Perfect housewife cupboard

The Chuckle Brother from another Mother,kindly woke us with a phone call this morning.We never got to use our new shower this week ,as it leaked straight away.He advised us he would be here after lunch.We’ll we are still waiting and its 9pm!!!!

Lucky for me (and him) Hubby is very good with his hands!!!! He reckons that's why I married him.Both me and my sister married men good  with their hands!!!!

So sick of waiting ,he took the defunct part back to the plumbing shop ,exchanged the part TWICE and fitted it himself.He assures me it’s now working ,but that will have to wait for another day.

He’s upstairs now cutting and drilling away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He’s started on my new linen cupboard.Every ten minutes I get called up for the next position for the shelves.

I LOVE everything to look neat and tidy.Ever since I saw Anthea Turners perfect linen cupboard on her show,I have had to have one.

Every piece of linen she owned was white.

Every shelf was labelled.

Pure heaven.

So from then on I only bought white bed linen and towels from The White Company and the such.But Anthea, obviously wasn't renovating an Edwardian house.The towels soon looked like they had been dragged around the garden a few times.The bed linen is impossible to get the creases out of.

So all the towels are now all in a pile to got to the dump.I have streamlined the bed linen.Now each bed has just two changes of linen.I have to think of a way to mark the fitted sheets.We have two double beds, a king size and a single.They are all the same colour so I never know which sheet is which.Any ideas how I can mark them?

I have a day scrapping tomorrow with this clever lady.We are going to be making a mini book and a layout with Kaisercraft apparently.I am looking forward to having a look at her new book.

I had another baking session today.Just six massive cupcakes.I am looking forward to buying some cupcake inspired bits in Chicago.I definitely need a proper piping kit.I know a bad workman always blames his tools.But I have the smallest nozzle you have ever seen.(That reminds me of something Husband said on one of our first dates)I haven’t tried the cakes yet as my son just surprised me with yet another Mc Flurry.

I wanted to scrap some pictures of the day we went to choose Teddy in February 2009.We’d had a week of snow,but I didn’t want to miss out on the little cutie I’d been sent a picture of.We jumped in the car and drove all the way to Wisbech.I should have left the moment I saw Teddy's high jumping,neurotic mother.

But how could we resist this popped belly

and his little snub nose and square face

Little did we know that he would turn into the little terror that he is.Who would believe it of this little cutie.

He’s lucky we love him,even though all my new knickers now have holes in,he has an intimate relationship with Ryan's arm,he licks all the paint off my kitchen cupboards and insists on dragging me on every walk.

But then I suppose we’re not all perfect…..

Well except me…..

(wo)mans best friend

I know I keep ranting on about the Pioneer Woman’s blog but her latest assignment  was to post pictures of your dog.The first time I ever posted a picture on her flickr site I didn’t notice that there were 22,000 others!!!!

Because she gets so many people posting,she gets sent the most exquisite photos.

Check out the pictures she’s picked so far as her favourites here.The flickr assignment group is well worth checking out.Teddy is in there three times amongst them.See if you can spot him.The pictures made me ohh and ahh and laugh out loud.You can see that a dog really is a (wo)mans best friend for a reason.

I’m hoping to do some scrapping today.But I am waiting for some strong painkillers to kick in for my back.I feel tomorrow could be the day for a spot of stash shopping.I need some new papers to get my creative juices flowing.

Thanks to all the new people for their lovely comments.I LOVE comments so please take the time to say Hi.That includes you Andrea,Tasmin,Chris,Judith and Linda.Sometimes I feel like I am talking to thin air.

CAPTURE

(birds)

rain drops or snow drops???

What were three ladies to do?

The weather forecast was dreadful for the coming days.Rain,rain or sleet and rain.But there were only a few more days to see the snowdrops at Benington Lordship.

So we dressed for rain and thank God we did.

As soon as we arrived the heavens opened.

The good thing was the gardens were empty so we almost had the place to ourselves.

We squelched around the muddy paths

 

 

 

thankful for having the forethought of taking wellies.Or in Hilary's case thankful it was pointed out that maybe her shoes weren’t a sensible choice?

So the three of us armed with cameras set off as a trio of David Baileys.

It will be interesting to see how different or similar our pictures will be.Here’s Sandra's take on the day over on her blog.That's her, pretending she knows what she’s doing.

I always prefer pictures with people in them,but I have been wanting to learn a bit more technique and there is no better way than getting out there with your camera.

I would have liked to have experimented more with different lenses,but the rain at times was so bad I didn’t dare attempt to change them out in the open.

Benington Lordship has a collection of 200 rare snowdrop varieties.To tell you the truth they all looked the same to me!

They proved quite difficult to shoot.You weren't allowed to walk on the grass and the ground was so wet that you had to shoot from above.I would have liked to have got down low,but my old lady hips aren't up to it.

Sorry for the serious overload of CAPTURE pictures,but that is what the day was all about.Well that,friends and cakes!!!!

CAPTURE

(Poor Teddy)

(shadows)

(raindrops)

(snowdrops)

(Gumdrops)

(backdrops)

especially for Scrappi Sandi.

Well you asked for it Sandra.So I couldn’t disappoint .Here's a snap of Hubby on our Wedding Day 24 years ago complete with bum fluff and earring.I MADE him get his ear pierced,can you believe.

I can hear you laughing now Sandra at Chris with hair.

It was a bit unruly and he used to pay £26 to have it cut at Vidal Sassons.

Looking back what a waste of money.

Luckily now he just needs a spit and a polish and he’s ready to go.

 

 

 

 

 

I used to get  my haircut there as well,into a graduated bob.I am just 21 in this picture.Look at my clavicles,I haven’t seen them for years.

I had to put on a stone to fit in this dress.I had hired the dress as it was umpteen thousands to buy and it had always been my dream dress.I had had my picture taken with it in a shop window the year before.I couldn't believe that I got to wear it.I had the headdress made by the designer,which I have kept in my Harrods wedding cake box.I have never regretted hiring the dress and I doubt if Tasmin would like to wear a meringue for her wedding day!!!

We are supposed to be spending the day photographing snow drops tomorrow at Bennington Lordship..But looking out the window now, we’d only be getting shots of the snow part.Big snow flakes are currently tumbling down from the sky.

I spent the day cooking/baking yesterday.More calories!I couldn’t have picked a more loaded with calories meal if I’d tried.Chicken alfredo fettuccine.They serve this a lot in the States,but I can never get it here.

Its one of those things you make like shortbread.That once you’ve made it you can never think about it the same.It was made with lots of butter,cream cheese and LOTS of parmesan.The chicken was soaked in milk coated with breadcrumbs and yes you guessed it,fried in butter.And I can’t have pasta without bread,so yes,I had to have garlic bread to accompany it.I couldn’t move off the sofa all night.In fact I am a cross between a beached whale or an elephant seal.Take your pick.I still have some left for today.

I couldn’t just leave it at that.Oh No,not me.I had to go and make some cinnamon cream cheese topped carrot cupcakes.Just in case the pasta didn’t kill me.I have been handing them out to anyone today who visits .Otherwise it will be me that eats them all.I have no will power.

My friend Judith asked how my weight was going.I told her it was safe to say UP.I am blaming all these calories on this website and The Pioneer Woman isn’t helping.When they put such appetising pictures on their sites I then can’t seem to get my head around a slim fast shake.Life seems too short.

Oh well,at least I am now too old for bikinis according to my daughter.That's one plus point.Oh and the fact the wrinkles get filled out more.

2 men in a shower!!!!

The bathroom is finally all plumbed in.My Son has named my Husband and Andy the plumber- The chuckle Brothers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not sure which one is Chris?

Both of the above are of course much better looking than this pair.

Andy certainly has the right accent as he’s from Doncaster.Poor thing.

And Chris did on our Wedding Day have a Chuckle Brother moustache  (and hair)

I left the two of them in the shower assembling the cubicle-“to me ,to you” and popped to my sisters and off to St Albans for a spot of  finishing touches shopping.

Armed with a pad and pencil I had to dash around my Sisters house as if was Ann Maurice,The House Doctor.

My Sister will admit she doesn’t have the eye for detail like I do.Or in other words the OCD or anal retentive gene that I have.Her house has just gone up for sale and she had two viewings within half an hour of me arriving.

She needs to sell it pretty fast,as she owes me a ton of money,plus interest.Poor old me has been having to go without.

Sometimes you just can’t see what's in front of you,and you need a fresh pair of eyes.So I am sure Dave is thrilled to now be repainting the spare room,waxing all the wood,and rubbing the staircase trim down.Among a few other jobs.

Last I heard they were on their way to Ikea to replace all the crappiest lampshades I have ever seen.

So I hope they will get a quick sale so they can start planning the interior of their new house just around the corner.Hang on let me rephrase that “ so that I can plan the interior!!!! Me and Andrea couldn’t be more different when it comes to decorating she’s Miss Beige and I LOVE colour and “stuff”.She spends three months trying to make a decision and then goes for what I told her in the first place!!!!Kitchen in point Andrea!

This building site is her new home.

I grabbed the opportunity to have a photo shoot with the girls.I even jumped on the trampoline,but my bladder wasn’t up to it.Unlike Tayas????

My Sister has kindly said the girls can come and live with me when I start Karen Russell's photography course in June.Sadly I had to decline the offer.My nerves wouldn’t be able to take it.

I put together a layout with some of the scraps left from the Crafty Stash crop kit.

I finally got around to the third crop layout by Tracie Hudson.I love how varied all the layouts have been from this kit.Plus I still have loads of stash left to play with.

                                  CAPTURE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          (home is where the heart is)

bathing beauty

I am lucky enough to live opposite a Nature Reserve.But for the last three days there have been diggers there and thick smoke from a huge bonfire.

Finally the two days of rain stopped and off I went to investigate.The hedgerows are full of rabbits and according to my husband they have eaten all the roots of the trees ,thus killing them.They looked nice and green to me,as they are all, covered in ivy.But to open the pathways and area around the natural springs they have had a major man fest.By that I mean lots of chopping,mud and the Holy Grail  a huge bonfire.My husbands idea of Heaven.

As you enter the field you are greeted with this sight of Armageddon.They  have torn down all the hedgerows bordering onto the allotments.Where has the bench gone,and all the rabbit burrows??And this is just the beginning ,they are working into March.

There used to be a tree here that just gave you a glimpse of the pathway beyond.

But that has now gone,exposing the wood beyond.When I checked out the trees around the wild meadow,bordering on to the reserve,the trees did indeed all look dead.So I think there is a lot more chopping and burning to be done.

On our way around we found parts that had been opened up that I had never seen before.I found trees with rope swings and a babbling river and massive reed beds.

But the biggest shock was to come.

There are lots of pathways leading into the reserve from the meadow.But I have only once dared to walk there unaccompanied.It was overgrown and you felt very much on your own.But a bank of trees have been cut down,which has made a huge difference.

Yes at the moment it looks ugly.But for the first time ever I walked past this spot to the natural springs.

Teddy had a field time paddling in the water and mud.

He had a drink from the spring and said it was delicious.

There are big plans for all this area to be cleared and left as grasslands.

 

Teddy thinks its great we have a new area to explore and walk in.

There was one little problem -the mud.We were both covered.And I mean covered.

So I tried washing him in the sink,but it was no good ,it had to be a bath.Teddy has only had one proper bath in his life.He has a pedicure regularly,but he is such a fastidiously clean little dog that he’s never needed one.

The under floor heating was switched on under the new bathroom floor last night and the bath is up and running.So Teddy had the first official bath in the new room.Hubby will be pleased……

Teddy then spent the next half an hour rubbing himself on the walls and floor.He’s worn out now and curled up in a ball on his chair with his hot water bottle.

CAPTURE

(spin dryer)

(help me)

(abandoned)

(home)

(????????)