Merry Christmas everyone!

The Christmas Caterpillar and his big eared friend would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Santa Watch

Where is Santa ? http://www.noradsanta.org/en/home.html

Pass me the Lemsip

Yep I finally succummed to the dreaded lurgy yesterday. I wasn't feeling top notch yesterday, but I put it down to 3 nights out in a row and eating lots of rich food. After my laser treatment in the morning I made my way home but I just didn't feel "right". After some food and a hot bath I found some energy to take Emily out to see Santa at Frosts at Brampton. But I slowly went downhill after that. I really felt lacking in energy and my head started to hurt. I went to bed early but kept waking every 4 hours so I had to top myself up with paracetamol. I did not feel great this morning so I had to call in sick. I'm now sitting here in my new fluffy soft dressing gown and new PJ's from Sainsbury (I got a bargain!). I spotted the dressing gown about 6 weeks ago and when I popped into the shop yesterday it was marked down to half price so I just couldn't resist. I had some spare time before my appointment so I decided to check out some other bargains - I got 2 sleepsuits for £4 each, my dressing gown was only £7.50 and my PJ's £5! After using what nectar points I had the whole lot cost less than £3! Very chuffed, but still very stuffed with the lurgy. Cough, hack! Anyway here are some photos of Emly with Santa!

Ooh ooh look what I got!

thank you to Little Brown Book for this!

The rules of the award are as follows:

1 - Every superior scribbler must name other superior scribblers
2 - Link back to the author and the name of the blog that gave you the award
3 - Display the award and link to this post which explains the award
4 - Add your name to the Mr Linky List here so there is a record of the super scribblers

Ok so I now tag KittenHead, Girls Are Weird, and Lamamad!

I'm open for business!

Ok this is my first attempt at selling stuff on Etsy - I've put up for sale 4 blankets that I've completed. The site is a bit basic at the moment but will update with some more detail as soon as I can.

Enjoy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5774042

Exam Results Are In!

my friend Mark has just MSN'd me to say the results were now published. I felt so sick but this is what I got:

Grade 2 pass

Overall examinable score (OES) : 73 %
Overall continuous assessment score (OCAS) : 90%

I'm pretty chuffed as I thought I would get a grade 2 pass but I was worried when I spoke to the previous years students and even though they scored well inthe 90's with their OCAS they mainly got a 3 for their exam result.

Today I am WELL CHUFFED - so no-one please ruin this!

Sad Day

Today I read on the news that the creator of Bagpuss has died. Bagpuss was one of my favourite programmes to watch when I was a child and I still love that old saggy cloth cat.

Feeling Cold?

Made 2 of these blankets on friday night. What do you think?

Bought more fleece and will be making a couple of stripy blankets, one for a friend! And that should be me done sewing for the year. As soon as I make them I always find someone else who is either pregnant or just had a baby and the blankets go! There must be so many children at Citrix now who have these blankets :) xxx

Blankets again!

Just made this one today - nice pink rose flowers.

Not my day is it?

Ok still in dispute over the Ebay stuff - I'll let paypal decide as at the end of the day the tickets didn't cost me anything and I could possibly still get the postage back from the Post Office. Next the inconsiderate freecycler who said they would appear at 11am this morning to pick up the keyboards didn't show! Grrr rude people really really annoy me. So I sent an email to him saying asking him to let me know if he was coming for them or not and it not then I would relist.
So he turned up at 7.33pm without even an apology until I stared at him and said he should have let me know if was not able to make it - no excuse was forthcoming so I handed him the keyboards with a disgruntled look.

Fricking heck - people eh!

Keep em rolling!

I dug out some stuff from the bathroom and put it on freecycle - the girls thought they would have play with them first.

I see followers

Just discovered blogger has this little tool that can list your followers. A bit strange but it's really nice to know who is looking at my rants and other things. *waves to Tosha and LBB*

Anyway I'm having a gripe to day as I've had to deal with a paypal/ebay dispute. I won some tickets to see the Good Food Show but wasnt able to go so i decided to ebay them. OK sold them, posted them recorded delivery. I then get an email on the Saturday (5 days after posting) to say the tickets hadn't arrived - ok so not much time to sort anything out. So I found my receipt and checked the ticket number and sure enough they had not been delivered, now this is not to say that maybe the postman didn't or did leave a ticket at the address, or even they have been delivered and not signed for. So I called the post office and got some advice, this I passed onto the buyer and asked them to check their local post office to see if it was there. No reply until Monday when I get this very pissy email asking for a ebay refund and to pay the difference in tickets as they had to pay full price. WHAT?? I don't think so missy!
So I've been polite and saying i didn't think I was at fault and it was the post office - so to cut a long story short (after her demands I pay in her 48 hours!) I asked her nicely to raise a dispute.
I also discovered the post office recorded delivery does not compensate for tickets - WHAT!
so it looks like I may have lost out but at least I hadn't paid for the tickets in the first place so I haven't really lost anything. I've got all my proof including her hissy pissy emails and have also escalated the dispute. I'll also photo copy the receipt and forward all her nasty emails to paypal.

Oh and also freecyclers who don't pick up when they say they will - will incur my wrath today!

Bugs everywhere

Ok I was vomiting for one night last week but poor Emily has suddenly turned into a snot making factory in the last 24 hours. Last night she was very sick in her bed, and I could hear her coughing and spluttering during the night (not much sleep for me!). She sounded very croaky today and tonight again she's been up and down. Though only a little bit sick tonight, but I feel I'll be on edge all night listening out for her. :(

On another note I've had an aggressive email from a ebay buyer. Not the kind of thing I really wanted to get today, but it's not my fault the Post Office have not delivered the letter. All I know is that it's not been signed for after 7 days of being in their hands. This silly ebayer was demanding I pay for her £42 tickets! Ha I have proof of postage and the recorded delivery barcode. Still the aggressive manner of the email is uncalled for. I think that's if for me and ebay now. If I ever win tickets to anything again I'll email everyone I work with and my friends first and give the bloody money to charity.

But what made me smile today was to find out I've got a follower of my blog! Woohoo how cool, welcome new blogger. :)

Sew what

Finished the large red apple blanket today :

 

Ssshhhhh

"Can you hear that?"
" Hear what?"
" Nothing! Isn't it brilliant?"
"why?"
"because it means the baby is asleep, the telly is off, the dishwasher has stopped and I'm sitting down quietly surfing after a busy morning organising MOT's, toddler gym, shopping, posting letters and wrapping presents"
"ah"

Happy Birthday Phoebe!

This took ages and a lot of patience to make - but not too bad a birthday cake!

More cakes :)

A fantastic Merry-Go-Round at Milton Keynes shopping centre

Emily chilling with a coffee (its warmed milk)

A Skiing Lesson

And then some flying!
To see more photos and video clips click here

Claim to fame

Drew has the same watch as Napoleon Dynamite - Geeeeeek!

Last Week we

Played on Daddies new bike and she says "I like it"

Looking all wistful - mmm nice tank

Phoebe pretending she isn't going to be the next Eddie Eagle!

oh and Emily had a shot too - sorry no face shot!

Dressing up at bedtime - you would think it was winter or something!

Todays' lesson was brought to you by

The Department for Transport!
http://talesoftheroad.direct.gov.uk/

Please let your children watch - ok it made me feel tearful but I think well worth watching with your children to explain what is happening.

It's saddens me that schools don't put much emphasis on teaching children how to cycle safely these days. In my day (we are talking about 30 years ago) it was exciting to join the cycling proficiency club and learn how to cycle my bike safely on the roads next to my school. Since I've biked from early childhood and still do now I've cherished the skills I was taught in road safety all those years ago, and I still have my badge and certificate! These skills have given me the confidence to cycle, and use the road wisely, for many years and hopefully many more to come.

Oh yes and another thing - cyclists please please get lights for your bike and bright reflective jackets! I've been hit by a couple of cars in my lifetime and luckily I've got fast reflexes and managed to escape worse injury - some other people might not be so lucky! Be Seen Be Safe ;)

Kittykats

Yesterday we travelled out to Littleport which is just a few miles north of Ely, to see some Maine Coon cats (and kittens). We met the lovely Lorna and her partner and the whole flock (or is it a herd?) of kittens! Boy I was so surprised by these lovely kittens, so friendly, gentle and very attentive and they loved to play with everything. These cats are so unlike the ordinary domesticus-catticus and I can honestly say I find MC's to be a brilliant breed that are ideal for families.

We also briefly met the 2 females that Lorna is looking to rehome but I wasn't too sure if they were going to fit it as they were very timid and reluctant to meet us, unlike the others who were all over us, and everyone else! I met Samson who has to be the biggest tom cat I have ever seen and wow what a character - he was a big softy too. Drew fell in love with him and really would like a male kitten with Samson as the father. Next we met 2 other females that Lorna is looking to retire next Summer and they were more outgoing (I even got a friendly head butt from one).

So here's the dilemma - if we go for the quieter girls who are more likely to stay in the garden, then I would be worried that one of them would be too timid and may be too scared to be with us at all. Or we go for the outgoing (escape-artist) pair who I think would be great but also if they prefer to roam further afield then I would worry more about them when they go out. And finally do we go for a kitten all by itself or if possible with one of the sets of the females? And if so which kitten - bearing in mind that Phoebe preferred the little Dot (who was the smallest of the litter) or we go for a male (with Samson as the father) who could be a monster size!

What a lovely surprise

After a hard day at work (where nothing seemed to work as easily as I had hoped) I managed to grab some fleece to carry on making the taggie blankets this weekend, some thread and cheap tissues from Dunelm. Before making a quick stop at Frosts to pick up tickets for Emily and I to have afternoon tea with Santa in December, then drive home to find lots of goodies and parcels waiting for me! I like parcels and pressies. I've been busy cashing in on all these online surveys and things that I do and they've just started arriving! Woo Hoo. I also won 2 tickets to the Good Food Show in Birmingham this year but I'm booked that weekend :(

Making a Difference

I've read and seen so many news items that have caused me to cry recently. Luckily some people restore my faith by their overwhelming love for others :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7728401.stm

Blankets Galore

Finally found some time to get creative with the blankets again!

Today's lesson was brought to you by My Kids

Pukka Peppa Pig

Tosha kindly let me help set up the NCT sale in Waterbeach on Friday night. In return I was able to purchase some clothes and toys for Emily in advance. On Saturday when I showed her the clothes she said no to everything that was nice (designer labels) and wanted to wear - could you guess?

Note she's wearing Peppa Pig wellies and a Peppa Pig top!

I bought some of this crazy crystal stuff in London a few weeks back. You add 3 litres of water to it, wait 3 hours and hey presto it swells up! You can also add some food colouring for extra pazzaz! Makes me really thirsty looking at this picture - i just want to drink some cocktails now :)

How to wind up an 11 year old

Phoebe's birthday is just a mere 2 weeks away and I'm steadily winding her up by leaving cryptic messages on the family calendar. Things such as "whoohoo having fun at 4.30pm" on the 22nd Nov in her calendar section.
I get funny questions like "what are we really doing at 4.30 on the 22nd November? " and I say "oh nothing".

What she doesn't realise is that I've orga... oh hold on she reads this blog ! Muahahahha!!!

I had to fess up about the Maine Coon cats though - even I couldn't keep that one to myself. Oh just remembered I didn't blog that one did I? Ok so Elvis went home to his mum and dads about 2 Sunday's ago. And I felt like we have lost some little personality in the house. So I started taking a look at the options, could we adopt - sadly no! As the CPL wont let us have kitties because we live on a main road - so another reason to move to another house, preferably one that is not on a main road. I looked at the cost of buying a Kitty (though that did make me feel guilty as there are so many kitties out there desperate for home) but then I thought about it and I haven't had the chance to have any kittens for many years as I've always fostered or adopted cats, so I figured I've paid my dues. But then I found the cost of £350-450 for a Maine Coon kitten a bit much and something that we can't really afford just now. But by pure chance one of the breeders I had been speaking to told me she had 2 females she needed to rehome - so bonus I thought, ok not kittens but still Maine Coon cats that I have so desperately wanted to have for many many years. So on the 15th November we are taking a trip out to Ely to be kinda "interviewed" by the owner to see if we are suitable. So I'm feeling really nervous about this as I really really want to have a Maine coon cat and would be more than delighted to have 2!

I will update once we have some more news - in the meantime I gotta get some work done as I have an online lecture tonight!

101 things to do with a pumpkin

First of all you cut its' head off, then you scoop it's guts out

Then you set stick a lit candle in the middle and burn it (muhahahaha)

The witch is Emily's pumpkin and the Cat is Phoebes.

After scooping it innards out we then roast them as a tasty treat.

Then we roasted the tender flesh and turned it into a tasty soup.

We then steamed some flesh and took a blender to it (queue more witch cackling)

and then made a sweet pumpkin pieNot one pie but 2 pies!

And finally baking a batch of cookies from the left over flesh.

Yummy Yummy!

Hi

Yes a small and short blog but I'm busy and on holiday - HA! This week has seen us have our lovely friends Adrianna and Sarah visit (sadly just for 1 whole day and 2 nights) so we tried to pack in as much as possible with a day trip to London. Boy that was a physically demanding day - lugging a buggy around the central tube stations in London was no fun, and with my shoulder in a bad way I was a pretty grumpy pants by Sunday morning as I've not had a decent nights sleep for over 3 months. What also didn't help in a round about kinda way was the physio I had on Friday afternoon was pretty hard core and I REALLY did suffer. She had a go at my stiff jaw too - I was almost in tears it was that bad. But no pain to gain - hmmm? I succummed and decided to try out my stash of cocodamol for some mega pain relief, so one hour after taking it on Sunday evening I was pretty high! Went to bed and slept right through with rolling around in pain once! I enjoyed it so much I took it again last night, but I didn't get quite the same effect :( but maybe that was due to Drew occupying the bed too!
Sunday also saw us transport Elvis back to his folks - I met up with Steve at Scotch Corner for a quick cuppa and exchange. Elvis was an angel during his journey and didn't complain (or make a dirty protest). I got a text about 8 pm that night to say he had arrived safely. So far he's settled in pretty well, hiding under Amanda and Steve's bed and taking to exploring the house when he is feeling braver. I know he will be ok as he's started kissing his mom - I wont be missing his drooling that's for sure, though today I did feel a little unsettled as I thought I heard him meowing, and usually when I go to the summer house to work out he follows me down and sits while I row. So I did miss him a little tonight. But we have some plans in the pipeline to adopt a couple of larger kitties (google Maine Coons!) . I've been wanting one of these cats for years (YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS) and I've been speaking to someone who is looking to re-home 2 females (aged 4 and 5) . I'll update you later in November.

Birthday Bonus

Thanks to everyone who has wished me a happy birthday! I've had a nice weekend, had dinner with some friends and some drinks. And a easy (though still early awakening) morning in bed where Phoebe made me scrambled eggs on toast with a cuppa. We lounged around (as much as Emily would allow) whilst watching Nemo on the laptop. I received a lovely bunch of flowers on Saturday morning, some dosh and a lovely chocolate champagne bottle. Thank you lovely Lisa for my punky-ducky, he's taken one dip in the bath (yes Emily threw him in!), and I havent touched my chocolate bar yet, which is a miracle!

Hurrah M255 exam over

3 hours of pure hard work (for once!) Exam paper not too bad - though there were some tricky questions that haven't been asked in previous papers! And some sneaky wording - ha! But I think I did ok considering. Roll on Decemeber when I should get my results. For now I'm taking a couple of days off work and will be socialising with some friends and other mums and kids. I've also seriously missed exercising for the last 2 weeks so I should be getting my backside back to rowing, running and cycling this week. Along with some celebrations on Saturday night.

Happy Birthday my Happy Smiley Cherub!

More photos can be found here http://s84.photobucket.com/albums/k3/chenderson99/emily%202nd%20birthday/

Oh my is that a Firefighter?

Lisa I saw this fabric and thought of you!!!

Some Photos

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisadurbin

Crazy kids