I had a check up on my list of 40 things to do before 40 the other day and had a mild panic. For a start, I only have 30 things on the list, which doesn’t feel quite comprehensive enough for a list of 40 things. I’m not so worried about that though, as I have purposely left space for random things that I knew I would forget about.

Slightly more concerning is the rate at which I am ticking them off. I made the list when I was 35, meaning I had to accomplish them at the rate of eight per year. I was 37 in April, which means I should have done at least 16 or 17 by now.

I have done nine.

Not cool.

Still, I have three years to go, so I will have to make sure the extra ten I’ve yet to add are simpler to achieve than some of the existing items. ‘Buy a house’ and ‘publish a book’ may have been a little ambitious.

A couple of months ago I did manage a trip to Bristol with Bee to tick off one more – place a bet in a casino. I included this on the list because I have watched and read so many James Bond films and books, and imagined that all casinos would be just like this – dashing men in suits, cocktails, me three stone lighter and wearing a floor length ball gown, that sort of thing. I researched the best UK casinos, fantasised briefly about a night out at the exclusive Ritz Casino, checked my bank balance and instead found myself in Millennium Square in Bristol at two o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon, wearing jeans. View Post

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“My spider babies all seem to be doing well,” I said to my fiancé last night. I had been watering them and spending some time gazing lovingly at them.

“Yeah,” he said, “I was kind of annoyed at how they were working out.”

“Why?” I asked, wondering if I should move them somewhere safer. Bee has always had a problem with my spider babies. I don’t see why. To me it feels kind of magical that I got nine babies from one plant, and that when they grow up, each might have another nine babies of their own.

“Well, not annoyed,” he said, (he will worry at this point that I’m going to make him sound mean and uncaring, which he absolutely isn’t), “it’s just that you’re so bloody optimistic about things. There’s a long list of things you do that I think are a bit ridiculous and will never work, but you always prove me wrong.”

“Like what?” I asked, imagining him carrying a special notebook around for the purposes of making such lists.

“I don’t know,” he said, “like all of your soups.”

Soups?? View Post

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I have registered two companies in my lifetime.

Being a company director makes me feel very grown up indeed, although I am always disappointed not to immediately find myself wearing a pinstripe suit and driving a dark blue Jaguar. I had always just assumed it would come as part of the package – how else does the suit/car thing happen? I was sure there must be a form.

Alas, it was not to be.

pinstripe suit

Me adjusting my cufflinks

Perhaps though it just takes time, maybe when I have been a company director for ten or so years it will kick in. Or perhaps I could get a job with Marine & General Assurance (M&GM), the oldest actively trading registered company in the UK? View Post

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This is a new regular feature for me – every Tuesday I’m going to highlight the work of one charity, often a small group working hard, but falling below the radar. Times are tight for everyone, but if we all do our bit and give a little money or time where we can, then we can make a difference.

This week’s organisation is the Honeypot Children’s Charity. Please read, share and help to bring a little bit of happiness into the lives of children like Wallis.

support for young carers View Post

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I have a notoriously bad memory, but there are some things that stick in my mind, simple snapshots or family rituals that have managed to stand up against the passage of time.

A lot of them are of my grandparents – staying at my Gran and Grandad’s house and standing up on the toilet seat while my Gran gave me a wash with a flannel from the sink, rides around the garden in a wheelbarrow, the smell of Old Spice after my Grandad had been in for his morning shave.

Braun discount code Father's Day

My Grandad was always an electric shaver man. He used it dry, and had a way of stroking his face afterwards, his chin jutting out, smoothing his hand over his mouth and down his neck. Even when he got much older and less able to take care of himself, shaving was always an important part of his day; I can remember visiting him in hospital with my mum, and taking his shaver in for him – if you ever saw him with stubble you knew something was seriously wrong. View Post

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I have moved house once or twice.

*counts on fingers*

OK, make that about 26 times. (I didn’t have that many fingers obviously, I’m not a freak.)

In the course of my house moving marathon, I’ve picked up a few tips that help things go as smoothly as possible. Moving house is apparently one of life’s most stressful events, so it pays to be prepared. Here are my 6 top tips to help with your house move:

Plan ahead

Just as with any big event, planning ahead is crucial. Make a list of everything you know you need to do and assign a timescale to it. Some things, like setting up phone and broadband installation, should be scheduled as early as possible to make sure you get the appointment you want, other things, like reading the meters, have to be done on the day. McCarthy’s have a really useful house moving checklist if you’re a complete newbie and aren’t sure what even needs to be on a list. View Post

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Seriously, what’s not to love? Read this post and learn how to make an adorable chum.

how to make a sock bunny

Here’s how to make a sock bunny of your very own:

Firstly, gather together everything you’ll need:

  • One sock – ideally a small one, to make it as cute as possible
  • Cotton in a colour that matches the sock and a darker one for the face
  • Stuffing
  • Scissors
  • Ribbon
  • A needle
  • A pen

Fold the sock flat, inside out, and draw on ear shapes, using the edges of the sock to make the outer edge of each ear. Stitch around the ears and then cut off the excess. It’s up to you how long you want the ears to be.

how to make a sock bunnyTurn the sock right side out again. Fill it with stuffing, being sure to push plenty down into the ears. It will take a lot more stuffing than you think, so keep on shoving it in until it looks about ready to burst.

how to make a sock bunny

Now you have to stitch it up. The easiest way I found to do this was to do a simple stitch, gathering up the bottom of the sock. When you’ve gone round once, go round again, this time gathering up the bits that stick out from the first gathering. This sounds confusing but it feels pretty intuitive once you’re doing it, honestly. Finish off make making the end secure and then poking the needle right through the sock bunny and out the other wise. Cut off the excess cotton.

how to make a sock bunny

Make the ears look super cute simply by pulling them together at the base with a length of ribbon. Tie a firm double knot to keep it in place and then a bow.

FullSizeRender (28)

Then all you have to do is get creative with a face. I did simple crosses for eyes and a V shaped mouth with dark cotton, but you could try different expressions or use buttons.

how to make a sock bunny

how to make a sock bunny

sock bunny tutorial

 

 

 

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fathers day present ideasYes, yes, I know, Father’s Day is about home made cards and breakfast in bed and pictures made of glitter and pasta, but I’ve found that at 37 years old, you can’t get away with a pasta picture in the same way you once could. It seems cheap somehow.

If you’re looking for a gift for Father’s Day and really aren’t interested in novelty golf cufflinks or mugs saying ‘World’s Best Dad’ then look no further, I’ve picked out nine Father’s Day gift ideas for you, suitable for a variety of interests and budgets. If you can’t find something your Dad will like in this list then, quite frankly, you’re doomed. Best stick to the farfalle.

Here are my nine ideas for Father’s Day gifts: View Post

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Important Coronavirus / Covid-19 Update: If you are URGENTLY looking for additional income then please check out some of our blog posts such as How to earn money during Coronavirus which covers around £2000+ of extra income you can make from home, How to get up to £100 in Free Money during Coronavirus and 10 Creative Ways to make money during Coronavirus.

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Looking for new ways to earn decent money online? Thanks to Jon from The Money Shed for this guest post. It’s not a sponsored post or anything, we just got chatting after I wrote my post about 43 ways to get more blog traffic, and we thought it might be useful. I’ve not tried any of these methods myself, so can’t vouch for them, but I’d be interested to know if you have or, if you do, how you get on. Enjoy!

ways to earn money online

I EARN £1000s FROM MY BEDROOM – WANT TO FIND OUT MORE?

CLICK HERE!

This is how earning money from home is usually introduced to the majority of people. They click on the magical words, expecting to learn how they can earn that sort of money from their bedroom, and are typically then introduced to one of the many MLM, (Multi level Marketing), companies out there, such as Younique / Avon / Forever Living or even worse, survey sites!

But did you know there is another way? View Post

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A strange thing has happened to me since getting this ring on my finger – I have become interested in weddings.

My boyfriend was surprised after we got engaged that I didn’t whip out some secret folder, full of all the clippings I’d been saving since childhood, sketches of my dream dress and fabric swatches, but I can honestly say that it’s never been something that has interested me. I’ve not been dreaming of my wedding day since I was small and I have no idea of what I want it to look like.

Suffice to say then that the next few months are going to be a pretty steep learning curve. I have magazines, I have a planner, I have glue and scissors, now I just need ideas.

One of the main things I am thinking about at the moment is colour. Having decided that I want to stick to wearing my glasses on the big day, rather than spending the whole time blinking uncomfortably, I have been toying with the idea of building an entire colour scheme around them – I don’t want them to clash after all, do I? We were in Lyme Regis recently, and saw a rather lovely house where the walls were painted a very pale pink and the doors were turquoise – it was very pretty, and it definitely a colour combination I could see working with flowers and trimmings.

pink and turquoise cottage Lyme Regis View Post

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One of the most tedious tasks for me as a parent is cooking. It’s not so much the cooking itself, it’s more the planning of it – trying to think of something new and interesting every single bloody day, only then to have it rejected by a fussy child, gets rather dispiriting after, say, 20 years.

Enter fiancé, stage left.

(You see? I did it! I called him fiancé!)

For the last month or so, my fiancé has taken over in the kitchen. He does all of the cooking, and even the washing up when Belle’s away. I’m barely even allowed to make myself a cup of tea. It is absolute bliss getting to four o’clock every day and not having to start fretting about what I’m going to cook.

A couple of weeks ago we were treated to a food delivery from Marley Spoon, one of these food box companies where you’re sent a recipe and the exact ingredients. I love the idea of this as it’s such a pain buying things like herbs, spices and oils for recipes, when you know you’re only going to use a tablespoon and then have them sat in the cupboard for years. View Post

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I remember once chatting to a friend about her new double glazing. (I know right?)

“We weren’t really sure what to look for,” she explained, “so we got three quotes and picked the middle one. We figured they must be half decent, but they wouldn’t be ripping us off completely.”

I have a very similar strategy with my food shopping – ‘second crappest’ is a motto I have passed down to Bee, and one which defines our supermarket habits.

For a big investment though, like new windows, you might want to do a little bit more research, so here are four top tips to help you plan your window installation:

Read reviews and check accreditations

Few of us nowadays will make a large purchase without first reading a few online reviews – we are the Trip Adviser generation. Reviews are really useful, but trade websites and reviews from established bodies are also a good source of information so do look out for kitemarks and accreditations and check them out properly rather than just taking the company’s word for it. K Glazing for example shows the Which Trusted Trader logo and links from this straight through to the Which website so you can check it out. View Post

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