Where did the week go....

Well, I have been poorly this week. No teaching on Monday - I spelt all day and then took the rest of the week to recover. Mr Chops had a school trip to the river (what joy shall fill my heart....) on Thursday and was disgusted that I couldn't go but, really, walking to the river with 60 Year 4s was not top of my agenda!

And yesterday I summoned up the strength to switch round some furniture. The lounge is now not a walk through and the office has lost a door. Really, it was too much - three doors in such a small room and it is so much nicer now. The lounge feels cosier and the office is more practical...and I like it. Plus, it all got a seriously good hoover.

So not much making happened yesterday but I did manage to find tutorials for 2 new cards..here and here. This is a great blog. I also hopped around looking for pro marker tutorials because I wanted to find out which ones people recommend going together but not much luck...have to keep looking.

Must find some more piccies to put on here. I am planning to back a quilt tomorrow so am hoping to record my progress and notes for future reference :D

Friday.....is my day

Right, Mr B ill in bed with a tummy upset, 26 mins done on the Wii, off to have coffee and pray then going to make this scrummy cake!!! Last weeks carrot cake went down well. I was a bit confused with it though as it had bananas in as well. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE banana bread, and I love carrot cake but this was more of a carana cake...but still seriously yummy :D

And here is a picture...

Well, there is a picture, up there...where ever it feels like going!!!

Earthquake appeal.......

Lots of very talented and generous people are donating handmade and crafty things on Etsy with the money going to the earthquake appeal. I know no one reads this blog but someone may stumble upon it by accident and then see this link for Craft Hope and make a donation while getting something lovely in return...you never know :D

You can also donate at Christian Aid. I am sure that everything helps in such a desperate situation.

Marmalade.....

to make from scratch or not to make from scratch???

I have always bought the tin of pre pulped oranges before now, but my Veg Box people were doing a marmalade kits and I love making it so I thought I'd give it a try. I have spent an hour juicing, pithing and slicing oranges...if it tastes better it WILL be worth it...but if it doesn't I will be back to me tins :D

And I still have this Carrot Cake to make from Debbie and also the soup. Think I might get both done today as I was going to sew but my machine is skipping stitches left, right and centre and I cannot fix it. Done everything in the trouble shooting section so phoned the shop and they are getting back to me about collecting and servicing it :D

The boys made a video (stills shots really) with my camera over the weekend and it hasn't worked since. It is probably just the batteries but I cannot be bothered to check it at the moment so no photos of simmering servilles!

Chasing my tail.....

is what I seem to be doing recently. the weather has been terrible. So much snow that even the boys are fed up of it. And now it has actually gone it has not stopped raining all day :( But at least the drip has stopped in the kitchen and our heating has not proken or our pipes frozen....it could be worse.

So I made a hat for Mrs C junior for her birthday and promptly forgot to photography it :9 V annoyed as the whole point of this blog for me, apart from rambling on, is that I record the things I have made. But I have half finished a pair of socks for me and and approaching the heel on Mr C's and tomorrow I am hoping to make mushroom soup and carrot cake:D

Oh no...LEAK!!!

Getting some cereal out of the cupboard yesterday I notice that the box was wet...not a good sign. then I saw that there was a drip down the back of the cupboard.....and above the cupboard and, indeed, dripping down from there the ceiling meets the wall. Hoorah...something else broken :(. So, brief panic ensued, phone and could not get hold of Mr C, who couldn't have done anything anyway. Phoned MIL who told me not to panic even though she would agree she would have done, and then phoned Mr Amazing Fix It Man who comes and fixes everything. Thank the Lord he was able to come straight away. In the mean time I checked it was not dripping down from the bathroom celling as well and then ventured out onto the flat roof, as you do, because my immediate thought was that this would be where it was coming from and the entire roof would need replacing and we would have to sell kidneys to pay for it and then the whole roof would come down (I know Mr Chops is a drama queen but I cannot think where he gets it from ;) ). Oh, and up in the loft too to see if it was the house roof and nothing to do with the extension. Anyway, Mr Fix It arrives, turns off the bath tap, that had been left on a fraction, we are talking the tiniest amount possible and, Bob's your uncle, or in my case Pete, 'twas fixed! The people who had put the bath in had not sealed the taps so the drip was going down the base of the tap, down the pipes and through the celling. So today, armed with my trusty silicone glue (I told Mr C that my craft stuff would be useful for all eventualities) I am going to seal the tape and , ta-da, all will be lovely again. Amongst other things because I now have the kitchen to put back together (throwing and freecycling lots of things as I go), the boys audible CD's to burn onto disc and many other things to do.

And then sometime we are forecast SNOW!!!!!! We had loads on the last day of term but nothing since. Of course it is forecast for 3pm, when it usually rains anyway, so maybe we will be lucky...wait and see.

Oh lookie...a new challenge...

Scrapdolly is having a challenge class type thing this year an, as I haven't scrapped properly for well over a year, I thought I would take part. Linkie in the sidebar. I am determined to be more organised ( ha, ha!!) this year so feel I really should try and do this.

Also, I have been reading this book and it is completely fascinating (to me anyway) to read about everyday life in Britain in a different era. I love social history anyway but thought I should keep up this blog as a kind of diary. As I am not expecting it to be read apart from me then I can be as boring as I like and it won't matter. The only thing that bothers me is how long with all this blog malarky last? If I write it here will I still be able to read it in, say, 30 years? I kind of doubt it and so maybe pen paper would be better. But then I spend a lot of time in cyberworld so I would be more likely to keep it up. Who knows...we shall see.

So today...1st January 2010...the start of yet another new era. 10 years ago Mr C and I were in Southwold (or probably on out way back by now), footloose and fancy free. I cannot believe how much our lives have changed since children. And then I realised that most of the people I spend an awful lot of time with now are people I did not even know 10 years ago!

Anyway...I have to make pizza for Mr Chops and Mr B so had better go.......

and here is a picture..just because I can!...

A card made for one of Mr B's friend's birthdays. I think the paper was from Nitwits.