My way (#8).....

Over the years I seem to have developed some very definite ways of doing things and usually it's for a very good reason, so I thought I'd share. 


I'm a very amateur artist and like to paint in acrylics mainly because they travel well to my art group which meets fortnightly and also because they are great for covering up mistakes and changing my mind and painting over! However I'm quite mean with the expensive paints and also can't bring myself to pay out even more for the art-shop stay wet palettes! So I always use those flat(ish) plastic boxes that our Chinese takeaway comes in and first I line it with two layers of kitchen paper which I have made quite damp then top that with a layer of grease-proof paper. My paint gets squirted round the edge and the mixing is done in the middle (I rarely water down my acrylics so nothing is too runny, but if you need to you can use the lid then wash it up). At the end of the session I snap the lid on and make sure it is stored in my bag flat, or all the colours run to one end of course. Two weeks later I'll arrive at my art group, open the lid and be amazed yet again that the paints are mostly as wet as I left them!!!

Of course having these free, throw away boxes means that I can have more than one project on the go and more than one palette always ready. So easy to clean, just lift out the lining paper and throw away and start again, plus when they get really yucky there's no guilt in throwing the whole thing away.


What's your way?
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Instant decision...

Life went a bit manic here on Thursday....9:30am got a call from SisterM "I'm on my mobile so can't chat, we want to book a holiday and thinking of Florida, if you both come too we can get a package deal of flydrive with villa, what do you think?" I said I'd check with Hubby when he got home and email our free dates, she hung up!!!!!! Daughter arrived (full of cold) with the children, left E and O and went off with R shopping - R was running her own cafe here for lunch and had written the menu so had to buy the right stuff - then Hubby got home said yes so I text yes to SisterM and emailed our free dates in February and March.

Next call was SisterM asking for dates as she was already in a travel agents in Lakeside and obviously couldn't get to her email. Well to cut a long and confusing story of many phonecalls (even while I'm helping O do a wee) it was all booked and paid for before I'd finished my cafe lunch (which was excellent).......we go in just 3 weeks time!!!!!!!!!!!!! My head is still spinning hahahaha

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The holy grail....

...or the perfect bra!!!
As I'm now down again to one black bra that is losing its stretch and two slightly greying white bras it's time to go on the dreaded hunt again!

On a walk round the main lingerie departments in the high street there are rows and rows of pretty, sporty, lacy, colourful, sexy or perfectly functional boob supports on display that I will lovingly and longingly run my eye over and my eager hands through looking for my size, but I'm usually disappointed. Or I'll find what I think is my size and try it on only to discover that this brand is very definitely not my shape  :o(

I know I'm not your average size but I can't be the only short woman of very ample proportions that has this problem. All I need is to be supported enough not to bounce around without having wires digging into my ribcage, but all large sized soft bras are designed really old-lady-ish and I would so love to look good too.

Changing rooms are never quite big enough are they? And some don't even have a seat and I always like to sit as I'm short waisted so the wire on a bra may sit perfectly when I'm standing but really dig into the top of my ribs when sitting. I do own a couple of beautiful bras that are ideal for the standing around all night cocktail party, but we don't get invited to many of them and my feet would than object and shoes is another big issue that would need a blog all their own! Actually now I'm thinking more of my recent grumbles I should be including my hair style or lack of, as I hate it just now and not sure what to try next.......maybe I need a total makeover but think even Gok Wan would have a real challenge hahaha

Anyway let's just tackle one thing at a time, so today I'm back on the online shopping trail to see what is available now and maybe order hundreds to try on at home, then by the law of averages I'm bound to find something that fits my requirements....please!!!
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More excuses.....

Seem to be having a bit of a blogging block just now and I blamed the power lead but have borrowed my Daughter's lead now while a new one is on order, so this week I fully intended to write lots when I was hit by one of my famous winter head colds. I don't really know anyone else who gets laid up by a cold like I do or anyone who gets through so many boxes of tissues, cold sore ointment and menthol sweets as I do! From the neck down I'm fine, so it's not flu it's just a cold, but I so wish I could just leave my head in the bath and collect it when it's better. This is day six and it actually feels like it may be on its way out at last.................typed that too soon as just had to stop typing for a major coughing fit arrgghhhhhhh

Thursday evening I was fine, went out to my art group then onto our follow-on drinking hole to meet friends. Friday morning there it was, a full on head cold, no gradual build up, no warning just woke up with it :o(
Daughter had arranged to come and make dinner with her children for us anyway and when she saw me she insisted I sit and do nothing (bless her). She had to quickly throw together a sausage casserole (which was yummy) because all three children had chosen to make a different dessert, so yes we had three desserts. Daughter had sorted out timings really well and set the children playing ready to call in one at a time. So when she had got the casserole on she called O to make his cake first so he could then take a nap, R was next so her dark chocolate mousse had plenty of time to set and then E got called in to make her glazed mango upside down cake (she cooks unaided now). Meanwhile Daughter iced O's cake while he was asleep, he wanted it to be 'a present' like he had seen in his cookery book, so it was covered with white ready rolled icing, that had in fact stuck to itself so needed rolling (I could hear the cursing from the other room) then coloured some icing red and made a ribbon and bow. Dinner was really good and we totally enjoyed both R and E's desserts while O slept. When he woke he was thrilled with his cake but only wanted to eat a little himself and take the rest home :o)

Yesterday my wonderful Daughter popped in with O and brought two lovely bunches of tulips to cheer me up wrapped in lovely wrapping paper too along with some hot cross buns  :o)

The only other news this week is that Hubby went out and bought himself a new car.....but the least said about that the better really!
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Right hand keys only.....

In fact the title is mostly keys on the left, but it's not easy with only my right hand as my power lead has developed a bit of a dodgy connection, think a bit of wire is broken inside so the only way to power up is to plug in the lead to the side of the laptop and hold the wire with my left hand giving a gentle squeeze between first finger and thumb at the top and little finger at the bottom while forcing my wrist against the arm of the sofa so once connected it doesn't move.....don't arf give you cramp in your left arm!!!
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Nearly back to normal....

2nd January is Daughter's birthday so they were all here for a full roast dinner and I'd got all four children to decorate her birthday cake. Desperate to avoid the arguments of previous years, mainly of the "she did more than me" or "they've used all the sprinkles I wanted to use" or I can't reach because it's pulled nearer to them" variety I made a large rectangle cake and cut it into four quarters for them each to do their own and then with butter icing I put all four together and added candles and happy birthday signs (it looked good and I hope someone managed to get a photo of it because I forgot).

Yesterday Daughter and I left the men with the children and had our annual day together in town to shop in the sales for her birthday present clothes from us. Some years we do better than others and this year was one of the better ones. Only two things could have spoilt the day and they were really heavy rain and my bad choice of lunch, so apart from coming home soggy and hungry it was a really lovely mother-daughter time together. Actually achieved a bit more while child free as Daughter needed to sort out her porch storage system so we shopped for some large lidded plastic boxes and she sorted and cleaned and rearranged at her house before we heading home. We finished the day off with a yummy Chinese takeaway mmmmmm.

Today Hubby and I have de-Christmased our home. All decorations down and boxed and in the loft and everywhere cleaned, dusted and vacuumed. So apart from finishing up the leftover festive goodies and sorting out my social calender I'm all back to normal.
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First day = pain? .......

First day of 2012 and a very late start for me as I was far too cosy and comfy to get out of bed, well we had had a late night seeing in the new year and I'd had a few more drinks than I'm recently used to ;o)

Anyway, just enjoying coffee, a couple of christmas muffins for breakfast and a quick check on the laptop when Daughter text to say they had a mountain of food leftover from her party and did we want to share lunch with them. We said yes and Hubby said we should walk over so we arranged to meet them in a park half way between us so the children got some fresh air too. Distance between the houses is about 2 miles but it is a bit hilly and takes me about 45-55mins.

The weather is really mild and it was lovely to get out of the house, (feel like I've been house-bound and cooking for a very long time). When we got to the park we met us with Daughter and only O with her as the other children had refused to leave the house, in fact they had refused to even get dressed! So O had a good play on everything and scootered a bit on the way home, although he was disappointed that he couldn't use his scooter on a skateboard half pipe we went past, game for anything our 2 year old hahaha. As most of the walk from there was uphill O did get a ride in Granddad's arms for a while, then walked a bit more, carry from Mummy for a while, walked a bit more then a flying angel from Granddad for the last bit.

We had a lovely lunch with 7 of us round the table that was heaving with food that we seemed to all plough through but make only a minor difference to! Then a lovely relax in the lounge with the children watching TV or playing on M's iPad or iPhone (same game on both) and even O took a turn and can follow instructions really well. E had baked some lemon and poppy seed muffins from her new cookery book and I had one of those (and it was yummy), then it was time to head home. Of course that's the time for it to start raining and getting home nearly an hour later meant we were both quite soggy, but we had both enjoyed the walk.

So now after a couple of mugs of tea and being curled up on the sofa with my laptop I can honestly say I don't really want to move as I've stiffened up so much I know it's gonna hurt and probably will hurt more tomorrow! So roll on good weather and more walks as I need to get these old bones moving more often....till then I'll get Hubby to bring me some of the festive chocolates we have hidden  :o)
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