Sunday 27 August 2017

Project 365 week 34

Been a busy busy week and have not had five minutes to myself. No sewing or crocheting done, it seems to have been a week of go here go there do this and do that. Have been covering for holiday relief in a cleaning job I do when the normal cleaner takes her holiday.



Sunday

No overtime so Ziggy was still around when I got home. She spent time out in the garden learning about grass. She was fascinated by the texture and loved the fact she could pick it, and eat it of course. Her and Grandddad had about an hour of fun just picking and playing with the grass and a piece of pipe insulation which silly Granddad was using as a nose as well as popping on Ziggy's toes and hand.




Monday

Needed to do a bit of shopping so decided to take a walk along the river while I was in town anyway.





Tuesday

We took a run up to The Dogs Trust to find out a bit more about a few of the dogs we were interested in. Met one of them. Going back on Thursday for a second meet. Unfortunately the centre is an hour away so was a bit time consuming. Went for a walk up at Whitelees wind farm on the way home.





Wednesday

Took the car in to get the air con regassed. Fed up of stewing sat in traffic jams coming back from Glasgow and general day to day driving at this time of year. Also find it handy to unsteam windows in rainy winter weather as well. Took a walk along the river to kill the time I had to wait.







Thursday

Went back to see the dog again and refresh our minds on the history as was a lot of info thrown at us on Tuesday about various ones. The dog we are hoping to bring home needs a series of meetings before we can get him to make sure he bonds with us. Have to say they appear to be a much more professional organisation than the last one we got the dog from. The annoying thing is we probably got less than ten minutes with the dog despite being there for nearly 2 hrs.







Friday

Always try and do a baking so that I have something to take to work for eating in my break. Today I made time to make some peanut butter cookies, a quick simple recipe that requires little mixing. Added some sultanas to the recipe. Also made a banana loaf to use up some soft bananas.










Saturday

There was a competition running over on twitter and I managed to win a bag of buttons. I did read other people were winning dozens of packets but was not sure what I would do with dozens of packets so stopped at one.






Wednesday 23 August 2017

Splish Splash - fun in puddles

If there is one thing guaranteed to make my grandchildren happy it is puddles. Big ones or little ones they all go splash and fill the wellies if they jump high enough. It is quite comical to watch Spud run along side the twins trying to copy them and she toddles along with no hope of keeping up but she doesn't seem to mind too much and toddles along as best she can. She is still quite unsteady on uneven ground but manages fine on the pavement.
We have had a few trips out lately. Firstly I will share our trip to the park across the road.

The park is a good place to take them especially as they are getting that bit older Minky likes to attach himself to some of the bigger children and generally goes off to play without me now. This is not a problem as the play area in the park is relatively small, I can see most of it from anywhere in the play area  and it is fenced off from the road. This allows me to put the two girls into the baby swings and push them. Dinky loves the swings and would let you push her all the way to the top of the trees the whole time she is there. Spud loves the swing as well and she giggles her head off as you push the two of them. But Spud gets fed up of being in the swing before Dinky does so the two of them get taken out as Spud is much to little to play unsupervised and at this point Dinky will play about as well.

Spud

Spud and Dinky


Spud in a puddle


Spud is still quite unsteady on her feet on an uneven surface so this puddle was sat down in more than once. She actually ended up splashing her hands in the puddle as well and having a ball.
Spud and Dinky in the puddle

Minky playing with an older child 

learning new ways to swing a swing 

all aboard 

up he goes 


On the way out the park the girls decided to play in the puddle and spent ages runnung back and forth through it. Minky meanwhile had walked on ahead.
the best bit of the park.






A few days previously we had been for a walk along the back road. Spud loves to walk so this makes the walk rather slow but it was not about the distance but the fun.
Mum had told them we were going to be looking for things like butterflies,cows and beasties. Minky was going to be looking for dinosaurs and Dinky was hoping to spot kangaroos.


yes they found a puddle 

and another one

she could not resist jumping. Bob looks on bored.

Bob and I ended up wandering away a bit and doing our own think while they played happily. 

where you find two of them you usually find the third. 

climbing on a gate

and spotting cows at another gate.


The simple pleasures are often the best and we all had a lot of fun on our short trips minutes from home. We did spot cows and bees and butterflies but no dinosaurs or kangaroos. 


Country Kids

Six home remedies for a better night of sleep

6 Home Remedies for a Better Night of Sleep.png
6 Home Remedies for a Better Night of Sleep
On average, a person falls asleep within about seven minutes, although many people can take up to one hour to doze off, according to the Sleep Advisor. Time is precious, so if you aren’t in that lucky number that is able to snooze in seven minutes flat, here are some easy at home remedies you can try for a better night of sleep:   


  1. Try a long hot bath or a relaxing shower
One of the easiest things you can do to fall asleep more quickly is to relax yourself with a long, hot bath, or a relaxing shower.  Bonus points if you have lotions, bath bombs, or other amazing additions to make your shower more of a spa experience.


2.    Use aromatherapy or soothing smells
As mentioned before, there are a lot of products that can help you out in the bath or shower, and many of them have delightful scents and amazing aromas.  The reason for this is that aromatherapy can have such positive effects on your mood and how relaxed you are.  If you have essential oils, try lavender for a better night’s sleep.
If you don’t, find anything that has a scent that appeals to you and relaxes you, whether it be a favorite body lotion or candle, a melter, or some kind of room fragrance.


3.     Listen to calming music
If there is a particular song or artist that always makes you feel peaceful, now would be a wonderful time to put on headphones and play it, softly.  Classical music especially can have soothing and calming effects, but the type of music that is must soothing varies from person to person.  


The most important thing is that you put the music into a cd player, computer, or portable sound system and turn off all of the flashing lights-  you don’t want a laptop, smart phone, or tablet within sight because the electronic glare can keep you awake even longer. Not to mention, it could tempt you to check e-mail, stocks, or local news— and that can make you even more anxious before sleep.


4.     Drink a glass of warm milk or tea
There’s an old wives tale you’ve probably heard that says a glass of warm milk will have you dreaming in no time.  There’s no scientific evidence to prove that this actually works— in fact, most people say that although milk may contain tryptophan which helps activate the neurotransmitters needed for sleep, that it doesn’t really do much without any carbohydrates to go along with it.  
In any case, it’s definitely comforting and something that may remind us of childhood, so that is probably why it works to put grown ups to bed. You can also try sleepy time or herbal tea, which is proven scientifically to help you fall asleep faster and better.


5.    Have lighter meals less often and limit eating before bed
According to WebMD, eating large meals throughout the day can lead to excessive heartburn, indigestion, GERD, and acid reflux, and eating a large meal before bed can keep you up all night.  It’s best to eat lighter, smaller meals throughout the day, and to avoid eating all together about an hour or two before bed.  


If you have to snack, it’s best to pick something small and full of protein, like a handful of nuts or meat.


6.    Try yoga at home or relaxation and meditation exercises
There are a lot of DVDs and YouTube videos that you can watch to aid meditation or relaxation.  You can try yoga, or some other kind of soothing exercise.  Nothing too extreme, because exercise can wake you up even more, especially if it’s cardiovascular in nature.  


A light stretching or meditation can go a long way to providing a wonderful night of sleep.  If you’re not sure what to do, or what type of stretching would work best for you, try laying in bed with the lights off, and visualizing yourself relaxed.  You may even visualize your “happy place” or dream vacation.   


Then, one by one, picture all of your fears and cares fading away.  You can flex and loosen each muscle group up and down your body to complete the exercise and have you out in no time at all.


The best part about these remedies is that they’re all things you should have on hand around the house, so you should have been able to do or get most of them in the comfort of your own home, and possibly even wearing pajamas!  You should be sleeping in no time if you follow all of these tips, and here are a few extras from Fun As a Gran, just in case Mister Sandman doesn’t come visit you right away. Sweet dreams!

Saturday 19 August 2017

Project 365 week 33

Sunday

Bought this small set of drawers for my scissors, stitch unpicker and spare feet for my sewing machine. Fed up with losing them in amongst the bigger items.




Monday

Started sewing some of the squares together to see what they looked like. Using eight inch squares.






Tuesday

DD1 phoned to ask a few things and told me she had a headache. I could hear Minky being his usual noisy self and volunteered to take them out for an hour. Took them to the park and got them soaked to the skin and rather muddy. But took home three children that had had lots of fun and given their mum a break at the same time.





Wednesday

An interesting and informative day on a UNISON conference. I signed up to help with a few promotion days as well as part of a team to spend £100 for a food bank. A prize for the team that comes up with the best basket for the money.

Here is the garden out the back of the conference room. Shame it rained all day.




Thursday

Went to look at a wee dog but she was part Border Collie so made me itch like hell. While I could ignore her and not stroke her to save the itching she would very very likely after a few days trigger off my asthma as well. Back to the drawing board.

Nipped to Wetherspoon for some lunch, have to say sadly disappointed. We ordered well done steak, which in my opinion should have been cooked through with no pink in the middle. This was totally burnt black on the outside, cremated, not well done, and the staff were a bit peeved cos we wanted it replacing. Then we saw another woman getting steak in the same condition ( may well have been ours that we poked with our fingers before sending back) and she sent it back as well.

Went and did some geocaching round  Overtoun House in Dumbarton while we were there anyway.




Friday

We bought this while we were in Dumbarton yesterday.




Saturday

Got a little visitor for a few days Hard to think she will be one on Wednesday. But she has started crawling in the last few weeks since she was last down. DD2 also went back to work this week so she is now settling into nursery.









Saturday 12 August 2017

Project 365 week 32.

Sunday

Could not be bothered going into the library in my break. The hospital is way to warm. So parked the car in a shady spot and listened to my audio book and did some crocheting.







Monday

Little Lilly had been covered by Tesco pet insurance. It is the type of policy you hope never to need to claim on but as you know we did have to. The company has been first class, from the ease of filling in a claim form, the speed with which it is paid, everything we claimed for was paid quickly and with no quibble. Would highly recommend them and will willingly use them again if and when we get another pet.









Tuesday

Got these out of the loft and washed them just in case another dog comes along.





Wednesday

The car was in for the work needed to pass its MOT. The joys of an older car, costs a lot to pass but could not buy anything with the equivalent money that would not have issues. Better the devil you know.
Also sorted out my house insurance. Is with the same company as my car insurance was. I changed my car insurance last week as after nine years they were too expensive and despite having never claimed they would not match a cheaper rival that was offering the same level of cover. This time they agreed to price match my house insurance. Makes no sense why they would not price match last week, but but saved changing companies again.
We went for a walk along the beach, nothing much of any interest to see but I liked the patterns in the sand.




Thursday

Started this a long while ago, but got waylaid by other things. My first attempts at quilt as you go. Have got another nine matching squares cut out ready to be sewn together. That will wait for another week.










Friday.

As per usual I made some snacks to take to work for the weekend as it is better to make stuff than have to eat the limited choice that I can buy. Some dairy free peanut butter brownies. Did also make pasta and oven cooked veg for my lunch.






Saturday

Bought the picture frame a while back, but we got round to selecting the right photos and getting them printed. This is on the landing half way down our stairs.








Saturday 5 August 2017

Project 365 week 31

Sunday

Not quite sure why my car got invaded but there had been a baby on the front with this one, as well as others on the roof at the same time.


scrounging vermin




Monday

DD1 was having a clear out of  bedding she no longer uses. Some of it is like new, so it will end up as part of a patch work quilt at some point.

a handy pile of bedding




Tuesday

Took the kids a walk to the library and over to the park. Poor wee Spud tries her best to keep up with the twins, but she stands no chance.

Spud chases after the twins.



Wednesday

A visit to Stirling, followed by a wander round Dunblane Cathedral. Had then planned to go and do some geocaching to nearby Bridge of Allan but rain stopped play. So we headed back to Stirling for something to eat. I decided on a few starters instead of a main course. Made a pleasant change from my usual.

Dunblane Cathedral 







Thursday

Manage to sort out my car insurance, saving nearly 30% of the premium  from my current company for my renewal next week just by doing a comparison. Sorted the breakdown cover and went for a walk with DD1 and the children. I use the term walk quite loosely, more a puddle sploshing session, but we all had fun.


1,2,3,jump


Home for some lunch and then went for a five mile walk with hubby to do some geocaching. Went and did a circular walk of some of the new caches at Eglington Park in Irvine.





Friday

Managed to get bitten while we were out for a walk yesterday. As per usual with me it soon got out of control so I phoned NHS 24 and got an appointment. From me phoning them, to them phoning back, attending my appointment and home again was all achieved in 2 hrs . Not bad going. A week long course of antibiotics and instructions to go back if it gets worse.





Saturday

Yesterday baking. A bog standard sponge with a dairy free chocolate ganache on and decorated. How come the ganache seems to go from runny enough to run off the cake to too set to go on it in what seems like only seconds?  Not the prettiest ;looking but tastes very yummy as per usual.






Week 32: 12 August 2017