77 Days!

Until Christmas that is!
So while we were away in our caravan last weekend as it was raining and we had four boys to occupy we went to a garden center. They were in their element!
There were so many lovely decorations to look at

Set out in all different colour schemes

I simply had to take a picture of the boys with these huge furry reindeer.

In other news, we had a lovely albeit wet weekend away in our caravan.
I've started crocheting square number four for my Mums throw and I came back to a newly painted hallway and landing with all the doors and doorframes glossed by Eden. I think we could be going away more often!

The cast is off!

It's "healing" but not healed!
He's had physio already, it's very stiff.
He's also soaked it in the bath to try and get all the dirt and dead skin off.
Back to hospital in four weeks for another xray to check it's still mending as it's meant to.
He's over the moon to have the cast off though.

The Great Dorset Bake Off

Who needs Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry when I'm in the house.
Mum and Ed are quite partial to my quiches, good job as I've made them three!

I made us two and I've made them two chicken pies and us a huge chicken pie!

Some of it will go in their freezer so on a day that I'm not around they can just heat one up.
Ours will be devoured at the weekend as we're off on a jolly in our caravan.
I wish
Clark's cast comes off tomorrow and we're hoping that will be the end of the saga that was his broken arm. I'm not sure if he'll have to have some physio.
I'm sure I'll let you know what happens tomorrow!

karate kids

Another exhausting day, cleaned N's, cleaned Mums, made her and Ed a roast chicken dinner, got home at 1pm. Had lunch ourselves and then did an hours ironing. The basket is empty! Until I get the washing off the line which I'm holding back on as I'd like that basket to be empty for just a couple of hours!
Schoolwork, mainly reading, spelling, geography work on Switzerland whose biggest export was not chocolate which really surprised me!
Tea did in the slow cooker all day so it just had to be dished up.
Malc and some of the boys and Eden are working tonight for an hour whilst the two youngest are at karate. Clark can't wait to get his cast off and get back to karate, he enjoyed it so much.
Talking of which the promised picture of them in their new uniforms complete with their hard earned belts and certificates

Writing letters.. a dying art

Worked at N's this morning, then round to Mums. Malc was meant to drop off a slow cooker stew first thing to Mums  on his way to work but he forgot so I had to wait for him to arrive at dinner time so I could warm it through for them.
After our own lunch I did an hours ironing which cleared two thirds of the basket, although I've just put another load in the washing machine and I noticed that Malc had got the washing in and it's full again!
Oh well there's always tomorrow!
The boys and I then settled down to do some schoolwork.
Most weeks we write to Nanny Ann in Essex, although the internet is everywhere not eveyone has it and Nanny Ann likes to receive something other than junk mail through her letter box.
As we were on a roll we then wrote to the secretary of the Shaftesbury carnival committee ( whose name and number I did get from the internet!)
I rang her earlier to ask for their address and after talking to the boys about the different aspects of arranging a carnival like safety, organising bands, floats, availability of food, parking and road closures, setting up directions and sponsorship we decided it would be a nice idea to write and thank everyone involved.
Most of the people would have volunteered and we thought they deserved a big thank you for all the hard work they put into the event.
Tonight Malc and Soloman have gone to Cubs, Soloman has taken his karate grade two certificate to show and tell, he should receive a badge once he's done that. Don't ask me which one, I can't keep up!
I'm off to set up a slow cooker for our tea tomorrow so that I just have to flick it on in the morning.
Then a bit of crochet, if I  get a wriggle on I might even get to sit down and watch Emmerdale!

Birthdays and carnivals

It was Callum birthday on Friday, firstly he opened his presents, he received quite a bit of money, clothes and we got him a much wanted and asked for Tablet!

I only worked at J's because I wanted to spend  as much time as possible with him and I only did her because she's away next week and I don't like to miss two weeks in a row.
We had a quiet afternoon and then went out for a meal in the evening at our favourite restaurant where we have our Sunday breakfasts.
Mum and Ed were meant to come, they were actually paying but Mum went down with a mystery virus so she gave us the money for us to go without them. We had a lovely despite initially feeling really bad that they couldn't come.
Cal chose his cake earlier in the day and we took it to the restaurant with us.

When we arrived home one of my friends had literally just pulled up to deliver Cals card and present so they came in for  cuppa and a natter. They left about nine o'clock.
We watched a bit of TV and went to bed.
Saturday Malc, Cal and Clark went to men's breakfast at our local church, it's an event that's run every two months and they get a full English and a speaker, they have had some really interesting ones over the years.
I went to Mums for an hour to check they were OK.
We left late in afternoon to go to Shaftesbury Carnival and had a fantastic time. Some of the floats were huge.
My pictures aren't the best I'm so short so trying to get a picture above people in front or to the side is a task!
Lots of the floats seemed to have men dressed as ladies!

This was a float done up as Christmas!

This float was done up as London after the apocalypse, the people didn't move, it wasn't a "fun float" exactly but it was brilliantly done with lots to look at on it.

We got home about 10pm. Eden had stayed at home and had a couple of friends round  so we came home to music and dancing, being the hip, cool parents we are we joined in! We ended up eating pizza at midnight and dancing until about 1am. My goodness my hip is paying for it this morning!
My head is still 16 years old but my body sure isn't!
Today we went to town to a local craft shop which is really cheap where Cal, Clark and I bought some card making stuff. The boys want to make their own Christmas cards which I'm sure will be appearing on here when they are made.
I have finished crocheting two squares of a six square throw for my mums new sofa and I have crocheted them together.
The first picture is of them folded as it was too big to take a decent picture of

Crocheted together

So tonight I'm starting on square number three whilst watching Downtown Abbey, that is if I can concentrate on what my fingers are doing whilst following the plot!

Happy Birthday Callum

Fourteen today

Details of his fun filled day on my next post