Today has been a good day in the main, I feel like I’ve got lots done, practical stuff, longer term sorting out stuff and of course a fair amount of last minute party prep!
After a lovely evening with The Clarkes last night the kids didn’t get to bed until about 10.30pm so they both slept in past 8 this morning which meant far from them dragging me out of bed as per normal I was sitting in the lounge drinking tea in full make up, dressed and enjoying the peace of early morning with no children which has probably not happened here for about 5 years now!
My Dad arrived at 8.30am to do a bit of wallpapering repairs. He is a decorator by trade so does all such stuff in our house but of course you end up waiting that much longer and having stuff left half done all the more. There has been a strip of paper missing under our window for months and last week he came and redid the papering but when we went to dig out the leftover paint it had all dried up. We actually want it repainting in a different colour so rather than buy more paint just for that strip for a week or two until he repaints the whole room he has done it in a sort of contrasting colour – very Changing Rooms!
Really enjoyed having him here actually as he stayed most of the day and had lunch with us. We have had various chats about all sorts of things and I talked through a couple of things with him which I needed an ear to bend about. As always he really came through with the sort of unconditional love, support, refusal to hear me think the worst about myself and reasssurance that ‘everything will be alright’ which I think probably only a parent can give you. Whilst I hope my children don’t have to have the crisis in the first place to turn to me in, I do hope that they would feel able to and I would be able to offer them what my Dad did for me today. Love my Dad 🙂
After he left I did some baking for the party. Hours of work with not a great deal to show for it really as it was all fiddly stuff and our kitchen is so small you can only do a limited amount before you need to totally clear up and start again. I made loads of gingerbread biscuits – some decorated as skeletons and some as pumpkins and some fairy cakes which I have made into spiders. I think they all look great anyway. I’ve had loads of texts and emails today from people telling me what they have made /are bringing so I certainly don’t think we’ll be short of imaginatively created food anyway!
The children have alternatly played really nicely, together and apart, watched Wallace and Gromit (again!), played with the dinosaurs and created dinoworld for them using construction paper to be the sea and the land with plastic trees and vegetation, they have done some drawing and sticking, built stuff with wooden blocks, played with the castle and the pirate ship, assisted in the baking, hindered the baking!, driven me mad and squabbled with each other! Tarly is now asleep and Davies is falling asleep as I type so hopefully they will be on top form tomorrow.
Right, I have two hours before Chris and Alison are expected, I still need to have a bath, wash my hair, paint my nails with spooky effects, see if I have any fishnet tights or stockings, laminate a couple of last minute bits and waft around the kitchen a bit in a feeble attempt at looking like I am helping to cook dinner! 😉
See some of you tomorrow 🙂
We are so disorganised here so don’t expect much in the way of interesting asnything from us (baring H’s sweets) but we’ll be there.
Comment by chris F — 28 October 2005 @ 9:50 pm
yep, and we are LATE!!!
Comment by HelenJ — 29 October 2005 @ 8:57 am
When running late, I always find surfing the blogs the best strategy….
Comment by Chris — 29 October 2005 @ 9:59 am