Windows 8 - Its not Grr eat

My desktop  was bought at rock bottom price as a stop gap.  It is basic but it does the job, slowly, noisily but it does it.  It has Windows 7 on it which is very good.  I  did at one time have a lovely swanky, tip top, up to the minute computer with XP.  I had it built for me by a man down the road.  That was in another life, in another town and another decade (well 2006 to be precise).  That man's little two room business is long gone and in January my computer finally bit the dust.  It had had four different cases, three hard drives, two CD readers, a new sound card and a new graphics card over the years.  I miss that Dude, I was proud of it, it did not let me down, often, jam sandwich excepting.  

Anyhoo, I got to thinking I "needed" a laptop.  It would have a webcam (which I need to keep in contact with the course tutor).  It would have a card reader (which I also need to upload photos for my course and of course for this here blog) and more importantly I could use it anytime not just outside of when others are doing their facebook homework.  I went to the shops to check them out.  Then I went again, I wasn't making any rash decisions.  Then I decided on Tuesday I was going to finally do it.  

Off I went into PC World as fast my legs would carry me.  "Can I have that one" I said and out and home as fast as the speed limit on the A12 would allow me.

It works brilliantly, it's fast and joy of joys it's shiny purple.  It was not top of the range so was at the lower end of the price bracket, bonus, but hey I'm a 46 year old sewing enthusiast.  I want a typewriter with a memory, I want to muck about with photos and use the internet.  I do not care about "high end graphics" (Jarrod) nor did I Youtube myself taking it out of the box.  

However, Kurtis did threaten to film and Youtube me shouting and swearing at the crappy tablet format Windows 8.  Grr I am not amused.  Everything is on this screen or that screen which you have to pull up or pull down.  You have to go to the top of the screen then drag it off the bottom just to close a window - there's no click the little cross here.  I cannot imagine anyone using it in a business situation.  Why would anyone want to put a touch screen phone system on a computer.  Its mad.  

I will get used to it I expect.  It came free and if I want 7 I have to pay for it and all the money is spent just buying it so that wont happen.  But GRR right now I 8 it.

Starting Something New

I remember when the kids dad and I bought our old house years ago people saying to me "New house, New baby".  Well that ain't never gonna happen now.  Got lotsa kids already.  So new house, new what?

I am starting the City and Guilds Patchwork and Quilting Certificate Level 3.  I'm doing this via distance learning with Creative Stitch Suffolk.  Nervous and excited, excited and nervous.  The main worry for me is the design element as although I am creative I am no artist.  Still if you don't try, you'll never know, so here I am taking the plunge.

Doin' The Happy Dance

I'm Going

Woo Hoo.  After being so jealous of those who did go this year, I have saved and saved and bought myself one of these.  I'm so excited.  Erm, ... I havn't yet told anyone who will be looking after Rory.   I have not been anywhere without the kids for about eight or maybe nine years so I am probably due a couple of days.  Anyway, I will cross that bridge when I come to it.  

My tumble dryer also burnt out two fuses last night when trying to dry the last of the school clothes, which is a bit of a pain in the proverbial.  So I'm going back to Chelmsford now to use the kid's dad's one.  

Phew!

Well, I've moved house.  Last week was an epic week of shifting furniture and stuff, running backwards and forwards, packing, unpacking and, unbelievably, painting.

My new house is in a town 25 miles away from where I've always lived so everything is all different and interesting.  One small thing that is weird different (to me) is that there are no wheelie bins.  All rubbish is put out in bags - "kerbside collection" it's called.  Also weird is that so far I have seen no rats despite this.  

My lounge, hall, kitchen is by turns neat (when I have found homes for all our junk) and ridiculously untidy to the extent that there is NOWHERE to put your feet.  Yesterday, the lounge was so organised I was able to vac the whole floor, then I went back to the lock up and look at it now. Ha, ha!

The kids' dad and I are selling our old house too so we went there last night to check all's well.  In the veg plot Ruby was able to fill a shoe box with strawberries and raspberries.  She said there are loads more coming too.  I knew I planted them for a reason.  "There are some other things too", she said, "They are horrible."  "Are they sour" I asked. "Yes", she replied.  "Blackcurrants?"  "Yes, yuk, why d'you plant them".  Can't please all the people, all the time.  There are six strawberries and three raspberries left in the box 16 hours later.

We also painted the house I rented last year in order to get our bond back.  The landlord was going in with the letting agent on Saturday.  I haven't heard so far how much he will give me so it doesn't seem too good.  I feel a bit aggrieved.  I rented the house because it was at a cheap rent for the amount of space offered, this was for a reason.  Nothing had been done to it for years. The landing, bathroom, kitchen and one of the bedroom lights did not work and no amount of bulb changing affected that and it was FILTHY.  Now that is where I made my big mistake.  I thought I can clean this, I can make this lovely.  The landlord had lived there  and it had been his family home but hadn't lived in it for a long time.  There are many sagas about this but all endeavours have not been appreciated by him.  I painted an orange room cream, he originally said I could but then said he had not said it.  Had a go at me for not painting his pink and match pot painted kitchen in the first three months I lived there.  Apparently, as I had been given permission to do so he expected it done and I wanted to get on with it.  God, I better shut up, I could write pages on this horrible house.  Suffice to say I should have rented the new one I looked at.  Still, it's over now.  And breathe.

I feel much happier now.  Even living on five hours sleep for a month and sorting out chaos, I feel better.  Much more myself and at home in my skin.  Phew 

Packing

I have grabbed my friends laptop and 3G dongle for a few moments of internet presence.

I am moving house.  Not by choice, but because the landlord wants to sell, so out next Thursday.  Stuff is being packed and shifted to a garage I have use of which is handy.  It's no secret that two of my boys have ASD/ADHD which means all change is anathema to them so packing slowly a bit at a time sounds like stretching agony out but actually with my boys is just getting them used to the idea.  Also as I can't afford removals it takes one small fat woman a long time to shift stuff.

My modem here got broken last week and with only a couple of weeks to go it is pointless to wait ten days and pay £40 for a new one so I'm doing without.  At the new place I'm going with a new provider so electronic wizardry will come free of charge with it.  On Saturday, one of my sons was nearly crying with the frustration of social networking isolation.  He had to go cycling with his brother instead.

Last week my youngest started his first week at boarding school specialising in BESD, which includes ADHD.  I cried for two days.  He loved it.  Thank God.  He goes weekdays, coming home Friday afternoon.  Good job I was packing, filled up my time instead of teaching him.

In other news, when trying to help me pack my son dropped my sewing machine, then tried to fix it, lost some of the screws, got in a state ...  It's been fixed for a couple of weeks, but is still in the shop as he spent the money he had saved to pay to get it mended.  As moving is expensive and it cost £70.80 I am saving up to pay for it.

Haystack

If you think this is a haystack, then you could be wrong.

Apparently, if you are 12 a haystack could actually mean this.  Today I discovered that being "haystacked" or "stacked" meant someone kneeling down behind you of which you are presumably unaware and someone running up to you and pushing you over the back of the other someone onto the floor.

That Stamp Fabric

I can't remember whose blog I saw this on, but someone had seen this fabric and wanted to know where to get it.  I saw it this morning in the window of a shop that sells up-market wallpaper and home dec fabric.  I love this shop.  It is small, independant and always has beautiful displays in the window.  Anyway if anyone recognises the fabric as the one they want give 'em a ring or emal or summat.

Well, there's a thing, J has pinched my keyboard and taken it to his dad's and left me the mac keyboard with no screenshot button.  I've looked it up and there's a few ways to screenshot via mac but not on a pc.  I was gonna give you a lovely picture of the shop and everything.  Hey Ho.  Its

County Town Interiors 41 Moulsham Street Chelmsford  CM2 0HY 01245 358 388

East is East

We have been for an all you can eat buffet called East in Southend.  It was great.  All the family were there.  We ate until we couldn't eat any more.  Kids were good.  The small nephew was  babalicious fun and a birthday good time has been had by all.  The lovely lady serving brought Ruby some cake with a candle from behind and we all started singing happy birthday.  Rubes was looking round all mystified and nearly jumped a mile when she put the cake down next to her.  ADHD son was freaking the bean in the car all the way home and Ruby made up a fake radio studio to take everyone's minds off the traffic jam and diversion.  

Good times :)

My Beautiful Baby is 16

Wow, so where did that go.  Sixteen years since Ruby was born.  There have been some tantrums on the way on both sides believe me.  She has a GCSE exam this afternoon so it's business as usual but we have had a really chilled out morning wherein we worked out how to put a profile picture on this here blog.  I'm not sure if I like it massively yet.  It was taken by my good friend Ginger Snaps possibly at Christmas.  Ruby loves it because she says you can see I was having a good time.  I'm bit bothered that it's no eyes and all bosom.  As it's her birthday I'll take her advice.  For now.

She wants this cake   which is a Ginger and Chocolate Torte, to be found on the BBC good food website.  I am too computer illiterate as yet to have worked out how to do a link thingy so you can click and cook.  But it is there I assure you and when I am done writing and have taken her to school for the Ethics exam I will be baking it.  I hope it's good, Rubes chose it but I havn't done it before so I'll let you know.

A Quiet Moment!!

My youngest goes into a school for two hours on a Friday morning so a couple of minutes to say what's been going on recently.

I finished to quilt for Mrs B, my children's other grandma and gave to her last week.  I made this doing the QAL with SewHappyGeek.  It was the first one I've done and I loved the fact that it was a sampler.  As a new quilter I obviously hadn't done any of the blocks before.  I was mostly really chuffed with how it came out, except for the binding which I can tell is going to be my nemesis for a while.  But hey, we've all gotta learn.  I used to know a girl whose mum told us (yes it was that long ago) that there were two things in life, stuff you know and stuff to learn.  30 years later I can still hear her voice.

Panic moment though.  My mum and dad are coming from France to stay with my sister on Monday.  Last night I sat down to finish the quilt I'm making for them (I finished the top a while ago now) and discovered I just did not have enough backing material to do it.  Damn and blast I will have to order some quick and pay for super fast delivery.  NOT something I am known for doing.

My other kids are enjoying a non-pupil day today.  They SHOULD be up and about and working hard at (Ruby) art prep and (K) English A level coursework.  Are they hell, they are loviu a teenage lay-in.  Still, least it's quiet.

Check Out This Giveaway

I've been doing my early morning blog read and have entered the giveaway on Quilts From My Crayon Box.  Like me Michele is new to quilting and blogging and is celebrating her half year aniversary with a giveaway of these beautiful fabrics.  If you fancy entering too go on over to her blog and check it out. http://quiltsfrommycrayonbox.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/half-blogiversary-and-giveaway.html?showComment=1334122839765#c4234566063264564697

Damn I'm Fat

A life of no coffee and walnut cake is stretching before me.  

Recently my clothes don't fit.  Lets be honest these aren't size 10's, oh no.  These are size 16's and the few 18's in my cupboard are tight.  I'm going places and lovely people are saying you look nice/smart.  It's because in the house I'm wearing my housework/decorating trackies and outside it, one of my two pairs of smart grey trousers that fit.

My friend bought some new scales and I got on.  In the words of Foul ole Ron "Buggerit".  I am three stone heavier (yes I did say three stone) than I thought I was and that in turn is four stone heavier than I apparently should be for my height.  Which I have to say is not tall (5 foot 1/2 inch).

For the last two days I have been obsessed with every morsel going into my mouth.  This is not actually a problem, what will be a problem will be to remember that I am obsessed with not eating when I catch sight of coffee and walnut cake.

Every time I give up smoking (which I have done twice for four years and this time for two and half years) I just shove all sorts of food into my mouth instead.  So this is the addiction I have to break.  I will always be a nicotine addict who hasn't had one yet today (which is my preferred method of not smoking - I put off having one till later), but really I like that hand, mouth, throat sensation.  In the past I have allowed my weight to be an excuse to smoke again, but I just don't fancy it at the moment.  I want to be thinner, fitter and honestly, in control.

So, it's time to take a long hard look at what I put in my mouth and what I physically do 'cos anyone knows that is where the changes have to be.

Hi

Today is a non-pupil day for my kids.  This morniug I was looking out of the window wondering what to do with them as it was drizzling and cold.  They made their own plans.  R's plan cost me though when she paid off the last instalment for her prom dress.  The younger two went out to the local skate ramps on their bikes and in the end K and I picked up a fabric parcel from the Royal Mail.

Over the weekend I did finish the two lots of Christmas bunting that got started at the beginning of December.  They got halfway done and then were waiting for me to sew felt letters on.  When I actually (last week) sewed on a couple of letters I didn't like them anyway, so I took them off, put on the ribbon and hey presto they were done.  Could have had them hanging up after all.  Hey ho.

I used to wander round fabric shops and look at the bolt of quilt fabric and think what is this all about get whatever I wanted and walk out.  When the kids were younger I quite often found when I was woken up, I couldn't get back to sleep so I would get up and iron and watch whatever was on the box.  One night I saw Eleanor Burns.  What she made was beautiful, and she was "so much fun" and just so up beat and positive, a balm to my exhausted soul.  I searched her on the computer, devoured her videos and wanted to learn to quilt.

I also finished the baby's quilt.  This is my first ever started quilt.  Not my first ever finished.  They baby will be two in the summer.When my niece was born I thought baby need something to roll around on an excuse for my first quilt. Haha, she can walk now.  But it is finished. and I am going to send it this afternoon.





















Ruby has just spent 10 happy minutes trying to take a picture of me to put up on here without me looking like the hag from hell.  Well, at least I've laughed out loud for 10 minutes.  That's s'posed to be good for your heart.

New Blog, New Post

Hi,

Welcome to my new blog. I have been following for a while and have now taken the plunge with this my new blog. As you will have guessed I am a mum with four kids (one of whom is newly an adult - which is slightly unsettling - and I am surprisingly with 18 years notice not ready for!). I love sewing, knitting, quilting, reading, cooking. I am not so keen on cleaning and ironing, which I seem to do infinitely more of, I teach my youngest at home at the moment.

Anyway come along on this journey with me, I'll be glad of the company.

Sue