Sunday 31 October 2010

There be spooky goings on down at our place...



Last Thursday,
first born son had his 9th birthday!

Today we're having a Halloween themed party
to celebrate.

Apart from wearing fancy dress,
we have asked the other children to bring along a

Jack O'Lantern

to help decorate the garden with,
then of course they can take them back home afterwards.

Finn took the matter in hand
very seriously...



Jacob wasn't so sure...



I hope they're scary enough to frighten all the
witches and ghouls away!


Here's hoping that inbetween all the party
madness tomorrow I can actually take some photos
to share with you...

Wish me luck!!!

Happy Halloween.

Love Claire. X


Wednesday 27 October 2010

Tuesday 26 October 2010

The FREECYCLE Cycle!

Daisy update; SHE'S STILL WITH US!!! 
Still such a poorly girl though.  She has her nest full of cosy fresh straw and she is right by the 'pop hole' so she watches all that is going on in the garden.  I gave her some pain relief drops that belong to Toby (fat cat) and she has been able to get up and have a drink and a waddle around.  She also had some leftover pizza too, so she is staying where she is for now.  I had arranged for someone to come and 'help her' along to heaven but he couldn't come at the last minute, I'm so glad, Daisy seems to still have a bit of a twinkle left in her and decided that she shall go the natural way.  Watch her outlive everyone now eh?! Maybe it was all of your kind and lovely comments on my last post that did it, all I do know is how very upset I was when I left her in bed that night.  Thanks girls. xxx


Anyhow, back to business and less teary!

                                                                          Introducing....

...the FREECYCLE CYCLE!


Do you like her?

She was FREE!!!
I'm presuming that everyone knows what freecycle is,
how rude of me,
it's a website where you will be able to find a local group, and
folk give away for free things they no longer want.
It saves on landfill and gives people the chance to recycle perfectly
functional gear such as...

...my bike!

Pop over ( FREECYCLE ) and sign up to your local group.
 Help to do your bit
for the environment.
Saves you a trip to the tip,
 or you can get something for nothing!
(I always make sure I take along a
little thank you card when I collect anything,
good manners are a must!)

Would you like to see what else I have
been lucky to get from there?

Over the last couple of weeks I have been given...

A HUGE wool stash!



It's for work,
I'm branching out in my after school
'Sewing Club'
and joining forces with
'Knitting Club'

All FREE!!!

                                               
My boys have been enjoying playing with it too!
                                                                 
POM-POM LOVE


 Did you check out the concentration?
                                            
It only works if you stick your tongue out, hee hee!





Next up is my new
Sewing Corner!



After being jealous of all of your crafty areas
I decided I neeeeeeded one.
So after buying the table for £5 at a car boot sale,
the lamp was FREE on FCycle!

Now with this next photo, you have to promise to ignore
my unmade bed and shadeless bedside lamp!!!

The green eiderdown underneath Toby fat-cat
was also a FREECYCLE goody!

Why I decided to take photos of my bed with no bedding on I don't know!
It's yet to be laundered so whilst I was stripping my bed,
I decided to try it on the end of the bed,
Toby approved!!


The ottoman was a £4 bargain in the Summer at a boot sale,
so were the shelves in the back ground,
the crocheted blanket was mine when I was a baby
and the shade on the lamp had broken.

I'll keep my eyes open for a new one on...
...yep you guessed it...
FREECYCLE!!!

I hope you enjoyed that,
and once again thank you so much
for all being such lovely friends.
Daisy feels the love I'm sure,
and I feel better and will be able to
make sure she is comfortable during her last chapter.

Love Claire. xxx

Sunday 24 October 2010

My dear old little red hen is poorly sick.


Please forgive me for this not so cheerful post.

Being glum is not something I usually
put on my blog.

But this evening I am feeling ever so sad.

My sweet dear Daisy,
my adorable little old lady
is so poorly.

The big coop in the sky is calling her.

...sniff!

She would follow me around the garden like my little shadow.
Lie with me on a blanket when the sunshine shone,
and chat away telling me all sorts of tales of the hen house.

This little red hen
along with Sarah my other old girl,
was the first hen I got.

So easy to care for,
never causing any problem.

Enjoying the odd adventure into the
neighbours gardens,
but always winning them over with her little conversations
at their back door.

Laid lovely big eggs everyday for years,
not even missing a day during the snow days, when she couldn't
get out of the coop for the foot of snow that blocked her door.

Please let her fly up to heaven,
and save me a deed I am not strong enough for.

Take her peacefully and softly
whilst she is snuggled in with the
fresh new sweet smelling straw
in her cosy little bed,
her best friend Sarah by her side.

...sniff!

Amen. xxx

(oh dear, does anyone have a tissue? ...sniff sniff)

Friday 15 October 2010

Dotty Love!

 Have a gander at what Mr Postman brought me this morning!

How gorgeous is THAT?!

Plus, it was a lovely
surprise from the little Pocket Polly herself





When we went camping together earlier in the year,
Em's beady eye noticed my lovely coffee cup.
So when she returned home,
Em went off and bought herself one.
We often have a chat together whilst drinking our morning coffees
in our matching
Laura Ashley
Red Polka Dot Cups.
You would never know that we are
miles and miles away from each other!

What I didn't know is that Em also bought this beautiful jug too.
For little old me!



Popped down inside the jug was
some more scrummy lovelies.
A beautiful little felt house,
some cutie red apple buttons,
some GOLD
and some red gingham and trim!

Is this my hint to get stitching Mrs Shabbyshack?

I absolutely LOVED it,
not just because you have bought me
such beautiful and thoughtful things,
but because I fancy the pants off the Postman
and was able to answer the door in my skimpy nightwear!

I LIE!!!!
ha ha ha
He met me with wild hair, yesterdays make-up on,
my wellies and jumper pulled on over my jim-jams
and covered in dog hairs!!!
Well, that's how I roll these days,
kick the gruesome twosome out at the school gates,
dash to the field for Baz to have a waz,
then back home for my polka dot coffee bread with my
beautiful and gorgeous little friend.

Now I can do all of that whilst looking at my fabby jug too!
Thank you Emma. X 



Love Claire. x

Tuesday 12 October 2010

Hidden Treasure!

Now then,
do I admit to not having any curtains since
my lounge was decorated in the Summer holidays,
or do I just pretend I've changed them???

Oops,
I guess that just gave the game away!
Hee hee.

Well I have my reasons,
I couldn't decide on what fabric to have.

Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the
amount of lovely fabric in shops these days?

Bit of a daft question...
OF COURSE YOU HAVE!
All the time I bet.

So it was no wonder that I was
back and forth with huge big
rolls of fabric, trying to choose
which type, shade and pattern to have.

In the end I gave up and slummed it
by having none for a while,
until that is,
I remembered that I had these...



I made these years ago for Finn's bedroom,
but took them down in favour of the blind he has in there now.

So...
this is how I have been for the last month!


...and now!


I just tried them and couldn't believe how much I love them!
So I have left them up,
un-ironed!!!
Shhhhh...don't tell my Mum.


The colours are perfect,
just what I wanted all along.
Bright and colourful
but warm and cosy too.
The fabric was very expensive when I bought it,
hence why I kept them.
There's wool in it, not sure of the 100% but
the lounge is toastie and warm now.



Hope you like them too.

Frugality at it's best eh?
I wonder what other treasures I've forgotten about!

Love Claire. x




Monday 11 October 2010

Red Velvet Luxury.

 

I've been a very busy bee this evening.

After coming in from work I set to
making these scrummy
'Red Velvet'
cupcakes.

This recipe is in the new Nigella book
and is the 3rd red velvet recipe I have tried.

Finn wants a gruesome birthday cake for his
Halloween Birthday Party
and we thought red velvet would be perfect,
so i've been on a mission with RV recipes.

Don't ask me which was the best
as when I eat cake,
well,
it just doesn't touch the sides!!!
Hee hee,we're enjoying
ourselves so never mind eh?!

I tell you what though,
it has quite a variety of ingredients in it.

Who would know what the difference
is between
Bicarb of Soda
and
Baking Powder?

Not me,
but Nigella wants both,
so both she got.
Half a tsp of one
and 2 full ones of the other...



Why?

What difference does it make to the cake?

If you read the beginning of the book she
gives lots of helpful hints and tips,

and gives reasons or sometimes it's just a
'because I do' reason...

I love Nigella,
I think I have a bit of a girl crush on her to be honest.

Or maybe it's just that she always
invents (or steals) lovely luxurious
recipes that are totally scrummy.

Anyhow,
back to the cakes...

some of the ingredients...



Christmas Red colouring paste!
A whole pot!

Then one of my favourites...



A couple of weird ones thrown in...why?



...and you get a lovely shiny red gloop
that stains your mouth
and gives the game away to boys of a certain
age, who then yell that you've been
'stealing'
the mixture!



Here is the finished sponge...
not really the RED RED
that I have been longing for
but she admits to it being this
shade of red in the book.


After the 'stealing'
comes my favourite bit when cupcake making!



...and then Finn's favourite bit too!


 Nothing I have made this year has
escaped a good glittering!
Thanks to
'Kirstie's Homemade Christmas'
last year I found out about
edible glitter...

...a girl like me can never have enough glitter!
(hope Kirstie makes another series like last Crimbo!)


Nigella's attempt,
she decorated with
'Red Sugar'

Yummy!


 I had better not eat anymore of them,
as there will be none left!

They are for taking to school
in the morning really,
we're having one of these...





Actually, I feel a bit sick now...

hee hee.

Love Claire. x

Friday 8 October 2010

Grandma Lily's Party Piece.


It has was
National Poetry Day
this week.

My Grandma Lily
was such a lovely lady,
she stole my heart when I was a little girl,
so that's where she lives now,
within my heart.

Whilst I live in her little house!

Anyhow...

...whenever we had a quiet moment,
or even a noisy one
like at Christmas time,
she would
'do her party trick'
and recite a lovely little poem.

I thought I'd share her
'little ditty'
with you...

A Little China Figure




A little china figure on a little bracket sat,


His little feet were always crossed, he wore a china hat.

And every morning fair or foul, in shine or shadow dim,

A pretty little housemaid came and softly dusted him.



She picked him up so gently, and with such a charming air,

His china heart was melted quite, he loved her to despair.

All day he sat and thought of her until the twilight came,

And in his china heart at night, he softly breathed her name.



One day while being dusted, in his joy he trembled so

To feel her dainty fingers, that alas - she let him go.

In vain she tried to grab him back, but fate willed that they should part,

He fell against a fender edge and broke his china heart



She gathered up the fragments and she told a little lie,

Explaining to her mistress how the cat had made him die.

And on the following morning, when the shutters back were thrust,

She spoke his little epitaph -
 
"Humph, that's one less thing to dust!"
 
Love Claire. x



Brown paper packages, tied up with string...lah la la lah la....a few of my favourite things!

This birthday just goes on and on!
Hey, who am I to complain?

Mr Postie brought me a lovely parcel
the other day,
from a very kind and lovely friend.

Beki from


The cheeky little madam
gave me a very proper title!



Inside was not just one but two
gorgeous pressies,
wrapped with lovely tissue and ribbons,
(which I have saved into my bag of bits and bobs!)



Looky what I have now!

I likey very muchly.


With a cute little message on the back too...



...I'll try my best Beki.

There was also some VERY scrummy posh
'Mummy Type' chocolate
wrapped up too, but it erm, sort of,
well...
I scoffed it! Hee hee.

Thank you Beki,
I am a very lucky girl with such gorgeous and
caring and kind and fabby friends.
Love you lots.

Love Claire. X

Wednesday 6 October 2010

I have BIG BOOBIES!!!!

Hee hee!!!

Now I have your attention
I hope you can just take a moment to read on.

October here in the UK

is

BREAST AWARENESS MONTH



Don't worry,
I am not asking you for money,
just for you to read on and
promise
that whilst you're next in the bath,
or the shower,
to have a good old rummage around with
your boobies!!!

There are lots of links I could put here
to show you how to check for lumps
but to be honest,
our bodies are all different,
and what you feel today
may not be what you feel next week!
They're changing all the time,
so get used to those changes,
get rummaging around with them!

If one day you do notice something
completely different,
dash to your GP and have them
check it out,
a piece of mind is worth so much more than your life!

Get used to what you've got
is what they seem to recommend these days.
Any changes and get your GP
to check them out.

Don't forget to cover all under your armpits too,
and above the breast,
they're bigger than you think ha ha,
well, mine are just huge so I may be gone sometime!!!

When you're finished
get a big fat cupcake and scoff the lot!

Your boobies deserve it!



Of course there are lots of ways you can donate
to Breast cancer charities,
and even the smallest amount of spare change
can make all the difference.

Keep a look out for something in your area
for you to get involved in,
it's smashing fun and usually everyone is welcome!


So there we are...

...I hope you have continued reading this,
how about visiting a couple of websites
and help the cause,
or just to make yourself

BREAST CANCER AWARE


If you possibly can,
how about following my lead and
you too do a

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS POST

If we can save just one life by encouraging everyone to...



...then I'm a happy bunny!

Love Claire
(the one with the huge big boobies!)

xXx

Visit


or






Monday 4 October 2010

Fankoo...!


Thank you all soooooooo
much for all my birthday wishes!

Now I know it sounds a little sad
but you were all great company,
as I had no boys this weekend,
they were at their Dad's.


Looky at this...


I saw these last month and
knew I couldn't afford one,
never mind a pair!

So I asked the birthday fairy to bring
me them...

....and she did!
Lucky lucky me.

Without wanting to sound OLD, hee hee,
they're from 'Clarks'
and I LOVE them!
I always thought Clarks was for...
...well,
my Mum!
How wrong I was eh?

This fairy also brought me
some flowers
slippers
smellies
candles
socks
champers

and this





and also this...



Gee I love that fairy!!!!

She makes birthdays all the better.

...and so are my lovely bloggy friends.
thank you so much,
it meant such a lot to me.

Feel the love guys!!!


Love Claire. xxx