~*~Life as Me~*~

The best lunch boxes ever!! :)

Last week Charley started staying at schools for lunch. This has always been a challenge for me because I like to watch over when he eats because far too often he is just too eager to get onto the next thing and often food is the first thing to be raced through. Then I had an idea as I was working through what foods to actually put in his lunch box to entice him to finish up.

(How did my lil dude get to be so grown up anyway?)

So whilst browsing Tesco for some healthy but fun snacks I decided that I can do this pretty easily, cheap and more attractive and  with less wastage at the end of it. As i'm into recycling and careful about what goes out to the rubbish collectors I decided to join team with a few ideas.

Today he had cooked pasta with diced ham slices, carrot sticks, cheese string, cheese dipper, cheese biscuits, square cut sandwiches with honey roast ham and chopped apple. Homemade carrot cake in the form of a cupcake and orange barley water.

This is tomorrow's lunchbox, he has a variety of his favourite foods, its fun and attractive and still healthy. Win/Win.

Broken down we have:

Circle cut sandwiches (chocolate spread cos even kids need some junk stuff!)

Penguin chocolate bar (which he probably wont eat)

Orange segments

Notice the container? It came along with raspberries in from Tesco! Perfect size for these little goodies and it has a lid!

Chopped melon/pineapple/cherries/peaches.

Next comes diced cheddar cheese and chopped cucumber.

Again, notice the container, this one held blueberries and again has a lid.

A pate tub is ideal for a select amount of cheesy biscuits, reusable tub and no rubbish in the lunchbox.

Charley gets so excited when he sees me doing his lunchbox, he knows he has his favourite snacks in there and will often try and plead with me to have a 'teeny tiny bit just to make sure it tastes ok' Nice try son! :)

The best thing about a packed lunch isnt just the control I have on knowing what he's eating but its in the preparation with Charley to be sure he's going to eat what he actually likes. No more bags of Walkers and half eaten yoghurts splattered through the lunch bag, no more excessive rubbish and wasted foods...whatever he doesn't eat (which isn't a lot) he will nibble on as we walk home from school!

Mission successful :)

~*~Debs~*~

Frugal & Thrifty

A year ago I decided it was about time to get my finances in some kind of order so I would never run into a situation that would catch me out again. After a very trying year and half, both financially and emotionally I knew there had to be a process in which recovering from divorce meant recovering from the knock on effects too. So I made a plan, I sat with it for hours, sifting papers, punching numbers in the calculator, sweet talking on the phone and all manner of fun boring things. A week later I finally transferred all my information into Microsoft Excel and prepared to work on turning the reds into blacks. Bit by bit this has happened, i'm not totally out of it yet but i'm not far from it. 

One of the first things I decided to do after this plan was made was to ask myself one question when I was out shopping: Do I want it or need it? I didn't make excuses for why I should have it, I simply stayed true to myself and true to my plan because I had only given myself a limited amount of time to be debt free of all kinds. During this time I have had times when it was pretty rough but through it all I slowly began to look at what was around me slightly differently. I didn't realise what I was doing till I was asked why I was reusing a strawberry tub. It was just your regular, plastic tub with a lid that i'd washed out and used to store an open packed of honey roast ham slices in. This didnt come from any forethought, it came about because I had ran out of sandwich bags which i'd normally have used to keep the open packet fresh!

Now I find that before I add to my shopping lists (more than one yes, which i'll explain in a minute) I goosey around looking for anything that is realistically a good substitute, and more times than not there is. I am finding that not only am I saving money but I am also doing my bit regarding recycling and this makes me feel all good and fuzzy inside! :) Seriously, when I think back to things I would buy for ease or convenience I am amazed at the money I have saved that has since gone towards other things.

My plan, apart from being totally debt free, is to have at least 3 months income in a separate savings account and at least 3 months food storage for all three of us in our home. These are the two big things I am working on with my family, and yes, even the kids get involved. Ok here is some of the things we do and why:

1. My income is staggered each month so each day we get paid we set aside where the money is to go.
    

    * 10% Tithing

    * 10% Savings Account

    * Rent/Utility Bills 

    * Food

2. Pre-plan our meals. Each week we sit and decide what meals we would like on what days. One of us will write out the shopping list and another will check what is in the cupboard. On completing the list we allow for extra portions that we can easily freeze for additional meals on a 'lazy day' or if we have unannounced visitors over. 

3. Take advantage of supermarket deals. Most supermarkets run their specials Wednesday to Wednesday so I allow £10 per week to add in any offers that are not on my list. Buy one get one free items are nearly always included if its something we genuinly use/eat. The free item will go into our food storage. The items in the extra allowance budget are nearly always for food storage. We also have a cupboard for extra cleaning items such as shampoo etc.

4. Recycling is becoming a bigger than usual thing wherever we go. My kids love making things and this is a great combination, at least in my case. Simple things like the the fruit containers are perfect for keeping meats fresh when they are opened, half used tin food and other foods. Jars are ideal for a whole range of things around the home, we are currently using them for:

    * smaller items in my craft stash

    * small jigsaw pieces of Charleys

    * scews/wall plugs/nails

    * money jars (painted and decorated)

    * tithing/savings jars

    * sewing items

    * tins can be perfect for decorating and making pen pots

    * tins are ideal starter plant pots for kids

    * jars/tins are ideal on the dressing table too (cotton wool balls, hair brushes, make up etc)    

    * cover a tin to match the bathroom and store the razors/toothpaste or even the tooth brushes.

Most of these ideas are great for keeping the kids happy and occupied on cold/rainy days or even just while dinner is cooking :)

5. Paper is probably one of the most wasted products in the home. I own up to being a paper towel freak, I stress at the thought of running out of it! My kids like to draw and write and colour, this leaves one side of the paper unused and as I have about 5 lever arch folders full of their artwork I dispair how i'm ever going to store more over the coming years! So we found a new use, a fun one at that....wrapping paper! Having an array of birthdays I ran out of the supply of wrapping paper I've had since forever, so we picked up a few sheets of Charleys artwork and used that. The recipient loved it so much she put it in her birthday book! With all kinds of paper that cant be reused (hygienically) try shredding it and using it for the hamster or other cage animal. Our ginea pig actually eats paper and hates straw or shavings! Our unneeded letters get shredded and when we have more than we need I offer it by the bin liner load to other people I know with animals. Its cheap (or free in many cases) and it multiplies the usage.

6. I have began a love affair with charity shops. Not sure how that happened but it has and I am not ashamed of it at all. I frequently go in and have a look around, not for anything in particular  really but there have been times when I have wanted to make something but haven't had the right fabric. Charley's birthday for example, he  wanted a Happy Birthday bunting but it had to be in orange (his favourite colour). Of all the fabric I have this is one colour that was missing...but then the nice lady in Sue Ryder found a pale orange flat sheet and let me have it for £1.50. A quick wash and I not only got the bunting but I got to make him a pe style bag and a play mat and there's still plenty left over. I've also found a gorgeous blouse in there that wouldn't have fit me but was too good to miss at 75p so I bagged it and make 4 placemats for the dining table with it! What a better way to also give to a good cause than to look for supplies from a charity shop?

7. Lists. I'm sure many of us are reliant on lists (please say you are cos it'll make me feel better!) I have lists of almost all aspects of our lives, from school needs, to daily to-do tasks and shopping. My  shopping lists though are broken down into daily needs, frozen foods, cleaning/hygiene and fresh stuff. I use index cards to list the regular stuff we like to have  plenty of which reminds me on my shopping days of what I have and what I dont have. On the cards I note how much of each item I have (inventory done every week) and how much I need to replace. Sometimes we dont fill up on anything if we haven't included it in our weekly menus or if its not suitable for storage.

So there are 6 of the big things we do in our home. In just doing these things alone we have been able to treat ourselves to days out, going to the hair stylist, getting our nails done, books, and even added to our savings account!

What I get from this most of all though is how I feel inside. Not only am I getting a sense of respect for the environmnent around me, nor am I just teaching my children about economy but knowing that I am doing all I can to help myself improve mine and my childrens long term quality of living is just brilliant. Without  all the consumerism we live better, freer and more meaningfully.

More on this subject will be coming up on the new website soon. If you are a frugal/thrifty person and would like a regular spot at sharing your ideas with the www then drop me an email: lifeasmeblog@yahoo.com.

Do you recycle? Do you like your perks? Tell me how you do things.....

~*~Debs~*~




Today's gratitudes are: 


1. I am grateful that we are able to really take stock/control of our own finances/living habits.

2. For a landlord who is just so cool.

3. A family member back in my life.

4. This blog. It is a wonderful outlet for me in many ways.

5. My childrens sense of humour when I do something silly. Like fall off the last step!

Lots of changes coming....are YOU going to part of it?

I can barely type because i'm so excited about all the things that are about to come alive on this blog!! Ok, breathe....1...2...3...Ok i'm calm! :) Seriously its just going to be so exciting that I urge you to sign up for email alerts through my newsletter or subscribtion.

Ok, lets to a quick run of what's coming up:

• Tomorrow I shall be featuring the lovely Debbie Chialtas from San Diego. You will definitely want to check back because she has some deliciously fun, funky and fantasic dirty talk come clean about! ;)
• Friday is the FIRST giveaway on this blog and are you going to LOVE it or what?!!
• Each month I shall be listing on the top right a list of blogs or sights that I am personally recommending for that month. They will cover any subject that has grabbed my attention that I know is worth sharing.
• I shall also be doing more 'shout outs' for a particular site or blog that has a specific item or service that I am confidence others will make use of.
• I am currently working on ways to motivate our kids into fun but educational activities, each idea is a tried and tested method on my own kids and come with no guarantee other than that of my own opinion based on the differences of all four of my kids!!
• Questions and Answers. On a monthly basis I shall be doing a question and answer article from some well known bloggers/media faces. Before the interview there will be the opportunity to add your questions to my list.
• Weekly spiritual thought to theme your week. Whether you are a single person or have 22 kids it will be something to uplift, motivate and encourage you in your every day life.
• More ideas are still coming in....but if you wanna add one to my life please feel free and leave them in a comment or email me.

On the far right of this blog you will see a growing list of lil icons to click on, if you want to be added there please send me the appropriate sized link with <a href, <div align or <iframe in the starter of the code. The only thing I ask is that each link from this blog HAS to adhere to a Christianlike outlet that will not compromise me or my readers integrity. I also dont mind businesses but email me first. I am super supportive of crafts, mums, families, lds, religious, women and childrens safe/fun blogs and sites so if you have one and want a bit more exposure, just drop me an email. Please be prepared to link back to me though, fair is fair right? :)

My blog is still MY blog. It will still hold any antics of my life and that of my family. The new ideas are purely to incorporate more of my interests here to enable me to share them with anyone who is interested.

So on that note I am going to now share some photos of Princess Kirsten the other night at silly o'clock outside in the snow...which was actually quite lucky cos by the time we were up the next morning it was all gone!!

This was just 30 minutes after it started!

Not the best photo but i'm kinda struggling with this new camera I have!! I really ought to get a personal tutor to teach me!! :)

Charley loves, loves, loves baking and helping in the kitchen, no matter what i'm doing he wants to help. He still sings the Wonderpets song when he helps clean up toys or tidy his room so I'm continuously singing 'Lets get to work......teamwork' at the top of my voice so wherever he is in the house he knows i'm still 'with him'!!! So, here's Chef Charley:

This is his proud stance...after proudly showing me that he CAN wear wellies with shorts and 'MUM I dont WANT to wear my glasses!' 'Ok' I say 'but YOU will when you cant see what your putting in the mixing bowl!!' He sighs and walks off to get them!! ;) Then he cleverly puts together all the things we will need to make his beloved cupcakes...with NO intervention or clue from us!!

My boys sees the project through to the end, even the final tasting to ensure the finished goodies are up to standard!! :)

Charley wasn't impressed with the snow. We asked if he wanted to go out and play for a while, he got all excited, got his wellies, hat, gloves etc went out side and within minutes he was back in. I asked why he didn't want to play in the snow and he said:

'Cos Jesus hasn't finished sending it yet and I dont want it on my hat'

I guess that's made that clear then!! :)

~*~Debs~*~

A triple waffle & some photos :)

IT'S SNOWING!! ITS SNOWING!! ITS SNOWING!

And its sticking! We have a couple of inches right now and yes I am VERY excited!! :)

Ok now thats over with.

Back tracking to my appointment on Thursday with my ex and the Cafcass people, it all went VERY well, in my opinion anyway, sadly there has been more insecurities left for Kirsten though which I hope we can sort out as we go along.

Kirsten and I actually got there on time, which anyone who knows me will know that is a BIG thing for us!! However, Craig and Donna were running a bit late but they can be forgiven because they had to come 50 miles. All was well though. We went into the meeting room, which was all very informal. Donna, as predicted by Kirsten, done most the talking and I definitely came 2nd!! :) However, it was all happy, positive and realistic. There was only one issue I was concerned about regarding Kirsten living there but looking back I didn't really need to verbalise it because what was said was in favour of Kirsten staying with me anyway. Craig made a suggestion that totally upset Kirsten, I didn't agree with him either but I have a feeling it will come to fruition anyway. He suggested that whoever Kirsten is with the other shouldn't see her for a while so she can get them out her system. Tonya and I didn't agree with that but even though it was decided very early on that Kirsten remains with me and that I am more stable, calm and offering more of what she needs, it was apparent that they are putting a divide between them and Kirsten. This hurt me so I dread to think what it done to Kirsten.

Donna, Craig and I had a good old laugh and joke through the meeting, it was important that Kirsten saw us in the capacity where she was used to us, getting on. This happened but it doesn't take away the gutted feeling she walked away with. After the meeting they came back for a coffee (I always keep some in for any visitors that drink it) but again things were said to her that she didn't need or deserve to hear. So for the next couple of hours I spent listening to her, and she really opened up to me, so much fell into place and my heart aches that I cant fix it all for her. It's took her till now to approach her Nan to see if she did actually make a comment that was reported to us. If she did I will be gobsmacked, if she didn't then i'll deal with that separately and it'll be a case of nothings changed after all. We'll see first though.

Since that day Kirsten has been TOTALLY relaxed, like having the adult decisions taken away from her is all she needed. She has also indicated that now she has proof of how her dad is, and it doesn't leave her feeling too great about him. As I said to her though, lets just give it time and see if HE gets anything from this and if he does anything about it. Time.

Friday we went to buy some fabric, we are making (correction: I am attempting to help Kirsten to make!) a laptop bag and a top. Sounds straightforward right? And technically it is but my sewing machine only works for other people, never me! So prayers and good luck rabbits feet are needed!! :) I got some fabric to make me a tote bag to put my books in on a sunday, its gorgeous fabric that has big spots on it! :) Then I have some to make Charley a rucksack for his books etc on Sundays too. All I need now is enough time to sit and start them!! :)

We also went to a pottery shop a few miles towards Stroud, not sure what we would find there it was a pleasant surprise to see the gorgeous handmade stuff. Kirsten and Charley chose out a cup design they liked with their names on and we opted to get one for Jay to go in his Birthday Box we are putting together. (He turns 20 in 2 weeks time). The call should come any day now to go fetch them, but I've warned the kids, at the price i've paid for them they better only look at them!! LOL Charley got a special job while the pleasant man talked to me and Kirsten....look what he got to do:

Saturday we had Kirsten's friend stay over, they took off to Kirsten's room and that was them done for then till the next morning. Gabby loved it in our church and absorbed everything she heard and loved it! I've actually posted over on Modern Molly Mormon about the whole Gabby/Church thing which will be  published on the 3rd Feb if you want to check it out. I will put the article on here afterwards though. Charley and I done our usual super hero thing...I was super hero mummy while he was super hero Charley...dashing around playing tag! That boy is just so darn cool I love being with him. We also made a cake. I played Construction worker while the dude played Decorater!! Looksee:

Ok I have something I really, really want to share, if you are Lds you will probably appreciate this more...its the Lds Toolbar. Now this isn't just your standard toolbar, it has direct links for scriptures, church news, a radio (and you can even choose some of your own stations!!) it is adaptable and has so much going on with it. I dont use any other toolbar but this one I totally love! Go try it out ldstoolbar.com, you wont regret it!!

By the end of Sunday my kids were totally knackered. Charley was spark out within minutes, his dvd he was watching hadn't even got into the first 5 minutes!

As for Kirsten, all I can say is i'm so glad she didn't have her webcam on....

Today we ventured out in the snow, went over the other side of town to Hobbycraft (and I hate that shop!!) to get some bits we need for our Valentine Dinner (more on that another day!). In there I couldn't resist some goodies to make Jay's girlfriends little girls an Easter Bonnet! Charley's nursery isn't doing anything like this but Courtney's is (she is a week younger than Charley) so tomorrow Kirsten and I are going to work on those while Charley paints his new 'baby box' (which is a discounted file box) orange and find a new blanket for the bedding. Dont ask!! Lol

We haven't long been back from Jay and Emma's. I had this crazy idea to take all the kids outside to play in the snow. Sophie (almost 2) thought it was great, Courtney couldn't get her boots on fast enough and as for Charley he was gone before I could finish the sentence!! They just loved it though and I loved just watching them play and laugh. Ooh I like the small things in life! Bladdy cold though I tell ya, i'm sure I had icicles on my nose!! ;)

For now, i'm going blog hopping again before I hit the sack! Oh, before I go...Hi Simon! Did you get my text about Charley? :)

~*~Debs~*~

Just a quick catch up, for journalling purposes!

Time flies when you're having fun right? Right! I was having fun and by the time I sat down at night to check emails etc I was just too exhausted or totally uninspired to write anything. So here I am, ready for another dose of wafflemania!! :)

My big and exciting news for this week is:

• Jay and Emma are getting married on 7th March 2009
• On or very close to my birthday in October I am going to become a Nan (Grandma) for the very first time! It's ok, be happy for me, I am exstatic even though they planned the wedding before the baby but hey, worse happens!
• I have finally got projects in the pipework for the website (the totally neglected one!)
• I was sent an anonymous gift of £100 in cash. It was hand delivered so have NO idea where it came from

Life is looking good right now, ok so there are some disappointements and frustrations but such is life eh? I have much to be thankful for.

The house I was going to swap to has fallen through, not the end of the world although I admit to being disappointed but I know another will come along when the time is right. So right now I am redecorating this house and determined to finish what I start! 8am yesterday I was painting my toilet room and decided to use some of the 'gift money' to buy some blinds, dried flowers and new mats so I can finish the bathroom too. Still have most of the cash left so holding on to that for now.

Conversation with Charley yesterday:

Me: Have you seen the toilet? I painted it
Charley: No you haven't, its still white!
Me: I mean the room
Charley: Why did you say toilet then?
Me: Just did
Charley: Doh mum!!
Then walked off totally uninterested to his room!

Conversation with Charley in the car on our way to the Range in Cheltenham:

Charley: I like clouds mum
Me: Yeah they are pretty aren't they?
Charley: No they are blue
Me: Oh ok
Charley: Did you know they are different shapes?
Me: Uh?
Charley: Oh mum, do you know much?

I guess I need to go back to school!! :)

At the moment his current trends are as follows:

• Sea Cows
• Cboobies (he forgets that its really called Cbeebies
• My camera - Might have to add his own gallery here!
• Cookie cutter shaped sandwiches and toast
• Dumbo the movie
• Noah's Ark pop up book
• Slippers, and not just his own

I forgot the password for his blog, so I'm adding this stuff here cos I know I'll forget otherwise!! Lol

The you tube video I posted with Kirsten singing has got a lot of interest, more than I expected so THANK YOU to those who took the time to comment or email and THANK YOU to the three people who have offered to record her with professional background systems, she is totally excited at the prospect. I believe she is going to redo the song though, with less artificial spluttering at the beginning and better light! My girl rocks!! ;)

On that note I am off to work on my to-do list, it has 33 items on it right now...and that's just internet related that i'm overdue with! I will get there though, the power of the mind and sheer determination will rule!! :)

Probably back later. Don't wait around though in case i'm not. I can be very forgetful at times!! :) Just cos I dont particularly like blogs without pictures, I'm adding these for now:

Tillie ~ The cat that sleeps anywhere, eats everything, hides and just literally lives the free life!!

Queen of the sofa!! ;)

~*~Debs~*~

Simple Recipe but Delicious Taste :)

I saw this quick and simple meal on a commercial for Philadelphia cheese and thought i'd havea  go at making it. Glad I did, it was a hit with the kids and myself! All you need is:

Bone/skinless chicken or turkey pieces
Tub of Soft cheese
Slices of bacon
Pepper (not essential)

Slice each piece of meat through the middle to make a pocket, put a good lashing of soft cheese in each one then wrap bacon around firmly. Add pepper if desired and oven bake for approx 30-40 mins with a teaspoon of oil over each one. When they are cooked spread the escaped melted cheese over the top.

Delicious!

I served these with homemade garlic bread, small jacket potatoes and steamed vegetables.

Enjoy!

~*~Debs~*~

Returned! :)

I cant believe its been 2 weeks since I last blogged! The sad thing is I cant honestly say i've missed it either which is a  BIG thing for me to say! I'm not getting bored with it I have just spent a LOT of time OUT of the house doing some stuff to move my life forward, more opportunities creating memories with my kids and much one on one time with them and my family. It's been totally awesome and given that its winter and i'm normally a hibernater I admit its just great to make that change and get the kids out there in that winter air doing stuff, even the kids love it.

So, what we been up to? Well we have done a lot of walking, we've been doing some bird spotting for Prince Charley was SO wanting to do it. I dont think he really knew what it was about but he wanted to try it! Off we trotted to the library to get a book on the common birds so we could identify them, of course Charley was quick to match them up and tried hard to pronounce their names!! It was a great couple of hours, especially when we found a tree to hide in and eat our sandwiches!! LOL The photos didn't quite turn out though, i'm not sure if it was the weather or the camera cos they looked like they were taken in a smokey room!!

We spent a few hours at the soft play area in Tewkesbury, Charley loved it and made a few 'friends' whilst there, including a mature gentleman who heard all about the tree-house, his Fireman Sam Action Station he's having and his visit to the fire station!! The gentleman was just wonderful with him though and loved his company! Dinner was particularly good in that place too, usually when we've been there they manage to get the order wrong or its cold but we were pleasantly surprised! A few pics:

Enter....

Follow....

Prepare....

Ooops....lunch first!! :)

Then its play time, at last!

Doh! Just as Kirsten clicked the camera, he hid behind this!!! Sometimes this boy just does not like the camera on him, just like when we went to the fire station...

But, it was all worth it for the hour that Claud spent showing him the inside of the fire engine and all the tools, masks, machines, monitors and buttons. Charley was totally loving it till the second he saw the camera. Doh

For an hour before we went with Claud, we stood and watched the other firemen do a drill, they were working on the hoses, putting out car fires, working on strategies, speed etc. Two of the guys thought it was oh so funny to spray us from up their tower, we hopped and jumped around, laughing and giggling like kids (oh, we ARE kids!!!) Charley got so much attention he loved it, he asked so many questions that I stood gobsmacked wondering where he knew all this stuff from! I know I encourage books and educational programmes but this stuff was way advanced than his 4 years! When we got back we started planning a little book of his own where we could add some pictures and he could tell me what he remembers and i'd write it down for him. We got as far as choosing the papers and the colours before he decided on this was the next activity on the menu:

Good ole Postman Pat packet cake mix!! Kept Kirsten and Charley giggling and team working for a while, even Jay got in on the act but took off as soon as his brother phoned!!!

Although this was an indoor activity for them they chose it and they love doing simple things like this. I, on the other hand have had a bug for being outdoors, no matter how cold it is, so again I dragged Charely out to get him all excited outdoors, this was my next attempt:

See the foggyness going on? It wasn't even raining or foggy! I guess I just need to learn more about my camera or sumat but this, to me, is a pretty crap picture for the supposed quality of the camera I have! Ok rant over!! Lol

Kirsten has got into cardmaking since our time at the Relief Society Enrichment Morning a couple of weeks ago. She has made a big dent in her list of how many she needs and who for, she's spent hours cutting, glueing, trimming, stamping and designing some lovely cards, she is well into it look...she didn't even know I was behind her!!

As for my 19 yr old he spends a lot of time on the phone chasing up apprenticeships, college courses and possible opportunities in the army and police force. On this occasion he is on a looooong call to my 18 yr old.......nothing like brotherly love and a cuppa eh? :)

Last but not least we have a new addition to our family. A little late but Tilley is my belated 40th birthday gift from my kids....wanna meet her? You sure? She's oh so sweet! Here ya are:

She's all black, very timid and showing Jakeyroo just who is boss!! She sits in the strangest places though....right now (and i'm taking this photo just to put in here right now) she is on top of....

the dvd stand! She's eaten her food, knocked the dish off half way through then moaned cos she didn't want to get down and get it! So I gets up, scrapes it back in the bowl and hands it to her. Oh I could just see that look in her eyes saying 'yeah, I got you right where I want ya'!! It wasn't enough for that though, she also decided that my keypad is rather exciting, she likes to walk up and down the keyboard, stop now and again to look at me, purrs then trots again. I'd love to know what she is thinking when she does this strange stuff!

Well, I haven't covered swimming, bowling, the bike ride, the walk by the river or the tree climbing....but I guess I should be more concerned with doing my scrapbooks than blogging but I just love the whole sharing thing anyway, when I can.

If anyone remembers the 90 things out before 2009...I have accomplished about 16 things so far. Individually its more but what i've done is make up full outfits of Kirsten's old clothes, put them into bundles and bagged them for their new homes. Photos will come in the next few days when I got that far down on my to do list!! Today Kirsten and I are working on some maths, not my best subject but it has to be done.

I believe our long awaited house move will take place very, very soon, its a 3 way deal and each of the houses are what the new tenants want, I know I am ultra excited to be getting a bigger house and being closer to my family up in the Midlands! For the first time since my previous marriage broke down I feel like I am finally gaining some control on my life to make such choices. I am handing over the teaching assignments I get offered in local schools and community groups to a local lady and restarting in due course when we have got settled in our new home. I must admit though that i'm looking forward to working outside the home part time, the whole home business thing is challenging in ways that compromises a lot of what I want for my family so scrapbooking and projects will become a hobby again. From time to time I will do some classes/projects on my website but for the time being i'm taking the heat off myself and refocusing on what's real, my family. I am SO looking forward to Gloucester being a part of my past, it has not been a good experience for us in many ways. On the other hand we have all learnt a lot, we have grown from our challenges and been strengthened in our faith, ourselves and in our ability to work through trials. Life isn't meant to be easy, but we are just so grateful we have each other to lean on, not the mention the love and guidance of our Father in Heaven.

On that note, i'm off to see if I can remember even the slightest thing about Algebra!! Nice? NO WAY!!! :)

~*~Debs~*~

November already!

This year I feel like I have been counting down the months, for one thing or another there's been something to look forward to. I browsed through my calendar the other day, which has almost every appointment, deadline, birthday, event etc listed on it, and found that I had only missed 4 dentists appointments, 2 opticians appointments and about 4 other appointments...not bad going over a 10 month, 3 day period is it? Lol

10 months ago I was at a totally different place in my life, much more fragile emotionally, mentally and spiritually. My family were much more insecure about the future and what it held and I have to say there were more thorns in my side than there are lately, but as the year has waded by I can look back now and see how things have unfolded, worked out and just plain fizzled out, almost like watching my life in a film!

Just a bit of quick, mental assessment going on there trying to sum up my year over all, and I have to say it's been a pretty good one, not perfect and not always how I expected but a pretty good one all the same, we can't ask for more can we?

This weekend has been fun. Friday night we went to the Midlands, for my cousins surprise 40th birthday party (think I mentioned that previously?), it was a lovely night but poor Charley was so ill he lay on my lap all night, some how napping through the loud music. Saturday was a day in, there was no way I was taking Charley out for longer than absolutely necessary so R, the kids and I sat and made this:

A tropical fish tank! Now how cool is that? Lol The kids loved it, Lucas loved making the crabs, Kirsten loved all of it and Charley loved the talking all the way through it and kinda loved the glueing...till it got all over his fingers!! I think the end result is pretty great eh? Going to be a shame when I have to take them all out later to put my papers back in!!

No more photos for this post, one of the kids has been playing with the delete button so the ones I wanted to share....are gone forever now.

The Christmas Calendar Project is in full swing, it will be previewed here ASAP, there is still a lot to be done with it before its ready to be freed into the big, big world. It's been a very big project to take on, it's caused many tears along the way, much frustration and HUNDREDS of hours of sheer researching to get all the extra's that it has with it. The project will not be one that should be missed, it will TOTALLY guide you throughout December, not just this year but any year so it can be either re-used or remade! I'm not sure if I will release it as a kit yet though, even though there has been some interest in the full kit form, I dont want to be hitting the postal hiccups that tend to happen this late in the day. Though it's release is a lot later than I planned, it is still possible for the busy mum to put it together in a very realistic amount of time ready for the beginning of the festive season! If you want to get in on this project, sign up for my newsletter, which is at the bottom of the homepage on my site....HERE or you can get email alerts from this blog somewhere on the left side panel over there. This blog will be the first place I announce its release and put previews of the finished project.

In my photo gallery up there, I have a few photos of some tins that I made a while back, they were just the sample stock I had when I used to make them to order in a variety of themes. The Christmas one will now be used to make a similar project to the Calendar above, only this will be made in tabbed sections. The project above is made with Basic Grey's Wassail Collection, where this one will be made using Dovecraft's Victorian Christmas range which I think is rather cute!

Both of the above projects will be full to over flowing of information all geared to preparing all we can for Christmas Day, the first however will hold so much more but the tin version will be more versatile and enable anyone to add to it as much as they need to suit their own needs. Both will include some inspiring ideas, gifts, homemade decorations, recipes, gift ideas, kids activity ideas and trust me, LOADS more!! ;)

Moving on, I was working out what I have left to get on my Christmas list, though it has grown considerably this year I am still pretty much on target with it all. In doing the above projects I have been experimenting with some of the recipes I would like to include so now I think I have mastered some interesting bakes it's time to make more and wrap them before freezing them. I'm not adding photos of them cos as I said, they are towards the project itself! :) However, there is going to be some large batches coming up that Kirsten and I have decided will be made up into gift baskets for some relevant people she would like to give them to. Is it just me or does this cold weather bring the baker out in us? Kirsten cant bake enough of anything right now, she's off on shortbread lately, next she wants to try cinnemon buns...wish us luck, she's expecting the untrained, burnt boiled egg pro to be the one to guide her!! Lol I have my limits in the culinary area but hey, if I can try it I know anyone can!! :)

Ok, enough from me now, I have a car to load, and two kids to organise ready for lunch...I believe Kirsten is making it today, probably something like cheese on toast which just happens to be her favourite right now!! Lol