Spring is nearly sprung

Last weekend after all the illness Paul had a full weekend off and so it was nice to head out to the beach. We needed to collect shells for a picture for my mum, she has asked for one like the one the kids made with shells a few weeks ago for Mothers day. Unfortunately when we got there the tide was in, and even though a the bit we go to the tide doesn't come fully in, we didn't find meny shells as they are further out. But it was a glorious day and we bought some chis to eat in the car then Paul took all but Alex out on the beach and I converted the seats in the back of our van into a bed (its like a day camper) for  me and Alex to stretch out on. It was like sitting in a summer house and i did a bit of hooking.

This stretch of beach has been left for years, the rest of the prom has been rebuilt but in all honesty i prefer this bit and its so nice as its away from the main streets. The have a little community group, that raises money for wildlife signs and has beach cleans.

This makes me look like i have a big belly, but its Alis little bum sticking up as he was asleep on me.

On Sunday i was asked to be a Judge for Fleetwood Gala to decide who should be there new Queen, I had been really excited to be asked but quickly realised what a hard job it is and that really you are upsetting kids who had really wanted to do it and where as we take all kids they only take 7 so lots were disappointed not to be chosen. I felt awful later on so don't think i can do it again. My feelings on this were quickly overshadowed by Pauls family drama, it carried on with various messages and came to a head on Wednesday, when his father sat out side our house till he came home and demanded a sewing machine that he had left 6 years ago back, Paul asked if it was really more important than his grand kids and he said yes! so we gave it him and he left. That said everything to us and when we got up the next morning i was surprised that actually there was an air of relief. We both felt that a huge weight had been lifted and as sad as it is when people can't get along, at least its something that is not hanging over us like a dark cloud, that it has been for the last 18 months since we got back in touch. Paul had wanted to leave it like that and stay away and i should have respected his wishes.At least i now have closure with no regrets about what i should have said but didn't i got it all off my chest and that chapter is now closed.

On Thursday i had an appointment to have my hair done, it was ready for it. On the way i saw these, they are plastic bottles that have been cut like flowers and spray painted and hung on the railing on both side of the tram tracks. It turns out somebody has done it and doesn't want to be named as they send an anonymous message to a website, they just like making things and hope they can stay there for a while. How wonderful, i love to see things like this its amazing and so bright and cheerful

When i made the appointment a few weeks ago i had decided on something completely different, i really needed a change after 9 years of the same do!

Was worried when i saw it on my hair...

But i love it love it love it !!! Its so bright and cheerful, Paul thinks its amazing which i am so happy the kids love it apart from Ewan who thinks i stick out and its not suitable for a mummy! we discussed that not following the crowds and being true to yourself can be a good thing.

Thursday night was Easter Bingo at school, during the first game i shouted house only to remove my finger from the ticket to see i still had a number on my card!  ooops felt like a bit of an idiot!

Here is one of the Easter chicks Molly and I have been knitting, however the creme eggs inside keep going missing and Fred keeps checking it to see if its laid another..... mmm slightly suspicious!

Finally some lovely flowers, that brighten the window on a very miserable Saturday morning! When i took the photos an hour ago i realised i had left the pushchair outside yesterday after i had been on a nice sunny walk and let Fred walk instead of taking the double pram. Will bring it in to dry when the rain stops as lets face it, it can't get any wetter! The end of another week x

Not again!!!

Molly came home on Firday from school feeling ill, on Saturday Morning both she and Alex were covered in spots. Chicken Pox was back. But at least now they have all had them, but it mean't another week of staying in to look after them.

Molly was really bad with them, and while Fred had been not bothered at all, Molly cried and cried for three straight days and nights, to be honest we feel she might have been over reaching a tad and while i was trying to put chamomile lotion on her she was scream stop hurting me mummy at the top of her voice, god know what the neighbors were thinking!

Alex was not quite as bad and seems to be a day behind Molly, but he enjoyed snuggling up to me which he rarely does now he is mobile, as he just wants to be off!

I spent a lot of time doing Crochet, mainly these little square which are nearly complete now and will soon be a ta-dah.

On the Saturday that Molly was really spottie we were supposed to be going to Staning & Normoss Gala at home party, Molly couldn't go but i went with Ewan.

My Dad was also here as well building me a loft hatch and boarding out the space so we can put stuff up there. My Dad does so much for us and i am really grateful. Luckily my dad is a builder so i know it will be a good job and we will finally have a decent storage place.

I also spent time tiding up the garden as the weather is getting better, Paul will sort it out properly but i gave the grass a quick cut and weeded, and litter picked and swept etc and it was warm enough to sit out and let the kids have some fresh air for a few hours. 

Even though Molly has been ill, its been nice to spend some time with her and we have been busy knitting Easter chicks, her knitting is getting better.

Bye for now xxx

I have removed the offending section about Pauls father,I have done this as we have decided we will not be having anything to do with them in future i will not mention any of his relations again.

Thrifting

One of my New years resolutions was to try and save money where i can both to stop waste and also out of necessity and it has now become a hobby, no an addiction!. Its amazing the buzz that comes from getting a bargain. Years ago before kids and mortgages my money was spent before it arrived. so i have always considered myself to be a spender rather than a saver, but i suppose that with four kids and the massive amount of money that they cost along with mortgages and bills, i have finally grown up over the years and changed my attitude to money. Lets face it we work hard for the money we get and want to make the best out of it, we have shopped at Aldi for years and actually spend less now than we did when it was just three of us and we shopped at Morrisons, and i always go a local butcher as its cheap and tastes far better than anything you can get from a supermarket. Plus i budget and plan. One of the new eating habits i started was to plan my meals for the week and write a shopping list and i have stuck to it ( along with the diet/healthy eating, which is going ok, slow weight loss but i am not restricting myself). I sit down for twenty minutes each week and plan what meals we will have. It actually makes it so much easier in the week, as i hated thinking what will we have tonight and then you get stuck in the rut of making the something over and over again. I don't chose the days just seven meals then i pin the list on the fridge. I also write down when we run out of something, and after i have done the list i check what we have and don't have. I have cut about £20 per week off our shopping which is between £50 and £80 per week depending on if we are stocking up on basics and nappies, cleaning stuff , dishwasher tablets etc and we have next to no waste anymore. Not bad for a family of six and its not like we go without and deprive ourselves of things or its all saver stuff, we eat well.

We have booked a holiday at a Haven again this year as the kids loved it so much, we booked it last year, when all the early booking deals were on. We paid £240 for a prestige caravan for 7 nights, last year we paid £379 for a standard caravan for 7 nights that we booked last minute so another way of saving. Most people think its cheaper to book last minute but its actually better to book when they first go on sale.

So with the holiday approaching i need to make a start on getting some holiday clothes for the kids.Usually i will go to town and can spend hundreds buying summer clothes, and with the weather we get here they might not even get worn much, or i can pay for something really nice only for it to get ruined on the first time its worn by a chocolate ice cream or damp grass staining it, or it getting torn when climbing a tree. I have never been one for designer labels and think that the supermarkets have really good quality affordable kids clothes, My mum has always enjoyed looking round the charity shops and always seems to come back with things for the kids, so i started looking too and quickly realized how fab our local Oxfam shop is. This is my favorite as its the cheapest and they also sell lots of new things from TU which i think have the wrong sizes in and perhaps that's why they sent them to Oxfam. Also they sell loads of cheap craft stuff, little packets with beads or sequins etc for 20p each and then big bundles of craft papers and things for 50p. Over Christmas i bought craft kits such as Make a peg people nativity and make a penguin cushion for 99p each. I bought bundles of baby clothes for alex for £2.99 for 20 items. I love having a look round and its rare i come out empty handed and some weeks i am really lucky like this week. I spent £25 pound but look what i got

 All these shirts and they are good makes, Fatface, Next, Ben Sherman, Gap, Billabong.

 A crean linen waist coat and Trousers for Alex from Autograph M&S an a shirt that matches, this little outfit was £2.59 same as the shirts all kids stuff is £2.59 for 3 items or 99p each.

Amongst the things i got for me a jumper from Zara, and a dress from Next

Mollys dress from Gap

In total 22 items for £25.00, a total bargain and it all in really good condition. My thrifting has also led to using e-bay more, Last week i bought two bundles for Molly total cost £34.00 and about 40 items, in fact she has more clothes than she needs now for summer, Like i said saving money is an addiction now and i love getting really nice sometimes  clothes designer for next to nothing. Definatly habits i am going to continue and all the money i am saving can go towards more days out and holidays!!!!!

Chicken Pox Week!

OMG!!!! This week has been hard, Fred has been ill with spots so he couldn't go to nursery or playgroup or anywhere, and i couldn't sneak him anywhere as his face was full of spots, so yet again we had to stay in, day after day. Now the main problem was that overall Fred was well, he wasn't tired or poorly in anyway, so despite getting all different toys out he was starting to get a little bit bored and  naughty!

This is the only time he slept during the day in the week he was ill!

He looks cute with his spotties!!! and he didn't even scratch at them so really he was very lucky

. 

It gave me time to work on an order for a slouch hat, what i made in the end was a reversible hat that had clear stripes on one side and a short of seam on the other. The seam side was actually the right side. I really don't know which side a prefer, but o love the colors they are so bright like a rainbow.

Ali baba can now walk on his own with his walker!!!

To cheer everyone up i found these potato letters in Aldi and surprised everyone with there names

The rest of the long boring week was taken up with tidying, sorting and crocheting little squares that will be used to make a new blanket, i have done about half so it shouldn't be too long before a big ta dah!

As the weekend approached we needed to do some decorating in the flat above our old shop and i jumped at the chance of some time out of the house and volunteered to do it. It was quite peace full painting and listening to the radio. Now its all ready for the new people to move in.

Helmshore Textile Museam

This was a few weeks ago now, unfortunately the SD card in my camera corrupted and these were the last picutres i have saved from it, luckily they were mainly from the museum as i use my phone most of the time so i don't have any pictures to share, sorry!

Saturday morning the sun was streaming though the window and we were all more than ready for a day out after being cooped up with illness all week. W still have a few places we haven't visited from our explorer pass which allows us entry to miseams in Lancashire, so we decided to visit Helmshore textile museum, secretly i was hoping for some spinning or at the very least some thing woolly related.

After a quick stop at the supermarket to get some snacks, as its not cheap taking four kids out for the day and buying dinner and tea out as well, we set off. Its always nice to drive out into the countryside, it always feels like escaping in a way but i am not really sure what from. I had my crocheting and was busy making little quick and easy granny squares for a new project. As we neared our destination we saw the hills in the distance sprinkled with snow and as we got closer to them it started snowing as we passed over the hills, it was strange as on the other side of them there was no snow to be seen anywhere.

We arrived to the sun shining and despite Paul's sat nav taking us up a route that was clearly not meant for cars, it had been a really pleasant car journey. We had our mini picnic in the car and took in our surroundings. Ewan has a real thirst for information and questions on mills started almost immediately, i love having little chats about history with Ewan and i enjoy how much it interest him, it reminds me of going on long walks with my dad when i was a kid and he would tell me about the history of things around and the Romans. I was telling Ewan about my nana who started working in the mill when she was 12, i would really like to find out which mill she worked in, so perhaps thats a challenge for me at some point.

Once inside we looked around and saw massive carding machines and they had bags of raw cotton and wool as over times it had been both a wool and cotton spinning mill. It was again very family friendly and there was plenty for the kids to see and do. We went to see a demonstration of the massive spinning machines and the noise that just one made was so loud, i can't imagine what it would have been like to work in one.

There was an exhibition of photos inside by a photographer who has gone around the country photographing derelict and abandoned mills, i love images like that they are so surreal, abandoned bits of equipment and machines ling around with trees growing up through them. I wonder why theses buildings are just left to rot, when they are generally solid building and could be converted into other things.

My favorite bit was a room dedicated to hand spinning and as well as displays of all types of spinning wheels and looms they had drop spindles for people to have a go of, which i did and was okay at as i have two spindles one i bought at Yarndale and another that Paul got me from Spin city for Chistmas.
They even had a spinning wheel that you could have a go on and as a spinning wheel is on my wish list i did spend rather a lot of time there!!!!oops

Its such a shame i have no pictures for this post, think i will have to bin the SD card and use another.

It was nice to get out and about, now its nearly Easter a lot of places of interest are starting to re-open so i foresee lots more lovely days our

Party weekend Part 2 Ali babas Birthday

Saturday saw Alexanders first birthday!, i really don't know where the time has gone, it genuinely seems like only weeks ago that he was born. Once they are here you can't remember a time they weren't. He is such a happy baby, always smiling and now crawling about getting into mischief or worse copying Fred! I made him a cake

I have wanted to make this cake for ages, its a waterbaby cake!

He opened his presents including a wheelie bug and a much loved already Ninky nonk

And i made an afternoon tea for the kids and my Mum and Dad came round 

Molly made the rather 70s looking cheese hedgehog and was very proud of herself

It was lovely and a really nice relaxing day.

Then on Sunday morning we awoke to find Fred Full of Spots!!!!! The dreaded Chicken Pox!!! and the worse bit is that Molly and Alex have never had them so are also bound to catch them!

Fun for another week!

Party Weekend & more illness part 1

Last weekend was the current Gala Queens and retinues at home party, this is basically a retirement party for them to celebrate there year and Molly and Ewan were really excited. It was my job to organize it and everything was ready to go then on Thursday Molly became really unwell and after a trip to the out of hours doctors she was diagnosed with tonsillitis and spent the day not well on the couch. We seem to have had illness after illness in our house recently and my mum had to come and watch her so i could go out and do what i needed to which involved still buying stuff for the party which was going to happen on the Friday night. So on Thursday i made a start on the cakes for the party, we had a big cake donated for the party, but i needed to make some cupcakes for after there food. I enjoy baking and have a cupboard full of bits and pieces for making cakes.

As the theme for the retinue was The secret Garden and out colours pink, white and silver, this is what i did for all 60 cakes

I got a bit carried away and made Caitlyn and Megan little cakes of there own

I did do all the retinue but when i did the hair it melted and was a mess so just gave Caitlyn hers which she loved.

As it was cheaper i also bought a helium tank and did the balloons

Once the antibiotics had kicked in Molly was much better and i could leave her with my mum again on Friday so i could get the last minute bits and bobs for the party and also for Alex as he was going to be one on Saturday.

Unfortunatly Paul had to work later so i had to get a taxi to the venue with four kids and piles of stuff, then give a quick meeting to the parents of the new retinue whilst the others were setting up for the party and all the way through the meeting Fred was lying on the floor gripping on to my heels, it was very close to being a you've been framed moment!

As you can see Molly made a full recovery, well she felt better, and everybody had a good time.