We didn't make the snowflakes but...

I did make all of these.

Christmas was.... well let's just say it was not one of our usual ones but with my job I guess that was to be expected.

I'm exhausted physically and emotionally but I am counting down the days to a whole week's leave. Hopefully that will help me start 2012 with a bit of va va voom. I'm determined that I'm going to rock 2012 and it's going to the year I make good things happen. Wish me luck.

Too much stuff

I'm on, what feels like, a constant decluttering spree.

When we moved into this house some 9 years ago we didn't have enough furniture to fill it.

9 years on and some pretty miserable times and it would seem I have surrounded us (with some help I might add) with too much stuff.

There always seems to be piles of things, everywhere.

I sort through things and make a pile, then move that pile to another place.

Then another pile materialises.

Then I take bags and bags of things to the charity shop, to the skip, to the recycling centre.

I come home...

There are piles of stuff still.

It doesn't help that the ex still has a lot of stuff here but I'm hoping he can be persuaded that after two years of us being apart it's time for him to get it shifted - either that or he'll be getting billed for skip hire. ;)

A psychologist would probably have a field day telling me lots of different theories as to why this is happening but I pretty much know why it happens, I just need to keep going so one of these days there will only be two small piles.

An In pile that is dealt with on a daily basis

and

An Out pile.

For my house and for my head let's hope this time I clear it all.

Bizarre

Last night I went out with a pal.

I drove as she doesn't drive.

But she doesn't drink so it was a very sober evening.

We had a lovely meal then went to a couple of pubs but there is really only so much fizzy pop a girl can drink.

So we had a coffee.


The town was really quiet so we hatched a plan.

And found ourselves in Asda doing some late night shopping.


My pal has never been late night supermarket shopping before so she found it all rather exciting.

My other pals are finding it hysterical that on a Saturday night out I was driving and ended up shopping.


At least that part of the evening was entertaining as later on I had to cope and deal with an extremely upset Big One. Let's just say it was very hard remaining civil to her Father this morning when he came to collect her. Grrrrr

And so it goes on

I've an eye test tomorrow



so while I'm in town I'm going to take myself off to the wool shop and have a good look round the charity shops to cheer myself up.



Today I got the grand total of sod all done but I did have the most lovely sleep.

Pressure for pleasure.

It was my birthday yesterday, to be honest it was a pretty miserable day.
I've never had the birthdays you're apparently supposed to. Everyone seems to think you should be bouncing off the walls with excitement and have an action packed day ahead of you but I invariably seem to miss the invitations to these things
As a child I remember hoping it would soon be over - as in my birthday, not life, I wasn't that gloomy a child! :)
I think being born on my brother's birthday may have had some influence on how unexciting I've found birthdays. It's not much fun when you feel like you've intruded on someone else's party.

I didn't have parties for any of my big birthdays and apparently my family has never thought I needed one as despite me organising theirs they have never returned the compliment.

But then.....

I made my own family and my two gorgeous girls came home from school with hugs and kisses, presents they had picked themselves and then took themselves off to the kitchen to bake me this...


Despite a couple of family members doing their upmost to pretty much ensure I wasn't going to have a great day I'd just like to thank my gorgeous small people and my online family who let me know in so many ways that someone thinks I do matter.

It's been well over a week

of me staying at my Mother's so I'm guessing that by now I'll be feeling a little like this.





with some of this thrown in the mix



and starting to look forward to this.



Just guessing.....

Phones - love them or hate them!

As I was sat in my bathroom this afternoon with clingfilm wrapped round my head, I was dyeing my hair Passion Red (it was purple before but the roots were getting a bit long) just incase you were wondering, and clingfilm round my feet. God I sound such a catch don't I - God knows why I'm single!!
I wasn't dyeing my feet though I was doing a parafin wax. I found an old tube in the back of the bathroom cabinet and as my feet are looking like they belong to a 90 year old woman and I've been living in my flippy flops I thought it might be an idea to give them a treat.

The phone rang!!

Quick note here - trying to walk anywhere with clingfilm wrapped feet is not fun!!

Anyway it was the ex. I got to speak to the small people. :D
It sounds like they're having a good time. Wee one told me all about the pool, the friend she's made from Transylvania(?) and the mini golf course.

Big one sounded utterly fed up.

The phone line was terrible, I could only make out about half of what they were saying but I got to hear their voices and I know that they are ok. But it meant that I couldn't get to the bottom of what was up with big one plus the fact they are all in the same room together so she probably didn't feel like talking about whatever 'it' is. :(

Saying bye and the I loves you was pretty horrible. Why is it so hard trying to stop your voice from cracking so you can keep up the 'aren't we all just fine and dandy' persona?

So tomorrow I leave for Wales. I can't say I'm looking forward to the drive, it's a long way. I don't mind the drive so much it's just boring and the dog isn't much of a conversationalist at the best of times.
Well I guess I should go pack some clothes. I've got a few timed posts for while I'm away as I doubt I'll get online much if at all. My mother doesn't have 'the internet' as she calls it but I think I'll take me and my laptop off for a coffee every(day) now and again to see if I can find me some free wifi. Not that I actually know how to hook up to it! LOL

Thanks for all your lovely comments about my garden, it is big isn't it. Actually looking at the picture it's very deceptive on how bad the weeds actually are. LOL God knows how long the lawn will be when I get back but hey least the bugs will have fun while I'm away.

Be good but if you can't be good be sure to blog about it so I can read all about it ;) xxx

Sorry I've not blogged

much this week.

Thursday I found out that one of my dear friends who has already beaten cancer once has found another lump.

And then

Friday I took another dear friend up to the hospital for her to get a mammogram as she has found a lump.


Bit of a shit week.

I know I don't have to remind you all but please do check yourself ladies.

I've got brain itch

You know that sensation when you've got a whole lot of ideas bouncing around in your brain, so many that they're causing a buzzing sensation that in turn causes an itch.

I've too many ideas and not enough energy or time to do it all.
I've been trying to design my next tatt for ages and all of a sudden a totally different tatt has entered my head, so now I'm trying to come up with the design for two new tatts. I have 6 already but they're all fairly small, these two are big uns.
I'm trying to sort out my craft room which still looks like the temple of doom, well it feels like it. If you move something then something else falls on you.
I'm trying to build up the energy and find the time to rip out the fitted wardrobes and carpet in my room but this also involves clearing out my bedroom plus finding the money to pay for new walls and new fitted wardrobes, oh and new flooring.
I'm trying to help big one through her exams. She's got her last one this Friday. Hooray!!!! She's in 4th year and taking her Standard Grades which are basically your GCSE's down in England and Wales.

AND

As you may have read in my previous post 'The You Know Who You Are Letter' you may have guessed that I might be having a bathroom refit. Well I'm hoping you assumed that and didn't just think I had a random bath on my patio. :)
So the work on it started over 3 weeks ago, they guy I've got doing it is a friend of a friend. He's a great guy and very particular about everything being perfect, which is unfortunate in this house as none of the walls are straight in fact not even the window is in straight! Anyway what with the extra work, his various other commitments it's felt like this has been going on forever but the end is in sight. My friend (who's his friend) was going to give me a hand to tile the bathroom to try and save me some money but she turned up one day but was called away. So I've done a wee bit but the very nice man has done the rest. Bills going to be bigger now but the tiles will look a whole lot better around the window than if I'd been left to it. LOL But I'm helping him out where I can as a fetcher and carrier, holder and drinks maker so I've not been able to get much else done.
I will be sharing pictures with you as soon as it's finished. I just wanted to be able to do the whole before and after shots so you can all gasp and coo appropriately. Trust me the before was grim and I've been living with that for nearly 8 years.

So that's why my brain is feeling all itchy but there is no q-tip big enough in the world to reach right in there to scratch it.

Dear.....

Dear You know who you are.

The more you try to drop subtle hints about the 'state' of my garden just remember this. I might be 40 years old but in my head I'm still 19 so everytime you try to make me feel like I should do something you can bet I'll do the complete opposite!

The fact I have a bath and sink full of bits of wall on my patio just now might have given you a big hint that I'm having a new bathroom fitted! That is still ongoing so it will all disappear when the bathroom is finished. My house is not even attached to yours so it is not infringing on you and you can't even see it when your humungous caravan is on your drive.

I unlike some do not have an OCD about my lawn, trust me I have lots of OCDs about other things but how long my grass is or the fact it has bald patches does not bother me, I have too many other things going on just now to worry about.
See those 2 small people that hang around my house? They're my kids, they use the garden to play in. See that big, smelly thing that says woof occasionally? That's my dog and he uses the garden to play in, dig in and c**p in!
Oh and while we're on the subject of my dog could you leave him be and stop encouraging him to stand paws up on the stupid small wall you built in place of my much taller hedge without my permission. I have already asked you not to do this as he is old and is having trouble with his back legs. Get your own dog maybe?

And please stop trying to 'educate' me about the weeds in my garden, I actually like the more natural look for plants and just because some of the plants in my garden don't come out of the Dobbies catalogue doesn't mean they aren't pretty or I can't have them in my garden. It's my garden!

Having a non senior moment

I'm not even sure what that title means but of late I seem to be struggling again. Living in a house that seems to be in a constant unfinished state could be part of it, I can't even seem to get on top of simple household tasks..why do dogs constantly seem to moult, why don't bathrooms self-clean? I managed to smash two of my new plates this morning as the stack on the draining board was a tadge precarious to say the least. The state of the kids bedrooms has got to the point that I feel like calling Kim and Aggie in. I have so many unfinished wips and lists of things I want to make. Oh and for some reason today my computer has decided that it doesn't want to download any of my pictures from my camera and I have some great charity shops buys to share. Aaaagh! Ok feel better for that rant and am now going to arm myself with a dustbin bag and a forced grin.

Or maybe I should pin this guy on to their doors.

Hopefully I'll get a night out tonight with my friend and we can have a good giggle, that usually is a good fix. To anyone that has got to the end of this post without their ears bleeding (or especially if your ears are bleeding) have a great weekend. ;)

EDITED 15:38pm
Even more :( now. Night out is cancelled cos my mates 17 year old son has chickenpox.

Another sad goodbye and other general blahs

Tony Hart died at the grand age of 83. He was always like a friendly grandpa or uncle who understood how much you loved to draw and would give you hints and tips on how to try out new ideas.




So what else has been happening in the world of Taz. Not a great deal to be honest. Spent pretty much all of yesterday and today asleep. Saturday night I went out. It was supposed to be a belated birthday drink for me and a pre-birthday drink for one of our friends. My best friend phoned me in the afternoon to say she didn't think she'd be going out wasn't feeling up to it, so I didn't rush back from shopping with the kids. But as I was dropping wee one's friend home I got a message saying she was out and hurry up down to the pub. So I had to rush home, jump in the shower and find something that didn't need ironing. Anyway it was a fun night out.
Sunday was a lazy day. ;)
Today I got up, go the smalls off to school, came home made myself a mug of coffee and thought oooh I'm cold I'll just go back to bed and read a bit of my book then get on with my day. Hmmm I woke up about an hour before wee one was due home from school. Ooops. Not sure if it's still the fallout from my ear infection, just the general ugh effect of lack of sun or the fact that the Dr upped my meds and they do tend to wipe me out. Or all of the above. Anyway I've made arrangements to go see a friend for coffee and cake tomorrow so I HAVE to stay awake. Plus if I don't get my butt into gear soon my ironing pile is going to claim a casualty.


Oh but there is a little bit of sunshine on a cloudy day. Being Human is coming back as a proper series and I'm really hoping that despite the change of 2 of the main actors it will still be as great as the pilot promised it to be.

Well that was Christmas over with

now to get through the New Year fuss. Sorry I know I sound like a miserable moo. Christmas wasn't quite the day it should/could have been but the kids were happy with their presents and dinner was lovely.
Now we're all in the limbo land between Christmas and New Year when no one is quite sure what day it is. This is not going to be a long blog today, hopefully when I come back I can be a bit more cheerful. Off now to blow my snotty nose and drink some hot orange and try muster up some energy to tidy the house.
Ok I'm going, I'm going. I should have titled this Don't Read This. :)