[ accchhhoooo ]

sooooooo... i think oscar (my 7 year old) has got slight allegies. his nose is constantly runny & he has the sleeves to prove it!!! i have been trying to find a good way to keep tissues in the car... with little success ~ the box either gets trampled on with muddy feet or something gets spilt soaking the whole lot... i even invested in a metal tissue box but once the tissues get below a certain level you can't reach them through the hole... & when you eventually do manage to contort your fingers into the slot you end up pulling out loads...

while on a recent shopping trip to target... i spied these!! not only are they made to fit into a cup holder she's wearing a bikini & winking at us!! what more could you possible ask for from tissues??

[ get you mother's day cards while their hot!!! ]

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!

LOVINGLY HANDMADE! whoever the lucky lucky person is to receive this card will love how unique & cool it is!

fine-quality, acid-free strathmore paper, 80 lb cover (216 gsm) weight and envelopes are 80 lb text (118 gsm) weight. size 5" × 6-7/8".

both card & matching envelope have a deckled edge.

can be purchased directly from meeeeeee ~ or through esty (store name 519design)

[ is there a pulse 3... ]

hemingway...

sooooooo... here he is again!! look at those teeth!! it's ok ~ he's still with us!! i don't hold out much hope for the guy with the blue legs that looks like is coming out of hemingway's ear!!!

[ perfect... ]

sooooooo... i've just got back from taking the boys to school this morning. time is really weird... i was having a lovely snooze & every time i looked at the clock, thinking i'd have to get up now, only a minute had gone by!! love that!!

but then... time was not on my side anymore ~ as i was flying round the kitchen getting breakfasts, feeding the dog & tripping over the meowing cat (whose bowl was full so i couldn't figure that one out) everytime i looked at the clock 10 minutes had gone by ~ arhhhhhhh!!!

managed to get lunches & snacks, water bottles, homework, folders, checks for tee shirts, library books into the correct backpacks & zipped up. boys had jackets, socks & shoes ( the correct ones too!! oscar came home from school one day with one of flynn's shoes on!!! they look the same except they are 2 sizes smaller!!!)

hustled everyone into the car & zoomed the half block to school!! gave oscar a sneeky kiss on the head... & when into the office to sign in so i could walk flynn down the corridor to his kindergarten class. i love this walk, i love that he still wants to hold my hand (although he won't let me sing anymore!! or let me swing arms!!) on our way i'm saying hi left right & center to other parents, teachers, the school nurse...

when i get home i walk past a mirror & i've got a big mascara smudge down my left eye to my cheek... perfect!! at least it's better than the usual red wine fangs i have!! (maybe not!!)

[ the golden dog! ]

sooooooo... one day my husband, mike, called me up to ask me to guess what he had just seen in lennon's poop (lennon is our 13 year old gorgeous husky)... after numerous wrong answers he tells me he's found a 5 dollar bill & a 10 dollar bill!!!!! for a moment i got really excited!! ~ lennon's pooping money!!! that'll help with the mortgage!! but then suddenly 2 things hit me... 1 it was our money in the first place... & 2 not all of it had come out ~ so we couldn't use it anyway. & that, ladies & gentlemen, is why my parents always warned never put money in your mouth!!!

i called the bank & explained the situation... unfortunately the important part of the bill with the long number is missing... so there's nothing they can do...

but, after a little research, i found out there is another place that i can mail it to where it will be examined... & then they will determine if you will get new notes or not.... i have an image of people in hazmat suits examining all kinds of weird things in a big laboratory, that looks like a green house in the middle of a huge field...

so here is my dilemma... should i tell them that my dog passed them?? or just see how good these people are!!??

[ is there a pulse? 2... ]

hemingway basking in the sun...

sooooooo... this is hemingway, a rescue cat... that must be at least 12 years old... we've had him for at least 10 years now. he's a lovely friendly guy, constantly purring.

there's nothing he loves more in life than food, this cat will beg for toast, sleeping & watching tv with my husband mike every night (usually with his eyes shut purring, hemingway that is!!)

if his bowl is empty he will wear you down with his non stop meowing till you fill it... he'll fight & win against our husky for anything edible... & it shows alright!! his girth swings proudly!!

he does tend to sleep in weird positions & dare i say it i've had to prod him a few times just to make sure he hasn't shuffled off this mortal coil....

here he is warming that beautiful belly... wish we could strap a solar panel on there!!!

[ spillage...! ]

sooooooo... i took the boys to wegmans easter saturday... & yes you can imagine how busy it was.

flynn had a stomach bug & hadn't eaten anything for over 24 hours. walking into a dr's waiting room carrying a sick looking child holding a bowl that is obviously for vomit is interesting!!! everyone shrinks...  & the look on the poor person's face with the only empty seat next to them was priceless!!

so when flynn said he wanted a piece of wegman's cheese pizza i said sure!! but it was only 10.30am ~ it wasn't ready yet... we did a bit more shopping... i got an empty wine box & filled it with a selection of bottles. i slid the box under the cart to make room for the rest of the shopping.

the pizza was ready & i sat the boys in the cafe area to eat. i go off to grab a couple of things & as i return the box of wine slid off the bottom of the cart & hit the ground sideways... some bottles fall out, three smash... glass flew out everywhere & whatever you think the liquid content of a bottle is triples when it spills on a wegman's floor. what was even worse was the way the tiles are pitched in the cafe made the wine flow under everyones feet.. so as i watched people, who two seconds ago, were enjoying their lunches, there were now forced to lift up their feet to avoid this unwelcomed lake of red... one child started screaming. i grabbed a roll of paper towel & tried to dam the flow... wegman's ladies started yelling at me to stop because of the glass.

my eyes start welling up... i look over at my boys & they are staring at the scenario open mouthed...

after what seemed like two centuries... the cool guy with the clean up cart arrived... i excuse myself & slip into a seat next to my guys... oscar points out that i'd dropped the 's' bomb several times... (basically i'd repeated the word s**t, loudly, when the event took place).

we carried on with our shopping & as i hadn't finished my cup of tea i wedged it (as i have done so many times before) down the side of the child seat. as we get past the fish counter i hear a thud & a splash... i look down & my stupid cup of tea fell, hit the bottom of the cart & left a puddle on the floor!!! i cause a huge traffic jam behind me & oscar sighs 'not again!!' too embarrassed to call the clean up guy again... i grab more paper towel get down on my hands & knees & polish the floor...

get me out of here!!!!

[ jell-o eggs!!! ]

sooooooo... i was looking for something cool to make for my son, oscar's, school spring party. i came across jell-o eggs. my obsession with jell-o continues :) for non americans, jell-o is a brand name for jelly :) like when we say hoovering...

anyway ~ i could tell they were made in molds but couldn't find them to buy... then found out that jell-o are giving them away on their website, while stocks last... for the price of postage & packaging~ yeah!!!!

i was concerned they weren't going to arrive in time because i didn't get expedited shipping, but they did!

first spray the inside of the mold with cooking oil. click the molds together, turning them upside down so you can push on the curved bottom helps.

now i didn't follow the 'jiggler's recipe' because that just makes it pure dense jelly... & you don't need to do that. i mixed the 3oz packet of jelly with a cup of water total. i started by put 2/3 cup of boiling water in a jug with the powder & whisked for 2 minutes. this is essential... i tried short cuts with no success, so make sure the water is boiling & don't skimp on the whisking... or it won't be smooth & won't set properly ~ the darker the color it seems the longer the powder takes to dissolve. then to cool it down use 1/3 cup of cold water... i had no luck adding ice... it made it very bubbly & screwed up the setting.

i used a kids meds syringe to add the colors ~ i get my kids meds from target pharmacy as i love the packaging (it was designed by a graphic designer... need i say more?). so i have quite a few... for the first color i put 1tsp of jell-o in each mold & put that in the freezer for 8 minutes. with the jell-o that was left i put in a tsp of greek yoghurt & added that. the yoghurt makes the color solid & is a great way to separate 2 colors that are similar.

be careful not to leave the jell-o too long in the freezer ~ you don't want the layers to come apart... & also the jell-o needs to be a bit tacky when adding the next layer so that it sticks.

the third layer i put in 1 3/4 tsps jell-o & the layers in the middle 2 teaspoons.

i did follow the colors of the rainbow ~ which i now know ~ thanks to mr ray!!! please see below...

after they were all set i thought it would be nice to put them in a clear plastic egg box... but be careful doing anything like this... the eggs can change shape & not look as perfect as they could do. i found storing them in tupperware ~ single layer best. then to serve i popped them in cupcake papers, that made them easier to maneuver.

kids LOVE them!! have fun!!

[ god save the queen! ]

sooooooo... oscar, my 7 year old, had piano last night & they've been playing the star spangled banner for what seems like years now!! & no disrespect but i've heard it many many times now. oscar, goodness only knows why, asked me to sing along with him once... & oh i sang... i left our ears bleeding!! even i was pulling faces at the notes that were tripping out of my mouth!! that may have even been the beginning of his ear infection come to think of it...

so when i hear a new tune being tickled on the old ivory's i can't help but turn my face up to the heavens & say THANK YOU GOD!!!

listening closer... i hear it's my national anthem!! GOD SAVE THE QUEEN! HOORAY!!! so when mr tom, the piano teacher, is leaving i tell him how much i like the new song & maDe a comment about feeling patriotic & the queen bla bla bla. mr tom replies... er no, that's America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)!! WHAT!! THEY STOLE OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM!! is that allowed??

i wonder if the Queen knows about this!! well she will as soon as i find the number to the palace!!

[ ...something aussie :) ]

sooooooo... did i buy this wine because of the name? would i? heck yeah!!! it made me smile ~ mike says woop woop from time to time :)

usually when i choose a wine for the name i think to myself, after the first sip, maybe this isn't the best selection process (but that doesn't stop me doing it again!! what can i tell you, i live in hope!!) ~ but thankfully this turned out to be a very nice beefy shiraz. 2 thumbs up!!

& for all those wondering:

woop woop (definition)

1. Australian term: used to describe the middle of nowhere.

2. similar to the American term for the "boonies".
3. Used to describe a place not usually inhabited and out of one's normal travel. A hole

"yeah, he lives out in woop woop"

[ running errands with my mum (official video) ]