One Month & One Day to Christmas Eve!!!!!!

Busy getting organised for my trip to the Wirral via Worcester to visit Mum! I have to pack all this

into our Peugout 306 + a bag of clothes for Tori and I, coats and shoes plus anything else I forgot!! Then off load 2 bags at Worcester and collect Kathryn. She told me this morning she has no clothes to wear as they all need washing!!!!!!! So we asked mum if she could bring some washing with her!!! Going to be a long day, I was up at 5.45am.

We have planned a family meal for Saturday night, so there will be Me, Tori, Mum, Bruce, Zoe, Andy, Amy and Mark. Now if that doesn't start Zoe into labour I don't know what will!!! So Cal! be ready!!!!!

I am rather pleased because I managed to finish these for Zoe's baby last night!

Just have to hope she has the baby girl, the scan told her she was having!

Righty Ho folks thats about it for now, I should to be blogging again on Monday with hopefully lots of pictures amd maybe even one of a baby!!!!!!!!!!!

The plan for next week is more soap, start new secret project, lots more knitting and also some cross stitch!!! Take care XXXXXX

Shopping, Slimming and Thanks!

Well a successful day so far, went to Swindon to get myself some trousers, well jogging bottoms actually! I kept losing my trousers on my 2 mile walk to the garage yesterday and it was really annoying! I decided on jogging bottom because they have elastic in and should last a bit longer!

This was me before I lost weight, at my sisters wedding 2005! I think I may have put on some more after this photo.......

but look at this (to do this I worked out how to use the timer on the camera, cool hey!)

I think you may notice a slight difference LOL!!!!!!!

Anyway now I can fit up here now......

its only small but boy do we pack stuff in, in our loft!! I had to go up to get decorations for Kathryn, I have boxes of them, I'm always changing the colours so I got the lilac, purple and silver down for her plus a couple of sets of lights! All she will need to get is a tree, she has a Homebase nearby and a new boyfriend who I hope will be kind enough to carry it for her!!!!!!!

Now a BIG Thank you to Mrs Nesbitt who has saved the day and made me a very happy person! If you recall I was not happy with the hamper I had done for my mum and partner Bruce! So I did as suggested by Mrs Nesbitt now lets see if you all think it is an improvement!!

So from this.....................

to this..................

I think its a great improvement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Round about trip and two iced cakes!!!

A fair bit of driving today. As you know I'm going to my mum's this weekend, well the washer on the Peugout had stopped working, so I booked it in for today, Wednesday as Mark is usually off ! But no not today, Mark is Corperate Project Manager for a well known Building Society and his project is due to go live (what ever that means!) on Friday. So he has been working all hours, came home last night to get the car to the garage, cos we knew we couldn't get it there this morning, then went back into work again!!!
So this morning I was up at 5.30am getting ready to take him to work, now I know he has a bike and yes he could have used it, cos it wasn't frosty or anything! The problem is the getting ready, putting all the clobber on, getting to work, taking it off and doing the same again when he came home. He needs every minute of every day at the moment and I would have worried about him concentrating whilst riding, so I decided I would drive.
So woke Tori at 6.30 left for Swindon, back by 7.30. Left for Chippenham at 8.00 to take Tori to school! Left there about 8.20 and drove to Melksham again!
I was in Melksham yesterday and its not a place I visit alot. They have a certain Building Society Branch there and its the only one around the area except for in Swindon so this is where I put my Christmas money each month! I can't borrow!!!! it, because it is so out of the way, I have to plan a visit. Anyway when I was there I always troll around the shops and see whats new etc. thats when I saw this DVD (can't say which one) on very special offer, it is one of my most favourites and I only have it on video, I nearly bought it, but decided to be good and wait!!!!!! I spoke to Kathryn yesterday and she was trying to think of something she could get her Nana any way to cut a long story short we decided that this DVD would be ideal, so after school yesterday Tori and I went to the Chippenham shop but of course they didn't have it hence the visit to Melksham again! So this very reasonable present is turning out to cost alot of travel miles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From Melksham, I had to go to Calne to collect a prescription before finally making it home by about 11.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I so rarely go into Calne since they introduced a traffic calming system that involves me (because I live on the south side) using the by-pass and driving an extra 3 miles to get to the Free Parking (thats just one way!!) I can easily park on the south side but I have to pay 50p for 4 hours and I only want to pick up a prescription!!!

Later I have to walk to collect the car, then collect Tori, or could be the other way round! Then later still collect Mark from Swindon!!! Can't keep a good woman down Hey!!!!

So since I have been back, I have tidied up a tiny little bit, hung the washing on the airers, cleaned out the chickens and given them some greens

and iced 2 cakes!

Simple but effective I think!!!!

So what now, I did a thought about going to a card making workshop, but I have had a very serious talk to myself about that becasue it would mean more clutter and I honestly have no where left to store anything!!!!!!

Oh by the way my next new project ingredients have turned up, I can't say what they are because a certain person reads this blog and it needs to be kept a secret!!!! But I will start next week!!!

Daily Chores!!!!

Sadly there are some days when I can't play and I actually have to do work!!! Well housework actually, my pile of ironing has reached amazing heights, I'm not sure when I last hoovered the lounge and the kitchen floor needs doing, as well as all those other horrible little jobs thst need to be done!

I went and did some Christmas shopping, bits this morning. I need to get slightly organised as I'm going to my mums this weekend, picking up Kathryn from Worcester on the way! I have started making a pile in Kathryns bedroom, so every time I think of something I plonk it in there! Quite handy really!

I need to finish the bootees for Zoe, finish the hamper for Mum and Bruce, ice 2 cakes, one for Kathryn and one for the hamper! Make sure the girls have their presents for everyone up there. Take pressie for Amy (middle neice), pressie for Zoe. Make some mince pies! Oh I know I've forgotten something!!! Just can't think what it is!!!!!!

I would like peoples opinion....

does this look stupid? Everytime I put the jars in they sink to the bottom!!! Theres still a Christmas Cake to go in plus other bits and bobs my sister has bought, theres 4 jars of chutney and one of medlar jam plus two bottles of the olive oil I did the other day! We are not allowed to put any booze in!! Any suggestions gratefully recieved!!!

Christmas Pressie Preperations!!!!

I was really out of sorts this morning as I had to go for my follow up appointment with the specialist. Anyway the reason I was so nervous is, the op! hasn't worked and I still have the problem! I have mentioned in a previous post what I had done, it is a very painful operation and because I never, ever wanted to go through it again I have improved my diet 100%! I have lost 1 1/2 stone and I must admit the specialist noticed, he said 'I was a shadow of my former self'. I think he exagerated, but never mind I was thrilled!

Anyway he was, shall we say totally befuddled, when I told him what was happening, and he sat very quietly and shuffled and re-read all my papers. Mark was with me and he said the same as me, it was as if he was thinking 'what on earth can I do now!'

So I had more (very painful) injections, I have to take antibiotics and some steroids and go back and see him in 2 weeks! If this doesn't work I have to go back to theatre and he said' Mrs Woodlands if you thought last time was painful, this will be far worse'!!!!!!! So I am stuck between the devil and the deep!

So I came home and got on with what I like doing best...... making....... so look what I've been up to this morning..

8lb of Medlars

Quartered and put into a pan and covered with water bring to the boil and simmer for 1hr 30mins


put the contents into a jelly bag and strain overnight! Oh alright I started this yesterday!!!

Measure what is collected and for every pint add 1lb sugar

Boil until setting point is reached, spoon off the scum and put into sterilized pots!

the colour is amazing. Unfortunately it only has a shelf life of 6 months... if it lasts that long!

I cheated on the next one I went to the super market and bought little bottles of Olive Oil. Soaked the labels off, opened them up and filled them with Garlic and Rosemary. I would have used Chillies but my Mum is not keen on 'hot' but I think I know someone who would like it???

I still have to label them and will post a pic when done. Yes I could have bought bottles and oils seperately, this just worked out more economical for me!!

Then the cakes needed marzipaning!!

Whilst I was out getting bits and pieces after picking Tori up from school! It came to me, so I now know how I'm doing the Christmas Cakes! There will be nothing rustic about them either!!