recovery time

Sorry for the lack of posts, can't believe it's been 11 days since my last post. Even then that was a scheduled post as it was the day of my surgery...

My surgery went well and I'm recovering just fine. In case you're new to this blog I was having a para-umbilical hernia repair... in every day words, I had a hole in my stomach wall and my intestine was falling through, so I had a huge lump {I looked 16 months pregnant, yes 16!}. So I had open surgery and a piece of mesh was put on my stomach wall {like a fake stomach wall} and that was that! I had staples to hold the wound together but they are now out and the wound is healing fine.

I cannot wait until I can drive again and move around normally... I can't wait to get on my bike and go swimming and walk more than a mile! Simple things I've missed for a very long time. I'm also hoping that now I'm 'fixed' and in a few weeks time I'll be let loose to be 'normal' that I'll loose some of the {OK, lose lots} of the weight that has slipped on since I had the problem at the beginning of the year.

Hopefully I'll be back on track tomorrow with my Meal Planning... hopefully!

Through the Keyhole {part 1}

I love looking at other people's homes and decor. It's amazing to see how different people's taste is and to get some great tips and ideas for your own home too.

I had some lovely feedback about doing some 'Through the Keyhole' posts to my home, thank you! So I'm kicking it off with the main room / hub of the home. The living room / dining area.

We stay in a new build house, can't believe it's over three years since we moved in! New build isn't where my heart lies, I love older home with character and tradition but this isn't our forever home. Our previous home we had ripped out completely and it was a whole lot of hard work so I vowed I'd not be doing that again any time soon, hence the new build buy!

We've recently refreshed our main room: painted the 'mushroom' walls grey {as Dulux delisted the 'mushroom' colour}, replaced the creamy carpets with grey/brown oak wooden floor and a long awaited for new sofa!

living room area

I love my living room area, it's nice and bright. It has a huge window to the front and at the back of the room {at the dining area} there are patio doors that lead to the garden. The garden is always in full sun until around 8pm so there's lots of natural light flowing into this room all the time.

You'll notice I have a 'thing' for dots!  My littlest got a little armchair for Christmas {from Dunelm Mill}, it is of course red with white polka dots. Our other dotty item is a huge rug from Ikea, only £20! I also have a 'thing' for Zebra print. I do try and limit my animal prints as too much isn't nice {I don't think}.  I have a lampshade in Zebra print, the lamp base is from TK Maxx as is the shade but both were purchased years apart {There used to be a pleated red shade on the base.. yuk!}. I also have a Zebra print storage box which holds the piano music, another TK Maxx purchase.

The canvas above my sofa was a total fluke make, it did take me a few days to get used to it but now I love it! I used spare paint I had in the garage and just slapped it on... adding to it, rubbing bits, twisting the brush.. anything really. I'm not sure anyone else likes it but I do and I made it!

Clocks... Oh you'll see a whole lot of clocks in these posts, this one is from TK Maxx {yeah I do like TK Maxx}.  My favourite clock is at the top of the stairs... it's a backward clock that I made..So when you look in the mirror you can see yourself and the correct time, anyway more on that when I get to that post {exciting}.

My TV unit is from Ikea, a great buy! It holds our huge TV {Hubber likes his gadgets, I could so live without a TV} and I have storage boxes along the bottom which houses all littlest's toys! Quick to throw back in once she's in bed, close the box over and voila toy free living room!

dining room area

The dining room area is hardly used as we eat at the table in the kitchen, but on special occasions or if we have guests we'll eat here as it seats 6 comfortably. You may remember lightgate?  If not I won't bore you with the details but the short story is: I saw a light I loved and it was out of stock and out of production but I eventually found it on display at Next and begged the store to sell me it, so once they had it pat tested I got it!

The dining area isn't huge but it does hold the dining table, 6 chairs, the piano, a tall cupboard and the bureau! {jeezo that is a lot}. All our furniture is dark brown / black wood but the bureau is a lighter colour... that kind of annoys me but I do love my bureau as it holds all my #PostCircle and crafting supplies, plus when we move house it will have it's own room {fingers crossed}. A recent addition to the dining area is the deer's head. Like the canvas, I'm not sure anyone else likes it but I LOVE IT!

My other favourite things are my Paris photos, I took these in 2008. The flower arrangement on the table {in the animal print jug with a matching milk and sugar bowl} are fake, I used to run a little flower / fascinator company {many years ago} called Bloomsadaisy and this is one of my creations from then.

So there you have my first through the keyhole post!  I hope you enjoyed it!  Now I wonder which room to focus on next...

*Scheduled post {I might even be on the operating table as you read this!}

Meals

The meals this week... it's all a bit of scribble and thrown together. I go into hospital at 9am tomorrow for my stomach surgery and we're also running down the freezer as it's full! 

Tuesday - Goat's cheese quiche, roasted sweet potato and salad.  Littlest had chicken nuggets and corn on the cob.  Biggest had pizza. 

Wednesday - Chicken nuggets and home made fried rice with mushroom and onion.

Thursday - Potato wedges {waffles for biggest} and cheese burgers with salad.

Friday - Spag bol with garlic ciabatta.  Biggest having chicken and waffles.

Saturday - Mediterranean veg pastry ring.  Littlest having fish fingers and beans and Biggest tbc

Sunday - Chilli meatballs with rice.   

I'm linking up with Mrs M... what's you your plate this week?

Where we are...

We've arrived... In Raasay!  I've lived in Scotland for 41 {and a half} years...yes all my life, and I am still in awe of it's beauty! 

Today was spent most of the time in the car and on the ferries but it was a wonderful drive with the most breathtaking scenery. We started our journey with a 4 hour drive to Mallaig and the ferry to Skye, it's only a short crossing, around 45 minutes.  Then we had a 45 min drive to Sconcer for the ferry to Raasay. We left home at 1045am and arrived on Raasay at 7pm.

I can honestly say we are staying on the best B&B on the island {according to trip advisor}, it is 4 star approved by the Scottish Tourist Board. It's a lovely new build house which overlooks the glorious hills, stunning views! The room is spotless, faultless...and that's something coming from me, Mrs Fusspot!! There is a huge lounge we can use too and a conservatory which opens out onto the gardens, I want to slip my shoes off and run barefoot through the daisies... Ok maybe not but it's a nice thought all the same.

When we arrived we hadn't had dinner yet, so we headed up to Raasay House, probably the only place that serves food. The House has recently been bought and refurbished and the people of Raasay own it. We had just missed the BBQ and bounced castle by the looks of things. We got a seat in the cafe area and we had the most amazing dinner...I do have photos which I'll no doubt Instagram {anneeapple}. Hubber had the Raasay special burger!!! oft! I had haddock and chips, it was so big I couldn't fit it all in the photo frame, or my belly!!  Littlest had some chicken and ham nuggets with chunky chips, she loved her dish too!

Back at the B&B, it's way passed littlest bedtime and she's still 'getting comfy' in the travel cot... This could take some time!

We're leaving on the 10am ferry back to Skye to hop on another ferry for a tour of the small isles. Then back to Mallaig and we're staying in a B&B on a farm!!

Do I need to go home?

feeling hot {hot hot}

Isn't it warm? Too warm for me {dare I say}...

I seem to be missing in {blogger} action, and I can't remember the last time I meal planned! I blame the decorating, the hand, foot and mouth disease and the hectic workload...and maybe the good weather!

I'm actually on annual leave this week, I say as I sit at my desk at home blogging after over 2 hours of 'work'. It's an important time at work just now so I can't turn off just yet, but we are heading to Skye at the weekend so I will be email free for those few days.

When I return to work I'll be back for just one day then I have a {not so} nice trip to Hairmyres Hospital for surgery on my tummy! {paraumbilical hernia repair}. As you can imagine I am not looking forward to this! Some say I'll be out of action for a few weeks, others say I'll be out of action for 6 weeks! I'll wait and see. It {the surgery} desperately needs done as it's problem now hinders my normal daily routine and I can't wait to be able to do some sort of fitness, cycling etc without aches and pains and worry that I'll damage myself!

I'm hoping that during my time recovering I'll get some well needed rest and maybe read, goodness I might even get a few minutes to knit again...

I think meal planning will be back in action next week as I'll have to be super organised so that I can rest. Thankfully my Husband has 12 days off to look after the littlest as it will be around 6 weeks or so before I can even attempt to lift her.

Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine and not melting like me! x

never ending

Do you ever have one of those weeks when it's non-stop, yes? Me too! This week. But slowly I feel like I am getting on top of things. 

We've been decorating the living room, with only a few dramas so far... 

Our joiner who was fitting our wooden floor cancelled the job just 5 days before he was due to do the job... we spent quite a lot of time finding a new one, but we found a good 'un and he did a great job! If you need the number of an amazing joiner in the Strathclyde area then let me know and I'll share his number!

Our new sofa was delivered on Tuesday and the chair had a wobbly leg... so that's sent back to get sorted and at this time I've not had an answer from DFS as to when it will be delivered {I'm not a happy chappy about that}

New sofa {minus the chair}.  The window dressing here is the ones I didn't like

I spent Tuesday night {all of Tuesday night} making new window dressings only to not like them at all once I put them up! So Wednesday I spent finding new fabric {I ended up buying a double duvet and using that!} and that night I made new ones... I'm not 100% happy with them but they'll do for now.

the new window dressing using a 'city scape' duvet cover

In-between all the chaos at home I've also been very busy at work {as always} but... I'm off on annual leave next week! Quite looking forward to it!

Have you been decorating lately? I've read a lot of great blogs with 'through the keyhole' type posts:  a million dresses (I love the décor in the new house) and some more over on The Dusty Attic.. I'm thinking of doing a series of similar posts, would you be interested in nosing through my keyhole?

Ax

What's in my bag?

I've seen a lot of these posts lately and it's great getting an insight into what people carry about with them every day. I always think I carry far too much!

I'm joining in with the 'What's in my bag' competition.. click here to go to Money Supermarket to find out how to enter!  You could be in with a chance to win a luxury handbag worth £1,000!

My Mia Tui Minnie Amelie

My handbag (at the moment, as I'm a bit of a bag lady) is a Mia Tui Minnie Amelie in Aubergine, you can read about this bag here and here's what's inside...

Mia Tui Minnie Amelie - £55

Cath Kidston Notepad - £5

Paperchase Notebook - £12

Filo Fax - £24

p20 suncream - £25

Escada Sentiment Perfume - £30

Purse - gift

Cash - £20

Kobo Touch and Leather Case - £75

Reading Glasses - £150

Make up bag - £2

Estee Lauder Double Wear Compact - £27.50

Soap and Glory Supercat Eye Liner - £6

Estee Lauder Eye Liner - £16

Mac Lipstick - £20

No7 Eye Liner - £7.50

L'oreal Lipgloss - £7.69

Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer - £10

Bourjous Blusher - £7.40

Vaseline - £1

Painkillers - £1

Carex - £1

Nappy Cream sample - free

Elizabeth Arden 8 hour hand cream - £25

Elizabeth Arden 8 hour lip balm - £20

Bobble

I usually carry my laptop, iPad and Samsung SIII too!

Total cost of £548.18... eek!

What's in your bag?!