Mothers' Day etc

On Saturday, we went shopping to Aldi to spend our £5 off voucher, made 2 x 8 portion desserts for the evening, did the washing, went and collected a load of wood (for the woodburner) from an unwanted shed belonging to a friend of a friend, and went to an evening fund-raising meal at church.  One of our young people is doing a degree and needs funds to go on a far flung placement.  She only has her student loans so we ran a "pop-up restaurant" at £5 a head to raise some money to help her out.  It is the first meal out where I have had to pay for a very long time but we wanted to help too.

On Sunday, we were up and at church for a music rehearsal for 9 am.  Then the service and after that I popped over the road to Asda to buy myself a treat of the much advertised 1 litre bottles of Baileys for £12. Guess what!  There was a big gap on the shelves where the Baileys should have been.  I had had a long discussion with myself as to whether I could justify spending £12 on just myself for a treat - and I need not have bothered : (

Then a quick sandwich and out to my friend's farm.  They had their first lambs of this year born last Thursday and the first calf on Saturday.  Very, very cute!  Unfortunately the calf was yet another bull.  They have had all male calves for several years now and would really like some females to ensure the continuation of the little herd. They are Dexters so the calves are quite small.

And straight to my daughter's for an early dinner.  It was a multi-purpose family get-together. Within the last week, the family have had cause to celebrate one birthday, one wedding anniversary and Mothering Sunday and another birthday in two weeks.  So all of us met up at my daughter's house for a meal together.  It was a lovely warm afternoon so the children were all able to play outside.  I was quite tickled when my 20 month old granddaughter dragged me outside to play tig.  "You go" she said and ran away giggling and then waited for me to catch her and say "tig". My duff knee can cope with running after a small girl who runs away and then waits for me to catch up but running after the 4 year old was a lot harder!

It was a lovely weekend and I really enjoyed it but I have to admit that I came to work on Monday for a rest.  And anybody who knows what working in a school is like, will understand just how (un)likely that is : )

My Happiness Revolution post.



Thank you Astra: http://ajourneytoadream.blogspot.co.uk

I can't believe that it is almost 3 months since I posted my last list.  Oops.

1. I'm nearly well again and have survived my first week back at school.  Health is something we take so much for granted until we lose it, either temporarily or longer term.  I appreciate the feeling of strength returning : )
2. Still on health - my daughter-in-law is recovered from her operation and my little granddaughter is thriving again after all the little hiccups and problems when her mum was in and out of hospital like she was on a piece of elastic : )
3. It is nearly Christmas - the time when we celebrate Jesus' birth here on earth 2000+ years ago.  I enjoy sharing that celebration with friends and family.  I'm usually very involved with the music at church but I can't sing reliably yet although I'm hoping that I'll manage some carols this year  : )
4. It is nearly Christmas so nearly at the holiday from work - yay!   : )
5. I'm well behind on all my Christmas planning but I've written most of the cards that have to be posted.  And I've made some marmalade to give to friends and some Limoncello for my family.  I'm so pleased that I've managed to produce some things myself despite a few setbacks along the way : )
6. My husband has been away for a few days at examiner meetings and he's coming back tonight. Yay and triple yay!!!  : )
7. When Lidl had a mini oven for sale a few weeks back, we bought one.  It seems like it will be very useful.  I've read about various people who use one including  Frugal Queen at http://frugalincornwall.blogspot.co.uk/ It costs about 20p per hour to run rather than 50-75p per hour for the gas oven.  We do a good line in one pot meals on the hob but it would be nice to have the occasional meal cooked in the oven.  At those prices, it won't be too long before the oven has paid for itself (£29.95) and we'll be into savings : )
8. It is not my turn to cook Christmas dinner.  This feels slightly mean of me but I'm struggling back to normality and school doesn't finish until 21 December.  I'm going to find it hard enough to sort out what I have left to do without having to clean and polish the house and prepare food for 13 people.  I love having the family round at ours but this year, I'm pleased that it is my daughter's turn : )
9. I love that I have made so many blogfriends.  I like reading and enjoying and learning from the blogs of like minded people and some of them come here and read my blog too.  The internet can be a wonderful source of learning and enjoyment.  Twenty years ago, who would have thought it? : )
10. All in all, 2012 has been a good year and I'm happy to have been through it : )

My Happiness Revolution post.

Thank you Astra: http://ajourneytoadream.blogspot.co.uk/

I don't seem to have posted my list since June.  I have been happy during the summer, honestly  : )

1   Summer holiday from work - no alarm to wake me up.  I hate being woken by an alarm clock.  My day always goes better if I've woken up naturally rather than by some noise, even if that noise is a favourite CD playing.

2   Catching up with the washing and ironing.  I don't like having a huge pile of laundry waiting for a dry day and then piling up waiting for me to iron it.

3   Going away for a few days and seeing hills and sea and friends and family : )

4   Having a few days to spend as I please without having a set routine or timetable.  I really enjoy that break from routine.

5   You've seen the photos below - having a new granddaughter : )

6   Having a lovely day out for our wedding anniversary.  The weather smiled on us too.

7   Driving a tractor for the first time at a bbq at a friend's farm.  Quite scary but exciting at the same time.

8   Spending a day with my little grandson - big brother to the new baby.  He has started nursery school this term and his self confidence has gone up in leaps and bounds. This is the first time he has spent such a long time with us - hopefully the first of many.

9   Eating meals where most of the food has been produced by us.  I love eating our harvest. 

10   Starting Christmas preparations.  Making things as gifts and thinking about the people who will receive them.  I enjoy the making and I enjoy the giving.

My Happiness Revolution post.
Thank you Astra: http://ajourneytoadream.blogspot.co.uk/

1  We had a lovely, peaceful half term break from school and we needed it.

2  On one of the days at half term, we were booked to help my son with decorating.  My job was to play with my grandson and keep him occupied  : )

3  My chest infection was not improving on its own so I gave in and went to the doctor.  I'm on steroids now and have an appetite like a horse but am feeling better - yay!

4  We failed in our attempt to buy a barn to convert but we are really happy to find that there are such possibilities around in our area.  We were starting to get a little downhearted but finding this barn and its possibilities has really bucked us up.

5  Twice in the last couple of weeks, my son has phoned me up.  He has to travel a bit for his job and twice recently he just decided to phone his mum, not for anything special but just because he could  : )

6  My friend who has a greenhouse was selling off her surplus plants and let me have all her spare tomato plants before anybody else got there.  With the greenhouse, her plants are 18 inches high and lovely and sturdy.  We planted 2 different varieties of tomatoes but with the cold and wet and no greenhouse, ours are 5-6 inches high.  I want lots of tomatoes because I want to bottle some and bottle some tomato sauce as well.  I read how Sue does it :

http://ournewlifeinthecountry.blogspot.com/2011/09/preserving-gluts.html#comments

7  It was my turn to have the school chicks home this weekend.  They are 5 weeks old now and fully feathered but still very cute.  I put them outside in the little rabbit run during the day but put them in an indoor rabbit hutch in the spare bedroom during the night.  As it was a teacher day yesterday, I had them at home for an extra day.  I'm still of the opinion that we have four males and just one female but only time will tell me whether I'm right or not.

8  My husband had his birthday at the beginning of half term and our kids clubbed together to buy him a new (to him) phone.  The old one has not been the same since I spilled my coffee over it.....  He doesn't really use it much but he seems to be away at all day meetings at a distance or overnight more often and he uses it then to keep in touch with me.  One of my son's friends has to have the latest gadget so they wanted a new phone.  Our lot bought the old (but still pretty new really - only a few months old) one for my husband.  It is a bit of a family joke but my husband is hopeless with mobile phones.  Give him a pile of old bits of electronic junk and he will build you a computer but don't expect him to send you a text.  I think he is determined to get to grips with this one as it is a smart phone and more computerlike.  His level of I-must-do-this determination makes me smile.

9  I love having my husband with me and all my family nearby.  I couldn't bear to move so far away that I couldn't see them regularly.  I treasure the times when the doorbell rings and one of the family is just knocking the door in passing, just to say hello for a quarter of an hour.

10  I love not being cold in the house because I can't bear the thought of the gas bill if I put heating on.  I'm still in lots of layers because ours is a cold house as it doesn't really catch any sunshine but I'm not shivering in my layers.  I must confess that even though it is June, I have had a HWB a couple of nights but mostly I'm warm enough.  It is good to be warm enough : )

I intended to post my Happiness Revolution in mid-May but I'm a little late.  Thank you Astra:   http://ajourneytoadream.blogspot.co.uk/

1  Not being cold all the time because the weather is warmer and so the temperature in the house is higher.  I hate being cold.  It was already 10'C when I left for work this morning and the sun was shining.  Sunshine always lifts the mood and makes you feel better.

2  Going to the shops and finding something you need at half price - like my catfood.  That is a little bit more in my smallholderwannabe coffers.  Every little helps.  Nice Mr Sainsbury also sent me four £6 off if I spend £30 vouchers.  I can spend £30 if I stock up on a few things.  £40 is harder to spend and any more than that is well nigh impossible.  I can only bring myself to stock up on incredibly good offers on something that I know that I will use and won't go off.

3  Watching the school chicks grow.  I find it incredible that in just 21 days, the egg can go from being just an egg to being a fully formed chick that is strong enough to break out of the eggshell and can live on its own.  In less than a week, the feathers are forming on the wings and by 10 days the tail feathers are becoming visible too. By 2 weeks, the wing feathers will be strong enough for them to be able to make short flights around their box.  It is a little miracle happening right in front of my eyes.

4  Watching the seeds sprout into little plants and know that we'll have homegrown food on the table shortly.  I feel a real sense of pride when I can eat a meal where we have produced the bulk of it ourselves.  The lettuce leaves are nearly big enough to pick.  We had a couple of sprout plants in large tubs that we left here at the house rather than take them to the allotment.  they never grew any sprouts but they have grown leaves all winter and spring and are now forming flowers that the rabbits just love eating.  The leaves have fed the rabbits and us all winter so I shall grow a couple of plants in tubs again next winter just for the leaves.  One of my favourite veg with an autumn/winter meal is steamed greens - a mixture of small cauliflower leaves and brussel sprout leaves, cabbage leaves and anything else green that I have - all shredded together and steamed and then served with a little knob of butter. Yum!

5  Having my son ring me up for a chat, just because he hadn't spoken to me for a few days.  No big news but lots of chit-chat and catching up : )

6  Having a meal of leftovers work out so well that it is a real pleasure to eat - and at the same time knowing that there are a few more pennies in the smallholderwannabe coffers.  That meal (or meals, as it turned out) might only have saved me from spending a few pennies but they all add up.  As Mr Tesco says, every little helps  : )

7  Spending time with my family.  We have a family birthday in a few days' time so we'll be having a family get-together at half term.  I'm so looking forward to it and seeing everybody.

8  It is my best friend's birthday today and I have found her a book that I know she will love and I spotted a card that goes with it beautifully.  Normally I would prefer to make a card but this card was so right that I just had to buy it.  I'm looking forward to watching her open the parcel : )  I love it when you find a present for somebody that is not just good but just perfect.  And I didn't pay the earth for it either.

9  Having the kids from school smile at me and say hello.  Occasionally they will do it in the corridor but just sometimes I'll run into one out shopping.  If they look embarrassed and dive down the next supermarket, I hate it.  If they just smile and say hi as they walk past then it really gives me a lift and this has happened again recently.  I can remember doing the embarassment-and-dive-down-the-next-aisle bit myself and then growing up enough to acknowledge staff as human beings.

10  Having my husband to myself for an evening without him having to do work either for school or church or the exam boards.  Such evenings are rare and I love them.

This exercise is good for me - counting my blessings : )

It is mid-April so it is time to write my second list for the Happiness Revolution.

What makes me feel happy right now?

1   Easter!  Celebrating the risen Lord.

2   Two weeks holiday from work - but I must have blinked because how did it get to Tuesday of the second week already?

3   Sunshine and blue skies today but with the odd April shower to water the plants on the allotment and in the tubs at the back of the house.

4   We spent a wonderful afternoon yesterday with my son and daughter-in-law and my little grandson out at our friends' farm.  And there were lambs and a new calf.  One lamb needs a bottle three times a day because its mum doesn't have enough milk for it so we just had to go out and feed it... : )  Unfortunately, when you are two years old, being up close and personal with sheep and lambs is a very scary experience although it can be enjoyed from a safe distance.

5  Baking a cake for everybody to enjoy at the farm yesterday afternoon and having it turn out really nice looking.  Mind you, driving to the farm with the car full of that just-out-of-the-oven smell was torture.  It was a banana cake but when I went to the fruit bowl, there were not enough bananas so I grated an apple in too and that made it beautifully moist.  I think I'll be adding in apple again deliberately next time.

6   We'll be away for a night later this week and I'm really looking forward to it. A mini-holiday : )

7   I love these lighter evenings and mornings and the way that the daytime stretches slowly out as the year moves on.

8   Being able to dry a load of washing on the line outside.  In early spring, we spend time at the weekend pegging it outside and then bring it in still damp and have to spread it round the house and wait for days for it to dry properly.  Now a load will dry outside in a day and the sheets and towels can have that lovely fresh outside smell.

9   Having a friend round for lunch because there is time in the school holidays which does not exist in term time : )

10 Watching the increased spring activity of the birds in the garden.  Right now I'm watching a blue tit on the ivy on the fence by the window and a couple of blackbirds turning over some leaves further up the garden.

It is good to remind myself of all the little things that work together to make life good so thank you to Astra for making me stop and take the time to ponder.


http://ajourneytoadream.blogspot.com/

I thought I'd join in with Astra's revolution.  You can find her blog at A Journey to a Dream:

http://ajourneytoadream.blogspot.com/

This month the 10 things that are making me happy are:


1   I have a working toilet : )
 
2   My friend down the road has given me a portion of her Friendship Cake  mix last weekend.  I just love sourdough bread and cakes.  It is that lovely tang which is just a delight.
 
3   Just two more weeks and it is the Easter holiday from school - yay!
 
4   Confession time - I love playing Zuma Blitz on facebook.  This month I got my highest ever score in the year I've been playing. I was happy about that as I had beaten my daughter's score.  Mum is not quite over the hill yet. 
 
5   I feel healthier than I have for many months although I still get tired too easily.  Health is one of those things that we really take for granted until it isn't there so it is a real pleasure to say that I feel so much better right now.
 
6   I've been doing a bit of crafting again.  When I'm not well or stressed, I don't like to make anything because I am never satisfied with it.  I suppose it is because my brain is too fuzzy.  I've just done a little cross stitch picture and I'm currently knitting a jumper for a friend's little girl - and I'm happy with them.
 
7   I've been able to read lots of books recently.  They are mostly books from the school library that are aimed at teenagers.  I've just finished two books by Deborah Ellis about a girl's life under the Taliban in Afghanistan.  They are fiction but based on fact.  My life is so easy by comparison.  I'm happy to be able to go about freely, to have a job and to live without fear of being beaten up or of imprisonment without due cause.
 
8   I've been able to sing with the church music group again this month after my voice being gone for 10 weeks with my last chest infection.  I'm not the world's best singer but I do really enjoy singing.  It makes me happy.
 
9   Like Astra, I appreciate the lighter mornings and evenings.  I feel like a mole in the winter when I get up in the dark, go to work in the dark and come home again in the dark.  The lighter evenings also mean that I can see my little hens in the evenings and I like that.
 
10  I've seen and talked to both my grandchildren this month.  I'm hoping that I'll see them again this weekend for Mothers' Day too.  My grandson has discovered Spiderman.  I'll try and post a picture later...