Silent Seconds

Silent seconds ..... what does this mean to you? I started going to my local church about a year ago. I was not really brought up to go to church but after going in the run up to my daughters wedding, really enjoyed it. Our local church is just across the road so even if I am not able to walk far, its easy to get to.
Today we had a guest vicar as our own was away on holiday. Father Lionel used to be at our church until her retired. I have to say what an interesting man he is, and what a very interesting life. I really enjoy hearing about his life and his adventures, it never fails to impress me.
Today he talked about how busy life is for most of us, and how we often forget to take time to be silent. I thought how true this was! We are all rushing around and wrapped up in stuff we must or have to do. In my house the T.V is always on and someone always needs my time.
He said that the silent times are often so powerful and peaceful at the same time. Find a few minutes to sit and be silent in a day, is so good for us all.
It really did make sense to me and I am going to try and switch of the T.V and the family, for a few mins everyday. I will think of those people that I don't see or can't see. how grateful I am for my lovely family and just for life in general.
So make time this week for a silent second because you are worth it.

Super Cupcakes

Super cupcakes that is what I have been doing today. I have recently got into baking and even though I had been getting on ok, I wanted to learn more.
So I have just had a birthday and a wedding anniversary and my lovely husband bought me a cupcake course as a gift.
Well today was the day and I have to be honest is saying I was rather nervous to go.
My husband drove me over and I waiting outside for a really short time, and chatting to a really sweet little girl. She told me all about how she was 15 and working over the summer school break, and how she hoped to do cakes as a a job.
When we got in everyone seemed very nice and I was feeling better and not so nervous. One of the owners Gemma introduced herself and explained what we could expect from the day. And then we were off and starting.
The only thing was it was the hottest day of the year, and we were all so hot and finding it hard to handle the fondant . We started out with making the cupcakes and I learnt how to make nice even cakes and make them taste fab.
While they were cooking we moved onto making decorations for them and I really enjoyed that part.
It was then so hot we broke for lunch and relaxed and tried to stay cool.
In the afternoon we learnt how to make a really great lot of decorations for our cakes. I really enjoyed this part and I love decorating.
Lastly we moved onto buttercream frosting and how to make it and use it. We also iced our cakes and even with the heat I think everyone did a fab job.
I think Gemma, Cheri and Chloe did a fantastic job helping us all the way, and being very patient and helpful. I think we all had a big fight with the heat but all turned out great cakes.
I made 12 fantastic cupcakes and learnt so much which I can go on to use to make more in the future.
If live in the Essex UK area and get a chance then go to Love cupcakes & Cheri Bakewells and do a full day class, I am sure you will have lots of fun.

www.love-cupcakes.co.uk

Five things I love

Five things I love today as it was a warm day I did not have the energy to move much!!
So here goes

1. My kids are my world along with my husband. I have two children Matthew who is 30 and Natalie who is 26. They are the light of my life and I love them more and more each day. Sometimes they drive me mad but mostly they are a joy. My husband and I have been married 33 years and I still love him.

2. I have always sewed and been around fabric. I was born next to my mothers sewing machine so it seems natural to feel a connection. I love to sew and mainly I enjoy patchwork, which is a passion. I couldn't imagine a life without fabric. I love to wash it and iron it and see it stacked up ready to use lol.

3. Crafting is something I love to do. I think if you have a crafters mind we can turn our hand to most things. I love paper crafting and sewing and scrapbooking as well. I really enjoy sitting with other crafters and having conversations and fun. Craft is a very social thing to do.

4. Reading. I love to read and I have done so all my life so far. As a child I was bullied and I used to read and imagine I was in the story to escape. I could always lost myself in a book and still can today. I don't know if I could ever life with a book.

5. The computer. I love my computer and all the friends all over the world I have made. If I was leaving school today I would work in the computer industry and I love it so much. I think you are never too old to learn and so what if you make mistakes. Keep practising and you will slowly getting right.

So that is my five things I love now tell me all of yours I would love to know.

What do you save?.

What do you save? That's a question I came across and it really made me think. As a child I used to read a weekly magazine called "Bunty" which was for little girls. On the back where paper dolls and clothes. I couldn't wait to get my comic and to sit and cut out my dolls and their outfit. I would carefully save them in an old shoe box and also use the dolls to design my own outfit. So I guess that was my first save.

As I got older I love to save plates and had loads at one point, all displayed and checked I was always hoping to find one worth lots of money.
Over the years I think I am not really one to save much but I do seem to save fabric and card and paper. I think as a crafter you did to save the silly bits of paper or card or fabric, you never know when you may need it .
Maybe these days I just save dust !!! Or extra pounds in weight that I never seem to lose.
So what do you save?

What do you save?

What do you save? Thats a question I came across and it really made me think. As a child I used to read a weekly magazine called "Bunty" which was for little girls. On the back where paper dolls and clothes. I couldnt wait to get my comic and to sit and cut out my dolls and their outfit. I would carefully save them in an old shoe box and also use the dolls to design my own outfit. So I guess that was my first save.
As I got older I love to save plates and had loads at one point, all displayed and checked I was always hoping to find one with lots of money

What do you save?

What do you save? Thats a question I came across and it really made me think. As a child I used to read a weekly magazine called "Bunty" which was for little girls. On the back where paper dolls and clothes. I couldnt wait to get my comic and to sit and cut out my dolls and their outfit. I would carefully save them in an old shoe box and also use the dolls to design my own outfit. So I guess that was my first save.
As I got older I love to save plates and had loads at one point, all displayed and checked I was always hoping to find one with lots of money

Lego Batman 2 Review

Lego batman 2, the follow up to the successful Lego batman, is a fantastic addition to the popular Lego series.

The Joker and Lex Luthor form an alliance and work together to destroy the hero of Gotham, Batman at the annual Man of the Year awards.

Batman and Robin work together to fight their arch nemesis with a range of additional DC heroes including a Lego version of Superman, Catwoman, Green Lantern, Mr Freeze, The Flash, Wonder Woman and Nightwing.

Lego Batman 2 continues to build upon the highly successful series of Lego games, bringing much more to the table than before including for the first time, voice acting. This brilliant addition to the game and an open world gameplay gives the player the opportunity to explore the world like never before.

Lego games have always featured it’s funny, nonsense language and many thought the addition of voice acting would destroy the feel of the game. This has proved to be nothing but a genius move as the voices that feature add so much more to the game than ever before.

As always the Lego games are perfect for kids, featuring simple to use control and plenty of fun along the way. Adults however won’t feel left out as there are plenty of jokes and action to keep entertained.

If you have more than one controller you can also team up with multiplayer options which is great if you have two kids fighting over who is going to play!

If you want a game that will last a long time this is it, featuring over 150 mini kits to find and plenty of other unlockables you’ll be coming back to play even after completing the main story.

With the success of this lego game I’m sure we’ll be seeing more from batman in the future!

Please note - I have not been paid for this review and accepted a copy to review

Sleep well my baby

Sleep well my baby. Today I am sorry but I am feeling a little sad. I sat down to write a post and wanted to use a picture. As I scanned through my many pictures, I came across this one of my cat Cfer. She was my constant companion for 16 years. Always at my side day and night and always so happy to see me when I came home.

A few months ago she got sick and sadly we had to let her go. I have to say it broke my heart and I felt so sad . People say "Its only a pet, get over it"! For me she was more than a pet she was my baby. I still miss her every day and if you have lost a pet you know what that is like. So sorry for my  not so Jollyjilly today.

I say again Sleep Well my baby till we meet again xxxxxxxx

Night at Down Hall Country House Hotel

Night at Down Hall Country House Hotel is something I was lucky enough to enjoy this week. It was coming up to my wedding anniversary and birthday and I wanted to do something special for my husband. In the past I have always found it hard to buy him a gift so the idea for a night away came up, and the hunt was on.
I wanted to go somewhere not too far from home, as it was only one night I didn't want to waste ages driving. I turned the the internet and spent hours trying to find somewhere that was close and also in my price range. Then I came across Down Hall Country House Hotel in Essex UK. It looked so beautiful and I was amazed when the price was within my range.
So the deed was done and booked and the day arrived this past Monday. I felt very grand when we drove up as it was such a beautiful place.

The staff greeted us with a wonderful smile and in fact the whole time we were there they were so polite and friendly. People like us do not get to go to fancy hotels very often so when you get treated in such a wonderful way its special.

Our room was huge with a bathroom bigger than my small bedrooms lol. It looked out over the above gardens which was really nice.

That evening we had a wonderful three course meal and the food was so fab and totally ruined my diet but it was OK for one night.

After dinner we had a glass of wine in the lobby area, the lights were huge and everything was so smart.

This next day we had a fantastic breakfast and then set off for home. I can say it was worth every penny I spent and I will be saving up so we can go again. So if you live local to Down Hall Country House Hotel I would say visit, you will not regret it.

Sainsbury's Christmas Event

Sainsbury's Christmas Event...... I can't believe I am even talking about a Christmas event already. I love Sainsbury's! I think all the stores are bright and I really love there products. So I was very excited to be invited to an event in London to preview their Christmas and Autumn winter collections. This will be including  food, drink, home, fashion and gifts. How much fun!
So I will be waiting to hear if I got my tickets and maybe I will be able to tell you all about Sainsbury's Christmas Event.

I can't believe I got a tattoo

I can't believer I got a tattoo! My daughter loves tattoo's and has loads all over. I remember her first one and how I was so unhappy about it. Over the years she has added to them and now she is 26 I would have not control at all.

I am not saying I am for or against tattoo's and I do think its a very personal things that I hope most people put thought into before getting it done. Whatever you feel about it you have to admire the art work. Some tattoos are like mini works of art.

My daughter has some beautiful ones , and I really like them. In saying that I do feel she has had too many now and wished she had not had so many on her arms.
When she said I should get a small one I thought " no way!". I was far too old to start getting tattoos!
The next thing I knew she had booked me in as a mothers day gift.
I only had a tiny one on my wrist of two hearts one pink for my daughter and one blue for my son. It was fine but I must say the black did hurt a bit. I think that is my one and only and I will not be getting as many as my daughter lol.
I do think it comes down to personal choice. If that is what you enjoy then why not. Just because you have tattoo's it does not make you a bad person. You should take a person for how they are not just the way they look. This applies to lots of other area's in life also.
So before you make judgement about someone, get to know them first... they may surprise you and you may even be the one saying "I can't believe I got a tattoo"!

Women drivers: how to stay safe in car parks

Women drivers: how to stay safe in car parks is a subject I found today and thought I would share it with you.

While driving brings about a great deal of freedom, it can also introduce an added element of worry for women driving alone, who might feel in danger. As with most areas of personal safety, the key to reducing risk lies in raising our awareness of the dangers and taking steps to avoid situations that could invite trouble.

While it may be tempting to relax as soon as you turn off the engine, it is advisable to remain vigilant in places such as car parks. Here are some things to be aware of and advice about how to stay safe.

Arriving at a car park
Take some time to think through your choice of parking spot. You might want to put your car in a distant corner, because the trees there offer shade, or you really don’t like reversing into a tight space. But be aware that isolated parking spots are more attractive to thieves.

Before leaving your car
Think about your day. Will it be dark by time you return? Will you feel safe when most of the other cars have gone? If it’s impossible for you to park nearer the entrance or in a busier spot, then consider choosing another car park, or at least think about asking a friend or colleague to walk with you on your return.


Returning to the car park
Being aware is the first step to staying safe, so take the time to look at who is hanging around, and where there are blind spots between you and your car. Make sure your keys are ready in your hand so you can open the car door quickly if you need to, rather than searching through your handbag.

As you approach your car, pay attention to any vehicle parked next to yours, to see if there is anybody inside. If you feel unsafe at any point, walk away and come back later with a friend.

Entering your car
When you enter your car, lock the doors immediately. Multi-tasking is a great skill that women are quite rightly famed for, but this is not the time to get distracted by sorting through shopping, applying make-up, etc.

Keep your valuables out of sight. Handbags and phones sitting on the seat next to you could be tempting to opportunist thieves.

Breaking down
If you have a breakdown in a car park, keep all doors locked and phone your breakdown service. You should always aim to have a charged mobile phone with you for this purpose – you can buy in-car chargers. 

Make sure your breakdown cover is kept up to date. Better yet, keep your car well-maintained to lower the likelihood of this kind of situation from occurring.

Stay aware and stay safe as you enter and leave your car. And make sure you have a car insurance policy that meets all your needs.

Author Bio:
Kath Morgan writes about a whole host of motoring topics, including family travel, car insurance and safety concerns. An avid traveller, she spent many years living abroad and understands the lure of the open road only too well.

Broken bones........ or not!

Broken bones ...... or not! This is the question of the week this week. Last week was one of hospital visits for us. Last year just before her wedding my daughter Natalie had a bad fall. It was a simple silly trip, but hey they are often the one's that do the most damage.

She just tripped over the metal bar across a door edge. She fell with all her weight on the front of her lower leg. Within seconds it had swelled up and she was crying with the pain. I told her she needed to go to the emergency room straight away, but she said she would prefer to go to our family doctor.

When she did they told her that it was just badly bruised and not broken as she could still walk. So time slipped past, she had a beautiful wedding and a beautiful honeymoon. The swelling went down but she was still in terrible pain. So physio followed and then stress fracture was mentioned. She was told that it would be a long programe of treatments .

At last she was sent for bone scans and last week the results were in! She had broken it and fairly badly. Because it had been left it had healed badly and had an alarming bend to a bone that should have been straight. So the next step is an MRI scan and then we shall see. We are thinking they may need to have it broken and then re-set.

If she had gone to Hosptial in the begining all this could have been avoided. Saying that maybe if the doctor had picked up on it as well, she could have got help earlier.
So the moral to this story is dont trip up ! but if you do get medical help straight away, its really not worth the risk. You dont want to be saying broken bones.... or not!