Cutting Down

It's no secret that my healthy eating challenge has been extra challenging of late. I started off the year really well, losing a total of two stone six pounds, or thirty four pounds, but I've gone to pot in the latter part of the year. The weight I lost is slowly creeping back on, so it really is time that I do something about it.

It's been very hard getting motivated again, especially when Mick brings treats home like this chocolate that I found in the fridge this morning. I really do need an extra push now before Christmas though, so I'm trying to stay focused.

The thing I really need to work on is snacking between meals. I need to make sure that the fruit bowl is well stocked so that I can snack on something healthy rather than a biscuit or a packet of crisps. I do love to chomp on a home grown tomato, but sadly, these are all I've got left of this year's harvest. Don't worry, the dark ones aren't bad, they're a variety called Black Cherry and are supposed to be that colour.

As well as cutting out snacks, I need to refocus on exercise. Before Archie was ill, he had been suffering with a limp, so the vet advised complete rest. That certainly didn't help, as my main exercise is walking him. His limp is still there, though it's much better now, so we went for a lovely long walk this morning down The Lines. I feel much better for exercise and fresh air already, and Archie is conked out.

ParamountZone

When everyone is at home, our house is always filled with music, whether it's Daniel watching the music channels on television, Eleanor in the playroom on the keyboard or guitar, not to mention her singing, or Mick listening to the radio.

When ParamountZone asked me to try the Tap Shower Radio, I jumped at the chance, I thought it would be something which would get used often in our bathroom.

It's designed like a tap, which you turn to turn the radio on and adjust the volume. It has dials for am or fm and for tuning.

It's so easy to install with the large suction cup, it just clings to the bathroom tiles, and being waterproof, it's safe to have in the shower cubicle or right beside you in the bath.

I have to say that the sound is really good, I've come across radios where the sound is crackly, but this is very clear. That may be down to the fact that it has an antena for fine tuning which many radios of this kind don't have.

The radio takes two AA batteries which aren't included.

It's already been used by everyone in our household, and I can see that it will be a permanent fixture in our bathroom.

At the moment, ParamountZone are offering the Tap Shower Radio at half price, a bargain at £4.99.


I was also asked by ParamountZone to try the Keyfinder Keyring. This is a nifty little gadget which helps you remember where you put your keys.

Simply attach your keys to the keyring and the next time you forget where you put them, give a whistle and the keyring beeps and flashes to tell you where they are. I have to say that the Keyfinder Keyring does sometimes go off with other noises too, such as the clink of a glass or a clatter of dishes.

There's also a built in torch, which is very handy when you're trying to find the keyhole in the dark. This is easily activated with the touch of a button.

The price of the Keyfinder Keyring is £2.99.

With Christmas looming, there's lots of gift ideas on the ParamountZone website. I find it easy to think of things to buy for Eleanor, it's the men in my life that I get stuck on, but I shall be getting many ideas from this site. I shall be checking out the Gadgets catagory and also Toys For Boys. Hopefully, I won't have such a hard time this year thinking of things to put in their stockings.

Christmas Blanket

My finished item for October is a blanket which I've made for my mum for Christmas.

My mum was a really good knitter, though she hasn't picked up her needles for many years now. She never learnt to crochet though, and she's really impressed with how I've taught myself. She's admired the other blankets I've made, so I thought I would make her a lap blanket for Christmas.

It's a nice size, ten squares by eight, so it should keep her nice and toasty. The other blankets I've made have been a hotch potch of colours, so it was strange just working in three shades and I wondered if I would get bored with it, but I didn't. I'm pleased with how it's turned out.

I did two rows of edging in cream. I was going to do a row of each colour, but I think I prefer the one colour.

My mum and dad play bowls, and those bowling greens can be draughty places, so I'm sure it will be put in to good use there. I've used Stylecraft Special DK, which is washable, a must when something is going to be used often.

As well as crocheting the blanket, I've been busy knitting a stash of dishcloths. I use Pegasus craft cotton and Grandmother's Favourite Dishcloth pattern.

That lot should keep me going for a while.

On With The Challenge

At the start of the year, I set myself the challenge of reading at least one book per month. I'd got out of the habit of reading books, and as I used to be an avid reader, it was a habit I was eager to reestablish.

Last month, I read Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith, the seventh book in The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series.

I mentioned that I'd picked up The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party at a charity shop, and Sft from Sft's Life After Mortgage -  Frugal Fun, Travel & Retirement asked if I would like to swap this book, once I had read it, for The Double Comfort Safari Club, another book from the series which I was missing. The book arrived through the post, thank you Sft, so I'm trying to get through the rest of the series now so that I can fulfil my part of the bargain and post the book which I've promised back.

At the moment, I'm reading The Good Husband of Zebra Drive, then I've got another three in the series to read before I get to the one I've promised Sft.

I'm sure I can manage that before the end of the year.

Archie went back to the vets yesterday for a check up and I'm pleased to report that his infection has now cleared up. It's such a relief after the worry I've had over the past couple of weeks.

November Already

I can't believe how fast this year is whizzing by, or that we're in to November already. Two months and another year will have passed by.

This morning, I popped to the local shops and treated myself to these gorgeous yellow roses which I've popped in to a jug. I thought they were good value at £3 for thirteen stems.

Yellow roses were my sister's favourite flowers, so I shall think of her each time I look at them.

The Winner Takes It All

My blog giveaway ended today, and the name drawn out of the hat was Emma from The Log Cabin. Congratulations, Emma. Can you please email me your address and I'll get the goodies sent off to you.

Thank you to everyone who entered, I'm only sorry that I can't send a little something out to each of you.

I'd just like to thank everyone again for all the comments you've left on my last two posts. Archie is feeling much better, he's wagging his tail again and making lots of noise. He's got to take his tablets for another week yet, and is due to see the vet again on Friday, but he seems to be doing well. Thank you again.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

I'm such a great believer in positive thinking, so thank you to everyone who has sent positive thoughts Archie's way. We've done it!

Archie isn't great at taking tablets, so I have to push it to the back of his throat and hope for the best. This morning didn't go my way. He bit in to his antibiotic, causing the powder inside the capsule to spill all over the floor.

It's important to finish the whole course of antibiotics, so I had to ring the vet and ask for another tablet in order to complete the course. I thought that as I would be visiting the surgery anyway, she could take a look at Archie and let me know how he's going on.

I'm absolutely delighted to tell you that it isn't a tumour. It's a really, really bad infection. So bad in fact that he needs an extra week on antibiotics and anti inflammatories, but we can live with that rather than the alternative.

I can't tell you all how much I appreciate the comments, emails, prayers and positive thoughts which have been winging our way this week. I truly believe that every thought sent our way has helped, so thank you all so very, very much.

Archie has been a really poorly doggy all week, but he seems to have turned the corner today. He's been a cheeky chappy, 90% back to what he's usually like, wanting lots of love, kisses and of course, food! We're on the road to recovery.

Please Spare A Thought For Archie

Please send lots of positive thoughts for Archie, he's the one with the mucky face.

I took him to the vets yesterday as he was in a lot of pain after we had been for a walk. At first, I didn't know what was wrong with him, he was crying and looked as though he was trying to reach for his back legs. It was only after a while that I realised that it was his bottom that he was trying to get to.

I rang the vet straight away and got him an appointment. To cut a long story short, he's got a huge lump in one of his anal glands. It could be a really bad infection, or it could be a tumour. The vet gave him an antibiotic injection and an anti inflammatory injection, and he's got to take two tablets each day for the next week, after which, I have to take him back. If the lump has gone down, all well and good, but if not, it will have to be investigated further.

We're all really upset, but trying to remain positive. My dad always tells me not to worry about things until I know for sure that there's something to worry about, but it's very hard as Archie is one of the family and is loved very much. As you can imagine, he's getting lots of cuddles and kisses, and he's being more than a little bit spoilt.

After having Cancer myself, I'm a true believer in positive thinking, so I would ask that you all please send some positive thoughts for Archie.

A Belated Giveaway

It was my second blog anniversary back on the 1st of September. I like to have a giveaway to celebrate my blog birthdays and as a little thank you to everyone who visits, but I'm rarely organised enough for it to happen on the day. I've now got some prizes together so without further ado, it's giveaway time.

First up are two spotty fat quarters, one pink, one orange. Also, half a dozen Hand Made charms to be sewn in to hand made items.

A Kanzashi Flower Making Kit with which to make a brooch. I picked this up from the craft fair I attended at Elsecar Heritage Centre, and it has everything needed, including instructions, to make a brooch. The fabric is different to that shown in the photo.

A skating penguin cross stitch kit. How cute is he?

All ready for sowing next year, a Sunflower collection. This pack contains the seeds of five different sunflower varieties, from the towering Tall Single, to the dwarf Irish Eyes, there's a variety for everyone.

Candy Jewellery Kit. I loved these sweetie jewels when I was a child, and now you can make your own.

I don't usually have any rules for my giveaways, other than to leave a comment on the post, but this time I'm going to ask that as well as leaving the comment, you're a follower of my blog. New and old followers are very welcome to enter, and I'm happy to post worldwide. If you'd like to increase your chances of winning, mention my giveaway on your blog and I'll enter your name in the hat twice.

The giveaway will close at twelve noon on Sunday the 28th of October 2012, and I'll announce the winner soon after.

Good luck.

Who's Your Mr.Darcy?

Eleanor wasn't feeling well when she went to school on Wednesday. It was only 9.15am when I got the call from school asking me to go in and pick her up as she'd been sick all over the floor in reception. At least she'd managed to get out of the hall where all her year group were seated. It's not very often that Eleanor's off school, she goes in when she's feeling ill as she hates missing even a day. Both Eleanor and Daniel had 100% attendance last year, and Daniel had 100% attendance the year before that too.

We thought that Eleanor would be fit to return to school yesterday, but she was still throwing up in the early hours so that was ruled out. Luckily, today was a teacher training day so she hasn't missed too many lessons.

So what to do when your gorgeous girl is feeling under the weather. Snuggle up on the sofa under a crochet blanket and put Pride and Prejudice in the DVD player.

Eleanor is currently studying Pride and Prejudice and Romeo and Juliet in English, and she's having to make comparisons between the two, so I thought it quite educational to indulge. But I have two adaptations so which to watch.

Who's your Mr.Darcy? I have to say that Matthew Macfadyen was my favourite ever character in Spooks, but for me, Colin Firth will always be my Mr.Darcy. We watched the DVD over three days, and I loved it. At the wedding scene, Eleanor commented that Darcy's face hadn't yet cracked a smile. I replied that he was handsome and smouldering. Moody and irritating was her reply.

Hmmm, she'll learn.

A Sunday Morning Stroll

I'm not a lover of autumn. I hate the cooler days, especially those which are dark and damp like today. I don't like the shorter daylight hours and I really don't like the fact that it lets us know that winter is on it's way. If we had more days like we had on Sunday though, I could learn to love autumn.

It was a bright, crisp, sunny Sunday, so we decided to leave Daniel and Eleanor in bed and head off to Temple Newsam before breakfast. Lots of people had the same idea as we did, there were plenty of families and dog walkers there too.

The blue sky cheered me up no end. Such a difference to the drizzly days we often get at this time of year.

It was a slow walk as Archie has had a couple of visits to the vets recently. He's had a bit of a limp for quite a few weeks and has been given anti inflammatory tablets and told to rest, not easy when you're a dog. He's only had very short walks during this period, so we didn't want to over do things. The limp is still there, but doesn't seem quite so bad at the moment so we'll just have to wait and see how things go.

We decided to have a wander to a different area than that where we usually go when we're at Temple Newsam.

There were lots of families in Pegasus Wood looking for conkers, but I think they'll have been disappointed, all the ones we came across were still very immature. They must be late this year.

After our amble, we headed home for breakfast. Mick always makes a cooked breakfast for us all on a Sunday. I had bacon, egg, sausage, tomatoes, beans, mushrooms, fried bread, toast, and very unusual for me, a cup of tea. It's very rare that I have a hot drink.

As you can tell, I'm still not on the straight and narrow concerning my healthy eating challenge. I think it's going to get even harder now that winter is on it's way, all I want to eat at this time of year is comfort food.

Just In Time For Winter

Do you remember the Patons Pompero which I bought from Kemps back in July? This is what's become of it.

It so lovely and soft and will be great to keep the chills away whilst walking Archie now that the cooler days are here. It's a nice length too. The pattern I followed advised to cast off when the scarf measured 150cm or 60 inches but I carried on for a little longer. I like plenty of scarf to wrap around.

It's an easy eight row pattern repeat, but I had to keep the pattern handy as I found I couldn't memorise it. I think the brain cells are going now that I'm getting older.

There's tassels on one end and a fringe on the other. I've never done either before, all the scarves I've knit previously have had a plain end, so it was nice to learn something new.

I'm doing well with my challenge of having a finished item each month. This is September's.

It's back to crochet for October's item, though it's so chilly now that I'm tempted to cast on a pair of socks. It's a while since I've knit any and I do love my hand knitted socks.

Stitch By Stitch

I've been meaning to tell you about this book for some time now. I bought it months back, not really knowing much about it, but I'm so pleased that I did. It's called Stitch By Stitch and it's by Jane Bull. I think the book is aimed primarily at children, but it's got the subheading A Beginner's Guide To Needlecraft, and that's really what it is.

It's a Dorling Kindersley book, so as you can imagine, the illustrations are wonderful and so clear.

The book goes through all aspects of needlecraft, embroidery, needlepoint, patchwork, applique, knitting and crochet. It starts right at the beginning with the very basics, teaches lots of different stitches and gives instructions for some wonderful projects. It tells you what you'll need for each individual project, and gives lots of handy tips along the way.

I thought I'd show you a few of my favourite things from the book.

Pretty Birdies. This is in the embroidery section.

Squares And Triangles. This is in the patchwork section.

Mmm ... Doughnuts. This is in the applique section.

The Lollipop Dolls. This is in the knitting section.

Crowls. This is in the crochet section.

Bags Of Stripes. This is in the crochet section.

This is only a small selection of projects which are in the book, there's many, many more.

Eleanor has been trying to learn to knit for such a long time. She managed the basic knit stitch, but could never keep the right number of stitches on the needle, either dropping a few on each row, or else picking up ones which weren't there. With the help of this book, she's managed to follow one of the patterns, and even though she went wrong on one of the rows, she had the confidence to take it back herself and sort it out. She's also taught herself to crochet using the instructions from this book, in fact she knows more crochet stitches than I do now.

I'd definitely recommend the book. It would make a lovely Christmas present for a young child just starting out on their needlecrafting journey, or for an older child, like Eleanor, who knows the very basics but wants to learn a little more and have some fun projects to make. It would even make a great gift to yourself. I fully intend to make some of the projects in the book, they're so fun and cute.

The Secret Life Of Bees

I've been wanting to read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd for some time now, so I was pleased when I came across it in one of the charity shops. I buy most of the books I read from charity shops now, but I'm often amazed at some of the prices they charge. This book was bought from a local hospice charity shop and cost me 59p, but I've seen shops wanting to charge only a pound less than I could buy the same book for new.

I read In The Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith last month.

At the moment, I'm continuing with The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series with Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith.

I'm pleased that I set myself a reading challenge at the start of the year, it's going very well so far. I'm managing to read at least one book each month, and now I'm back in the habit of picking up a book, I'm sure I'll continue to read regularly.