A Productive Day

Funny how blue skies and sunshine can spur you on :-)  We managed all the items on our to-do list which I think is the first time ever!  In no particular order:

We managed a weekly home blessing hour a la Fly Lady, surfaces dusted with a swiffer brush, floors cleaned, mirrors wiped and the bathroom given a once over.

Pip mowed the lawns and Benedict undertook all the meal prep for the day, vegetable and chicken soup for lunch and lasagne for tea.

Ben helped with the recycling.

Pip completed all her home school lessons:  Singapore maths, spellings, times tables practice, read aloud and adding another floor to her Egyptian house.

Three loads of laundry were washed, aired and put away.

I made banana muffins and a start on another project bag for the craft stall.

Ben has been working on an Age of Empires scenario with an Egyptian theme.  He has undertaken all sorts of research for this project and has worked really hard.

Tomorrow we are home schooling with friends and I'm looking forward to a quieter day!

 

Sunday Snippets

We finished the death mask on Friday and for a post lunch treat Pip made the date balls for afternoon tea:

 Dave is has found a way of attaching the mask to a wall and so the first artefact for the "Around the House Museum" will duly be installed :-)

On Saturday I spent the whole of the day in the loft working on items for the craft stall.  I also managed to make a handmade gift for an upcoming birthday and it was quite satisfying to see the completed project.  I have come to accept that making handmade items for sale will in my opinion never sustain a living wage.  However this form of work not only enables me to work to my own timetable, thus allowing for my own health needs it also means I can be at home to support my family.  Somethings in life such as flexibilty really are priceless.

On Friday the diabetes specialist nurse arrived at our home minus the all important laptop!  This meant that she was unable to make a fully qualified decision regarding Benedict's diabetes care and I was quietly apoplectic!  As a result some cursory changes were made and she is returning on Wednesday to undertake a full download of the sensor and pump information.  His diabetic readings are quite worrying, yesterday he had multiple hypos throughout the day and he was having a quiet day at home!  If he had been active there would have been a reason, but when these blips occur for no apparent reason it is quite baffling :-(

We missed church again this weekend, my health is just not  up to it at the moment.  By the time I have ferried Ben to college, taught Pip, attempted to keep on top of the house and undertake additional work hours, I'm worn out by the time Sunday rolls around.  We did have a lovely visit from long standing friends in the afternoon.  All the kids played together really well and Debbie and I had a quiet time knitting and chatting.  And before we know it, Monday rolls around once more!  All we need is some decent weather ;-)

Hands On History: Ancient Egypt

We decided to join in with a friend on a history unit study, so when we met on Tuesday the girls worked on a death mask of Tutankhamun:

 We also managed to paint the outer part of the headress which has now been glued in place, complete with crazy beard!  Pictures to follow tomorrow :-)

We found some really great short videos aimed at KS2 pupils including one about the types of food eaten by the ancient egyptians.  I remembered a really useful youtube and website called Pepper And Pine  And thanks to this site we made a really yummy meal for our tea:

Spicy Chicken,

 Lentil, onion, garlic and sultana stuffed cabbage leaves

 Baked potato ( not authentic I know) for some carb.

We had hoped to make the date balls for dessert but we were late returning home from college and food shopping.  However we are home based tomorrow so they are on the home school to do list :-)

 

Whacky

On Saturday we had glorious sunshine, so once we had dropped off Ben at Mill Hoppers, we headed across the road to the garden centre cafe:

However on Sunday when I went to meet Ros, my long standing friend and faithful blog reader the weather was doing this:

It was cold and grey and the cafe was crowded so we sat outside and after an hour of chatting, found a space in the smaller of the two tea rooms.  Cue another decaf soya latte to warm up :-)

The weather has not been the only thing that has been whacky 😜. Benedict's blood sugars have been all over the place and last night was my third in the row of being woken by the sensor.  He was running low yet again :-(. 

As a result of the broken nights and several weeks of Sara worry, extra driving, appointments and other stresses I am trying to stave off a crash in my health.  It is 6:30pm and I am already tucked up in bed and typing this from my phone.  

We have the diabetes specialist nurse visiting on Friday whereby I hope we can make the necessary adjustments to stabilise his condition.  If not I will be needed matchsticks to keep my eyes open 😁

Thankful Thursday

Thankful for blue skies and sunshine today

Thankful that Ben is wearing a CGM (continuous glucose monitor).  For the past month his diabetic readings have been all over the place, culminating in several consecutive days of multiple hypos.  Ben's new pump has a function whereby it will automatically shut down, if the sensor detects that he is running seriously low.  Needless to say he has been "alarming" all day!!  The worst bit was when I went to check on him before retiring last night, only to be greeted with a piercing alarm and the following on screen data, " I have diabetes, this is a medical emergency, call for assistance!"  At least I now know that should he ever be unconscious whilst simultaneously wearing the pump and the sensor, that all in theory should be well ;-) 

Thankful for the clothing bargains found in the shops today.  I cannot see the sense in window shopping and I only buy what I need, but the recent surge in temperatures was just the nudge I needed and some long overdue new tops were bought this morning.

Thankful that Uncle Bry called round and stopped for tea.  He is very generous and whenever I see him, he has usually bought some treats for us to share.  We had raspberries in our post lunch smoothie and strawberries with yogurt for our after dinner dessert.

Thankful that both kids are competent in the kitchen.  Benedict made a yummy vegetable and lentil lasagne for our lunch on Monday and moussaka for our tea.

Thankful for Poppy she never fails to make me smile. 

Thankful for some recently purchased active wrist splints.  I have had to use wrist splints in the past, but they had a steel rod insert and therefore doing anything with your hands was virtually impossible.  Knitting and crochet are my sanity savers, but over the past few weeks the pain in my hands and wrists has become quite wearying.  In addition to the fibromyalgia I also have joint hypermobility syndrome.  JHS is where the joints are super flexible and can work beyond the normal range of movement.  Some folk can have this condition and no symptoms.  Some of us have chronic pain and flare ups and in the worst cases the joint itself has dislocated.  Essentially the tendons and fibres surrounding the joint are working beyond their capacity in attempt to maintain joint stability, and as a result pain ensues. 

These new splints have enabled me to keep up with the crafting as well as moderating joint movement, a win-win situation ;-)

Thankful that Sara is making good post partum progress and that Oliver is such a chilled out baby.  She is well rested thanks to his sleeping for a good stretch at night, long may it continue!

Some pictures to share:

 Ben's yummy vegetable and lentil lasagne.

 Kathryn on Easter Sunday having fun with snap chat selfies with Ben!

 Oliver was one month old on Sunday and I got to have Grandma cuddles yesterday.  Love his hair :-)

What are you thankful for today?

Woolly Wednesday :: Hydrangea Blanket

The labour of love hydrangea crochet blanket is finally finished :-)

 And with the left over yarn I am making triangular bunting for my garden shed! 

 Yes, remember the shed that was being built last year as a 50th birthday gift from Dave?  It just needs another coat of paint on the inside and then I'm moving in, with a camping chair, my blanket and bunting!  I will have to do a shed tour when it is all decked out and invite you over for virtual tea and cake ;-) 

Kids In The Kitchen

Pip was almost flying solo in the kitchen this morning as she made Rock cakes for morning tea.  Today's activity was a chance to meld cooking and science rolled into one! 

 We have been following an American science curriculum entitled, "Considering God's Creation" a place where scientific principles and faith beautifully meet.  This week she has been learning about the formation of the universe, the big bang theory and that behind it all is a creator that loves each one of us dearly.  The hands that flung stars into space were the very same hands cruelly nailed to the cross beam on a tree.  And those very same hands have our names carved into His palm, such is His love for us.

This And That

Five

Mary - Grace turned five on Wednesday, goodness how the time flies!

 Kathryn made the cake and it was delicious :-)  Lovely to see Our Lady in the background keeping an eye on our very own Mary!

Oliver Bear

 Pip met Ollie for the first time on Saturday.

I have been visiting on a weekly basis to help out, have catch up time with Sara and Grandma cuddles with Ollie Bear!  The following photos were taken on Thursday:

 My friend Sallie made this beautiful playmat/quilt, all the many different ways of saying "Hello!" throughout the world. The butterflies on the mat, were those from Sara's wedding dress!  Sara says, that Ollie loves looking at the cards and chatting to his toys ;-)

 "Goodness me, where did that bear come from?!"

 Our little bears first outing in Grandma's car.  We took a short drive down to the prom and had tea and cake overlooking the bay.  Here are some photos of Sara and Ollie on Monday in the exact same spot, courtesy of Grannie W:

Ben The Worker

  Ben has been involved with volunteering projects at our local water mill, assisting with the tours, serving in the cafe and assisting with grounds maintenance.  As a volunteer he also qualifies for expenses and so has enjoyed taking his mum out for a coffee treat after college on a Thursday!  Here he is having a well deserved break from serving tea and coffee after Easter Sunday mass at our home parish.

Other News

My job contract finished at the end of February, so I am back to crafting in the loft room.  I have plans to actually attend one or two local craft fairs with a friend over the summer, so hopefully this venture will prove to a worthy one.

Ben finally returned to college last week, so we are slowly trying to find our groove in the home school classroom.  He is working right through until the end of June, when he finishes for the summer.  I've already told Pip that we are working through until the end of July, so let the whining commence once July rolls around!!

In addition to volunteering duties, Ben alongside some of the other lads from Heron Corn Mill have been working on a music project.  He really enjoys the sessions, so much so, he used some of his birthday/christmas money to buy a small keyboard that links up to the computer and music maker software.  

Hope you have enjoyed the family pics and I'm now off to check up on those of you that blog x