Phase 2

It is now fully 2 weeks since my operation and things are going well.  Yesterday was my return visit to the hospital to have the stitches removed and new casts put on.  Apart from having to wait a ridiculous amount to time to be seen (1hr 10 minutes after my appointment time) it was a good appointment.  I got to see my 'new' feet for the first time and they looked odd.  Not like my feet, admittedly they were/are swollen, but it was a bit like looking at someone else's feet.  Not a pair of feet I recognised.  It was also the first time I got to see exactly where the stitches were.  I've reached the grand age of 41 with the only medical attention, requiring attendance to hospital, being pregnancy related.  So to have had a couple of bones broken and stitches, it is a novel experience.  It was also the first time I've had stitches removed.  It didn't hurt.  I could feel a little tugging sensation, I decided not to watch, but no pain.

I did watch when the nurse put on my new casts.  It was all very fascinating, even seeing the stitches for the first.  A bit Frankenstein-ish to be honest, but fascinating all the same.  So my feet now look like this

 Definitely much better wrapped up than the last effort.  Lighter weight cast and nicely wrapped in crepe bandages.  Quite cosy in fact!

So that's me for the next 4 weeks, Phase 2 - still doing the same - rest, elevate and occasionally walking in my gorjuss shoes.

It's been 2 weeks since my op but it's almost 3 weeks since I finished up work and the first weekend, before my op, was slightly manic.  Over 4 days we had a little person turning 3, a birthday day out, a small family birthday gathering, a Beavers Scout outing, lots of housework, a get-together with friends, trip to hairdressers and final prep for going into hospital.  Oh and I finished a quilt top!

But things have been much calmer over the last 2 weeks.  I've read 3 books (well nearly, I've only 50 pages left on 3rd one), watched 3.5 series of The Good Wife, numerous episodes of Paw Patrol (kiddie programme), done quite a few 'extreme' dot to dots, done this little guy

Which reminded me I still haven't finished this guy, which I started ..... erm ... about .... well let's just say it was over 10 years ago.  So he deserves to be finished.  No excuses now do I?

I'm also being entertained by these two

And the littlest one, who loved the first week at nursery, but cried her eyes out every morning of week 2 and almost had a wobble today has been bringing me home her artwork everyday to cheer me up and to ask if my feet are feeling better! 

Sunday Morning ...

... up with the larks!  Well sort of, it's 8am and I'm sitting in blissful quietness having a cup of tea before the rest of the household descends for breakfast.  The song does go on to say, 'think I'll take a walk in the park' but it's chucking it down outside so I'll give that part a miss.  But I am watching the birds on our feeder having their breakfast so I'm 'at one with nature' in a sense!!

Part of the reason I'm sitting here myself is to have a wee wander through the web without little people pestering me.  Recently I've come across a quilter called Cristy Fincher, initially on IG, but I'm checking out her blog, Sew Much Like Mom, where she talks about paperless paper piecing.  She also glue bastes and I'm intrigued about that.  So Sunday morning is about learning stuff :)

And learning new stuff is good.  It distracts me from the fact that life is hectic just now.  I've been stressed the last week, quite a bit, which I'm putting down to dealing with a lot this year - apply for the dude to get into primary, selling & moving house, dude starting primary school, working extra hours, general craziness at work, car hassles on top of starting the year being ill - it's kind of all come to a head this week and to be honest I've been a right moaning minnie, I've been doing my own head in, and I need to stop.  Everyone one has hard times, I'm no different.  Whining does change things, it just makes me irritating - to other people and myself. Pedro tells me I haven't really, but then I do suspect he's only saying that to stop me moaning lol!!!

Anyhoo, to attempt to stop myself from tipping right over the edge into complete crazy looney-ness I made stuff!  I've been playing with the halloween fabric I've got to try and decide what to do but at the moment indecisiveness and procrastination are my constant companions, so the other night I just sat down and started cutting and sewing.  Just to do SOMETHING and this is what I ended up with

I'm pretty pleased with them, although as ever I can see where they should be better, but they are a hit with the children so yay!  It's all good. 

Ooops!!!

I've had a small hiatus!  I knew I hadn't blogged in a while, just slipped my mind the last time I blogged was November.  That was last year! and now we're very nearly, just a kick in the bum away from March.  That's a nearly a quarter into this year.  Flippin 'eck :o

But life has been busy, so it's all good.  The end of last year involved housey stuff (decorating, finishing stuff started ages ago), then it was Christmas and all that malarky, then we had an 'ill house' over the festive period that cleared up for everyone but me (yay!) so the rest of January/early February was dealing with health stuff.  That promptly brings me up to the last 2 weeks, just like that!

I have had a very luxurious 2 weeks off work, luxurious in that work is hectic at the moment and who really takes 2 weeks off in February?  One week for school mid-term but 2 weeks is a bit cheeky :)

In my defence I had annual leave to use up (ain't losing that for nobody) and the week after our mid term was my little pumpkin's first birthday.  Yes it's hard to believe, but our little girl has gone from this (where frankly she looks like a little doll)

Euan trying to look enthusiastic about his baby sister!

To this little person, who is constantly on the go.  She really is the giggliest little munchkin, it's a rare sight to see her upset thankfully.

I'm also massively thankful that her big brother loves her to bits.  I don't know what I'd do if there was any jealousy to deal with.  Parents who have to deal with that must have the patience of a saint.

So the last two weeks have involved 2 birthday cakes (2 separate birthday teas!), lots of attempts at cake pops - not as easy as I thought they'd be! and my first ever attempt to make macaroons (or macaRONs according to the Great British Bake Off!).  They weren't as scary as I'd expected them to be and even seemed to impress my very own Paul Hollywood (ie my dad - fussiest foodie ever!) who asked if I'd bought them ;) 

I've also managed to squeeze in a little bit of sewing

 (granted it doesn't look like much but it will become a revised Mariner's Compass!)

 (playing with hexies)

and even a visit to the Spring Quilt show at Ingliston yesterday where I picked up this fantastic panel - 'Hello Tokyo'

It's a rubbish photo, but you get the idea and I discovered while 'surfing the 'net ' that there are coordinating fabric too.  Yay!!!  This will be made into a quilt for Moo but I'm in 2 minds what to do with it - keep it as a whole panel, or cut it up and do some applique or something.  Needs more planning!

Right off to have a quick cuppa for me but I will be back soon :)

Productive

I've been busy in the last week.  Really busy.  I had a couple of days off which I'd planned shortly after returning to work from mat leave (I was being super organised and putting in for my Christmas holidays what with being part-time and all I need use annual leave for public holidays and stuff and just decided to book the rest of my holidays til end of March!).

Anyway I had time off arranged for last week and decided at the last minute that I was going to decorate our bedroom.  We've talked about it for AGES, but like most things with us, we talk about it but never really get round to doing anything.  So I decided to just buy paper and do it when I had the time off booked.

But I forgot to account for the many other things going on last week (and for the time taken up actually looking after children!).  So my great plan was to start painting the bedroom ceiling maybe Tuesday night or Wednesday morning then the walls on Wednesday night and get the papering done on Thursday when No1 child was at nursery ........ well that didn't really happen!

By the time I got myself and kiddiewinks home on Tuesday and did bedtimes I was exhausted so all that was achieved was emptying the room of unnecessary 'stuff'.  Wednesday morning I was helping out at Nursery to make 70(!) cupcakes for the Halloween party.  I eventually started to paint at 9pm on Wednesday.  This resulted in us having to camp out in the livingroom

 

(we were joined by a small person and lots of toys just as we were waking up!)

Then Thursday morning we had nursery halloween party so rushing about making sure that we had all of the Dude's Spiderman costume  - superheros can't leave their masks behind! 

Cue 3 walls very hurriedly painted while he was at nurser.  What was intended to be a quick trip to the Baby Clinic early Thursday afternoon ended up taking most of the afternoon and us leaving without being seen so we returned home one grumpy, tired, hungry baby and one highly unimpressed mummy.  Painting resumed after kiddiewinks bedtimes!

Wallpapering finally happened Friday morning - we went from this

 to this in just over 2 hours (all done just by me - I'm really chuffed with myself!)

The room is nearly finished, I've put up the new curtains and shelves are back up.  I need something for the wall facing the bed but not sure what yet - picture, mirror, shelving?  Can't decide what I want yet but I'm not in a rush so I can look about till I find something which is just right.

Over the weekend the Dude also got his first swimming certificate (a Duckling award!), we feed squirrels in the park on Sunday, I got a lovely delivery from Backstitch of goodies to finish my scrappy round the world trip quilt top and I paid a visit to Tesco at 2.30am (yes am!) on Sunday morning to buy essential teething granules for Little Miss who decided her top teeth needed to come through and we were reminded just how useless teething gel actually is.  Tonight the Dude and Daddy went to the local firework display while I stayed home with Little Miss - 8 months is just a tad too young for her first firework/bonfire event.

Busy few days

My son now has "activities"! We get towards the end of the week and most people go, 'yay, time to chill'.

Not us, the Dude finishes nursery at 11:30 on Friday and it's all go. Quick lunch & then swimming lessons. Home to chill - will kids chill, I usually end up in the kitchen trying to make up some kind healthy meal.

Then a lie in on a Saturday maybe? No his gymnastics starts at 9am. I miss lazy Saturdays, not even lying in bed for ages, just not having to leave the house before 9am! 

But he is coming along so well - 6 weeks in on the swimming lessons and he was swimming with NO armbands today and going under the water.  Now for a boy who protests about getting his hair rinsed because he hates getting water down his face, that's a big step.

So Sundays are my lazy days now. I'm up and presentable - even hung a washing out and done some ironing already (not even 10am!) but the kids aren't dressed & I'm still trying to decide what to have for breakfast. So probably not as lazy a start to the day as I used to have pre kids but I don't HAVE to be anywhere,  which is a nice feeling.