Record DIY....

No I've not set a Guinness world record!

Well lets face it I can't move very fast as it is at the moment.

What I have actually been doing is helping Kassie get ready for her craft stall in a few weeks time.

We've been making more jewellery;

Such as this smily face ring.

And lots of melting lots of old records into bowls.

It was just like when they were little and we crafted for hours on end.

Even Ashleigh joined in and not a cross word was spoken.

Now that is a first!

X x

Meet Max......

Finally I have the pleasure of sharing the newest addition to the family, Baby Max.

He is simply beautiful.

X x

What To Do On A Wednesday Evening?

(And before you say a word, yes I do not it's not Wednesday)

Put on a frock and a mask of course!

What ever do mean thats not what you do?

Well for me last Wednesday saw me dressed up for an evening at a masquerade ball.

(On a school night too! Naughty girl)

(Dress from Macys New York - Years ago)

(Mask - handmade by me)

And of course with any dress must go sparkly shoes!

(Shoes - Steve Madden from New York last year)

Now don't get thinking my back has suddenly gotten all better, far from it in fact.
But I was able to sit down for the evening, no dancing for this lady.

(Update on said back: I have now been informed I have a slipped disk!)

X x

It's Raining, It's Pouring....

And yes my old man is snoring!

Talk about a lot of rain.

My garage is constantly flooding, thankfully not horrifically mind.

(I feel for anyone who's home floods regular)

But I refuse to look dull and dark like the weather and put on my bright rain coat and ultra colourful dress.

You couldn't miss me in this get up!

Jacket - eBay
Dress - eBay
Necklace - Tesco
Shoes - Debenhams

What this weather does mean is that it's so much harder drying the clothes unless you put on the tumble drier all the time, which as you know is far too much money.

Sooo, here's my solution:

A new electric airer from Lakeland.

With a cost of only 5p per hour (3p for us over night) it makes drying the clothes effortless and even better cheap too.

A real win win in my book.

Does anyone else have one of these?

I was so impressed it turned up two days after I ordered it.

X x

Yum, Yum.....

It can only mean one thing!

Yep....

Its approved foods delivery time!

Although I have to say it has been a bit of a cock up this time due to it not arriving the day its should.

(In fact it was three days late)

But never the less its here now.

And look at it...

Its lots and lots of yummy stuff...

For very silly prices...

You can't go wrong with that in my humble opinion.

PS A huge thank you for your get well wishes.
Baby Max is on his way home very soon and I can't wait to meet him and my back whilst still very painful is on the mend too.

X x 

A Painful Monday...

Flippin typical!

After a nice weekend with the family I have woken up this morning with a very painful back.

If had been hurting over the weekend and I had taken painkillers but this morning it is really painful.

So much so I can't drive to work.

So I feel a little like the weather is today.

Yucky!

Never mind eh, I know it will get better.

So today has just consisted of comfy jeans and top.

The sour looking facial features are down to pain not being a grumpy git!

Nothing exciting but I'll share anyway.

And the pregnant pose is trying to stand comfy, not due to a huge belly!
Well not that huge anyway.

(cause thats just the kind of gal I am!)

X x

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly....

Summing the week up in three simple categories.

The Good
A new arrival in the family

My lovely niece has given birth to a beautiful baby boy called Max. He weighed in at 8lb 11oz.
None of us have actually met him yet as he was rushed off to another hospital after swollowing his own poop during birth.  He is now on the mend and we hope to meet him soon.

Seeing friendly faces. 

My inn laws gave visitors over from America and its lovely to catch up with what they have been upto since we last saw them over 6 months ago. 

The Bad
Not being able to see baby Max or reassure his mom and dad

Can't really add to that.

Preparing for my review.

Not that it should be a bad one but I never like all the prep needed before hand.

The Ugly
(Other than the baby Max situation)

Still feeling shattered.

Even after a week to recover I still feel well and truly pooped.
Lets hope the weekend can sort me out.

X x

Freebies And Frugality...

I haven't done one of these posts for ages so I though it might be a good idea to see what last week brought.

To make people aware we are careful with our pennies, but it's always good to know you have saved even more.

So here goes;

• Free pairs of sock courtesy of Boden Birmingham - Approx £4 each = £8
• Two carrier bags of runner beans -A total of around almost £20 if you follow the supermarket prices
• 8 courgettes - £3
• 6 cucumbers - £2.40
• Small bag of mange tout - £2
• 6 chillies - £2
• Free shopping bag - £2
• Free face cream sachets - £2
• Milage claimed - £400
• Parking claimed - £30
• 2 free loafs of bread - £2
• Extra income from 6 hours work - £200
• Free cooked lunch for five days - £25
• Three course meal and cooked lunch whilst away for work - £30

Total = £728

And thats just the bits that spring to mind.

Not a bad week to be honest and will increase the camper van fun that little bit more.

X x

Back To School....

Well 6th form actually.

Yes Ashleigh began her A level studies last week.

She looked so grown up.

This weekend she even lost the red hair, in favour for jet black hair.

And even a little pair of heels have made an appearance too.

(definitely my daughter)

It has cost a fortune to kit her out with suits, shoes, blouses, bag, stationery..

The lists never ending.

I did find a few things that were thrifted which helped a little.

Would you believe we even had to buy loads of white bras too?

I do feel for people with lots of children as it does get very expensive.

X x

So Whats For Tea?

Well considering we have courgettes coming out of our ear holes, not that I mind as I like them, I am having to think of different ways to use them.

So this evening sees us having courgette lasagne.

Uncooked and not looking too impressive.

Not only does it have in yummy courgettes but also lots of yummy cheese.

(probably not too good for the waist line though)

It can't have been that bad as the family have asked to have it again.

So what yummy food have you eaten of late?

X x

Sunday Chill-axing..

Today we have chilled, enjoyed a family meal and prepared for the week ahead.

Nothing too exciting to share so I shall leave you with more photos from yesterdays trip.

X x

Apologies For Going AWOL

No I haven't dropped off the face of the earth honest.

Its has just been a crazy week or so and I haven't had any time for anything really.

(Nor have I had time to catch up on any of your lovely blogs either, but I promise I will asap)

So why have I been so busy?

Well I have been actioning our annual conference at Centre Parcs for the past week.

And previously to that I was prepping for it and of course worrying over Ashleigh.

Thankfully all seems well with Ashleigh's heath and a huge thank you for all your lovely comments.
(It shows just how nice the people in blog land can be)

As for today, well after a wonderful lie in we set off to a national trust property.

Charlecote Park to be precise and it was a lovely day.

We sat and watched the world go by whilst we munched on our picnic.

It truly was wonderful and relaxing.

Just what was needed after a hectic week.

X x

Count Yourself Lucky.....

We all have days where things get us down and it's usually the most trivial of things if we are totally honest.

Well today I had a very scared and worried little girl.
(Even though she frequently tells me she is a lady now)

For today we attended the hospital to get meet with the heart consultant and to find out the course of action following on from her heart palpitations.

The good news is that her heart scan showed a healthy heart.

The bad news is they have no idea what is causing them.

So she will now be booked in for a exploratory surgery and they will put a tube into the vein on her leg and feed it into her heart.  They will then try to bring on the palpitations and if possible correct the faulty area.

She will have to be awake for the whole procedure, be it very sedated.
(The doctor advised her it will feel like being very tipsy)

She stayed very calm asking lots of questions and I was very proud of her.

Once we got to the car however the reality of it hit home and the tears began.

How I wish I could ease the worry and do it in her place.

But in true mommy style all I could do was comfort and support.

Of course I too am worried, after all, all the deaths in my family have been due to heart issues.
But I also know it is best that she gets it sorted now whilst she is young and fit.

So I count myself lucky that we are able to have this looked at and hopefully corrected.

And that I have a lovely family and friends whom I love more than the moon and the stars, knicker and the stars!
(As a very young Ashleigh used to say)

X x

Red Head.....

Or should that be orange??

Not too sure.

You see today I have re-dyed my hair.

The roots were definitely grey, I am very sad to admit and in need of a little cover up.

So I have given this ago:

Superdrugs mango hair-dye.

I must admit to being a little worried when my hairline was bright orange!

But I hoped that the colour would not be quite that bright.

And the out come is this:

I'm liking it and hope that it stays as bright.

Time will tell I suppose.

And a bargain as I had two colours for £4.99.

So what hair dyes do you use?

And would you recommend them?

This is not a sponsored post.

I am only giving my honest opinion on a product I have purchased.

X x