Its not all bad + a little cat update

You read in the previous blog post about our wedding anniversary being a disaster ... well trying to salvage what was left of the weekend we decided to attempt to do something with the children on Sunday. Hollie had a birthday party to go to in the afternoon so we thought it might be nice to take advantage of the trip out the house and go somewhere for those two hours. But men being slow and 11 year old boys being obtuse we didn't all get ready in time. I dropped Toni off and picked her up myself - BAH. I felt it was all a bit to easy for other half and Mag, there was no way they were getting off that lightly. So I decided for them and TOLD them they were going up the coast for a drive. The intention was to go see a particular cruise ship which was docked in Belfast, but we never did get that far. We spotted the ship sailing down the loch so saw no point in going any further. We stopped at Crawfordsburn Country Park instead, its lovely there with woods, walks, and beach! We weren't prepared for the beach but it did not stop the children from having fun. We returned five hours later, very dirty and very tired.





The CAT situation! Tigger the cat got run over by ME!

Well since Friday poor Tigger has been through a lot including rebuilding surgery on her hips - I saw those x-rays and they were astonishing. The vet called this morning and asked when I wanted Tigger back! I was quite taken aback as I wasn't expecting her so quick and said "erm tomorrow as my husband is away till then". After giving it some thought I decided to get her today and called to make the necessary arrangements. They explained how she will have to be caged for the next 5 - 8 weeks etc. The vet has told me that anytime I feel I cant cope with the physio or cleaning her to call him and he will take her back into the clinic for a few days. I am hoping we can manage this at home, its going to be tough her hind end is paralysed for now.

The old cage we had behind the garage was overgrown with nettles, it's actually a rabbit run but we used it when we nursed one of our other cats from being run over too. It took Mag and I almost an hour in the rain to clear the nettles, empty it then get it scrubbed and hosed down. After all the effort I wasn't really happy with it so decided not to use it. Its old, and despite drying it out with the dehumidifier, and it did very well in a short space of time, it was just not so nice a cage anymore. It was going to have to be lifted up each time to tend to Tigger so I made the decision to buy a proper cage.

Anyways - off to the vet once the kids had come out of summer scheme at 4 o'clock... went through the phsyio we have to do on Tigger three times a day, the meds, the check up visit next week, stitches out the following etc than the bill - only £770. And to top it all Tigger might still lose her leg, though I hope not for both her sake and the bank balance. I picked up the cage on the way home, with the food too it came to £73.

Not to go on about the money too much, I just wanted to share something funny that happened when I told Roy how much it all cost. Other half is away just now, and he always leaves me a couple of signed 'emergency' cheques, and until now I have never used them. Other half called this evening to chat and I was telling him about getting a cage for the cat and how I used the cheques, he was panicking worrying about how much the cage was ... I said "its not the CAAAGE you need to worry about", "why? why?" ... he was flabbergasted. Its a lot of money, and I am saying this in a light hearted yet serious way - I just thought it was funny to hear him worrying about the cost of the cage at that stage unaware what the vet's fee was.

Its hard to put a price on a pet's life, but I wonder if the vet had told us up front how much it was all going to cost how we would have reacted. We love our animals, don't get me wrong but we would have had to think and talk through what treatment the cat was going to have or not have. I reckon we still would have gone ahead with the treatment but maybe would have pushed for the op first, and none of this waiting and x-rays and things ... it took 2 1/2 days for the decision to operate and those 2 1/2 days were filled with general anaesthesia, x-rays, medication, out of ours nursing etc.

One thing is for sure our new bionic cat will never stray onto the drive way again.

This is Tigger in her new cage



And her 'after' photo ... the operation looks like she has had her tail cut off the stitched back on. URGHH not for the faint hearted.

I am having a bad week, and its not getting better.

Friday 25th July was our wedding anniversary. I went out to do some errands and bought a "me to you" cake for the family to enjoy. We weren't planning on going out anywhere that evening due to the fact we had no reliable baby sitter that night, but we had decided that we would just order in some food instead. On arriving back home I turned the car so I could reverse in our drive - its much easier to get out of our driveway if you reverse in. Usually when I arrive home my cat Tigger comes bounding over to see us, but this day I noticed she wasn't there. So I proceeded to reverse in checking for Tigger as I did, but somehow I managed to run her over. She came from the hedge maybe, I don't know?

Long story short I called the vet and took her right over, probably what saved her the fact she was there within about 15 minutes of the accident. The children were pretty shook up by it, Hollie she was in shock especially as that night she was talking like a washing machine on full spin.

As the weekend has wore Tigger's situation has changed, at the minute she has just undergone surgery to put a metal plate and 12 screws in her broken pelvis. The vet has called in the last couple hours explaining that one of her legs is numb and they are talking about amputation now. The bowel and bladder situation is not clear right now, but it was a case of doing the surgery because of the pain she was in. It still may be a case of all the surgery and she not make it - I feel rotten about the whole thing.


To add insult to injury I am feeling a bit "attacked" by a so called friend. It's been building and the last while she has been 'talking to me' about my children's behaviour which is supposedly in her eyes is not good. My same children whom I can take anywhere and have no issues what so ever about. Just seems that they always manage to be naughty when she is about, just my luck *rolling eyes*. This morning Toni was blowing a little trumpet thing, and I told her she could not take it in the car with us when we went out. Toni said "no" So after a count of three I had to take it from her and tell her off as she was disobeying me. My friend said "my child never says no", I saw red but smiled sweetly and tried to tell Toni off in such a way not to cause a scene. Another example - this afternoon same friend was sitting telling me how she isn't going to go to Lanzarote next year, Tenerife is a much better place to go ... *rolling eyes* just so happens that WE ARE going to Lanzarote in the very near future. She continues on how "no way am I putting MY son in the kids club, even if I had three or four kids I would NEVER do that", well she knows there is a kids club at the hotel where we are staying, she knows the children have been in these clubs before, and oh coincidentally I have four kids. I feel she is having digs at me, maybe she is jealous? Feels like she wants me to feel uncomfortable because I allow someone else to take my children for an hour!

The children are going to the local summer scheme this week, it is on for only a week for two hours a day - they love it, they belong to that same youth club and go to camp with the same people so why would they not go to the summer scheme. So the comment went as they were going to the scheme today and she was going home with her son, "Oh my son is not going to that scheme, no way would I send him there".

Every time we go out there are more comments about us "sitting at home all day", "Toni is a wall flower, she needs to get out". I don't justify myself or what I do but we DO NOT sit at home all day, we home educate our children we are not house bound.


GRRRRRR I am upset and angry about it. I consider myself to be a good mum to our four well balanced children. I have eased up the last week or so on this friendship I feel it may have run its course, I am going to wait and see what happens next visit then decide if it will continue.

5 years ago

Five years ago tomorrow which is the 25th July, other half and I were married. And yes some of our children WERE born before we got married! I was 6 months pregnant with Seb in that photograph.

Sol Dressed Herself

Just had to share - Sol dressed herself this morning...



She was so proud of herself.









She is wearing pants from a dress, Toni's vest, Seb's socks and her own crocs.

The Paddling Pools - Cockle Row

On Monday 21st July it was glorious weather - a first in a couple weeks as we seem to have had endless clouds and rain.

I took the opportunity to take the children to the paddling pools to have a picnic and a splash about. Its a few minutes easy walk for the children yet it felt like we were going camping with all the paraphernalia we had to take with us.







The back ground in the above photo is of some old cottages called Cockle Row. They are old fisherman's cottages which have been developed into a little tourist centre. The cottages have not lost their original charm, with the Heritage cottage showing what Cockle Row would have looked like around 1910 - a typical fisherman's dwelling, complete with settle (the old name for settee), baby's cradle, fire crane and open fire and fishermen's baskets. Info from http://www.ispyni.com/

This was the view I was enjoying whilst the children played.



Seb showing off



Sol was not too sure at first but she quickly got used to the cold water.

Glitter Fills

These can be taken free gratis for your personal use. I have made these using animation shop, they are simple to do. I do actually have these on another site but I noticed a few searches coming here to my blog because of my tutorials. I thought it would be nice for anyone who searches to actually get something they are looking for.

Other names for these files can be spakles, glitters, glitter fills. These can be used in Photoshop, PSP8, PSP9, PSPX, PSPX1 & X2. If you need to know how to apply these fills then click on the tutorial link over at the left side of the page.

I also take requests for graphics made or if you need a special glitter fill. Please use the comments form below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Five minutes of Fame For Mag

Yesterday the 19th July was Roy's Birthday. I had been out shopping on Thursday twice, that's was another story, and got him some gifts and a card or two. One of those cards was a radio ...

Cool isn't it?

The next night, which was Friday, Mag, Toni and myself were hidden away upstairs in my craft room wrapping presents when I came across the card in a bag. I had forgotten about it, so hadn't tried it by this stage. We opened it up and realised it actually worked, we tuned in to our favourite station Cool FM . We often listen to Cool, especially in the mornings and have entered many competitions and won a couple too ... so knowing that there was a good chance Roy would get a birthday mention we decided to text a birthday mention in. We Said "Hi, Conner (it was Conner Phillips) we are listening to your show on a radio which is actually a birthday card. From Mag PS the birthday card is for my dad whose birthday it is tomorrow". We sent Toni down stairs to tell Roy to switch the radio on and listen in, hoping Roy would get a happy birthday. There was nothing at the end of the song that was playing then out of the blue my phone rang! It was a private number but I answered it anyway, a voice said "Hi, is that Mag?" I stuttered knowing who it was and said "no, hold on" handed the phone to Mag saying "oh my, its Connor Phillips". Connor Phillips was live from the Odyssey Cool Pod.

Connor spoke to Mag for several minutes while he played two songs back to back, he chatted and made Mag feel at ease. He said Mag sounded nervous and gave him a few 'radio' tips. He then asked if he would like to go live! Mag said yes! He gave a 20 second countdown for him then ....

Mag was live on the radio and Connor was chatting about the fact that not only do you listen to the show on the radio but now on birthday cards. He asked Mag who was there with him. He asked his dad's name, and his mums name gave us a cheer. He asked Mag what his plans were for the weekend and other chatty things. Then he said "just for your dad and your mum I am going to play the new Cold Play single"

Roy had tears in his eyes as he listened to Mag on the radio, so impromptu and unrehearsed he was touched that we did such a thing for him.

After the 'live' interview Connor said the live good bye and played the song, he stayed on the line then Connor came back and told Mag how great he was and said good bye to him properly.

We sent a message of thanks over to Connor later on, telling him how touched Roy was and that we really DID enjoy his show.

Busy Day Saturday - SNOW?!

Saturday 12th July

The 12th of July was actually a holiday day here where we live. With it being a holiday and people headed down the coast to see the demonstrations we figured that it would be a nice quiet day to go out.

Our neighbours, who we are very good friends with came with us. We headed to the Marina in the next town ...



We walked along the coastal path past the marina and round to the kiddies play park.




The two girls are great friends with our children - I took this photo not realising that Toni and one of them was holding hands. awwww











We had a lovely morning then lunch and ice creams before we headed home.

Did I tell you it snowed while we were out?



Just Kidding - someone put a bottle of bubble bath inthe water fountain




That afternoon we went to a barbeque then home again for tea time. It was hard at the barbeque, Roy and I already knew we had an evening invite back at our neighbours for dinner -they were going on holiday and we wanted to spend some time together. So we let the kids munch their way through the barbeque food while we politely pushed a salad around our plates.

Thursday 10th July

It was a busy time the last few days.
Last Thursday found me 'popping' out to get some new dinner plates. I mean every day dinner plates not the sort you put out for guests, the sort the kids can drop and you wont cry too much. I actually liked the cheap earthenware ones in a catalogue shop so I ended up getting two sets.
Here they are ...


Whilst we were in the shopping centre Toni noticed a girl getting her ears pierced in the jewellery shop, she stood and watched with a mixture of envy and curiosity as the girl cuddled a bear during the procedure. The last few months she has been asking what pierced ears felt like, asking about different ear rings you can get. One of her little friends had her ears done too which added to the curiosity. So we had a few minutes and went in to look at the set up. The girl in the shop was lovely, Grace explained everything to Toni and made her feel at ease. We went for a walk round the other shops to talk and ponder over the fact it was fairly simple to get her ears done, Toni decided to go for it. Back in the jewellery shop, she found her self perched on the chair clutching that same teddy bear and me filling out consent forms. GULP. Then she backed out, and that was fine by me.

That evening at home the conversations about the ears came up again, so a brave Toni with new found confidence wanted to go back tot he shop. With a promise that it wont be a wasted journey we went off to get her ears done. Another girl was in same the chair when we arrived and she too managed to survive the procedure, Toni was reassured by this. Meanwhile the mum to the girl just stood with tears in her eyes and her hands clasped tightly over her mouth. Smiling, not knowing what lay ahead I reassured her.
Toni being brave hopped on up and gave the bear a big hug, Grace and another lady pierced both ears at the same time so there was no backing out for her. For a few moments I was thinking "Oh my God, my little girl, I let them put holes in her ears!" Now I realise it was Toni's choice to get her ears pierced and that I am not such a bad mum after all. We chose a little gold stud with a fuchsia colour stone, small and dainty.
You can just about see them in this photo...