ho Hum

Well, I cannot believe it's Christmas in almost a week. Still got things to do and not getting them done!!

Mainly because I can't be bothered! Another reason is I haven't time. Working quite a lot recently and it takes it out of me with little energy or time left for the mundaneties. we have to cram everything into 2 days it's mad.

Next week involves a lot of baking. I've decided to give cakes and cookies as presents to the adults as I'm too skint for presents. But it takes a lot of time to do. I enjoy doing it but not under pressure. Tuesday is another Women v cancer cake sale so I'll be baking from Sunday for that! A few early mornings and long days coming up interspersed with night shifts!

At least I am on holiday the week after new year and we are going to a log cabin near here for some r and r. We rarely get time together as a family thanks to my husbands place of work. I am grateful he has a job but they dictate our life's completely, it makes me so cross!

www.quarrywalkpark.co.uk I hope it's as good as it looks!!!

My next baking adventure is whoopie pies. Supposed to be the next big thing after cupcakes. And much easier to do, if you get them right!!

Made it back alive.

Well, I made it back from Scotland alive. My car was eventually freed by a tow from Richards friend, thank goodness but it's now making a decidedly funny noise so needs looking at. Which will no doubt cost money! Money that I haven't got. It's quite busy at work so there is extra shifts but it's trying to fit them in without missing out on too much sleep......

It was lovely being away from home in a way as I forgot all about bills, money, work, how much I have to do etc etc and now I'm back it's all back again. Its not the same cleaning your own house as it is cleaning someone else's that's for sure. I hate cleaning my own yet didn't mind doing Trudy's house as I knew how grateful she would be that it was clean and tidy when she got back. The stack of ironing in the lounge is enough to send me running alone!!!

I also dread the prospect of doing so many nights. They leave me feeling absolutely rubbish and then it impacts on my home life and I have a short fuse and get really grumpy and cannot be bothered to get dressed let alone do anything else!

I do love this weather if we were prepared for it like other countries are. My car certainly doesn't like this weather at all. The cats aren't so keen either and we've had to put cat litter tray down again as they keep pee'ing in the house!! It was -15 when I came home from work yesterday morning and one of the little blighters had pee'd on the settee!! The cushions of the settee are huge and it had gone all the way through! Little bugger.

My hubby was off yesterday so we decided to go out for a bit together as we haven't seen a great deal of each other recently. Nipped to Costco where I bought some supplies for the cake sale in a couple of weeks time. Then I couldn't get what I needed so we headed into town. I was dressed for the Arctic and the Westfield centre is always overheated so I could only last an hour there before melting! We then had an impromptu visit to the pub and had fish and chips for lunch and I had a lovely big glass of Malbec! Needless to say when I got home I went straight to bed and didn't wake up until 10p.m! My poor daughter has hardly seen me in a week and won't be too chuffed that I have to go to work tonight either and potentially tomorrow as well!!

Still when the devil drives..........

Icicles

Today is freezing everywhere I think but I can see some sign s of a melt happening.
The boys are falling out every hour or so and I think that's normal? I wouldn't know I only have one child! The little girl is a sweety and much better today. No chundering and being cute and cheeky. I love her Scottish accent. So cute. I've painted her nails, not sure mum would approve but there's always nail varnish remover 8-0
The boys are meant to be going for a sleep over if Rich's friend can make it without too much hassle. If not I may be in for a tricky evening!!! Bribery may be the way forward I feel!
I'm very much making myself at home here. I'm drinking their booze, eating their food, wearing the lady of the houses socks and cardigans (s'ok she's my best mate) wearing the man of the houses slippers, my feet are like blocks if ice!! Good job they have a new washing machine or I'd have to wear her pants and jeans! Well I wouldn't actually as she is 2 sizes smaller than me! Wouldn't that be a hoot. I'd have to wear Richards extra large track suit bottoms. Gorgeous!! Perish the thought.
I was going to attempt a trip to the cinema but it's bloomin freezing and slippy out there. I'm bad enough on 2 feet without adding ice to the picture!!

Mamma Mia

Here we go again.....rudely awoken by the eldest children shouting 'she's gonna puke, Nita, she's gonna puke'! Which sure enough she did. Poor wee sausage.
Luckily a friend of Richards (the man if the house) came over to entertain the boys a bit and bless him, he cleared the drive for me to try and get my car on it as the streets ate chocker with snow. I went down to
Move my car but no avail. The tyres just skid like a dog on Lino. I daren't move it in case it gets stuck in a worse place. At least it's not in the way there. Knead hoping to be able to nip to the shop for a sneaky bottle of plonk! Port again tonight!!

The boys came back from the park and were more hyper than yesterday! Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to get out to somewhere as long as Edie is not being sick we should be able to. Only 2 more days to try and entertain them thankfully. We had dominoes pizza for a treat tonight, how expensive??? The boys asked for pepperoni but actually only Finlay likes it so the other 2 picked the sausage off then didn't actually eat it anyway!

They shall have it for lunch and tea tomorrow as well!

Edie wanted to watch Mamma Mia yet again so we subjected to that. If I didn't know the words to Abba songs then I do now!!
There is supposed to be more snow tonight :-/ and it's really comd out there which won't be good if it freezes as it's harder to drive on frozen snow :-@ looks like I may be here for some time!!

House arrest

Well today started out with sick! Cocoa pops consumed then advent calendar sweet then little girl heads upstairs to the boys bedroom and puked on the duvet and the shag pile rug!!lovely. Wouldn't be so bad but no washing machine in the house. That was due to be delivered today a d considering there had been another 4 inches of snow overnight, I thought it was highly unlikely it would be here today. So I set about washing the sick off what I could before number one son puked from the smell of it.
Ithen went out to clear the path just in case the delivery guys managed to get here as the path up to the house is high and lots of steps and slippy!
Just as I was clearing the path the delivery men arrived and bless them they managed to get the machine in and plumbed it in and the old one out! I gave them cake to take with them as they refused a cuppa because there was so many other deliveries to do, they didn't have time.
Yay now I Can wash pukey stuff!
Went out to finish clearing the path when grandparents arrived with much needed milk and bread and other goodies!
Hurrah successful day!
Only thing missing is vino! Thought it may be a bit inappropriate to ask the grandparents to stick a bottle of cab sav in!!

Oh well there is always a snifter or 2 of port to be had :-)

snow snow snow

I drove up to Falkirk yesterday in the snow (not a good idea)The M6 was fine up to Shap and then oh boy, even I was nervous driving through it. One lane open and 20 tonne trucks overtaking me!!! Nutters. All very well for them, they could squash me like a fly and wouldn't even realise it!

It got a bit hairy on the m80 took, after I'd taken a wrong turn through some road works and ended up on an industrial estate then found my way back thanks to satnav!! It was getting very late. Just after midnight I managed to get back on track but then ground to a halt wehn a car got stuck and needed towing out the way. The other lanes were blocked with snow and we had to wait for the plow to come and clear a path.

We only had to wait 15 minutes or so and then on the way again. The SatNav is telling me 'at the next roundabout take the second exit' What roundabout??? I couldn't even see one! Thank goodness it was late and there were no other cars about.

Buy twenty to 1 I managed to get to muy destination but then there was a problem of where to leave the car! I tried, in vain, to get the car up the road to my friends house but got stuck, so I reversed out and tried the next street but there was nowhere to park. The pavements are covered in 2 foot of snow so I couldn't even put it out the way! I attempted to put the car 'out the way' a little but realised it perhaps wasn't the best place then tried to reverse out.....erm nope that wasn't going to happen! Forward?? erm nope that wasn't going to happen either. I got out the car and checked I wasn't totally blocking the road or drives and it seemed ok and it was nearly 1a.m so thought f it and left it! When the snow clears it may well be parked in the middle of the road!

My friends had gone to bed and I was pretty bushed myself so hit the hay. It had been a long drive, concentrating so had for so long (no puns please!)

Trudy (whom I am visiting) turns 40 today and her husband had booked a hotel and flights to Marrakesh for it. Her parents were supposed to fly up and look after the kids but the airport is closed and not surprisingly won't drive up. So I thought I would!!! It can't be that bad can it?? er yeah 3 foot of snow everywhere! The roads are a nightmare and the schools are closed too it's that bad!

It's bloomin freezing and I've raided Trudys wardrobe already for winter woolies and nicked Richards slippers as mine are in the car. I couldn't manage to carry everything up the hill last night in the snow so left behind unessentials. Turns out slippers are essential as my feet are like ice!!! And I'm totally unsuitably dressed for the weather too. I thought I was prepared but sadly not.

Trude and Rich are at the airport now and have checked in but their plane is 'indefinately delayed' so it looks like we'll have to have a house party instead!!! yay.

Right must be off and entertain children!!

Talents

I watched a programme the other day where this 15 year old boy played the piano like he'd Bern playing all his life. He wrote his own piece to play plus could listen to something then play it back straight away. He said the notes were like colours in his mind. He had no desire to play the piano, ever but just knew he could do it so when he tried it he was a natural.

Why has he got this ability? How does he do it? What if we had talents we didn't know about that were hidden? How do we get them out? People practice for years and don't come half way near his talent. Should they give up? Should they persevere even if it takes over their lives and makes them feel bad?

I always wanted a chocolate Labrador but couldn't afford it. I wanted one for years, then I finally got one and it wasn't at all as I expected. She was hard to train, dirty, hairy and smelly but I knew that because I grew up with labradors but then I guess mum always did the cleaning stuff and hoovering. It shattered my dream and left me feeling a tad let down.

Same as parenthood. Thought I was going to be earth mother, all singing all dancing yummy mummy. Erm, no. I do the basics. It's not how I imagined.
I always wanted to be a writer but don't have the discipline to sit and write and it always sounds better In my head!

I don't have any talents I know of as yet but I'd love to be able to sing, dance, climb, play piano, guitar, whisper to horses! Does everyone harbour secret desires like this? Do they day dream of being great artists, singers, pianists whatever??

Why are sone people good at things they hate doing as well? Accountants who are excellent with figures but hate accounting who dream of being marine biologists but failed miserably at biology at school. Or the cook who dreams of being a singer but is tone deaf? Why do we dream about things which are out of our reach?

The mother who hates being a mother while the childless woman prays for a baby. There's not a lot you can do about it once you have children, a child. They are not like dogs who can be re-homed if you find it's not to your satisfaction or you split up so the dog has to go. A child is for life.

Why then doesn't the childless lady just say 'ok, I can't have kids, what shall I do now?' she doesn't. She will drive herself nuts thinking about it and trying over and over for that elusive baby. Human minds, your best friend or your worst enemy.

I always thought if you got what you thought you wanted that would be it. Settle down, chill. What if what you thought you wanted isn't what you need though?

Why do we get what we want but not what we need?
How do we know what we need?