June 28th 2015 - Butterfly cakes

June 28th 2015 - Butterfly cakes

A couple of days ago lil man saw that we had cake icing in the cupboard and asked if we could make some cakes, sadly it wasn't long before he was going to bed so I said would have to be at the weekend.  Saturday when he asked my knee was hurting too much to stand and do them so I said we would make them Sunday after we had our roast dinner.

We made the mix up and added purple colouring to it as thats what lil man wanted.  We put them in the oven and I told him  IF we could get them to rise enough we would make butterfly cakes.  He didn't know what I meant so I had to explain.  Well some of the cakes formed a peak (like mountains as he said) but not all of them.  I said we would give it a try anyway.

So I set about cutting out the top and cutting it in half to make the wings.  Lil man then helped to fill the holes with buttercream and stuck the wings in.  We then added a glitter sparkle icing to them all.  They looked really good, and tasted good as well.

June 27th 2015 - Then & Now

June 27th 2015 - Then & Now

Today's pin is a bit of a boasting one on my part.  It is a Jungle vs Garden/Then vs Now.

When we bought the house in 2013 the garden hadn't been touched in about 7years, it had 6ft high weeds, nettles, brambles, dead trees and god knows how much rubbish and junk.  This took us a while to clear but we did it.  We also started to scatter some grass seed in the hope that it would give us a base to work with.  A year on and you could see big changes and the grass took really well, so we just added more seed (79p from home bargains nothing flash or fancy!) and again it took well and filled the patches.  Move forward to June 2015 (10days later than we moved in 2years ago but was too wet to take pics  and lawn needed cutting) and there is a HUGE difference in the garden!

People we don't even know have stopped us when  we've been out there and said how much better it looks and what a difference we have made to it etc.  Which is really nice, at least we know our hard work is paying off.  There is still along to go until it is fully how I want it, but as they say "Rome wasn't built in a day".  Fair enough if I had the money to pay a gardener/landscaper etc then yes it would be done in a very short time, but I don't have this option.  Therefore It gets done as and when we have saved a few £ to buy the next materials etc.  I still want a fence to go round my decking, the back fence made higher than the 3ft it is and a 1ft trellis fence between us and next door as people from the street can see straight in.  I also want to make some planters to go along the back fence to put loads of purple and pretty plants in, but I cant do these until the fence is made higher as I dn't want the plants stolen.

We have the grass pretty much established now, bar a few patches.  The fairy garden is in and we are adding to it as we find things.  Lil man has a planter for vegetables which are growing well, the composters are working as they should be and we have loads of nice plants and flowers growing, some of which were 50p a plant in a sale as damaged and may not grow!  I have part of garden as patio and part as decking (i've got to be the only person that buys a house on a slope and then wants flat patio and decking lol!)

Well here's some of the pics:

yellow rose was 50p damaged plant, red "remembrance" rose was also 50p damaged plant

This pink rose bush was in garden, we have just trailed it along fence.  It has sooooo many buds on it.

This "blue moon" rose was my late mums, I dug it from her garden after she died.  It was planted in the garden at my old house and then put in a pot so we could move.  It only has this 1 big flower on it at the moment.

June 26th 2015 - Just Giving

June 26th 2015 - Just Giving

Just Giving is a website where you can set up an online sponsor form for any event you are doing and for almost any charity.  Just giving don't share your personal details and its very safe to use.

My eldest son is doing a sponsored silence in aid of St John Ambulance, of which he is a member at the local cadet unit.  Although he has a paper sponsor form, alot of our family and friends don't live near us so setting up the online option as well is a good idea.  He wanted to raise £50 and as of today and typing he so far has £54 and £2.50 gift aid from it.

A sponsored silence may not seem too hard a task to do, especially as its only for 1hour.  BUT this is a big thing for my son, he is always in trouble at school, St John Ambulance and at home for talking when he shouldn't, but he is under the local hospital having tests for the austistic spectrum as it is believed he has "signs of" them and they are trying to work out what.  I believe that because he has beaten his target and many people have said they don't think he will do it that HE WILL, just to prove them wrong as he is a very strong boy when it comes to things like this.

If anyone else would like to donate to him please click on the link: https://www.justgiving.com/Jarred-Watson1   many thanks if you do.

Since he has joined St John Ambulance he has calmed down a lot.  He joins in and enjoys going, he has passed his first aid and enjoys going out to events with the Adult members.  He wants to be a vet when he is older so this is a great start forhim.

June 25th 2015 - 2015 reading challenge update

June 25th 2015 - 2015  reading challenge up date

Back on 9th January 2015 I posted a pin about a reading challenge for the year.  A few of the books I had initially put on the list have been altered to a different book that fits the category.  There were 50 books on the list (52 if you count the other 2 from the trilogy), I have 23 so far (and that is including the extra 2 of the trilogy).

There is 1 I wont be reading on the list and that is something that scares you as I don't do scary!!  Despite only having read 23 off the list I have read 29books in total this year - some proper paper books others on the kindle.

I do plan to try and read more off the list the problem is that I need to buy them as kindle or books

June 24th 2015 - Dying

June 24th 2015 - Dying

Not me,i'm fine apart from hayfever which the meds are doing nothing for. I'm dying fabric, well clothes and tea towels.

I bought a pair of 3/4 trousers off ebay, they were a lilac with deep pink stripe and slightly faded in places -

I had 3 pairs of white trainer socks in my drawer (came as part of pack with black ones).  I've not worn white socks since I was at school and that was for PE!  So they have been sat in the drawer not doing much.  I also have about 5 t-towels that were white with purple but now look a pale grey with lilac so I have chucked them all in the machine with the dylon violet dye.  Fingers ccrossed they all take and look as good as my blue curtains did a few months ago when I dyed them.

June 23rd 2015 - Maths makes sense (2)

June 23rd 2015 - Maths makes sense (2)

Well sort of but mainly not!

No i've not gone completely mad and re-pinned the same thing without realising.  Today was the Maths makes sense for parents of year 1 children.  Today's lesson made abit more sense than yesterdays but I am still none the wiser why they have changed a system that has worked for many years.

23 - TWENTY THREE (do you agree???)  Well it was when I went to school - not anymore it is now TWO-ty THREE, and the rest of the TWENTY numbers are also TWO-ty now, and the 30's, 40,s etc have also changed!  I'm glad we didn't stay on these for long as seems very confusing to me.  But apparently children understand and learn it better.

We spent most of the lesson talking about coins and giving change and what coins add up to what sum etc.  We played shops with pictures and coins and had to give the correct amount of change. 

At least today we weren't standing up saying times tables!!!

June 22nd 2015 - Maths makes sense

June 22nd 2015 - Maths makes sense

Errrrrr no it doesn't!

The parents of year 5 children were invited into school this morning for a maths lesson, so we can try and understand more of the new system that is being taught in schools now, it's called maths makes sense.   It has been designed  as a new and improved way of teaching maths to kids.  I personally think the old way is easier, and so does my 9yr old.

Todays lesson started with the kids (and parents) reciting the 9x tables forward (I just about managed) and then backwards (not a chance).  Then they did the divisional sums of 9 as well.  They then moved onto DP - the teacher had to explain to us that this was "daily practice" and in pairs they each do some of the sums and help each other with the answers and discuss how they got it etc if they have different answers.  The next part of the lesson was a dog made from cubes and they had to work out how many cubes it was made from and write out the "maths story" (sum of how they got answer) and then simplify it.  The next image showed the dogs head as a "double" and not just a simple add 1 more row etc but it had been lengthened, made wider and higher.  This confused my son who is usually very good at maths.  Some of the class had different answers and all were discussed.  From here they had to work out how many cubes would be needed for the body, I gave my son and his partner an answer and then had to explain to them how I had a different answer to them - they had only done it as 1 layer not doubled its height as well.  Once they realised this they got the same answer as me.  Finally it was to work out how many cubes for the legs using the same method.

At this point the parents half hour lesson was up and we all left the class, but the teacher said that they had another puzzle to work out.  My son said he would let me know tonight what it was.