Whew!

Getting this kitchen cleared and ready to pull out has taken up all my time this week. I'm seriously ready for this to be over with now.

Work started today, so here are the before shots. Our kitchen is scary, I can't wait for the new one. As you can see, over the course of the last few months things started randomly falling off of the cupboards. Once we knew a new one was on the horizon we just stopped bothering to fix things.

Planting

Back to work tomorrow, boo! I've had a nice week off, but haven't got as much done as I would've liked. I did manage to get out into the garden and finally plant my potatoes, and some onions. I've also planted my strawberries into my planter which Pete's Mum & Dad bought for me. I've never had any luck with strawberries at all, so hopefully this will help them along a bit and I'll have homegrown berries in a few months.



I'm trying potatoes in a variety of containers this year. I have some Valour maincrop potatoes in the ground on the other side of the garden, and in the bags and buckets are the Belle De Fontenay and Catriona which are smaller, salad type potatoes.


As you can see the mini greenhouse is doing it's thing and the lettuce seedlings are on their way.



It gets deceptively warm in there! I would never have thought it, it's just plastic. I suppose I am south facing, lucky me, so we get the sun all day.

Sorry

I apologise for being so slack at updating my blog this week. I've been off work all week, we both have, and have been clearing the kitchen ready for the work to start. The friend who is doing it for us is being a stereotypical builder and being very hard to pin down. He's doing some work for his daughter that is taking longer than expected, so the work could start this week, but more than likely it'll be next week. It's so frustrating, I want it finished now!

So what have we been up to? We took the kids to Coalhouse Fort last weekend for some fresh air, minus Taylor as he'd been naughty. All we wanted him to do was wash up and he caused such a fuss, slamming plates into the sink in a huff, that we sent him to my Mum's in disgrace as punishment. We went for a walk in the woods afterwards too, then promptly fell asleep when we got home after all that exercise.



Isobel collected some sticks...


...then traded up to a bigger stick.


On Wednesday I finally got round to getting my hair cut and coloured. It took two hours to do the colour, but I suppose I do have a lot of hair! It is very bright, but I love it!


We've also been out for dinner, to the cinema, and out clubbing this week, so it's been a pretty social week all in all. No wonder I've not had time to update! We took the kids to an indoor playcentre yesterday, then Sam & Harvey came back here for a cuppa. The kids had fun making a mess with water and a playmat, but that's what kids do.

Egg Hunt

Isobel was sent home from school on Monday with a temperature of 104, and Taylor was already off with tonsillitis, which I then caught. Pete then caught whatever we had, and it promptly mutated into ManFlu.

As we've all had the lurgy this week, I wasn't sure we'd be up to our annual egg hunt in the woods, but thankfully we'd all recovered by today.
Sam & Harvey came over and we went out for a bite to eat, then it was time for the Easter Bunny AKA me, to scatter the goodies.











We had a go on the little train at the park too.









Isobel and I fell asleep when we got in, must have been all that fresh air.

House Party

Our friend Allie had a party for her birthday this weekend, so of course I had to take the camera along to catch people in various embarrassing states of inebriation. It was fun. I stayed up til 6am. Yes, I am regretting it now.

Allie & Sam doing belly dancing




Vicki & Sam


Pete watching James mixing


Me & Vicki


Pete and James taking a break from their hardcore partying


The girlies!


Nils on the decks


It was about here that everything started to go a bit hazy...


Pete and Sam, I actually think she may be propping him up


A few people thought Vicki and I were sisters, which was pretty mad. We'd never met before, but had a lot in common. Pete took some pictures of us pulling the same faces.


Pete and James finally gave up the fight...




I finally gave up and left this lot to it. When I woke up at 10am they were still up and watching Lost. Nutters!

Musical Monday...

I haven't done one of these for a while as I could never think of a song to post. I'm really enjoying this song at the moment, which is weird as I've never really been a fan of this band.

The Smiths ~ How Soon Is Now

Thieves

Well, Ryan had his brand new BMX stolen from school yesterday. He's only had it for two months, and it only cost £200. /sarcasm.

I did warn him when we bought it not to get such a flash one as it wouldn't last five minutes. We can't afford another one, so it means he'll have to walk his paper round every day, and it also mean his schoolbus will cost us £15 extra a week. Marvellous.
So, if you are in the Basildon area and someone tries to flog you this bike, it's stolen so don't buy it!


We are having our new kitchen fitted at the end of March. I can't wait for it to be done. Just cooking on a real gas hob will be such a luxury! Here is the kitchen, sorry the picture is so tiny.

We've both got the last week in March booked off so we can clear cupboards and get stuff done. I'd quite like to start decorating the lounge that week too. I love dark and rich colours, trouble is when you will be renting out you have to have cream everywhere, so it's going to be a boring decorating session, painting over the top of my reds, aubergines and blues.

I had a trip to do at work on Tuesday to the Tutankhamun exhibition at the O2 Arena. My Mum was coming anyway, but there were two spare seats so I took the boys too. Yes, they missed school for the day, but it was educational so who cares! We had to leave at 7am so it was an early one. We had a cruise down the Thames to start the day, which was the best bit. I really enjoyed it. The weather wasn't as miserable as it looks, the windows on the boat were tinted.





We weren't allowed to take photos in the exhibition, which was a bit rubbish, so this is the only picture inside the dome.



Of course, the early start that day, teamed with working all week this week, means I'm absolutely shattered now. I was asleep by 8pm last night. How sad. Never mind, I'm taking the kids swimming in a few hours, then we are at a house party tonight for Allies birthday. I can't wait to be sociable and let my hair down for a few hours.

Spring

Well, spring has definitely sprung. I can't wait to get out there and plant my spuds and onions this week. I'm just waiting to see what the weather does. Aren't we due to have gales or something this week? I promised myself that I wouldn't sow too many seedlings indoors this year, and so far I've been true to my word. I may try some out in the little greenhouse this week. I have some rocket seedlings popping up in the salad bed where they must have self seeded last year. I won't move them, I'll wait a bit then eat them while they are still young. I had something else planned for that bed this year so they can't stay long term.

Ryan started his new school on Tuesday. He had some entry tests last week, which he was pretty nervous about, but he aced them all and has been placed into all top sets. He's always been a high achiever at school, but it's nice to know his standards haven't dropped by spending six months at home learning. He said there were lots of things in the tests that he wouldn't have known if it weren't for work we'd done at home. He's really enjoying it, has made stacks of friends already, and all the girls in his year are fighting over him. Quite literally.

I have a busy week next week as I'm working full time at the moment to get extra money for the house renovations. I'm doing a trip on Tuesday to the Tutankhamun exhibition, which I'm really looking forward to. The 7am start isn't something that fills me with joy though. Taylor is due to have his cast off next week too, so that will be more rushing around.

Today I'm going to visit my old friend Lynne, whom I haven't seen for years. She contacted me on Facebook. She keeps horses, and I'm going to see a friend of hers about sharing her horse part time. It seems more worthwhile than paying £100 a month for me and all the kids to get an hours ride each at a school, when we could be paying the same and all riding twice a week. I'm a bit scared of all the work though, especially working more hours now. Am I mad?

Award for being...umm...special?

Many thanks to Dan over at 0ddness, who for some XXtraordinary reason thinks I am worthy of the XXtraordinary Blogger Award.

I too, like many others who have been honoured with the award previously, thought the XX part stood for something naughty, but alas it's just because I am special, or troubled, or a little bit mental, or something.

Well, it has certainly brightened my day, and my otherwise shitty month that I've had, so thank you very much. :D It has also given me something to do this morning, as sorting out the tags for this post has taken me bleedin' ages.

I now have to nominate five of my blogging friends for this award;

Firstly I'm nominating Shirl, who's not had a great start to the year, after sadly losing her brother.

Secondly, my blogging buddy Thursday, for no reason other than seeing her photographs and reading about her escapades brightens my day.

My next nominee is Bree, because along with her husband and three children, she is living the dream. They have packed up and are wandering across North America for six months. I don't suppose she'll get to see this, as her Internet connection as she travels isn't great.

Next is Raisin'Cookies, another poor soul trying hard to retain the last vestiges of sanity whilst raising three children.

And my final nominee for the award is Kitchen Witch, who regularly makes me laugh out loud with her writing style.

Stolen from Dan...

I tried this blogthing with my married surname first, and weirdly none of the comments fitted me at all, but were my husband to a tee! So I've stuck with my maiden name to get a true meaning. The only bits that aren't me are "You don't get worked up easily", and "You try hard not to rock the boat". Not true, at all!

You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily.
You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind.
A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.
You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.
Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.
You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.
You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.
You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

Here is Pete's, it's all very true, except for the "flaky and irresponsible" part, that's my job not Pete,s.

You are influential and persuasive. You tend to have a lot of power over people.
Generally, you use your powers for good. You excel at solving other people's problems.
Occasionally, you do get a little selfish and persuade people to do things that are only in your interest.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life.
You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home.
You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.
You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.
You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.
You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated.
You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want.
You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way!

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

Me...1987

I found this picture at my Grandads bungalow and brought it home. Look at those teeth! Thankfully they straightened out on their own a few years after this was taken, but I still had to have a brace at 14 as I had eye teeth like a vampire.

My Grandad was an artist, so we all had a painting each to keep. I just need to frame mine. I had some really strong memories of the little bungalow, and one of them was listening to a vinyl of British bird song with my Grandad in their dining room. I had a good chuckle about it. I mean, who has an LP of bird songs? I mentioned it, my Dad rummaged through a drawer and found it! That will have pride of place in my House and Techno vinyl collection.

The funeral was good, as funerals go. My cousin drove his 4X4 into the back of the hearse, which made everyone laugh. The wake in a local pub was fab, everyone was smiling (the free bar helped), and the food was nice. My Dad told me as we left that I'd been left £500, which will help with the house renovations. I was very shocked, I totally didn't expect that. I was just happy with my painting.

Taylor managed to go to school yesterday, mainly because Pete was able to drop him off. I think doing the walk(hop?) twice in a day is a bit much, but just walking home is fine. He has stayed home today, but will be back in tomorrow. I suppose his attendance will be a bit erratic until the cast comes off. I've been doing some work on Ancient Egyptian mythology and history with the boys today, at their request, which is handy as it's my 'thing'. I have books on it coming out of my ears. We've written our names out in hieroglyphics, and they have some work to do on deities this afternoon. Ryan finally has an appointment at his new school tomorrow, just to fill out paperwork, then he has to sit some entry tests on Friday. I suppose we'd better start thinking about the dreaded school uniform shopping.

It's been a bit of a crazy week this week. We had a man round last night to measure our kitchen, he's coming around again tonight with the quotes for fitting the two we've picked out. Hopefully, it should be done by the first week in April. I can't imagine what it's going to be like, I've lived with this pit of a kitchen for such a long time. It's got to crisis point now, all the drawer fronts and doors fall off, there is mold growing under the sink, the floor tiles are cracking. It's just way past it's sell by date. We have never had a real hob to cook on in this house, so I can't wait to get a new cooker. I didn't expect to be here this long, so I've made do with a small, two ring portable electric hob for 8 years.

My Dad called last night while the builder was here, to tell me that my Grandad has died and his funeral is on Thursday. Talk about short notice. I was rather annoyed he hadn't told me sooner(he actually died 12 days ago), as I'd arranged to do a day trip at work on Thursday. Thankfully my boss is understanding, so I'm able to go. I haven't been able to visit my Grandad for years, because he would get too confused. None of the grandchildren have been able to see him, it would overwhelm him and freak him out. I'm glad he's finally gone, he's been ill with dementia and emphysema for years and years, and he was ready to go. He's been without my Nan for too long, it's been about 14 years since she died suddenly, and he must have missed her terribly all that time.

Catch up

What have we been up to...not much to be honest! Stuck indoors with Taylor really. He's hoping to hobble to school tomorrow, so it'll be nice to get him out of the house. Ryan has been staying in Portsmouth with family for a week, so we went and collected him yesterday, so we are back to a full house now, and back to doing school work tomorrow.

Isobel had to dress up at school on Friday for book week, the childminder Jane dressed her up as Little Bo Peep. She did have a hat and a crook at some point, but here she is in her dress looking cute:


I went out to a cheesy nightclub with the girls last night so am feeling a little worse for wear today. I've just had an afternoon snooze, which was marvellous.

Broken bones

Well, we've had our first incident of broken bones in this house amongst the kids this week. Taylor went to a school friends birthday at an indoor playcentre on Sunday, and bent his foot right back jumping into the ball pit. We thought it might just be a sprain, so for the first three days of the school half term Taylor hopped around with some crutches that we still had from my ankle sprain two years ago. When he still couldn't put weight on it 3 days after the event we sent him for an X-ray, and yes he's broken two metatarsals and is in a cast up to his knee. He has to wear it for 6 weeks, so it looks like I'm homeschooling another child for the foreseeable future!
Taylor went to his Dad's yesterday(finally, only a week after his birthday!), and came back with "Mission Complete: No School!" scrawled on his cast. It did make me chuckle.

Valentines Day

February the 14th is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day, and as my friend Dan sadly lost his Daughter Bethy to CHD, I'd like to just show my support.

Cloverfield

Pete and I went to see Cloverfield at the cinema on Saturday night. After seeing the trailer I just had to go and see it. I'd heard about people getting motion sickness due to the jerky camera work, so was a little nervous as I get mild car sickness if I try to read whilst travelling. I'm fine if I look out of the window though, and I don't think I've ever actually been sick.

Well, the film itself is spectacular, but yes, it made me feel sick. Very, very sick. It is the only movie I've ever considered walking out of, because I actually went green. It is that bad, even for a mild motion sickness sufferer like me. I started to feel icky about 30 minutes in, by 40 minutes in I was praying for the end to come and had to keep closing my eyes, and by the end I'd got used to it and was almost enjoying myself again through the nausea.

I truly did love it, the monster is terrifying, and want to buy it on DVD, but am not sure I can sit through it again. I still feel ill this morning.