heartbeat!

did you use to watch Heartbeat as a child.. not the one set on the Yorkshire dales with "Greengrass" and all sorts of different 1960s policeman .. but the childrens art programme with Tony Heart!!??

aww i use to love it anyways.. one of my favourite bits was the children's pics that were sent in and they would have the gallery .. i always wanted to send in a picture with my name underneath.. Charlotte age 8... at the time though i just wanted to draw wedding dresses or princesses so i doubt they would have showed one of my paintings!!..


anyways i have been collecting a few pictures over the past year.. as i kind of wanted to re-create the wall of flowers that is featured on the lovely Posy blog that I'm sure you all read..


well i finally got bored of my plain ol wall and figured i had enough to fill it..


..but then i got scared..lacked the confidence of filling the wall completely with pictures so just settled on a few for now.until i got used to seeing a few prints on the wall. this wall has been completely empty since i decorated in April


anyways I'm pleased with the result.. its like my little own heartbeat gallery .. and i feel like it brings the room in a bit more whereas before it felt a bit sparse !!

















this is one of my faves... i painted the frame cooking apple green by farrow and ball .. and i think the green of it works really well with the Albert Williams print..

I bet you didnt realise...

that in my spare time i was a delicatessen owner and sold hung up meats from my kitchen did you!!!??
having been inspired by littleGems blog to make a carrier bag holder .. i thought while the baby was having his lunchtime nap and oldest boy was watching cbeebies id have a go using an extra piece of fabric that i had left over..



anyways here's the finished result..it keeps making me laugh as it looks like a giant piece of pepperoni or salami just in floral!!!





i think i needed to cut it with perhaps a curved edge instead of making a long sausage!!



its got quite a few bags in it though so that will save us some space in the sink cupboard were usually plastic bags run wild!!..

Keep the change!

"keep the change"..did your mum ever use to say that to you when you went to the shop for her when you were younger??

. yes.. mine to.. in fact i think she said it to me so i wouldn't say "oh i lost it !" whilst slipping a marathon ( yes what is now a snickers!) bar up my coat sleeve or hiding a curly wurly in my pocket!!..

obviously it was never a massive amount probably enough to buy me a sweety treat anyway to me it was a huge amount!!

anyway in the present day. i work with my mum .. we work on the same reception.. there i was wondering what to do for my lunch hour.. didn't see the point in going up to town as i didn't have any money on me.. so up pops mum and says " i need some superglue . will you get me some and then you can keep the change!!!".. i was out of my chair and had my coat on faster than you could say "show me the money!!!"..

anyways i bought these pretty little things .. and how good is this and defo shows how Ive changed over the years.. i had change to give back!!

i got these lovely cushion covers 3 for 50p.. ( i know they might as well have given them away!)

these sweet little black shoes ..look at the lovely floral lining.. I'm thinking with thick tights and a little t-dress..

and a lovely cream and pink with grey edging Betty Jackson cardigan.. the photo doesn't do it justice but its lovely and i have a gorgeous plum and grey and cream tartan kilt that it will look perfect with !!

so here we are . a nice unexpected trip to town for free for me.. and guess what ..couldn't buy superglue any were how mad is that!!!

oh thank you all for your nice comments regarding my quilt.. oo I'm getting more and more excited as it takes shape.. I'm trying to take it slowly as well so I'm not rushing to get it finished and the end result look totally pants which is normally the case for my projects so I'm giving myself a night off from it and will tackle the sewing of the backing on etc over the next few days!!..

this week i'll be mostly

making a patchwork quilt!!!!!

have already sewn all the squares together .. just need to put it onto some nice backing and finish off with the bias binding..

as I'm utterly hopeless with this binding.. I'm going to get mummy dearest to help me.. ( in other words.. I'll bring on the cups of tea whilst she gets to it !!!!!)

more pics of this little project later in the week.. cant wait for it to be done!!!

cooking with mother!!!

if you go onto the "money saving expert forum" they have a recipe section on the "old style" forum.. its great..theres tons of recipes all that are pretty low cost but mostly scrummy!!

if you type in Old Style Recipe Index in the search part it should bring it up..

so me and the oldest boy thought we would make some gorgeous chocolate brownies with the base that's made from wheetabix... that's right wheetabix. it sounds a little strange doesn't it..but these are just gorgeous.. i love em.. they are so versatile as well .. you can put dried fruit in, nuts.. or just lots of different chocolate chunks.. hmmm I'm salivating as i type here!!

you will need four crushed up wheetabix.. ( get the little ones to smash them up..great fun!!)

( oldest boy is using the pestle from my pestle and mortar to smash up the wheetabix..going so fast you can hardly see him!!)

4oz caster sugar

4oz self raising flour

2tbsp cocoa powder ( i normally put more in for extra chocolaty goodness!!)

a packet of chocolate drops ( but you can just buy a big bar of chocolate and smash this up to!..Asdas own dark chocolate works very well for this!!) ...and anything else you want to add e.g fruit, walnuts, etc

mix all this up together and then take

4oz melted butter/marg

1 egg

stir both into the mixture...

pop into a baking tray .. i use a smallish raised lipped oven tray so that the mixture can rise a bit

you can use whatever really just depends how big you want it or how deep..

either stick in grease proof paper or whack a bit of butter around the dish with your pastry brush!

bake in oven for 15 mins on about gas mark 7

leave to stand for five minutes and then cut into squares and tuck in!!!!

guess what ...

hubby took the hint ...... heehee !!!!

Jugs Glorious Jugs!!

i have quite a few jugs that have been picked up over time .. but you know at this minute in time .. none of them have any flowers in.. ( hubby if your reading this.. please take the hint!!! )

the thing is i do have a thing for jugs.. I'm always on the lookout for them.. i never pass by the opportunity to buy one..does that make it an obsession .. and what would this obsession be called.. am i a "juglimaniac" !!!???....

what are your little obsessions for your home??

credit crunch blues!!!

upon hearing the letterbox go this morning .. i picked up the mail to find this sweet..lovely bursting full of gorgeousness book included with the mundane bills and circulars..

I'm sure you have had yours as well.

boy did i get the blues once i opened it..not because theres anything wrong with it or that its boring to look at it.

in fact quite the opposite .... its just soooo lovely. each page has something that jumps out at me and says please buy me.. please give me a good home..

like this gorgeous set.. it would look just so great in my house!!

but hey in these credit crunch times and hubbys work having been cut down to 3 days a week i just so couldn't pay miss kidstons prices!!!..

so i had a touch of the credit crunch blues and felt slightly sorry for myself as i tend to do at least once a week!!.. but then i got a grip on reality and thought of all the lovely things that id picked up from bootsales charity shops.. the sales.. none from cath kidston but i think all have a look of the vintage floral style she has ( and some of mine are vintage so even better yes.. go with me on this OK!!!)

so I'm going to stop feeling sorry for my self and think of all the lovely things i already have!!! ..

( how long my positive mental attitude lasts .. Ive no idea.. probably until about Friday morning!!)

anyways thanks for your messages ..baby has been a lot better today..his temperature has gone right down.. his chest doesnt sound as bad and we have had some lovely snuggles on the sofa together, so hes hopefully well on his way to feeling better...

its been a hard days night!!

well last night was not a night that i want to repeat in a long time..but hey we'll give it about 6 weeks and im sure it will happen again!

our baby has suffered from chest infections since he was born.. mostly around the time he is cutting a tooth.. he tends to get wheezy, ( is that how you spell it!!??) and his little chest makes all sorts of rattleing sounds..
over the holidays he had two bouts of antibiotics for this and hes had inhalers by the bucket load!!
so last night was a bit worse than usual his poor little ribs were really protuding from his little body and he was really struggling to breathe.. its so frightening when this happens as you just feel so helpless .. we rang the nhs direct who contacted the ambulance and they came pretty sharpish...
so off i trot in the amublance with a screaming baby.. at around 10pm.. having been in work till 7pm and still not having had my tea ( I'm so selfish arnt i!!).. the ambulance got about 10 mins away from hospital and decided to break down. so then we had to wait until another one could come and pick us up.. ( I'm now imagining looters trying to over turn the ambulance for all the medical equipment and drugs inside.. getting slightly worried at this point.. by the way i don't live in the ghetto so don't ask me were the looters were coming from!!)...
the next ambulance arrives and takes us to the hospital were for 4 hours we sat in the children's A&E Dept.. the baby suddenly decides hes alright and starts running around the ward wearing just his nappy and carrying my mobile phone ( even though theres signs every were telling you not to use mobiles!) but then again gets a high temp and rattly chest..
then we were sent up to the children's ward.. which is fair enough...but first of all.. they put me in a wheelchair and i have to hold him ..at this point he is wrapped in a sheet.. i felt mortified.. if anyone had saw me they would have thought that i just given birth to the worlds largest new born baby I'm sure of it ! and the nurse pushing me was tiny.. i did apologise for not having started my diet before she had to push me.. she did sound out of breath by the time we reached the ward!!
so once again we were in the children's ward were baby is wide awake, and I'm soooo tired.. its now about 6am and they send us down to the x-ray dept.. on my own i might add pushing the baby in a pram they have found from somewhere !!!.. so here i am walking through hospital corridors frightening myself by the reflection of myself in the windows..thinking theres bound to be a mad man sitting in wait to get me .. do i watch to many dramas on TV.. i really think i must!..
well i got lost about 3 times.. ended up in the wrong x-ray dept.. how many are there in one place..
10pm we went in last night.. 5.30 pm we left today... !!!!!!!
so anyways turns out bubs is OK.. well hes not.. hes still wheezy and rattly and is now on yet again another inhaler.. i just wonder how many times we have to go through this before they say yes we do think its asthma that he has!
i really do believe that he has asthma and probably with regular use of an inhaler we wouldn't have the problems with his chest that we have.. its soooo frustrating and frightening for him as well. seeing your baby in pain is just horrendous isn't it..
at the minute we've settled him off hopefully for the night as he really is in need of a good nights sleep.. the big brother is at my mother in laws for the night so he hasn't got him waking him up at some ridiculous hour playing with his cars!!

anyways sorry to bore you with my night of hospitalisation .. but i really felt the need to write it down.. call it sleep deprivation .. Ive still not gone to bed but when i do.. I'm in for a treat haha..
i have put on my bed my new ( well obviously not new.. but new to me.. !) throw for my bed.. I'm in love.. its so pretty..


just look at the detail around the edge and in the middle.. i love it...

now my bedding is white and this does have a cream background so I'm going to have to sort out the pillow situation as i don't want it to end up looking dirty against the white!! honestly the dilemmas!!
so i think for tonight its going to be an early night in my cosy pajamas.. some trashy mags

and perhaps a hot chocolate

tomorrow work have told me not to come in so its just going to be a snuggly day with me and the baby.. we hopefully we'll catch up on our sleep.. honestly being a mum is a full time job and a half isnt it.. but i dont think id have it any other way !!!!

red....

i love the colour red... and i think my baby just looks the cutest in his baby gap red dungarees.. here he is watching " In The Night Garden"...mesmorized.. always guaranteed atleast 10 mins were i can wash up, stick the washing on, make myself a drink, and i know he isnt climbing the stairs..getting onto window sills or sitting in the fridge !!!!

The unintentional collection!

about a year ago i bought myself some lovely little polka dot egg cups from the charity shop...
i thought they were a little bit Emma Bridgewater inspired ..

a few months after that i found the little toast rack that matched in another charity shop aww i thought how cute.. it matches my egg cups.. nice for egg and soldiers to match!!
then in the summer at a local car boot sale i found the T-pot for somthing silly like 25p!!

on my lunch today i took a stroll up to the charity shops as since work was closed last week and i have the children all other times i don't really get to have a look round .. i literally ran up there as i have had cabin fever!!
and came across these two plates, two saucers and lovely cups. which just look perfect for hot chocolate and a load of squirty cream!!!.




so now i think i may have the full set.. or at least some of it and i never intended to .. its amazing how things come together as you go along buying from the charity shops..
and i think it may have all come to at least £3.50!!!!!

winter wonderland

how very fitting it is , that when you surround yourself with scenery like this

its only right that you partake of a tipple or two of something called this on a Friday night !!

have a good evening and is watching celebrity big brother your guilty secret to !!!?????