Good Intentions!

I've been full of these lately, plans to get the house show home clean, keep on top of the ironing, start more cooking from scratch, healthier eating, in fact eating at all in the day would be a start! Also it's been my intention to bake more, sew more and blog more. I have quite a good baby who will happily sit in her chair with a toy, and will play alone in her baby gym. I think it's me with the problem, mummy guilt! I feel guilty leaving her to play with no attention from me, so instead I'm trying to cram everything else in while she sleeps, which isn't a lot during the day anymore. I shouldn't complain as this means she's sleeping at night instead. Still, it would be nice to do some of the 'me' things. 

So I guess this is an apology to any readers still out there, and anyone who was hoping to start reading about the baby's adventures, as that's another good intention that never became anything! My hope is to be back to regular blogging soon, with some recipe testing, some campervan adventures, and a new topic - baby product reviews. 

When the wheels come down - A Musical Tuesday

A bit late with the musical Tuesday, and almost missed it for a couple of reasons. The second reason was because I have been watching a programme about a teenage boy with Aspergers. It upset me in parts as it made me think lots about what life must be like for my number 3 nephew who also has Aspergers. Saving that for another day (maybe), I'll explain the first reason - I almost had no song to talk about. That's right, a 25 minute journey home plus a trip to Tesco, over 1000 songs on the iPod, yet I must have flicked through at least 100 before I found something I really wanted to listen to tonight. It's funny how I like every single (almost) song on my iPod yet I have to be in the right mood to listen to most of them. 


Tonight's song that made me smile & made me sing along all the way home from Tesco was Foo Fighters - Wheels. Apart from this being a great song with lovely lyrics, this song reminds me of a lovely moment when we went to see them at Milton Keynes earlier this year. 


About half way through the evening, Dave Grohl ran up the walkway, past where we were standing and round to face those not lucky enough to be able to see the main stage. Here he sat with his guitar and sang a couple of songs. One of them was Wheels, and as a lot of the inner circle ran to the back to get a better view, we stayed put. With our arms around each other we swayed and sang to the whole song. Sounds cheesy, but at one moment it felt like it was just me, my husband and Dave Grohl there. 

Foo Fighters-Wheels

I know what you're thinkin'We were goin' downI can feel the sinkin'But then I came around

And everyone I've loved beforeFlashed before my eyesAnd nothin' mattered anymoreI looked into the sky

Well I wanted something better manI wished for something newAnd I wanted something beautifulAnd wish for something trueBeen lookin' for a reason manSomething to lose

When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)When the wheels touch ground (When the wheels touch ground)And you feel like it's all overThere's another round for youWhen the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)

Know your head is spinnin'Broken hearts will mendThis is our beginningComin to an end

Well, you wanted something better manYou wished for something newWell, you wanted something beautifulWished for something trueBeen lookin for a reason manSomething to lose

When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)When the wheels touch ground (When the wheels touch ground)And you feel like it's all overThere's another round for youWhen the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)

Husband Changes The Subject

Today I have been feeling quite low, a feeling I've been experiencing quite a bit lately. I was going to blog about this, and how I am worried my problems with anxiety & mild depression are returning. By writing it all down, I was hoping it would help. However, I'm now feeling a bit brighter, so going to save it for another day when I need the blog therapy more. 


Instead, I'm going to write a positive post about my wonderful husband. Not only has he returned from work with chocolate tonight to help cheer me up, but he is taking part in a charity event to raise money & awareness for some great causes. Stuart will be taking part in Movember, where men all around the UK stop shaving and grow moustaches to raise awareness and money for men's health charities, including The Prostate Cancer Charity. Beginning on the 1st November, I will start taking daily photos of the hair growth, and update you blog readers on his progress. If you would be interested in supporting my husband by donating, please check out his Movember page here. 

Thankful Thursday

Inspired by a fellow blogger, I thought I'd share the things I have to be thankful for this week. 

1) My husband - For being there for me, for listening to me getting upset over silly things, and making me see sense. For cooking my tea 2 nights running, and doing the shopping this week so I can get on with making some Sock Creatures. 


2) My friends - I'm talking about my online friends who have also been supportive this week, and also have been helping me find new fans for my Sock Creations facebook page. 


3) My bosses - For seeing the potential I have to do bigger and better things, and for putting measures in place to allow me the opportunity to move into a more involved job role. This makes me feel very appreciated and valued. No boss has ever made me feel like this before, and this has given me a much needed confidence boost. 

What do you have to be thankful for this Thursday? 

Another Happy Post

Tonight I picked up my new glasses, and as well as them fitting perfectly and looking great, they have nice thin lenses in. For the first time ever, the right lens doesn't resemble the bottom of a milk bottle! I felt so comfortable in my new glasses that I haven't taken them off since leaving the opticians. Also for the first time ever I have 2 pairs of glasses, which means I can change them to suit which outfit I am wearing. I now can't wait to wear them to work tomorrow! 

Quick glasses flash

Morning Blog Readers, 


Tonight I will be picking up my new glasses. I thought I'd just share some photos of my new specs, so you can see why I am getting excited. 

Photos from www.specsavers.co.uk

Cervical cancer awareness or A storyline too close to home?

I'm talking about the Eastenders story line. 

Last night when Tanya ripped up the letter, it made me cross. Since then, every time I have thought about it, I start to feel all the emotions of when I went through it. I'll never forget the day I came home from holiday, straight after New Year, to see those words, 'severe changes to cells' otherwise known as Severe Dyskariosis, or CIN 3. I'll never forget the fear I felt, and how quickly the big C word popped into my head. I'm not sure how I would have felt had I not had my husband to stand by me and support me. If I'd been alone, would I have reacted how she did? Now I know that Tanya is just a character in a soap, and not a real person, but the storyline is very real and hundreds of women go through this every week, possibly every day. 

Even watching it tonight, I was feeling emotional, seeing Tanya call the clinic and book that appointment. It's something I hope I never have to do again. Although the procedure wasn't as painful and horrific as it sounds, the emotional stress related to it was great. At the time, I was in a job where I was unhappy, with a boss who was more concerned about me not being able to return to work after than whether I was actually alright! Luckily, I had my supportive, although equally scared husband, some fantastic friends, some who had been through the same experience, and an amazing gynae-oncologist, and colposcopy nursing team. I'm not sure I would have got through it so easily without that nurse holding my hand and wiping my tears, or the gynae-oncologist who talked to me about Toy Story 3 during the whole procedure. At one point he even made me laugh!

I was one of the lucky ones. I got the all clear less than six months later, and although I need to now have smear tests every six months, they see no reason for the abnormalities to return. Still, it will not stop me from worrying every time I have one from now on. For Tanya, it's not going to be such a happy story as hers is going to be the big C word. For me, watching this storyline unfold is going to continue to be emotional, especially if they show her going to the clinic later this week.

I really hope that Eastenders airing this storyline will raise the awareness of cervical cancer, and will encourage many women to have regular smear tests.