TWINKLE TWINKLE



If I could give you the stars, I'd gather them inside my heart,
I'd wrap them in love and brighten your day with starlight ..



Friday, 31 October 2008

Halloween Party ~ Tiring But FUN!!!!!

Today has been a day full of Halloween fun and laughter!!

First thing this morning we finished the rest of the pumpkins ~ making that 12 in total ~ Dan and Lauren did theirs ~ here they are!!




Then we decorated the house ready for the party ~ here is a little friend who was hanging about outside ~ ready to welcome everyone!!!
A line of pumpkins ~ standing guard!

We decorated inside too ~ the kids helped and made a good job

My little stars ~ all dressed and ready to P~A~R~T~Y!!!!!
I even got dressed up ~ here I am with my horns (tee hee) ~ I had a tail too ~ but unfotunately (or maybe fortunately) ~ there are no photos of that!!!
All ready ~ let the party commence!!





Searching in the gooey spaghetti trying to find bugs and spiders!!
Apple bobbing ~Lauren with a wet face



Well, that is the Halloween get together over for yet another year!!
We all had such a great time ~ but it has been a really long and tiring day too ~ I am exhausted and am off to bed now ~ no need to set the alarm ~ I AM HAVING A LIE IN TOMORROW MORNING ~ YIPPPPPPEEEEEEEE!!!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!
(Now Halloween is over...........I now have to start getting ready for Laurens birthday and Christmas ~ oh my goodness.......Christmas.......panic panic ~ I had better start that shopping for real now..........how many days does that counter say......surely that can't be right??????)XXXX

Thursday, 30 October 2008

Getting ready for Halloween 2008!!!

Today has been yet another busy day. My friend June (also a childminder) and I had 12 children between us ~ so things were a bit hectic at times!!!!

We decided to make a start on the halloween preparations ~ as we will not have time to do all 12 pumpkins tomorrow ~ so we did 5 today ~ here are the completed pumpkins!!!


The children helped to scoop out the middle and all the seeds and then chose what style face they would like ~ so each pumpkin is slightly different ~ I think they all look brilliant!!
Here are some pictures of the children preparing the pumpkins ~ they all had so much fun!






























We have been doing the pumpkins with the children and having the halloween party for about the last 8 years ~ so June and I are old hands at it now!!
The party (and todays pumpkin carving) is being held at Junes house ~ so tomorrow will be busy busy busy!! We have to get the food for the party in the morning ~ then get the house all decorated and ready ~ get all the children dressed in their outfits ~ paint faces ~ cook the food and then entertain 12 children for 2 hours!!! I love it (and YES ~ I am very slightly insane ha ha !!). I have my outfit all ready ~ my 2 have seen a preview and they just laughed ~ they are used to their mother being slightly mad ~ so nothing new there!!
Hope you all have a happy Halloween ~ with lots of treats and fun!! XXXXX

Wednesday, 29 October 2008

Wednesday ~ witches hats and weigh ins!!!

It is Wednesday again ~ that dreaded day of the week when I head off for the weekly weigh in.
I am glad to report that after my stand still last week ~ where I lost a huge big ZERO!! This week I lost another 2 pounds ~ which I was pleased with! This brings the total so far to 4 stone and 5 pounds lost (61 pounds) ~ so I am getting there! I still hope to reach my goal by Christmas ~ although things have slowed down alot ~ so I may start 2009 dieting too !!!

It has been even colder here today ~ the wind wasn't as bad ~ but it tried to snow a bit ~ which was a bit of a shock ~ some places in the UK have had snow already ~ but we usually escape it (apart from April of this year!!!).

We are almost ready for the Halloween party on Friday. The children all have their outfits ~ I have the face paints all ready (I am quite handy with face paints ha ha !!) ~ we have lots of fun things planned ~ apple bobbing ~ lots of fun games ~ tricks and treats and yummy food ~ so it should be alot of fun for the children......and maybe the adults too (tee hee!!).

I thought that I would share the instructions for the Witches Hats that we made the other day ~ they were a great hit with the kids and so easy to make too

WITCHES HATS ~ Makes 10 hats

25g butter
200g mini marshmallows
100g rice crispies (breakfast cereal)
10 ice cream cones
10 chocolate coated biscuits
100g chocolate (for melting)
Hundreds and Thousands

Melt the butter in a pan and then add the marshmallows ~ stir over a low heat until melted. Remove from the heat and add the rice crispies ~ stir gently until they are coated in the melted marshmallows.

Spoon a small amount of the marshmallow mixture into each of the icecream cones. Place the biscuit ~ with the chocolate side touching the marshmallow mixture ~and then turn upside down. The heat from the mixture will make the biscuit stick. Put the hats on a tray.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl standing over hot water. Dip the ends of the cones into the melted chocolate and then sprinkle with the hundreds and thousands ~ leave the witches hats to cool and set.

Then let the children enjoy!!!!!!

I have decided that I will dress as a devil this year for the party ~ I have been a witch every other year (ha ha ) ~ so time for a change!! I will make sure that we take lots of photos ~ and do a halloween post later in the week.

I have done a little bit more Christmas shopping today ~ so I am feeling a bit better ~ I still have so much to do and the counter is ticking away too quickly ~ only 56 days ~ that just isn't enough ha ha !! I had better hurry up and get my bum in gear!!! XXXXX

Tuesday, 28 October 2008

What we did today!

We are two days into the half term holidays and today the weather has turned very cold ~ infact it is absolutely freezing and the wind is biting !!

This said ~ for some reason the children decided that they would like to brave the cold and go to the beach to collect stones and shells.

The photos are not great ~ the wind was blowing and my hands were freezing cold ~ we didn't stay long, but the kids had a great time and managed to collect lots of beachy items.


Here is my little girl ~ happily collecting shells to make a beach collage tomorrow.


My little lad was off in a world of his own ~ wandering along and skimming stones into the water!

Dan and Lauren (and the little girl I look after) stopping to pose for a picture or two......
Before the wind got really really cold and blew even harder!!
When we had warmed up a bit ~ we decided to make some halloween treats ~ here are the witches hats that we made ~ the kids loved them!!

They are icecream cones filled with melted marshmallows and rice crispies, then a chocolate biscuit is placed under the cone and the heat of the marshmallow mixture melts the chocolate so the biscuit sticks onto the bottom. Then the cone is dipped in chocolate and then sprinkled with hundreds and thousands!! and there you have it ~ WITCHES HATS!!!!!!!
My children loved them as a treat and if you have kids ~ give them a go ~ they are easy to make and we will be doing more of them for the halloween party on Friday!!!
So, there you have it ~that is a little bit of what we have been up to today!! I think that we will stay inside tomorrow as the weather is apparently going to get even colder ~ so maybe we will have a movie day tomorrow with some pop corn!! XXXXX

A Toilet Tale!!!!

My Mum sent me this e mail this morning ~ I thought that I would share it ~ as I can identify (in places!!) with most of this tee hee!!!!!!

THE PUBLIC TOILET VISIT!!!!

When you have to visit a public toilet, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the cubicle doors.
Every cubicle is occupied. Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the cubicle..
You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants!
You would hang your bag on the door hook, if there was one, so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mum would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR !) down with your pants and assume ' The Stance'.
In this position, your aging, toneless, thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but having not taken time to wipe the seat or to lay toilet paper on it, you hold 'The Stance.'
To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser.
In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, 'Dear, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!' Your thighs shake more.
You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday~ one that's still in your bag (the bag around your neck, that now you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time).
That would have to do, so you crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail. Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work.
The door hits your bag, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest and you and your bag topple backward against the tank of the toilet.
'Occupied!' you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, while losing your footing altogether and sliding down directly onto the TOILET SEAT.
It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try.
You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, 'You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get.
By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl and spraying a fine mist of water that covers your bum and runs down your legs and into your shoes.
The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force and you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.
At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat.. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a sweet wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks.
You can't figure out how to operate the taps with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting.
You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it?)
You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, 'Here, you just might need this.
As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used and left the men's toilet. Annoyed, he asks, 'What took you so long and why is your bag hanging around your neck?
It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers that other commonly asked question about why women go to the toilets in pairs.
It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your bag and hand you Kleenex under the door. This HAD to be written by a woman!

Hope this made you smile ~ it certainly cheered up my day!!!

Monday, 27 October 2008

No longer here ......but forever in my heart

This photo was taken of my Dad a few short months before he died. He worked on tanks when he was in the Army and while he was in remission from Cancer ~ he helped to restore this tank ~ which he affectionately called 'Esmerelda'. Unfortunately ~ the cancer returned and took my fathers life when he was only 45 years old. There is not a day goes by when he is not thought about, talked about and missed by us all. There will forever be a DAD sized hole in my life ~ which can never be filled and an ache in my heart that will never leave.

Happy Birthday Dad ~ I miss you more than words could ever say ~
Love you forever and a day ~ your Tab XXXXXXX

Sunday, 26 October 2008

Sunday

This morning we went to the Christening of my friend Jo's children, Adrienne and Isaac. I have known them both since they were born and they are the niece and nephew of my best friend June ~ so it was a very special day!!!

We all got dressed in our Sunday best!!??

Here are some photos of us ~ dressed and ready to go!!
Here I am in my new trousers ~ which thankfully fitted perfectly!!




Here is my sweet little princess, who refused to wear a dress ~ but looked very sweet in her tunic and trousers!!





AND ~ here is my lovely boy, who looked so grown up in his shirt and tie and his new trousers ~ quite the young man!!! He tried to do his own tie, and although he did really well ~ he still needs a bit more practice!!






We had a wonderful time ~ even though the heavens opened just as we walked to the church. The service was really nice and at the end, the children all got to ring the bell ~ which was something really different.
We then went back to our friends house for a meal and a little celebration!
We came home a little bit earlier than planned as Lauren was invited (last minute) to a Halloween/birthday party ~ which she really wanted to attend, so it was home for a quick change and then onto that!!! She has had great fun dancing and playing games ~ and we are all shattered. The kids are just off to bed ~ and I am about to collapse into the bath and then it will be an early night for me too!!
Hope that you all had a fun weekend too XXXX

Saturday, 25 October 2008

Scary spiders and growing up way too fast!!

This is the sight that met me in my kitchen earlier today...............................................this is what I saw in my kitchen sink!!



Anyone who knows me, or has read my blog for a while ~ knows that I have a real fear of spiders ~ they are not my favourite thing and so this totally freaked me for a moment ~ UNTIL I remembered that Dan and lauren had been eating halloween cakes and these were infact the spider rings that were on the top of the orange icing!!

Here I am modelling one of the spider rings ~ even this slightly freaked me out (ha ha ).
I am such a wimp tee hee!!


Today my sweet little Lauren went to a party for her friend Anna. They went to see High School Musical 3 and then went for food afterwards. She had such a fun time and has not stopped talking about it ~ she is now totally addicted to HSM 3, aswell as 1 and 2!!

Here are some pictures of my little girl before she was ready to go ~ she looked so grown up ~ and she was pretending to talk on one of my old mobile phones ~ she looked like quite a little lady. There are times when I look at her and I can't quite believe that my tiny little baby is now an almost 7 year old little lady!!





Please excuse the tongue sticking out ~ she was unfortunately in one of those moods!!
Dan and I had a great time ~ we went out and he managed to get some new football boots and a new boot bag ~ as he is in the school football team ~ he did have new boots not that long ago, but his feet will keep on growing. We went for something to eat and then for a walk on the beach (which was what Dan wanted!!). Then it was time to collect Lauren and head back home ~ so all in all a very nice day! I love having days when Dan and I can spend some time together, just me and him ~ it doesn't happen that often ~ and it is special when we do have these days.
I am off now to charge the camera, so that I can get some nice pictures at the christening tomorrow!! I have also got to remember to go and turn the clocks back an hour before we go to bed ~ or else that will totally confuse me in the morning......I don't want to be the only one standing at the church an hour too early tee hee!! XXX


Friday, 24 October 2008

Another week over

Yet again I am sitting here on a Friday night ~ the week over ~ kids asleep ~ peace at last!!
We have had a busy day today ~ the children were off school today ~ so we made some halloween invitations for the big party that we have planned for next Friday ~ they had great fun doing them.

Lauren is at a party tomorrow ~ she is going to see High School Musical 3 and then for something to eat ~ so Daniel and I can do some things together ~ Daniel was hoping that the new James Bond film would be out so we could see that ~ but it is not out until the end of the month ~ so we will have to find something else to do.

Laurens party plans are coming along well ~ I have had a change of plan regarding the party bags ~ I had planned to do cups filled with sweets ~ but as the cups were quite large ~ alot of sweets were needed ~ so I ordered some cello bags from a party website ~ which can then be filled with sweets (less than before ~ thus hopefully saving a few teeth ha ha !!) ~


Here's a trial run! (I have used trick or treat sweets for this photo ~ haven't decided what I will put in the real thing yet!!) ~ I think that these will be a better idea and Lauren likes them too. (She is going to help fill them ~ as there are about 25 to do!!!).
Sunday we are at the Christening ~ and we are all kitted out and ready for that ~I am looking forward to getting all dressed up and it should be a wonderful day ~ I just hope that the weather holds out for us.

Is someone trying to tell me something?

I was just over at Amandas blog ~ leaving her a comment on her blog post from yesterday!
I typed in my comment and then went down to the word verification box ~ it usually consists of a load of letters that make no sense.......BUT this time ~ as clear as day ~ the word spelt out

MENTAL

Do you think that someone is trying to tell me something? HA HA!! XXX

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

Jack Frost

This morning we woke to a frosty covering over the village that we live in ~ for the first time this Autumn!! Much as I loved the beautiful white wintery scene that Jack Frost had left for us I wasn't so keen on venturing out in the cold to defrost the car before the school run. Out I went ~ de icer spray in hand ~ all ready for my defrosting task!! Unfortunately the car was freezing back up as I was spraying the de icer on, so I gave up and scraped the damn thing instead!! We all got loaded into the car ready to go ~ but we had to wait for it to de mist and then I had to drive along with the window open ~ to stop us all steaming up again ha ha !!!

By lunchtime the weather was glorious ~ warm and sunny!! What a strange climate we are living in at the moment!!

I had my weigh in tonight and I lost ZERO pounds this week ~ not a thing!! I am a bit fed up with it this week ~ I am not going to give up ~ that is not an option!! I just cannot work out how you can eat virtually the same thing 2 weeks in a row and one week you lose 2 pounds and another you don't lose a thing!! HOW THE HELL DOES THAT WORK???????
Never mind ~ onwards I go ~ I knew that it would get harder and slow down ~ but it still is a pain in the bum when it actually happens (tee hee!!).

After I got weighed, I decided to pop and quickly try and get some trousers!! You will be glad to hear that it was a succesful mission!! I no longer have to go to the Christening looking like a clown!! I have a very nice pair of black trousers ~ and they fit great ~ I was so pleased that I could fit into a UK size 12 at last (not sure what size that would be in the US or Australia ~ for all my lucky bloggy friends that don't live in the UK !!!!) ~ I did try on the size 10 pair ~ and although I could get in them and actually get them done up ~ they were rather snug and I don't think that I would have been able to eat, breathe or sit down all day (tee hee) ~ so maybe a few more weeks and pounds lost before I try that size again!!

The children are starting to wind down a bit now ~ they are only at school tomorrow and then have Friday off ~ next week is half term and we have lots of Halloween fun activities planned ~ so they are excited about that! They both brought home their school Christmas dinner menus today ~ which sounded yummy ~ they have to choose what they would like and send it back in after the half term! I am trying not to look at the christmas counter ~ I think it was something like 64 days the last time I looked at it ~ I am sure that can't be right ha ha !!!

I have made a start now on the childrens christmas present shopping and they have both made a start on their santa christmas lists.~ ( I had to buy a few things ~ as I keep having this dream that I wake up and it is Christmas morning and there are no presents and I have forgotten to buy anything ha ha !!) Lauren basically would like every single item that was EVER made ~ linked in some way to High School Musical ~ pillows, quilt set, books, make up and there is even a perfume now!! So she should be quite easy to please. Daniel is a bit harder ~ he has a few things on his list, he would like a guitar and a bike and some computer games. The main thing that he would like is a PS3, which I cannot afford to get him ~ but I think that his dad may be buying him that!! (He has said he will, I just hope he follows up on it!!).

Well, I am off to watch Silent Witness ~ one of my most fav programmes ~ and later Desperate Housewives is on ~ I think it is the episode that I saw on Sunday ~ but who cares, I will watch it again!! (I know ~ I need to get out more ~ tee hee!!). Have nice evening XXX

Tuesday, 21 October 2008

Panic!

I have a small dilema and I am in a panic!! We are off to a Christening on Sunday ~ Daniel has a new shirt and tie and some smart trousers to wear. Lauren has a new tunic top and trousers ~ so she will look lovely too!!

Me, I was intending to wear a pair of black trousers (I have 3 pairs ~ in 3 different sizes) ~ and a shirt ~ so I WAS sorted!!

Tonight (luckily) ~ I decided that I should try on my outfit, just to check that it all looks ok and more importantly that it fits. I knew that one pair of the trousers would be too big ~ and I was right, they were huge, I wore them once, last year ~ to a wedding ~ you could now fit one of the children into them with me ha ha !! I then tried on the second pair ~ which immediately fell down ~ no panic ~ on went the third pair ~ they seemed ok ~ but as I walked to the mirror to have a closer look ~ they fell down too!! I now have to go and find a pair of trousers to wear ~ not a huge problem ~ but I am working the next two days ~ so trouser shopping is not really an option with 2 small children in my care ~ Friday is a Teacher training day at the childrens school ~ so they are off ~ meaning I have 4 children in tow on Friday ~ no trouser shopping likely then either!!
Saturday is packed full with dancing, parties and other stuff ~ but hopefully I can get to town and get the trousers!! Otherwise I will be going to this christening on Sunday looking like a clown ~ with a huge big pair of braces keeping my trousers from falling down tee hee!!!

Monday, 20 October 2008

Lucky Girl!!!

Anyone who read my post from yesterday (hopefully someone read it!! ha ha !)
would have read that I bought Lauren her dress for her birthday ~ which she wanted to wear for her party in November!!
The dress is a replica of one that is worn by Gabriella in High School Musical 3 and is really lovely. We just walked into the supermarket yesterday, picked it off the rail, paid and went ~ nothing strange there ~ until I saw this in the British press today ~ apparently it has also been all over the radio and TV (although I haven't seen or heard that!!)



High School Musical: Replica dress forces Asda to introduce waiting list
A replica of a dress worn by Vanessa Hudgens in High School Musical 3 is proving so popular that fans will have to join a waiting list to get hold of one.

By Chris Irvine Last Updated: 8:08AM BST 20 Oct 2008


The floral dress, which costs £16, goes on sale at Asda's George stores today, but the chain said the first 20,000 have all been pre-ordered.
Asda have said the waiting list, a first for their store, is reminiscent of those signed by adults waiting to get hold of designers' latest collections.
The dress is worn by Hudgens' character Gabriella Montez in the latest instalment of Disney's hit musical which is set around the children's senior year.
Available for girls aged four to 12, the dress has been replicated "stitch for stitch" to the design worn in the film.
Fiona Lambert, design director for George, said: "Every young girl will want this replica dress in their party wardrobe and because of the quality and the fact it's not purely for 'dressing up', it will be worn way into Christmas and beyond."
The High School Musical franchise, which also stars Zac Efron, has been hailed as the Grease for the younger generation.
WOW ~ how lucky were we to get one!! I still can't quite believe that Lauren has one hanging in her bedroom ~ which we bought a day earlier than the release date ~ and it was sooooo easy!!
I also cannot believe that I almost told Lauren to wait until nearer her birthday to get one, but she (somehow) managed to talk me into it (as usual!!) ~ I am so glad that I got it for her now, she had her heart set on it and would have been very disappointed if we went back and they were all gone ~ also ~ I don't like waiting at the best of times ~ so being on a waiting list for a dress would not be for me (tee hee!!).
Hopefully the dress won't prove SO popular that every girl at Laurens party will be wearing one!! I am not quite sure how she would take it (tee hee!!) XXXXX

Sunday, 19 October 2008

Whoever stole my weekend.......please give it back!!

OK ~ so here I am again!! Sunday night ~ the weekend is almost over ~ and I think that someone has sneaked in and stolen another weekend from me!!! Time is flying by and I have absolutely NO control over it!!

We have been busy (as usual!) ~ another round of dance classes and Judo!! The weekly shop ~ which I am sure gets that little bit more expensive every week! Even though I seem to get less for my money ~ exactly how does that work?

I managed to pull a muscle in my back on Thursday ~ getting the little boy I look after out of the carseat!! I cannot even start to tell you how painful it was (not as painful as childbirth ~ but a close second ha ha !!) ~ I couldn't sleep on Thursday night as it was awful and no matter what position I tried to sleep in ~ it made no difference ~ I spent almost the whole night proped up with a big pillow ~ which only helped a bit!! Friday was not a whole lot better ~ so I hauled my butt to the Doctor ~ who prescribed some painkillers ~ and told me not to lift any heavy objects etc (a bit hard when I have to lift children all day ha ha !!). Anyway ~ yesterday was not much better and I had to go to bed for an hour in the afternoon (I know ~ I can hear you all saying ahhhhhhh!!). Thankfully ~ when I woke up this morning ~ I was relieved that it seems alot better!! I feel like a new woman (ha ha !!).

This morning I took Lauren shopping with me ~ and she spotted a dress that she fell in love with ~ and wanted it for her Birthday party dress ~ it is a copy of the dress that Gabriella is wearing below ~ from High School Musical 3!! She looks really sweet in it and I cannot wait to see her wearing it at her party!!


I also bought her a few HSM items that she liked ~ which I managed to sneak in the trolley and have hidden for her birthday!! I had better not tell you what they are ~ as the sneaky little monkey may read this at some stage between now and her birthday!!!
Dan and Lauren also chose their pumpkins today, we usually carve them on 31st ~ during the day and then have them on display outside when we have the Halloween party in the evening!
The children will not be going out trick or treating this year ~ as we are having the party actually on Halloween ~ they are a bit disappointed (although we only knock on a few friends and neighbours!!) ~ I for one am not that sad (I know I am mean!!) ~ last year we got totally soaked and cold and Laurens pumpkins basket split and all her sweets went everywhere ~ so I will be glad to avoid that drama this year.
I have just watched the season 4 finale of Desperate housewives, which was fantastic ~ I was quite sad that it had come to an end, BUT ~ much to my total delight ~ they have put season 5 on straight after ~ the first episode is on at the moment and it is set 5 years in the future!! I love it already!!!
The children are only at school 4 days next week, they have a day off on friday and then the week after is half term ~ so we have some time to do a few fun things!!!
I just hope that the weather holds out ~ I can't be doing with rain all week!
XXX

Friday, 17 October 2008

BRENDAS PHOTO CHALLENGE!!

Photo Challenge time again!!
This time the hostess is my dear friend Donna over at Made in heaven. Donna decided on the theme of 'OLD', which was alot harder than I thought it would be!!

I decided that I would chose some 'OLD' photos that were in my collection!!

Here are some 'OLD' leaves ~ Autumn is well and truly here!!
Another photo that I took a while ago ~ the church in the village where I live ~ which is very very very OLD!!!!!
Another photo from the village ~ this time it is of an OLD phone box!! You don't see many of these about anymore ~ let alone one that actually works!!

I am looking forward to seeing how everyone else interpreted 'OLD'!!
See you all again next time XXX
(PS ~ Sorry I am so late posting these pictures ~ had a bit of a hectic day!!!!!!)

Wednesday, 15 October 2008

60

Tonight I went and got weighed ~ another pound lost this week ~ the total now is 4 stone 4 pounds ~ which is 60 pounds!! I am quite pleased with that!! It seems to have slowed down quite a bit ~ but even at a pound a week ~ with 10 weeks until Christmas ~ that would mean hopefully almost another stone gone by then!! So that would be nice.

I have been a bit of a bad blogger the last few days ~for some reason life seems to have been so busy and I have basically collapsed into bed every evening exhausted ha ha !!

I have been and booked Laurens Birthday party ~ it is not her Birthday until November ~ but you have to get the parties booked early ~ or make the mistake that I have made several times and leave it too late!! This year I have booked Laurens party at the local leisure centre ~ she is having a disco party with a High School Musical theme. She is very excited already and has started trying to decide what she will wear ~ I usually treat her to a new outfit for her party!
Daniel is going to have a bowling party with some of his friends ~ his birthday is in December, so I don't have to worry about that just yet ~ it is certainly an expensive time of year for me!!

I have decided that I will not be giving out party bags this year ~ I thought that I would copy an idea from a party that Lauren went to a few weeks ago ~ I have bought some plastic cups and filled them with sweeties (very bad I know......but it is a party!!) ~ and then wrapped tissue paper round it and tied with gift ribbon.

I had a practise run today ~ here is the first attempt!!




It doesn't look bad ~ but I will have a few more tries and see if I can perfect it a bit more. I thought that it would be a nice treat for each party guest to take home ~ and will work out a bit cheaper than the party bags I did last year ~ which cost a fortune (silly me!!). With the way things are financially in this country at the moment ~ I am trying to save money where ever I can!!!

Tomorrow is the childrens Harvest festival at school and they have to take in some tins of food for the harvest collection ~ they have a day of fun activities planned and a harvest school dinner~ so they should have a fun day. Next week they are at school and the week after is half term.......a week of fun and we have a big Halloween party planned for the 31st Oct ~ I will make sure to post LOTS of photos from that day.

Have a nice evening ~ off to bed now .............I think it must be old age creeping up on me (ha ha )XXXX