March 12th 2015 - Stretching shoes
Last week I bought a pair of shoes off ebay because I need a low heeled pair to go with my St John Ambulance uniform for our enrollment/presentation evening in a few weeks and couldn't find any in town that I liked or were comfy.
These shoes were listed as a size 7, which is good as that is what I am in most shoes. However when they arrived they have a great big 6 on the sole, which isn't so good. I did contemplate complaining to the seller but for the sake of £3.79 (including postage) I didn't think it was worth it and would could me more than that to send them back. I have tried them on and they are a bit on the tight side across the top of my foot and against my big toes.
Then I remembered that I had pinned this random pin about stretching shoes by wearing loads of socks and using a hair dryer - I can do that as have socks and a hair dryer. So I started off with 1 pair of socks on and a couple of mins under the hair dryer, removed them and tried shoes on without socks, they were still a bit tight. So we went for a 2nd pair of socks. Although this did feel that they were stretching slightly after a total of mins the sole of one of the shoes had come unstuck.
So I can safely say that stretching shoes with extra socks and a hair dyrer doesn't work. This is a pinterest fail. And I now have a pair of shoes that are still tight and have had to glue the sole back onto them and need find another pair asap.
Thursday, 12 March 2015
Wednesday, 11 March 2015
March 11th 2015 - Family Learning at school - William Wordsworth
March 11th 2015 - Family Learning at school - William Wordsworth
Today at the family learning at the school we had 2 ladies in from Dove Cottage - the home of William Wordsworth. It was a fun morning and lots of hands on activities.
They started off by explaining who they were and where they from and asked if anyone had heard of it and the person who lived there, my boys put their hands up as we had talked about the people that lived there. They then made a timeline of how old we all were starting with the 5year olds right up to the parents, and they then removed a boy to be William and a girl to be his sister Dorothy and they moved them round the room and then had them stop and face the rest of line to show how far back in time they were - the room wasn't long enough to have them on the end.
After this it was dressing up time. They had a boy get up initially but he decided he wasn't wearing the outfit so my youngest son, Blake, said he would wear it - even with them tied to the smallest they would go they were still really big on him but he is tiny! Because clothes were so expensive back in the 17/1800's they were made bigger so they would last as you grew into them.
Here is my lil man getting dressed as William Wordsworth:
1. is his shirt
2. is his shirt and breeches (should be 3/4 length but full as he so small)
3. is his waistcoat
4. is his tail coat
5. is cravat
6. is his hat
They dressed 1 of the girls up as Dorothy with her peticoat, pocket, dress, sash, apron, bonnet and shawl this is a pic of them both, I have blurred her face as she is not my child, both look really good:
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Today at the family learning at the school we had 2 ladies in from Dove Cottage - the home of William Wordsworth. It was a fun morning and lots of hands on activities.
They started off by explaining who they were and where they from and asked if anyone had heard of it and the person who lived there, my boys put their hands up as we had talked about the people that lived there. They then made a timeline of how old we all were starting with the 5year olds right up to the parents, and they then removed a boy to be William and a girl to be his sister Dorothy and they moved them round the room and then had them stop and face the rest of line to show how far back in time they were - the room wasn't long enough to have them on the end.
After this it was dressing up time. They had a boy get up initially but he decided he wasn't wearing the outfit so my youngest son, Blake, said he would wear it - even with them tied to the smallest they would go they were still really big on him but he is tiny! Because clothes were so expensive back in the 17/1800's they were made bigger so they would last as you grew into them.
Here is my lil man getting dressed as William Wordsworth:
2. is his shirt and breeches (should be 3/4 length but full as he so small)
3. is his waistcoat
4. is his tail coat
5. is cravat
6. is his hat
They dressed 1 of the girls up as Dorothy with her peticoat, pocket, dress, sash, apron, bonnet and shawl this is a pic of them both, I have blurred her face as she is not my child, both look really good:
Then the rest of the children and 2 of the adults were dressed up as boys/girls from the era, they didn't have as much to wear as the richer people did. The following 2 pictures are of Blake and his girlfriend and Blake and his brother Kenzie.
Once everyone had taken pictures and what ever the kids were told how people of the day would stand and how they would bow/curtsey and the males removed their hats etc. They then all took the outfits off.
The ladies then brought out a box of very old things from Dove Cottage and talked about what they were called and what they would have been used for. There was a Spurtle used for stiring porridge, a small but heavy iron, a muffin turner, a 2 pronged fork, a pair of small girls shoes and a shoe horn. The children went for their break which was indoor play as it was raining. When thy came back they had juice and cookies and were asked if they could remember the names of the items. The 2 ladies split them up into older and younger children - the older had to choose an item, draw around it and then write a poem about it BUT they were the object and they had to include how they would feel etc. The younger again choose an item and either drew round it or drew it by hand and they had to write words about what it was, looked like, was used for and its material.
The ladies then told a story linked to Williams poem about the butterfly and they had animal/bird puppets to use. after this the children had about 10minutes to make bird masks from paper and feathers and things. Blake made a robin, Kenzie made a brown bird.
It was a great morning and I am looking forward to actually going to Dove Cottage at somepoint, its about an hour and half drive from where we live.
Tuesday, 10 March 2015
March 10th 2015 - Making a new hide
March 10th 2015 - Making anew hide
My bearded dragon is growing! This is good for him but not for me as the hide I made him from expanding foam when he was a baby is now getting too small and he can only get his head/front into it not all of him.
So I looked on pinterest for ideas to make him a new hide. There isn't many but as I needed a pin for today I have linked to one of them.
I had the box my smoke machine came in going in recycling bin, so I decided to use this for his new hide as its big.
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I cut out the middle of the box as an arch so he could get in/out of it.
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I then covered the inside in expanding foam, making sure that all of the edges and pins that hold the box together were covered. The expanding foam gives a really bumpy/rock look when its dry.
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I'm now waiting for this to fully dry so that I can add a ramp to it and then coat the ramp and the outside with expanding foam so that it all looks like rock. I will update and add more pics once its done and then it will need to be painted with grey acrylic.
My bearded dragon is growing! This is good for him but not for me as the hide I made him from expanding foam when he was a baby is now getting too small and he can only get his head/front into it not all of him.
So I looked on pinterest for ideas to make him a new hide. There isn't many but as I needed a pin for today I have linked to one of them.
I had the box my smoke machine came in going in recycling bin, so I decided to use this for his new hide as its big.
I cut out the middle of the box as an arch so he could get in/out of it.
I then covered the inside in expanding foam, making sure that all of the edges and pins that hold the box together were covered. The expanding foam gives a really bumpy/rock look when its dry.
I'm now waiting for this to fully dry so that I can add a ramp to it and then coat the ramp and the outside with expanding foam so that it all looks like rock. I will update and add more pics once its done and then it will need to be painted with grey acrylic.
Monday, 9 March 2015
March 9th 2015 - Planting seeds
March 9th 2015 - Planting seeds
Yesterday afternoon, we moved some of the wood bark from the front garden to the base of lil mans planter as it has started to go to mulch/compost where it has got so wet etc. We also filled the planter with compost ready for lil man to start planting his veg.
We also planted a tray of seeds, which I have today sorted out with labels etc, brought in and watered for him. Not sure how well they are going to do but fingers crossed they start to grow. We are 2 weeks in with potatoes but as of yet there is no sign of green shoots.
We have a row of lettuce, a row of rocket, a row of basil and a row of corriander - all of which apart from the lettuce our bearded dragon can eat. I did buy carrot seeds as well but they seem to have grown legs and wander off from the shelf where the rest of the seeds were. I will see if Aldi still has any at 19p tomorrow when we go shopping.
Lil man has also asked me to get some corn as he wants to grow his own of that. Not sure where I get it from so I will be hunting the net later.
Yesterday afternoon, we moved some of the wood bark from the front garden to the base of lil mans planter as it has started to go to mulch/compost where it has got so wet etc. We also filled the planter with compost ready for lil man to start planting his veg.
We also planted a tray of seeds, which I have today sorted out with labels etc, brought in and watered for him. Not sure how well they are going to do but fingers crossed they start to grow. We are 2 weeks in with potatoes but as of yet there is no sign of green shoots.
We have a row of lettuce, a row of rocket, a row of basil and a row of corriander - all of which apart from the lettuce our bearded dragon can eat. I did buy carrot seeds as well but they seem to have grown legs and wander off from the shelf where the rest of the seeds were. I will see if Aldi still has any at 19p tomorrow when we go shopping.
Lil man has also asked me to get some corn as he wants to grow his own of that. Not sure where I get it from so I will be hunting the net later.
Sunday, 8 March 2015
March 8th 2015 - Pheasant & wine
March 8th 2015 - Pheasant & wine
(apologies for spelling mistakes explain in post)
This is something I have never tried in my 32yrs of life! Not sure why, but have never tried it. That was until tea today.
It all came about when my neighbour asked if we had we a spare shelf in the freezer over Christmas as she had no room. We said we had and she brought round a few bits. A few days later she came and got them and brought a few other bits - 1 of which was a pheasant - I generally commented that I had never tried it - she said that in new year she would sort out a date and cook them and we could go round for tea.
Well a few dates were discussed and either they were not available or we wern't or something happened on planned date etc and today ended up as dinner date next door. We went round at 5pm as agreed and were given beer (me and hubby not kids) - they knew we drank it as had seen in recycling (oops lol!) Never mind. We sat drinking and talking whilst the veg finished off cooking.
We then helped serve the food - they were trying to be good hosts by putting all food in serving dishes - I told em to serve from saucepan as it saved on washing up. No point making a dish dirty for no reason is way I see it.
We moved to the lounge where their table had been moved to as more room than in the kitchen. We had chicken as well as the pheasant (encase we didn't like it) and loads of veg and yorkshires and gravy both meats had been coated in paprika as it crispens the skin and adds flavour (note for future). This is where it got messy - we had white wine with the pheasant main meal - it was nice and i'm not really a wine drinker as I don't like the taste of it and it goes to my head.
Well I can safely say I enjoyed the pheasant, it sort of seemed like a cross between chicken and turkey - I can't really say what it tasted like but it was nice, I finished off 1/2 a pheasant to myself. I was also surprised that I liked the taste of the white wine. So all was going well. I then finished off the remaining 1/2 bottle of white wine!
My neighbours had also been and bought cheesecakes for desert (which were lovely) and had bought red wine to go with desert - this wasn't going to end well lol! The deserts were lovely, we also the cakes I made yesterday and took round as my Mum told me you don't go to dinner empty handed. And me and my neighbour had 1/2 bottle of red which each - hubby had another beer and the neighbours wife had coffee. I felt fine and was talking normally, that was until we left and the fresh air hit me, not to mention the spots on my stair carpet moving as I tried to walk down them! This is why I don't drink wine as it hits me hard!
A good evening, with good food and good company. I should no by my age not mmix drinks but never mind. lol!
(apologies for spelling mistakes explain in post)
This is something I have never tried in my 32yrs of life! Not sure why, but have never tried it. That was until tea today.
It all came about when my neighbour asked if we had we a spare shelf in the freezer over Christmas as she had no room. We said we had and she brought round a few bits. A few days later she came and got them and brought a few other bits - 1 of which was a pheasant - I generally commented that I had never tried it - she said that in new year she would sort out a date and cook them and we could go round for tea.
Well a few dates were discussed and either they were not available or we wern't or something happened on planned date etc and today ended up as dinner date next door. We went round at 5pm as agreed and were given beer (me and hubby not kids) - they knew we drank it as had seen in recycling (oops lol!) Never mind. We sat drinking and talking whilst the veg finished off cooking.
We then helped serve the food - they were trying to be good hosts by putting all food in serving dishes - I told em to serve from saucepan as it saved on washing up. No point making a dish dirty for no reason is way I see it.
We moved to the lounge where their table had been moved to as more room than in the kitchen. We had chicken as well as the pheasant (encase we didn't like it) and loads of veg and yorkshires and gravy both meats had been coated in paprika as it crispens the skin and adds flavour (note for future). This is where it got messy - we had white wine with the pheasant main meal - it was nice and i'm not really a wine drinker as I don't like the taste of it and it goes to my head.
Well I can safely say I enjoyed the pheasant, it sort of seemed like a cross between chicken and turkey - I can't really say what it tasted like but it was nice, I finished off 1/2 a pheasant to myself. I was also surprised that I liked the taste of the white wine. So all was going well. I then finished off the remaining 1/2 bottle of white wine!
My neighbours had also been and bought cheesecakes for desert (which were lovely) and had bought red wine to go with desert - this wasn't going to end well lol! The deserts were lovely, we also the cakes I made yesterday and took round as my Mum told me you don't go to dinner empty handed. And me and my neighbour had 1/2 bottle of red which each - hubby had another beer and the neighbours wife had coffee. I felt fine and was talking normally, that was until we left and the fresh air hit me, not to mention the spots on my stair carpet moving as I tried to walk down them! This is why I don't drink wine as it hits me hard!
A good evening, with good food and good company. I should no by my age not mmix drinks but never mind. lol!
Saturday, 7 March 2015
March 7th 2015 - swirl cakes
March 7th 2015 - swirl cakes
Today's pin is 1 I have done before and that is make swirl cakes. They are very easy to do, using normal cake mix (home made or shop bought) add nothing but what you need for the mix so it is still the creamy/white/lemon colour. Then add the mixture to cupcake cases as you would normally but before you put them in the oven add a couple of drops of food colouring to ech cake and using a cocktail stick swirl the food colouring into the mixture so you get a pattern. Then bake as normal. Once they are cooked you may not see the swirls on the top of the cakes but you will when you bite into them. I added a couple of drops of the same colours into the icing and added that to the cakes so the red ahve red swirl icing and the blue has blue. (see pics).
There is a reason for my baking and its not a birthday or party (well it is my friends 18th today but thats not the reason.) Tomorrow we are going for dinner with our neighbours at their house, they are cooking pheasant (which none of us has tried) and a chicken encase we don't like the pheasant. I was always told you never turn up to a dinner or party empty handed and as I know they are on medication I decided not to go for a bottle of wine but some cakes. I will take 1 each round there for after dinner.
Heres my pics:
Today's pin is 1 I have done before and that is make swirl cakes. They are very easy to do, using normal cake mix (home made or shop bought) add nothing but what you need for the mix so it is still the creamy/white/lemon colour. Then add the mixture to cupcake cases as you would normally but before you put them in the oven add a couple of drops of food colouring to ech cake and using a cocktail stick swirl the food colouring into the mixture so you get a pattern. Then bake as normal. Once they are cooked you may not see the swirls on the top of the cakes but you will when you bite into them. I added a couple of drops of the same colours into the icing and added that to the cakes so the red ahve red swirl icing and the blue has blue. (see pics).
There is a reason for my baking and its not a birthday or party (well it is my friends 18th today but thats not the reason.) Tomorrow we are going for dinner with our neighbours at their house, they are cooking pheasant (which none of us has tried) and a chicken encase we don't like the pheasant. I was always told you never turn up to a dinner or party empty handed and as I know they are on medication I decided not to go for a bottle of wine but some cakes. I will take 1 each round there for after dinner.
Heres my pics:
Friday, 6 March 2015
March 6th 2015 - New laptop tray (part 2)
March 6th 2015 - New laptop tray (part 2)
Back on 12th January I bought a new laptop tray, however it didn't fit on my sofa as the legs fell down between the cushions, so not much use to me, but hubby took it to use as he only has a 2seater sofa with wider cushions than my 3 seater.
A few days ago I ordered a new one for myself off ebay and it arrived today. It is the same as this 1 on pinterest. It has adjustable legs that can can be locked in a variety of positions and heights. The tray also moves height and there is a seperate mouse mat that you can attatch as well. There is also a built in cooler which i'm not too keen on as the cold air blows right on my legs, but will be nice in summer!
Luckily for me this one fits on my sofa ok and is a good size. The only thing I don't really like is the lip thats there to stop laptop sliding off is actually quite high and digs into my arms as I type. There is no way to lower this, so I am thinking of finding a way to add foam or material to it to make it bit softer.
They did make this laptop tray in purple but it was over £44 and the black version which I bought was only £14! Thats a big difference in money.
Back on 12th January I bought a new laptop tray, however it didn't fit on my sofa as the legs fell down between the cushions, so not much use to me, but hubby took it to use as he only has a 2seater sofa with wider cushions than my 3 seater.
A few days ago I ordered a new one for myself off ebay and it arrived today. It is the same as this 1 on pinterest. It has adjustable legs that can can be locked in a variety of positions and heights. The tray also moves height and there is a seperate mouse mat that you can attatch as well. There is also a built in cooler which i'm not too keen on as the cold air blows right on my legs, but will be nice in summer!
Luckily for me this one fits on my sofa ok and is a good size. The only thing I don't really like is the lip thats there to stop laptop sliding off is actually quite high and digs into my arms as I type. There is no way to lower this, so I am thinking of finding a way to add foam or material to it to make it bit softer.
They did make this laptop tray in purple but it was over £44 and the black version which I bought was only £14! Thats a big difference in money.
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