There's Always Another Year!

 

 

Today was a "free" day, no appointments, nowhere I had to be...but plenty rumbling around in my brain for things I wanted to achieve.

The first one was to visit our Dear Old Soul from church, to check she was ok after last weeks phone call.

As I drove down her road, I thought I recognised the profile at the bus stop...so went passed her house and up to the bus stop...and there she was!

She was off to town, to stock up incase snow came south at the end of the week.

I managed to persuade her to let me take her, and I wanted to hang around and bring her back, but she wouldn't hear of it and I didn't want to make her rush by insisting.

Having dropped her off I popped into Tesco, only for a couple of things...but as I passed by the back of the store, I saw all these goodies, being practically given away!

 

 

 

Most items were 25p, including these cute little hand cream tubs, all tied up with ribbon,

and the most expensive was £1!

 

 

 

These hand washes were also 25p and will probably be kept for home.

Even the little tins of smellies only cost 62p.

I now have lots of incidental gifts for throughout the year ( and next year no doubt!)

Whilst I was perusing the shelves my friend rang to say an appointment had been cancelled at work, so she was sitting in my living room catching up on paperwork,

so I passed by the bakery section on my way to the till and a reduced box of fresh cream scones may have just found its way into my trolley!

 

 

After a pleasant chat and cuppa ( not to mention those scones) my friend had to return to work, and I cracked on with the rest of the activities I had planned for the day.

Firstly was to make some Red Thai butternut squash soup to take tomorrow...I did check with the family we are visiting to make sure they like spicy things, and thankfully they do...although I haven't made it too spicy....don't want baby to complain later!

 

 

Next I made a Victoria Sandwich, which tomorrow I will fill with fresh cream, blueberries and raspberries.

 

 

 

Next up was putting a couple of baskets of laundry away...and then seeing the inside of my wardrobes with new eyes!

I mean, this is seriously embarrassing isn't it!

So, I dumped the whole lot out on the bed and went through it in the usual "charity, bin, save" piles.

 

 

Amongst it all I found this (remember it FQ2FF?)....which is around 14 years old....and is by no means the oldest "come in handy" item in my wardrobe.....I really am one of life's hoarders    keepers of useful things it seems!

 

 

An hour later things were much more orderly...still a lot of stuff by some standards, but at least I have more of an idea of what is in there now!

And since I took the photo, I went through the clothes and got rid of a charity bag full of clothes that I haven't worn in many a year...and there is probably another bag full in there if I am honest, but there is always another year!

 

 

Something that I was really happy to find hiding in the wardrobe, were these stitch markers.

With my knitted sock craze, stitch markers are needed, up until now I have been using these....

 

 

...hair grips!

So tonight I will be able to have pretty stitch markers dangling down instead!

I am also thinking about buying a small circular needle....whilst my tension is getting a little better at the end of each row, a circular needle would remove the extra work required to make sure the tension is even all the way round.

 

 

My last "must do" for the day, was to sew the buttons on a little knitted set I made last month for the new baby we are hoping to see tomorrow.

Why do I leave things to the last minute?

 

I am pleased with all I have achieved today ( with loads of more mundane not blog worthy, having been fitted in) and am looking forward to a quiet night on the sofa with some knitting in hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Useful Are Forward Rolls?

 

 

Last night I didn't get much sleep...so frustrating, and then needless to say, when it was time to get up I could have stayed in bed easily!

Teen Two had the doctor at 8.30am so a lie in was not an option.

The Dr has referred him to a specialist and in the meantime he is to take an antihistamine a day and keep the epipen with him...whilst of course avoiding mixed nuts or pecans.

He thinks it will be ok to eat anything he normally ate until we hear otherwise, which is a relief!

 

 

 

 

It was then on to my Monday Recycled Teenager and then our usual trip to Morrisons.

We have just had a small children and baby clothes section opened and I spotted a couple of cute baby items, one of which was half price.

We are meeting the newest member of the family on Wednesday, who was rather a whopper and I am worried the jacket I knitted won't fit!

So hopefully these will if not!

 

 

 

I also treated myself to their usual mini daffodils.

They have been 50p a pot for the past few years, and always brighten up the place and remind me that Spring is not far away.

When they finish flowering, I plant them in the garden and so far they have come up again each year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back home I just had time to make  a quick Red Thai curry to go in the slow cooker.

Teen One had to be in Uni for a short time this afternoon and her friend wasn't going, so it was taxi of mum.

 

 

Today she had to go to a different campus as part of the wider curriculum...this subject being PE.

She wasn't too keen on that, and of course had to go dressed appropriately...she is not a joggers and sweatshirt kind of girl and it seemed strange seeing her dressed like that.

The session wasn't as gruelling as she had dreaded, which is hopefully how the next few sessions will go.

They could even opt out of doing a forward roll if they wanted...how I hated them at school. One of my teachers seemed to delight in making us do endless forward rolls, I always felt disorientated afterwards and can't say  its a skill I have ever needed in my adult life anyway!

Teen One learnt that our own local authority are not actually allowed to teach children how to do forward rolls ( health and safety and all that!) but can show  them how to do one safely if they can already do it....which doesn't make much sense to me!

 

 

Whilst Teen One was getting to grips with her wider curriculum, Teen Two and I went to see the latest Disney film...which we both really enjoyed!

The music was brilliant, really rich, and so much better than Frozen  (never did understand why "Let It Go" was popular!)

What should have been a twenty minute drive home took almost an hour, it was dark and dreary, with rain and an accident causing the delay...I was glad I had put the dinner in the slow cooker earlier that's for sure!

Am hoping for a quiet evening with some sock knitting ahead of me...and probably an early night!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Duplicate Gift Finds A New Home

 

Today has been a fairly ordinary Sunday, starting with church of course....

 

 

 

 

...followed by roast beef with all the trimmings and then a dessert using some left overs....

cooked plums, banana and crystalised ginger, with a scone topping.

Everyone enjoyed it, although the topping was a little too dense for my liking...good job it was only family eating it!

 

 

 

 

 then an afternoon of games with Grandma.

Teen Two kept his Rummikub crown, whilst Grandma won the Scrabble and also the Rummikub Word.

 

 

 

 

Hubby spent some time organising his coin collection and educating us on the various countries they came from...not that he has visited them all by any means, but kind friends pass them on to us from time to time.

 

 

 

 

I did manage a bit of sock knitting before getting some tea ready....

we are still using up mince pies can you believe...not to mention the Christmas cake!

 

 

 

It was then back out to church again.

Teen Two was delighted as the preacher is one of his favourites and he learnt that the preacher's children are keen Minecrafters.

As Teen Two received two Minecraft Bibles this Christmas ( and sadly we had already bought him one last year!) he kindly offered him one of the spare ones...which I had brought to church last week to show our Friday Club children.

The preacher was delighted with the gift and we in turn we delighted the special gift has a good home.

 

 

 

 

A Quiet Saturday At Home

 

 

 

This morning started...well you know how it started!

A leisurely cuppa and some ginger biccies in bed!

 

 

I gave the family a treat to start the slow day ahead off...a cooked brekkie.

I rarely do these, so they all love it when I do, albeit Teen One cant usually finish hers off, but she has two willing volunteers to polish it off!

Hubby then tackled a job that has been needed doing for a while...and with the onset of winter it has become more urgent!

The cracks in the floor boards of the kitchen allow an enormous amount of draft through and the standing out there cooking can be very chilly indeed!

He bought some Draughtex online and it was fairly easy to fit the strips into the gaps with the little wheelie tool provided.

It was however surprisingly tiring and Hubby was exhausted when it was done!

 

 

 

However its a good job done and looks very neat indeed.

 

 

 

 

 

For me it was a pottering morning, with some much needed ironing done...I don't actually remember the last time I did any!

 

 

 

Teen One created a new house on Minecraft.

He kept asking questions like "what colour is Auntie Lyn's chair....what colour is Grandma's chair...?"

The house he is making is a copy of Grandma and Grandad's house in Devon!

 

 

 

Teen One played on a present from a couple of Christmas's ago...an Addictaball

It is infuriating and addictable in equal measures!

 

 

I made some parsnip soup for lunch, using those 24p bags from earlier in the week, with some onions, garlic and....

 

 

 

 

....Summer Savory  (from Canada) and of course lentils, it made a very tasty soup

 

 

I bought a ciabatta loaf in Lidl yesterday for the first time, just needs ten minutes in the oven.

 

 

...it was the perfect partner to the soup.

 

 

 

During the afternoon Teen One went out for coffee, Hubby and Teen Two went to a music shop, and then hand washed the car at Tesco ( Teen Two loves that!) then came home to play with the gerbils

 

 

I pottered a bit more and then turned the heel of the sock...with no incidents this time!

 

Tonight we are off out to a church meeting, where there is always a lovely supper...Teen Two can't wait...and I suspect its the supper rather than the Bible teaching he is looking forward to the most!

 

 

 

 

Inspiration From Other Bloggers

 

Today I was on a mission to continue getting organised ( although having just read FQ2FF's blog I realise I don't truly understand the meaning of the word!)

With the shopping out of the way...and a very disappointing visit to The Range...their Christmas stuff is still only 50% off...I want the 70% reductions, although I did bag a few 10p bargains, I set about trying to find homes for some of the pressies.

I had forgotten we had received some "live" presents!

 

 

I hastily potted up the spring bulbs, hopefully they will add a splash of colour in a few months...

 

 

The amaryllis was already potted up....if only I had opened it when I received it I would have realised!

So instead the poor thing has been without water all this time!

There is just the teeniest green shoot appearing, so hopefully its not too late.

 

 

During a quick lunch break I googled a few ideas for tonight's kids craft.

I found this blog, which not only has excellent taste in blog background pics (!) but had some great ideas.

I have added the blog to my favourites and am sure I will use it regularly...I do appreciate the time other bloggers take to upload their great finds and ideas.

I would like to have done the bottle craft, very reminiscent of the "Find It" games, but as we had given all our plastic bottles away over Christmas, I couldn't cobble it together in time.

Teen One cut up all the Temples for me and "opened" the doors.

I cracked on with cleaning up the garden from the bunnies ( Teen Two does the hutch, I do the garden) then the cats litter corner, not pleasant jobs, but good to get out of the way.

 I noticed the binmen were rather late, so rushed to get the bag of soiled bunny and cat litter out to the front of the house...only to catch the bag on the door lock as I whizzed past...which ripped the bottom open!!

Grrr.....that kind of mess in the garden and conservatory is one thing...but not in the kitchen!!

 

 

I was quite frazzled by the time I cleared it all up and as Hubby had just arrived home from work, decided it was time we all had a cuppa and tested out some shortbread we had been given for Christmas.

As I looked at the clock, I thought "surely the bin men aren't coming now?"

Then it dawned on me....we had a Bank Holiday at the beginning of the week, so collection day is tomorrow instead!

Seems no one else in the street remembered either!

We have lots of foxes around the neighbourhood, who love nothing better than scavenging in the bin bags, so we don't put them out until the morning usually, however there is no way we are bringing it all back through the house again, so I have tested out something I read years ago....spray the bags with furniture polish and that deters them.

I'll let you know tomorrow if it works!

 

 

Last night I finally finished the socks...these are the first pair destined as presents.

I am hoping the recipients have average sized feet...but at least they are stretchy.

 

 

Needless to say I couldn't resist starting a new pair (and reminding myself to READ the pattern!)

This was the result of just an hours work...they really  do knit up quickly, which I guess is part of the appeal!

I think its probably fair to say this current craze of mine is also thanks to the efforts of another blogger!

Attic 24 has linked to lots of lovely hand knitted socks, and her own of course and I have admired them for some time but thought it was wasn't for me...how wrong I was!

 

 

 

If I am honest, instead of facing the cold rainy evening to spend a couple of hours in a freezing cold church hall ( the timer doesn't work in the back hall, only the main church hall)

I would rather have stayed home and got on with that sock....but needless to say I did the right thing and I must admit, it was good to see the kids again.

Albeit they were rather hyper and one little girl came up to me and said

"I've got sensitive ears" as the noise level was clearly worrying her...

I crouched down to her height and whispered

"So have I!"

As one six year old went round with the playdough knife, making stabbing motions to the kids running away from her ( needless to say I stopped her immediately) one has to wonder what sort of things these little ones get to see on screens!

On a more cheerful note, Grandma will be delighted to know that the wooden game we took home with us was a BIG hit with the older Friday Club kids....Hubby could hear comments like "this is wicked" coming from the corner they were in!

Great to see another generation having fun with a traditional game....I will take a picture next week!

Well now we are back home again...indulging in our Friday Chocolate night tradition...what a treat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back On Track With THAT Sock!

 

Last night I was determined to get back on track with that sock...and thankfully I did.

I was at the point of throwing it across the room, ripping it all out or abandoning it altogether and starting with a new ball of wool!

However, I am glad I persevered and hopefully will pay all due diligence to the pattern in future and not get too big for my boots!

I hope to have this finished by the weekend, so I can crack on with a new pair, its fair to say I am a tad sick of this design now!

 

 

This morning was the first day back at Parent and Toddlers.

Our Dear Old Helper was due to do the craft activity, but rang to apologise profusely for being ill...poor soul.

I managed to cobble together enough left overs in the store room to make some jellyfish, using paper plates and tissue paper.

For some bizzare reason I get referring to them as  an octopus!

With the heaters being on, the draught made all the delicate legs( are they legs??) float around, it was really exciting for the tots to see!

Teen One isn't back at Uni yet, so she manned the activity for me whilst I generally pottered and settled everyone in.

 

 

We have a Grandma who comes along regularly, and she regularly brings along a treat for us workers.

Today it was a REAL treat for me...an iced bun!

There is nothing like an iced bun...expect maybe a homemade scone!

 

 

 

This afternoon was quite productive, I put away the last of the backlog of washing...just the day to day stuff in the machine and dryer now.

I also got all the Christmas boxes packed away in the attic and the room back to normal again.

Although there are still some gifts waiting to have homes found for them, its good to be almost back to normal.

 

 

 

Teen One tackled the dusting in her bedroom and then sat down to do some more sketching.

 

 

Teen Two was a bit down in the doldrums last night, not feeling comfortable eating any chocolate from his selection box, as it had the usual "may contain nuts" warning.

Then this morning he was going to have some Weetabix but that said "not suitable for nut allergies"

At college he rang me to ask if it would be ok to have his usual Thursday treat of a hot chocolate....

having checked our own tubs yesterday, I assured him it would be....then offered up a hasty prayer!

I will be glad to get the testing done and see if he can eat things he has had in the past with no problems.

He rang about an hour ago....but this time it was a more cheerful subject...the pond at the top of our road is frozen, so he was stopping off to crack some of it and see how big a sheet he can pull out...and no doubt bring home with him!