Pink Packages.....

The 'jingle jangle' of the letterbox this morning

brought with it great excitment, and also a

pink package!

'How perfectly pink and scrummy' Claire exclaims!

2 inquisitive little boys try to be 'not so interested' at the pinkness and girlie delivery!

'Yey!' I silently squeal.

Knowing what delights are contained inside.

One boy is now brandishing the kitchen scissors

 a little too close to my ear at this point,

'Open it!'

 'Cut it open!'

 'Let's see what it is!'

Are all ignored as I stroke the lovely pink bag.

Sooooo cute, compared to a common or garden brown jiffy bag I think.

I don't get much through the post.  You can probably guess.

I want the moment to last longer, even though I know exactly what is inside!

'I have to take a photo before I open it.' is greeted by

looks of confusion and possible thoughts of

'Mum's finally lost it!'

We gentle snip open the end of the bag...

Out spill not one,

but TWO cutie little pincushions!!!

I was the lucky winner of Katy's giveaway!

A few emails of chat (and banter) followed her announcment,

and Katy kindly donated another one for my girls at Sewing club!

They work.....!

Both want to jump into my Sewing kit.....!

But no.

I am sticking to my word, and will do a giveaway with the girls at school.

They'll love it!

Thank you Katy!

From me and my girls!

(and boys, if only for the scissor wielding excitment

and not the pink girliness!)

Love Claire. xxx

Would anyone like to come with me...

I'm going here today!

to meet....

Erica James

One of my favourite authors.

How exciting!

She's doing a talk this evening, and a book signing promoting her new novel.

She often makes the settings in her stories in and around the lovely Cheshire villages around here, this makes them all the more lovely for me to read.

I really do wish you could come with me,

but not to worry,

 I shall take the boys along instead,

they will love the extra time allowed after bedtime. 

 Especially in a book shop!!!

Love Claire. X

Take a peek. (while it's clean and tidy-ish!)

Seeing as my place is slightly more tidy today, than normal (claire blushes)

and the camera batteries are charged up (more blushes)

I thought it would be a good idea to snap some pics.

Well I have promised you some, so here we go.

Sitting room, AKA the lounge, living room or if you are either of my boys 'in there!'

Not sure if you can make out the LEGO and Wii fit board (sole use is snow-boarding for the boys, no fitness nonsense for me, ugh!) stuffed under the drawers! (this is tidy!)

Toby's bed, although he sometimes he prefers to sleep in mine, is awaiting a lovely quilted inner made in some delightful fabric. 

 He could be waiting a long long time, bless him!

(get catching some more mice then you Tinker!)

A rather too tidy fire place.

More thrifted goodies needed for here I think.

(I shall put back what 'clutter' I removed for the pic's now I have seen it looking so bare!)

A mirror or something was always planned to go above but somehow it never happened, more excuses for junk shop visits I think!

Mum's (thats me by the way) chair.

Not sure I like it looking so tidy, where are my arm covers and throw?

Oh yes, in the wash.

Love my thrifted stool though, painted and re-upholstered with a fabric scrap.  Not bad for £3!!!

My colourful egg bowl!

Excuse the non-supermarket sparkling washed eggs, I like them being natural. 

Their bowl and the plate behind were only £1 each and the candle holder was £4.

So thats it, just a peek. 

Too many excuses for in my opinion, a slightly too tidy house.

Not to worry, it won't stay like this for long, in fact, as I look around, it is nothing like the above now! 

My house is a home for living in, and it gets some hammer I tell you!

It was my Grandparents house, my Mum lived here when she was only 9 years old.

In my mind it is a lovely little thatched farmhouse, with a big trees for climbing and a stream in the garden, too many animals and lots of healthy happy children, all living happily together!!!

Well the thatch and stream could prove too much for me, and actually, I love it, just the way it is.

I hope you enjoyed your visit.

Maybe next time, we shall have tea and cakes!

Love C. x

Did you miss me?

To think that last Monday we didn't even know we were going away and then the next thing we're in Amsterdam!

No excuse.

No reason.

Because we can.

So we did!

(Claire giggles like a naughty school girl!)

I am a very lucky lady!

Anyway, I did remember to take my camera.

The BF spotted this lovely street, I was probably grumbling about my feet hurting, or it being at least an hour since my last glass of vino hee hee!

No worries about the time...

Babysitters...

Driving...

We went to visit this little lady's house

Anne Frank.

We got up very early on the Saturday so we could get there before the queues, and it was well worth it.  Although it isn't a joyful experience it was somewhere I wanted to visit and was so glad we did.

No cameras allowed I'm afraid.

The sobering experience deserved a glass of vino during lunch, of course!

Next stop was a brewery tour, well, you need to keep the boy happy don't you?!

This brewery being in a WINDMILL!!!

I didn't see any mice,

living in this windmill,

in old Amsterdam,

wearing clogs

or going clip clipperty clop on the stairs, oh yeah...

Well I wouldn't would I???

'cos they're all living in my blinking house aren't they?!!!

We tasted ALL the selection, and I must say, after a while, they seemed to all taste the same to me hee hee!

Plenty of these for sale.

Lots and lots of gorgeous tulips in the flower market!

Hmmmmm...more cheese Gromit?!

Another Brewery tour!!!!?!!!!(hic!)

We couldn't visit this beautiful city without experiencing all the famous sights...

Hmmm.... the above red light isn't in Amsterdam, but we saw plenty of them!

Again, the use of cameras was advised against.

(thank goodness!)

I must admit, I did have the giggles and clung tightly to BF (made him avert his eyes!!!)

 but with rather a lot of the 'DUTCH COURAGE' in my tummy it proved to be lots of fun!

So all in all, I had a lovely time, lots and lots of laughs, with the bestest BF ever!

A great big hug and a kiss for my handsome, loving and kind Boyfriend. 

Thank you for being you.

Thank you for making me feel special.

Where are we off to next? Tee hee!

Thanks for letting me share this with you all,

it was a bit of a standing joke about how i was missing my bloggy friends.

Love C. X

Weight Loss Wednesday (Oh crumbs!)

Nothing much to say on the matter this week except maybe...

Oink Oink ! ! !

I put 3lb on last week!!!  I thought she was going to want my 1 stone sticker back, but Janine the Slimming World Consultant at my group was fine, she had lots of words of encouragment and sent me on my way feeling OK about it.

But....Alas!

I have been even worse this week, and with our trip away this weekend all booked I don't think next week will be much better!

Love C. X

Something for nothing....

They say you don't get something for nothing, well according to my rapidly expanding blogging chums you can!

I am noticing lots of giveaways, and swops and the like.

Not really sure of what to do half the time on here, it is a hands on learning curve for me all this, I have had to e-mail, ask and mither my poor new bloggy friends of what to do most of the time.

Victoria's been a Star!

I love messing around with the background and banner on here, sorry if you get dizzy with me chopping and changing, but it was all FREE! 

Hope you like it.

What with show and tell's and weight loss thingys I have a rapidly increasing diary to uphold on here!

Not sure where I should be on what day and who with.

Acually, sounds quite familiar that, it is not unknown for me to take the wrong child or the wrong pet to the complete wrong appointment on the wrong day, time or even MONTH once!!!  Durrrr!!!

Can you imagine?

'Hi, I have brought Toby for his appointment today' I proudly tell the friendly nurse.

'I'm sorry Love' she too loudly announces for my liking!

'This Audiololgy department's only for t'little 'uns, we don't do cats!  No matter 'ow much he pretends not to hear!'

Had you going then I bet!!!  Nahhh, that never happened really, but if you knew me in person, you wouldn't put it past me!

How did he get on here???

He was free!!!  Cost me a fortune since though!!!

Anyroad...I have gone off my trail here...

Something for nothing - giveaways!

 Do you enter them?

Do you all enter them ALL?

Has anyone been lucky enough to win?

It seems to make it all a more an exciting place I reckon, so I am going to enter me some.

Not sure what to put each time...PICK ME, PICK ME?!

So I shall add links and posts and linky and lanky and whatever and will prob get it all wrong, but hey ho, thats part of how I learn I guess! 

Pin-Cushion giveaway!

Can never have too many of those, and such a cutie too!

Visit Katy here for a dabble.

 Lets hope I have done it correctly.

Right my lovely, I am off now.

Night night, don't let the bed bugs bite!

Or the MICE come to think of it!

Toby 2 Trap 1 Mouse 0

I am off to Hamsterjam (AKA Amsterdam) for the weekend!

Lucky me eh?!  Last min thing with the BF.

Thou shall take camera.

Thout shall not forget to use it!

Thou shall catch you all next week!

Thanks for listening.

Love C. X

Lay a little egg for me...

Spring must be on it's way.  The days are definitely getting longer.
How do I know this?
Because my Wendy has layed 2 eggs in the last 3 days!

Next time it is a sunny day I really must get out and take some pics for you of my girls!

My girls being my 4 hens.

Sarah, Daisy, Wendy and Delia.

This poor photo is the only one I have at the moment!

Daisy on the left and Sarah on the right.

My 2 warrens who were only 19 weeks old when I bought them for £2!!!  That was 2 years ago, the hobby of having hens in your garden has taken off and now hens are being sold for much more!

I then got 2 Partridge Wyanndotte Bantams, Wendy and Heidi(RIP.)
Finally the last one added to the flock at present is Delia, she is a Cookoo Silkie.

I am determined to photograph them for you.
What a tease I am not showing you how lovely they all are.

(I just can't stop wanting to tell you about things you see. 
If you are ever to meet me, you will understand, I talk far too much!)

Wendy's  feathers are so gorgeous, when she loses any I think I shall keep them from now on, they're so detailed and a lovely colour, maybe you crafty people could think of something to do with them. 

Ideas please :-)

I may send you some.

I want to have a full egg basket of all differant colours.

NO you daft bunch!

Not like that.

More like this!

 When Delia starts to lay she will lay white eggs, the Warrens lay varing shades of brown eggs, and Wendy already lays lovely small vanilla ice cream colour eggs!

Anything that comes to live here at our house has to adapt.
It can be quite a mad house, lots of things going on and everyone living happily together alongside each other.  Sharing, obviously!  Not sure everyones hens are fed Marmite sandwiches and Vimto, even glitter dusted fairy-cakes (Mummy's favourite!) and flapjack.  We have to make extra so there is enough for everyone to have some!

Such as the rabbit.  He's called Pie!

As in Rabbit Pie?!

Sorry but come on, this is me, surely you're getting my sense of humour by now?

The boys, the hens, Pie and Toby all share the garden.

The hens are quite partial to having a go down the slide!  Even if the boys are forcibly encouraging them by carrying them up and sitting them on their knees whilst sliding down.

They just hop off and stand there thinking,

'Actually that was fun!'

 'Ere, our Sarah, come over 'ere and 'ave a go on this thing!' Clucks Daisy!

The rabbit runs about trying to mate anything that stays still long enough.

Then the cat flap, well you never know what creature is going to come through it next.

Well, I fib there a little, Toby is the only one who can actually go through it, but the hens will stand shouting through it for scraps and peck on it as if knocking on the door!

So, that is a little more about my lot.

I hope you're all getting the picture a bit more now.

So, I PROMISE to take some photo's for you.

Come on the sunshine I say!

Love C. X