Friday 31 January 2014

Alphabet Bloggining - Z


Learnt it yet? Try committing verse 2 to memory.

Z Y X
W V
U T S
R Q P

O N M
L K J
I H G
F E D

 C B A


Z is for Zedding

I can't sleep.
I'm wide awake.
Turn this way.
Turn that way.
Turn the other way.
No, I've been this way before.
I'm sure there's a dip in this mattress.

I can't sleep.
Pop in the earpiece
And listen to the iPod.
One album down - not working.
Try another.
Nope - not working.

I can't sleep.
Let's stretch.
First the toes,
Now the calves
And up to the thighs.
Find those tummy muscles.
Whoa, I've still got some.
Isn't my tummy flat
When I'm lying down.

I can't sleep.
Read?
No.
Can't keep my eyes open.
Try.
How long can you keep them open?
Not long.
Close your eyes.
Feel yourself drifting away
Upwards and upwards
To join the clouds in the sky.

I can't sleep.
Fluffy clouds
Which float away
Over the land
And sea.
See tiny trees down below,
The blue ribbon of a meandering river.
The crash of the waves on the seashore.
Feel the heat of the sun
Warming your body,
Cocooning you with its soothing rays.

I can't sleep.

ZZZZ ...

ZZZZ ... 

zzzz ...

ZZZZ .. 

zzzz ... .

 zzzz …


Visit the links below to read the posts of the other Alphabet Bloggers.

Dreamer
johnnyjumpsup
KC's Court
Cathy

PS Welcome to my new followers. You are very welcome to join in with our playtimes! This gentleman's Aunty Jean shows how this brain drill is keeping her young!



Fantastic.

:)

xx


Monday 27 January 2014

Sunday 26 January 2014

List 52 Week 4



I'm joining in with Dreamer's 52 list and am choosing small tasks that I've been avoiding and would like to do/finish. My list is written in my organiser and I hope this will give me a kick up the backside and spur me on. My fourth week task is:

4. Take all (nearly all) the stuff that I'm tripping over and do something with it so that I can hoover the floor in the workroom.

OK then. 

The ear muffler headphones didn't work in one ear so I took apart a headband set which I'd bought as 'sleep headphones' (not a chance, very uncomfortable) and put the wires and speakers into the ear mufflers. It involved quick unpicking and extricating the wires, then sewing it all back together again by hand. 

I did it!!!!
*
*
*
*
... only to find that I must have sewn through one of the wires, because after all that work, the ear muffler headphones did not work at all!

Oh phooey - add it back to the list.


OK then.

DD had thrown out some clothes that had seen better days. "Take them to the CS for rags."
DH needed some rags for the garage so I decided that our need was greater and cut up the fabric into useable cloths.


Success this time. :)


OK then.

A while ago I'd cut out some bits to make birthday cards and left the pieces on the floor to trip over. 

I trip no more!


xx

Saturday 25 January 2014

For Jo

Jo wanted to know the difference between double crochet and reverse double crochet. My terms are the UK terms so be careful if you look these terms up as other countries call our double their single.

I'm sure Jo knows how to UK double but for those who don't this link will show you how.

I couldn't find a UK reverse double but it is the same as an American reverse single crochet and you will find how to crochet the stitch by following this link.

This reverse double stitch is a very easy edging to a blanket - not too fussy but quite interesting.

Hope this helps, Jo.

If I can help somebody as I go along
Then my living shall not be in vain!

Sorry, couldn't help that.

xx

PS There is also a reverse UK treble (reverse double) and a reverse UK half treble (reverse half double) which make the ridge slightly larger.

I think I'm going backwards with this blog!

xx

Friday 24 January 2014

ABC Blogging

Yes, but just to be different perhaps I'll do ZYX Blogging. Here's a little poem - it does sort of rhyme. Learn it one verse at a time and then astound your friends!

Z Y X
W V
U T S
R Q P

O N M
L K J
I H G
F E D

 C B A

:)

If you wish to join in ZYX blogging I'll start with

Z is for ...

on Friday next week. Just fill in the blank and elaborate in any way you choose.

xx

Thursday 23 January 2014

Inspired

... by Cathy's post here I folded up an elephant for DD


and a pusscat.




xx

Wednesday 22 January 2014

India Blanket No. 21 - joining knitted and crocheted squares

I joined these 2 different types of square with UK doubles putting the hook under one thread from each square. The squares matched up with a bit of easing.


Here's the crochet side ...


... and here's the knitted side.


Here's the final blanket.


The edging was one round of UK doubles and one round of reverse doubles.

xx


Tuesday 21 January 2014

Filofaxitis

My name is Mum and I think I'm becoming a Filofax addict.


I made some page dividers and decorated them with gold sticky letters to make the labels.


Don't they just shine and sparkle! (sorry) :{


I bought (yes paid money for) some Sharpie mini felts to add colour to my pages.

Now what colour shall I use now? (sorry)  :{


I parted with money again to purchase some Washi tape (I know all the names to drop now!) to partition the pages and add even more colour.


I'm experimenting with different page layouts in order make optimum use of my diary pages. I even bought a (very expensive for what it is) plastic hole punch ruler to make the correct holes in paper pages.

Oh me, oh my - money spent for the month now!

xx

Monday 20 January 2014

Flowers of the week

These are my birthday bouquet flowers from DH which are a little faded and droopy but still cheerful.


xx

Sunday 19 January 2014

52 list Weeks 2 and 3



I'm joining in with Dreamer's 52 list and am choosing small tasks that I've been avoiding and would like to do/finish. My list is written in my organiser and I hope this will give me a kick up the backside and spur me on. My second week (and third week) task is:

2. and 3. Finish off the India cot blankets. You've had these squares lying about for ages. Just because they are all the odd ones which are left it should not be an excuse for avoiding the task altogether. You keep tripping over the bag of squares and if you join them together you can send them via your friend to India and there'll be one less bag of clutter in your room. Do you hear me?

I heard myself loud and clear so here is Blanket number 19 and


... here is Blanket number 20.


Here it is again minus pusscat.


xx

PS A very warm welcome to Mrs G., Northern mum who is a new blogger and Susie who must enjoy baking. Thank you for following.




Saturday 18 January 2014

Out and about

... to Preston on the train. A walk down the main street sauntering in and out of the shops brought us to the Harris Museum. An inscription on the outside of the building quotes:

‘The mental riches you may here acquire abide with you always’

So we went inside for some mental riches.






After an enriching tour around in very pleasant surroundings we strolled back through the town, stopping for our 'cuppa', renewing our shopping experience down the other side of the high street and ended up back at the train station to catch the train home.

Plusses - a chat with a friend, a cultural experience, a view of life in another town

Minuses - only one which is the temptation to spend money. I was 'looking for something' and I did get it!

xx


PS A very warm welcome to my new follower. I hope you enjoy your visits.

Friday 17 January 2014

Kitchen Window - January 2014

The window is quite bare today.


Just a small white flower rescued from the street. Someone had thrown out a bouquet of flowers and this one was just alive.


The strelitzia flower was taken from the big plant in order to give more nutrients to the leaves which are looking rather sorry for themselves. This bloom itself is fading slowly.


My climbing plant is taking over the shelf to the right of the window...


... and coiling round obstacles on its way.


January is quite a bare month and many people feel down but look closely, signs of life are still clinging there.

xx

Thursday 16 January 2014

Mum's Chicken Casserole

"This is what I do!"

1. Chop up onions (I used 2), carrots (I used 2), peppers (I used 3 but left parts of each for use in a salad) and squash some garlic (I used one fat bulb). 
2. Get ready some tinned tomatoes or chopped tomatoes (I used 2 tins) and some corn. Oh, ***** **, I've taken a picture of a tin of peas. I suppose you could use peas. (I used 1 tin of corn!) Any additional veggie ingredient can be used.


3. In a large pan, using a tiny bit of oil, brown some chicken pieces. (However many you wish to use that will fit in your pan. I used 3 large thighs.)


4. Add in all the other ingredients plus 2 stock cubes, 1 tomato tin of water, a squirt of tomato ketchup, a table spoon of chutney, sloshes of soy sauce, Worcester sauce and hot chilli sauce and sprinklings of Italian seasoning, mixed herbs and chilli powder. 


5. Stick in oven on a medium heat for at least 2 hours. Thicken up the sauce with gravy granules if needed.

6. Eat.

I had mine with pasta and a side salad. DH had his with a baked potato.
Tonight we shall have ours with rice.
I may stretch the sauce that is left and make a lasagne.

Edit: I made a curry with the sauce that was left.

PS No sign of the Bloggy Blanket. I have emailed Peg and will email Fran today.

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Are you there?

I have sadly neglected following the Bloggy Blanket Chain and this is just a call for an update on its whereabouts. I think it's with Fran of Frantic's Antics but it may have been passed on. Fran was finishing off the 4 corners. Fran if it's with you please get in touch and if it isn't can you please tell me where you sent it. Was it to Peg? I hope the chain is not broken. 

I think it is time for the edge of the blanket to be completed (if we find it). If you are interested in crocheting round the edge and then donating the blanket to a worthy cause please leave a comment and I'll try to marry you up with the Bloggy squares.

xx


PS Welcome to another new follower. Love the name!

Edit: I've just had an email from Peg who says she is willing to finish off the blanket. Yeah! Thanks Peg.

Tuesday 14 January 2014

Whizzo

I used my Christmas pressie new food processor to slice up the ingredients for my Bacon and Potato bake.


Bacon and Potato bake

1. Slice up -

onions - I used 2 small.
celery -  I used 1 stalk.
potatoes - I used 2 large.

2. Grate -

cheese - haven't the faintest idea what quantity I used  - however much you want to put in, being aware of how much fat you should be consuming!

3. Dry fry some cut up bacon until nearly cooked. 

3. Layer all the ingredients in a baking dish, ending with a layer of potatoes. Cover with about 1/2 pint of stock (I used a veggie stock cube.).  I don't season as there is enough salt in the stock cube.

4. Cover with foil and bake (170 degrees C) for about 30 mins. or until the potatoes are soft. Take off foil and leave another 15 mins in the oven for the potatoes to brown a little.

5. Eat.

PS Thank you to everyone who pulled me up on my, ahem, typing mistake yesterday. The post is amended!

xx

PS Welcome to my new follower.



Monday 13 January 2014

White and Wintery

Whilst making a comment on this blog I thought - that's a good idea for a post.

Instead of a dreary start to the new year, which January tends to be, I decided to liven it up a little with a white and wintery decorative theme. It started with these plates which were a birthday gift (bargain price from TK*) from DD. They will now be my January plates and will lead me from the excesses of the festive season to the simplicities of the new year.


Flowers this week are poinsettia amaryllis (Silly me put poinsettia. I have been duly chastised and will endeavour not to make mistakes again! At least I now know people read all the way through my posts!), which is now in full bloom ...



and my other poinsettia (Whoops!) amaryllis, which is whitish.


I tend to have a green and white theme anyway in quite a few areas of the house.


So, white and wintery but with a hint of colour to come.

xx





Sunday 12 January 2014

52 list Week 1



I'm joining in with Dreamer's 52 list and already have about 26 small tasks that I'd like to do/finish. I'm choosing tasks that I've been avoiding. My list is written in my organiser and I hope this will give me a kick up the backside and spur me on. We'll see. First cross off my list is:

1. Do the brass on the front door. You've left it long enough and it looks a right mess. Grandma would not be pleased. From now on please polish the brass every Sunday and don't lapse!


These old rags were thrown away and replaced with
clean ones.

Oh my - what neglect!

Now that's much better!
I know it's week 2 but I'm hoping to catch up!

Saturday 11 January 2014

Today ...

... is the first day this year of wearing my flip flops.


A quick walk down the road - no cold toes - so looks like the flip flop season is now upon us. Thank goodness, I hate socks.

xx

PS A very warm welcome to my new follower.

Monday 6 January 2014

Guided Tour ...

... (as requested by Jo), of the personal organiser. My goodness, there are a host of people out there who rave over these organisers and even put videos on Youtube to show you how they use theirs! (I have not done a video and this is only an overview of what I've got and how I've used it so far.)

Being a 'saver of the earth' my organiser is new to me and came from the CS. It's a microfile wallet with filofax inserts.

Hey, hey, handy zipped wallet.


Hey, hey again - handy calculator. I don't know what I'll keep in the little pockets. Advice welcome.


First off are pages of months so I have used these to note down birthdays.


Following these are diary pages. If you look closely the year starts with 19__,  and there are no dates so I've had to go through and write them in. I've shown you the pages I've labelled correctly!


There are some timetable pages and I've used these to put in dates for dancing, jollies and gym.


There's a section for notes ...


and some handy little post-it notes.


The next sections are different ruled papers - white lined,


squared,


pink lined


and blue lined. On these lined papers I have notes about freezer contents, the money I've spent, the Christmas card list and cards I have to make.


I don't think I'll put addresses in as I have these elsewhere.


I like this Action section and I can have the joy of crossing out tasks achieved (if I achieve any).


At the end of the organiser is another book of notes which I may use for shopping lists.


There's my tour. Hope I've not bored you to tears and if anybody out there has other uses for the pages please share. My NYR is to keep organised and I want this to help not hinder me.

xx

Edit : After watching a few Ytube videos I've now personalised my organiser and brightened it up a bit with colour coded felt tips - e.g. green dots for no spend days, purple for birthdays. I've made some month at a glance inserts and added some colourful address cards. I've also made better dividers so I can find each section easily and I've crocheted a dangly page marker in sparkly wool.

Oh dear!

xx