Happy New Year

 

Happy New Year to you all

 

Just wanted to wish each and everyone of you a Happy New Year.  However you are celebrating tonight, whether you are snuggling up close at home with a loved one, or going out on the razzle to a party, hope you all have a great time.  Please remember though don't drink and drive.

 

 

 

I hope that 2008 will be a wondrous year for everyone.  I hope it will bring you good health, and prosperity, joy, peace and love, and more.

 

I have not been in J-Land very long, just a few months and I have enjoyed every minute of it.  Everyone I have met has been kindness itself. I thank you for all your wonderful comments, and for inviting me into your lives and homes.  God bless you all.

 

 

Update on the two left shoes.  We decided in the end to drive Laura to town, as we thought it would save a bit of diesel. It is seven miles each way to the train station, which would have meant we had to do four journeys.  It is 15 miles to the town where she bought them from, so we decided to drive her there.   If you are still reading this long winded entry.  I salute you. :)

 

Anyway to cut a long story short.  LOL.   She did indeed change them.  So she is all set for the party tonight.

 

We don't usually go out for New Year,  but for some reason we decided to get tickets for tonight.  I have been told it will be a good night.  I hope I can get some photos to show you.

 

The sausage casserole was delicious.  I have asked Ade to write me out a recipe to share, but Ade doesn't really follow a recipe, he just puts in a bit of this and a bit of that.  It works great.

 

 

I think I had better go now and get in the shower.  We only have one bathroom and there are four of us to have showers.

 

 

Have a great night tonight and stay safe everyone.

 

Two left feet!!

Good morning everyone.  It's a beautiful morning here at the moment, the sun is shining, a bit of a breeze, the birds are singing, and not many clouds in the sky.  I hope it stays like this all day.

 

Yesterday it rained, and rained, and rained, and then it rained some more.!!!!  Last night it was lashing across the windows.  Adam kept getting out of bed and saying I can't sleep.

 

My horrible cold that I had a couple of weeks ago is back.  I can hardly swallow this morning and my ears are aching.  Not good, especially as we have tickets to the New Years party.  I must say though I'm not that bothered about going.  I think Ade has a bit of a cold I can hear him coughing.

 

Laura is up and in the shower.  She has a busy day today. 

 

After our disastrous shopping trip on Thursday, I decided there was no way I was going shopping yesterday.  Laura wanted to go back to buy a new top for the party, so I dropped her off in town.  I know I am a mean mother!!!!:(  But she was going to meet Ade anyway.  She had bought some nice tops and a pair of black ankle boots.  Lovely you might say.  Errr no.  She had bought two left shoes.  We were in hysterics. I know I am a mean mother!!!!  The trouble was she bought them from another town which is like 15 miles away.  She is going to our nearest town to see if she can swap them there and if she can't then she willhop on the train.

 

It was my son Simon's birthday yesterday as well.  He was 30.  I didn't see him but I rung to wish him a Happy Birthday.  His knee is still mending although he is still limping a bit.

 

This week we have managed to miss the bin men and the recycling van.  it wasn't very clear in the newspaper when they were actually coming.  Wednesday is our usual day for household collection.  We are allowed to put out 2 black bin bags.  We thought they might come on Thursday, no they came on Wednesday.  Recycling is on Friday.  We thought they might come on Saturday.  No, they came on Friday and again this morning.  Grrrrr.  It looks like a trip to the municipal tip some time today.  Only I don't feel like it.

 

We managed to get my car MOT'd yesterday.  I think we were robbed.  They failed it.  I was not expecting that.!!!!:(  It failed on a broken bulb in the number plate, WTH and the track rod ends.  Fair enough it's not a big job and neither will it cost that much to put it right. I've only had the car since January this year, it's not a brand new car. It's about 5 yrs old, but even so.  Anyway they can't get the part until next Thursday, 3rd Jan. which means I can't tax it either.  The tax is up on Monday 31st. :(  Oh well these things come to test us don't they.

 

The saving light is that Ade is here, so I know we will have good food over the new year.  Sausage casserole was mentioned last night.  Yummmmmmy.  I will persuade him to move over here.  I will.  I will. :)

 

Well, I need another cup of tea.  And I have to go and drop Laura and Ade in town.  So I better get dressed.  See you all later.  Have a good Saturday.

 

 

Shopping and chips

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas day.  I hope Santa bought you everything on your list.

  

We had quite a quiet Christmas day.  Although we did have tears and tantrums before breakfast, and that was from the adults who couldn't get their presents to work.:)

 

The picture below is of Mark, Gail and Adam playing snakes and ladders on Christmas morning.

 

 

My son Mark and his girlfriend Gail came over on the morning bearing gifts.  I had some nice gifts.  A bottle of perfume.  Toiletries, which I love.  I don't think you can have too many toiletries can you????  I also received a hamper filled with little jars of jams and marmalades, packets of seeds for the springtime, and lots of other goodies.  I also received an adoption pack for an orang-u-tan, her name is Koyah, and she is 14 months old.  Her mother is called Ibu (E-Boo) and she is 20yrs old.  A neat gift I thought.

Adam had mostly games for his PSP, and some board games, lots of chocolate, a magic set which is very good. Lots of other stuff as well.

 

Has anyone ventured out to the shops yet.???

 

Me and Laura ventured to the shops this morning!!!  BIG MISTAKE!!!!! 

 

We didn't really have much trouble parking in the middle of town, but the shops were packed, the queues at the tills were a mile long.  Laura went to get a new outfit for New Years Eve, as we have tickets for the village party.  I'm sorry to say I left her in the shop and took Adam round town. I caught up with her later.

 

We didn't stay in town very long!!!

 

I don't know who's idea it was to drive to the retail park, but that was a BIGGER MISTAKE. We were stuck in a traffic jam for an hour, we didn't park, as soon as we were in walking distance of the shop we needed, Laura jumped out went in the shop and caught up with me in the traffic.  Annoyingly they didn't have what she needed. Grrrrr.

 

While we were driving there, we had a little brick kick up and bounce off the windscreen, now we have a little chip in there.  I wouldn't mind but I wasn't driving my car.  I was driving Keith's car.  Ooooops. I haven't told him yet!!!!!

 

 I have been without my car all over Christmas and probably I will not have it until New Year. Why???  Because I thought my MOT was up on Dec 28th.  Wrong it was up on Dec 18th.  The tax is also up at the end of this month as well.  I am not best pleased at my stupidity.:)

 

Anyway I had better go and get tea started, Adam has invited his friend round for tea.  So it looks like pizza, chips and garlic bread for them.  And I need to tidy up a bit.  It looks like a bomb has gone off here.

 

Have a nice evening.

 

Can't sleep, Ade, and The Polar Express.

 

It's Christmas Eve.  At last!!!

 

It's another early start for me this morning. 5am.  I just can't sleep these past few nights.  Even Adam was awake when I got up, but I think it is excitement in his case. I got a sleepy "Is it Christmas tomorrow Momma?", to which I replied "Yes, go back to sleep"  which I am glad to say he has!!!:)

 

It's very dark this morning.  I think there is a full moon, but there are clouds scurrying past it at the moment.

 

Well we braved the shops yesterday, and it wasn't as packed as I thought it would be.  We are going back today to get a few odds and ends that we forgot.  What is the point of doing a shopping list when I forget half of what's on it.!!!!

 

We took a couple of photos of our nearest shopping centre.  Correction, Laura took a couple of photos.!!!  The one below is Santa's Grotto which they have put up in the main square.  All the little animals dance, which you can't see. 

 

 

 

I love this clock. There are two parts to it, and a ball runs along a track and rolls down the spiral, you can just see the ball to the left of the clock.  On the hour the frog turns from side to side and blows bubbles which float to the floor, and all the little children are jumping about trying to catch them.  Some of the adults also.  You are never too old for bubbles. :)

 

Laura's boyfriend Ade has been here this weekend, and once again he has cooked us  some marvellous food.  Everytime he comes he brings food for us, and cooks.  He even cleans the cooker!!!:)  He is a treasure!!  No there is not another one like him at home.  I already asked.

 

This is Ade in the process of cooking our dinner a couple of weeks ago.  He hates having his photo took, but he did say I could put his photo here for you all to see.

 

I forgot to tell you about Adam's Christmas play.  It was performed on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday evening,

 

It was lovely. The singing was excellent, and everyone had done a good job of the costumes. The play was the Polar Express.  There was some funny moments in it, especially when the Wise Men presented their gifts to the Baby Jesus.  One of the gifts was sheep. "I bring you the gift of sheep" the wise man said, and then banged the toy sheep down with an almighty bang.  It must have given him a headache.  We thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

Adam dresed as an Elf.

 

 

Another picture of Adam

 

 

Well I had better go and get showered and dressed, before there is a queue for the bathroom.

Hope you all are ready for tomorrow, and have a Blessed day today.

 

 

Merry Christmas.......and updates

 

It is a very cold and frosty morning here today. It's white all over and so foggy I can only see to the back gate.  It's deathly quiet, not even a bird singing. There is a haze like when you open the freezer, just floating about.

 

 

 

It's only 7.30am on this cold Sunday morning and Laura informs me it is too early to be hoovering.  She may be right.  So I find myself here, just clicking away.

 

 

 

 

I thought I would take this time to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I would also like to thank you all for making me so welcome here in J-Land.  I haven't been a member very long, but I feel like I have known you all, all my life.  I would also like to send out thanks to everyone who has helped me and given me advice, your patience with me when I couldn't get tags to work was awesome.  I won't mention names because I know I will miss someone out and I don't want to do that, but you know who you are.  Thank you to everyone who has made me beautiful tags and snags, you are all a very talented group of people.  Thank you for all the lovely comments that you have left me. Thank you for inviting me into your lives and your homes.  I hope that 2008 will be a good year for all of you.

 

 

I love this tag it reminds me of my Oliver and Pixie when they keeps bringing me "presents".  They are "bad" cats!

 

I have a couple of updates for you while I'm here.

 

Simon's leg is healing.  He is off work now for at least six weeks, he had physio on his knee on Friday, and he is off the crutches, and just using a stick.  They say he has damaged the remedial ligament that goes down through the front of his knee.  So I think it is just a matter of time now.  They have told him no driving, but I think he will find that very hard to stick to.

 

And I have the quietest computer I have ever known.  No strange noises, no door slamming, no Elvis singing, nothing. I think you were right Kath, what I could hear was people on my buddy list coming and going.  I never knew people had sounds.  J-Land is so educational, you learn something new everyday. :)  It took me a couple of hours to find the settings I needed to turn off the sounds but I managed it.  But you know what.  I really miss those sounds now I don't have them, even though they used to scare me to death when I was here on my own and it was quiet.  Go figure eh!!!

 

Well it's 8.30am and it's got light while I've been sitting here so I'll wish you all a

 

 

 

Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

 

and thanks again, I am truly Blessed.

 

 

 

 

Hello Mom.....just wanted to let you know I've broken my leg!!!

Well what can you say to that!!!

This was not what I was expecting to hear from my son, Simon when he rang on Sunday.  Usually he rings to ask if we are at home, because they are coming over to visit.  Instead he said " Oh Mom I just wanted to let you know I might have broken my leg!!!  WTH!!!

On Sundays Simon plays football.  He's always played football on Sundays.  This Sunday was no different.  I am not sure of how it happened exactly, but he ended up in the emergency department having x-rays on his knee.

It turns out that they don't know if it is broken at the moment.  It is very swollen and he has crutches as he cannot put his weight on it.  They could see a crack on the x-rays but they are not sure if it is a break or whether his knee has always been like that.!!!

He had to go back to hospital  yesterday (Monday) for a review, but they have decided to wait for a while to see if it heals on it's own.  It could be the cruciate ligament??  Not sure if that is how you spell it!!

He has to go for physiotherapy? on Friday.  Needless to say  he is off work for at least the next two weeks.  This sort of injury is not good when you are a professional driver and drive articulated lorries for a living. :(

Anyway they will see how it heals over the next two weeks, and if it doesn't heal then he may need surgery.

I have told him he is getting to old for this football lark. :) 

And I think he is beginning to agree with me. :)

Oh well, still no quiet life for me!! :)

Your Monday Photo Shoot.

Your Monday Photo Shoot: What's On Your Porch?

This week, the Photo Shoot is going outdoors -- but not too far:

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Show us something of interest on your porch. If you don't have a porch, you can substitute front steps, back steps and patios. If you've none of those things, then just find something out the window. If you don't have a window, move.

 

 

 

I took this picture a few days ago.  There is a story to this little fellow.  But I'll leave that for another day.

 

 

Have a good evening.

 

Carolxx

Strange noises.

 

I suppose  I've had a strange few days really.

 

Saturday morning I woke up quite early.  Well, early for me on a Saturday.

I thought I would get up and catch up on my journal alerts.

I went down the list and started to read.

 

Suddenly this piece of classical music started to play.  The hair on the back of my neck stood up.  It was playing my absolute favourite piece of music.  I heard this piece a few years ago, and I have never tried to find out what it's called.  It was even played at Princess Diana's funeral.  And I have heard it playing on an advert the last few days.

 

My first thought was, I wonder how you add music to a journal entry.  My second thought was, she must know what it's called.!!!!  I left a comment asking if she could let me know.

 

I went to the next alert.  Started reading.  Suddenly the music started again.  Did I feel stupid or what!!!  The music was on my computer.  I didn't put it there, it just started playing on it's own.

 

Does anyone else's computer have strange music that just starts playing, or strange noises like doors slamming or bits of Elvis singing,  motorbikesroaring past.  It got so noisy a few months back, that I started to leave my speakers turned off and just put them on to listen to peoples videos

When Laura first heard it, she asked me how I did it.  I said I hadn't done it.  "Didn't it do that on hers."    "No," she said.

 

Is it something peculiar to my computer.  I don't know.

 

I think I need a lie down.

 

More later

 

Christmas Caroling thru J-Land.

I have seen and heard many peoples favourite Christmas Carols today.  So I thought I might try and post mine. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  Although anything Josh Groban sings just melts my heart.

 

Hope you all have a great weekend

 

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Updates and Christingle

 

I was awake at 3am today.  I just couldn't breathe,  my nose is still running, and so are my eyes.  My cold seems to be much worse today.  My legs are like jelly.  I cannot smell a thing.  I suppose it will just take its course.  I hope it has gone by next week as I have a dentist appointment.

 

Adam came to tell me last night that he could smell something burning.  It was a good job he said, because it was dinner burning, well not quite, managed to save it.  Laura had bought new perfume.  "Smell this" she said.  Yeah right.  I nearly sniffed the skin off her arm, but still couldn't smell it. :(  Oh well.

 

It was a very cold morning.  Temp -4.  Cold!!   Cold!!!  Cold!!!   Thick frosty covering all over, looks like a Christmas card.  My car window wouldn't open.  And it took a while for the windows to clear.  It took us ages to get to school this morning.  Traffic was backed up outside the school.  Adam usually goes on the school bus, but he had a bit of trouble at school yesterday, he came home in his P.E. pumps because some stupid boy had thrown his shoe on the roof, which took the teacher a while to get down.  So I decided to take him to school myself, he has a habit of losing things, and I had to hand in his elf costume for the Christmas play next week. 

 

I forgot to tell you that Keith started a new job on Monday, driving that's all I know.  He seems to like it and at least he is busy!!! and not under my feet. :)

 

What else.  My new carpet is growing on me, I have to say.  It looks really nice.  While the room is empty I decided to give it a really good clean.  Haven't finished it yet because I have to keep stopping for a rest. 

 

There doesn't seem to be much urgency now, as it seems no-one is coming to us for dinner on Christmas day. :(  It will be just the four of us.  We will be bored rigid.  Well me and Laura will be anyway.  I suppose if the weather isn't too bad, we could go for a bike ride or something.  It might be nice to have a quiet Christmas for a change.  I thought about going out for Christmas dinner, but I bet everywhere will be booked by now.

 

Adam's Christingle service went very well.  The children did a magnificent job.  They sang and read passages from the bible, and some of them are quite young but they are full of confidence. I was disappointed that no-one was taking any photos. Keith and Laura managed to get to the church just in time for the mulled wine and mince pies.  Laura did manage to get one picture of Adam with his Christingle and here it is.

 

 

What is a Christingle??  I'm sure you probably know but...

 

Christingle means Christ Light and it tells of God's gift to the world.

The orange symbolises the creation of the world.

The cocktail sticks are for the four seasons.

The fruit and sweets are for the fruits of the earth which God sends to us.

The lighted candle is God's love in sending Jesus.  Who is the light of the world.

The red ribbon represents the death and resurrection of Jesus.

 

Much more to say but I have to pick Adam up from the bus.  So I'll have to go.

 

Take care everyone.  Stay warm if possible and take care on the icy roads if you have to go out.

 

 

Yucky........and beige carpet.

 

Good morning to you all.

 

It's a very cold and crisp morning to day. Every where looks like it has had a dusting of sugar!!  The grass is crispy underfoot.  Temps were -3C this morning when I ventured out to take Laura to work which I  think is about 26F.  Anyway it is cold.  Brrrrrrrrr.

 

I took a photo of the sunrise this morning, the whole sky was red.  Beautiful.  The picture does not do it justice.!!!!!!

 

I woke up this morning with a rotten cold.  I haven't felt well for a couple of days now.  I've had a head that feels like it's full of cotton wool, a sore throat, aches and pains in my shoulder and neck, and a nose that thinks it's a tap. :(

 

 

Hip Hip Hooray.  We finally have our carpet laid.  It's not the best, it's cheap and tacky, but it looks presentable for Christmas.  And well...beige doesn't look that bad after all.  And the best bit of all we didn't have to pay, and we didn't have to claim off our insurance. :)

 

I haven't worked out how to do the photo album thingymijigg yet.  So I've just pasted the photos on.  I need more practise!! :) 

 

This first picture is our floor when we had taken the wooden blocks up!!!!

 

 This is the pile of wooden blocks

 

Floor boarded over

And now wait for it, wait for it,............ BEIGE carpet!!!

 

 

I know it's not too bad is it???  Is it??

 

This has been our dining table over the weekend.  Not very elegant but it served its purpose.  And Adam needed some where to do his homework.

 

 

Well this has been a very long entry, so I had better get gone.  I have shopping to do, and I'm not even dressed yet.  I also have the living room to clean and the furniture to put back.

 

It's Adams' Christingle service at the church tonight which I love.  I hope Laura and Keith make it in time.  I will try and get pictures, but it will be very dark in the Church as it is a candlelit service.

 

Hope you all have a great Tuesday.

 

 

Thank you to Sugar for this beautiful tag.

New floor and Elfs

Well it's nearly Friday, another week gone.  The days are just rushing past now!!

 

It's been quite a busy few days, for us. We are finally going to have our floor done.  Yipee!!! for the past two days we have been taking up the old floor, didn't think there was that many blocks!!!  So much dust and the smell in unbelievable.  Smells like a building site.  Tomorrow they are coming to board all the floor out, and on Monday they are going to fit the new carpet.  BEIGE.  Yuck!!! Sorry I have nothing against beige, if you like beige, but it's just not me.  I would have liked something a bit more colourful.  This is one of the things I don't like about living in rented accomodation.  No choice.  Well he did sort of give us a choice.  Gold or beige. :(

Anyway it will be done before Christmas and we will have time to put the tree up, and the decorations. :)  The timing will be tight, but we'll manage.  At the moment we have furniture all over the place.  The kitchen is unworkable in at the moment, but as long as we can get to the cooker on Christmas day we'll be fine.  Ho Ho Ho.

Last week I had a bed on the landing, now I have a bookcase and the glass top off the dining table.

 

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They are doing a Christmas play at Adam's school.  This year they are doing The Grumpy Goat,  and Adam's class are doing the Polar Express.  They don't seem to do the Jesus story anymore, the baby in the manger, the three wise men.  It's a shame really.

Adam is going to be one of Santa's helpers.  An Elf.  I bought him a costume on Monday.  I didn't really need to buy one, we could have dressed him ourselves, but he wanted a "proper costume".  I showed him what I had bought, and he looked at me as if I had gone mad.  His words were " but I'm not an elf"  My words  " What do ya mean you're not an Elf" or words to that effect.  It seems they had changed his part.  I was down that school the next morning.  Needlesss to say Adam is still going to be an Elf.!!!!!! Enough said

                              

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Still no snow for us here. Just very windy and rainy and wet and muddy.

 

 

Keith may have a job by Monday, he went for an interview yesterday and they will let him know by Monday.  So fingers crossed.

 

It will be a hard day tomorrow, as Laura has to go back  to the hospital for a scan.  I am sure it will bring everything back to our minds.  I am sure her body has recovered but her mind and heart, and mine will take longer to recover. 

 

Well that's all I have for now.  Have a great Thursday.

 

 

 

Village Bazaar. And sad news.

 

 

 

Happy Holidays

 

Whoo!!!   I can't believe it's December already. :)

 

I don't think we are going to have our decorations up in time for Christmas this year.  We still have not got our floor done. Keith is going down to the office tomorrow to tell them to get a move on.  I don't want to put our tree up until we know if they are coming to do the floor before Christmas or after  as we will have to empty the living room of all furniture while they remove the old floor and put the new floor down. They have told us it will take a couple of days to do it.  That's OK as long as we know when they are coming!!!!!! :(

 

The weather here at the moment is sort of mixed.  It's so windy I think it's going to take the roof of any minute.  I hate high winds for just this reason. We've had torrential rain, it's just been lashing across the windows.  At the moment we do have a bit of sun breaking through and the rain has subsided a bit.  We had a beautiful rainbow yesterday and another has just appeared.

 

Yesterday (Saturday) we went to the village Christmas Bazaar, bought a very nice table decoration which Adam chose, and a large candle which smells beautiful I may say.  Adam had a go on the tombola and won an apron, and a lovely little teddy and a candle shaped like a teddy, some bubble bath and some makeup brushes, all girlie things, nothing for a boy.

 

We also managed to do all the Christmas food shopping.  Our freezer is full of turkey and Gateaux, and all the delicious foods you really don't need for Christmas, but I suppose its tradition.  I just hope our finances can take the strain.

 

Tomorrow I think I had really better spend the day getting the house work done, at the moment it looks like a bomb has imploded.  I really must try not to spend all day and most of the night on this computer.  Still one good thing about the time I spend on here is that I'm learning to type faster.  Well you can't have everything can you??? :)

 

Hope you all had a great Sunday.

 

Thank you to everyone who left comments.  I really appreciate it.

 

Just hope I don't bore you all to death.

 

Maybe I do have a quiet life after all. :)

 

 

 

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Before I go I'd just like to send prayers to Indigo and Doc. Doc's mom sadly passed away this afternoon.  Condolences to them both.

Also sending prayers to Cindy and Joe.  Joe's mom is seriously ill and not expected to survive.