Christmas eve eve

Well its christmas eve eve I hope you're all feeling festive, I'm starting to. I'm more or less ready now, just the last minute clean through the house tomorrow.
I spent today doing the christmas baking I made Jam and lemon tarts, mince pies, butterfly buns, shortbread fingers and some 'andietarts' they're my version of bakewells, I didn't have any ground rice so I just added a normal bun mixture to a pastry case and raspberry jam. They taste nice anyway whatever they are lol. When hubby got home we had a taste test with a cup of tea and if I do say so myself they were quite tasty. (way to go blowing my own trumpet eh lol)

There's only 2 sleeps now and I must say after standing baking most of the day I'm almost ready for my bed now so I'll say goodnight and I hope you all enjoy a fabulous christmas.
Merry Christmas everyone xxxx

Bbbbbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr its so cold

Wow its cold this week. Hubby said it was -12 going to work this morning and -6 coming home this afternoon -6 in an afternoon!!!!!  those are the type of temperatures that used to make me shiver when we were told we'd get them overnight but daytime, well it seems ridiculous to be so cold. Luckily we havent got snow this time round, we had a little dusting overnight on friday but nothing much although because its so cold it hasn't gone anywhere yet. We have been forecast the chance of light snow showers on thursday but I'm hoping we wont get it. PLEASE PLEASE let there be no more snow this year. Those of you that have got it this last few days I hope it goes soon and you're all able to get out and about soon.
It seems like the country is grinding to a halt again, planes cancelled, trains delayed and people stuck in their homes because of the snow. Its been on the local news tonight that some people are suffering with frozen pipes and are without water. Oh dear this country just can't cope with anything can it.
Our nephew is supposed to be going to his dads in bedford for christmas after work on friday and we're a bit worried if he'll get there or get stuck somewhere en route. The trains to london were cancelled last night due to problems with cables and bad weather enroute so with more snow forecast down there and maybe here before friday he may not get anywhere near where he wants to. Its such a worrying time for lots of people at the moment when we should all be looking forward to a nice time at christmas.

Christmas has finally come to our house

 We went out to the supermarket a bit earlier than normal yesterday and did our big christmas shop. We should only need to pop back for the odd fresh thing nearer the big day now which is one more job off my to do list. We were really lucky as we found a parking space quite near the door as soon as we arrived and the shop was quieter than normal on a saturday and had everything we wanted. I'd gone with a list which is not normal for me but I thought it was necessary as I was shopping not only for this week but christmas too and didn't want to forget anything. The trolley was heaving, luckily hubby pushes the trolley so I had didnt have to fight with it, lucky for the other people instore too as Im quite dangerous behind the wheels of a shopping trolley.
Once we 'd put all the shopping away and had lunch we got the trimmings down from the loft and I trimmed up. We don't have a proper tree anymore as Lucy (our cat) likes to climb and eat it, it makes christmas unbearable for everyone when we are constantly pulling her off it and picking up the tree and shattered baubles so we don't bother anymore. We have ornaments and a little wire tree instead. I'm feeling quite christmassy now the decs are out and last night we put the lamps and christmas lights on to watch strictly which was lovely.

Our mini tree

     lights 

Even the kitchen has some trimmings

Please pause the approah of christmas

I'm not ready !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its approaching way too fast for me this year and I just don't seem to be getting anywhere with my preparations. I'm way behind with my pre christmas clean and I still need to find a pressie for my nephew, I've still got some pressies to wrap and we have no decorations up yet. I don't know whats the matter with me this year I just dont seem to be on the ball. I left it very late to start my pre christmas clean and then started with manflu so I haven't got as far as I'd hoped with that. So far we've managed to do the kitchen/diner, hallway and living room but the rest of the house still needs doing.
I was later than usual starting my christmas shopping, I ususally start really early but this year I didn't and then when I did start the snow interfered and I lost a couple of weeks. Plus I've ordered some things online and they haven't been delivered yet despite being expected at the end of november and beginning of december. One of the things I ordered was a dvd for my niece in scotland so even when it comes it still needs posting up to scotland so I'm thinking it probably won't get to her before christmas now. Luckily she has other pressies from us to unwrap.
I'm really dissapointed with royal mail at the moment I know the snow and ice was really bad and they were advised by local police not to go out delivering in this area for over a week but even now they are back at work we are only getting little bits of mail. I know christmas is a busy time and the business is under pressure to make profits so hiring lots of extra staff to clear the backlog probably isn't an option but I'm sure they could organise things better and get the post out.
In the last ten years or so company has just gone down hill and to be honest I blame the goverment I used to work for post office counters and for years it was a lovely place to work and the business made a profit. Then the goverment started talking about privatising it and it became all about cost cutting to make more profit. The royal mail group is a public limited company with the shares held by the goverment
Nearly all the work the post office does is for goverment owned or run business such as royal mail dvla, national savings bank, department works and pensions, who all were expected to make savings on costs year on year so it was a hard thing for the post office to make more profit year on year. Each time the post office tendered for a contract for doing work for these business they had to accept lower and lower rates for them but yet were still expected to make more profit from the year before.How did they do that???? cutting costs. It became a terrible place to work and eventually I left as I couldnt stand working there any longer.
Royal mail are in the same boat, they have to tender for contracts for delivering the bills from major companies who want them to do the job cheaper and cheaper each time, while still having the goverment wanting them to make more profit. Unlike all the other mail delivering companies though royal mail still have to provide a service that delivers to every home in the country, even on routes that arent profitable and that the private companies that are stealing royal mails more lucrative contracts wont touch. Its more than a little unfair but then thats the goverment for you and it doesnt seem to matter which goverment is in power because they are all the same.
It's no wonder the post is in such a state as the companies cant afford to run themselves properly and hire proper staff with proper training. They don't seem to have time or money to vet people properly or put security measures in place that stop people thieveing. I know not everyone who works for royal mail are bad at their job or thieves but the good ones who the company  have managed to hang onto can't do everything and  if they're anything like me and my colleagues were, they're so overworked, underpressure and sick of being treated badly they have lost respect for their job and don't enjoy it anymore.
I also think both businesses are very badly run and the people hired to take charge and run both the post office and royal mail in the last decade have been idiots who have no idea how to run a business. Especially one held so tightly by the goverment, they only seem to think of cutting wages, costs and selling assests as a way to make money. Its always quick fixes but no plan for the long term.
One year when we were in talks about our annual pay rise we were told by the new royal mail group boss Adam Crozier that due to the financial climate and the state of the business we should accept a 1% pay rise and be happy about it. He said we should follow his example as he wasn't taking a pay rise at all. He had come from his former job at the FA to the royal mail group for the same salary with no increase and wasn't taking an annual pay rise. How generous of him considering he was the highest paid boss we'd ever had and he was only doing the job 3 days a week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He did manage to make a profit for royal mail for a few years as he changed working practices and sold off lots of things but eventually the company was back to making losses and he never even managed to get the post office back in profit, despite him shutting loads of the branches and losing loads of staff, inventing a new job description for new staff that meant they were paid less than exisiting staff and all but freezing our pay rises every year.
Its no wonder my post hasn't arrived really is it.!!
OOh  sorry about that blogettes I went off on my soap box there didn't I. There I was writing my little blog about being unready for christmas and all of a sudden I went off on a tangent about the working practices of royal mail and the post office. I bet none of you were prepared for that were you, no me neither so sorry but even after leaving the company a few years ago it still annoys me the mess that has been made of both business that have been great service providers for years and now are a bit of an embarrasement.

I think I have MANflu

I know I'm not a man but I do feel like I must be suffering from manflu at the moment.  You know how when men are ill they are like babies and can't just have a normal cold and carry on with life,oh no when they have a cold they feel worse than everybody else and it has to be flu at the very least, well I'm feeling like that today. Pathetic I know.  I used to be much braver when I was ill and carried on doing jobs at home and going to work but this time I dont feel upto doing anything I've hardly done any housework and even wrapping some christmas presents yesterday wore me out. I just want to sit and feel sorry for myself today but there is so much to do including the presents to finish but I don't think I'll get much done. Maybe its because I don't have to go out to work that I've given in I don't know but it's not good is it.

I started with a bit of a cough on saturday and then gradually felt worse and worse on sunday. I was coughing loads and achey all over, even my teeth and hair seemed to ache!!! I started with the shivers in the evening which then progressed to being melting hot and sweaty at bedtime. Yesterday morning I felt terrible but after some tablets, a shower and then lunch I started to feel a bit better so I did a bit of dusting and hoovering downstairs and got hubby to bring the pressies down for me to wrap. I thought Ooh good I'll be all better for tomorrow but then by the time I had all the pressies in person piles and the paper and ribbon etc set up my cough had worsened and I started to feel worse again and needed a lay down. I finally started wrapping the pressies after dinner but I only managed to do about half of them and I didn't enjoy it one bit which is a shame as it's usually a job I love. I'm hoping to finish the rest today if I can summon up some enthusiasm.
I didn't sleep much last night, in fact I doubt anybody did as I woke up around every hour for a coughing fit which lasted at least five minutes and was VERY loud. I know I kept waking hubby up and I'm sure I woke up our matt a few times as I had to go to the bathroom which is next door to his bedroom a few times to cough up flem (sorry for the disgusting info girls). I feel bad for them as they both have work today. Eventually around five am I got up and came down to the sofa with my hugrug and lay down here in a half sitting up position, sitting up seeemed to help a bit so if I'm the same again tonight I'll sleep down here.
This morning my nose has started running and my right eye, why is it you usually only have one runny eye??? Mine is my right one (which it usually is) so here I am with a red nose, bags under my eyes from lack of sleep, a red right eye with puffy eyelid and a rather whammy complexion, barking like a dog and constantly blowing my nose and wiping my eye.  I do hope noone calls round today as I think I might scare them off.

Now theres an idea

My cough hasn't been quite as painful for the last few hours thanks to a big dose of doctor kilkof and a strepsil but it's must be wearing off now as it's starting to hurt a bit more again so I must be getting due for another dose.
So there you have it girls I have MANflu and I am whiney!!!! I think I'll leave you to be dissapointed in me and go get my next dose of doctor kilkoff and maybe try wrapping a few more pressies. I need to have done something today, so far all I've managed is to get showered and dressed and put some washing on. Or maybe I will give in to temptation and just have a lie down for a while.

I am venturing out while the snow has stopped

It's stopped snowing here yesterday and the buses are running again now so I'm venturing into town to meet my mum today. I'm hoping I don't go sliding and slipping though as the causeways are quite slippy looking and there is still loads of snow around. It was freezing here last night so they're a bit frosty and icy but I have boots and I'm not afraid to use them , ok thats a fib I am a bit.  I must admit I'm my own worst enemy when its snowy or icy as I tend to do the 'oh no I've pooed myself walk' as I'm so scared of slipping and daren't put my feet down, I sort of walk stiffy legged and tight knee-ed with tiny steps, just like I've had an toilet accident lol.
You may wonder why if I'm so scared of slipping I'm bothering to go out, but I really fancy a day out and mum and me both need to go to town sometime soon as we need to get a couple more christmas presents for my sisters kids who we are hoping to go visit next weekend. Also mum needs to go to the bank to sort something out with her bank account and we aren't too sure if the weather will be better next week so we thought why not go now. We've heard that the town centre has been cleared of snow so once there we should be okay. Fingers crossed anyway. X
I hope everyone is coping okay with the cold and snow.
Take care and keep warm
Andie x

more snow pictures

Hubby and I went back out to clear the paths and had a bit of a play in the snow. Yes we are big kids but hey ho. We finished up with a tramp through the untouched snow in the front garden and had a snowball fight. No photos of that though as we both had our hands full of snow!!!!

Bit off romance lol

Hubby crying because its snowed
again and ruined all our hard work we
 dug out earlier





  


OOh its deep here

Climbing Rowan mountain aka the
pile of snow we dug away

By eck its snowy out there

Wowee did it snow last night!!!!! After all hubbys hard work clearing paths and the road to our garage yesterday he was so dissapointed to see it start to snow again yesterday evening. By the time we woke up this morning they were all totally covered again and there was no sign of all his hard work. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW come on now girls join in lets say it again all together now AAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW poor paulkie.

View out of the window this morning

Snow was over the door

View of the back garden this morning

Despite it being just as deep if not deeper than yesterday and the roads being covered hubby decided he was going to give it another go at going into work. Him and Matt set off earlier today and as they didn't have to stop for traffic anywhere they made it onto the motorway fairly easily and into work.



 The snow started again around half eight and and was really heavy, by ten o'clock it was still snowing and getting deeper and deeper, traffic on our road was nearly nil. I texted hubby to warn him and tell him I thought he should come home soon. I checked online and it said local buses had stopped and trains on our line said 'cancellations and delays expected'. Hubby decided to come home and got in touch with Matt to see if he wanted a lift but unfortunately asda who Matt works for wouldn't let them leave. They had checked online and because it said 'cancellations and delays' rather than just cancellations they said that as there were still trains running they might go back to normal so people couldn't leave yet.
They finally let people go at half eleven too late for hubby to pick him up as he was already on his way back so he had to risk the trains. After a bit of a wait and a false start as he was told the train that was in and supposed to be leaving wasn't going anywhere and then told a little while later it was he managed to get home at half one which was a huge relief.
Hubby had to ababndon his car on the next street when he got home as he couldnt get up the back road until we had dug out the snow. So an hour and half of digging from both of us followed, luckily the snow had stopped for a while and even though it started again while we were digging it was only light and eventually we got the car put to bed in the garage before the snow started again heavily.


 We're hoping to go back out in a while and clear the paths round the house although as more snow is forecast today, tonight and tomorrow that might be a waste of time. It's bin day tomorrow so we're debating wheteher or not its worth taking the bin out or not. Something tells me its unlikely to emptied if the snow is still here.


Mine and hubbys hard work, cleared a
turning space in front of garage and
2 tracks up the road



Snowday

Morning all. I have hubby at home with me today because of the snow. We only had a little bit of snow at the weekend but we have had more overnight and some more this morning too. Hubby decided against going to work this morning although he did try, he set off as normal but only got to the end of the road and the start of the hill going down into the village. Once he stopped the car in the queue of traffic he struggled to get going again and his wheels were spinning and sliding when he tried to go downhill. The cars in front were struggling to go down the hill and restart after stopping too so hubby decided not to take the risk of going any further and turned the car around to come home. Luckily he managed to turn around with only a small amount of slipping and parked the car at the bottom of the back road to our house as he couldn't get it back up into the garage. He got out the snow shovel and managed to clear enough of a run to get the car into the garage just as it started snowing heavy again a little while later.
Our matt was going in the car with hubby who drops him off where he works in leeds centre before carrying on to his own work so he came back home too but he decided to go in on the train. That wasn't really an option for hubby as he doesn't work anywhere near the train station or any bus stops so even though he could get to leeds he would struggle to get to the industrial estate where he works.The only thing with hubby being at home is that I'm tempted to sit drinking tea and chat to him all day rather than get on with any housework or ironing as I'd planned today so I must be strict with myself. As you know I'm easily distracted and any excuse to ignore my housework for me eh girls.  He's going to go out and clear some of the snow from the paths and near the garage now so I should really crack on now while he isn't around to distract me but will I ????????

I'll try not to get tempted to sit and surf online this morning and lose hours which I do sometimes lol. I've been on busymitts already, now I'm getting my blog done and I had a quick peek on facebook but made myself come off before I got caught up playing games lol. I saw on facebook yesterday that a busymitts and facebook friend Suzanne had her baby boy yesterday morning so I packaged up a baby cardi I'd knitted her and congratulations card which hubby was going to post today but I'm not sure if it will get posted today now but hopefully it will get sent off soon.

I knitted myself another pair of andietoes over the last couple of days, in red chunky wool this time. I love my blue Andietoes and thought I'd knit another pair so I can wear one pair while the other is in the wash.

Andies other toes

Not much to report but thought I'd drop by anyway and say hello

HELLO

ok thats it I've said hello so I'm off now lol.

No just kidding. hehe

Hope you're all well my fellow bloggettes. Are any of you snowed in?

We had a light dusting ovenight but nothing much to worry about, although it didn't really get warm enough during the day to thaw it so it has become quite icy this evening. I hope we don't get anymore tonight on top of the icy bit we already have as it will make getting out and about difficult. Still I'm really glad we haven't had it bad, some places shown on the news look to have had loads. I know Jo and Moe have both had quite a bit so I hope you're both coping with it ok. Apparently theres more snow sleet and ice on the way and I think we're forecast fog tomorrow so that should be fun NOT!!!!!

The uk is just not good with snow, we just aren't built to cope with it. Barnsley where I live is quite a hilly place so getting round in bad weather can be quite difficult, we live on a flat part but in the middle of quite a steep road and a couple of times in bad weather hubby has had to leave his car at the bottom of the hill or abandon it part way up. One year he spent almost an hour at the bottom of the hill helping people in a queue of traffic in front of him push their cars to get them going up the hill and then as he was last in the queue he ended up alone with no one to help him so he had to leave the car TYPICAL !!!!



Come on tesco learn how to stock control

 We ventured out to the supermarket this lunchtime only to find the shop half empty. I know people tend to panic buy a bit when bad weather is forecast but to be honest I don't think that was totally the reason for it. Our tesco is terrible for stock control you can go anytime of year and there can be empty places on the shelves and their fresh sections are often half empty or filled up with loads of the same item and not much else. We even struggled to get a trolley as there were none near to the store except broken ones that wouldn't drive properly. It was obviously too cold for staff to go out and fetch the trolleys from the car park bays and return them to the front of store. During last years snow we were told that the staff weren't going out to collect trolleys or clear the car park because it was too cold and slippy for them to do it safely. We usually go to morrisons which we prefer but its on the edge of town with quite a small car park and at the end of the month when a lot of people get paid its almost impossible to find a parking spot so at these weekends we tend to go to tesco.
Once back home we could relax and warm up as it was blooming freezing outside. Tonight was a tv fest with strictly come dancing, X factor and I'm a celebrity get me out of here. A good night for phone companies with all the voting on the three shows. While I was watching I'm a celebrity I got my knitting out and made a wristwarmer, I made the other one yesterday evening. Because they are done in chunky yarn and on 6.5mm needles they were quite quick to make, just a couple of hours each to knit and sew up.
Well look at that nothing to report I said at the beginning and here I am paragraphs later... not really reporting much but still typing lol.






More mindless drivel

I'm here again, two days in a row!!! Whoo impressive eh girls al be back to blogging regular again in no time.
Thanks for the welcome back Chrissy and Jo xxx
I'm just having a nosey round online before I get on with my days cleaning, ee I do know how to enjoy myself don't I.  errrr NO!!!! lol.  But needs must eh, I cant live in a total pigsty can I, just a semi pigsty I cant let my standards drop too much. I'm not exercising today as its a rest day so thats saved me a bit of time this morning,  but I did get round to doing them after my blog yesterday and after saying I'd lost my exerciing mojo I actually quite enjoyed them . My leg did hurt a bit during the running part though so I'm not sure its fully healed but it was ok a bit after I finished the workout so I'll see what happens tomorrow when I do them again, hopefully it'll be ok.
Once I'd finished my exercises and showered etc I got on with my ironing for a few hours and made a small dent in our ironing mountain. Where does it all come from ?????? My wash baskets and ironing pile are beyond huge and I cant believe only three people can make so much. Cor bimey I'm glad I've not got a big family, imagine if I had to do the waltons washing and ironing !!!!!!!

Too much laundry for me

After dinner we put our ironing away, well mine wasn't all put away, some of it is hanging on the front of the wardrobe door as there's no room in the actual wardrobe for it. and yet I still have nothing to wear!!!!!!  Then once that was done and the dishwasher was on I got my knitting out and finished the scarf I'd been knitting this week for my niece while we watched I'm a celebrity get me out of here.

Great scarf to hide behind when feeling shy

Blooming nora I'm glad I'm not in tthe jungle with Gillian Mckeith cos I woud have to hit her with her food canteen she is such a pain in the bum. She's so self absorbed and I have no idea why she went camping in the jungle with her phobias in the first place.

You shouldn't have hit me so hard Andie.
My head hurts and theres a dint in my canteen

She must be desperate for the money to agree to go in , maybe she needs some money to buy more pants now she's had hers specially adapted to smuggle in herbs etc.YUK!!!!! They must a bin blooming big knickers and she must a bin walking like John Wayne. I bet once she emptied all the stuff out of them she weighed a stone lighter. I hope she goes out soon cos she's getting on my nerves.

What do you mean I look pregnant??Thats
 where I smuggled in my miso soup & nettle tea

Right well the sun is blazing in through the window and shining in my eyes now so I'm going to say bye bye. I think I've rambled on with my mindless drivel enough anyway now and if I'm getting up to shut the blind I might as well get on with something useful while I'm up and start cleaning. So its goodbye from me and its goodbye from .. me  xx








Eyup lass wheers ta bin?????????????

Hello bloggettes Its me Andie Did yer miss me? Or did yer not even notice I weren't here????
Sorry I've been a bit lazy on the blogging front lately.I'd ike to say its because I've been really busy and industrious but I havent really (when am I ever), I've just not been in a bloggy mood of late. I've had a lot of things on my mind and just not been able to think what to put, I know I know, its never stopped me before. Most of my blogs are mindless pointless rambles but I coudn't even seem to start one lately. Anyway I'm back now so prepare to be innnundated with mindless drivel again.
Even though I haven't wrote many blogs lately I have been stopping by to read the ones I follow. You all seem to have been busy with crafting christmas orders, present making and decorating  aswell as opening new online shops so you've kept me entertained reading what you've all been upto.
So what have I been upto?????..... Not too much really, the usual everyday things like housework, been out shopping a few times for christmas pressies and ordering online too (nearly finished now) I started knitting my niece a scarf on Sunday and I've started back on my wii excercises after having a bit of time off as I'd hurt my leg a bit, I think it was a shin splint from excerercising in bare feet. I've bought some trainers to wear now but I'm finding it hard to get back into to be honest, I seem to have lost my exercsing mojo but I'm trying to get back into the routine of doing it. 
Saying that I havent done them yet today and I was going to go offline and get them done when I thought of writing my blog.... bit of avoidance there andie I think... I will do them soon and then its a quick shower and on with the ironing, another thing I have lost my mojo for, well to be honest I've never had a mojo where ironing is concerned I've always hated it.
Next week I intend to start my pre christmas clean, I thought about it a few weeks ago and thought 'oh no too early yet' but then yesterday I realised that christmas is only a month away and so I better get started. Watch out dusty corners Andie is on her way I have a duster and I'm not afraid to use it (well maybe I am a bit lol) 
Anyway I best be off and crack on with the exercises and ironing see you all again soon bloggettes
Andie xxx

Bit of a crafty week

Hello blogettes, I've not been on here for a whole week tutut Andie you slacker you. 

I've managed to fit in a bit of crafting this week. After the bags I sewed and showed on Mondays blog I did a bit of beading on Tuesday. I made three jewellery sets for my website and a watch for a friend.

On wednesday I went to meadowhall with my mum Christmas shopping and we did quite well getting things off our lists and then that evening I did a mamoth order on Amazon for a lot of the rest, We don't have that much left to get now.

On thursday I did a bit more sewing in the morning before spending the afternoon in my least favourite way ... At the ironing board !!! The sewing was a bag for Chrissy from some material she sent me along with a drawing and measurements for the style she wanted. Im going to add a ribbon loop and button closure before I send it off I just need to find a button.

I didn't do anything crafty on friday or saturday as friday I was too busy doing housework and saturday was a supermarket and tv day but yesterday I decided to knit myself a pair of slippers I've only made one so far but hopefully I'll get chance to start on the other one today.

Midnight blue glass beads set

Shades of purple glass beads set

Silver and half coated silver glass beads set



Chain strap watch



Chrissy's bag

Andietoes



Andietoes worn



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Crafty day n spot the difference

I'm waiting for spooks to start so I thought I'd write a quick blog so here I am. Hello blogettes.  Hope you are all well. I've been sewing again this afternoon, more shoppers for the fruit and veg shop and another one for the lady who cleans at hubbys work too. She's already bought one for herself and her sister in law, her daughter bought one too, now she wants another for herself so she can keep one in each of her two bags she uses when she goes out shopping to save her having to keep swapping it from bag to bag.

I finished a mans hat I was knitting yesterday and got hubby to model it for me so I could put the pic on busymitts. Eily made the rather amusing suggestion that he had a look of Colin Farrell in it I didn't think so and said the only similarity I could se was that they both had stubble lol, but when I told hubby he said 'It's the thick eyebrows that look the same'. Well I suppose they are both bearers of  thick fluffy eyebrows lol. What do you think, are there any other similarities do you think??

Who's who lol

Cor blimey am a lazy bu--er

Ooh ladies I'm so so lazy I should be busy cleaning today but so far Ive not done much, I've been chatting online most of the morning to my sister from another mister Eily (yer a bad infuence on mi sis lol) and texting my real sister and chatting on the phone to hubby. I finally said bye to eily, for the last time (it takes us awhile to sign off lol) and thought right come on Andie get on with some cleaning and yet here I am about an hour later back online AGAIN tututtut Andie I should be ashamed I really should. I do have an excuse though I've stopped for lunch or at least thats what I'm telling myself lol.

I've only managed to dust and tidy the living room kitchen and hallway, hoover the hall and kitchen and mop the kitchen floor so far. I thought I might aswell have my lunch before I hoover the living room as I'm sure to drop crumbs from my bread and lemon curd and I dont want to have to do the job twice, once is bad enough.  When I've done with lunch I'll hoover the living room including the sofa and swap all the cushion round and then move upstairs I'll start on the bathrooom  first YUK!!!!! I hate doing the bathroom and I hate the smell of bathroom cleaners too. I've tried tons of different ones and they all smell disgusting don't they. Don't know if you've guessed  yet but I don't like housework.

Still I suppose we all have to do things in life we don't like and I did get to do something I really enjoy doing  last night, now now girls I don't mean that !!! I'm not going xrated on my blogs, I mean making jewellery. Hubby went out snowboarding yesterday evening so I thought ooh what shall I do with myself and decided on playing with my beads. I'd had a couple of ideas for necklaces I wanted to make and so out all my stuff came and away I went. I was still at it long after hubby came home and even after he went to bed , not that I made that much but a few of the pieces I made took quite a while to make as there were a lot of individual pieces to attach.
I'll be doing a bit more bead shopping soon as I'm getting low on a few components and my best customer who works with hubby paid me for some jewellery she bought this week so I have a small amount of funds burning a hole in my pocket now. She asked hubby if I could make her a purple necklace and bracelet to go with a new dress she had and would I send in some purple beads so she could take them home and match them to the dress which is what we often do. I made up a little pack of the different purple beads I had and sent them to work with hubby along with a few purple pieces I already had made. The next day she came back and said she had found a set that matched in the made up ones I sent and also 3 more necklaces and a bracelet that went with other outfits she had so she wanted to buy them too.  I told you she was my best customer lol, I think she beats me with her love of jewellery .
Right well i better go now and get on lunchtime is over awwwwwwwwww int it a shame,lol.
These are the pieces I made last night.

dreamaid fame

Oooohhhhhhhhhhhh exciting news for me today, one of my rings is featured on the front page of dreamaid. So is my short pudgy hand which is modelling the ring, it was a bit of a shock to see it on there today. I received a message from friend and fellow dreamaider Chrissy saying that I was on the front page so I rushed over to see it and yep there was my hand and ring wooohoooooooooo.

My famous hand

I hope my hand doesn't get full of itself and bigheaded (or should that be bighanded???) now thats its famous. I'm considering getting it insured as per Moe's suggestion lol.  Lets hope someone sees it and wants to buy it now, that's the ring not my hand.
http://www.dreamaid.com/refreshHomePageAction.do
I finished my other mans slipper yesterday and will be sending them off to my friends hubby Al tomorrow I named them Mr tincatoes at first but Tinca (aka Eily) changed the name to Alcatoes today which I know is daft of us to name a pair of slippers but eh whats wrong with being a bit daft every now and then eh.

Finished Alcatoes

Right I'm off to knit and watch tv now, thats if my famous left hand can be persuaded to do something so menial now lol.  Its goodnight from and its goodnight from the hand. Goodnight

Shopping, knitting and tv watching

Well I went shopping AGAIN yesterday. I think I'm a shopaholic, hello my names Andie and I'm addicted to shopping. There I've said it let the treatment begin. Or maybe not lol. I didnt buy much yesterday so I'm obviously not a hardened shopaholic but we did only pop into B&M and Dunelm while we were picking mum up. We got a new cat bed for lucy which she quickly sat on and then laid in it all night so we thought she liked it and then when I got up this morning she was back on the old one!!!!. contrary cat. I also got a bit more christmas wrapping paper, a couple of pillowcases, a set of 3 christmas votive candles and a fabric santa decoration so not a big haul.
I wonder when I can go shopping again???????????? Hope its not too long.lol.
It was a bit of a funny day yesterday as we'd not long been home from our little shopping trip and picking mum up when it was time to go back out again to pick up my nephew up from the train station (he'd been to manchester to visit his girlfriend for the weekend) we'd only had time for a quick lunch of home made pizzas and a sit down. While we were out mum said we might as well drop her off home save us going out again later so she was home a lot earlier than usual on a sunday.
Once we were back home Matt dissapeared to his room and hubby and I decided to watch a dvd, we chose terminator 2 as we'd watched the first terminator one night last week and we wanted to see what happened next. I'm sure we've both seen the films before but years ago and couldn't remember what happened.While we watched I did some knitting I'm making a pair of mens slippers and managed to finish one and have now started the other.

After terminator it was time for tea before watching the strictly results where poor tina went out. She wasn't a fave of mine, I think she was a bit shy and holding herself back but it was a shame to see her go so early. I really didn't like the outfit she had on  this week, it was more sandy at the end of grease than argentinian lady of the night, but I thought she danced quite well, certainly better than ann or gavin did.
Then it was the xfactor results where belle ami went, well they have been in the bottom two a lot and since appearing on the live shows they havent done great but I wish it had been wagner who went or katie. Wagner can't sing and is just there for Louis to have fun with and I can't stand katie, although she has sung better the last couple of weeks. I was really pleased gorgeous Matt got through, it wasn't his best song but I enjoyed it and even thought he sang it better than Leona, but then again I don't like her that much, I think shes just a warbler who does high notes well but doesn't really sing. I was pleased rebecca got through too as I think shes fab oh and what a surprise Cher was this week wow she can really sing.
And last but not least before bed we watched Downton Abbey which I'm really enjoying. I think it's been really good and has lots of stories going on which makes it interesting. Its such a shame its nearly finished I'll miss it when its done I wonder how it will all end????

Bin shopping again

Yep even though I went shoping  in town on wednesday I felt the need to do some more yesterday. We went to a retail park with a few shops and a morrisons on so we could combine a little shopping with our usual saturday chore the supermarket trip. Its not a very big place where we went, theres only a matalan, boots, argos ,next , a sports shop, b&q, asda living, scs, mcdonalds, pizza hut and morrisons but it was the matalan we were after visiting mainly so it did for us yesterday.
We only went in next, argos, asda living and matalan or MATALAND as my mum calls it, she's funny with shop names and she gets some of them slightly wrong, I don't know why but she always has. Matalan has always been matalanD to mum no matter how many times we told her to drop the d so we just dont bother now. Oh and her other favourite is primark pronounced as PREEEMART by mum!!! mind you my sister used to pronounce it prim-ark and its a bit of a debate round here whether it should be pronounced pre or pry. Then there's the marks & spencer department per una which I must admit I'm not sure how to pronounce myself but my mum calls it peer oono which we're pretty sure isn't right, but it gives us a laugh and its always entertaining talking about shopping with my mum.
We bought quite a lot at matalanD hubby got a couple of jumpers and 2 pair of jeans I got a couple pair of leggings, a long shirt and some slippers, we bought a chocolate football kit as stocking filler type gift for my brother in law for christmas ,a couple of rolls of wrapping paper and rolls of ribbon and then I was tempted at the till by a bag of drumstick chews, I used to love drumstick lollies when I was a kid they were 2p each at our shop. Ooh but theyre hard n chewy, hubby and I had a couple yesterday and mum laughed at us clacking away trying to chew them. Mum bought quite a bit in matalan too including a couple of christmas pressies for my and my sister.

remember these ?

We werent so lucky in argos though as mum was looking for a toy for one of my nephews which was out of stock and I was after a couple of laundry bins which have been out of stock for ages, I think I'm going to have to try something else as it looks like these won't be coming back into stock. Mum bought a new bag in next and got a couple more pressies in asda living and we bought  a few bits in there too a tshirt ,ds game and dvd but no christmas pressies I don't think hubby and I were in a pressie buying mood yesterday, we were too busy buying for ourselves what a selfish pair we are tutut.
Right well I should be off now and do my wii workout yesterday was a rest day but I cant afford to slack and not do it today especially with those drumstick chews still waiting to be finished.
Have a great Halloween bloggettes and I hope you all remebered about the clocks changing xx

I didn't want to do it, but I did

Oooh I really wasn't in the mood for my wiii workout today, but I did it in the end and I'm glad I did. I got up this morning late and feeling not in the mood for excercising or ironing which is how I planned to spend my day. I procrastinated for ages messing about on the internet before finally deciding to get on with my ironing and see if I felt like doing my workout later.
I did an hours ironing while watching gossip girl then had my lunch chatting to eily on busymitts and then it was back to ironing with desperate housewives. Well they weren't ironing with me, shame that I could have done with the help lol, I was just watching it while I ironed. I finished about four and then decided I really should do my workout..
I'm glad I did as I was feeling very guilty for not doing it and so I felt a lot better afterwards. I did have to skip the jump lunges though as they make my knees hurt at the best of times and after a few hours ironing it wasn't the best of times kneewise, but I managed the rest ok. 
I didn't do any workout yesterday as it was a rest day but I did give my purse a workout instead as I had a day in town with my mum. I bought a couple of little christmas presents for my niece and nephew,a couple of tshirts and a tunic top for me along with a few other bits including some more glucosamine tablets while they were on buy one get one half price in holland & barrett.
Town was really busy with it being half term, it was full of noisy kids with fairground rides and stalls running up the centre of the shopping area. The shops were quite busy especially boots where everyone seemed to have baskets of gift sets, taking advantage of the 3 for 2 offer they had on, unfortunately they only had two cashiers at the till so the queue was extra long and extra slow, shame they didn't have 3 for 2 on staff lol.
Right enough rambling its time I was off hubby and I need to pop up in the loft to put some christmas bits up and get a trolley case down for nephew so I'll say bye. Not sure what I'm going to do with the rest of my evening as there isn't anything on tv on a thursday so it might be a dvd or something we've recorded  and maybe a bit of knitting. I'm having a go at knitting somemens slippers at the moment after finishing a pair of flip top mitts for my niece Gemma on tuesday. I'm quite pleased with how they turned out as I had to alter the pattern a little by going a needle size smaller as Gem has small hands like me and the proper size would have made them too big.

Gems Mitts modeled by me

If you see the workout police don't tell them where I am

Well its a wet and dull day today and it's making me feel very wintery. I was supposed to be going shopping today with my mum but we were put off by the bad weather and have decided to try tomorrow instead which hopefuly will be drier. I'm not a fan of the wet weather and trying to shop with an umberella is such a pain, so a day at home was called for instead. I've just finished a couple of hours sewing, I've been making some more shopping bags for the fruit & veg shop as they are running low. I've only made two today as time got away from me this morning and I didnt  get started till after lunch so I'll have to make a couple more another day.

Now I'm blogging while I wait for hubby to come home from work and munching away on cinder toffee which is sticking in my teeth terribly. I'm sure it's a really unhealthy thing to be muching on but it is nice and it does say on the bag it has no artifical colours or preservatives so thats something at least eh. I think I've probably undone all the good my wii workout did this morning with just a few pieces of this stuff though lol.
Yes I'm still at it with my wii workout, hard to believe for me but I'm still sticking to it, just like this cinder toffee is to my teeth lol. I must confess I did miss out on doing any this weekend though so I'm a bit worried the workout police will have a warrant out for my arrest. In my defence though saturday was a rest day and sunday I woke up with a really bad sinus headache, just moving my head made me feel sick so I didn't fancy a workout.  By the time the tablets kicked in and I started to feel better it was lunchtime and we were off out to pick mum up for a visit. Hubby, mum and me did go out for a walk for an hour on sunday afternoon though so I did do some excercise and I was back at it on Monday so please Mr Workout Policeman let me off with a caution.

Day at work,,,who me????

Morning bloggettes, hope you are all well.
I'm just having breakfast and feeling rather tired today even though I slept quite well last night. I think its because I feel a bit like I almost did a days work yesterday as I spent the day at the shop that sells my jewellery helping Jan. She's just moved premises and was having a bit of an opening of the new shop and was offering customers a glass of bucks fizz and running a free draw to win a voucher for the shop so I went along as an extra pair of hands. It wasn't hard work really I just chatted to people, poured drinks, did a bit of washing up etc, but I'm out of practice at getting up in a morning, geting ready and being in a shop/work from morning till closing, ooh how quickly I've forgotten what it was like to have a proper job lol.
Although it was a little quieter than we'd have liked it was a good day with some of her old customers popping in for a look at the new shop and a few new ones too. Its a shame the weather was so wet here yesterday though as I think that kept a few people away as town was quiet for a saturday. The new shop looks lovely and was worth all the months of planning Jan put into the decor and layout of it.  She'd certainly done a good job of the window display for tempting people to buy because as soon as I arrived I spotted a pair of pyjamas in the window with my name on, well not literally, obviously they didnt have my name on them that would have looked a bit odd, but they were just my cup of tea and shouted 'buy me andie buy me' so I did, even when I'm working I manage to shop lol.
While I was at work (lol) hubby went snowboarding for a few hours which he hasn't done for a couple of months and he really enjoyed it , I don't think he'll be leaving it as long between visits next time. I think its the longest time he's gone between visits and he thought it might take him a few runs down the slope to get back into it but he said no he was right back into it straight away so he was really pleased.
After I got in from work (I know it wasnt real work but it makes me giggle to say it) we had tea and watched strictly and then the xfactor. I thought Ann Widecombe being airlifted onto the dancefloor was one of the daftest things I've ever seen and wagner in rolled up white trousers n open shirt singing living la vida loca on the xfactor almost as daft. I think I'm developing an ickle crush on Matt on the Xfactor, I've loved his voice right from his first audition but he's quite dishy too isn't he now hes looking up and not hiding under his hat when he sings. If he brings an album out I'll definately b buying it especially if it has a good photo of him on the cover lol.