* 128 *

 Just  dropping in to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and all the best for 2012...........

I'll tell you all about this little lady next year.......... have a good one xx

* 127 *

We've had our Christmas Eve carpet picnic and the special Christmas Eve bath. Reindeer dust has been sprinkled and carrots and cookies have been put out for Santa and his reindeer. Good job we had carrots in the cupboard as I had forgotten to buy some !

 New jamas have been put on and The Night Before Christmas has been read twice and now there are two excited boys tucked up in clean beds.

So all that is left for me to do is to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and I hope that Santa is good to you all. Don't eat too many mince pies xx

* 126 *

My nephew made this for us and I'd like to share it with you all as it brings a huge smile to my face and I'd like to think that it brings one to your face too.

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/Bj9ppo14iU4tjTC9?cmpid=jj_fb_friend_holidays


Just click on the link.

* 125 *

 Well that's another week gone by in a blur, whoosh, gone just like that in a haze of work and school runs. Don't get me wrong I love working in the shop and the people I'm working with are all so nice and the happiness just rubs off but it's very tiring and it did upset me that I had to miss Gabe's Carol Service at school and will miss Milo's next week. Thankfully my parents went to Gabe's and Hub will be able to go to Milo's so at least someone will be there for them.

 Hub made a little sort of grotto around the boys bedroom doors and they love it. His tree has also been put up in the back room, it's the same one with the same baubles every year but I really like how it looks, a kind of modern approach as opposed to the more traditional in the front room.

 Oh and one of the flower shops around the corner has the most amazing window display. It's just recently been taken over and the new owners are putting everything into it . It makes us smile to see Rudolph every time we walk passed.

This sunrise photo was from this morning and was just so beautiful so I had to share it with you and we still haven't had any snow !!

* 124 *

 Today much to the boys delight we put the Christmas tree up. Hub was at work so instead of being a happy family time ( supposedly) it was quite stressful, well for me it was anyway.

 Finding all the decorations you had forgotten about is always exciting.

 So is putting on the new ones that we buy. This time we bought more bells ( I like bells) and a girl Maileg pixie to go with the boy we got in 2010.

 This year we moved the armchair upstairs into Milo's bedroom as I wanted the tree back in the window where we could all see it instead of being tucked away in a corner where it has been for the past couple of years. It's surprising just how much dust you find under furniture... cough, cough!

Here we have our finished sitting room tree just waiting for Hub to get home from work,

 so we could put the star on. It was Milo's time this year and I only remembered that by looking back at my similar post from last December.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend......... oh oh it did snow this morning for about 10 minutes apparently but I missed it , sad face.

* 123 *

I think this was the quietest they were all day... Milo reading a Dr Who comic ( his new obsession ) and Gabe trying to figure out how to play games on the playstation!

Oh and after much humming and aahhhing and with thanks to Hub I've finally figured out which stocking toys to make for the boys this year, phew

* 122 *

 Bare branches,

 foreboding skies

and heavy morning frosts.

We've got snow forecast for next week ......... yeah.

* 121 *

I've been trying to change the header picture for the last hour or so and now my head is totally battered! What with it saying I haven't enough space.... again and then making the photo about a million times bigger than it should be but I'm finally sorted now.

We've got all four of our Advent calendars up and the Santa countdown has begun. I did want to show you what they look like but due to the fact that I leave the house when the sun is rising and return when it's setting I've been unable to take any decent pictures. So these ones are from my walk last week.

The boys are in super hyper mode at the minute and from tomorrow I will be on a major mission to get their stocking toys made and doing it without them seeing..... not an easy task I might add. I was hoping to have a really good go at them on Saturday as I had thought they were going over their grans but that is a no go now and Hub is at work so I might have to let them play on the Playstation while I do knitting on the sly. Sometimes need must.

We've also got all our Christmas reading sorted with a few new books thrown in .  What are your favourite Christmas books and films?

* 120 *

 When the wind outside is howling and the rain is lashing it's nice to hunker down with the boys and watch a film by cande light.

Even if the film is Horrid Henry and it's the fourth time you've seen it in a matter of a few days!

* 119 *

 I haven't done anything this month blogwise, well hardly anything. So I thought I better pop by and let you all know that I'm still here and also send my apologies for my lack of comment leaving.

 Work seems to be taking up all my time and although I love it and my workmates are great by the end of the day I am just totally shattered. My days are still exactly as they were before with cooking, cleaning, washing, tidying up,school runs and looking after the boys but most of them also now have five hours a day of standing up serving customers.

Some days I will be on my feet for nearly twelve hours bar two ten minute bus journeys so by the time I sit down they throb a lot.  It is getting better though and I think by the time my contract ends at Christmas they will be fine, which would be typical.

Today I had a day off, so after dropping the boys off at school I took a walk around the park. I watched the squirrels play and listened to the birds through the mist. I've done a bit of knitting and cleared the back yard of the summer plants along with the daily chores but now my eyes are starting to close and I feel my bed is calling so I'll say night night and fingers crossed I'll be back soon .

11.11.11

* 117 *

I saw this yesterday and was going to use it as next months header to continue with the ladybird theme but I thought it was too sweet and really wanted to share it with you.......... kissing ladybirds awwwww.

* 116 *

 Honestly, the older I get the more forgetful I get. It's a standing joke here and even the boys take the mickey out of me.

 But last night's forgetful episode was a doozy. Now I don't know whether it was down to old age or the fact that I hadn't sat down since about 8am with a five hour standing shift at work but,,,,,,but ,,,, I forget to pick up Milo from school!!!

 Oh, the shame of it. I walked to school and got Gabe then walked home again. I was just about to put the key in the front door when my phone rang, it was Milo's teacher reminding me that a letter had been sent out last week to inform us that Tuesdays after school club had been cancelled. Luckily I know her so she thought it was quite funny. There was no way my feet could cope with walking back again so I took the car.

 At the minute I don't know if I'm coming or going and my head is all over the place so today I've had a day of rest, a day just for me. Well, that was after the school run, the shopping and the washing of dishes and clothes .

As for the flowers, a little something bought by me for me. They look quite pretty on the now tidy table don't they. My feet are still throbbing so I might just have to do the same tomorrow.

* 115 *

 You know when something goes wrong, like losing your cash card and you feel a bit bleurgh but you cope? Then something else goes, say your elderly cat foaming at the mouth constantly for no apparent reason which means an emergency trip to the vets.

 Luckily said cat is fine when an infected tooth is removed even though there is a hefty vets bill and she now only has three teeth left. On leaving the vets or should I say on trying to leave the vets the car breaks down. The exact same car which was just serviced and had its MOT the week before. A quick phone call to my dad to come and help us but we had to leave our car behind in a not so nice area.

My neighbour came to the rescue the next day, jump started said car and replaced the battery. The insurance quote came through which caused a mass choking but thanks to searching on the internet which managed to stay on for more than five minutes it was reduced dramatically.

Did I tell you Hub got a new I Mac two weeks ago, I don't think I did, well that's on it's way back .... Kaput so they say.

 Can you see the face on this tree?  Looks a bit like how I feel at the minute .

* 114 *

Jeez this week has gone by in a big whoosh hasn't it and to be honest the way things are going I'll be glad to see the back of it.

I'm normally fine with school holidays but this one I'm tearing my hair out in handfuls. My two little cherubs who look like butter wouldn't melt have been more like little devils.

What with the fighting and the bickering, the tears and the yelling, the grumpitude and the attitude my head is totally battered and it's mainly coming from the big one. He's a dab hand at winding his brother up and then pretending like nothing has happened and he's the innocent party!

Last Tuesday and today he went to a youth club for three hours which was been held at the school and for those few hours Gabe and I had some peace. Gabe hasn't been perfect either mind but nowhere near as bad as Milo. I feel like I have a sulky teenager in a seven year olds body.

Yesterday the weather was bright and sunnny so I took them down the park and told them to go wild. Run, scream, yell do whatever they wanted in the hope it would get it out of their systems --- pah, no such luck.

While they were doing all this I took some deep breaths, admired the golden leaves of the Norway Maple and watched the squirrels running back and forth hoarding the acorns in preparation for Winter.

Tomorrow I've got my second shift at work from 11 until 4 ..... bliss!