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August 2017

Family

NSPCC Fun Day – Organised By Kaycee (12)

NSPCC Fun Day

 

Way back in February, our 11-year-old daughter, Kaycee, (she turned 12 just before the date of the fun day) decided she wanted to raise some more money for the NSPCC.

Last year she organised a Big Board Game Day at her school and raised £220.

Sweepstake

She ran a sweepstake in February for her family and friends and raised £40. We thought that was excellent but Kaycee didn’t think it was enough! She wanted to do something bigger.

Her first idea was to do a sponsored walk from home (just outside Lincoln city centre) to Skegness. After a lot of talking and discussing everything involved, we decided it wasn’t such a good idea for her.
We brainstormed and came up with the idea of organising a fun day.

Fun Day

There were a few options for the venue but she finally decided to ask the Life Church if she could book 2 rooms and the kitchen.

With the venue booked, she got the organising underway. With some friends, they decided on the stalls they were going to have and wrote lists of everything they would need.
More friends were asked to volunteer their time to help run all the stalls. Thankfully, they gladly agreed 🙂

NSPCC fun day

Stalls

She had the following stalls planned:

  • Raffle
  • Tombola
  • Guess the weight of the cake
  • Guess how many sweets in the jar
  • Lucky dip
  • Tattoos and face gems
  • Jumble sale
  • Guess the name of the teddy
  • Sweet cones
  • Lolly stick stall
  • Teddy tombola
  • Punch balloons
  • Crochet craft stall
  • Potluck
  • Refreshments

NSPCC fun day tombola Guess the name of the teddy NSPCC fun day stalls

Donations

Kaycee wrote to lots of local stores and businesses asking for donations. They were happy to help with raffle prizes and Kaycee wants me to pass her thanks to them all. She really appreciated the support.

B&M donated a basket of goodies.
Sainsbury’s donated a gift basket.
Morrison’s donated a £10 gift voucher.
Co-op donated luxury biscuits, fudge and toffee.
Occasions Gifts & Cards donated a tub of lollies.
Fairburn’s Eggs donated a gift basket.
Tangerine’s Candy Shop donated loads of sweets!

NSPCC fun day NSPCC fun day

Thanks To The Volunteers

Kaycee would also like me to thank her sister, Kellyann, for making and donating the amazing cake for the Guess the weight of the cake stall and for everything else she made and bought!

NSPCC fun day

NSPCC fun day

Thanks must also go to Susie and Natalie for running the kitchen brilliantly and to Susie for the wonderful cakes she made and donated.
Kaz and her husband did an excellent job setting up the kitchen, running a stall and basically jumping in wherever help was needed.

NSPCC fun day

Special thanks must go to Wendy for being amazing on the jumble sale stall. I was supposed to be on the stall with Ant but I had to keep going off to help on other stalls. Wendy jumped right in and helped make the jumble stall a huge success.

Bill, from the Life Church, was wonderful selling raffle tickets and helping wherever he was needed. Thanks to the Life Church for helping to make today such a success.

All the girls’ friends who ran stalls were brilliant. Kaycee couldn’t have done it without you all.

NSPCC fun day Drawing the raffle

Total Raised

With the money from the sweepstake and the fun day, Kaycee has raised a grand total of

£320

We’re so proud of all her hard work. She was amazing today; she kept her cool when it got busy and she kept everyone organised.

I’m a bit nervous at what she’s going to want to do next year for the NSPCC!

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3 Tips to making your garbage disposal last a long time

Garbage Disposal

You might think that a garbage disposal can withstand anything and can last a lifetime. Actually,  if a garbage disposal is not taken care of properly, then it will most likely be damaged sooner than you think.

The trick in making a garbage disposal last longer is like all other machines. It requires proper care and regular maintenance. Never take your garbage disposal for granted. Too much abuse on this wonderful contraption in the kitchen might cause it to clog or worse, it will stop working. If you want your garbage disposal to last longer then follow our simple tips to extend the lifespan of your beautiful machine.

  1. Avoid throwing fatty, oily and hard leftover foods

Fatty and oily foods are the number one destroyer of a garbage disposal. Try to avoid throwing them in. You might think it is okay but once those fatty, oily and greasy foods settle down and cool they tend to gum up and will clog up your drainage system. Worst case is that it will clog up your pipeline. It can also affect the performance of your garbage disposal and it will have a hard time flushing out that grinded trash.

Also, do not take your garbage disposal for granted by throwing in big bones and hard foods constantly. You might think it can take it but, most hard objects can lead to broken impellers. You can separate the hard objects before you throw them down your garbage disposal to ensure that its blades will always be in top condition.

  1. Take care of your Garbage Disposal

You should always use cold water when you turn on your garbage disposal. You might think that hot water is an effective way to clean your garbage disposal but you are wrong. Hot waters make leftover foods stick to the sides and pipelines which make it hard to flush down. It will also accumulate over time and can lead to clogging.

Cold water, on the other hand, will make the leftovers contract and solidify making it easier for the garbage disposal to grind them down and push it down the drain pipe. You should also keep the water flowing longer even though the garbage disposal is finished grinding so that all the bits and pieces of the leftovers will go down the drain. You can also try grinding some citrus fruits. It will help you clear the waste that the water cannot reach and it will also get rid of the unpleasant smell. Citrus is also good at cleaning metallic objects which will also benefit your garbage disposal.

tap garbage disposal

  1. Schedule maintenance

There are garbage disposals that don’t need a regular maintenance schedule such as the InSinkErator Evolution Excel but if you don’t have this product then maintenance is a must for you. Maintenance is a very important step to keeping your garbage disposal usable and helps it last longer.

And what better way to make your garbage disposal last longer than by getting it checked by professionals?
Apart from this, if you are moving and planning to hire a house clearance service then we suggest you choose a house clearance service that also offers garbage disposal services so you won’t have to hire a separate service for the garbage removal. There are many house clearance services which also offer rubbish removal services. Check House Clearance Birmingham to learn more about this.

By having monthly or annual maintenance, the mechanics can prevent any major damages that can occur inside your garbage disposal. They can also give you a heads up on growing matters that can affect the performance of your machine and find a way to fix it immediately. It is the best way to make your garbage disposal last longer and it can also save you a lot of money from avoiding damages or having to replace the entire unit.

This is a collaborative post

Gardening

Just Needs A Roof! – Garden Update

Needs A Roof

Ant’s been beavering away in the garden this week, building the cover over the new patio. The frame work is just about finished (he needs 2 more pieces of wood) and he’s got it all painted.

Tomorrow, after a trip to Derbyshire to pick up my niece, he hopes to start getting the roof on 🙂 He’s doing a wooden roof this time instead of using plastic sheeting as he did with the first patio roof.
We wanted plenty of light to come in with the first one because it’s where the living room is, but the new patio is next to the garage so it doesn’t need a see through roof.

Patio area after

Needs a roof

framework for cover over patio. Just needs a roof

I can’t wait till we can start planting the herbs in the huge soil pile at the back of the barbeques there. It’s going to look and smell lovely having a bank of herbs 🙂

Once the roof is done, we’ll be able to start work on the rest of the garden. I can’t wait to get the top part sorted. It’s going to be a big job but it’ll feel so good once it’s all done!

For more garden related posts, click here

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5 Reasons To Test Your Home For Radon

5 Reasons To Test Your Home For Radon

What is radon exactly? Well, in the simplest of terms, it is basically an odourless, invisible, tasteless, and radioactive gas that is detrimental to one’s health. The gas is usually formed because of the decay in chains where uranium and thorium decay into lead. According to reliable reports, radon kills more people annually than drunk-driving related accidents! And, it only comes second to tobacco when we talk about the leading causes of lung cancer. Hence, you must test your home for radon pronto! Here are 5 reasons why you should do it!

  1. Perhaps, you are looking to sell your property?

These days, there are several procedures that require you to check your home for radon before listing it for sale, explains OwnItDetroit.com.  With the availability of the internet, more buyers are now aware of radon gas. And, these buyers usually insist that the homes they intend to acquire are tested for radon gas. Conducting prior radon gas tests will prevent you from facing a rude awakening during inspection time.

  1. Radon causes lung cancer

Reliable reports state that radon kills more people annually than drunken-driving related accidents! And, it only comes second to tobacco when we talk about the causes of lung cancer. Therefore, even if you resist the temptation of smoking tobacco, you could still suffer from lung cancer if you are exposed to radon gas for a long period. The radioactive element in radon can easily be transferable through dust particles and the air you breathe, proving to be detrimental to your lungs.

  1. You must test your home for radon because it is easy to do so!

Testing your home for radon is not as complicated and difficult as it sounds. Conducting radon tests will not interfere with your day to day life. The non-toxic equipment that is used to measure and detect radon is usually only a foot long. Therefore, they can be concealed easily if they prove to be inconvenient. You can either hire professionals to do the job or do it yourself. There are DIY kits you can purchase to conduct the tests easily and they don’t cost too much.

living room

  1. Radon is odourless, tasteless, and invisible

Since Radon is odourless, tasteless, and invisible, there is no way for you to detect the gas without proper equipment. Hence, you will not be able to detect radon problems in your home unless the situation goes out of control. Since the exposure to radon gas does not lead to immediate symptoms, you may be led into believing that you are safe and sound. But, as we mentioned earlier, a long-term exposure to the gas can lead to lung cancer. Hence, you must test your home for radon right this instant!

  1. You have no choice really

There is simply no way to detect radon unless done through proper tests. Even if your neighbour has a low level of radon in his home, you must still conduct tests in your home. The radon levels in your neighbour´s house have no bearing on your radon levels. Therefore, we would request you to measure radon in your home today!

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Forget Working From Home, Try Working From Your Garden!

Working From Your Garden

If you are fortunate enough to have a job that allows you to work from the comfort of your humble abode, you may wish to consider formalising the area from which you work. This doesn’t have to mean stealing some of your living space from your home. You can look to your garden for inspiration. If you have an outbuilding of some sort, you can convert it. If you aren’t blessed with acres of land or a barn to renovate, consider building a home office in your garden. We are not talking a wooden shed but a fully insulated building complete with electricity and heating from which you can work, giving you that all important space that allows a clear distinction between your work and your home life. Take a look at these ideas to inspire the creation of your new garden home office.

home office

Image by

Be Creative

Designing a wholly separate building within your garden gives you the opportunity to be creative. You don’t have to build a formulaic bricks and mortar home office. Consider different materials such as stone, wood and steel or a combination to create a mixture of interesting textures and a stylistic design. You may wish to echo the natural environment in which your new home office is situated and opt for an eco-building. You can be as traditional or as contemporary as you wish to ensure you create a building that inspires you to work and be as productive as possible.

black claw hammer

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Regulations

The most effective way to ensure that you are not falling foul of building regulations is to find a builder who specialises in creating independent structures. These professionals will have an intricate and in-depth understanding of all relevant legislation and will be able to guide you in determining if your home office plans fall under permitted development rights or whether you need to apply for further planning permission.

If you feel confident enough to manage the build yourself, it’s up to you to schedule a range of professionals to ensure the smooth running of your project. This will include builders, possibly an architect, electricians, decorators and plumbers. If the thought of managing a build induces a mild panic attack, get in a professional project manager to oversee the smooth running of your home office creation.

home office room renovations garden home office

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Finances

To ensure that you create a fully functioning home office that doesn’t become a money pit, you’ll need to keep a tight reign on your finances. Set out a clear budget from the beginning, detailing how much money you wish to allocate for the design, the build and the furnishings. It is the final stretch when dressing and furnishing your home office that can quickly get out of control with the necessary purchases of lighting, carpets and window dressings, not to mention a desk and a chair.

Flexible working is one of the joys of working for a forward thinking twenty-first-century company, and by immersing your work environment into your garden space, you are utilising a part of your home that has remained relatively untouched.

This is a collaborative post

Crafts, Family

Rock Painting & Daisy Made Ice Cream

Daisy Made Ice Cream

I think I can speak for us all when I say we love Daisy Made ice cream. They have different flavours every time we go and it’s always hard to choose 🙂
Daisy Made makes it on to every bucket list we make and it wouldn’t be the summer holidays without a trip there.

 

Daisy Made ice cream
I had a scoop of Cheeky Monkey (chocolate and banana) and a scoop of pear flavoured ice cream 🙂
Ant posing
Ant posing in his new Cool Daddy t-shirt!

We took Nanny to Daisy Made this week. She’d never been before and she now loves it as much as we do!
We didn’t stay long because the weather turned from lovely sun to chilly wind not long after we got there. The girls like playing crazy golf when we visit but I didn’t fancy standing in the wind for an hour while they played. I don’t play because I don’t really enjoy crazy golf!

Nanny and Ella at Daisy Made

Kaycee at Daisy Made

Rock Painting

While working at the charity shop I came across an unused set of acrylic paints. I didn’t have a use for them when I bought them, I just figured it would be good to have them.

While browsing Pinterest I saw some lovely rock painting designs. I knew Kaycee and Ella would love having a go at rock painting and I was right. We spent a really lovely afternoon together creating lovely rocks for the garden.

We just have to varnish them now so they’ll last for years outside 🙂

Rock Painting

Rock Painting

 

Rock Painting
Kaycee’s minion 🙂

Rock Painting

Rock Painting
My birdie 🙂
Rock Painting
Kaycee’s watermelon and my ice cream
Rock Painting
My mouse
rock painting unicorn
Ella’s unicorn

I think this is going to be one of our rainy day activities. We’ve got loads of rocks in the garden around the pond.
We’re hoping to go to the seaside soon as well so we’ll collect lots more rocks while we’re there 🙂

 

 

Crafts, Family

We’ve Been Tie-Dying Some T-Shirts

Tie-Dying T-Shirts

 

Ella’s friend came to play and Ella invited her to tie-dye some t-shirts with us. It was one of our summer bucket list items. I’d bought a bright pink and a purple dye from eBay and some packs of t-shirts from Asda. The dyes were just £4 a pack and the t-shirts were £3 for 2.

The girls loved tie-dying. They’ve have asked if I can get some more dye in other colours so they can try different designs. As it was, I had to go to Asda again and get more t-shirts because they wanted to use the dye again!

tie-dying-t-shirts

tie-dying-t-shirts tie-dying-t-shirts

tie-dying-t-shirts

tie-dying-t-shirts

tie-dying-t-shirts

 

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The Lowdown On Designing A Small Living Room

Designing A Small Living Room

sofa in small living room
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

This is a collaborative post

A small room is a challenge, no matter if it is a bathroom, bedroom or kitchen. But one particular room that can be quite tricky to design in a compact space is a living room. When we imagine the perfect living room, we often think of a large room with very high ceilings, filled with furniture and appliances that make it comfortable and practical. But if you only have a diminutive home, then this dream will quickly evaporate.

Don’t worry, though; it’s still perfectly possible to create a dreamy living room in a very tight space. You just need to use these awesome tips when you start designing it.

bookshelves in small living room
Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Do You Really Need A Coffee Table?

Most people think that a coffee table makes the entire living room. But that really isn’t the case! After all, a coffee table in front of your sofa will take up a lot of room and could be quite cumbersome in a very small living room. So, don’t feel that you need to add one. Alternatively, you could swap the traditional coffee table for something a little less usual. For instance, why not add some small side tables next to each end of the sofa? That way, everyone has a surface to place their drinks, but you don’t have a large table taking up way too much space in the centre of the room! You can also move the side tables a lot easier, making them a lot more convenient.

plants in small living room
Image by ErikaWittlieb from Pixabay

Be Clever With Storage

When you have a small living room, you will need to prioritise important furniture and appliances as you won’t have room for everything. Once you have your sofas, armchairs, and entertainment equipment in the room, you might struggle to find any extra space for storage. Thankfully, though, there are some very clever ways you can incorporate storage into your room. TV units are a useful addition to a small living room as they provide you with a place for your TV and also have lots of compartments for additional storage. It’s also a good idea to look for sofas and armchairs that come with inbuilt storage units for even more storage options.

Add Lots Of Mirrors

If you are worried about a small living room looking quite dark and a bit too tiny, you can always hang some mirrors. Mirrors are great at reflecting light across a room and by increasing all the amount of light, you will find that the room seems to open up. Ideally, you should place mirrors right across from any windows or doors so that there is as much light streaming into them as possible. All of this light will bounce straight off and help illuminate your living room!

white living room
Image by 영훈 박 from Pixabay

Lift Your Curtains

Did you know that hanging your curtains much higher up will help create the illusion of space in a small room? Rather than placing the curtain rail just above the window, you should place it right under the ceiling. Then, you just need to make sure that the curtains come all the way down to the floor. This will help to make the room feel a lot taller than what it really is, which will open it up significantly

Use Bold And Bright Colours

Some people think that you need to play it safe with colours when it comes to designing small rooms. But I’m happy to say that that isn’t the case at all! You can go as bright and as bold as you want! Using vibrant colours will really help to lighten up the room and open it up. Plus, it will give it a really cheerful atmosphere!

owl cushion on sofa in small living room
Photo by Mike from Pexels

Keep Some Spare Seats

When you have a small living room, you might not be able to include as many seats as you’d like. So, when you have guests around, there might be enough space for everyone! This is why an extra stash of seats will come in very handy. You can buy some fold-up chairs that are easy to store so the next time you have some visitors, you will be able to find a somewhere to sit for everyone!

Be Smart With Art

Strategically positioning your artworks can help to make your room feel bigger. For example, if you hang paintings and pictures above the eye line, it will cause people to look up which can help the room’s ceilings feel higher than what they are.

Hopefully, you won’t struggle with your small living room after using these tips. So, why not start designing a new look for yours right now?!

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