Friday Five!

Some of my musings.

1. Oh, it’s Friday already? Said this mom who no longer has any concept of days of the week since resigning last December. Lol!

2. Oh no, I’m in charge of the Easter eggs! I have to get dressed and take the 2yo out shopping tomorrow?? Why oh why didn’t I plan ahead and order on Amazon

3. Driving 65 miles to my brother in law’s (husband’s identical twin) on Sunday so the 2yo can go Easter egg hunting with his cousins. Looking forward to seeing some adults but just a tad bit worried cos it’s my first time driving that far alone with the 2yo.

4. Splurged on some essential oils, diffusers, and rollers this week cos most of my stash were shipped to the UK.

5. *Looking at 2yo this morning* He grew again! But should I even bother buying new clothes for him cos it’s getting warm again here in California and the clothes will be useless for Scotland weather

Obviously my life revolves around the 2yo at the moment. I am grateful for our one-on-one time together even if it’s under stressful circumstances (being away from hubby while waiting for my UK visa).


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Some of my musings.

1. Oh, it’s Friday already? Said this mom who no longer has any concept of days of the week since resigning last December. Lol!

It's hard to keep track, isn't it?  My husband's schedule is the only reason why I don't get mixed up.

Trying to be more positive so joining in here
...
5. Going into town tomorrow and hoping for GF cupcakes at the Coffee Barker.

Yay!  Another Friday Fiver!

Good luck on the cupcakes!  I hope you have nicer weather than I have for your endeavor.

1.  It is apparent we are all off having fun today since I’m the first to do Friday Five at 7:30pm!
...
5.  In laws are coming over Sunday for the birthday.  No roast lamb here, we are having a taco bar!

Around 3pm I checked to see if anybody else had posted yet and nobody had, so I was all "holiday!" and went back to playing PUBG (Mobile) with my husband.

Easter taco bar!  Nom!
____________________

My five:

1.  My husband had a great first week of work.  He's home every day by 5pm.  It's amazing!

2.  Easter weekend to cap his first week, so four days of "work" (they're in training so not doing much yet) followed by a four-day weekend, and then four days of work.  Perfect timing on the start.

3.  I was successful in booking the ideal-for-us ILR appointment at the Cardiff Premium Service Centre.  5-1/2 weeks to go!

4.  On Thursday, I was browsing used cars on eBay and found a listing that seemed interesting.  I kept looking at it and trying to find a reason it wouldn't suit our needs other than the distance we'd have to travel to get it, and not finding anything.  Good MOT history, good price, road tax band B, the seller had a 100% rating with thousands of sales...  I waited a bit before showing my husband when he got home, and then we discussed the car for about an hour.  He finally decided to look up the listing on his own computer to get the contact information and make an offer and he couldn't find the listing.  While we were discussing it, someone else was buying it.  It will forever be referred to as "my Panda that got away."  No car for me yet.

5.  But we are looking!  Actively.  My husband ran the numbers and if we get a road tax A, B, or C car (free, £20, or £30), and it's on the cheap-to-insure list, we can actually save money over the cost of fuel in the campervan by adding another car to the family.  And then I could have occasional use of the car to drive myself places. Like a grown-up.  Finally. 

It's hard to keep track, isn't it?  My husband's schedule is the only reason why I don't get mixed up.

Yay!  Another Friday Fiver!

Good luck on the cupcakes!  I hope you have nicer weather than I have for your endeavor.

Around 3pm I checked to see if anybody else had posted yet and nobody had, so I was all "holiday!" and went back to playing PUBG (Mobile) with my husband.

Easter taco bar!  Nom!
____________________

My five:

1.  My husband had a great first week of work.  He's home every day by 5pm.  It's amazing!

2.  Easter weekend to cap his first week, so four days of "work" (they're in training so not doing much yet) followed by a four-day weekend, and then four days of work.  Perfect timing on the start.

3.  I was successful in booking the ideal-for-us ILR appointment at the Cardiff Premium Service Centre.  5-1/2 weeks to go!

4.  On Thursday, I was browsing used cars on eBay and found a listing that seemed interesting.  I kept looking at it and trying to find a reason it wouldn't suit our needs other than the distance we'd have to travel to get it, and not finding anything.  Good MOT history, good price, road tax band B, the seller had a 100% rating with thousands of sales...  I waited a bit before showing my husband when he got home, and then we discussed the car for about an hour.  He finally decided to look up the listing on his own computer to get the contact information and make an offer and he couldn't find the listing.  While we were discussing it, someone else was buying it.  It will forever be referred to as "my Panda that got away."  No car for me yet.

5.  But we are looking!  Actively.  My husband ran the numbers and if we get a road tax A, B, or C car (free, £20, or £30), and it's on the cheap-to-insure list, we can actually save money over the cost of fuel in the campervan by adding another car to the family.  And then I could have occasional use of the car to drive myself places. Like a grown-up.  Finally. 

We didn't have any luck finding cupcakes going to beg the landlord to fix the oven. We pay too much to have a broken one, this is a nice house and I should be able to bake in it. But we were lucky enough to finally score a loaf of bread at Sainsbury's so I may make French Toast for breakfast tomorrow.

Good luck with your car hunting! Maybe we can all meet in the middle between our houses some afternoon for a UKY gathering when the weather is nicer!

We didn't have any luck finding cupcakes going to beg the landlord to fix the oven. We pay too much to have a broken one, this is a nice house and I should be able to bake in it. But we were lucky enough to finally score a loaf of bread at Sainsbury's so I may make French Toast for breakfast tomorrow.

Good luck with your car hunting! Maybe we can all meet in the middle between our houses some afternoon for a UKY gathering when the weather is nicer!

Aww... sorry about the cupcakes.  I hope your lanlord does something about your oven.  We never asked ours to as our rent was cheap and we didn't want to rock the boat.  But if your rent is typical for the area, you should make the request.  A one-off expenditure to fit a new oven shouldn't upset the landlord too much.

Enjoy your French toast!

1.  Tomorrow is the big birthday party.  I've been keeping a detailed spreadsheet of costs and the party is coming it at about £360.  For a 4 year old's birthday party.  That isn't fancy.  Cheap as chips food.     I know she will have an absolute ball though.  I'm looking forward to seeing her reaction to everything.   

2.  The forecast is no rain on Sunday.  Hoping that's the case and we are going to empty the garage in an effort to help Mouse Hunt 2018 progress.

3.  A couple of months ago I had hoped we would get a veggie patch going in the garden this spring.  HA HA!  We still need to clear the roots from the area.  Better luck next year!

4.  I was supposed to go to a pub lunch with someone today but they had to cancel.  Ready meal for me!

5.  I will like have my last breastfeed with the baby this weekend.  He much prefers the bottle at this point (unlimited milk!).  And his biting is out of control.  I think we'll have one last session just so I know it's my last.  And then I shall start the lactose ladder to reintroduce dairy into my diet!

Cheese in KFDancer's future!

Happy Friday all

1.) We're doing an Indian Cookery course tomorrow. This should be fun! 

2.) After several days in a row of waking up to snow, we didn't have any today. Hopefully that was the last of it and it's gone and spring can commence...... Fingers crossed.

3.) Celebrated J's birthday last night. We had fizz on a school night and I've got a fuzzy head today...

4.) Work is so stressful. 

5.) I could really go for a Fluffernutter right now. Mmm. Fluffernutter. With a banana.   

5.) I could really go for a Fluffernutter right now. Mmm. Fluffernutter. With a banana.   

I have fluff in my kitchen!  Come on over!

KF:
Ahh!  The birthday party!  What did you end up doing for the party favours?  Just bags full of toys and stickers?

I had grand ideas for a small patch of herb garden... I haven't even gone into the garden since my MIL did all the weeding two weeks ago.  I don't think it's going to happen.

Cheeeeeeeese!

PB:
What, PB?!  You're still getting snow (as of yesterday)?  Here I am hoping for sunshine to go with all of our warm-ish weather, and you're dealing with snow.  I'm clearly spoiled.  Sorry! 

My five:
1.  Yesterday afternoon I made pasta to rest in the 'fridge 'til dinner time.  When it was time to use it, it still felt quite soft even though it was chilled in the 'fridge, and I warned my husband it might be too wet... it was.  We made a mess of the press, which I hope has had a chance to dry up so I can scrape it out and clean it.  I folded more flour into the pasta in our attempts last evening, and we'll try again tonight.

2.  I'm also hoping for nice weather on Sunday.  I made pizza dough.

3.  My sister and BIL are in Japan for the next week and a half.  They used to live there and now they've gone back for a holiday.

4.  A friend here in the UK has a 6yo neighbour whose primary class hopes to receive postcards from countries around the world.  I know she has the US, Canada, France, and Japan covered.  If any of you knows someone in another country who might be willing to send a postcard in the next few days, I would love to help her out.  I suspect they probably have a lot of countries covered as the whole year are making requests, so don't feel obligated.

5. I love our new routine since my husband started his new job.  I worried about adjusting, but it's just like he's on holiday all the time, but I still get the early part of the day to catch up on the dishes and stuff.

Extra: Countdown to ILR appointment... 32 days.

KF:
Ahh!  The birthday party!  What did you end up doing for the party favours?  Just bags full of toys and stickers?

Party bags contain:
Smiley face stickers
Smiley face tattoos
Bubbles
Jump up figure things
Foam animal mask
Punch balloon
Lollipop
Moams
Haribo

And each kid will take home a helium filled balloon.

Oh and I bought boxes for the cake to go home in.  No cake smooshed in a napkin from me!  Proper slice in a box!

Party bags contain:
Smiley face stickers
Smiley face tattoos
Bubbles
Jump up figure things
Foam animal mask
Punch balloon
Lollipop
Moams
Haribo

And each kid will take home a helium filled balloon.

Oh and I bought boxes for the cake to go home in.  No cake smooshed in a napkin from me!  Proper slice in a box!

Aww, yay!  My child-me loves getting a helium-filled balloon!  Are you going to attach cute  weights to the strings?  Or tie them to the children?  Or just hope for their sake that they don't let go of the string?  Just say something secure so I can stop imagining the distraught child watching her balloon float away in my mind. 

Cake-to-go boxes!  Fancy!  I want to plan a party!  I love the little touches like that.

Aww, yay!  My child-me loves getting a helium-filled balloon!  Are you going to attach cute  weights to the strings?  Or tie them to the children?  Or just hope for their sake that they don't let go of the string?  Just say something secure so I can stop imagining the distraught child watching her balloon float away in my mind. 

Cake-to-go boxes!  Fancy!  I want to plan a party!  I love the little touches like that.

Oh good shout - I hadn't even thought of the balloons flying away!

I will tie them to the party bags - that'll weigh them down.  Or to their wrists.  No weights and no time to get any!  Though I could get some washers probably...  Hmmm... I shall have a think about this today.

Oh good shout - I hadn't even thought of the balloons flying away!

I will tie them to the party bags - that'll weigh them down.  Or to their wrists.  No weights and no time to get any!  Though I could get some washers probably...  Hmmm... I shall have a think about this today.

I have this really weird thing... when I see a child with a balloon or an ice cream cone, I remember times when I was disappointed... ice cream fell off, balloon floated away.  And as an adult, it's no big deal, obviously.  But I still remember how intense that disappointment was as a child.  I can feel my inner child screaming in despair.  My husband likes to tease me by showing me gifs of these things.  He's a cruel man.

I have this really weird thing... when I see a child with a balloon or an ice cream cone, I remember times when I was disappointed... ice cream fell off, balloon floated away.  And as an adult, it's no big deal, obviously.  But I still remember how intense that disappointment was as a child.  I can feel my inner child screaming in despair.  My husband likes to tease me by showing me gifs of these things.  He's a cruel man.

Last weekend we stopped into town so I could buy a "4" balloon.  Husband took the kids into Waitrose while I disappeared down the street to the card shop.  I bought the balloon, safely stowed it in the trunk, and text my husband that the coast was clear.  He returned with the kids and we drove home.  We kept the balloon in the trunk with plans to bring it inside after the kiddos were asleep.

About two hours later the next door neighbor knocks on our door.  They were sitting in their lounge and saw a "4" balloon dance across their lawn.  Their kids excitedly went outside to catch it.  The parents noticed our trunk was open.  Thankfully the balloon had a weight and the neighbors saw it!!!  It tried to escape!!!

Last weekend we stopped into town so I could buy a "4" balloon.  Husband took the kids into Waitrose while I disappeared down the street to the card shop.  I bought the balloon, safely stowed it in the trunk, and text my husband that the coast was clear.  He returned with the kids and we drove home.  We kept the balloon in the trunk with plans to bring it inside after the kiddos were asleep.

About two hours later the next door neighbor knocks on our door.  They were sitting in their lounge and saw a "4" balloon dance across their lawn.  Their kids excitedly went outside to catch it.  The parents noticed our trunk was open.  Thankfully the balloon had a weight and the neighbors saw it!!!  It tried to escape!!!

So... you know those Air Swimmers helium-filled toys that have fins on and you fly them around in your house?  My SIL loves sharks, so for Christmas in 2011, I gave her one of those.  And I gave my brother a tank of helium (I was poor, still paying off the last of my debt, so I split up their Christmas present to share).  As soon as they unwrapped these gifts, my brother spent the rest of the night assembling and inflating the shark, only unwrapping his other gifts when forced to because it was his turn.  Then he flew it all over the house, giggling stupidly, like he wasn't a grown man.

They come with instructions that say not to take it outside.  They say on the box, for indoor use only.  They say ON THE CONTROLLER not to be used outdoors.  I mean, they can't make it any clearer.

Boxing Day, my brother comes into the room I was staying in and says, "Dumpling* ran away."  And my SIL is standing behind him looking sooo forlorn.  I don't think she even got a chance to play with it because my brother monopolized it.  She was patiently waiting.  But he decided to take it outside.  He said it wasn't very windy, and he was sure he could catch it before it drifted too far away....

Turns out, air temperature affects pressure.  And it's much colder outside than inside in winter, even in Arkansas.  Dumpling didn't blow away.  He floated up.  He wasn't balanced for the cold air.

So... you know those Air Swimmers helium-filled toys that have fins on and you fly them around in your house?  My SIL loves sharks, so for Christmas in 2011, I gave her one of those.  And I gave my brother a tank of helium (I was poor, still paying off the last of my debt, so I split up their Christmas present to share).  As soon as they unwrapped these gifts, my brother spent the rest of the night assembling and inflating the shark, only unwrapping his other gifts when forced to because it was his turn.  Then he flew it all over the house, giggling stupidly, like he wasn't a grown man.

They come with instructions that say not to take it outside.  They say on the box, for indoor use only.  They say ON THE CONTROLLER not to be used outdoors.  I mean, they can't make it any clearer.

Boxing Day, my brother comes into the room I was staying in and says, "Dumpling* ran away."  And my SIL is standing behind him looking sooo forlorn.  I don't think she even got a chance to play with it because my brother monopolized it.  She was patiently waiting.  But he decided to take it outside.  He said it wasn't very windy, and he was sure he could catch it before it drifted too far away....

Turns out, air temperature affects pressure.  And it's much colder outside than inside in winter, even in Arkansas.  Dumpling didn't blow away.  He floated up.  He wasn't balanced for the cold air.

I am not familiar with Air Swimmers.  But my baby boy turns 1 in a few weeks and I think he needs one!!!  Off to Google!

Poor little Dumpling!