Project 365 week 47.

Sunday

Fifi's birthday  sweet sixteen and a very lovely sixteen she is. A full day at work. I thought I had downloaded an episode of Criminal Minds to watch but the download must have failed. So I watched Paddington that Amazon put onto my kindle for me instead while I did some cross stitching. Have to say my kindle was a blogging gift a few years back and it used every day, or should that be night, when I use it to listen to audiobooks.

Monday

A walk round the fishery. Not quite sure why all the balloons were here but the dog was not keen on them at all.

Tuesday

Went for my smear test this afternoon. No more for five years if this one comes back normal, I suppose turning 60 next year has to have some benefits.
In the evening I went with DD1 and Fifi to her school where they had a show of last years art work that was put in for the highers and higher 5 exams. Very talented people.

Wednesday

The twins birthday, that is them now five. So after teatime I took their cakes and presents down for them. I need to buy some new baking tins when funds permit as Fifi's and Minky's cakes both broke coming out of the tin.
They are turning into amazing little people. Minky had changed into his new jumper he got from his other grandparents.

Thursday

A run to Kilmarnock for hubby to pick up a pair of computer speakers and a wander round the charity shop as looking for new cake tins as all my cakes have been a disaster with sticking this week.
A walk round the fishery after lunch and then back to get stuck into the two bedrooms.
My back bedroom that Ziggy sleeps in has been fine for her when she was in her travel cot but now she is in a bed it is a dangerous space for her. So the plan is to clear all the sewing stuff out and make room for her toys etc.
So material is in the loft and toys have been moved through. The space under the spare double bed has been cleared. Need a few more lidded storage boxes to store other items and then get the table back down to where  it use to live. Also have a cot bed to assemble for her. They are not back until the 10th December so no desperate rush but don't want to leave it all too late in case something crops up.

This was taken part way through, room not quite this bad when visitors are here.

Friday

Another few hours spent sorting more stuff. A few bags full of rubbish and a pile started for the charity shop.
This evening we went to a Prize Bingo at the Bowling Club, nice to support local businesses. DD1 won a prize but she was the only one at our table.

Saturday

Fed up of ended up tangles in wired headphones over night and I spotted DD1 had bought the twins headphones built into a headband, so I ordered myself one. They are great. Works by bluetooth so no cable and very comfortable when you get them on.

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A walk round the fishery

A few weeks back I had Spud while DD1 was in hospital with Bob. So as it was a dry day we headed down to the fishery to meet hubby and Dixie for a walk. I popped her in the buggy as the kids are not use to walking huge distances and part of it involves walking along a road with a 60 mph speed limit, so thought better play safe.

So I got her put of the buggy when we got to where the car was parked and off we went.

We watched the swans playing chase.

She threw some biscuits for Dixie to find in the grass.

 
and played running away from Granddad the tickle monster.

She chased Dixie dog and Granddad round the bushes.

Lots of leaves to throw at each other.

and then fed one of the swans with Granddad

and more running away from granddad giggling her head off.

She got lifted onto the digger and Dixie followed her up

After Granddad and Dixie got back in the car we went round to see the chickens and peacocks. The babies are getting bigger.

To finish off here is some video footage of her playing chase and throwing leaves at each other, and Dixie pinching her stick also made her laugh.

A simple walk can be so much fun when you are only two.

Save Money In Time For Christmas

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Christmas is just around the corner, and that means that you're going to be spending a lot of your hard earned money on gifts. This can be a very stressful time for many people, especially parents, as there is a lot of pressure to have the perfect Christmas and outdo the one from last year, and unfortunately, a lot of this boils down to how much money you spend. It shouldn't be the main focus, and there are many hacks out there to do things for a lot cheaper, and sometimes even free depending on how creative you're willing to get. Us grandparents do not get off much lighter to be honest. I always treat the older ones to a Panto visit and the younger ones have the Disney Life app between them and then they still have to have presents to unwrap when we do second Christmas as we do every year.

In the meantime though, here's where you can save up your money in time for Christmas.

Plan your grocery shopping
One of the easiest mistakes to make in life, is going to the grocery store with no list. This is how stores make so much money - they draw you in and cause you to make impulse buys for things that you don't even need. The best way to avoid this easily, is to preplan what meals you'll be making for that week, that way you only write down the ingredients and items that you need. Then it just boils down to your willpower. As long as you stick to the list, you'll be keeping your money nice and secure in your bank account.

Walk when you can
If you're used to driving everywhere, then you'll love the freedom of being able to jump into your vehicle and go wherever you need to. It's important to realise that this is a luxury though, and sometimes it's unnecessary to abuse it when you have perfect working legs to get you from A to B for free - all within reason of course. You wouldn't believe just how much money you can save in fuel by opting out of driving. So if you need to run a few errands which involve popping to the shop down the road from you - walk there. You'll even be saving the planet, and burning calories too.

Change your phone provider
Our phones are what give us all the things that we need, like the news and what's going on in the world, staying connected to our loved ones, right down to what our favourite celebs are wearing. So they are a must-have in our lives. Having said that, they can also cost you an awful lot every month. Fortunately, there are companies out there like SMARTY free SIM, that allows you to spend exactly what you pay for, meaning any unused data will be credited back to you the following month, ensuring you get the most out of your money.

Now that you have a few ideas, keep them in mind when going about your daily routines. They're only small changes, but they can make a huge difference with just how much money you are able to keep hold of. And now is a better time than any considering it's nearly the holidays!

This is a collaborative post.

Project 365 week 46

Made a start on some Christmas shopping as was in buying birthday presents for the twins for next week.

Sunday

The virus scan on the computer did not find anything yesterday, so today formatted it, but that still did not help. Tried disabling the keyboard but it wanted to restart to disable it - and then re-enables it upon reboot....it was going to get launch into the bin the mood I was in. It was opening literally hundreds of pages of Microsoft Edge windows 10 help files.

Monday

Having given up with the computer yesterday today hubby blasted the keys with a cleaner and I attacked it with a paint brush, that seems to have worked so so far so good. In other news I sewed the cross stitch designs onto Spud's blanket and walked the dog round the fishery in between torrential down pours. The swans are still giving each other much aggro.

Tuesday

DD2 is down for a few days. Has an appointment to see the consultant and have another scan to book in to have this baby at our local hospital.  Makes ,more sense than anywhere else.
My electric bike went back. Sadly barely been out on it with one thing and another.
It has rained and rained here this week, this flowing water is normally no more than a trickle in the dip and not usually even visible. This trench is about 4 ft deep. Never seen it as high as this.

Wednesday

Lots of jigsaw puzzle and dancing fun with Ziggy. She manages them very well indeed for somebody who has just turned two.
Won four tickets to see Mr Poppers Penguin in Glasgow so will take the twins to see this show. Much easier by bus and train considering it costs £10 to get your car back out the car park up there. They will enjoy the train experience as much as the show.

Thursday

Off to soft play with Ziggy and DD2 and met up with her MIL and SIL.

Friday

Today is DD3's 30th birthday. She is away to do Harry Potter stuff in London and then a few days away in Amsterdam.
 We went to do some shopping and walk the dog around the beach park in Irvine.
DD2 spent quite a bit of the day at DD1's house helping with bits and pieces for the twins party tomorrow.
I baked Fifi's cake, she turns 16 on Sunday, Going to get Ziggy to help decorate it tomorrow night. Ziggy managed to fall down the bottom two stairs and landed on the side of her head on my hall floor, which is concrete with laminate on top, gave herself a huge fright and me as well.

Saturday

Today was the twins party. They will be 5 on Wednesday. The Entertainer is a family friend and makes for a great party. Think everybody seemed to enjoy it. They did really well with both prsents and money.

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Project 365 week 45

Sunday

No overtime today so came home and fell asleep for an hour, and then did an hour of cross stitching while listening to my audiobook. A walk with the dog after tea and some more cross stitching while we caught up with Dr Who, not really enjoying this series but keep hoping it gets better. Really want to get this blanket of Spud's finished as want to get my sewing machine put away but will need it to complete the blanket.

Monday

Had an appointment for my annual asthma review. Not been for a few years as I feel it is such a waste of time. I know how to control my asthma and when to ask for help with it. But the Practice need to keep their statistics up so suppose I have to do my bit.
DD1 got a set of bunk beds for the twins today so she dropped off a cot bed here along with a pile of clothes for Ziggy and the baby as well as a pile of bedding. The dog was having lots of fun exploring the bags.

Tuesday

  Had to take the car to the garage to get the boot lock sorted. They had secured it on Friday to keep the car safe which meant I could not use it, so that ruled out having the bike in the car. Got them to drop me in town rather than going home, and by some pure coincidence the other woman getting a run home works for the same department as DD3, on a different site, but they knew each other - such a small world. Did a few small bits and pieces of  shopping and then they phoned to say the car was ready I was walking back out to pick the car up, and so happened to pass DD1 just getting back in her mini bus and so got a lift some of the way back.

A walk round the fishery and spotted these swans eating.

Wednesday

Hubby was away visiting in Stirling this evening so I had a nice peaceful evening of watching what I wanted on the tv. Quite difficult to cross stitch with a dog on your knee. Working my way through Criminal Minds series 11.

Thursday

Decided to take the bike out and we went to Whitelee wind farm, hubby walked the dog and I cycled for just over an hour, getting to further away places we don't normally get to when up there walking. This is the visitor centre in the background taken from the Blackhill viewpoint

Friday

A run into town to pick up hubby's prescription and some shopping and walked the dog round the park at the same time, The idea had been to take the bike back out but we lost a set of car/house keys and spent over an hour looking for them and so we emptied the car thinking they were in the boot, and as time we found them we were short of time to take the bike out so it stayed locked in the shed.
Back to babysit the three wee ones while DD1 took Bob to gymnastics. Had to laugh as Minky suggested I went home and left him, he would be fine by himself....lol

This is a new carving, a Spitfire in The Remembrance Garden in a local park.

Saturday

Got the final piece of Spud's cross stitching finished. Just need to sew them all onto her blanket now.

Project 365 week 44

Another very quick week this week with not a day with nothing to do, I long for a day with nothing to do.

Sunday

Sent back my last health tracker as it was rubbish, so swapped it for another one, an HEPT, so far so good. Have to say the seller of the last one is not amused at my 1 star review and has offered me anything from his online shop if I change it to a good review......I have resisted the offer.

Monday

Had some shopping to do so used my money off voucher from Sainsbury's and stocked up on tims and cleaning stuff while I was there. Took the dog a run round the beach park first.Liked the view of the sun going down through the dunes.

Tuesday

DD2 came down this afternoon as her and DD1 are going to their Maternal Grandmothers funeral tomorrow.

I got my electric bike delivered this afternoon for the two week trial. Hoping to get out on it every weekday while I have it.

Here is Ziggy singing a song to her doll. Didi video this and pop the video and a couple of others on my Facebook timeline.

Wednesday

The two girls are going to the funeral just after noon today. So this morning hubby and I went to Auchincruive, hubby to walk the dog and me to try out the bike for the first time. Quite a bit of the ride I did was off road, not sure if it is meant for that but lets just say with all the rain we have had both the bike and I came back muddy. Not sure how far I went as mapmywalk does not seem to work right with my phone and it told me I had done 0.22 miles, but must have been at least 5.


Went down to DD1's to look after Bob, Spud and Ziggy. Gave them lunch and went to the park for an hour. Brought them back and the two girls went for a sleep. Woke them up when Fifi and the gruesome twosome came in from school. They all had an early tea as DD1's children were going out trick or treating. Fifi is really good with all the younger ones and did all their face painting and helped them get their dressing up clothes on. As soon as their dad came in from work they all went out and Ziggy and I came back up to my house where I did supper and bedtime.

Thursday

DD2 was heading back home early as she had a courtesy car and had arranged to pick her car back up on the way through Glasgow to save her having to come back for it at the weekend. I took my bike into Ayr and tried it out on a nice hilly cycle path to see how well it coped with the hills.

Here is granddad amusing Mia while mummy goes for a shower.

Friday

Got a phone call from the surgery this week to make an appointment to see the GP with regard to the hospital tests. Still none the wiser but they are treating it as a vascular problem until they can rule that out so started me on a low dose of statins. Thumb is really irritating as it is icy cold most of the day and night.My cholesterol is not high but apparently bringing in down can only be good.Dubious about this as these can have side effects, like any tablet I suppose.
Dropped the car into the garage on the way home as we are having an issue with it, parts to be ordered and fitted on Tuesday. Popped back in by bus to pick it up and then had Bob to pick up from gymnastics. Annoyingly it meant I did not get out on the bike as could not leave it in the back of the car while it was in the garage.

Saturday

Have done a lot of cross stitching over the last 3 years and are running quite low on threads. Just about finished Spud's blanket but still got one to make for DD2's baby that is due. So I saw a woman on ebay selling various lots of threads and so bid on quite a few of them. Won more than I may need but the whole lot has cost me less than the 50 new ones would have done. A lot of what I stitch is made up as I go along with no set design or colours so this is an idea bundle for me.
Some nice metallic threads which I will use for the writing on the blanket as well as some very nice variegated threads. I quite like the effect these give.

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