.

Monday, 27 February 2012

TAAA-DAAAAHH!

My very first loaf

So proud!

Have a fantastic week everyone.

Blessings,

Andi xx

Saturday, 25 February 2012

21st

Tuesday 21st February was my birthday. I had a lovely day.

M bought me a bread making machine:

I feel a bit nervous about using it. Only because it's new and I've got to read the instruction book. Not that I'm lazy or anything.

My son sent me this yummy card:

and reminisced about us reading the Mr. Men book 'Mr. Perfect' who had a party with lots of perfect cup cakes. Son is at uni now. I miss him.

My brother was also in a reminiscing mood and told me he remembered that Thunderbird Three was my favourite Thunderbird...

I think it was because it had a 'skirt' design which gave it a feminine look in a very male dominated show (Go Lady P! Go TinTin! Go Grandma!)

Then the floral birthday kicked in.

Some magic beans from BF Tammy:

Can't wait to see what they are.

Mum treated me to lunch at the Jamie Oliver restaurant that's just opened up in town.

(photo: renbehan.com)

And also gave me a pot of wild flower seeds

This gorgeous bouquet was waiting for me when I got back from the school run and is now filling the hall with a wonderful floral scent.

My MiL gave me some birthday money which I spent in my favourite shop, Wilkinsons:

I thought I would really miss Woolworths when it closed down, but Wilkinsons has more than replaced it.

BF Sue had visited me from Norfolk on Saturday and we had a fantastic fun day together. She had made this wonderful owl for me, all from recycled fabric:

His name is Michael.

Sue really inspires me with all the craft/design/work she does. So much so, that I've taken out the squares I'd cut to make a beach quilt (in my life before dog) and have started to sew them together. My electric sewing machine is having a problem with its motor so 'Dolly' came out to be used for the very first time:

I find the quiet trundle she makes as I turn the handle very therapeutic.

I think we're going to be friends.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

Blessings,

Andi xx

Wednesday, 1 February 2012

Fab Feb's Helpful Hints

I recently received an email from a friend which was full of simple, but good, ideas.

However, some of them made me wonder just how helpful they would be.

I thought I'd share them with you today on this bright, frosty, February morning.

When travelling, put shoes in disposable shower caps (found in most hotel bathrooms).

Use a drinking straw to hull strawberries.

(Our strawberries are often so hard I think the straw would disintegrate if I did this)

Rubbing a walnut over scratches on furniture will disguise dings and scrapes.

WD40 will remove crayon marks from computer screens, tvs and even walls.

To keep the kids' lunchbox apple from going brown, put an elastic band around it.

(although, I can imagine little fumbling fingers sending the segments flying all over the place as the elastic band is removed)

To keep sets of bed linen together, fold sheets and put them in the matching pillow case so the sets are always together and easy to find.

(How long is it going to take me to fold the sheets to the correct size to be stuffed into a pillowcase? Longer than it would take to find the separate pieces in the linen cupboard I think)

Use empty Wet Wipes tubes to store plastic bags.

(would someone tell me just how to fold the plastic bags so they pop up like the one in the picture)

String wire across the ceiling of a cupboard to store wrapping paper off the floor.

('Darling, I need to wrap a present, could you get the stepladders out?')

(That's unfair. Actually, I think this a good idea as long as your ceilings are not too high)

Cut crosses in the lid of a cardboard box to keep cupcakes safe during transport.

How to fold a fitted sheet.

(Don't tell me you haven't always wondered)

Use bread tags to label computer wires.

Tension rods. Bless them.

Turn pastry moulds upside down to bake cookie dough in cup shape. Use the cases to fill with fruit etc.

Freeze Aloe Vera in ice cube trays for soothing cool cubes for sunburn.

Use egg cartons to store Christmas baubles.

(Where was this idea a month ago?)

And finally, if any of you need to know how to remove the hard drive from a computer you're disposing of, please visit this recent post by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. Can't tell you how timely her post was for me.

Have a fab Feb.

Blessings,

Andi xx

Sunday, 29 January 2012

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, ELSIE

Oh dear, I'm a week late posting this.

It was Elsie's birthday last Sunday

but a little crisis in the family prevented me from posting on the day.

(All I will say is,

when our children are hurting, we hurt too.)

This is Elsie when she first joined the family last March:

Since then it's been a year of ups and downs

as we got used to fitting the needs of a puppy

into our living routine.

And even though she's still a bundle of trouble

she is well and truly part of the family.

Here she is on her birthday

wearing her Welsh flag bandanna

(inexpertly tied by mum)

'Hmmmm, I smell something tasty.'

I found this dog cake at the local garden centre before Christmas

and saved it for Elsie's birthday.

Oh Yum! Best birthday ever!

Blessings,

Andi xx

Wednesday, 11 January 2012

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!

MAKING THE MAGIC HAPPEN

'New York?' I hear you say. 'Very exciting, but why all the talk about magic?'

Well you see, I've been married 24 years this year and in all that time I have never struck out on my own and arranged a holiday without M.

As much as M loves NY, he didn't want to go. It would be too cold, he needed a rest not a busy holiday, we'd never get the visas in time...

You name the excuse, he came up with it.

(and he didn't want to see the play, either)

So I was all for giving up my dream of going, until on Christmas Day my son said 'come on, Mum. Let's go anyway.'

So we did.

Just me, son, daughter and a monkey (more of that later).

(we think the tall black building might be the one used for outside shots of Chandler's office in FRIENDS)

We arranged tickets for the flight, theatre, Empire State Building, got our visas, made hotel reservations, all on the computer before we left England and I'm stunned to report everything went smoothly and worked out without a hitch.

(really liked this building as seen from Empire State Building)

Now for the monkey. Coco has been my daughter's special friend since she was four years old. He is a well-travelled monkey and much loved by me as well as daughter. He's like a member of the family.

Anyway, he tells us that although he was born in Stratford upon Avon (and is a descendant of Willy Waggledagger aka William Shakespeare), his father was actually King Kong.