my parents, SIL and BIL and new baby! And get excited with the kids for Santa coming :)

Lockerbie 20 year anniversary.

2008-12-20T14:10:00.000-08:00

21 December 1988.

Unfortunately I remember it all too well!

We were living in Scotland at the time (I was 15) and were heading down to visit family in England for Christmas. After a while we were backed up in traffic and then the traffic stopped dead. People were getting out of their cars to find out what had happened. Someone in front of us said they had seen a fireball in the sky. Then a guy in a truck at the side of us said that he had heard on his radio that a plane had crashed on the motorway. We were all confused and anxious. Then all we heard were the sounds of the police and ambulance sirens. We all had to move to the edge of the road to let them through. After a while we were diverted off the motorway and had to go over a bridge that crossed over Lockerbie. The sight we saw will haunt me forever. All we could see was fire. Everywhere. We were just in shock and disbelief. Still not sure what exactly had happened. When we finall found out we were stunned. If we had been a few minutes ahead of schedule...... it doesn't even bear thinking about. On our return home after Christmas we had to drive past that same stretch of motorway. There was a huge crater in the road. So so sad and tragic. I can't believe it has been 20 years. My heart still goes out to the families who lost loved ones.

SURPRISE!

2008-12-18T08:50:00.000-08:00

Erm, yeah, I know - it's been a while. It's just been SO busy - I'm sure you'll all agree!!

But first - the most EXCITING news!!

I HAVE A NEW NEPHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My sister's baby wasn't due until 3rd January but it looks like he didn't want to miss out on Christmas! Helen's waters broke on Tuesday so she went to the hospital. They examined her and said that she wasn't in labor yet so to go back home but to come in on Thursday if nothin had happened. I actually spoke to her yesterday about my experiences of being induced so she knew kind of what to expect. Anyway, this morning I got a call from my mum before I took the boys to school to say that Helen's hubby had called them at 7am to say that they were at the hospital. Helen's contractions had started last night so they went to the hospital at 1am. When Adam rang he said that Helen had just been examined and was only 3cm dilated so we expected it would be quite a while before we heard news. Well I was in school this morning and work at lunchtime so didn't get back home until 1.30pm. I had also left my phone at home! I called my mum and she said that Helen had given birth! At 9am!! How quick was that!!! And it was a boy (they didn't find out the sex before hand). They haven't chosen a name yet. He's a tiny little thing - 5lb 15oz. How cute!! My parents have headed down to the hospital to see them so I'm hoping for news again this evening!! I'm so excited and so pleased everything seems to have gone quickly and smoothly. I know Helen was very anxious about labor and birth. Especially since she's still recovering from ME. What a relief that it was quick!! Looking forward to meeting my new nephew in the next few days :)

Knowing I'm on the street where you live......

2008-11-28T11:11:00.000-08:00

Today is an exciting day as my sister-in-law, brother-in-law and baby nephew have moved into a house on my street!! We can both stand on our front steps and wave to each other :) My boys are so excited that their baby cousin is so close by. They are looking forward to walking home from school and calling in to visit on their way. Zach has even said that he's going to take care of baby E while Auntie C gets his milk ready :) How cute is that for a 5 yr old!! :)

Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T08:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Turkey Day :)

Can't wait for my Thanksgiving dinner tonight. Yummo!!

Books

2008-11-22T09:42:00.000-08:00

I went to the Charity Shop in our town today to look at the books section, as I do everytime I'm in there. They are 5 for £1 so well worth a look!

I bought a colouring book for Nathaniel - it's actually called Doodle Patterns so rather than having pictures to colour you have patterns. I love colouring books and think this is quite age appropriate for a 7 year old. Something he can do in Sacrament meeting at church! I got Zach a book containing 5 Hairy MacLary stories. We have one book already called 'Hairy MacLary and Zachary Quack (my mum got it for him since his name is Zachary!). Zach is our little reader. He loves books and it makes me so happy to see him pulling books off the shelves to sit and read.

I bought myself this book as I might get some good tips and advice from it! I'm going to have a peruse of it later while the kids and David watch 'You've Been Framed'.

I also bought 2 novels. I don't mind buying used books at all. But I do prefer then not to be too bashed and worn. I got two that look like they've not been read, but at the same time have got good recommendations on them. The first is The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields and the second is The Two Pound Tram by William Newton. I think I will start with The Two Pound Tram. I'll let you know how I enjoyed them once I've read them. Then, since I only read books once, will happily send them on to anyone who may like to read them. So watch out for a RAK in a little while :) I really should sort out all my other books. I have so many - ones I've bought but not got around to reading yet. And others, lots of others, that I've started but not finished. Why do I do that??

And it's good to know that while I'm paying only £1 for a selection of 5 books, I'm doing my little bit to help my local Hospice!

Oh, I was actually frivilous today - because I spent 3.99 to buy the Sew Hip magazine at my local newsagent. Don't want to even think about the fact that this £4 would have bought me 20 books from the Hospice shop!!

Pictures

2008-11-21T10:52:00.001-08:00

Lots of eye candy in this post :)

You really need to click on the pics to see the true colours as the background on this template makes them look very subdued and not at all vivid. Just suggesting :)

This first picture shows a selection of ribbons and trimmings I bought today. Some are from Hobbycraft and others are from Fabworks in Dewsbury.

Here is some Cath Kidston fabric that I bought in another fabric store in Dewsbury. Full price is £18 a meter but I got it (it's seconds quality) for £1.99 a meter. I bought 5 meters. Just because. I also got a couple meters of the same but with spots rather than flowers. I made some tiny tote bags, with red handles, for little girls. I sold a couple at school on Wed eve.
I bought this Laura Ashley fabric from Fabworks today. They sell all their fabric as 'seconds' to cover any possible faults found in the fabric. It's £5 a meter. There was a stripe in it that had been overdyed so the man gave me extra to make up for it so I probably ended up with about 1.5 meters.
These are the Laura Ashley bags I made for the craft sale we had at my MIL's last weekend. These were taken at her house. These bags sold out that Friday night. I charged 4.50 each.
These are some larger tote bags I made. I still have a couple of these. I used some Ikea fabic that's a good weight for bags.
Another pics of my bags. The one on the right is also Ikea fabric. I sold one of these and am using one of them myself. I still have more of this fabric to make more with.
Some of the coloured pencil and paper cases. I opened one to show the inside. We still have a few of these left.
Some gorgeous Sarah Smith teatowels. I didn't make these ones but found some at a great price so was still able to sell then at half rrp. They are just too nice to use though! And lots of the pins and needles cases. I can't decided whether the heart design or birdy design is my favorite! Again we have lots of these left.
We made some keyrings too. We only made 6 and I think we still have 2 or 3 left. We only charged a pound each for them.
Another pic of same things.
The pencil/paper cases and also the pencil rolls. In one of my favorite baskets!
We made some baby taggy blankets but withdrew them from sale because we need to make the tags shorter. I love, love, love them though!! The bottom 2 designs are my favorite. I got the strawberry fabric from a swap and it's so delicious. I used some of it for this as I thought it would be gorgeous!

Oh Well!

2008-11-19T16:01:00.000-08:00

The shopping event tonight at school was a waste of time!! Seriously - it started at 7pm and we could have all packed up by 8 and gone home! Last year's sale was great - we all made a decent amount of sales and took a decent amount of money. Not so this year! And it wasn't just us - everyone else had a disappointing amount of sales. One lady took £400 last year and £40 this!! Crazy. We probably took in £30. And that was for 3 of us!! Oh well. Looks like a few family and friends and swap partners will be in luck this Christmas :) The only person who did well at tonight was the woman doing Tarot Card readings and clairvoyant reading!! What's all that about??? They'd rather waste £5 on that than spend it on my beautiful sewing, lol!!

Crafty

2008-11-16T03:56:00.000-08:00

Well our Shopping Event on Friday evening and Saturday daytime is over and was a success! We still have the Shopping Night at school on Wednesday evening to go and more goodies to make before then! Especially tote bags. On Friday night I sold 6 out of the 9 we made (including all of the ones I made with Laura Ashley fabric). I took picture so will add them later once I've transfered them to the computer.

Yesterday, we were 'open' for business for 2 hours in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon. Between sessions, my friend Ann, who was selling her handcrafted jewellery, took me into Dewsbury to show me where the fabric shop was. I had planned on buying some more fabric to replenish our stock for making more bags. The shop was fabulous!! It was a maze of rooms, where all same priced fabric is in its own room. For example, in one room all fabric is £1 a metre, another room £2.99 etc. I found some simply gorgeous fabric but the highlight of the trip was finding Cath Kidston fabric. They had two design. One with daisy type flowers and the other spotted. It's now discontinued on her website. But did I pay the £18 meter that she charges for her fabric?? No, no. You know me better than that. I paid an astonishing £1.99 a meter!! Yes, you heard right! I got 7 meters in total. Plus lots of other fabric. I spent a total of £40, but when you consider the CK fabric would normally have cost £126 on its own, I was mighty pleased! Pictures to follow :) I'll definitely be back there again. Plus they have some lovely fabric for curtains so I'll be looking out to get some to make my living room curtains.

A Job!

2008-11-13T08:53:00.001-08:00

I got myself a little ol' job!

I'm now a lunchtime supervisor at my kids' school. It's only 1 hr 15 mins a day, five days a week. I'll be working with a 5 yr old boy (he's actually in Zac's class) who has autism - supporting him in the lunchroom and in the playground. It's something to get me back into the classroom at some point!! And the little bit of extra money will be very welcome.

Oh, and the best bit - I get to wear a tabard, how hilarious is that? lol!!!

I get to be one of those dinner ladies that Peter Kay makes fun of in his standup comedy - "Get inside, it's spitting!". If you've never seen Peter Kay, you just don't know what you're missing. Check out youtube or something. I'm sure he's on there!!

Remember.

2008-11-11T08:10:00.001-08:00

Remember.

Only one word. But so powerful!

Oh So Busy!

2008-11-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

I've been so busy creating 'masterpieces' for the shopping party on Friday and Saturday! So far we have made 20 pins and needle holders, 6 pencil rolls, 15 pencil and pad holders, 3 baby tag blankets, 3 tote bags. And there's still more to be done! {sigh}. And we don't even know if anyone will turn up to buy! We are also selling Oriflame skincare and cosmetics. Then next week we have a table at my boys' school shopping evening. So what we don't sell will be taken there. And if we manage to sell most of it this weekend, we'll be busy again crafting for the school event! I hope we actually make some money out of this, lol! I'll add pictures of more item later!

More crafty bits

2008-11-06T10:35:00.000-08:00

We've had a busy couple of weeks, what with Halloween (we had a trunk or treat night at church for the kids which was a huge success!) and also Bonfire Night (held at a church friend's home).

I've also been busy again crafting. We made some Pencil Rolls and holders for pencils and notepads. I'm going to my MIL's again tomorrow to make more of them! Our craft event is next week so we are busy getting as much created as possible! Here's a few pictures of our latest creations.

Pictures

2008-10-30T12:08:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of the bargains I got at Asda. You can't tell from the picture that the boxes of laundry detergent are the large size because they are partially covered and the boxes of cereal are massive too! I paid £5.90 and full price should have been £37.64. It actually doesn't look a lot. But most of them are normally pricey (who would paid £2.93 for 4 bottles of lucozade?? 40p is what I paid!). The tins of tuna were 20p each. When you are a SAHM, getting bargains like this can be the highlight of your day :)

These are some of the items I've been making with MIL and SIL. The top picture shows what they look like inside. The others show the two varieties we made. We LOVE the chick, but the heart took less time to make. We made 20 in total but I'm thinking maybe we should make more. Me and Cait just love them and got giddy when we were taking pics :) We are going to price them at £2.50 unless anyone else thinks otherwise - let me know :)

Catching Up

2008-10-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while :)

Firstly - this morning I was reflecting on how grateful I am for my own health and for the health of my children and hubby. I have a few friends and family members who are currently struggling with physical and emotional health and it made me realise how blessed I am. I need to recognise this and not take it for granted. Yes, I can be deep and meaningful sometimes!! lol.

Secondly - is half-term break over yet?? The kids have been either getting on wonderfully or totally at each others throats! No half measures, lol. Actually I can't really complain.

Thirdly - yesterday I went to my MIL's and had a day of crafting with my MIL and my SIL. We got lots accomplished and must say that the things we made are so darn cute :) I took pictures so will upload them on here soon. We are making things for our Christmas Shopping Party we are having in November. I'd buy the items we made, so I hope others will too :)

Fourthly - I went to Asda today for a few bits and bobs and got some amazing bargains (yes, I can hear you groaning!). I got a ton of stuff of the shelves that house the items that have bashed boxes or dented tins. The food is still good inside, just the box doesn't look too pretty. So I got massive boxes of laundry detergent for £1.00 each, huge tins of tuna for 20p, etc, etc. All in all I got £37.64 worth of items for £5.90 (yes, I'm a nerd and work these things out!! lol) just because of bashed boxes! I took a picture (because once again I'm a nerd!) and will upload it soon.

Fifthly - we are having a 'trunk or treat' night halloween activity for the kids at church tomorrow. We are so excited!! I think the leaders are more excited than the kids!! I'm just thinking that we need to spend most of the time inside rather than out since it's turned so freaking cold, bbrrrrrrr..................

That's all folks :)

Jumble Sale

2008-10-11T08:38:00.001-07:00

When I was young, I remember going to jumble sales and remember them as common occurances. Now it seems they are very few and far between. It seems that car boot sales and ebay have taken their place. There is an old people's sheltered housing complex in our town that still holds jumble sales. My friend Lisa has been to a few and we both share a love of the thrill of the thrift, lol. So last time this housing complex had a sale, Lisa met me there. We scored big time with clothes for the kids. I got loads of jeans, tshirts, sweatshirts for both boys. Mostly really good brand names. All the clothes were 20p an item except jeans which were 30p! Can you believe how cheap they were!!

So today there was another sale. I met Lisa there again. I was disappointed in the selection of kids clothes this time. Hardly any boys clothes so I came away with nothing for Nat and Zac. I got a hooded sweatshirt for David that zips up the front 20p. And a nice dark purple casual top for myself 20p. There was a gorgeous pair of brown boots (hardly worn) which were only a size 5 (I'm a 6) but for 20p I couldn't let them go! So I bought them and gave them to my sister, Claire, who was thrilled with them! And I got a top for my mum (it was still new!) for 20p. It was just too 'old womany' for me, lol!

This time I looked at the stall selling bedding/curtains etc. I got a few bits and pieces. I'd been looking for some fabric to put on the back of the quilt I'm making for my younger sister if her baby is a girl (she's not finding out until the birth!). At the sale I found 2 single bed sheets and 2 pillowcases. They don't even look used at all. They are lovely white cotton with a pink flower pattern. I took a picture of them with the quilt pieces that I've prepared so far. Do you think that they go nicely? Would you put this fabric on the back?

I also bought some table runners and cushion covers etc. Most of them have been hand embroidered. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them. Maybe use some of them in swaps I take part in! They were all 20p each and again too pretty to leave there!! Am I turning into an old woman before my time???

table runner - the picture cuts off the top of it which has the same flower as the bottom but in slightly different colours:

There are 2 of these cushion covers. One has a small black mark on. Will have to see if it comes out in the wash.
2 single sheets and 2 pillow cases.
closeup of pattern.
sheet beside my quilt top.
cushion cover

a small cover/cloth

Baking

2008-10-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

What's that you say?

Am I baking?

Why yes, I am!

Oh thankyou {blushes}, it does smell divine doesn't it!

Oh course you can try it once it's cooked!

Oh, you are too kind - is it really the best Pumpkin Pie you've ever tasted?! You do flatter me {blushes again}

(wouldn't it be nice if I really DID have this type of conversation and compliment when baking, lol)

Meme

2008-10-10T11:34:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by my friend Susan for this popular meme (I think her blog may be private).

Here are the rules:

1.Link to the person who tagged you
2.Mention the rules on your blog
3.Tell 6 unspectacular quirks about you
4.Tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them
5.Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

So here are my unspectacular quirks:

1. I can't stand people putting their bare feet on my bed (DH is allowed, lol). When I was at BYU it would drive me crazy when my roommates would go sit on my bed, on my covers, with bare feet, eugh. They loved my toasty warm down comforter and I'd find them snuggled up on it!

2. When I'm sleeping I used one pillow if I'm laying on my back or two pillows when I'm on my side, so I'm forever faffing around with my pillows in the night!

3. I can't talk and do something else at the same time! I was at my MIL's and we were setting up for a shopping night we were hosting. Everytime I started talking I stopped whatever I was doing as I had to use my hands for talking! My MIL kept telling me to keep working :)

4. I'm not a pushy parent but I get frustrated when my kids don't do their best in their school work and secretly love it when they are the top of the class.

5. I have to have the TV on during the day when I'm at home, even if I'm not watching it, as I like to have background noise.

6. I can't go into any town without checking out all the thrift stores (and get giddy about going!)

That was quite hard! I think I'm quite normal/average !?!?!

I am going to tag Jen, Lea, Christine, Claire, Renee' and Debbie

Sisters.....

2008-10-10T11:14:00.001-07:00

Been having fun with my sisters this week. My twin sister, Claire, has been down since last weekend and goes back on Sunday. And my sister, Helen, was here from Tuesday til Wednesday. She is 27 weeks pregnant and looks so cute :) My dad has also had the week off work. On Wednesday I met my mum, dad, Claire and Helen in town. We had lunch together and had a walk around the shops. It's certainly been a long time since all 5 of us did that!! Must be oh, about nearly 20 years :) Been working on a few creative projects and hope to have them done by the end of next week so I can then show you all :)

Pictures of Ikea Bargains

2008-10-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of my ikea bargains from yesterday. They were all 50p each.

First we have 2 cushion covers for large floor type cushions. The left one is a lovely chennile style while the right one has a nice jaquard effect pattern.

Another two large cushion covers. I'm plannning on using these on the bed. The left one has pretty embroidery on it and has nice ruffles round the edge. The right one is difficult to see on here but is also a large square white cotton one with two rows of grey ribbon down the front.
These are two pillowcases with black patterns. The left one is a lot larger than the right one.
On the left we have a single curtain panel. Not sure how I'm going to use it yet. On the right we have 2 cotton chair slip covers. Again, not sure how I'm going to use them yet. Possibly make them into cushion covers. Any other ideas??
And here we have 2 large pieces of fabric with red/orange design print and a piece of fabric with a black design finish. These are nice cotton fabrics and will go into my fabric stash until I come up with a project that requires such fabrics!!
These are heavy cotton fabrics that are currently loose covers for sofas that are being cut into pieces for other projects I have in mind. One in particular I'm going to work on later in the week. I'll fill you in on the details when I've done it - if it works :)
Again, the left piece of dark denim style fabric is a loose chair cover that I'm going to use with the above fabrics. The right piece is a single duvet cover. It's a lovely light silky feel fabric. Very cooling.
I have 3 of these curtains panels (so 1.5 pairs!) One pair will probably go into our bedroom for the winter as the curtains we have there now (also white) are a light floaty fabric and I wanted something warmer for winter (these are thicker and heavier so hopefully warmer!). They are really, really, long so will probably be cut to half the length which will give me more fabric for other projects!
A really nice table cloth. I may use this as a throw to drape over the toy box in the living room. What do you think?
Another curtain panel. I love the ruffled look of it. I was thinking of maybe hanging it behind the front door to stop drafts, but I'm not sure whether it is practical to have such a light coloured fabric there. Any thoughts? The worst that can happen though is that is gets dirty and I have to wash it. For 50p it might be worth trying?
I hope you enjoyed this little tours around my ikea bargains :) My DH thinks I'm nuts photographing them to put on here!! LOL!

Ikea Bargains

2008-09-30T07:23:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I went to Ikea with my mum. She needed a picture frame and I needed some light bulbs. So how come we came out with a trolley full of goodies, lol!! We went into the bargain corner and they had a sign over about 4 crates full of textiles announcing that all loose fabric and textiles were 50p each, so we got stuck in digging through them (or rather I did while mum watch the trolley!). We got some great bits and pieces - some of which will be used for what they were originally intended and some will be repurposed. Mum got some great black and white chair slipcovers. I got some cushion covers, pieces of fabric, and a few pieces that are covers for sofas which i will use for something else. The original price of one of the pieces was £80.00!!

When I got home I wished I'd looked for some fabric that I could have used as a curtain behind the front door (to keep drafts out!). So while we were out and about today, David and I called back into Ikea. I went back into the bargain corner and the 50p signs were still up and I found more items that weren't there yesterday. Including some curtains!! I spent £8.50 on 50p items so that just shows how many items i got!! I also spent £2 total on 6 little ceramic pots that are white on the outside and bright colour inside. They will be so fun for when we are entertaining.

I'll have to take pics and post them later. I was very pleased with my haul of textiles. Now I have to find a place to store them :)

Where's September disappearing to?

2008-09-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

How can it be September 13th already?? I last posted on the 1st and was going to post everyday. I had a couple of days where I didn't go on the internet at all (I know?? totally unheard of!). And before I knew it we were nearly half way through the month!!

The boys are now back at school and are enjoying themselves. Well as much as you can enjoy school :) Nathaniel is in a mixed year 3/4 class and is one of the youngest year 3's. So some of the kids are nearly 2 years older than him, but he's doing fine there. He's only just brought some homework and reading books home this week. His teacher is a new teacher, both to the school and to teaching. He's on a year's contract filling in while another teacher is on a secondment someplace else.

Zach is in year 1 and settled in well. The first week back at school they were only there Wed to Fri and I went in all 3 mornings to help his teacher. This is the third year I've been helping her. She's a good friend as well as teacher now. I first went into her class to help when Nat as in her class. Zach seems really young - younger than I remember Nat being when he was in year 1. But I guess that's because he's my baby!! I was concerned whether Zach was behind the other kids as he struggles with his handwriting and with writing his name. But I'm not concerned now I've been in and helped out with the class. His strengths seem to be in number work (just like Nat) but I'm also impressed with his reading. His last teacher gave me the impression that he was rubbish at it, but in fact he seems to be one of the best in his class. This past week I went in 3 mornings too. I just love being in there and miss the class when I stay home. It has really confirmed to me that I want to get back into teaching at some point.

I've had a really good weekend so far. The boys went out with my parents for most of today and David was at home for once on a Saturday. We went into our small town at lunchtime, enjoying the dry warm weather. I got a few bargains (surprise, surprise!) including some books for the boys at the charity shop (I also got myself a skirt that was brand new with its £25 price tag for the princely sum of £4.00 - love it!). Then this afternoon I watched some track and field on TV and just generally had a relaxing afternoon. When the kids came home I read some of the books with Zach.

I'm really trying hard to make the most of my time with the boys. I'm trying so hard not to say 'no' to their requests because that's the easiest option. I want to be less selfish and do the things they want, even if it's not convenient etc for me. I'm trying harder to put them first. To live in the moment with them. I want them to know that they (along with David) are the most important things in my life and the best way is by showing them. I've been thinking a lot of Stephanie Nielson (Nie Nie Dialogues blog) and her sister (cjanerun blog) and how Stephanie was such a good example of being a great mother, prior to her accident. Reading her blog and her sister's blog has helped me to re-evaluate my efforts as a mother. In years to come I want my memories to be full of times spent with my boys, rather than putting them off to do housework or things I want to do. I'm reminded of a quote that our Stake President gave a few years ago - he said that to be in your children's memories tomorrow you need to be in their lives today. So when my kids want to play with their playdoh or moonsand, instead of sighing and saying 'no' because I don't want to deal with the mess I'm going to get right in there with them and make my own mess :) I've made a concerted effort this week and hope to continue and improve and get even better!! Because they deserve it!!

End of Auction!

2008-09-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

Well done Ninny :)

You are the winner of the auction in aid of Stephanie and Christian Nielsen. If you email me your address and paypal receipt to their recovery fund, I will get the sweets and chocolate packaged up and sent to you. My email address is joannebrown@mindless.com. Thank you to everyone else who participated in this auction. I can't wait to see the totals that have been raised through these auctions. It's amazing what us 'sistas' can achieve :)

Nie Nie's Day - Silent Auction

2008-08-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

As mentioned on my previous post, here is the auction lot I have to raise funds for Stephanie and Christian Nielson's Recovery Fun.

The auction includes 3 big bags of Haribo jelly sweets (Tangfastics, Starmix and Kiddie's Supermix) tube of Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles, tube of Maynards Fruit Gums, and one bar each of Cadbury Dairy Milk, Cadbury Crunchie, Cadbury Twirl, Cadbury Flake and Galaxy.

So start bidding away. Please bid in whole $ amounts. Let's raise as much as we can. I will pay for shipping of these items so your whole amount will go to the fund. I will close the auction on Sunday evening.

Nie Nie Day and silent auction

2008-08-27T10:14:00.001-07:00

Designmom.com has declared this Thursday as Nie Nie Day. Many bloggers are holding silent auctions on their blogs to raise money for the Stephanie and Christian Nielson Rehab Fund. As you can imagine, the financial implication of months of hospital care in the US is immense. So I'm also going to take part in the silent auction. Tomorrow I will put items on my blog and then you can bid. How it works is this: if you want to bid you put it in the comments. So if you are the first and want to bid $1 put it in the comments. The next person who wants to bid puts in a higher bid amount. So check the comments to see what the current bid is before you bid. Only put bids of whole $ amounts. I'll leave it open until the weekend. Then I'll ship the items to you (at my expense). The winner will then send their money, by paypal, direct to the fund.

The Nielson Family

2008-08-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

Like most bloggers, I also like to read other people's blogs. I have loads of them on my bloglines list that I follow. One blog I read belongs to a cute girl who is married and has 4 cute babies. She's LDS too and lives in Arizona but is a Provo, Utah girl (where I went to uni). Tragically a couple of weeks ago this girl and her husband were in a terrible plane accident and are on a very long road to recovery. Their family are taking care of their children. Stephanie Nielson's blog is called nienie dialogues. Have a look at their cute family. Stephanie's sister is putting updates on her blog cjanerun. Please remember Stephanie, Christian and their family in your prayers.

Bad Hair Tag

2008-08-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Jen at A Thousand Words to show 5 bad hair pics. Well I don't have access to teenage pictures (didn't like having my pic taken anyway), so here are the best ones I have:

First let me explain that when I was a little girl my mum insisted that me and my twin sister, Claire, had our hair short. Of course we hated it. We thought we looked like boys rather than the little girls we were!! We wanted long hair like most of our friends. But oh no. We had to have it short! Once we had just had it cut and we were very upset. We were adamant that we looked like boys. My mum insisted that we didn't and almost had us convinced. My mum took us to a cafe straight from the hairdressers as a treat. We were ready to order our food when the waitress asked 'and what would you boys like'!!!!! We almost burst into tears on the spot! It didn't help that we were wearing jeans and sweaters at the time. And yes, I'm still emotionally scarred by the experience :)

In this picture I am on the left and Claire on the right with my Grandma Phyllis. I actually think the ugly brown 70's clothing detracts from the nasty hair :)

Again, I think the clothing far outshines the hair on the ugly stakes! I'm on the right, Claire on the left.

Again, Claire (left) and me (right). Yes, I'm dragging Claire into this embarrassment fest :) In fact, I think Claire's probably looked worse than mine because her hair was much thicker. She had a block fringe whereas mine was wispy and flyaway.

Here we are Christmas 1974. Although my dad wins the award for the ugly hair in this pic (and the moustache!)

This is me a couple of years ago. I was trying to grow my fringe out. Bad idea I guess :)

So now that I've totally embarrassed myself, consider yourself tagged if you haven't already had the pleasure of doing this one :)

Zach says the funniest things..........

2008-08-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

I just have to write this before I forget it...........

Yesterday Zachary was talking about a local playground. They used to have a big basket-like swing there but it has now gone. We don't know what happened to it but we miss it because the kids loved it! Anyway he started to tell me that his friend's mum told him that the swing had gone because the 'ninjas' had taken it. I tried not to laugh, with images of 'ninjas' (brandishing swords etc) stealing a swing from a kid's playground. He was so serious and when I questioned him about the ninjas he just repeated the story to me. He was totally serious! It took me a while to figure out what had actually happened to the swing. It was in fact 'teenagers' that had taken it. Ninjas!! Just cute :)

Happy Postbox!

2008-08-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

This past few days I've had 3 lots of 'happy post' coming through the mail box.

One and Two were swap packages from the shabby chic cafe forum that I belong to (doesn't it feel good to 'belong'!).

The first one was based on the theme 'Strawberries and Cream'. Pictures to follow as words won't do it justice. It was from Rosie B and was so fab! Well worth the wait - I hope Rosie feels well as she has some health issues, which makes the package even more special - that she still took the time to think of me and send her lovely items.

The second package was based on the theme 'Green' which is fab as I LOVE the colour green. Again I'll take pics later and put them on here. I'll just say it included a tea towel in the most magnificant shade of green - I love it so much I could marry it :)

The third item came through the post yesterday evening - which I found a little strange! What mail arrives on an evening?? Well I went and there it lay on the mat - in all its glory - the new IKEA catalog, lol!! I obvi
ously had to take it and immediately browse through it. Lots of delicious room settings and a few items that are on my wish list.

I'm loving this green rug:I'm definitely going to get this throw:
And look at these wall decoration stickers - I'm not sure what size they and whether they are all on one sheet, etc but I definitely need to go look at these!
and more:And what about this gorgeous red clock:

And this funky mirror:
And what about these sets of tins?
And what about these from the children's dept:

I think I'll leave it there for now - there's so many good stuff in there. I need to take a trip to the store soon too as they always have more in there. Once the kids go back to school...........

Summer Hols

2008-08-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

Wow - where has the summer gone? I can't believe the kids only have next week at home before going back to school.......

So what have I been doing lately? Well watching lots of the olympics and hanging out with the boys!

I've been really impressed with the GB Olympic team! 16 gold medals so far! and just think - back in Atlanta we only won one gold!! Last time we won 11 so we have excelled ourselves and it's not over yet! The UK media are calling it the 'Great Haul of China'.

More Pics

2008-08-01T08:15:00.001-07:00

The picture of my sisters looking at something in Helen's hand - she'd just plucked out a grey hair and they were inspecting it, lol!! She's only 26 so wasn't impressed :)

Family Weekend

2008-08-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend both my sisters were in town and we had a fun time together. Claire had brought both Nathaniel and Zachary's birthday presents with her - she had bought them both a complete outfit for church (shirt, tie, trousers, shoes). How cool is that??? So we took pictures of them posing in them at my mum and dad's house.

We took the kids to the park on the Saturday since it was a really sunny and warm day. So I took a few pics of the family! So enjoy! (you'll notice that I've not included any of me, hee hee - that was intentional!)

Baby Quilt

2008-08-01T07:53:00.001-07:00

My younger sister is having a baby in the new year and so I thought it was a good excuse to make a baby quilt which I've thought about doing for a while. I'm not a seamstress in the least. And don't profess to be the most proficient of craftiest people around, although I LOVE being crafty (I'm just probably a jack of all trades, master of none!!). And since my sister isn't going to find out whether she's having a boy or girl I guess I need to make one of each to cover both bases!! I started making a baby girl quilt today. Now you should know that I like to make things up as I go along. Maybe because I can't figure out patterns and the like! So I'm probably doing it all wrong :) But anyway - I've cobbled together what is going to be the top. I need to find some fabric for the back and figure out how I'm going to finish it all off. But for now, here is a picture of it, work in progress! I took the pictures of it draped over the sewing machine which is why there is a light shining through!

Teacher Gifts

2008-08-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

At the end of every school year I like to send gifts along with the kids for their teachers and teaching assistants. I always have in mind to make something nice and special, but of course I procrastinate and then panic. I could always just go buy something, but oh no, I couldn't do that - because in my head I have planned to make something and if I don't I feel like I've failed, even though the teachers don't know I'm planning on making something!! Well this year I made some decorated notebooks for them. It was fairly quick and easy and I like the results, so I hope they did too!! I figure they probably get quite a bit of chocolate, flowers, wine, etc so like to do something maybe a little different and hopefully useful. These pics are the result.

Sports Day

2008-08-01T07:39:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of the boys at their school sports day, the week before they broke up for the summer hols. They are both very competitive and took it very seriously, unlike most of the kids in their classes, lol!!

Mamma Mia!!

2008-07-31T12:49:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a girls' night out to see Mamma Mia. One of my friends had already seen it twice but the rest of us hadn't seen it at all, so off we went! The showing was at 8pm and we got there at 7.30 and found that it had sold out already!! In fact the cinema was the busiest I had ever seen it!!! We couldn't get parking so just had to park up on a kerb. The lines were out the door! There were tons of people there for Mamma Mia and tons there for The Dark Knight (the new Batman film). You could easy see which line was for which movie - one line was full of groups of girlfriends and the other full of men and teen boys!! You decide which was which, lol. So we bought tickets for the 9.10pm showing as no way were we going home :) We decided that we should get in line as soon as the 8pm people went into their showing. So we quickly went and got icecream and got back in line. We were pleased to see we were at the front so would have no problem getting a good seat. So at around 9pm we were let through into the theatre and we headed towards a row of seats. First of all, it was only one of the small theatres which surprised us. So as we all sat down we realised that the seats were kind of tilted. It was as if someone from behind had kicked the whole row forward, so the back of our seats were totally upright and our seats were sloping forward so we were almost sliding off! By this time however the whole theatre was full and there were no seats anywhere else that we could move to (not all 7 of us together). So we had to endure these totally uncomfortable seats! We even got some of the kids booster seats to put under out feet to hold us up and stop us falling off! We must have look ridiculous, all hunched over, lol. The movie was really fun and we were singing along to all the songs (although we seemed to be the only ones!!). I've always like Julie Walters as an actress and I think she acted so well in this. She was soooo funny :) I'd even say she had the best performance in the film, closely followed by Meryl Streep. At the end of the movie we actually found the manager and complained about the seats - we actually took her in the theatre to show her exactly which ones they were so she could arrange to get them fixed. She gave us all a free pass for another showing. But all in all it was a great night. I might have to go and see it again sometime - but maybe when it's not so busy!

I have some pix on my phone that I need to download onto the 'puter and add on here. Maybe tomorrow :)

Life is so fragile.........

2008-07-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

My sister received tragic news this weekend of her friends' little girl.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/7527475.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/7528602.stm

Hug your kids a little longer tonight.

I've been AWOL for far too long...........

2008-07-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know!

This week Nathaniel had his 7th birthday. Gosh! Is he really that old?? For the past month or so we'd been asking him what he wanted to do for his birthday party and he could never really decide. So I decided for him and he was excited for what I had planned. I suggested having a 'boys' toys' party down at church. We had 3 games consoles set up in one room - a Wii, a PS2 and a gamecube (embarrassed to admit they are all ours! we also had the option of an xbox, xbox360 and PS3! I think David is a bigger kid than the boys, lol). In the biggest room we had radio control cars. In a side room we had a scalextric, and on the stage we had a bowling alley game set up. I made a chart on the blackboard with all the kids names on and all the different activities. They were assigned which activity to start with and given a partner and a time limit. Then they would meet back at the board where we would record whether they won, lost or drew in that activity. I them jiggled them around and sent them to a different activity with a different partner. We did this for 1.5 hours and then went into a different room for food and cake. The party was a great success and all the kids had fun. Because of the way it was organised there was no behaviour problems. They were all so well behaved. We were lucky that my parents volunteered to help. So did my SIL, BIL and my gorgeous new nephew. My aunty came along with her granddaughter who is such a cute 3 year old. She also brought my grandma. I'm so glad that Nathaniel had such a fun party. He has some great friends! I might have to do this for Zach's party next year. And the only cost was the food!! And I was so busy sorting it all out that I forgot to take pictures!! How bad is that??

Onto other things.......

I had been involved with a swap on a shabby chic forum I frequent. This month's theme was summer garden party and I received the most amazing package from my swap partner in Germany. I was blown away, flabergasted, by what I received. It was all presented beautifully in this gift basket. My most favourite item was this patchwork she had made. I LOVE it!! I'm such a lucky girl!!

Last week we took the kids to the local carvery for lunch. I can't believe how much food they ate! The enjoyed every bite!

And here are my boys at our friends house. My kids are the ones on the chairs. My friends boys are on the floor. They were so engrossed in their game that they didn't even notice me taking pictures!! Boys and their toys, huh!