I enjoyed our Relief Society meeting last night - making Christmas crafts. Really well organised, and it was good just to chat to people, plus, I managed to drive all the way there and back without the car blowing up, to the relief of Anna and Enid who had a lift with me. I think it was a bit low on oil - Scott did something with a blue container this morning anyway.

Harry came downstairs on his own at 6 this morning, and I noticed later that my lovely gingerbreadman swag thing that I made last night, was mainly eaten. There used to be 3 men, and this is what's left... they were real gingerbread, but I'd painted them with acrylic paint. We'll have to see if Harry survives. To be honest, his scootering is more likely to finish him off than his acrylic paint habit.I know I have quite a lot to do for tomorrow and the weekend (ie. get party bags etc. ready for Tom's party, decorate his birthday cake, decorate his cup cakes for Children in Need, set up for the ward activity, buy 200 rolls, make soup for 50 people and a pie...) but today I decided to make an apron.

I realised I would need an apron for helping serve soup and pies after the church Quiz Night, and the only one I have is the most disgusting looking thing imaginable. It's a navy blue MacDonalds apron that my friend Juli gave me when she used to do accounts for them, years ago. That would be OK, but I have done plastering and floor tile adhesiving in it, and there are bits of rock welded all over it. Anyway, I did not think our ward members would like to be served by anyone wearing it.

I like my new apron, but it took me ages, as I was making it up as I went along, and haven't used bias binding before (and I sewed the straps onto the apron by accident a couple of times and had to unpick them.) I even made a big red polka dot rossette with buttons in the middle, and sewed that on it, but it looked a bit OTT, so I unpicked it. I may stick it on a hairband though, so I have a matching accessory!I made lemon curd after tea, and will put some in the middle of butterfly cakes, that I'll make out of the cup cakes - then they will be nice and yellow for Children in Need day! My hands smell lovely from doing the lemons, and I feel all good and domesticatedy!! Lemon curd is so easy to make and it tastes REALLY good - we haven't bought any ever, since tasting homemade. It's Jack's favourite.

Scott is sitting next to me eating pop corn that he just made. He felt really horrible yesterday - all the symptoms of everything going around, in one go. He stayed off work, but made it back today, and is a whole lot better. Watching 'The West Wing' DVDs on the laptop in bed a lot, must have helped his recovery.

A new baby Flinn!

Wonderful news!! Nikki and Robin have a little baby girl! Born this evening, and weighing 7 lb 7oz, and Nikki didn't need a C-section - everyone is doing well! Adam has a sister!! Can't wait to know her name, but we might need to wait a while, if naming Adam is anything to go by.

Some more very random pictures from the last day...
Harry wanted dinosaur pie for tea last night... this is what we came up with, chicken pie with some handiwork by Harry and Mum.At last - there are pictures in all the frames in our living room! (The frames have been up and empty for about a year now) I seem to go along fairly happily, then suddenly realise that a part our house has descended into total chaos. How does it manage to get so bad before I actually notice it?!
Do we really need 2 bikes, a bodyboard, a pushchair, an After Eight Mint fancy dress costume, a huge bag of conkers, a golf bag trolley, several bags and 10 million shoes all on our porch floor???

No, we don't. This is the porch now, and I scrubbed everywhere and painted undercoat on the skirting boards too. No doubt I will 'discover' another disaster area soon...

We never got a picture of Lucy dressed as an After Eight, at the 'Trunk or Treat' at church, but she wanted a record of it before it got chucked in the recycling bin:

Harry this evening: "I CAN'T SEE!!"

Harry has been hard work this week (and last) since being ill. My patience has really been tested. I was getting fed-up this evening, when Harry suddenly changed into a different child - sweetness and light!! He said he was going to tidy up, and then did it! He did a really good job, and then went up and tidied his bedroom. I've no idea why. It cheered me up anyway.

Lucy, Jack and Tom all seem happy - Jack's looking forwards to going to Lucy's school tomorrow for a football tournament, Lucy's been organised with her homework, and is really enjoying Young Womens (she's just got in this minute from doing a scavenger hunt and said it was the best fun she's had in ages!), and Tom is happy in his quiet way - he has a biggish part in his school play and a solo singing bit, and he's enjoying it, and today he said his team won 3-2 at football. I asked him if he got any goals, and he said all three, so I have been calling him Hatrick Hero this evening. The oldest three have been getting on well with each other too. Though to be honest they have been a bit eclipsed by Harry the last week.

Also, Lucy said this afternoon, that she is really glad I take so many photos, even if they moan about being photographed at the time. I gave the kids a big box of photos today, that I was going to scrapbook, but didn't need because I made Tesco photobooks instead. They were happy sharing them out, finding ones of themselves and remembering good times. Anyway, the point is I feel vindicated!! I will carry on being snap-happy!
Harry spent some time this evening being a 'mer-man' (ie. legs wedged into a scooter box). I gave him an early birthday present today - a scooter. I couldn't bear him moaning the whole walk to school to pick up Tom again. It worked - he didn't moan, but I spent the whole time grabbing him before he flew onto the road, and picking him up, brushing him down and telling him It's-OK-there's-no-blood. One day this week, he shouted/cried really loudly after we'd just set off from our house "I'M GOING TO CRY THE WHOLE WAY!" (because I wouldn't carry him). Some lady was coming of out her house, and was laughing quite a bit at this. I have rolled my eyeballs quite a lot this week.
I know I'd be bored without all the fun though!

This Week

A fairly quiet week this week - I seem to have slept a lot, including 12 hours last night.
Some random pictures:
Jack made this heads-on-spikes lego creation yesterday. I think he has been reading too many 'Horrible Histories' - when I told him it was gross, he said 'The Celts did it.'
Scott got greeted by a couple of 'slugs' when he got in from work yesterday. Scott has been working on our itinerary for America in the spring - he thinks we are squashing in a lot, but I reckon we will be fine, especially with no kids (!!) We've now booked our rental car.

Tom lost a tooth during tea last night, while his friend was round (actually I pulled it out - I love pulling their teeth out!!) At bedtime, I wrapped a purple Quality Street wrapper round one of my front teeth, and Harry looked most worried indeed, and couldn't figure it out till he touched my tooth!

I have no worries that Jack will eat well during his life - if there's not much in the house he doesn't just go for the peanut butter - here we have grated cheese and carrot. He always comes up with a plate laden with imaginative stuff!Also this week, Lucy had her Target setting day at school. It was nice because she got the whole day off and we only had to go in for 15 minutes. Lucy's tutor is great and totally agreed with me in thinking the kids should have much less homework, and that it should not be so computer based. Lucy's grades were very good. She is at a Chemistry Masterclass in Ely today, with her Gifted and Talented class. She was unimpressed at having to wear school uniform on a Saturday.

Harry bought home some great cookies from playgroup yesterday, and happily we were given the recipe too. Harry kindly gave me about a twentieth of a cookie, and it was GOOD, so we promptly made a load. They remind me of Bounty bars.

Here's the recipe:

Anzacs from New Zealand

75g Self-Raising Flour

75g Rolled Oats

75g Desiccated Coconut

75g Sugar

125g Butter

2 Tablespoons Golden Syrup

Melt butter and syrup, add rest of ingredients and mix.

Roll into balls and flatten onto greased baking tray.

Bake for 15 mins on GM 2, 150'C, 300'F.

Next time I make them (probably today!), I'm going to try adding chopped glace cherries/chocolate chips/raisins, or all three.

Sparklers & Monsters

Harry and I didn't make it to church today - Harry was coughing half the night again. We just dropped the older kids off and they came home with Scott. I was snuggling down for a nap with Harry, and he said to me "Imagine I had a dream, and you were the boy and you were poorly, and I was the Mummy, and I hugged you really tight and then you were better, and that's the end!" I'm glad he thinks that Mummys do nice things!
When it got dark Lucy and I had a play with the sparklers that it was too wet to use on Bonfire Night: Years of practising mirror writing pays off!

Jack and Tom wanted to make monsters. Tom started his ages ago, and he finished the sewing tonight, and designed its face etc. and I finished it off. Lucy came up with the idea of sewing on Hama beads - the monsters will have some little glow-in-the-dark teeth! Jack started his tonight.

Tom is (majorly) proud of it!!

Jack worked hard on his and made a good start...

On Thursday I did an activity with Harry that I got the idea for from (here). Harry got stuff from around the house and put them on which side he thought - Sink or Float, then he tried them out (obviously he could only put them in the water with the soup ladle). He enjoyed playing with water, though I moved it into the kitchen after a bit - the rug was getting a bit soggy. I was playing around with my camera while Harry was getting wet

Also on Thursday I decided to chop the legs off Tom's cabin bed. Following seeing Tom's consultant, we wanted to see if Tom could go through the night dry without us taking him to the toilet when we go to bed, but I didn't want to be changing a lot of wet bedding with his bed so high. I chopped the front two legs off, but then had to wait for Scott to get home so we could pull the bed out and finish it off. It was a bit chaotic with Tom's stuff everywhere. Scott went to Birmingham on Thurday, but his stuff finished at lunchtime, so he went shopping in the Bull Ring (got a new coat and suit), and was home early.This is his room yesterday. It will have to be painted at some point - it's still in the colours Lucy chose when it was her room. (The kids have swapped rooms loads.) The bed is a much easier height now anyway, though as it happens, Tom hasn't had any problems.Yesterday Lucy had to stay off school. She's had a bad cold this week. My Visiting Teachers came in the morning, and in the afternoon Harry got really poorly and coughed non-stop. Trevor came over later - a flying visit from Estonia. It was good to see him, though Scott missed him by just a few moments. Scott rang up in the afternoon and said he had bought some fireworks, and although I'd said I didn't feel up to a Firework Party this year at our house, I ended up wanting something at least, so at the last minute the Conways and Chattertons came over and we threw some stuff together. Here are the kids watching some fireworks. You can see Harry doesn't look too great! The Chattertons stayed on after the kids went to bed and we enjoyed their company.Today it is just me and the boys. Scott and Lucy have gone on a Youth Temple trip. It's lovely weather, but Harry is still not brill. We are having a lazy day (I am still in my dressing gown), maybe with some art later - Tom has just made himself a paper crown. I fancy some sticking I think.

Try not to be too jealous of our Toffee Apples

On Monday Lucy and Jack went back to school, and one of Scott's old church friends, Gary, came to stay for the night as he had work nearby the next day. We had Family Home Evening together, and for the activity made toffee apples... I did look in every shop for toffee apple sticks, but to no avail. They look gross but we had a laugh making them and actually the toffee tasted pretty good. Flowers from Gary

I was a bit fed up yesterday; I still don't feel right and the kids are all full of cold - Harry had a high temperature and was up a lot on Monday evening. Tom had an appointment with his consultant at the hospital yesterday, and we ended up waiting for ages to go in, with the boys being tired and not particularly obedient! Tom still has to take his medicines (tears most days), and we need to go back again in a while.

Everyone except Harry made it to school today, though Lucy looked like death and Tom didn't want to! It's been nice and sunny though, and Harry and I have had a pretty lazy day which I have enjoyed. Made a couple of cards, and went to the shops. Bargains from the charity shop - a pair of jeans for each of the kids, a spider-man T-shirt that Harry fell in love with, a skirt, and a load of die-cast cars for Harry - all for £3.50!!

Got to go and get Tom in a minute, and I really don't feel like moving from this seat! Can't complain though, Scott took him in this morning for me.

The Poulton's Visit & Halloween

The half-term holidays have gone very fast! Scott took the day off on Thursday and we managed to fit in hiring the astro-turf pitch for the boys to play football, going to the dump, cleaning inside Scott's car, swimming, going to the driving range, cutting the grass, ordering Lucy's new bed etc.

Friday was spent cleaning the house (scrubbing window frames), making Lucy's fancy dress costume (she wanted to be an After Eight mint!), having a clear-out of Lucy's clothes, and getting ready for Juli and her family's visit for 2 nights. They arrived after our kids were in bed, and we got all Juli and Chris' kids settled down quickly. It was nice having little sleeping bodies in every nook and cranny of our upstairs! We had a nice evening chatting.Saturday it was chucking it down, (though Scott was out at 8.30am playing golf with blokes from church) so Juli and I decided to make cakes for the kids to decorate and give out at the 'Trunk & Treat' at church later on. We had great fun making revolting coloured cake mixture and icing, and the kids enjoyed slopping it eveywhere and sticking sweets on. The kids were all great - considering there were 9 kids aged 12 and under it was very easy and they all got on brilliantly. Juli and Chris' kids are so cute too!!
Juli and I went to the ward activity early, via Tesco (buying the last 100 hotdog rolls) and picking up the Activity chairwoman and her 3 kids. I had a very hectic couple of hours then, making sausages for the ward in an oven that DIDN'T WORK. (Ended up having to do them all in some frying pans.) It was my first activity being on the Activities committee and I learnt a lot, and I think the activity went OK. The kids were happy with their bucket-loads of sweets anyway!Nothing's changed!! I have a very similar photo of me and Juli 20 years ago, with some orange and purple cakes that we had made for some Young Womans thing!Juli and Chris went at about 9am this morning - to Ashley's baby blessing in Manfield, and then we went to church. Lucy had her first ever Young Womens, and I enjoyed Fast Sunday, even though it sounds odd that fasting, especially when you are shattered and getting ill, can make you feel so refreshed and renewed. I got the kids lunch and got Harry and Tom down for naps, then I had a much needed sleep too (till 5pm!) Two 5am starts this weekend, the ward activity, getting a cold, and not stopping moving all weekend caught up on me. Scott had a nap after that for a couple of hours too, and I think we are ready now for another week!