My Busy Life

sidneysmum

I have thoroughly enjoyed today. Even though it is Sunday, I was up at the crack of dawn......like a fool !! I went to the town centre car boot sale in the car and spent £13.20 but bought loads of stuff. For myself I bought a wood towel stand which will be one of my next shabby chic projects. For my grandson I bought a little coat £1, a jcb digger, dinosaur wellies and 2 pairs of jeans and a dinosaur book for £1.20 !! For my granddaughter i bought some things for when she is older. I bought a silver cross double buggy, a wooden crib, a mamas and papas set consisting of high chair, pram, baby seat and carry sling....all for her dolls when she is older. Sum total cost of £11 !! Everything I bought is in really nice condition and my grandsons little clothes are just in the washer even though they were spotlessly clean when i bought them. i just love a bargain.
After the car boot sale, I went to the gym for an hour on the treadmill, then i drove home. After unloading the car, I took Sid to the park for her run round. I managed to get a shower and clean the GPs before my friend called for me. We spent the afternoon in IKEA and i did a bit of spending for furniture for the playroom. I bought an Expedit unit in white (consisting of 25 cubes). The old playroom is a huge room so this unit will only take up a very small part if it. I also bought a full length white mirror for on the playroom wall. My house is an old Victorian property but the old playroom will definitely take some modern furniture even though most of my other rooms wouldn't. We had something to eat and a drink at lunch time. However i can say that the fish and chips were pretty poor. Sorry IKEA !! I think i will be trying the meatballs next time i visit.
My friend came to my home for a few cups of coffee and some cake before she had to go home. Just as she was leaving, my son arrived to drop some veggies off for my guinea pigs. He is definitely saving me some money!!
Anyway I plan on doing a bit of reading and some tidying up tonight before i retire to bed.
I hope everyone has had a great moneysaving day x

sidneysmum

Well there is one simple reason why i didnt post my blog yesterday.....I ahem......forgot. Anyway i shall now post the events of yesterday !! I was up early and went to the gym first thing and did 60 minutes on the treadmill. When i got back i did more painting in the playroom. There is a huge built in cupboard with all the original panelled doors so it all got freshened up and looks great now. The very top cupboards now house all my material stash. The bottom ones are empty apart from 2 wood inserts which fit 2 large dining tables i have in the house but seldom use. Anyway, whilst the paintwork was drying i went to meet an old friend of mine who i have known since 1985. We dont get to meet up as often as we would like as she has a young daughter so she is quite tied with school etc. Anyway we took our dogs on a nice long walk and caught up with all our news. When I got back later in the afternoon I had a visit from the owner of the local carpet shop who came to measure up the hall, stairs and landing. I am planning on having a new carpet hopefully before the end of the year when the area has been painted. I also asked him to measure the playroom as I may have a new one. I am going to see how the room looks when it is finished with the current carpet and if it doesn't look too good, then i shall have to do some more saving up !! Last night just passed me by between phone calls, guinea pigs and reading.
Today i was up extra early to go to work. Thankfully it passed really quickly and i was able to get away at lunch time. I went straight to the gym and did another 60 minutes on the treadmill, I cannot believe how much my body had changed shape since using the treadmill. I now haven't got much fat (thankfully) and am really toned up......all thanks to uphill walking. I wouldn't have believed it !!! The time sped by today because i met a lady i have known for a while and we just had a good old natter whilst exercising. When I got home Sidney managed to tear herself away from my next door neighbours!! She loves being with them and they love her. Anyway one of my sons turned up and he helped me put together the large IKEA unit I bought on Sunday. It looks fabulous. I have managed to put items on about half of the shelves and it looks wonderful. It is the first piece of modern furniture I have ever bought / owned, and i am thrilled to bits. My plan for the rest of today is to have a nice shower, get ready for work tomorrow and maybe a bit of reading if i have got time !!
I hope everyone has had a great moneysaving day x

sidneysmum

Where on earth has today gone to ? I feel as though i have just sat down........well I have !! I was up super early for work and after a very boring shift, I managed to get away at lunch time. A friend gave me a very large plastic food storage box that was going spare. It will be perfect for storing the goodies I get from the bakery. After leaving work i went to Asda to buy some bedding and 2 pairs of curtains for the playroom. I had seen them a couple of weeks ago and they match my decor perfectly. When I was at Asda I bumped into my grandson in the foyer with his other grandma. It was such a shame because he had a proper paddy because he wanted to come with me. She ended up dragging him out of the shop. I could still hear him shouting !! Boys ! Anyway I also bought some bread and milk then called at my local discount bakery and bought 2 huge lemon mousse which are now in the freezer and 10 Swiss rolls. Total price £2. I will dish them out amongst my sons when i see them. Anyway once i got home I started doing lots of little jobs. I washed a small sheepskin rug which was, shall we say, a bit doggy smelling. It washed really well and the instructions said to brush it whilst it was damp. That took me an hour. I have ironed the new quilt cover and pillowcase and they are now on the day bed. I will have to buy some curtain rails and get the curtains up. The room is really coming together. I am hoping to do lots of small jobs over the next few days so that the playroom will be complete soon. I still have a few things to buy and i hope to get them over the next couple of weeks - curtain rails, light fitting, fitted sheet, extra pillow case.
Anyway i am off to do a bit of tidying up then get the GPs out. I hope everyone has had a great moneysaving day x

LeaLea89

Hi Sidneysmum

**waves** Hope you are well? I'm still reading your ramblings loving the GP's by the way, wonder if my dear hubby would let me have some (doubt it!!)

I know what you mean about the days going quick this week, only feels to me that it should be Tuesday tomorrow never mind Friday although i don't mind a 3 day weekend coming up!! I love my job but i like to have a rest and i have plans to sort my garden out this weekend, couple of new fence panels and taking down an old concrete coal bunker so that should be fun, thank goodness for Dad's (my hubby to be is useless at this sort of thing so my dad always stands in to lend a hand!). We've been rather busy here over the last weekend, we found a stray mini Jack Russell near to work (he wandered into my office and fell asleep at the side of me!!) so i ended up looking after him for a night and then my mum and dad took him to 'foster'. luckily we have found his rightful owner and turns out she only lives around the corner from work! he's a lovely little dog so i hope that they look after him now that he is back. Mum and Dad decided to call him Bob as they didnt know his name (no chip, collar etc) turns out it was Spike, no wonder the poor thing was confused!

Anyway ill stop rambling on, im off home now to see my dog Meg and get the lawn cut! otherwise i may lose her in it!!

xxx

sidneysmum

Hi LeaLea89 - Thanks for posting, great to hear from you. I envy you being happy in your job...wish I was. However my job is pretty much the only negative thing in my life. Lets hope the weather stays with us for the long weekend. It will be so much easier to sort your garden out if the sun is out. I am glad Spiky Bob was reunited with his owners. They must be daft not having him chipped !! It doesn't cost the earth does it !! Anyway heres to a productive weekend for you x

Today has been a nice day for me. Up early as per usual and went to the park with her ladyship. Still collecting the recycling ever day and bringing it back home. After the park I walked up to town and had 50 minutes on the treadmill then went to my usual dance aerobics class. I was joined unexpectadly by my best friend who had decided to join the gym today. Anyway after staying for dance with me, she gave me a lift back in her car as she had a huge bag of babyclothes for my grandaughter. They are great and i will be dropping them off at my sons tomorrow. She stayed for a cuppa then went on her way. I decided to go to the cinema and saw the Alan Partridge comedy - Alpha Papa which was quite good. I called back at Asda and bought a fitted sheet and pillowcases in fuscia pink for the day bed. I also bought a tiny life jacket for my grandson as we are planning on going swimming at the weekend and it will be his first time that I know of at the baths......so I am taking no chances !!
Since being home I have just been doing loads of small jobs in the playroom. It is just so time consuming - ironed all the bedding and put it on the day bed, washed some pottery to put on the IKEA units, put some more soil in a house plant and gave the first coat of paint to a Victorian towel rail and a wooden stool I am going to use in the playroom. My plan is to paint them in white eggshell so they will be all shabby chic. The towel rail will be perfect for putting my home made quilts on. The stool is being used as a stand for a plant which is in a lovely pottery chamber pot ! Anyway i have no real plans for during the day tomorrow apart from exercising, so I hope to get some more jobs done in the playroom.
Anyway I hope everyone has had a great moneysaving day x

sidneysmum

The last 2 days have been a bit of a rollercoaster. I have just had a lot to keep me occupied !! Yesterday I was up bright and early and went to the park with Sid. I timed it so i could be in the gym for around 7ish where i did 45 mins on the treadmill. This meant i could be at Aldi for 8 when the shop opened and i could get my things before the crowds arrived. Most of yesterday was spent in the playroom. I finished painting the towel rail which is lovely and is now home to my patchwork quilt. I also completed the old wooden stool which again looks great. I did a few other jobs - washed a sheepskin rug and combed it out whilst it was damp, painted some cupboard door handles antique gold and lastly did a fantastic repair and repaint job to an antique mirror which had a small chip on it. It cant be seen at all now thankfully and will look brilliant in the playroom. I cant do much more with the playroom until I get some curtain rails and my son will need to help me put them up. The last job I did was to empty the pantry of all my stuff and temporarily house it in the dining room. The plan is to clean and paint the pantry over the next 2 days unless I find something better to do !!
Anyway, it got to 4ish and i decided to go to the teatime zumba class for a bit of a bop around before I went and picked my grandson up. He was staying the night so we could do things today. I have changed my youngest sons (his daddy) bedroom into a bedroom for my grandson and he loves sleeping in the big boy bed ! Luckily he went to sleep at about 8.30 so I got chance to do a bit of tidying up.
This morning we did a few little jobs together, the main one being cleaning the guinea pigs out. We then wet to the family swimming session at the local baths - a no spend for me as its included in my gym membership. After a spot of lunch we went up to the town centre as there was a children's dinosaur show on, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Again a no spend. We just had time to call at the nursing home for us both to see my aunty before it was time for the young man to go back home. We have had a great day !! Anyway the plan for tonight is to relax, make a few phone calls and do a bit of tidying up. I hate things out of place at home. How on earth did I manage with 4 boys at home ??
Anyway i hope everyone has had a great moneysaving day x
PS. Sidney is tired out with all this playing dinosaurs !!:)

sidneysmum

The weather has been lovely here in the North West today. As per usual i was up early and took Sidney to the park. I then walked to the town centre gym and did 60 minutes on the treadmill. I love the exercise but i love seeing all the people I know just as much. Having lots of little chats makes me feel good.I walked home and basically I have spent the rest of today painting the pantry. It looks really nice and clean now. Once all the paint had dried which was quite quickly really due to the warm weather and quick drying paint, I put pretty much everything back. I chucked a few things and relocated some things to the garage. I have also now got myself a designated "to do" shelf where everything that needs doing stays. It could be a letter that needs posting or a bit of sewing that needs doing. I am basically a tidy person but i just wanted everything that needed doing, putting together.
I have just started taking the old material off the top of a Lloyd loom bedding box. I am going to recover it and have it next to the Lloyd loom chair i have in the playroom. Both the chair and the bedding box have been sprayed fuscia pink and the material coordinates perfectly, so i am a happy bunny. Hopefully i will complete it tomorrow.
Anyway I hope everyone has had a great moneysaving day x

sidneysmum

I had planned that today was to be a day of jobs and getting things done. So, with that in mind I had walked her ladyship and had an hour on the treadmill and was back home before 9am. I took the car this morning and filled up with fuel. I tend to do this every fortnight. Anyway today has been spent doing loads of little jobs, the main one being recovering the top of my Lloyd loom bedding box in lovely fabric to match the decor in the playroom. Its done now and looks great. I made 2 meals to eat up over the next few days - lemon chicken and balti curry. Both should potion up into 2 meals each. I did some washing, dried it on the line then ironed it and put it away. I submitted my weekly meter readings to British Gas and made a payment. This works so well for me. I never have a bill or a large amount to pay out. I have also done a bit of rearranging. One of my next jobs is to paint the cloakroom under the stairs. I decided to go through all the junk in there and chuck out a load of stuff or relocate it to the garage or somewhere more appropriate. As I live on my own now I have decided that all my coats, jacket, shoes and boots, bags etc can be housed in the cloakroom instead of in random wardrobes all over the house. I am getting everything very organised !! It will be so much easier to decorate the cloakroom now i have got rid of a load of stuff. All my shoes are in plastic containers so are really easy to find. All my coats and jackets are hung up. Perfect.
Anyway I am now going to have a nice sit around, do my nails and read a new book I have started - Vanished at sea by Tina Dirmann.
Anyway I hope everyone has had a great moneysaving

sidneysmum

Back to work for me today and thankfully the time went quite speedily. I called at the gym on my way home and did 60 minutes on the treadmill. I did a couple of errands as I didn't need to rush home. My loyal hound practically moves in with my next door neighbours when I am at work !! I called at Tesco and bought 3 large jars of my favourite coffee as I had found out it was on offer. I might even go and buy some more before the offer ends. I also went and bought 2 beautiful curtain rails for the playroom. I am hoping one of my sons will help me put them up this weekend.
Anyway my main news today is that I have ordered a new sofa for the room I live in pretty much all the time (the morning room). If anyone cares to have a look, I bought it from Sofa, Sofa and I bought the 2 seater Hampton in slate grey. The plan is to move the tiny pale blue chesterfield (my current old faithful) up into the playroom when the new sofa arrives. I am very attached to this old sofa and dont really want to get rid of it.....but its no longer as comfy as it could be. Hopefully my new sofa will be here in about 4 weeks, so I am quite excited. All I need to do is find some material that matches the sofa and reupholster the seat inserts that are in my dining chairs. I am going to start looking for material in the next week or so !!
I also paid my 6 months water bill. All in all its been a bit of an expensive day, but I have saved up hard for these things and done a lot of planning, so I am happy to spend the cash.
Anyway I hope everyone has had a great moneysaving day x

sidneysmum

The last couple of days have just flown by. Yesterday I was at work, which unfortunately was a complete drag. Anyhow I managed to leave early afternoon and i didn't have to take Sidney out as she had already been out with my neighbour. I just had a nice shower and got myself spruced up. My friend came to pick me up and we went for a Chinese meal at another friends house. We had a great night out and I took Sidney as my host and hostess have a house full of dogs themselves......so Sidney is just another one ! We had some lovely food and when I eventually got home (it was late so no blog posting last night) I just went straight to bed. I brought some leftovers home and they will do me 2 meals. I just hate throwing food away.
Today has been a really good day. I just enjoy my life so much even though i am doing nothing special. Anyway......up early as usual to take Sid to the park. I then walked it up to town and had 50 minutes on the treadmill then did my dance aerobics class which i love. I had a little spend and bought a cheap duvet out of Primark for on the Victorian day bed. It was £5.90 for a 15 tog duvet. I also bought some cucumbers for the guinea pigs and the greengrocer gave me loads of leftover odds and ends for the piggies to try. He is really kind. My friend brought me back from town so she could have a coffee with me and see the updated playroom. She also brought me some baby clothes for my grandaughter. I was really pleased with them. This afternoon has been a cinema afternoon and i went to see a bit of a feelgood film called "The way, way back". It was a nice film and certainly made a couple of hours pass very nicely. The plan for tonight is to make a couple of phone calls then hopefully have a read. I hope everyone has had a great moneysaving day x