What I'm Doing Right Now!

The TV is boring so I am sitting at my computer thinking what to talk about. Its been quite a year over last and up to date. We were so lucky to get two beautiful grandchild.
Nathan who was born last June and Grace who was born just last week on the 22nd. Both were early Nathan 3 weeks and Grace five but they were both healthy and happy.

We are so lucky to be blessed with two wonderful children who i love with all my heart. They in turn have lovely partners and have given us these two beauties to bless our life.
I wanted to be a mum so bad and at first it didn't happen but then along came Matthew when I was 23. He was my gift the one I never thought I would have, then five years later along came Natalie my little girl to complete our family.

My daughter Natalie , her new baby Grace and My son Matthew

I am so proud of them and all that they have done and no matter how old they get they will always be my babies.I love you both with all my heart   xxxx.  

A Truly magical week

Hi everyone is Monday again and time to join in with The oliversmadhouse for magic moments.
This past week has been one of hospitals, being ill , stress and ending is happiness.
Last week I spent the day in hospital have injections for my very bad back. After I seemed to pick up a nasty bug which made me feel really ill.
It added to the stress of what was going on as my daughter's baby made up her mind to arrive 5 weeks early!!
Trouble was she gave mummy a few issues before she was born. My daughter had no idea her water had been going over a couple of weeks!  We live about 45 mins from the hospital so every time she went in and labour didn't get going they were sending her home. I was so stressed as being sick I couldn't be much help.Then she rang me at 4am and said she was in so much pain she needed to go in.
So one min the call was 2cm and then all of a sudden it went to 6cm and the call to "come now" went out.  So a rushed job to cover the 45 min drive without getting stuck behind a tractor or slow car lol.
I thought I would arrived and she would have had the baby but no by some miracle I got there in time. I have had two babies but to be honest the delivery time is all abit fuzzy lol. So getting to see my granddaughter born was so special.
They thought she would need help being so early, but no she was a fighter and needed no help at all. Mum was a bit shell shocked and ended up in theatre as she had some issues, but is fine now.

So welcome to world Grace Rose weighing in at 4 pounds 14 oz and perfect in every way.

Mum and Grace  had to stay in hospital as she was so tiny but was doing so well,. Then she developed a little jaundice and had to stay in a little longer, mum was upset but little fighter was doing grand.

So after a very long week Grace and mummy and daddy got to go home, as a wee family. The babies at home were very excited lol

So how lucky am I to two beautiful grandchild en. A grandson Nathan and now granddaughter Grace.

Huge congratulations to my daughter Natalie and her partner Ian on the birth of their daughter.

Silent Sunday 25.1.15

Wedding Memories

Here we are again on a cold and chilly Monday morning. As normal I am linking up with the lovely Jaime over at http://theoliversmadhouse.co.uk/magic-moments-19115/ . I am sharing some old memories with you and hope you have a fab week

This is a picture of my bridesmaid on my wedding day. I think even if it was 1979 the dresses still hold up. I spent ages looking and found these in a large department store.I thought I would have my chief bridesmaid in a another colour and the younger ones in pink. Now I think I would have them all the same but I think it sort of works.
The people are Lucy (husband cousins daughter), Sam (my nephew), Emma (my niece who is over at the syders ) and Carole my friend.
I remember taking Emma and Lucy to get their shoes which came from a very fancy store. They were so excited and Lucy always tells me how much she loved those shoes lol.
I think they all look lovely and it only seems a second ago, but in fact it will be 35 years in July.
I have been lucky and had 34 years of happy marriage and love. I hope I have at least 35 years left to enjoy it some more.

Silent Sunday 18/01/15

Ozeri Razor Digital 3D Pedometer

Like most people at this time of the year , I am trying to improve my mobility. This in part is to do with health issue so it is a big up hill for me.
I was asked to give me views on the Ozeri Razor Digital 3D Pedometer over the last couple of weeks

I found it a lovely light pedometer which comes with a wrist loop and a clip, so lots of ways to pin it to yourself.
Nice clear and easy to read display, although I did find it a little hard to set up. That I have to say just could be me. Once up and running it was very easy to operate.
My only negative is I wish the display stayed up so you could see your step count , without pressing the button . That is a tiny thing which does not effect the operation of the pedometer.
Good fair price as well which has to be something else we worry about.

You can find it over at Amazon UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ozeri-4x3razor-Pedometer-Tri-Axis-Technology/dp/B005G00AH2/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

please note I was not paid for this review

only receiving a sample of the product

My daughter's New Life

Something Beautiful: My Daughters New Life

I know every mother out there thinks her child or children are beautiful and they are. No matter how old you children are you are just as proud of everything they do . I remember the days when they would bring home that funny little drawing, and even though you had no idea what it was, it would get stuck to the wall! That first smile, that first step its all there locked in your store of memories.
My children are grown-up now and I am still so proud of the people they have become. My oldest is going to be a first time dad in June, and we are so very excited at being grandparents.

My youngest has totally transformed her life in the last year , so much so I am amazed by it!
She had weight problems (like me) since she was younger. Once she gave up being a competitive dancer she gained even more weight. She was still beautiful but life is hard when you are big, everyday is a fight and I know that only too well.
Then she decided she could not cope any more and wanted to have a gastric bypass. I was worried as she was so big you hear of all kinds of things going wrong. I didn't have to worry as she sailed through and then set about losing all her weight..

As the weight dropped off her drive to make changes in her life came to the front. She wanted to be a Nurse. I have to be honest and I thought she was mad as she had no formal education after age 16. Credit to her she went away and researched the subject and found out how to go about it. She completed a higher education course and then started to apply to nursing schools.  We were amazed when she was excepted!

So fast forward to right now and boy am I proud of how much she has achieved in the last 15 months. She has lost 184 pounds or 13 st to us Brits, and so much more healthy and happy. She is in nursing school and doing well, something that never would have happened when she was larger. Its not been easy but I am so proud of her. I am so lucky to have two wonderful children who have grown up into wonderful adults. Natalie is just about to have her first baby a little daughter , to go with her brother Matthews little boy Nathan. :-)

Natalie before

Natalie today

Silent Sunday 11/01/15

One For The Weekend!

As it is Friday and nearly the weekend. I think January is a rather dull month , not much happening. After all the Christmas excitement and all the colour and pretty lights, its always depressing to pack it all away for another year. 

So as it is nearly the weekend I thought I would share a few ideas of what I like to do. I am sure that no matter where you are you can do something just the same.

The first thing I want to share is a fab movie i just saw the other day. I was flicking through Netflix and I came across a movie called "Mister and Pete" and it was a totally brilliant movie. Very hard hitting story but also one with a sweet side, it follows the journey of two boys over one summer. such a great plot and even better acting it was really so worth watching. I know there are tons of movies out now but I really want to see Paddington, as he was such a huge part of my childhood , as I am sure the same for a lot of people.

Why not visit a market . I live near London and we have a fab range of old markets , so many to spend a few hours drifting around and stopping for coffee. One of these is Portobello street market where you can buy anything from fruit and veg to antiques and clothes! Even if money is an issue after Christmas its still a fun thing to do. I know there are fab markets all over the place, and you will know where they are near to you.

If the weather is not at its best then a visit to a stately home could be just the ticket. In the UK we have some wonderful old buildings which are old but still beautiful. I bet there is one near to you but I would check opening times as its winter. Museums are also great places and often they are free or only a small admission.

Go out and do a very British thing ... Have afternoon tea. There are tons of places out there now and its so nice getting tea all made for you. I love them and it also make a nice surprise gift if you don't have time to wrap/

And last and not list I would pick up a book. I would sit and read with maybe tea and a snack and settle down with my book . I have always had a book straight back from a child so for me its a fab thing so do. 

So I hope you enjoy a few of the item's in my first one for the weekend. Go and make me proud!

Simoney Badges Review

Just before Christmas I was contacted by a lovely company who make badges and other items. I was given the chance to have a name badge made to wear along side my sponsor badge at Britmums live this year.
It was really easy to give them my design and almost straight away the proof came back. I wanted it to look like the header on my blog, so asked if this was possible. They were really helpful and the new design arrived shortly.
Within days my badge arrived and in generally I was very pleased with the quality and style. I would have liked my name a bit brighter but that is a small thing. I am sure if I had asked that would have been corrected as they seem very good at what they do.

They also do a full range of other promotion items and badges which all seemed very good quality.

So above is my badge and I think it looks very smart. I will be wearing my name badge from Simoney  at Britmums live next year along with my sponsor Lifestory bank badge. I think I will look very smart!
Why not order yours now.

Magic moments and family

Well this is my first post in 2015 and another year starts. I guess January is always a month we tend to reflect on things, I know I do and even more as I get older. Time seems to rush past the older you get! I remember looking at my sister in law Pat when I was little and thinking how I wanted to be her age lol.
Now I want to be younger so we are never happy are we!
I had a wonderful childhood with parents who loved me and filled my life with great happy memories.  We were not rich but we was rich in love and I always knew that. My mum was my life and she and I were so close. I always held her arm when we went out right up to Iwhen i became a mum  myself. She always said she would look like a monkey with long arms, as I was always  hanging on her arm lol

This is my mum at the front. My nan is to the left and aunts behind

Later I married and moved away and I know it hit me hard and I am sure it did her as well. We spoke daily and could spend ages talking.
Sadly she passed away when I was 33 and I have always felt sad she did not get to see my children grow up.

I wanted to have children so much and it was a long road to get my first child. When my son Matthew was born It was the most wonderful time. I never thought I would have a child so he was such a joy. I called him Matthew because I thought the name was great, but it also meant gift of God which was so true. He was a darling little boy and filled and still does my heart with so much love I can't tell you.

He had grown into such a fantastic man, I am so proud of him daily. He has done so well with his life and has a lovely wife Karen and gave us our first grandson last June.

 Then I was lucky enough five years after Matthew was born I had my daughter Natalie. I was not planning on another child, but after a friend had a baby I thought it would be nice to give him a brother or sister.
Natalie arrived and she was perfect , such a beautiful little girl. Like Matthew she was a good baby but had a few health issues. We just thought she was a sickly baby but we found out many many years later that we both have a condition of the immune system, but we did not know then,
She filled our life with endless dance classes and energy, which it was hard to keep up with at times. She was a really talent dancer and I enjoyed seeing her dance and jump around. Later we found out she could sing and when I say sing she really can. She has a beautiful voice and I am so proud of her.
She is not far off having her first baby in February and I find it hard to think my baby is having a baby lol. I am sure she with her lovely partner Ian will be wonderful parents.

I know every parent thinks their child is the best but I know mine are. I am so terribly proud of them both and what wonderful adults they have become. I hope they think they had a good upbringing and that they had a good childhood. No parent is perfect but I hope I have done as good as I could.
I think Kevin my husband and myself are so lucky to have Matthew and Natalie and I love them more each day.

Silent Sunday 4-01-15