If I won the Jackpot

Anyone who reads my blog will know I'm a bit of a comper.  When I'm not working, running around after the kids or the horse, then I'm tapping away at my computer mainly doing competitions.  I prefer those where you need to put in a bit of an effort, but occasionally I love to just sit and play a couple of online games.  My favourite game of the moment is Piggy Payout on www.888ladies.com.  It's basically an online slot machine game, which requires little or no effort but is strangely addictive.  I admit it, I do love nipping down to the sea front and playing on the 2p machines and although this costs a little more, it's almost as good as the real thing.

Some of the jackpots are great and I can sit there watching the wheels spin dreaming about how I'd spend the money... and believe me I've spent it more than a few times.

First up I'd love to be able to afford to insure my son in his car.  19 years old and car insurance that is more than the cost of his car.

Secondly, I'd give it all to my friend.  Her son is trying to make it in competitive Ice Dance.  He and his partner are currently the 3rd ranked couple in the UK and as they are 3rd they get no funding at all.  NOT one penny comes their way other than what they can earn or raise in the way of sponsorship.  Sponsorship in today's climate isn't exactly forthcoming and if they are to continue much longer then they need help... winning a jackpot would make a difference to me, but would make far more of a difference to them.  So I'd be good and change two lives for the better forever, rather than my life for a couple of months.  When they become the next Torville & Dean I can be paid back in kudos and gloat that I saw them first.  Now that really is competing in the extreme as they should be representing us at the next Olympics...





This is my entry for the 888Ladies Bingo Competition

Out With The Old… In With The New!

My daughter has a lovely bedroom, decorated in fresh duck egg blue paint, which is obscured by her many teen loves who gaze adoringly at her from a multitude of posters, prints and drawings all over the walls.  She loves spending time in her tiny haven but there is one problem.  She is 5ft 6" and growing... her bed is a high sleeper.

It's a wonderful piece of furniture that we scrimped and saved for intending it to last her for years... and it has until now.  I never gave a thought to this bit of forward planning when we bought the bed.  We thought about school work - hence it has a desk.  We thought about storage - hence it has shelves, and we thought about sleepovers so it has a pull out chair bed. In fact it is perfect in every way, except one!  Now she has to wiggle like a snake to get onto the actual bed and has to remember when she wakes up not to sit up!  A lesson she has learnt the hard way with many many bumps to the head.  She has now taken to sleeping on the pull out, a pull out meant for occasional use, whilst her lovely tempur mattress lies unused and useless five feet above her. 

 

This photo was taken in the middle of the day with the light on... another problem with this bed is that it drains all the light out of the room.

I'd love to be able to change it for her; something like this would be ideal.


It solves the desk problem, it solves the storage problem and it solves the major, will she hit her head when she wakes up? problem.   I can always buy another chair bed to go alongside for sleep overs.
If you like this as much as me you can find it here at Furniture Choice. 
Hopefully, Furniture Choice will decide that M deserves to get the chance to kick out the old and get in with a new bed.

If you have a piece of furniture that really needs changing then let them know via your blog and enter the competition here - just in the nicest possible way, don't make your entry better than mine!

 

When is a Garden shed not a Garden shed?

Like many we had a rather wet start to 2014.  One of the last casualties still remaining and untouched is my garden.  I'm having trouble motivating myself to go out there and tackle the damage left by it becoming my own private boating lake for a few weeks.  I'm embarrassed to admit that this is my shed...

I'm quite convinced that it is only still standing upright because of the things inside it, holding it up.  I had a lovely garden, trampoline, wendy house, decking, deck chairs, fire pit and everything stored neatly in my lovely shed and then Noah didn't warn us what was about to happen.  I shouldn't moan, I know an awful lot of people are far worse of than us... so we've lost a shed and a wendy house...

Other's lost the inside of their homes.  We were the lucky ones. 

However, with the advent of the dry weather and thoughts turning to relaxing in my garden again, the time has come to demolish the sheds and start again with a clean slate and I've had so much fun imaging just what can go in their place.

There are so many options available now, but my dream shed would be a bolthole from the kids, the TV and my other half.  Who says only men want to escape into their potting sheds. 

My dream...

Lovely wide opening doors, fresh painted colours and space for well.... me!  A cosy area to tap away at my blog, write that book that I'm sure is nestled away inside of me and generally relax.  I already have the space, and the futon chosen, and the desk and the chair... I just need the shed! 

Garden tools and detritus from the old shed can languish in the garage, this time I want space to play and relax.

 

 

Although in my travels on the internet and in dream world, I also found these.. If you are slightly more adventurous than me and my modest wants these are for you.

 

I absolutely love the sphere which rotates to move with the sun and shade, but suspect that I might have a fight on my hands to keep that just for me. 

I have a plan to make the outside of my shed look completely uninteresting and even thought about putting a fake front with tools and such like on display with a hidden button to make it slide and reveal my space.  Although I suspect that is outside of my capabilities.

The uses for a garden shed now are endless.  I've seen bars, clubhouses, extra sleeping space for guests, hideaways, saunas, gyms and some people even use them for keeping tools and gardening equipment in.

How would you use yours?

 

 

If I'm lucky my new shed will look like this... large enough for me and small enough to dissuade the rest of my clan from wanting to take it over.  With windows for light and two doors just waiting for me to fill with my goodies.  Perhaps I could even had a wine cooler in there?

You can find this shed at http://www.beastsheds.co.uk   and if like me you have ideas of how you can use it (or any other shed) you might like to enter their competition to win the shed.  Just like I have with this post. 

 

 

Moments that mattered in 2013

 

2013 has been and gone, as midnight approached on the 31st December, I was quite glad to see the back of it.... onwards and upwards to a new year and a fresh slate on the calendar.   Now I'm looking back over 2013 and actually it wasn't a bad year.

Miley Cyrus twerked, Prince William had a son, the Khardasian's got more famous for being famous and Tom Daley shocked the nation!  My own little world however, continued without any ground breaking news worthy shocks.  My kids continue to grow and T actually made it through this year without any trips in an ambulance, ICU stays or plaster casts.  Amazing really as this was also the year he started to learn to drive!

 

 

I was able to make my daughters dreams come true and take her to see Justin Bieber in concert, not once but twice.   We didn't get trench foot at Glastonbury festival although she did manage to break her wrist at Camp Bestival - luckily it didn't put her off and it made a change for it be her not her brother!

I managed to stay married (trust me it's not easy sometimes), had some mad weekends away with friends and enjoyed my life.  I was luckier than most with my year, and not as lucky as some, but sometimes treading the middle ground is nicer than huge ups and downs.  I've cried for my friends both in sorrow and joy.  I've cried for myself and the people I've lost but I've smiled and laughed a lot too.  I'm not sad the year is over but I'm glad a new one has begun....

 

I've been prompted to write this by the people at Lloyds Bank who are having a moments that matter draw for bloggers to write about their moments that mattered from 2013.

Won't cost the Earth

Won't Cost the Earth - An infographic by LightBulbs-Direct to promote the Benefits of LED Bulbs for ‘Big Energy Saving Week’. To view the full image click here.

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Blogger Challenge: Style Your Man’s Christmas Outfit

Blogger Challenge: Style Your Man’s Christmas Outfit by dawnandmaddy on Polyvore

As I look at the pin board above I can only dream and hope that I can inspire some sense of pride in dress on my fashion disaster of a son.   My daughter is the teenage equivalent of Anna Wintour and spends hours deciding on what goes with what and carefully buying clothes and then I have Tom.  A clothes horse as far as shape and size goes, but more of a donkey when it comes to putting the look together. 

For Christmas I said I was going to buy him clothes and asked for his input; my major fear was that he would say "Shell suit"  and it was close.  His hearts desire is a new tracksuit!!!!  Before you think "oh he's a fitness nut", you couldn't be farther from the truth.  His idea of fitness is running for the bus to get to college, where he is a musician.  The only exercise he gets is carrying amps and playing guitar.

I've put together the look to showcase the idea that comfy doesn't need to mean slovenly and that looking smart can still be casual.   The Armani Jeans are fantastic and grey so he won't automatically think urghh denim jeans and fittingly are called Comfort Jeans.  Teamed with the gorgeous black Hugo Boss jumper, he could be warm and stylish without looking like granddad.   I've added a Superdry coat, for the British weather, which I know he would wear as it is de rigueur for all the boys on his college course.  The Superdry bag, looks stylish for carrying stuff to college and the Toy watch would hopefully mean that he'd not miss the bus home quite so often because he forgot the time. 

I'm a little bit in love with the Vans trainers.  I doubt that I will ever see him in a pair of shoes but they are a million miles away from his scruffy trainers.  The obligatory boxer shorts, have to be Calvin Klein so that they can poke above his jeans, in homage to his favourite film.  The little box of socks from Hackett are already sitting under our Christmas tree and are a must for anyone who finds it a nightmare to pair up socks that they have rescued from the sock monster who lives under the bed.

Now to go off and write his letter to Santa, fingers crossed he's not on the naughty list. xx


All the clothes above were sourced from Mainsline Menswear, who happen to be running a great bloggers comp to showcase gifts we'd like to give the men in our families and how we'd like to see them dressed for Christmas.  If I've been good perhaps they will let me win this??? 

You can find more details here...http://blog.mainlinemenswear.co.uk/2013/blogger-challenge-style-your-mans-christmas-outfit-and-win-250-of-designer-clothes
 

Ann Summers: Underneath the Little Black Dress

Ann Summers have got a great competition on their blog to style a little black dress with some stunning underwear for that perfect Christmas party outfit.  I have to admit that now I'm a little bit older I still love Ann Summers underwear.   I know I'm wearing it, my husband knows I'm wearing it, but no one else does!  I love their undies, it's not all sex, sex, sex anymore, but some really gorgeous feel good items which make you feel really womanly. 

 

I absolutely adore this rose gold cami suspender set; it will help hold me in, in all the right places with no lines, whilst giving me a great cleavage for underneath this lovely black dress from Coast.  The dress has a cut out back, which makes finding the right bra more of a challenge, but this cami features adjustable straps which can be worn halterneck - so problem solved.

 

I feel the dress speaks for itself, so have kept accessories to a minimum, a gold cuff bangle and gold and black strappy sandals from boohoo.com  and a gold accented bag from Accessorize finish off my Christmas look.

 

This could be worn anywhere at Christmas, the works party, the girls night out and that all important New Year extravaganza where we push the boat out and make use of the grandparents for a whole childless night! 

 

If you like the look of my outfit, why not go and have a look at the competition yourself, which you can find here and style up an outfit of your own.  Who knows you could win some lovely vouchers to treat yourself at Ann Summers this Christmas.