Bits And Bobs!!!

There is a lovely smell of roasting lamb with a hint of mint sauce and the onion sauce I have just made wafting around the kitchen this morning.
An early lunch today as we all have things we want to do this afternoon.
I will definitely be making a start on the candle jars today which I couldn't do on Friday as I couldn't find the tape I was going to use to attach the hessian. It was eventually found in a box under the bed yesterday so I am good to go now.

My lovely neighbour kindly gave me some apples from her tree yesterday which got peeled and chopped pretty sharpish and were turned into apple sauce which has gone into the freezer ready for my DDIL's birthday party. She didn't want a buffet type meal so instead we are serving hot beef rolls with horseradish and roast pork rolls with stuffing and apple sauce. Desserts will be a fruit crumble and a syrup and sultana sponge. I also have to make the 100 birthday cupcakes and a small cake to top the cupcake stand.

Thank you to those who have asked how Smudge is getting on. We are still waiting to hear from our vet with regards to his diet and I don't want to alter his food until I have had some feedback from her and I can ask questions.
He does seem to have perked up over the last couple of days though so I am wondering if he had been eating things he shouldn't outside. He is a proper garbage guts and has been known to eat slugs and other nasty things and then lie about looking woeful and expecting you to feel sorry for him...lol.

It's a very grey day today and looks like it might rain so a nice afternoon snuggled up in the sewing room will be lovely.

Hope you all have a nice relaxing Sunday.
Sheila-x-

I Am Done!!!

Well it feels like it has taken for ever but at last the living room is finished. There is something I want to do to the door to the under stairs cupboard but I don't know what at the moment. I have other things I need to move onto for the time being so I'll think about that later.

Today is all about tidying up ready for the weekend and getting rid of the box of decorating tools out of my sewing room as I am sick of tripping over it.
Quite a bit accomplished this morning and my next job is to hoover the stairs and clean the inside of the front door.

Once all the housework is done I can turn my hand to a bit of crafting. 
DDIL asked us to save all of our big jars to turn into candle jars for the tables at her birthday party so I am going to make a start on those. They will have a wrap of hessian and raffia and then I will decorate them with leaves which I will cut out on my Cricut machine and then layer and triple emboss them with a clear powder. They should look really nice when they are done.

The weather is looking fairly decent so I'm hoping DD will be able to get out in the garden to do some tidying up.....and now I've said that it will most likely rain....lol.

Have a great weekend.
Sheila-x-

Thursday!!!

Nowhere to go today and no visitors expected so on with the painting.
I am really hoping that just one more coat does the job.

Tomorrow I need to pop out for my flu jab and then I can spend the rest of the day putting everything back to rights in the living room although I do need to make a decision on the bookcase. Will it stay or will it go? When it is full of DVD's I find it quite overbearing but where do I put them all if I get rid.....decisions, decisions.

Not a lot planned for the weekend this week apart from a meal out on Saturday night for Andy's birthday and the rest will probably be spent relaxing after the ups and downs of the last week or so.

Have you got anything nice planned?
Sheila-x-

I Think I Want To Run Away!!!

I managed to get one coat of paint on the wall yesterday but it's going to need another one or even two.
No time to do it today as I have been in the kitchen this morning making a pan of homemade bolognese sauce and lunch for Andy and shortly my Brother in Law.....who is still having a really bad time....will be arriving and needing to chat about his latest problems. Is it rude to hope that he will be gone by the time Ruby arrives? It sounds rude but I need my time with my little angel.

Nothing from the vet yet with regards to the diet for Smudge. I have done a little bit of research about homemade food for him and will do more tomorrow when I have more time.

Right I had better go and fill the kettle ready for tea and sympathy.

Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Not Good News!!!

After a very tense wait yesterday and no results when I phoned the surgery the vet finally phoned this morning to let us know that Smudge does have kidney failure and also something not quite right with his liver.
Due to tablets he already takes for Cushing's Disease and heart failure she is not sure that he can take any further medication and she is investigating the possibility of a special diet for dogs in renal failure and whether or not it would help him.
I am awaiting a further phone call.

Thankfully the gloss painting is now finished. I don't know why but the smell of the paint yesterday gave me a really bad headache and made me feel sick......much worse than normal.
Onwards today with the emulsioning  and a nice hot bath when I have finished.

DD has kindly invited me out for tea tonight so we are just going to the pub down the road where we sometimes go for Sunday dinner.

Thanks for dropping by today and I hope you are having a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

The Final Push!!!

Today and tomorrow I shall be wearing my big girl knickers and finishing the last wall in the living room.
The bookcase has at last been moved so I'll be glossing the skirting board this afternoon and getting the wall done tomorrow afternoon. I would have liked to get it done in the mornings but Andy is here, the telly needs moving and heaven forbid he has to forego his dose of This Morning so that I can get done...lol.

It's our week for nice simple meals so DD and I have decided on an omelette with a bit of salad for tonight.....or beans if DD decides that is what she prefers.....I just go with the flow.

When we moved the old tumble dryer on Saturday to make way for the new one we disturbed a tiny mouse who was living inside a car boot liner on top of the old dryer. He or she has now moved into the middle shed where I keep all my veg. I think I had better make some cloth bags when I get the machine out again to protect them.
I really should put a mouse trap in there but I just can't bring myself to kill it. It was such a pretty little thing.

Well there is a bit of washing up to be done and then....on with that flippin' painting.

Have a fabulous day.
Sheila-x-

Dark And Light!!!

It was so dark and dreary when we got up this morning but now the clouds have gone and the sun has has come out leaving us with a nice bright and breezy day.

A couple of the downs from in the week have been sorted now. DDIL has a new car and is mobile again and a new tumble dryer has been purchased and installed.

Smudge had his blood test yesterday and we will get the results of that on Monday sometime. I am just hoping that everything is fine and that he doesn't need any more medication. He is already on five tablets a day and he also has cream and drops for his eyes and he hates it all.

The nice weather has got Andy outside doing some house maintenance. DD is cooking roast chicken for lunch and I am tidying the table in the sewing room ready to set out a new jigsaw this afternoon and also doing laundry to get a head start on it.

I hope you are having a lovely relaxing day too.
Sheila-x-

A Morning At The Doodles!!!

Up and out very early this morning to go and look after Marlowe while DS and DDIL took Ruby to school and then went off to find a new car.
Poor Miss Moo was very subdued as she has a cold and it's making her feel very tired. She didn't want to play very much so we have just snuggled on the sofa and watched a never ending round of Peppa Pig, Ben and Holly and In The Night Garden which I do believe is above and beyond the call of a Ganma's duties....lol.

I've not long arrived home and am just having a cuppa before I start to catch up with some domestic stuff.
Andy requested home made fish and chips for his tea tonight so we have cod in home made beer batter and also home made mushy peas with chunky chips. The peas are the quick soak ones so I had better go and get them soaking for a couple of hours before I do anything else.

Wet and windy here today so I have no plans to be going out again. After tea we will hunker down and carry on watching Star Trek Voyager. I am really enjoying watching it.

Hope you have a good day today and a lovely weekend.
Sheila-x- 

Heavy Breeze!!!

The wind didn't seem too bad here yesterday. I can't say I could have put any washing on the line without having to chase it up to the next village and one of my neighbours fence panels blew out but other than that I think we escaped the worst of it.
Today is cold and grey with hardly a breath of wind.

I got an extra half an hour with Ruby last night as we were making a slight detour to pick DS up from work when we took her home.
She came in from school like a little ray of sunshine with the biggest beamiest smile on her face and everything just seemed right with our world after a wonderful hug from her.

Andy is just about to help me shift that bookcase now. He is up and about as he booked a night off work last night so I'll nab him before he goes up to bed for a nap later.

Have a wonderful day.
Sheila-x-

Life Is Full Of Ups And Downs!!!

The last wall still hasn't been painted.
I have cleared the bookshelf ready to be moved but had no-one here to help me move it and by the time I had the time for painting had passed and I was onto kitchen duties.
No time to get it done today as it is Ruby Day and chicken pie was requested for tea. I have been in the kitchen all morning making that happen.

Slightly more downs than ups going on here at the moment.
DDIL's car had died and she needs to replace it pronto and in the meantime she is using DS's car and we are all pulling together to get school and work pickups done. I will be watching Marlowe for a few hours on Friday while they go and look for a new car.
My tumble dryer has died too so that will need replacing. I am hoping for dry weather until that can be sorted.

Smudge had to have a urine test at the end of last week. They found protein so he now has to go back and have blood tests on Saturday to check for kidney problems.
I will be glad when September is behind us.

Andy has had to get up and go to a funeral today so while he is out I am going to get the hoovering and tidying done just in case he decides to go back to bed later after he has picked Ruby up.

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

The Weekend!!!

Saturday I spent most of the day on the steps putting the second coat of paint on the biggest wall with the window.
I still wasn't convinced I liked the colour and considered mixing what was left of the darker grey with some of the lighter but then decided that I wouldn't as it looks clean and fresh.....and then what if I ran out before I finished the last wall....nightmare.
I also pressed and hung the new curtains. I love, love, love them.

Sunday I cooked a roast lamb lunch....bad idea as it was a very warm day and the kitchen was as hot as flippin' Hades.
Lunch was very nice though despite the discomfort while cooking it.
After lunch I couldn't bear the thought of picking up a paint brush so DD and I went for a ride out to The Range to pick up a few decorative items for the living room and some candles to start my Winter collection ready for snuggly nights. On the way home we called in at the garden centre where the Christmas department was up and running. Some very nice things but also very expensive......plus we don't need any more decorations. I came away with a set of coasters and a pack of beautiful tissue paper for a crafting project.

Today I am concentrating on laundry to get it all done and in between loads having a good sort out of the kitchen cupboards to see what wants using up over the next few weeks before I start stocking up for Winter.
Tomorrow I am hoping to do the last of the painting and then all the decorating stuff can be put away and I can have a thorough clean through downstairs. Upstairs will have to wait until the weekend as Andy is on nights and will be in bed during the day.

Hope you all had a good weekend and that you have a lovely day today.
Sheila-x- 

Sneaky Jobs!!!

Sorry for not posting yesterday.
I came across a sneaky job that really needed doing and it took up quite a bit of the day.
A few years ago we had to have a radiator replaced in the living room and the new one was a smaller and lower design than the old one. Because of that the wallpaper edges were showing and it wasn't a very good look so I had to carefully remove and replace the wallpaper there.
All done now and the first coat of the pale grey has gone on today. I'm not too sure if I like it but we'll see what it looks like when it's completely dry.

Gosh....I have just noticed the time. I had best go and get some tea on for DD who will be arriving home soaking wet in a few minutes.....it is thrashing down with rain.

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

Thank Goodness For That!!!

Another skirting board ticked off the list.....the worst of the lot as it has radiator pipes running in front of it. I was mighty relieved to get it finished I can tell you.
Now I can get the wall painted with the paler grey and I should be able to get the new curtain pole and curtains up at the weekend and move the bookcase to get at the last wall.

Ruby day today.....yay!!! Her visits on a Wednesday are short and sweet but the highlight of my week. She arrives just before 4pm and we have to start out to drop her home at 6pm but as long as we have time for kisses and cuddles we are happy.

Me poor little Smudge had a bit of a fright this morning. He has a habit of lying at the top of the stairs and when Andy got up in the early hours to use the bathroom he accidently nudged him with his foot. Smudge shot up and went rolling down the stairs from top to bottom. He's not injured thank goodness but a little shaken up and subdued so extra cuddles and maybe a little treat are in order.

.....and that is just about it at Tea Towel Mansion today. Nothing very exciting but that's the way I like it....lol.

Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Remembering & Reminiscing!!!

Remembering.......

Image from Google

Reminiscing..........

42 years ago today I married my Prince.
We've had our ups and downs but we have been and still are very happy together.
Happy Anniversary Andy.....I love you -x-x-x-

No celebrating today as he has to go to work but DD is taking us out for a meal at the weekend.

Today I will at last get round to sanding a skirting board and getting it painted. I hate sanding and I hate gloss painting so I shall be glad to get it ticked off the list and then there will be just one more to do.

Something warm for tea today I think as DD will have been out in the rain all day. Some fish with mashed potatoes, peas and parsley sauce sounds just about right. It is something we only eat when Andy isn't here as he doesn't like it.

Right....I need to feed the hubster before he goes off to work.
Have a wonderful day.
Sheila-x-

Squinting!!!

The cloud is very grey and very low here this morning but I know the sun is up there somewhere as it is bouncing off the clouds and giving off that strange light that makes you screw your eyes up and squint....or is that just me?

As I said yesterday.....DD is at home today and has a duvet afternoon planned binge watching some Star Trek Voyager.
I am pottering about getting laundry done, tidying and hoovering so that all jobs I need to do today are done before we sit down and I can enjoy a relatively guilt free afternoon.
Salad is prepped ready for tea and there is cold meat in the fridge so we'll be good to go when we get hungry.

No jigsaws at the pub yesterday and all the books they had were either reference books of no interest or the ones we took down in the week so I will have to take my search elsewhere.
The carvery meal was particularly lovely yesterday but the atmosphere was a little spoilt by a lady on a table near to us who did nothing but moan from the time she sat down. Her chair was too big 😮, she didn't like her meat, the veg weren't right and the Yorkshire puddings were too crispy. Then her husband started....he found a green bit in one his potatoes and a bit of gristle in his meat. I was so glad they didn't stay for dessert as I was getting sick of listening to them.
Ah well you can't please everyone can you?

Well thank you for dropping by today....I hope you have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Momma Grizzly!!!

Since Friday morning I have been a proper grizzly old bear. I woke up with a really sore stomach and a vile headache and things went a bit downhill from there. I think I must have eaten something that didn't agree with me although I don't know what it could have been as we eat pretty plain food here at Tea Towel Mansion......or at least nothing too exotic anyway.
I had promised DS that I would look after Marlowe Saturday morning while he took Ruby out and managed to get through that before coming home to drape myself over the sofa where I stayed for the rest of the day apart from cooking for Andy and DD.......you don't get sick days here....lol.
Today I feel much better and have managed to go out for Sunday lunch and hopefully that is the end of it.

Tomorrow I have DD at home as she has worked today so I don't expect I will get much done so from Tuesday I want to really crack on and finish this decorating as I have lots of other things I need to be getting on with now.

DD surprised me yesterday......she has booked a hotel and is taking me to the Harrogate Christmas Market in November. We had said that we would go back to York but she thought I would love to revisit Harrogate which I have only visited through my previous work a couple of times and not as a tourist. I think it's going to be lovely and I am looking forward to it.

Just having a bit of peace and quiet for the rest of the day now until I have to make a meal for DD when she gets in so a bit of blog reading and some recipe researching will keep me occupied.

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

A Late Start Day!!!

I need to sand and paint another skirting board but as Andy is in bed and I will need to use the big hoover to clear up the mess I can't start until he is up.....so I am having a lazy start to the day and doing....not much at all....lol.
There was a lot achieved in the way of scrubbing and cleaning yesterday so I am going to treat myself to a couple of hours doing a jigsaw. I have a box of four five hundred piece jigsaws which I bought from the pub we go to for Sunday lunch who are selling them for £2 to raise money for the MacMillan nurses. So far I have bought two boxes but one has been done and returned in the hope that they can sell it again.
They are also selling books so I have taken a large boxful down for them and on Sunday I will be looking to buy some as I have reached the end of my pile and am ready for some more. I've read a lot of crime novels over the last few months so I think I am ready for something a little bit cosier now.

Had a wonderful couple of hours with Ruby yesterday. She is so happy to be back at school and very excited about their new project about Ancient Greece. The roast chicken dinner was greeted with big saucer eyes and and a WOW so I think Ganma did good....lol.

Well I think a cuppa should be made just about now and then on with the jigsaw.

Have a happy day.
Sheila-x-

A Day Off!!!

The wallpapering is finished......hurray!!!
I'm going to take the day off from decorating today as I have some jobs that need doing and also Miss Ruby will be coming after school so I am going to roast a chicken and do all the trimmings for her tea.
Last night my evening meal plans were scuppered by a man knocking on the door to let us know that our electricity would be going off while they located and mended a fault and that it could be off for hours. Andy was dispatched to the butchers shop at the pub in the next village for handmade scotch eggs which we had with some salad and really enjoyed.
The power was off from 6:30pm until nearly 9pm so we could have had the meal I had planned after all but I didn't want to risk the oven going off halfway through cooking.

It looks like it's going to be a warm and sunny day today so I will go and throw the windows open and make a start on something.

Have a wonderful day whatever you are doing.
Sheila-x-

Getting There!!!

The decorating is coming along nicely. There is still a bit to do but I am nearly finished with the wallpapering thank goodness.............

I just have to finish the left side of the chimney breast and hang another piece around the water pipe box in the opposite corner and that will be it......done.
I must say that it is lovely paper to work with although a little wasteful with the size of the drop for matching.
There are still two walls to paint but they won't take long and then I can start putting the room back together.
This seems to be taking forever to get done but I am taking particular care to make a really good job of everything as it will have to last. I'm not sure I will be up to doing it again.

A search is going on for some artwork to hang on the walls but I haven't seen a thing I like yet. When I wasn't looking I saw loads of pictures I really liked....Sod's Law I suppose.

Normal jobs are still being done and I am just waiting for one load of laundry to finish drying before I reload both the dryer and the washer. 
No line drying today as it is raining and quite chilly. It suits me though as I am going to be trundling up and down steps for a couple of hours.

Well I had best go and get on as I'd like to be finished when Andy gets up.

Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Papering Day!!!

Thank you for the comments on Thursday's post.

For the moment I am so over painting after putting four coats on three sections of wall so a change of pace today and I am papering the one wall that I can. It seems ages since I last hung wallpaper but I am going to enjoy it....I think....lol.

As I am busy there will be very little time spent in the kitchen and a quick tea of hot dogs will be offered. Andy would have liked something a bit more substantial but declined my suggestion that if he wanted a big meal he could do the papering...not that I would let him anywhere near my lovely paper but it was just to make a point.
He'll be getting a roast dinner tomorrow at the pub.

Missing my Ruby and I am hoping that she will be able to come for tea on Wednesday or at least one day next week.
Back to school on Tuesday and Grandad will be taking her on first day back. She loves school and will be looking forward to it.

Right I will go and crack on.
Thanks for visiting today.
Sheila-x-