Not Impressed....And A Pic For Rachel Radiostar!!!

Happy Birthday Mr Tea Towel.....62 today and still as lovely as ever.
He usually books the day off but he didn't have any spare days to take this year:(

The carpet fitter arrived at 3pm yesterday........and he was gone by just after 5pm.
Did he leave us with a fully carpeted hall, landing and staircases? Did he heck.......one staircase got done so not even half of the job.
I think I must expect too much for our hard earned money.
The fitter realised when he saw that we had two staircases that he wouldn't be able to finish the job and told me to phone the shop and see when they would be able to fit us in to finish it. I got all the gumph about fitters being off on holiday. How can you run a carpet fitting business if you let all your bloody fitters have their time off at the same time. I have a feeling we are being fobbed off with a steaming pile of BS.
Anyway they said they will be back to finish it on Monday so we'll see......I will not be using them again when we have the bedrooms done after Christmas which is unfortunate as I wanted the same carpet but you only mess with Mrs Tea Towel once.

For Rachel Radiostar who missed the pic when I posted it a couple of weeks ago-x-

I have a bit of a busy day today. I need to sort out my huge teapot that I use for family gatherings and give it a good wash. DDIL wants to use it for the Macmillan Coffee Morning she is giving tomorrow and I also need to bake cakes......and yes I will be using self raising flour....lol......and make mince pies.
Ruby will be here for tea and between 4pm and 6pm we need to have tea and get her sunglasses finished for the craft competition next week plus fit in some time for a cuddle.
I could do with doing a bit of shopping but that may have to wait until tomorrow and at some point I could do with having a shower and washing my hair.

We'll be having a quick tea of chicken and salad with cornbread so that I can have it ready for Ruby to eat as soon as she comes in and we can then get down to the crafting.

Hope your day is either busy........or relaxing......however you like it.
Sheila-x-

Poundland Beer Crate Makeover!!!

I like it too much to use it to store washing up stuff on the kitchen window sill so I have snaffled it for my sewing tools.

A close up of the tissue paper decoupage.

I started off by giving the whole piece two coats of Craig & Rose Chalky Emulsion in Morris Blue then used a sanding block to knock the paint back and distress it.
Next I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Old Paper to go around the edges and let it dry.
The tissue was applied with Mod Podge and allowed to dry thoroughly before I gave the crate a coat of wax and buffed it.
The Craig & Rose paint was an absolute dream to work with and the coverage was excellent. The sample pot I used cost about £2.50 and the two coats used less than a quarter of the pot so plenty left for other projects.
I really enjoyed doing this project and I wish I could find some more of these crates as I can see uses for them all over the house.

What would you class as 'early afternoon' ?
We were told the carpet fitters would be here early afternoon and they haven't arrived yet.
I'm sat here like a numpty not being able to have the washing machine on or anything else that makes a noise as I wouldn't hear them knock at the door if I did........must remind hubby to pick up a doorbell this week.
I hope they don't arrive too late as I really need to go out tonight and get a few things for hubbys' birthday tomorrow.

No Miss Doodle for tea today. She is coming tomorrow instead as DS wants to take her out after school today to buy her a treat as she has been such a good girl lately both at school and at home. Today is his only day off so he asked if we could swap. 
Apparently she is having some shoes with wheels in..........and I want some too. I just think they are so cool.

I think I might get the other crate out and give it a coat of paint while I'm waiting for the carpet fitters to arrive.

Hope you are all having a good day.
Sheila-x-



 

 

You Couldn't Make Me Up!!!

Before I took a bit of time out yesterday I decided I would whip up a Victoria Sponge cake for hubby so he could have a slice with his cuppa when he comes in at night. Now I have made this cake hundreds and hundreds of times and it never fails......well fail it did yesterday.
I did a 6, 6, 6, 3 mix which always gives me a lovely deep sponge to sandwich with strawberry jam but this came out looking like two pancakes and I couldn't work out what had gone wrong. Then it dawned on me that I had had a bag of plain flour go missing a couple of weeks ago. I knew I had one in the cupboard and then all of a sudden I didn't and I had to buy a new bag to fill the container. 
Now I know where it went.........into the SR flour container.
What a bloody numpty.
Hubby was beside himself and was ungentlemanly enough to remind me of the pink fairy cakes I made once when I first started baking that ended up being dipped in tea as biscuits. He has never let me forget those.
I am thinking of withdrawing my cake making services.....lol.

Feeling a little brighter today and a good job too as there are things I need to get done......decorating paraphenalia to put away , a bit of stuff to move out of the hall, pots to wash and laundry to finish off.
Once all that is done I want to finish off my Poundland crate with some wax or varnish. I love how it turned out and can't wait to show you.

The Christmas magazine was a complete waste of money with only one article that remotely interested me..........Winter In New York.
It bought back memories of three years ago when DD and I were just a few weeks away from our own Christmas shopping trip there.
A wonderful experience that I would love to repeat.
What was your most favourite trip ever? Do tell.

Well enough memory lane-ing......these jobs won't do themselves.

Thanks for stopping by today.
Sheila-x-

Muddy Head!!!

Just my luck I couldn't get off to sleep last night and ended up dropping off around 4am. I had to be up early for my doctors appointment and I really could have done with a couple more hours.
I think the disinfectant I used on Saturday triggered a migraine although it didn't take the usual course mine take and I got no warning aura. I'll not be using the winter spice Z*fl**ra again just in case.
Still....the headache has gone now although my head feels heavy and muddy........not a day to have been let loose in the supermarket as I ended up buying a Christmas magazine with visions of having a doss on the sofa this afternoon with a cuppa and a pack of sticky strips to mark anything of interest. It may involve a fire too as it is very wet and cold here today.

What I will make for tea I have absolutely no idea. We are getting low on quick things to pull out of the freezer to have with salad so I may just make some scrambled eggs on toast.
I must make an effort to get these freezers completely emptied over the next couple of weeks and get them cleaned.

Hubby is fed and watered and will be off to work shortly so once he is gone I will run the hoover over and wash the few pots from his lunch then it will be some 'me' time for a little while.

Hope you are all having a good day.
Sheila-x-

 

A Sick Day!!!

Sorry for the very late post today. I was on here this morning intending to post, left to do something and ended up flat out with the most awful headache.
It's on it's way out now but it's left me feeling pretty sick and out of sorts so I think a hot shower and an early night tonight for me and hopefully that will see me right.

Tanks for dropping by.
Sheila-x-

No Peeking!!!

We would have done well to heed that advice methinks.
A small area of the stair carpet was lifted to see what we would be facing.......mmmm it was a bit bigger job than we realised so we haven't had our morning wander this morning.
All of the carpet is now up and hubby has had to scrape the stairs and floors all the way down to get rid of all the rotted stuck on foam backing.
Now he is just fixing squeaks and then I am going up to wash all the woodwork and wipe all the stairs and floors down with disinfectant.
I would much rather have gone wandering but they are coming to fit the new carpet on Wednesday so we wanted to make sure everything was done and ready for them.

October 15th was going to be a happy day for both hubby and I when we would come to the end of all our various appointments......and then we get a letter this morning with the date of his appointment for his operation.......October 17th.
Well at least it will be all over and done with before Christmas and he will be back on his feet. I think they said he will need five weeks off work but I'm not sure.

The Poundland crate is coming along nicely. It's painted and now I just need to decide how I am going to decorate it before giving it a couple of coats of varnish. I'll post a pic when it's done.

We won't be lighting a fire tonight after nearly cooking ourselves to death last night. It wasn't really cold enough and we would have been better just using the quilts. It was lovely to look at though and I can't wait for the proper cold weather to arrive.

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend.
Sheila-x-

Play Day!!!

I think I have worked hard enough this week to earn myself a bit of a play day today........after the tidying up and everything of course.
There is a distinct itching to be having a messy play with paint to transform one of the crates I bought from Poundland which may also involve a bit of decoupage and distressing depending on how it goes.

Hubby is finished work now for the weekend and we'll have a bit of time for one of our wandering sessions tomorrow. First stop will be the farm shop for veg and then we'll have a wander around the Makers Market and call for a coffee in the little town. Simple time spent together but we both enjoy it very much.
We also have a night to ourselves tonight as DD is off out with some work friends so hubby is treating us to a Chinese takeaway to eat in front of our first fire of autumn while we watch something either on tv or DVD.
I am so thankful for the cooler days and being more comfortable while I get my jobs done and the cooler evenings for snuggling under the sofa quilts.........all I want now is some snow......lol.

I hope you all have a lovely relaxing weekend too.
Sheila-x-

Finished!!!

Oh...thank goodness for that......the painting is finished.
I started the cutting in while DD took Ruby home and it was all done by 9pm.
Tonight I will wash down all of the skirting boards, door frames and doors then it will just be a case of waiting for that phonecall before we rip up that vile blue carpet.
Once everything is finished I need to go on the hunt for a nice piece of furniture to go on the big landing.....something along the lines of a long narrow console type table with drawers and a ledge underneath where I can use pretty baskets to store some of Rubys' stuff. I am desperate to stop it being used as a dumping ground for all sorts of cr*p as it has been for a good while.
I will be haunting the YMCA shop in little town until I find the right thing.

I overslept this morning and was really hungry when I got up. Didn't fancy my usual toast so I have been rather naughty and had a cooked breakfast of grilled bacon and tomato with a fried egg. It went down a treat with my morning cuppa and now I feel fuelled up for getting a job or two done.
The job of cleaning the top of the fridge freezer keeps getting pushed to the bottom of my job list so today is a good day to put it right at the top and get it done and there is also a small pile of ironing......no tea towels included....lol.

Now......where's me bucket and Marigolds?

Hope you all have a lovely day today.
Sheila-x-

Epic Fail!!!

I couldn't finish off the painting last night.
It wasn't that I couldn't be bothered.....my body just wouldn't let me. My shoulders hurt, my knees hurt where I have been kneeling down to do the cutting in around the skirting boards and the backs of my legs hurt where I have been stretching to do the cutting in along the ceiling line on the staircases.
All in all I am a bit of a mess....lol.
I really need to get it finished tonight after Ruby has gone home so DD is going to drop her home while I get on with the last bit of cutting in and then she is kindly going to do the rest of the rollering for me. 
Once we hear from the carpet company with a date for fitting we need to whip up the carpet on the upper staircase and see what we can do about fixing a creak on the landing and a couple of the stairs. Then the day before they come I want to get the rest of the carpet up, hoover all the way down and then have a wipe over with some disinfectant. That carpet has been there for over twenty years so I think it will need it.
The day they come to fit it will be a bit of a Red Letter Day for me.....the first time in forty years that I haven't had to lay my own carpet.

Another first today......I am going to be making some rissoles for tea. I don't know why I have never made them before because my Grandma used to make them and I remember loving them So I am using up what is left of the pork from Sunday and I'll add some onion, breadcrumbs and herbs, bind it together with an egg and just see if they are as delicious as I recall them being.

Yesterday afternoon was a bit scary round here. Apparently the travellers have been setting things on fire and generally causing trouble so we had fire engines and police everywhere. I could hear the local gobs***e talking to the police and there was mention of them having shotguns and all sorts. Honestly it was like something off the telly.

Not much to do on the domestic front besides prepare tea and hoover before Ruby comes so I think I'll have a coffee before I start.
Thanks for dropping by today.
Sheila-x-

Freezing Me Wotsits Off!!!

Oh this is my kind of morning.....sunny and dry but with a real autumnal nip in the air.
I'm sat here with the back door open so that Smudge can come and go as he likes and it is freezing.
Tea tonight will go down well then.......an old favourite school dinner of savoury mince with mashed potatoes, carrot and swede...yummy.

Sorry to report that the painting wasn't entirely finished last night. I just got to the point where I couldn't push myself to do any more. The end is in sight though and it will be finished tonight after tea.

No results yet from the bone scan hubby had on Friday but his appointment went well with the Oncologist yesterday.
After discussions about his options for treatment he is still going for surgery and is now just awaiting his date to go in.
Although I wouldn't exactly say he's happy he is at least a bit more settled now that his choice is made and he knows what is going to happen. I am just hoping that his appointment doesn't come for him to go in on his birthday on 29th September.

Well I have a few jobs to get done this morning. The window ledges outside are filthy. They're covered in little seeds that have blown from the trees and dead daddy long legs so they need a good wash down. I think I'll save my coffee and have it to warm my hands up after I have done that.

Hope you are all having a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Monday Mizzle!!!

Woke up to a wet mizzly morning which scuppered my plans for drying a load of coats and jackets on the line after sorting out the coat rack in the hall. They are having to be done in the tumble dryer instead.
Most of them will be going to the charity shop so that is another decluttering job done from the list.

Hubby is at his appointment with the oncologist this morning. I don't know if he will get any results from his bone scan or not.
I have just been for my blood test at the local surgery courtesy of DDIL who is being an absolute angel.

There wasn't much housework got done over the weekend so I need to have a good clean up while I wait for hubby to get back and then I desperately need to pop out and do a bit of shopping before coming back and cracking on with the last of the painting. I'll be so glad when it's done. I ache like billy-oh.

Just need to have a quick breakfast and then I'm off to flick a duster round and hoover up the carrot mess.

Catch you all tomorrow when I can hopefully report that the painting is finished.
Sheila-x-

Oh My Aching Arms!!!

Day one of painting......hall and one staircase......done.
My arms feel like they have been ripped off and sewn back on but there is more to do.
Today I will start at the top of the second staircase and work my way down to the landing so that both sets of stairs are done and out of the way and then it will be all plain sailing.

Hubby is cooking lunch today bless him. Roast pork and all the trimmings. It will taste all the better for me not having to cook it.
He did offer to do some painting but although I am mad I'm not quite mad enough to let him loose with a paintbrush or roller...lol.

So quite a boring Sunday here....I hope yours is a bit more exciting.
Sheila-x-

Can't Help Loving That Man Of Mine!!!

Hubby was finished at the hospital a lot sooner than expected yesterday so he was able to phone DDIL who was kind enough to fetch him back rather than him wait for DD to finish work at 4pm.
While he was waiting to be picked up he was having a wander round and came across someone who had set up a stall selling all sorts of things and he bought me this........

 ........because he knows I love the Christmas film Polar Express. I know you can buy silver bells from just about anywhere but this one has the train ticket label..........I love it.

Today is Big Job day at Tea Towel Mansion. With the imminent arrival and fitting of the new carpet I have decided to give the hall, staircases and landings a coat of paint while the old carpet is still down. It's a huge job but it wants doing and we have no plans this weekend so it's the best time to do it. I doubt it will get finished today as DD is off out and I have no help mate so I will have to carry on tomorrow.

I think I will have a coffee while I wait for hubby to come back with the paint.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Sheila-x-



 

Ice, Ice Baby!!! (Photos Now Added)

For a while now I have been wanting to make some iced candle holders using Epsom Salts and I finally got around to it yesterday.
First I did the plain ones and then being me I couldn't resist having a bit of a play with colouring the glue to see what kind of finish that gave. It wasn't good....lol....so I will be sticking with either the plain ones or I will look around for some glass which is already coloured.

The coloured jars don't look too bad at night when lit but looked awful in the daylight.

Anyhoo......I used glass jars saved from other candles which I washed thoroughly in hot soapy water with a little vinegar added to get them sparkling clean and grease free.
For glue I used Mod Podge and every tutorial I have seen has used this so I don't know if ordinary PVA would work or not....although this finish is only temporary so I can't see why not.
I pounced the glue on to get a thicker layer and then rolled the glass in a bowl of the salts and left it to dry. Once dry you have a lovely crunchy, icy effect that glitters beautifully.
You can get a good sized bag of Epsom Salts from Home Bargains for around £2.50 which is way cheaper than buying it from Boots or beauty shops.
As I say the effect is temporary and you just need to soak the glass in some warm water to remove it.

I've had a lovely couple of hours this morning first looking after Marlowe and giving her breakfast while DDIL went to drop hubby at the hospital and then some time spent having coffee and chatting with DDIL when she returned.
It's the first time I have fed Marlowe with her solids and I must say....she is an incredibly tidy eater. I fully expected to be covered in pureed apple but not a bit of it. What went in went down and she loved it.

Now I have the rest of the day to myself until DD arrives home with hubby later. I hope he'll phone me to let me know how he is getting on.
I had best find something to occupy myself for a few hours to try and stop myself worrying.

Thanks for stopping by.....and I do apologise about the pics. I'll see what I can do to fix the problem and add them as soon as I can.
Sheila-x-

A Proper Autumn Morning!!!

When I woke this morning and looked out of the window it was beautiful. Cool, still, silent, misty and damp.
Fast forward a few hours and it is hot and noisy. The noise coming from the travellers who didn't move as far as we'd hoped yesterday. They are now camped in the field of the farmer next door. The screaming and shouting is rather disturbing. Add to that the pack of dogs barking and....well you get the picture....sigh!!!

I got the heavier of my jobs done this morning while it was still cool so now I am just pottering about until it's time to make the evening meal. Something made with chicken to go with some salad but I don't know what yet. I shall just make it up as I go along.

Another appointment for hubby tomorrow. He has to go for something called a Nuclear Bone Scan and he will be at the hospital for hours. DDIL is taking him first thing in the morning and DD will collect him after she finishes work. He will have a while to wait for her so he says he will go and have a meal in the cafeteria while he waits for her to arrive although I think she may have some toil hours she can take so that she can leave work earlier.
There will be a three hour waiting period between having an injection and then having the scan so it is going to be awfully boring for him. He doesn't read apart from newspapers and he doesn't do anything on his phone other than make and receive calls so how he will occupy himself I do not know.
He will then be back there on Monday to see the Oncologist.

Ruby didn't want to make her sunglasses last night. The lure of sunshine and fresh air was too much after being cooped up in school all day and after tea she played outside until it was time to go home. It looks like Ganma might have to do all the cutting out to get them ready for next week to be painted and decorated if we want to have them ready for the show.

Well I need to go and rid my kitchen of the smell of hubbys' lunch. He had Chinese spare ribs and I can't abide the smell of the five spice powder the butcher uses on them........yuck.

Hope it's sunny and warm in your little corners of the world.
Sheila-x-
 

The Pickles Are Pickling!!!

There are actually three jars of onions but the other jar isn't quite as pretty as these that I picked up from Hobbycraft.
Just one jar of red cabbage as there is only hubby who likes it. Now I just need to pick up some beetroot when I go to the farm shop at the weekend and we will be sorted for what I call standard pickles.
All other pickles and chutneys are bought in as we don't eat an awful lot of them so it's not worth me making them.
The house letters were purchased from The Card Factory for £3.99. I had been after something like them for a while so I was pleased to find them.

Finally.......after nearly three weeks the travellers have moved off the back field this morning. You should see the filth and rubbish they have left behind....it's horrendous. The company who own the land have one heck of a clean up job to do and we will be unable to use the area again until that has been done.

Wednesday is Doodle Day and I have planned a simple tea for her today as we have to make a start on a craft project for school....sunglasses made from cardboard. We have a couple of weeks to get them done but if we get them cut out and painted today then she can get to the exciting part of decorating them next week.
As we only have two and half hours DD and I will eat after we have taken her home.

Well that thunder storm was a bit of a humdinger last night wasn't it? At one point I thought our roof had been hit.
I have never seen a sky like it just before it started.....the clouds were green and at 6pm it was as dark as night. Very spectacular.
I can't say it did much to clear the air though. It's very warm again this morning although there is a nice breeze which means the bedding can go on the line.

I am just going to have my coffee and then I shall run the hoover round and set up the table ready for making the sunglasses. Once that is done it will nearly be time for Ruby to arrive so I am going to fill in the time by having a browse on Pinterest for ideas for Christmas decor and novelty food that Ruby and I can make together in the run up to the festive season.
Oh I do so love this time of year.

Hope you are all having a fab day.
Sheila-x-

 

Weekend Stash Shopping!!!

Today I thought I would show you the fabrics and seasonal crafting things I managed to pick up at the weekend.
So here we go......

Lots of beautiful things to make in this book from The Works....and a small stash of vintage felt to make them with. I need to look for somewhere with a more comprehensive range of colours as I was limited for choice on the market.

Backing fabrics for quilts. The white on white swiss dot is for Marlowe and the grey and beige for DS and DDIL .....although I am a bit torn....it would make a lovely top or skirt.

Adding to my stash of fabrics for making bags.

One pound remnants to add to the stash drawer.

Another bag pattern to add to my growing collection.

A few seasonal bits to add to the crafting box. The mini trees are to make some snow scenes in jars. The Let It Snow words will e used for some Epsom Salts candle jars and the leaves for a small Autumn display in the dining room.

A bargain from Poundland. They had lots of different signs including some that weren't Christmassy.

 

I picked up a couple of gorgeous wooden beer bottle crates from Poundland. One will be painted and distressed and live on the kitchen windowsill to hold the washing up liquid, bleach etc and the other will be painted and decorated to hold two of the sock snowmen I made last year for display at Christmas.

Very happy with all of my purchases and I just love buying fabric from Derby market. All the yardage I bought is beautiful quality and none of it was more than £5 per metre.
There were a couple more things I got but can't show at the moment as they are stocking fillers for Ruby Doodle.

All I need to do now is get sewing and crafting but it won't be today as it is way too hot for me to be dealing with swathes of fabric wrapped round me while I sew. Instead I am going to be sorting out my patterns and banding them together by type so that I can actually find what I want when I want it. I have so many now.

Thanks for stopping by today....and I hope you are all managing to keep cool.
Sheila-x-

Happy Days!!!

We had a really lovely day yesterday.
Lunch at the pub was gorgeous followed by a couple of hours just chilling out at home and then a visit to Doodle Mansion to spend some time with the people we love most in the world.
Look what they gave us as a gift............

Isn't it just absolutely wonderful?
I don't know if you can see them on the photo but there are tiny red gemstones in amongst the words.
It's just so perfect that I could cry every time I look at it.
DS made a Pecan Pie which was gorgeous. We had it with some vanilla ice cream and DDIL made us some Red Velvet Cupcakes with my favourite cream cheese frosting. OMG they were delicious.

The new carpet has been ordered this morning. It's a really lovely mottled red......exactly what I wanted and nowhere near as expensive as we expected for a fairly top of the range carpet with underlay and fitting included.
We used an independent retailer in the little town and I'm glad we did. No hard sell......we were just advised of the best type of carpet to use on the stairs. looked at the colours and chose the one we wanted. In and out in less than fifteen minutes.
It will be fitted in about two weeks.

After a weekend of being catered for DD and I are ready for a simple meal tonight........beans on toast and a cuppa it is then....lol.
Everything is gathered for the pickling of the onions and hubby has let me off the agony of peeling that sackful. He is going to do them tonight when he comes in from work as it's a job he loves doing so a huge thank you for that my darling man.

So......I have the house to myself for a little while and there is a serious amount of tidying needs doing in the dining room and kitchen, laundry to do and a good hoovering so that DD and I can sit and watch the last three episodes of 24. These are the last episodes of the last season so we have watched nine seasons in total and it has been absolutely brilliant.....a little far fetched in places but brilliant just the same. I will miss watching it.

Off to crack on with my jobs then.
Hope you are all having a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Remembering!!!

Today I will be remembering the people whose lives were shattered by the events in New York in 2001.

Also today my lovely hubby and I will be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary. No big party....just lunch at the pub and then a visit to the Doodle house.........and we will be eating some of this..........

 ......although how I will take a knife to it I do not know.

Hubby ordered this for me from the neighbours Mum after finding out that she made celebration cakes. Isn't it gorgeous?

Does anyone know if or how I can preserve the flowers and ivy? I just love them.

Last night DD treated us to a Chinese takeaway and it was so delicious. We haven't had one for years. I do love Chinese food.

I'll make the most of my last day out of the kitchen as I have a feeling I will be in there for a pretty long time tomorrow judging by the huge bag of pickling onions hubby bought home yesterday...lol.

Whatever you are doing.....enjoy your Sunday.

Sheila-x-

Ooooh Me Aching Feet!!!

Just got back from a trip to Derby where I have been fabric shopping, unintentional Christmas shopping and hunting for a newt.....plastic, rubber....anything that looked like a newt would have done but I couldn't find a single thing except a dinosaurish type thing that might have just done if it hadn't been three times the size of the jug she is taking.
Ruby's school is doing a Roald Dahl day and she is going as her favourite character Matilda and so needs a newt to put in a jug to scare Miss Trunchbull.....lol.
I shall have one last look at B&M and maybe Poundstretcher tomorrow and then I have exhausted everywhere I can think of.

Had a lovely night babysitting my girls last night and DS and DDIL enjoyed their first date night since Marlowe was born. I hope both girls slept through the night.

Right.....I am off for a cuppa and a sit with my feet up for a few minutes.
Hope you are all having a fab weekend.
Sheila-x-

Doing The Extras!!!

Friday is always clean and tidy up ready for the weekend day....which I have done but I have also added extra jobs today as hubby told me this morning that we are having new stair carpets and promptly went off into town to make an appointment for someone to come and measure up. They are coming tomorrow morning so I thought I had best give the the two lots of stairs, two landings and the hall a good hoover which then led to cleaning the bannisters which looked a bit grubby.
I can't wait to get rid of this filthy, manky thing that's been down for over twenty years. 
The subject has been broached by me before but this time it's his idea so it's better.....lol. I don't care whose idea it is as long as I can have me red carpet at last.

Looking forward to tonight. DS and DDIL are having a date night and I get to go and squidge with me girls.....yay. I love any time I can spend with my two little angels.
DD is off out to the cinema with friends so hubby is going to have a nice peaceful night by himself and he can watch war films to his hearts content....lol.

I have been banned from cooking now until Monday next week. Hubby says that I am due a break after forty years so tonight we are having fish and chips, tomorrow DD is treating us to a Chinese takeaway and Sunday we are going to the pub for lunch followed by a visit to DS's house for dessert.....How fab is that?

Well I just have a couple of small jobs to finish off and then I am going to do some online browsing to see what kind of carpets are available these days. It's so long since we bought one that I haven't even a clue as to the prices.

Weather is a bit iffy here. Nasty grey clouds and wind.
Hope it's better for you all.
Sheila-x-

Mad As A Box Of Frogs!!!

Yes....that is me.....totally barking mad.....and why?
The mission to empty the freezers is going very well or at least it was until last night when I popped in to T***o to pick up some more salad stuff and I spotted the reduced bread rolls and ended up bringing home 4 packs of 4 floured rolls reduced to 16p each, 2 packs of 6 wholemeal rolls reduced to 16p each, 3 packs of 4 petit pain reduced to 25p each and a pack of 4 ciabatta rolls reduced to 25p.
All now in the freezer. 
We do get through quite a few rolls for packing up though so they will both save me some money and save me having to remember to pick them up when I go shopping.

I also saved these from the bin...........

 They were only a few pence and I know they won't last long but they are just so flippin' gorgeous that I couldn't leave them there.

Our T***o is having the most ridiculous move around at the moment and moving stuff just for the sake of it I reckon. The oils and herbs and spices have swapped places. They are still on the same aisle so why have they had to swap them? They've done the same all over the store. Last night I noticed that they were emptying all of the freezers......no doubt to swap them all around too. Still I suppose it gives them something to do....lol.

Ruby made me laugh last night. She really enjoyed her Sweet and Sour Chicken with Noodles......but only after she had picked out the peppers, spring onions, carrots and pineapple. She picked it over like a gold digger sifting through soil to find the tiniest pieces.....and there was me hoping the sauce would make her eat her veggies......nice try Ganma.....lol.
First day back at school went down very well. She was so happy and bouncy when she got here.
Marlowe is taking to weaning like a duck to water. She had two days of baby rice and then yesterday she had mashed carrot and absolutely loved it. DDIL says she is sleeping much better after some disturbed nights last week so she was obviously ready for it.

Well I had best go and do a few bits and bobs. There's not much on my list today really and there's only a salad to prep for tea to go with some marinaded chicken. I don't feel like getting the sewing machine out but I might have a sort through my bag of felt as I want to make some tiny envelopes to put money into for Marlowe's Advent calendar. She's a bit young for small toys and chocolate so I am going to put 50p pieces into twenty three of the pockets and a pound coin in the twenty fourth and that can go into her bank account.

It's turned out bright and sunny here so I hope it is where you are.
Thanks for stopping by.
Sheila-x-

Staying Out Of The Kitchen........!!!

.......because I can't stand the heat.
Rachel Radiostar asked me how much I got done off my jobs list yesterday..........well Rachel not very much.
I managed to get the cooker cleaned but after that the heat defeated me. It was so muggy with not even a hint of a breeze that I could hardly breathe so I decamped to the dining room where the fan is for the rest of the day.
It looks like more of the same today but there are things I need to get done so I shall have to just grin and bear it.

Today is the first day back at school for Ruby as a Year 2 pupil and I can't wait to hear all about it when she comes for tea later. I know she was very nervous about going up a class and the work being too hard for her but she will be just fine. She is a hard worker and she'll cope.
I was going to make her a cake but I don't think I can stand to have the oven on so I will make her a fresh strawberry sauce to have on some ice cream instead.

Appointments are coming in thick and fast for hubby. Next week he has one with the nurse at our surgery for blood tests, one for a bone scan at the hospital and then another with the oncologist. We are going to have to call on family members for a bit of help as I also have blood tests the same day as he has his oncology appointment so he won't be able to take me. He's fed up already.
We'll have a nice weekend this week though as we celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary on Sunday. We had invited DS and family to join us for lunch at the pub again but Ruby with her manic social life has a birthday party to go to so they can't make it. They have invited us to their house later in the day for dessert though......can't wait for that.

Well I had best go and do a bit of titivating and get everywhere tidy before Miss Doodle arrives. That and a bit of veg prep for the Sweet and Sour Chicken I am making for tea will be just about all I'm good for today if it doesn't cool down a bit.

Hope you all have a fabulous day.
Sheila-x-

That Kind Of Morning!!!

You know that kind of morning....right?
The sun is shining and showing up the fact that the kitchen windows are desperate for a clean inside and out but you would much rather be doing something else...lol.

I have to catch up on jobs that didn't get done yesterday and think of something to do for tea. The food is there.....I just don't have a clue what to make today. A messy mind day if ever there was one.....so many thoughts and plans churning around in there.
It doesn't help that I am tired.......entirely my own fault as DD and I stayed up very late to watch the last few episodes of season eight of 24. We hadn't been able to watch it while Ruby was staying.

The best thing to do is start at the top of the list and work down I think and see what I can get done today. The rest will get done as and when.

I am hoping that the police come today to move on the travellers that moved onto the field behind us on Bank Holiday Friday. They were supposed to be gone by 10am yesterday but nothing was done. It's so annoying. That field is one of our amenities. People in the local area walk their dogs there because it's safe away from the road and children play over there but nobody has been able to use it for over a week now and I'm not sure how long it will be before anyone can use it again due to the fact that they use the sides of the footpaths as toilets. With about fifteen caravans over there I dread to think of the mess...it's just disgusting.

Anyway I have decided....next job is to sprinkle the ovens with bicarb and spray with orange vinegar and while that is doing it's thing I'll clean the windows. Sorted....lol.

Thanks for stopping by today.
Sheila-x-

 

Out And About!!!

This morning I had plans for catching up on housework but hubby had other ideas and said "come on Mrs....let's go for a wander" I love a good wander me and the housework isn't going anywhere is it now?
So we have been to the farm shop for meat and veg. We have set hubby up with new pyjamas and all of his toiletries for when he goes into hospital as we have now found out that he will be in for two weeks and not the five days we thought.
We've picked up ham and bread rolls for pack ups and I remembered to go to Holland and Barratt to pick up some malt extract and bouillon powder.
A quick coffee and then a wander round a couple of the charity shops where I picked up a small cross body handbag for £1....something I have wanted for ages as I am sick of ending up with everyones car keys and wallets in my bigger bag......and a couple of books to add to my reading pile.
It was a lovely morning.
Now I am attacking the laundry pile and will start on the other jobs tomorrow as I don't feel like starting on the oven now.

Hope you are all having a lovely day too.
Sheila-x-

Our Little Guest Has Gone Home!!!

Well that's it. Where on earth did that week go?
It has been absolutely wonderful having Ruby here and I am going to miss the kisses and cuddles but on the other hand I am ready to get my house back in order and get back into some kind of routine.
This week the kitchen will get a thorough clean including the oven and I'll tackle a room a day until everywhere is done.

Sunday lunch at the pub was lovely. Unfortunately no DD or DS as they were both at work but it was smashing to have both my little girls there. Marlowe even sat at the table with her Bumbo chair up on a dining chair. Her little face was a picture when she realised she was sitting with everyone and being included. I swear if her little arms would have reached she would have had hold of a Yorkshire pudding....lol.

So it is now September and I for one am looking forward to starting my Winter and Christmas preparations. I don't need to make any more decorations this year but I do have gifts and gift bags to make.
Bring on the cool, misty days.

Hope you have all had a fab weekend.
Sheila-x-

Rain Stopped Play!!!

There were plans to pack up a picnic and go to the bigger play park up in the next village but by the time we got back from doing a bit of a top up shop this morning the heavens had opened and put the kybosh on that.
So for now Ruby and DD have gone off to the big town in search of a film to watch tonight and I am just about to cook a sauce for the spag bol that little miss has requested for tea tonight. Once they are back and the sauce is bubbling away Ruby and I will have a look at the book we picked up from the charity shop this morning.....365 Things to Make and Do and see if we can find a project that she would like to do this afternoon although she hasn't really been as interested in crafting this week as she normally is.
I have bought some white chocolate chips this morning so maybe she will want to bake some raspberry and white chocolate muffins. It's entirely up to her........she is most definitely the boss....lol.

Thanks for visiting today.
Hope the weather is better where you are.
Sheila-x-

Time For A Breather!!!

Ganma is not needed for a couple of hours as Ruby is having some Aunty time with DD and they have gone out for a while so that Ruby can spend her pocket money from Grandad.
While they are out I will have a quick tidy up and put a load of little miss's laundry in to wash and hopefully get it on the line if the rain stays away. I do love to see her little clothes dancing on the line.
If she feels like it we may do some baking this afternoon as there are eggs that need using up.
Yesterday she layered up a lasagne for Grandads lunch and she made the most beautiful job of it.....much neater than Ganma....lol.

I can't believe we only have two days left before she has to go home but we are making Sunday a special day by meeting Mummy and Marlowe at the pub for lunch and then she will go home from there after a play on the bouncy castles if it's not too hot to sit out.

Talking of Marlowe.....DDIL spent some time the other day cooking vegetable purees and freezing them in ice cube trays ready to start weaning her. How on earth did we get to that stage already? Time is going by way to quick for my liking.

Anyway I had best go and make the most of everyone being out and get this tidying done.
Thanks for stopping by today.
Sheila-x-