Cheers Emma!

How nice of Emma Bridgewater to think of me when designing this new mug....lol.....I've showed it to hubby, so maybe it will appear in my christmas stocking!! The new CK catalogue popped through my door yesterday so I also told him to pick anything out of there too! Can you believe how quick this year has gone? This time of year is my favourite, I think its something to do with be able to wrap up in woolies and not worry about pasty legs and arms on show...lol! Today has made me feel all warm and cosy, the weather here in Cardiff is awful, so I am very grateful that I dont have to go anywhere. My older two are at their dads and my step son is coming tomorrow, so it just me and the little one (who has only just got dressed) as hubby is currently on a golf course playing a 36 hole final, so rather him than me, he text me before he started to say that the other fella is in a green v neck with a white polo top same as him and they have the same golf bag and putter, what must they look like!!
We now have a teenager in the house hold as my step son turned 13 this week, he is such a laid back boy, a real joy to have around and the other boys adore him, although I dont know how cool it is for your 5 year old brother to kiss and hug you...lol


a huge big thankyou to Mary (mary poppins ) for my award, if you haven't read her blog pop over right now as its gorgeous!
I'm going to award this to......
everyone who reads my blog, as you all leave such lovely comments so please feel free to award it to your self....thankyou

Claire x

I Love NY Mondays too!

Is anyone else loving Living tv at the momement? I have to admit I love 'certain' reality shows and Mondays are now my fave tv watching night. Last night started at 8 with Make Me A Super Model US (it was the last one though and I thought Holly would win...yeah for the girls!) then Americas Next Top Model at 9, double bonus as its back in New York this time and finally at 10, Lipstick Jungle which I'm already hooked on. Now I tend to watch tv after 9 when the boys are asleep so I did sky+ Make Me A Super Model and watched it in between adverts!!!

I have two tags that I'm really late doing, first one is the quirky tag from the lovely Brenda (racing girl)

1 I love the marks left on your skin that you get from leaning on something or laying down, hubby thinks this is very strange! If I see someone with a mark on them I have to stop myself from wanting touch it....lol......my younger two have developed it too and they show me their marks in the morning from sleeping....I know.....wierd!

2 I can curl my right top lip like Elvis and raise my left eyebrow at the same time, doesnt make for an attractive look :)

3 I have to go to go to bed last, dont know why, maybe its the mothering thing but I always make sure everyone is tucked up and if their duvets are all tangled I have to straighten them even if the boys to stir, I remember my mum doing the same thing! Hubby occasionally stays up after me and I cant sleep until he is in bed unless he's out or working away.

4 I cant sleep naked, I always to have underwear on, I have a thing about crawlies being around....lol....gross I know........a fly flew in my ear one night a few months ago so you never know.....lol

5 I can say random things, I could be having a conversation but be thinking about something elsle, for example, I once asked a customer if I could feel her instead of could I help her as I was thinking at the time that I didnt feel well. how embaressing, she found it very funny!

6 I'm addicted to house magazines ( think this is a common one on these blogs) I will purposly make an excuse to go out in the night to buy one if I havent managed go shopping throught the day, hubby doesnt mind at all me buying them but I always feel silly saying I want to go out and get one, if I cant I dont sleep properly until I have it! I get so excited when I know they are due out, I've just been at Mel Mel's blog and her copy of country homes and living magazine has arrived and I'm itching to get one now



My next tag is from the lovley Mary (mary poppins ) and this one is facts about yourself.

1 I once came 2nd in a sexy legs competition at Pontins, I was 15, it was fixed as the lady who won, her husband was a judge.....boooo

2 I'm ampidextrus ( have no idea if I've spelt this right) although I write with my left hand, I could get away with writing with my right if I ever broke my left (didnt anyone else want to break their arm when they were in school? It was such a cool thing to have a plaster where everyone could sign it....lol) and my right hand is actually stronger, ie for throwing and opening things. Although I cant use a scissors properly with either hand.

3 I'm not a naturally tidy person but wish to be so, hubby is soooo much more tidier than me.

4 My dream job would be an interior designer but I'm not artistic at all, I'm very visual and love putting things together around the house but if I had clients they would end up with child style drawings.....lol.....!

5 My mum spent a lot of time in hospital when I was little so most of my time was spent there, I used to go along with my dad and brother most nights, say hello then dissapear to help the tea ladies on the wards, when top of the pops on tv I used to go into the tv room ( everyone seemed to be 70+) and dance for the ladies, I was free entertaiment....lol.......I had all their phone numbers in my address book and used to phone them now and again.

6 I have to have certain drinks at different times of the day, Tea or Orange juice with breakfast, tea mid morning, water or diet pepsi with lunch, diet pepsi with dinner, hot chocoalte in the evening andof course the odd bottleof wine thrown in.....couldnt have diet pepsi in the morning......no way...or a cup of tea after 7......I'm like it with the boys too, think tihs should be up with the quirky tags.

There you go, a little bit about me and my little world. Now I know both tags have been doing the rounds so I wont pass them on but feel free to do them yourself!

I have to say a huge thankyou to the gorgeous Natalie ( summer ny the sea) for the gorgeous cupcake picture she made me, I will post pic on here v soon, I love it, everyone comments on it. You should start making them to sell!!

I've been a bad blogger both posting and replying to apologies to anyone who hasnt heard from me in a while, blogger is still being very 'clicky' with who I try and reply too.....lol

Claire x

I'm not ignoring you...honest!

I'm very frustrated, for some reason I can't reply to any of your comments, initially it was typepad that I couldnt reply too, now its blogger too. Please don't think I'm ignoring you all, especially BRENDA and MARY who have given me tags to do, I will do them very soon. Thankyou for all your fab comments on my new kitchen, I'm pleased you all like it.....Claire x

A very very nearly finished kitchen.

Hi everyone, here are some piccies of our new kitchen, better late than never, it's almost completed, just a few bits that need to be done, the sort that will be done in about ten years time....lol.

This is definatly my fave room in the house, I can often befound standing by the door (except there is no door...lol) gazing into the room. The table still have boxes with things that have no home, will they ever have a home I ask myself.

This is such a bargain from Ikea, the cupboards either side of the oven aren't wide enough for saucepans so this is perfect for them, I just need to varnish it so it doesnt end up with too many marks on it. It cost £39

This is one if the things that will take ten years to finish.....lol

My favourite thing in the whole kitchen, why its come out like this I don't know. We didnt have a dishwasher in the last house, so for the last two years I've felt I've been stuck at the sink......this is heaven!

I wanted an open plan style to the kitchen so we have no wall units, there is another one waotung to go above this one.

This gorgeous plate rack is from Pretty Practicals, I can definatly recommend their site, gorgeous products and excellant service.

This is view I love to gaze at, ignoring the table just before it full of boxes......lol

I'd like to say a huge thankyou to you all for all your lovely comments. The move was a nightmare as the weather was so awful and we didnt realise how much stuff we actually had, we still have boxes dotted around the house, a garage full of boxes and hubby's mum's garage is also full.....yikes!

It's a month today that we moved in and I just love it here, the boys settled right away, we have fab neighbours, there a million boys living in the road.....slight exageration........adjoining us are three boys from the same school as my boys, practically all the same age. Its funny as there are 20 house in the road and 6 of them have children simliar ages to mine and they are all boys! Heaven for my lot!

As you know from my previous post I went to see Madonna, she was absolutely amazing, we had fantastic seats thanks to my fab Aunty. According to the press the crowd wasnt that into her and there was booing, the booing wasnt actually for her but whilst we were waiting, which was over 2 hrs ( only critisim was there was no support act) there were lots of mexican waves going on and if one side didnt complete it, the other side would boo.....all good fun, we were entertaining ourselves. Everyone was so excited and the crown went crazy when she came on. What a show, she didnt stop for over two hours apart from a quick change. My fave was Like a Prayer which was mixed with the dance track Dont You Want Me (by Felix), I wish it would be released it was so good. She did four diffrent theme sets, all amazing. I love it and would definalty see her again and she looks so good at 50 and definatly puts m e to shame with her body and fitness.

I've been trying to reply to comments left on my posts today but either its my computer or blogger is playing up so ladies I will be replying to all your lovely messages very soon.

I have lots to tell about the house and what we got up to in the summer??? hols.......was that summer???

Take care ...........Claire xx