Thanksgiving

I truly have so much to be thankful for and I am truly sorry for the times I fret or downright stress over things that in the bigger scheme of things do not matter.

Here are a few things I am thankful for.

Family

Friends

Home

Education

Food

Health

My faith

........ and each of these things could have a hundred or more bullet points.

The more grateful I am the more I remember that so many are in need of help, support and prayer. There is so much I can be doing to be a blessing to others.

Happy Thanksgiving folks. Whether you are sitting down to a large and lovely meal (And this Scottish girl is getting the hang of this and is remembering to blend the pumpkin before it goes in the pie) or whether it is just a normal day, take a moment to be thankful for something. In fact take the whole day and be thankful for as much as you can!

Wind, rain and wasps.

I do count myself as a bit of a recycler. I find that I cannot actually put things in the bin that I know I could recycle. At times I wish I could, to be honest because recycling can be a pest.

This week our garden was beginning to look like the landfill site as our recycling container got full to overflowing and things started to blow round the back garden. Quite a few bottles and cans ended up filled with rain water. A trip to the recycle was certainly over due. My little recycling buddy was up for a trip. He headed off into the garage to find something he could use as a step so he could do his own fair share. Mum's back is not up to lifting him up so he can be helpful! A wooden box was decided on. All the bottles and cans and glasses were loaded up into laundry baskets and basins and off we headed.

June, July and August you take your life in your hands with wasps at the recycle station and this week, I realised that November, December, January and February, here in the land very close to the arctic, you run the risk of pneumonia. Me wee helper started most bravely and then very soon was heard to be muttering about his hands being so cold they would likely fall off, before he quit completely. When he got back into the car there was no way he could do his own seat belt. I fared no better but quiting was not an option. The moment when I went to throw in a beer bottle, and tipped it up only to empty a whole bottle of rain water down my sleeve, actually managing to have that freezing cold rain water go as far as my waist band was not a good moment.

Sometimes doing the right thing takes a bit of doing!!

Keeping the Christmas Machine unplugged

This is the time of year I get a little rattled when folks start to tell me they have all their Christmas shopping done and have all their presents wrapped. I do not enjoy the fact that our local Garden Centre already has its Christmas lights on and last month I deeply resented the fact that long before Halloween the other big garden centre in town had rows and rows of Christmas stuff there just waiting to be bought. Stuff I beg to suggest no one really needs. I mean a 4ft stuffed reindeer would look kind of cool standing near our tree. Who am I kidding? Can anyone out there justify a stuffed reindeer, we are talking ornament, people, not even a cuddly toy.

Hey..I appear to be ranting. Let me stop and tell you some of my plans. The kids and I have already embarked on making our Christmas gifts for them to give family and friends. Now I run the risk of a "Mummy I have a secret. It is your birthday present and it is a green house. Me and Dad bought it and it is in the garage hiding. Don't tell Daddy" moment but they are promising to keep their secrets.

We have for the last couple of years in my family just bought one adult present each, name out a hat style. It works great and I would highly recommend it. We do buy everyone small things too tho. Last year all mine came out the charity shops and were varied and well received. (I honestly think they were all relieved!) This year I am going fairly traded for these gifts and quite a few other gifts too. It means presents may be smaller as they will cost a little more but these gift will come from a small business set up to support a family or a local area. I like that!

So...........

www.traidcraftshop.co.uk

www.createdgifts.co.uk

www.ethicalsuperstore.com

And I do not need to leave the house. Aaaah, that is shopping!

Now what about the one who has a "don't need it, don't want it, won't use it" attitude to things? A wee bit tricky. I was thinking maybe a luxury alpaca hot water bottle cover. He doesn't need it, certainly won't want it and has absolutely no use for it!!

My big debate this year tho is how to wrap. I loved my wrapping last year. Recycled brown paper, pine cones we collected and green and gold ribbon bought from a charity shop. The gifts looked just great. What to do this year? I have the paper but just how do I source ribbon or what else can I do?

Inspiring washing

I have this thing about hanging out washing. I know it is so much more work than throwing it in the tumble dryer. I also learned this year that heat and humid do not ever combine to make dry. Aunty Bethie amusingly soaked through on the river rapids in Animal Kingdom spent the rest of the day damp! So July might be a great outside drying month in Scotland, but not so in Florida. Anyway I like the way the sun and the wind do the work without charging me.

If this was my washing line I would enjoy it all even more. The poles and ropes are positioned on the sheltered harbour just up the road from Anstruther, heading towards Kilrenny. I could hang up my laundry and contemplate life here. The view and the sea smell are big energisers for me. This picture was taken on a sunny October day of which we had many. Now November has hit I have to face the fact that I could hang out my washing all day and it might come in a little drier but it ain't coming in dry.

What to do? Radiators or the tumble dryer? And the decision is almost 100% tumble dryer. The excema and asthma seem to do better that way so I have hung out diligently for months knowing this season was coming. The electricity account is in credit and as soon as that sun starts to shine a little brighter...... well maybe, just maybe I can move sometime soon to somewhere with a washing line that will inspire me!

And last night when the little boy had what we call the barfy bug and we had mountains of grotesque sheets, pillows, pj's, quilts, blankets, towels to deal with? Well thank God for the tumble dryer, and we do often, thank him that is!

R.I.P.

We moved a few pepper and chili plants into our dining room a few weeks ago. Unfortunately they became infested with tiny little bugs. These tiny critters hatched leaving a pile of mess and were quickly replaced by a heap of new eggs. What to do?

A secret and deadly weapon to tiny bugs was discovered in the back garden and was given residency in our house. This little ladybird/ladybug stayed with us for a few weeks. I would be working on the computer and become aware of someone watching me and there he was on the curtain appearing to read blogs and facebook status.

Last weekend we decided that we needed to give up on all but one of the chili and and pepper plants. The ladybird took up residence on a great chili plant and all was well.

I was quite taken a back when I arrived at work on Tuesday morning to find him or her on the backseat of my car. Now I had a big dilemma. Root around the staff car park for suitable feeding material for him and find a box to keep him in or knowing that I had a pile of work waiting, realise that it was time to say "goodbye" and release him into the new, and potentially dangerous, world of the grass between the school car park and playground.

Roam in peace, little bug and thank you for your great service to our family.

Sugar highs and lows.

On Saturday Dad and the kids went out for lunch as a special treat while Mum was away on a special shopping mission. More on that later. Ice cream and lollipops were enjoyed as part of it. Mum then returned and took the kids to singalong a Jungle Book at church. Both kids ate a bag of sweeties, a lollipop and ice cream.

Does what we feed our children have an effect on their behaviour and energy levels? You had better believe it! When we got home after the Jungle book our two were bouncing off the walls. A bike ride, I thought, would do the trick to burn off all that sugar. Nope, we then had two tired and hyper children which adds cranky to the mix too. Feeding them good nutritious food was also tried but full of sugar tummies are not hungry tummies. So when the little girl asked to go upstairs and do a craft project it seemed she had devised the perfect solution to the problem.

Well, not quite perfect. She was quiet for about ten minutes which was good, but when she arrived back downstairs she looked a little different. It turned out that her craft project had involved a restlye of her fringe (US translation, bangs!), a not at all attractive diagonal cut having been taken out right at the front. And with it being diagonal there is no real good fix available. Time will be required to return her pretty looks.

Lesson learned. Craft and sugar highs are a strict no.

I hate landfill sites!

What to do? I had a broken old TV, a broken CD player and a broken dolls push chair. They had to go to the landfill site. At least I was able to recycle a pile of cardboard and safely dispose of a couple of years worth of household batteries at the same time. I am slightly eased too that the electrical items will be recycled carefully and not just mushed and crushed with my household waste as would have happened if I had thrown them into the grey bin.



What to do? Clothes the kids have grown out of, a pile of toys they no longer need, some books we are done with? Well they are now bagged carefully and are waiting, outside the house carefully tucked under the eaves sheltered from the rain, on the first charity pick up that will take it all away and hopefully sell it to their profit.



What to do? An old bike and trike that the kids no longer need? They are not in the best of condition but someone would get a turn out of them. The landfill site is the easiest option but http://www.freecycle.co.uk/ is just the best. Been a while since I moved some of our stuff on this way that I will probably need to re-register. I kind of feel that everyone should be registered. Someone out there may need want you want to get rid of and they come and collect from you at your convenience. Win win!

So I can hate landfill sites and keep our house and garage a little more clutter free. Love it!!