Birthday!

Yes, today I turn another year older. Its not a special number, it's just the wrong side of 40! Today I have decided to just eat all the wrong sort of food and do very little work or excercise! Going to have a massive take away tonight with wine too. I have been spoilt with some very nice Paul Smith perfume from my gorgeous Rob ,a box of smellies from my son and his lady, some lovely Dove stuff from my sister in law and some bits and bobs from my neighbour. I have some birthday money to spend at the weekend too! The day has been good so far !

More cushions!

Made three more cushion covers. Sofia and Luca wont let me replace the last remaining old one as the cats wont have anywhere to sleep. They are not allowed on the new ones!

Just finished work for the night. I have an inspection tomorrow, I dare them to find one single cobweb! Also just been to parent teacher interviews. It would seem we have two child geniuses on our hands, very happy mum!

Half Term.

Half term passed by too quickly! Weather was not great but we did make it to Banham zoo on Thursday. The kids absolutely loved it, particularly the Meerkats and the seals! Sofia wanted to see the Giraffes but once she saw them she didn't seem that impressed!

On Friday night I went out with the girls for a few drinks and a boogie! The drinks were great as was the company but the night club we went in was awfull! Would of rather stayed in the pub! Anyway, we had a good laugh and let our hairdown for a few hours.

Tasty treats!

This weekend has mainly been about lovely food and friends! Satuday we had friends round for dinner. I made a goulash served with rice, sweet potato mash roasted carrots and peas. Jo bought pudding which was a lovely raspberry and strawberry pavlova she had made. Then large amounts of wine were drunk and we played the Wii till the early hours! Jo's bowling skills were brilliant and she wipped the floor with us, although came a bit close to the screen a few times!! Ed and I had a boxing battle that left us both worn out and Rob beat us all at tennis.

Sunday was all about valentines cupcake which Sofia and I made. Making the chocolate hearts to go on the top was lovely and messy! I also cooked a lovely bit of beef and made the most lush yorkshire puds I have ever done! I followed Jamie Olivers recipe and my mums instructions then I sat on the floor in the kitchen and watched them rise!

And this morning I woke up to Rob asking me if I wanted 12" !! Turned out to be a massive bar of Toblarone ! Its now about 10.5" long :o) .

Also on Satuday I picked up my new glasses so now I can actually see what I am typing .

Cushion covers for sale!

My first attempt at selleing these. Please have a look on Ebay. My ID is jacquelineemma.

Big Bottoms!

Why oh why do girls think that having cosmetic sugerey is going to make them rich and famous? Re the girl who went to america to have implants put in her bottom cheeks to make her bum bigger. Tragically she died because the surgery was cheep and probably illegal. Please girls ( and boys too ) you are all beautifull the way you are! If you do feel the need to have changes done, have it done by a bonified surgeon . It might cost a bit more but at least you have a better chance of getting what you want and actually surviving! And anyway, most ladies spend their life trying to have small bums....why on earth would you want to make it bigger!!

On a lighter note, Rob just rang me from work. He is designated fire Marchalle and has been checking all the fire escapes only to find that one is tied up shut due to work being done and they were worried people would use it and hurt themselves! Oh, better to burn to death then! He also discovered that one loo seat gets broken on a regular basis as their Muslim colleagues have to , ahem, squat on the seat to pee and poo! At least God ( I am not a member of his club either ) lets you sit down to do your buiseness !

Monday again!

Spent Saturday food shopping, also got a Wii fit so I now have my personal trainer :o) Have been having loads of fun on it, the kids haven't quite got the hang of jogging on the spot, I have to hold the back of their shirts so they don't run into the telly! Going to practise the yoga as it is harder then it loooks.

Sunday I went and bought some new cuttlery as with the dishwasher we keep running out of them! Will have to go and get some more mugs next! I went to work for an hour and then cooked a lovely piece of roast pork with sage & onion stuffing . By the time I had sorted the kids out for school, bathed them and gave them supper it was time for the skating . Really surprised at who went out though. Sofia will be gutted as she quite liked Sylvian Longchambon! I think she liked saying his name.

I have just put a banana cake in the oven so I am now off to do the never ending task of cleaning, ironing etc!

Dishwasher

Well, it's probably the best thing that has happened in the kitchen for a long time! I love it. Just need to get some more cutlery! The week has passed fairly non eventfully. Luca had a nice time at his friend Tyler's today after school. Sofia had her friend Daisy round and all they did was fight and argue! Girls!

I will be heading off shopping as normal tomorrow but I might have company as Rob wants to do some shopping too!

We had friends we knew only from Facebook over on Wednesday and i'm happy to say we all got on really well! Had a lovely chinese takeaway dinner but was really late to bed....and on a school night! Just about recovered now.

Hoping the wind dies done over the weekend so I can take the kids out for a bike ride.

10 years since our first date.

Yes! I cant believe it has been 10 years since Rob took me out to diner at the Old Ram. We had a lovely meal followed by a night dancing in a Norwich night club. Yes, that is probably the only time Rob and I have had a boogie together! Anyway, we are still going strong. I made Robe a little card and he bought me a dishwasher. After 10 years of faithful service at the kitchen sink my hands are being given a rest from doing the dishes! I love it :o)

Dog poo!

Ok, its not a nice subject but its one that seems to have become a major problem in and around the village. When I took the kids for a walk Sunday it seemed that I spent most of the time telling them to be careful where they put their feet. One place in particular was really bad. I know it is a public footpath where a lot of dog walkers go but that does not mean that other people can walk along it too. When I came to a part of the footpath where you have to climb over a style, it was like every dog in the village had stopped and done their buisiness. It was stomach churning! What is so hard about clearing up after your dog? Bins are all around the village to dispose of the mess. Its really not nice to have to come home and clear dog mess off my kids shoes. Come on people, clean your act up! If you cant then you are not responsible dog owners and shouldn't have a dog. Rant over!

Busy Sunday!

Tried to have a lie in but it just didn't happen so got up and cooked a nice breakfast. Took the kids for a long walk up a footpath that runs next to the church. I have never seen so much dog poo in one place! It was truly stomach churning. The kids managed to avoid treading in any of it and we had quite a nice walk. Back home I got the trampoline net out of winter storage and with Robs help we put it back up. Sofia and Luca had a quick bounce and then Sofia hurt her knee so that was that! I, meanwhile, cooked a lovely piece of gammon for our Sunday roast, did the ironing and changed the kids bunk beds! Whoever said Sundays were a day of rest had not been to this house!

Beautiful things!

Some more lovely things to dream about!

Dollydagger

Some more lovely things!

Well, I made it through Friday!

Phew! Busy day! I was up at 6 to go to work. Back to finish getting the kids ready early so we could take Rob to the station for the 8.20 train to Bury as he is off out for his Christmas party tonight. Then back to Mendlesham to take the kids to school . I then looked after my friend Jo's little boy while she took her daughter to school as he wasn't feeling very well. That done I drove back to Stowmarket to do the weekly shop and then over to Bacton to get the coal. Got home at about 11.45 and unpacked the shopping. Had lunch and the put my feet up for an hour before going to the school at 2 for the sharing assembly. Back home, kids round Jo's and then back to work. Back home, fire lit, kids feed and bathed ( I had fish & chips!) They are now in bed and I am about to chill with a glass or two of wine! What a day! Did manage to get 2 bath sheet for £10 at Asda. Bargain!

The tooth fairy does exsist!

Sofia lost her second tooth yesterday at school. It came out at lunch time and there were a few tears but she soon cheered up with the thought of the tooth fairy visiting ! When she got home she sat and drew a picture and wrote a note for the tooth fairy and placed them under her pillow along with the tooth. The 'tooth fairy', who was rather worried about waking Sofia when he....sorry....she retrieved the tooth from under the pillow, left a little note in writing so small I couldn't read it and also a shiny pound coin wrapped in a pink ribbon. Sofia was really happy to wake this morning to find these little treasures under her pillow...at 5.30am! Also amazed to find the picture had gone too.

Rob is hoping that Sofia will grow out of expecting a note every time! I gently reminded him that he will have to do it all again soon when Lucas teeth start falling out :o) .

Jobs for the weekend.

Well, Friday will be mainly cleaning and shopping. Saturday I have an eye test in Bury St Edmund's. I am hoping to get the trampoline set back up too so the kids can get off the Wii and get some fresh air! Going to do some work in the garden to and get it all nice and tidy and ship shape for the spring. Would also like to get to a carboot sale if I can, really would like some cups and saucers.

Christams cake

And this went down really well at christmas too!

Recipie for tomato relish.

This is lush too!

Recipie for Green tomato cutney.

Recomend this if you have a load of green tomatoes that are slow to ripen!

Wednesday

Well, its a wet and miserable day here in Mendlesham. Managed to get the kids to school without getting wet then back home for coffee with my neighbour. My cat seems to have developed a liking for clawing the carpet! Will have to put a stop to that. She also likes to bolt up and down the stairs and leap around the bedroom at the moment, its like a herd of elephants running around the house!

Rob is out AGAIN on Friday! Only good thing about this is that I can get the shopping done. Bad thing is I have to get up at stupid o'clock to go to work and then take him to the station before taking the kids to school. Its all a bit of a scramble! Then I will go to work in the evening before collapsing on the sofa!

Not sure how much longer I will do this blog for. I don't think anyone is bothered about reading it and as you can see, my life is not that exciting!

Shopstyle

Handy site for shopping for an outfit!

Monday!

Not very exciting, trip to the hospital for tests. Results in 3 months! Till then carry on ! By the time I got home I felt worn out with all the pulling around so I pretty much crashed out in front of the telly. Hate feeling so tired all the time. Just want to feel full of energy!

Cleaning down. Couldn't get in to the big hall because Am Drams were in there....again when they were not supposed to be! Oh well, they wont be there much longer. Kids have been fairly well behaved today.Now about to have a cuppa before bed.

Told you it wasn't very exciting!

Sunday!

Nothing much happened! Took the kids for a walk in the millinium woods down the road from where we live. They enjoyed running around and hunting for the Gruffalo! Didnt find him but found where snake, squirrel, fox and owl lived! Then it was back home and a quick check on the preschool hall as it was junior footie on saturday and they allways leave a muddy mess on the floors. Cooked a lush piece of steak for dinner and knocked up a banana cake.

Kids bathed and settled in bed and im toasting infront of the fire watching the skating. All in all a happy Sunday!

A quick sketch

A little sketch I did of my daughter while she was playing games on the laptop.

Saturday

Saturday has past by with out too much drama. Got woken up way too early though (kids) Got their breakfast and then lounged on the sofa for an hour. Popped into tescos for some odds and ends and then went over to Finbows to go to Lawes hardware shop and get some kindling for the fire. Also picked up a bargain book in the second hand furniture shop. A very heavy book on plants called, The Royal Horticultural society Encyclopedia of Planting Combinations. Should come in handy as Sofia and I would like to plant flowers in the garden this year. I have started to stock up on seeds. Bought some good old fashioned Lupin seeds today.

Am Drams!

As I mentioned before, I now have a littl cleaning job over the community centre. It has two hall, the small one is used mainly as a preschool but is also used for other things in the evenings. Wednesday I noticed on my rota was MADS. Mendlesham amature dramatic society. They were supposed to be in there at 5 so when I got over their at 6.20 I was surprised to find it empty. Oh well, I thought, they could of just had a quick meeting! So I carried on and got done and then went next door to clean the loos in the main hall. Keep fit was in full swing in the main hall at this point. At about 7.30 the alarm started going off in the preschool so I nipped round to find about 15 'Luvvies' standing with the door open looking very confused! They said who they were and I put the code in to turn the alarm off. As I walked by one or two of them I noticed a strong smell of booze so assumed that they had spent the first couple of hours of their am dram meeting in the pub! Anyway, left them to it and finished my work and went home. Turns out they left it in a right old state and someone was sick out side! They also disrupted the keep fitters by going in and out to get bits of the scenery to paint!

Cant wait for next Wednesday!

Domestic Sluttery

Also this is a really good little website for ideas and recipes !

Lush dresses by Zombiedolls !

Just got to share these lush dresses! They are made to meassure and im hoping to have one made to wear to my sons wedding in the summer!

I know, I know...its been years!

Im so sorry! Im very lazy and not very good at sticking to things am I? Well, here we go again! Quick update. Sofia is now 6 and 3 quarters and Luca is now 5. Both are at Mendlesham primary school full time and doing really well. Its such a lovely school with only 3 classes and round about 60 children. The teachers are all very friendly and the school is a really happy place. Both are doing great at reading and are both ahead for their ages. Sofia is in year 2 but already tackling year 3 work.

I have landed myself a lovely little job cleaning the small hall and large hall. I only have to do the loos and kitchen and have a quick dust round. The small hall is used as the preschool 5 days a week and the large hall is used by the school and also hired out for other events. Its not a hard job and I get school holidays off and I also get paid for them ! The small amount I earn is really helping us out.

I have also made some lovely friends here in the village. Jo is a great friend to me . Her kids are slightly younger then mine and she is also younger then me but we seem to get on really well and help each other out with child care as she also works part time. Sharon is a great neighbour and we manage to have plenty of coffes together! Also we go for long bike rides in the summer. Talking of which, I cant wait for the weather to start to get better. I need to get out in the garden and have a big clear up. Sofia wants to grow flowers this year but also I will be planting tomatoe plants as the chutney I made went down a storm in the village!

Some people might find it hard living in such a small community but after living in the city I find it so much better. I have more friends here who I can count on then I ever had in Norwich! Everyone say hello when they walk past, some stop for a chat. You can be as little or as much involved in village life as you want. I have helped out at the school christmas play by serving the teas, coffes and mulled wine and also made cakes for the numurous sales that take place.

Thats all for now. I will try to keep this up. I dont even know if anyone ever reads it !