Second Time Lucky

amycool

It got worse!!!

Had quite a stressful busy weekend with quite a stressed DD.

Then had a long day at the hospital for my check up (every 3 months) and I got some really bad news. My lung function has plummeted over the past year. It's pretty terrifying and I got home and cried my eyes out, but then realised crying isn't going to help.

So two lots of antibiotics for 2 weeks, which is so frustrating as I'll have to put the running on hold, which was the only thing reducing my stress! I had hoped to run through it but the side effects are horrendous. My stomach feels like it's being eaten by acid and I wake up feeling like a zombie every morning. I am trying to do more physio to get as much of the infected gunk out as possible.

This means I couldn't have my flu jab, so that's on hold. I'm also due an asthma review.

DD has a doctor's appointment after school, so that'll be interesting trying to walk there. Me puffing and panting and her moaning and dawdling. I'm thinking lots of sweet treats to lure her (and me maybe)!

Phone calls from school almost daily at the moment. DD is constantly processing the trauma she has been through so we have tears every bedtime and every time I drop her off at school. She's been talking a lot at school about some of her experiences so we've also had other kids going home crying for fear that it might happen to them. Thankfully the parents affected have all been lovely but it's only a matter of time before one of the less understanding parents gets angry about it. I'm gradually growing a very thick skin.

Some family members have also been adding to the stress, suggesting that we are using DD as an "excuse" to not attend a wedding. I got quite angry at that. They have no idea. I somehow managed to hold all the swearing in until I got to chat to my Mum, where I had a mega-rant.

In other news, selling my treadmill was a right palaver. The highest bidder took 4 days to pay (kept putting it off) then e-mailed about a million times asking for directions, then turned up alone with a car. I made a point of saying it needs 2 strong people to lift it and a van. Luckily OH was home so helped the guy but apparently the plastic cracked as it was shoved in the car. This is why I give most things to charity - it's not worth the stress for £40!!

We got a refund for the lost wedding gift but still haven't got round to ordering another gift.

I have managed to tick off none of the things that need doing, but the washing is on and the rats have been cleaned out. It's better than nothing. :-)

Did I share my excellent news? If so, ignore this. I was wondering how on earth I was going to pay for driving lessons, and then I got back paid my holiday pay for last year! Should pay for all the lessons I need, unless I'm particularly awful. I also have another number of an instructor but I'll wait until I'm better. Just need to try very hard to save it and not overpay the mortgage with it.

debtfreeoneday

I hear ya Amy.. the Head took one look at me this morning and shepherded me into her office for a talk. Very nearly another sob fest over her..

Great news re the holiday pay, you'll be driving in no time I bet.

amycool

Our head isn't particularly understanding but they have a pastoral lady who I've seen a lot!

So...

I managed not to spend ANYTHING at the garden centre. I have £7.50 in vouchers that expire in November but didn't see the point in rushing it. I struggle to pay that much for things like pansies and bulbs when you can get them at the supermarket for a third of the price. We'll probably end up getting compost.

I've decided that as I've run out of gardening excitement I'm not going to bother with veg next year. I'm just going to do flowers.

We did then spend about £30 at the big yellow and blue shop. Bizarrely, DD can't cope with being in the house but copes quite well in garden centres and furniture shops. We tried out the settees as ours is almost dead. We had hoped to get a big sofa bed at £350 but it was so uncomfortable that we're going to spend £450 on a 3 seater. Not yet though - need to decorate first. I got 2 big tupperwares for the shoe mountains at the front and back doors, a sieve, a spaghetti spoon, flannels (ours have holes in!), 6 small glasses (we break at least one a month), ice lolly moulds, straws, and another of those things you hang in the wardrobe to make more storage. We got some cake too.

No swimming costs this week as I'm too ill and DD was so naughty on Saturday that I said she couldn't go.

I'm in constant stomach pain or nausea so these tablets had better be ruddy working.

New wedding gift has been ordered and the bride informed of the delay.

Lampshade made - just need ribbon for along the bottom.

We've moved the computer downstairs, which is much nicer than sitting in the cold boxroom. The bookcase has gone in its place, which should make redecorating slightly easier.

The rats are causing us stress again! We have given them most of the conservatory now for running around and they just hide and try to escape! The settee in there is already wrecked and last night we almost had an escapee. So a rethink needed.

I'm wearing a thick jumper today so autumn must be coming. DD is like a little furnace and won't even wear a cardigan so I shall keep layering up! Smart meters being fitted on Thursday so I get the fun of little gadgets!

Something nice: we finally took DD on a canal walk. When we were applying to adopt I used to do the walk often and imagine walking with my child through the woods, looking at the different plants and fungi. Until now she has always been too anxious to really enjoy anything but yesterday she walked lovely most of the way without moaning and seemed to actually be able to appreciate nature. She wore her wellies and went through the puddles (she chose a long pink skirt, which is now a long brown skirt!) and we looked at fungi and different trees.

amycool

Oh, also, no idea when OH gets paid! Hoping it's no later than the 1st!

amycool

I have pneumonia. So another 2 week course of a different, stronger antibiotic. DD is helping by having at least 2 meltdowns a day, mostly just before we go to school or she goes to bed. I have cried a lot.

Anyway, my bank account is looking lovely!! My holiday pay, plus 2 wages for OH (not full ones but they seem to add up to £300 more than usual) means a nice juicy sum and a £600 mortgage overpayment. We're still quite far from our pre-car purchase savings but we're edging closer.

I put £1000 to one side (mentally) as that is ring-fenced for driving lessons, if I ever get well enough to book some.

I haven't yet budgeted for the lounge makeover. The sofa is going to cost £450, then there's the electrician cost for fitting the new light, new curtains, and hopefully just filler and paint. If we find the walls are horrible under the anaglypta there will be the cost of skimming. I've removed a small section of the wallpaper and there are some hairline cracks so far. I had hoped to have removed most of it by now - so frustrating.

In exciting news, we have a smart meter! I love it already. I've realised that leaving the lamp plugged in (not on) is costing 1p an hour!!! 24p a day, £1.68 a week for a lamp that isn't even on!!! OH often leaves the digital radio plugged in and you can feel the heat coming off the plug so I may do a little experiment to show him why he needs to stop leaving it. Our problem is all the charging that goes on (mostly my fault). The cordless phone, mobile phones, Nintendo DS and 2 tablets.
I'm particularly looking forward to finding out the cost difference between a shower and a bath as DD has been a nightmare recently, insisting on a deep bath and then getting out after 5 minutes.

I feel so nauseous on these tablets that we're probably saving quite a bit in food costs. Yesterday I had 1 slice of toast for breakfast, beans on toast for lunch with a few bourbons, one quorn burger in bread for tea. I also have to eat with them so I had some dry rice krispies in the evening. I should call it the bland diet. Hopefully I'll lose a few pounds.

debtfreeoneday

I am strangely excited at your smart meter and feel the urge to source one!

amycool

Dfod - Ovo just kept emailing about it as they have to fit them eventually so maybe you could contact your provider and ask?

I made a massive error! The lamp was actually costing 0.01p per hour, not 1p per hour. . Otherwise the tumble drier would be £45 an hour to run. It surprises me how much electric is being used when we're all asleep, but I guess the fridge and freezer have to keep going. Charging my kindle is around 1p an hour.

I'm in bed. Day 4 (or is it 5?) of these tablets and the nausea is horrendous. Yesterday morning, for some unexplained reason, I didn't have it. This momentary feeling of wellness led to me removing the whole fireplace. It was so hideous - dark 1980s wood combined with a pebbledash effect! I'm so happy it's gone and we're going fireplace shopping this afternoon. OH went mad of course.

Looking at the state of the walls (I've started stripping the wallpaper) I'm thinking the best option will be to pay someone to put lining paper up then we'll paint it. No massive cracks yet, but the plaster needs patching in places. I don't mind stripping wallpaper but I wish the ceilings were lower as my arms get so tired!

I've also got a plan for the curtains. I did ponder buying some beautiful fabric and making it into curtains but I'm not very good at straight lines on the machine. So instead I'm going to buy basic grey curtains and applique some designs onto it from the lampshade.

It's funny because OH has always wanted a nautical lounge and I always said no way, but this fabric has little fish and whales and fishermen and octopuses on it. If we change the theme in the future I can just unpick the applique. I'm tempted to try painting some of the designs on the wall too. When I was a teenager I covered my wall with paintings (I'm a fairly good copier but have no natural artistic flair!) and they looked pretty cool. Who says a lounge has to be boring and plain?

debtfreeoneday

My DH wants a nautical theme somewhere in our place, so far I've avoided it!

Firegirl

That's so interesting about the electricity!!! I must have a think about that! I'm surprised about it using energy not even switched on!!!

amycool

Just took 15 minutes to withdraw £46.46 (the treadmill) from Paypal. They don't make it easy do they?

I'm getting very bored of being ill now. I don't feel at all better but I do have another week of antibiotics so we'll see.

Thank goodness for Specsavers insuring children's glasses for free. Last night DD was pretending to fly a kite on the way home from school and ran at full speed into a lamppost. Somehow she didn't knock herself out but did have a bloody face as the glasses cut into her. Anyway, they're beyond repair so we're off tonight to hopefully get a new set of frames. I sent her today with her old pair, so I'm not sure how she'll manage.

I started sketching some designs for our modern nautical room yesterday. I'm thinking rather than sewing the designs onto curtains, I could just use that bondaweb stuff. I never use it with clothes as it falls off in the wash but the curtains never get washed (do other people wash their curtains regularly???) unless really grubby. I have some nice red fabric in my stash but would have to buy the other colours. I'm trying to stick to 5 colours if possible.

I have also been pondering making our own hearth with a basic wooden frame and then tiling on top. I'm thinking plain white tiles and then I'll paint the designs onto them. It's a lot of work but much more interesting than a slab of granite or marble. And cheaper of course!

So much to do but I'm supposed to be resting.