Experiments and electronics

I bought a couple of kits from Bargain Basement store the other week and Emily and Alan have had fun putting them together.

Tuesday morning was such a lovely day and I got a few bits and bobs ready to take into the garden so we didn't miss a minute of the good weather.




A couple of experiments,milk art and cornflour fun!!

Shave cream?

Wash off with water pistol:-)

Foot bath with a difference?Cornflour cooler!!

Snoozle in the sun to finish off the afternoon.........

A lovely sunny Sunday...

I woke at around 8 with the start of a headache so went down to get pills.Al was out,he had said last night that if the weather was good he was going to head off early to walk Beauty, he couldn't decide if it would be hills or beach:-)

I sat with a cuppa and then put the radio on and started to put away the pots from last night.I was soon singing and dancing along as I tidied around and then had breakfast.Milly snoozed on.

Al arrived back around 10 just after Milly had woken up.Milly watched a bit of TV while I had a shower and Al had his breakfast,he had chosen to go to the beach and had also stopped off at a car boot sale and found himself a pair of hedge trimmers for a pound,he does love a bargain:-)

Milly came upstairs and began to get dressed.Milly really likes her pjs and would not normally get dressed willingly or without being asked,however this was an outfit that her new charachter Oxford would wear and she had intended to go out to play as her!!



Within minutes she was back in to say that her and Dad were going out for a walk as soon as he had tested his hedge trimmers(they did work)They decided against taking Beauty this time.

So I quickly packed up a sandwich and drinks, Milly got changed and off they went to Rannerdale to see the fields of blubells.A really big draw was a tree she could climb that they found on thier last visit:-)

I was not up to going with them today,instead of moping around feeling sorry for myself I decided to tackle the living room.We had sold the sideboard that was full of clutter.I had been putting off sorting it while it was still in the sideboard, but as it was now out of the sideboard all over the floor it really needed to be done.(looking at these pictures it doesn't seem to look too bad?)






I knew I would have to take my time so I put Blondie on utube and set to.The only problem is that after a while you end up with piles of stuff in other rooms as well!!Eventually I had things sorted into piles and placed in the rooms they were going to be kept in or in the big pile of rubbish.I also had a lot of things to store in the spare bedroom until we have our garage sale sometime in August.




Some things were easy to find new homes for.




Other things had to sit about for quite a while till I could jiggle things around.Some of these have still not found a home:-(




I had just about finished sorting out the worst of it when the wanderers arrived home with tales of walking up hills, climbing trees,getting a big scratch when getting stuck and having to swing down off said tree!! Paddling in streams and talking to a young girl who was diving with her parents.Forgot to ask what the bluebells looked like!!

Emily was straight out into the garden and that's where the rest of the beautiful sunny afternoon has been spent.Swinging and some time spent just dreaming,(notice back in pjs)



Alan did some weeding and I slowly finished off the room.Beauty did lot's of this.



I made tea and then we all sat out near the fire and ate then played cards, while I played patience Emily groomed Beauty,chatted,and generally had a nice time:-)

Alan is watching George Gently on Tv, Milly is watching Arthur on the laptop and I am going to finish up here and lay on the sofa with a book.Night night xx

Lemonade award

Some time ago before I came down with the awful virus Shirl very kindly gave me this award.I have been meaning to get round to acknowledging it since then.

The lemonade award is for blogs showing “Attitude and/or Gratitude.”

I am very grateful to shirl and also Linda who has also just given me the same award.

I started this blog 2 years ago and never expected anyone to be intersted in the day to day activities that I write about.I am incredibly flattered that people do read and enjoy our story and even more so that they keep coming back :-)

One of the things I enjoy so much about blogland is the connections you can make with people you would not have a chance of meeting.I have "known" Shirl online for quite some time but I have just "met" Linda.Thanks again ladies.xx

I will pass the award on to 10 others.I have had a few awards to pass on over the last few months so I will try to pass it on to some I have not already shared with.

Stephanie

Jean

Mon

Emma

Carlotta

Gill

Danae

Big mama frog

Laura

Schuyler

Ferret song

Alan and Emily sat in the sun room on Ferret watch till 11.30 but still no sign of it:-(

However a musical masterpiece was created;-))


(sung to the Tune of "I am sailing" by Rod stewart)

I am waiting
I am waiting
for the ferret to show itself.
it showed itself last night
but went away
so i am hoping that it will come back today

I am waiting by the doorway
waiting for the ferret to show itself
my excitement, my excitement, to see the ferret, i can't contain.....

Ferret watch...

After I posted on Thursday Alan went up to bed and I sat on here a while.Emily came racing through to say there was a stoat in the garden and could she have some meat to put out for it!!

I went through and got some ham from the fridge and she put it out near the sun room doors.She turned off all the lights inside and put on the outside light and the three of us settled down with a cuppa to see if it would return.To our great excitement it did!! This is a picture from the Internet but it was similar to this one.



It ate the ham and then moved away so we tried a raw egg next and sure enough it came back.It showed no fear of Emily as she put the egg on the patio and I realised it could not be a wild animal but was more likely to be an escaped Ferret.

The other thing was that earlier on I had let Beauty out into the back garden and E had said she thought something was chasing Beauty around the garden,as I couldn't see anything I said she sometimes runs around like a loon chasing her tail and that was probably what she was doing,now seems highly likely she was indeed being chased!!

We sat mesmerised by this little creature for over half an hour.Milly was desperate to "rescue" it and try to set a trap using our cat carrier.It was 12 at night and I was way too tired to attempt to go in the one cupboard that has not yet had the declutter!! The cat carrier was on a very high shelf and who knows what else would have fallen out along with it so that was one of the reasons I decided it would not happen then, but suggested we try again in the morning when I had a chance to talk to a vet who might give us some advice.

Emily slept late and I went in at 9.45 and she slowly opened her eyes and as I knew it would be, the first word from her was Ferret!!I have to explain that alongside Emily's adoration of all animals this was particularly special because Pan(her daemon she has had since watching the Golden compass)often takes the form of a ferret or stoat:-)

I rang the vet who put me in touch with a lovely ferret man;-)He said it was likely to have moved on now but if it was still there it would be ok to feed it and it should be possible to pick it up if it wasn't afraid.

As yet it hasn't returned but Alan and Emily have set up camp in the sun room on ferret watch!! As they are waiting they are working through this book about demi gods part of the Percy Jackson series.Lots of crosswords word searches etc.

Cirque de Glace



Saw this last weekend.Brilliant show only two small parts after the interval where it sagged a little, otherwise full on entertainment.

Thoroughly recommend it if it comes your way....

Thursday

Woke up around 8.30,got up and had a cuppa while sitting in sun room with laptop.Alan was out walking Beauty and Milly was still snoozling.

Made bacon butty ,not great, I like it cooked slowly and crispy but I got sidetracked and it got cooked too quickly and the fat was still there:-(

Milly had crisp sandwich for breakfast while I got dressed and Alan started pruning some large shrubs in the garden.

Milly got hair washed (she is going sooooo long between washes now,and I really am not sure how often face and teeth get attention either!!)and I sat with her for a while as she dried off and got ready.We had a giggle about something which turned into a great laugh.It was a special moment because I was "there" not thinking about the million other things I needed to do just there in the moment with Emily.I need to record these times because sometimes I forget and it seems like I spend so much of the day disconnected,trying to "be" with her while thinking too much about what I "need" to do.

Off to pick up E and back home for a while,painting for E and Emily.I made lunch then we went off to town shopping.They went off on their own for an hour while I whizzed around.Lot's of texts from Emily about something she had found that she wondered if she had any money to buy:-)Settled on a large notebook for her new characters.The house is over run with notebooks of various shapes and sizes but it seems a writer can never have too many:-))

Back home for an hour then off to drop E at drama club and Emily and I went to my sisters in the same village to see my Mum who was there and had brought some shorts(we have had a problem finding some in the local town) from H&M in Carlisle for Emily to try on.One pair fitted and she will exchange the others for the next size,so that's her sorted with shorts for the summer,hopefully.

Back home to make tea and then Alan and Emily went to pick up E and we all sat down to home made Pizza ,salad and chips,Milly had dippers and chips as she doesn't like Pizza.I actually only started to make homemade with "secret" sauce when she did like it as a way to get some extra veggies into her diet however we love them so much so I keep on making the secret sauce and pizzas,I also use the sauce to add to bolognese sauces or chilli con carne as it makes it richer and adds a deeper flavour.

After tea I made a bolognese sauce while the three of them played a game of Romans Milly played by herself(she would normally choose to be in a team) she only went and won!! No help either.....

Then I went in a bath and read for a while and they all set up in the sun room to play a quiz game Milly suggested.She came and got the swivel chair(mastermind style) and then they took turns to sit on the chair and answer the multiple choice questions on the Romans from the game.I heard lot's of laughter while I relaxed in a very hot bath.

Al has just been in a bath and is now watching the news whilst the two girls play a game about two girls living together in a flat, through in the sun room/kitchen/dining room.

A busy but very enjoyable day :-)

Another area sorted(nearly)

This area in the living room used to have a sideboard which was full of "stuff" very little of which we used or actually needed!!So I decided this unused space would be ideal to move the computer into.I have a lovely big frame with a montage of Emily through the years above the desk and have framed some positive affirmations and have put them right next to the computer as a reminder.



It works well,still getting used to coming in here to use this space but getting more used to it each day.Just a little drama when the shelf on the wall came crashing down!! Alan has refitted it using very long screws and has requested I don't overload it again,oops!!!

On the other side of this half of the living room we had a sofa(now dyed and in the sunroom)however we never sat up this end of the room and so I now have storage and filing(makes doing bills and filing info so much quicker now everything has it's place)which means it is a much more usable space.Still need some more ornamenty things and perhaps another bookcase in the alcove but it is very nearly done and is in use every day.



The other half of the room still has furniture stored awaiting sale.Most of the items have now gone and I hope the last few things go soon, however as it could be up to 11 weeks before the sofas come it will be quite some time before we can get it back together.

For children of all ages?

This was posted over at Radical unschoolers website by Bea. I have just spent a very pleasant time investigating and will show Milly in the morning. Enjoy:-))

Just another day

We had planned that we would go swimming this morning.Our day took a different turn when Milly woke up and decided she didn't want to go out.
We began the day by cuddling in the sunroom and read the end chapters of this book.



Milly is really into this series .They are about a 14 year old girl called Ally and her family and friends,written with great humour and we think they have quite a lot in common with Jacqueline Wilson books.

After making an important call(one that I have put off for days now,it's only to a garage about an automatic car but I have times when I just can't pick up the phone)it was nearly 11.00 before I eventually made it upstairs to get a shower and get my hair washed.

I did think of offering up a trip to the beach for a walk as the weather was quite sunny but by the time I cam down it was pouring down:-(

Emily wanted help with cutting out some clothes from this designer dress book.I got it a while ago as she is so into drawing her characters and designing clothes for them,she also loves the websites like My scene



It wasn't quite what she had imagined,and she found it all a little fiddly so after making one outfit she moved on to something else.We may come back to it in time.She used some of the frills and ribbon from the kit to make a sign for her and Pans den!!




For lunch she wanted Granny's homemade bread with jam on.I added a few other things to the plate in case she fancied them.

Before



After



I often find that if I offer up other bits and pieces she will tuck in, although she may not have actually thought of asking for them.

Here's someone waiting very paitently for a little treat:-)



Milly spent some time watching BBCi



I decided to do something I rarely do in the daytime and watched Loose women.
I came through to start this post and Alan arrived home early so a quick cuppa and then off to get A off the school bus for a play and tea.....

A little arctophilist

When we were at Muncaster Castle a few weeks ago we sat next to a lovely lady whilst Emily had her lunch.Milly had just purchased 3 collectible bears dressed in Victorian style outfits and was a very happy bunny and had them sat on the table.We got chatting to the lady who informed us that she also collected bears and told Emily she was an arctophilist,the name given to bear collectors!! Milly is now an official arctophilist:-)

Back Home.......

Back home,great hols,very tired and taking a couple of days to do as little as possible:-)

Milly got back and went into nest making mode.






Which morphed into the ice bridge(row of chairs and a rug rolled up on top as an added danger to balance on!!) as she continued her Golden Compass game.

Off on Holiday

Off on a short break with friends.Looking forward to beachcombing and fossil hunting with lot's of swimming thrown in,indoors I would imagine, although the forcast is quite good ,not sure it will be that warm:-)See you when we get back.xx

Thursday evening snapshots

Couldn't get a picture of the two of them (Alan and Emily)as they played around the garden and went off to climb a tree in the park.All part of a game involving Chrissie a Lyra(Golden Compass) character who came through a window(Milly's version of a portal) into our world this afternoon!! Granny and grandad were visiting and were tickled at Emily coming downstairs in an outfit she had put together for Chrissie and was speaking in an american accent and was no longer Emily:-)Golden compass books and CD part of our evening.Both Alan and I have been characters in the ever evolving game.



Keeping my fingers crossed as the sofa covers get the second round of dye.Hoping the dye takes and we get as near as possible to chocolate brown.....




Trying to shop online and this bloody message appearing for the thousandth time:-(



Hanging a picture in Milly's room, she wants to have crimson bedding.We might not get round to painting the walls any time soon but she is thinking she wants crimson walls as well,leaving the frames white.She is still in our room to sleep but spends time in here during the day.




Making a big pan of Chilli for tea tomorrow(and some to freeze for Al while we are away)while cooking tonight's tea.




Which led to lots of this!!!




A present from Milly to me....

Confidence under pressure ;-)

My sister was looking after Milly whilst I went to an appointment that Milly didn't want to accompany me to.My sister had promised a friend she would give her a lift in to town to do a little shopping.When I got back my sister said that her friend (a teachers wife)must have felt she needed to pack as much info into the car journey as a learning experience for Emily.When she had talked to Emily about a few things on the journey she asked her what she had learnt this week,(bear in mind this is the little girl who when asked that question about school always said"nothing") she answered that she had learnt to bake bread with her Granny,the friend then asked if she had learnt the science of making bread and quick as a flash Milly came back with the fact that we had done an experiment (well remembered because this had been done in the very early days after taking her out of school)with yeast in a bottle blowing up a balloon!! I was so proud of her and happy that she had been so confident under interrogation;-)) I asked how she has felt about it and she said she was a little annoyed but that she hadn't wanted the lady to think she was totally uneducated !!!!;-))

Wednesday evening snapshot....

What we get up to on an evening;-)



Me


Milly ,doesn't everyone wear a shower cap to do a drawing??Milly was running a bath and then came back down as the urge took her to draw on her fresh canvas:-)


Al

Two rooms done, 3 usable and one to go!!

Update on the big change round.The aim being to make every part of our downstairs rooms usable and functional and to increase storage to make cleanups easier.

After a week of sorting and building we have three usable rooms again BWG!!

Everywhere has been decluttered and storage has been the main priority.
In the sun room there used to be a couple of tired old rattan chairs and we rarely spent any time relaxing in what is a really great room.
We have moved two small bookcases from here into the dining room and this large bookcase means we now have toys,jigsaws and games available to pull out when watching TV in here.We also have books that we can just pull out as we are snuggling in here that may not otherwise get looked at.
Milly fell in love with a very large and expensive swivel chair (size of a single bed!!) in DFS but good old ikea came up trumps with a more affordable option.



The sofa bed moved from the living room into here.It was an aubergine colour and I have taken off the covers to dye chocolate brown.I was far too impatient on Saturday when the pre dye and dye I had ordered came.I just wanted to get it done and shoved it in the machine when I really should have waited and ordered another box cos there was far too much weight in the fabric:-( So at the moment I am waiting on a delivery of two more box's to try to rectify the tye dye,mottled aubergine effect they are at the moment.......So untill that comes and I can then dye them we are living with an unclothed settee covered in tea stains!!



As we go out to the back door we have made full use of this unit and have gloves scarfs etc to hand,as well as dog grooming brushes and other such paraphernalia.Many years ago when I went to Kenya I brought back a very small sandstone Elephant ornament which sits on Emily's bedroom windowsill.We love elephants and have decided to start a small collection, our first being Mummy and baby sitting on here :-)



Finally we have the TV cabinet.I initially got these box's to store toys in for easy access but they have proved to be too flimsy so I decided to store lighter things we don't use too often in here and have brought the toys down to the more substantial plastic box's in the dining room.They are still much more accessible and are easy to bring through.



The dining room has benefited from a really good sort out and I have been ruthless with old pictures and stones and bits of pot found during archaeological digs in the back garden!! I have been obviously checking with Milly before throwing anything I know she is attached to.I have been surprised at how easily she has let things go this time.



This isn't a great picture but it shows the table does get cleared sometimes and if we did want to we could actually eat here.It also shows my bargain chairs(the dark brown wooden ones) I got 6 from Impact housing(they recycle old unwanted furniture) for 10 Pounds, all they need is a clean up and some white paint and they are perfect.i have been looking around Impact every week for sofas and bookcases but had no luck with things that would fit our room but well worth a look if you don't mind used furniture.Still some old furniture to move out,this old Rattan chair is going to go to Impact housing.



The next two show Milly's new little corner.She has already spent many a happy hour listening to tapes and drawing or just lying on her chair bed.One other thing has been the things she has used because they are out at her level,Milly has never really looked in cupboards at what we have available so one of the reasons for doing this was to be able to put things on the shelves that I think will interest her.I have found it is better to do this subtly as any obvious attempt to interest her in anything is usually ignored.We are going to move some of the posters and paint a section of wall white so that she can sit and draw on the wall and we can just repaint it when it needs it.




The kitchen is the only room where things haven't been moved around but as yet has not been decluttered but this will have to wait till we get back from our short break in Filey with friends next week.

The living room is a long room and the top half had furniture in but was never used it is my new home for the computer and is still very much a work in progress.Alan has built the new furniture but as we are storing the furniture I need to sell it is still in a real mess in here.I have not ordered the new setee and chairs yet but they will take 8 to 12 weeks to come so that gives us plenty of time to sell this furniture.We have sold three items already but still more to go.I have not suddenly come into money:-) The sale of these is financing the new items but we decided to take out a 0% visa deal and pay it off as the things sell and we have 13 months to do so.I have found in life that you can sometimes wait for ever for something to happen if you don't take a chance and make it happen.We will not be left in debt as we will have the means to pay it off by then, even if the furnture dosen't sell.





We have advertised on local notice boards and will be posting leaflets through doors in the neighbouring villages.

Just in case you are interested here is the ad,and if you can get to west cumbria and are interested in anything at all just e mail me at pixiemum@yahoo.co.uk ;-))

Flat pack marathon!!!

Had a very busy day at Ikea with Al,funny just the two of us with no Emily to flit about in between the furniture and try out every sofa,bed or chair ;-)

We got everything we needed and the only hiccup was about the furniture I had chosen for the sun room.I had spent ages thinking about the colour scheme and decided on a walnut bookcase and Tv stand.As we were looking at them Alan asked if I was sure as it might be a little dark.Well, that sowed a seed of doubt and what seemed like hours later after looking at the units over and over again I changed my mind and we bought the light birch finish.On the way home all the way on the 2 hour journey I was kicking myself,I really felt I had made a mistake,but still wasn't sure.

The next day we opened up the box to build it up and even though it was a nice colour it was the exact opposite to what I had planned and I knew without a doubt it was wrong for our room and there was no way I could live with it.I was so annoyed with myself.Alan been the kind of guy he is suggested taking it back and he set off that afternoon and exchanged it taking 6 hours to make the return journey and do the exchange..Have I mentioned how much I love him:-))

Thankfully all the bits (so far) have been in the boxs and we have finished putting up the furniture in the sunroom and the dining room is nearly completed( this was mainly moving furniture from other rooms)just the living room to go and there is a small matter of furniture to sell before we can order the sofas or put up some of the new furniture.Had some luck and have sold a few things and am planning to do some leaflets to go on local noticeboards and post them round the houses in our village and the neighbouring ones to try and shift the bigger peices ASAP.Fingers crossed or else we will have to live with what looks like a furniture showroom in our living room.

Hi there xx

Still here just not had much to say.Well that's not quite true,I have started posts and then kind of lost it half way through and given up.I have been a little withdrawn and quiet in real life and it has seeped over into blog life and although I am reading blogs I find I start to comment and the words just don't come.Been here before and it will pass.

Alan is on holiday and things have been hectic over the last couple of days.Some time ago I had a great idea to make the sun room a more comfortable and inviting place to spend some time and that has now spiralled and every room downstairs has been changed around and furniture is dizzy from being moved:-)

There were areas that space was wasted and when the move is complete the whole of the downstairs will be much more usable.I am selling all my living room furniture and replacing it.We have hired a van and head off to Ikea in the morning for bookcases and and other bits and bobs.Every room will have better storage. I forgot to take pictures before but when we eventually finish I will share the results.The other benefit to this moving around is the spring clean the house is getting,it is long overdue........

Catch up,shopping,holiday plans.

It's been a little quiet on here:-)

We've kept ourselves busy,seeing friends,visiting family in Yorkshire,sleepovers,pyjama days,TV and DVDs, walks for Emily and Alan in the fairy woods leading to Crummock water.Crying a great deal to Marley and me at the cinema,lot's of drawing,plans for an art gallery and money making opportunity for Emily, more of that at a later date;-))Request for a project on Victorians from Emily,whose best friend is doing one at school.Daily Bratz play with Daddy and vets surgery play with mummy.

Shopping for a bed,Milly fell in love with a water bed today,not my cup of tea though, very strange feeling!! Searching for an automatic car locally which is proving to be like searching for a needle in a haystack,might have found one today depending on how much they will stretch on a part exchange deal,fingers crossed.Sofa shopping in DFS with Milly who said she was surprised she had enjoyed sofa shopping so much!! Great fun in large swivel chairs and trying out as many different styles as she could.

Plans for holidays later in the year,caravan in Scotland with Emily's best friend E ,Aunty's house in Yorkshire,long weekend in a caravan in Northumberland with Emily's best friend A,no greek island this year (boo hoo)unfortunately car and sofa are taking priority this year:-( Maybe next year!!Or,wishful thinking, a really good hot summer so I can get my sun fix!!

Hooked on your blog award.

I wrote this before I got Ill and just never got it posted so I thought now was as good a time as any:-))

Jean, Heart Rockin Mama very kindly passed this on to me.6 random things/what makes me happy.Seems like things are conspiring to encourage me to look at the positives in my life and that's no bad thing. Luckily I am in a positive frame of mind as this could be tricky when I am in lull:-)

Okey dokey here we go.Some random facts and some things that make me happy.

1.There are particular areas in the house that I love to spend time in,one of them is the desk area. I love to sit here with the big lights off and the desk light on.It always feels cosy.I am surrounded by pictures Emily has drawn for me, a list of positive affirmations,pictures of my nephew and Emily,some inspiring quotes, and my inner peace cards that I choose one from each day and am constantly amazed at just how relevant the message always is.There is also a huge amount of clutter and a constant pile of bills to pay and letters to answer but that's ok, that's what this area is for after all.

2.One of my favourite comfort foods is mashed potatoes with gravy.The gravy has to just right though.I do make a good gravy even though I say so myself and I freeze any left over from roast dinners so I have a supply waiting,you never know when your gonna need comforting ;-))

3.I would class myself as a dreamer.Some might say I am naive,I trust easily and always want to believe the best in people.I think of myself as a lucky person.Over the last few years I have got much better at seeing the bright side.

4.Driving past a school during school hours with Emily in the car never fails to remind me how blessed we are and to be thankful that we are out of that system.

5.Seeing the garden fresh and clean in the springtime.I love to see the earth and space between the plants before they grow larger.The little veg shoots promising so much,unless said shoots get eaten by bleeping slugs or caterpillars!!sore point,I lost a great deal last year as I wasn't ready for them.I will be armed with information,netting and slug pellets this year,organic of course!!

6.I am seriously thinking of having my nose pierced.


I now pass it on to 6 blogs I am hooked on ?

Not sure I can list just 6 as I have soooo many I love to read for differing reasons.
Some that I have followed since I first heard about the blog world are

Grit

Michelle

Laura

Colleen

Gill

Claire

clare

Sally

See up to eight already!!
Some that are newer to me but I seem to have a great deal in common with are,

Mon

Sam

Debs

K

Hannah

Dawny

Shirl

Thank you all for sharing.I do love the new follow linky thing cos now I don't spend quite so long skipping around to see who posted,the info is all in one place so I never miss anything!!I am sure no one will mind if you all pick up this award,if you want to of course.xx

Sunshine and sleepover

A wonderful sunny day today has helped to lift my spirits.We have been out to town to do a few errands and took Emily for an appointment with Rezwanna for some Rieki.

We have picked up E who I have not seen for over 3 weeks and she is staying over tonight.I am picking her up after her drama group on Thursday and she will stay over again, much to Milly's pleasure:-))

So things are getting back to normal now.The horrible black cloud of a possible relapse has passed and all is well.xx