The rest of March

I realised that yet again I haven't written my blog for ages, and was feeling somewhat worried that I had no memory whatsoever of the rest of what happened in March. Luckily I have my trusty wall calendar, and some pictures to hand to jog my memory.

On Mothers' Day (18th March) we went to Nottingham for church and then back to Mum and Dad's after. It was great - we we're all there! (except maybe Dan I think) I really enjoyed the talks and lesson (I missed Sunday school though, chatting to Sharon Bourne about Stake Young Womens and other stuff.) We had a great roast dinner, followed by hydrangea cupcakes which I had made for Mum for Mothers' Day. We also had the annual birthday present exchange (for the hordes of March birthdays in the family), though I did well, with an early birthday present from John and Hannah, and a very cute gingerbread man set from Robin. We travelled back home the same night.

 Robin's gingerbread men made a few days later...

Also in March, on 19th Scott and I went out for a nice meal in the evening with a few other couples of parents from Tom and Harry's school. It was very civilised and pleasant!
I also went to see Tom's school play on 22nd March. It was very sweet. Tom was a brother of David, in David and Goliath.
I finished off a couple of baby quilts, for a project for our local hospital's special care baby unit, and I carried on selling fabric squares and shapes for applique, on ebay.
On 31st March we headed back to Nottingham and stayed for the night, ready for General Conference the next day. Here's Dad showing off his grafting skills - with Bramley apple shoots grafted onto some other kind of apple tree... it looked like sticks of dynamite!

I enjoyed spending time with Robin and Niki and their kids, and loved snapping these pictures of Emma! She is so sweet and funny!

Last Week

With all the kids back at school, I got round to making some stuff to sell on ebay. I have been selling fabric squares on there for a few weeks now, and someone contacted me to ask for fabric hearts. I made some, and these have been selling too, so I decided to make some iron-on shapes as well, for applique. Here is one of my cupcake packs! I quite enjoy it, and people keep buying them, so I'll just carry on making them for the meantime.

Lucy asked me if she could order some photos to go in a frame she has, which prompted me to upload loads of pictures and get them printed out, for the kids' Baby Books. I have about 2 years worth of photos to stick in them, and about 1 year of written record. I didn't realise I had ordered quite so many photos... these are just Harry's! He had a great time laying them all out and remembering lots of good times.

Also for most of last week we have had a den taking up half the living room! (I dismantled it this morning.)

I was pretty tired by the end of the week. On Tuesday night I took the kids up to Youth, and on the drive home, the car broke down again - just stopped dead. Luckily this time it was on a quiet country road, so I was able to turn everything off, and get it restarted again. It's in the garage again today.
On Wednesday night I went to church for a Charity Quilting evening. We are making a load of little ones for the local hospital's neonatal unit.
Thursday night I had a stake meeting, where there was a lot to discuss, and got back pretty late, then on Friday, Scott had the day off work, and we had a nice quiet day, going to a farm cafe for a cooked breakfast, looking at the crocodiles, and then into town to pick out a new CD/iPod player. We haven't had a decent one for a couple of years, and I miss it. We tried out just about every one in the shop, found one we liked, then found it for £50 cheaper on Amazon, and ordered that. I think Scott really needed a day off - he's been doing a tonne of hard stuff at work for a long time.
That night I took Lucy, her school friend Georgia, and Jack to Northampton for their Deacon/Beehive activities.
On Saturday, Scott turned 39!! Lots of teasing him about being very old, then I took all the kids out to go and help clean the chapel, and to Dunelm, so Scott could enjoy some peace.
On Sunday I went to Bletchley and Milton Keynes Wards, while Scott took the kids to Huntingdon (along with my car keys - he had to drive them back home to me again - luckily I wasn't setting off till a bit later).
The Lilleys had the guys all over for dinner afterwards, and even sent Scott home with delicious plates of food for me, which I totally relished.
This coming week, the key word is IRONING... (you'll note it didn't crop up much in my description of last week.. or the week before...)

End of Feb, Beginning of March

Poor old Harry ended up being really quite poorly, and was off school for a whole week (I think that's a new family record).
He spent most of Monday 27th vomiting, and with an extremely high temperature, and Tuesday he didn't eat anything and still had the temperature. He didn't move from the settee, and just watched film after film.
By Wednesday he was feeling more himself, but still wasn't well - well enough to be bossy and hard work though!
On Thursday a friend came and picked us up (my car was in the garage all week) and we went out for breakfast with a group of Mums, plus other kids being kept off school! (A third of Harry's class was off school, plus 19 kids in the class below.) I was SO glad to get out the house - first time that week. Harry wasn't too ill in himself, but then developed a nasty cough. On Thursday night he got about 2-3 hours sleep - I ended up settling him downstairs watching films - he just coughed permanently lying down. By Friday I was exhausted, and Harry was pretty awful - tired and bored and demanding.
Thankfully we had a nice quiet weekend (Lucy and I went to Dunelm, and I made some blackboards.)
I was looking forwards to Monday though and having a day to myself and getting the house straight, only it ended up that Lucy and Jack both had the day off school - Lucy because she was exhausted and generally ill, and Jack because he couldn't walk, due to a totally bashed up little toe - possibly broken. (He had kicked a car with a bare foot...complicated story which I still don't quite understand!) We did manage a little trip to Cath Kidston though!
Tom eating orange cake, which Harry and I made on one of his days off.

Scott and Jack hanging out. Jack is getting much more grown up, and good company. He offers to help me with jobs now, and so on.

Also on Sunday 4th March, Lucy finally finished the Young Women's Camp album which she's been working on. She is pretty pleased with it!

My message to the kids on Monday...

Flinn Family Picture

Here is one of the pictures which was taken of all of us after Roberta's Blessing, at Lincoln Chapel, 5th February 2012.

So far today...

Hurray! I'm caught up again with the blog.
We had an early start this morning, as Harry was ill - really burning up, then being sick. We're sitting here watching Fantastic Mr. Fox at the moment. Poor little thing.

Also today, Mum and Dad start their Temple Mission at Preston Temple! They will be there for 2 weeks out of every 8, sharing a flat with 3 other couples on a 2 week rota.
We are really proud of them and hope it is a wonderful experience. For anyone who doesn't know much about the Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, here's a {talk} which explains a bit about what they are for.

(This photo of Preston Temple was taken a few years ago, on John and Hannah's wedding day - it is where they were married for eternity.)

The last week

I think everyone was ready for the start of school, including me, and I enjoyed a fairly quiet week. 

Scott has been pretty busy with work though - he has been overseeing the production of an advert which he commissioned a film company to make for the college, amongst other things. He was also 'quoted' in the local paper this week, for something to do a free transport scheme he has come up with. 

Went to March for Visiting Teaching on Tuesday, and we had pancakes for tea as it was Pancake Day. In the evening I went with Lucy to the 'New Beginnings' Evening at church, where we not very successfully released a fire lantern (It was rather windy, and just blew into the car park!)

I spent an unexpected day with my friend Donna on Wednesday - went and got a cooked breakfast, and had a good talking session.

On Thursday I went with Jo on the guided bus for an unplanned day to Cambridge, and we did some clothes shopping and had lunch. I've been selling a load of stuff on ebay in the past few weeks, and didn't mind spending some money.

Harry made himself this chart recently. I hadn't suggested he do it or anything, nor said anything in particular about his eating, so it was quite funny that he came up with it by himself.

On Friday 24th, it was very nice, as Harry asked me what I wanted for breakfast (Shredded Wheat), and when I came downstairs, he had layed this out for me!

Also on Friday I felt a bit guilty as I was invited out for another unplanned lunch with Zoe and Rachel from school!
In the evening, we had quite an eventful time. Harry and Tom went to their school discos, and Lucy, Jack and I went first to pick up the three Amos kids, then to Northampton for our first official Youth Choir practise. I was a bit worried about how it would go, but it turned out great! There wasn't too bad a turn out, and I think we all really enjoyed learning the songs. We have a proper choir leader and pianist, and so I got to be in the choir.
On the drive home, we had got about 5 minutes out of Northampton when the car lost all power and just stopped on the dual carriage way. I got everyone out, and put all the car lights on so it would be visible, then put out our emergency triangle, and rang Scott to check on our breakdown cover. I was told the breakdown truck would be about an hour coming, so we got our emergency blanket and torch out, and made ourselves comfy in a kind of prickly ditch as far from the roadside as possible. I started to worry a bit when the battery began to die on the car and its lights faded. We were on a very dark, and busy bit of road. I attached my florescent jacket to the back of the car to try and make it it a bit more visible, but luckily just then a Police car stopped behind us, and not long after that our breakdown truck turned up. The guy just loaded the car on the truck then drove to a safer lay-by to take a look at it. He thought it was something to do with the alternator, and ended up driving us all the way back home to our local garage. He was a nice guy and we chatted all the way back, and he dropped us at the end of our road after dropping the car off. Daniel Amos came and picked up his kids from the garage. As we were walking home, Lucy said she hadn't imagined that we would be walked down the road after midnight! It all felt like quite an adventure, and I was pleased to have got use out of our emergency car stuff!

We had a lovely lazy Saturday, making cards and soup and freshly ground wholewheat bread with the kids...

We had a tea party, with peppermint tea in my mismatched teapot. Lovely!

In the evening, we left Lucy to babysit for the first time properly, while Scott and I went back to Northampton for a church dinner and dance. It's not really Scott's thing, but we enjoyed chatting with friends, and a hog-roast, and a couple of slow dances. Clare Garrick got me up to dance at one point, then the DJ announced that the next song was for Helen Cryer, and played 'Dancing Queen'. How embarrassing having everyone looking at me while I had to dance to it!! Thanks for that Clare!
We got back at about midnight, and all was well with the kids. We'd already got Harry to bed before we left and the others just went to bed as normal.

We all went to church in Huntingdon yesterday - Scott getting a lift with the Hubbards, so the rest of us could fit in Scott's car. I had a long and useful meeting with David Cain, and Jack got 'set apart' by Bishop for his first ever calling as Deacon Quorum President. I was also informed that Scott has volunteered me and him to be in a Dragon Boat racing team in the summer along with some others from church, for a charity thing!

Half Term Holidays

Monday. The first day of the half-term holidays we all just wanted to spend a quiet day by ourselves at home, doing the usual kind of stuff, such as...

Making a huge web out of sellotape all over the living room, to hang toy cars from...

 Fitting Harry into a cardboard box...

 Doing Yoga on  the Wii, with a cardboard box on your head....

 Leaving little messages for people.... (This one from Harry)

Tuesday - Valentines Day. Scott and I had exchanged Valentines cards the night before (we are rubbish at keeping things from each other...) His to me was a very interesting handmade pink creation with an aeroplane, and the number 16 on it (apparently this is our 16th Valentines day together), and mine had the wonderful quote 'I can't believe how much I'm not sick of you' on it. Are we romantic or what?!

The kids and I cleaned up the whole house in the morning, then Mum and Dad came and spent the rest of the day with us. Here we are at lunch, with Mum and Dad both making some kind of interesting 'cheerful cheesy Grandparent' face!!

I'd been a bit stressed in the morning, but gradually unwound, and we had a nice day. I was really happy too, with a dress which mum had altered for me, by adding sleeves to it.
Here's Mum having a not too successful go on my roller/stomach-work-out machine thing... had a right laugh!

In the evening, I took Lucy and Jack up to church to Youth, where Abi Bleakley was also being dropped off, and then coming back with us to stay for a couple of days.

Wednesday. Had a fairly quiet day at home. Lucy and Abi made their now traditional pancakes for us all, and worked on Lucy's camp scrapbook. We watched girly films in the evening.

Thursday. What a day. The kids amused themselves in the morning, while I made some cupcakes for refreshments for a Disabilities Seminar I had organised for that evening. (I love this new cupcake carrier I got!)

In the afternoon though, we had to drive to a shopping centre in Spalding to meet up with Holly Bleakley, to drop off Abi. It should have taken an hour maximum, but we had an 'exciting' journey there which took over TWO HOURS... My satnav was in Scott's car, so I planned out a route that looked best on the map, but turned out not to be, and with Lucy and Abi navigating from the back seat, we somehow ended up in the middle of nowhere, on THE bumpiest road I've ever driven on. After getting back to a main road and realising we had spent about an hour going in a massive circle, (and me having a serious sense of humour loss) and then having to follow diversion signs after another road was shut, we finally made it. I was just SO cheesed off at the wasted time!! It would have been quicker to just take Abi all the way home!
Once at the shopping place, we at least managed to get Jack and Harry new trainers, and Harry a Children's World Atlas which he adores (though narrowing down his choice to that book, in 'The Works' was a bit torturous...) By that time we were starving, and I realised I would not have time to start cooking when I got in, because of the Seminar, so I took the kids to Frankie and Benny's for tea. We then got lost on the way home again, but it only took just over an hour this time, though I had not planned on driving right through the the centre of Peterborough (nor on having to pull over right near the Cathedral to let Harry out to do a wee in a bush next to the pavement!) I also had to have Lucy take mobile phone calls for me to sort some stuff out for the evening.
Anyway, we made it home, with 5 minutes to spare for me to get ready before Rebecca Cain came and picked me up for the Disability Seminar. It was really good, and Rebecca and I also had a really good chat (sitting outside our house in her car till about midnight!)

Friday. Scott had the day off, and all I can say is thank goodness, as I had gradually got more and more tired as the week went on, and the kids got more and more boisterous and silly.

Saturday. I took Harry to a swimming party at lunch time, and went in the pool to help out - spent the time dragging a big float loaded up with kids around the pool, so they could go and splash another float full of kids. Very noisy and fun!
In the evening I drove Mick and Jo Waters to Northampton, so we could attend a Worldwide Leadership Training meeting. I really enjoyed it, and got quite a bit of inspiration from it, both for the Young Women's programme and personally. The motorway was shut again on the way home, so we followed the diversion signs this time (I didn't trust that I could replicate the way I went the time before!)

Sunday. On Sunday Scott took the boys to Huntingdon, and Jack gave his first ever Sacrament Meeting talk, on Honesty. I went with Lucy to Northampton again for their Ward Conference. I taught the Young Women lesson. Lucy and I stayed for ages afterwards so that she could hang out with some of her friends. I made myself popular by handing out Jelly Beans to all the youth, which were left over from my visual aid from the lesson.
When we got home we heard the news that Jack has been called to the Deacon Quorum President, at church. I am really happy for him, and felt the 'realness' and responsibility of this for him, if he approaches it in the right way. At the Leadership Training meeting, it was said that our youth should be encouraged to have more responsibility for the people their own age, and I felt deeply that our youth are capable of this, and that it will train them to be great leaders in the future.