Not a great picture this week as the only one I have is the back of their heads! Last day of school before half term and Lily decided she would wear both Anastasia and Drizella bows. As such Megan wore Lady Tremaine!
What I’ve been up to!
It’s been a quiet week on my blog and that’s basically because I’ve been busy! The girls were back at school this week which took up a lot of my attention, but I’ve also been working hard on my new site, Closet Geek. I’ve been making and sewing, sourcing and thinking, browsing the web and just constantly thinking!!
If you missed the memo, my new site is sort of One-Stop-Shop (or it will be, eventually), for geeky apparel. Right now it stocks jewellery, hair bows and pencil cases, along with Disney inspired dresses for children. In the near future I want to add adult clothes, but at the moment I just do them on a custom order basis. If you want to keep up with what I’m going, Instagram seems to be my main platform as its great for visuals.
So this week I’ve been finishing off a Wendy cosplay that I’ve been working on for a while. It’s almost finished but not quite so I won’t share it here yet. However I have completed a new Woody inspired dress for girls and started working on some other projects.
I have two custom orders in process at the moment, the first one of which I’ve ordered fabric and have a pattern for, the second being quite a big project! The first one is the Prom Dress from Back to the Future. Know which one? Marty’s mum, Lorraine wears it.
The second is a Cinderella cosplay which I’m still looking at fabrics for at the moment. I’m pretty excited, but also a little terrified too! As well as that, I’m making a Briar Rose inspired dress and hopefully a Snow White rags inspired dress, fingers crossed they’ll be done over the weekend. I have loads more planned but I really need to get on with my custom orders.
Finally on top of all that, I spent almost one whole day making hair bows. I had some in my store but I’ll be adding more, again you can see those on my instagram. My favourite by far is Eeyore though. It was quite fiddly but such a good outcome.
In the future I’ll be adding a range of Villains bows. I’ll also be adding some Superheroes too!
So this is what I’ve been up to. How about you? I love working from home but I tell you, its hard to separate being at work and not being at work – switching off your brain and actually getting “me” time seems a thing of the past!
Week 34 – Monday Round-up (well actually it’s Wednesday!)
Well this week I am super late in making my round up post! I’m almost half the way through the next week in fact. It’s been a really great week though, with high and lows of course but mostly good! The kids are still off for Summer Holidays of course, though it won’t be for much longer now! We still haven’t really “done” an awful lot, but everyone seems okay with that and we still have our weekend in London coming up!
The beginning of the week, we didn’t do an awful lot to be honest! The girls went to their dad’s on Monday and had to wait at my mum’s while my car had it’s MOT. It wasn’t finished until almost 3pm (after the work needed was carried out) and after it was done I needed to get new tyres as well. So I headed to Tanvic, waited while my tyres were done and then made a random decision to try to Hobbycraft in Nottingham. It was nice to walk around but fairly fruitless, I had Burger King for dinner and then headed home. Tuesday I went over to pick the girls up from their dad and we came straight home. I used the day to catch up on TV and work on my new shop website – as it was due to open at the weekend. I also booked my train tickets to see Amy on that Friday, a decision I had been toying with a little over the week before. Wednesday and Thursday were both working on my Closet Geek venture, either on the website, taking photos or actually sewing. Nat came over for the daytime on Thursday but we just sat chatting while I sewed so I was still able to get plenty of work done.
On Friday morning the girls and I got up and ready, Chris took us to Retford station. However our train to York was cancelled and this began an interesting day of catching replacement and delayed trains. In the end we got to Amy’s about an hour and a half late and after catching the bus to her house and having a cup of tea, the girls had their photoshoot – the main reason we’d traveled over.
The rest of the day was spent with the girls on their iPads while Amy worked on photos and I worked on listings for my site. We stopped for us all to eat pizza takeaway and then one by one the kids went to bed. Amy and I ended up staying up till past midnight, getting my site ready but by the time I went to bed, it was all ready to go. The girls and I then played a sort of musical chairs with the beds overnight, each of us taking time in a different spot in a bed. We managed to find one that worked for us all and finally got some sleep!
In the morning we were up at 8am, the kids had breakfast and I had tea. We packed up all our stuff ready as Amy’s dad was taking us to the station and I checked to make sure all the trains were on time. We got to Berwick station around 9.45am which was plenty of time. The girls got some sweets and I got a sandwich, then we waited for the train to come along at 10.13am.
On the first train we had plenty of space so the girls sat together and I sat over the aisle. When we swapped at Newcastle, we had about 30 minutes to wait so we all grabbed a coffee and waited patiently. The next train we decided to all sit together, even though technically we had the extra space again. I knew I needed to open my store and the girls wanted to sit with me.
At 12pm I opened my store, the newsletter sent out automatically (as planned) and Amy and I pushed the opening on Instagram! There were loads of hits and plenty of positive feedback so that was great! Orders came in during the afternoon and that was great too. By the time the girls and I got home I was far too exhausted to tackle anything. We’d had Subway for lunch and had takeaway for dinner – but it was pretty great doing nothing! Once the girls went to bed I watched TV but I shopped and browsed for fabric, bows and even replied to someone about a custom order!
Finally it was Sunday and though I should have been making orders and promoting my site, for the most part I was just lying around watching TV. The girls went off with their Grandma to the beach for the day so it was nice just to grab some me time. I did spend most of the day on my iPad looking for fabric, charms and ideas for my stock generally. I placed a few orders and worked on some ideas. Chris came home and we spent the evening watching TV and snuggled up on the sofa.
So that was my week! It was exhausting but it was brilliant. Not to mention my site is now officially open! If you get a minute, please go check it out. You can find it at www.ClosetGeek.co.uk – not only that but you can follow on FB, Instagram and Twitter, all at @closetgeeksite
Week 2 – Monday Round-up
It’s been a good week, but a tiring week. I can’t reiterate enough how glad I am to not actually be working any more. It’s literally heaven every day – even when I’m hoovering or scrubbing the house! That said, I haven’t been doing an awful lot of that, but I have at least been keeping on top of things like the dishwasher and the washing.
Monday was a teacher training day at the kids school, so we had one last day together before school started. I’m used to the girls going to their dad’s on a Monday so it was nice to actually feel like I got that last day with them myself. Chris was at work so as such it was just us girls. In the morning we just hung out and chilled, but in the afternoon we had arranged to go swimming with my mum, who traveled over to come with us. When she first arrived, I had to get her to sort out some photographs with me, but after that we headed out swimming. It was about 3pm when we went in and about 4pm when we came out. Afterwards I had her drive me past Argos so I could pick up an Ab Roller I’d ordered and I also popped into Sports Direct where I bought another swimming costume each for the girls and two Frozen dresses as well.
Mum decided she would treat us all to Chinese takeaway which went right again the diet but was much appreciated! I put a little bit of money towards it too so I could order a little extra for Chris and save him some, but somehow we ended up with tons anyway. Once food was eaten, mum headed home and the girls and I had a little extra time before Chris was back. Both girls had to be in bed promptly though, especially with school the next day. I spent majority of the evening, catching up on blog stuff and also updating my diary and making sure I had current plans written in it. Afterwards Chris and I watched some TV together and snuggled on the sofa.
On Tuesday it was up early and out of the house for everyone – and boy was it a shock to the system! The kids’ dad was having them after school though so I just headed straight home and worked on my blog – which I had just moved to self-hosted. I had left over takeaway for lunch and felt a little guilty about the health kick I was supposed to be on. I vowed to go running the next day (though no surprise, that didn’t happen!). My brother called in after he’d been to mum’s that night and so we had time to catch up too. The girls arrived home and Chris came in from work and it was a little crazy for a while but nice too. The girls and I started on the second Never Girls book called “the space between” and when I updated Goodreads it also made me feel guilty for not even attempting to read any more of my own books!
Honestly I don’t really remember what I did that evening but I know Chris and I finally managed to catch up on both Arrow Season 3 and Flash Season 1, up to the mid-season break. This is great because we managed to watch the cross-over episodes in the right place and be ready when the series’ start airing again soon!
Wednesday was school and work again, another early start that really was taking its toll (god knows how I managed to function when I was working too!). I dropped the kids off at school and headed into town for a little while – even planning to go for my job afterwards. Like I said before, that didn’t happen – I don’t know if it was the latte I chose to buy which made me feel sloshy, or the fact it started raining (or of course sheer laziness) but either way, I was rubbish! I headed home and made a start on sorting out my jewellery, before heading back out to get the kids. After school we were supposed to watch a Disney movie (it was supposed to be Tinker Bell but we’d already watched it accidentally so we were going to watch Snow White) but none of us could be bothered and we just wanted to mong! Megan and Lily just played on iPads and computers while I tuned out to the TV. I did manage to keep on track with food this day and combined with the walk in town that morning I definitely felt healthier. In the evening I cracked on with more work and all in all, it felt like a constructive day.
Thursday I dropped the kids off at school and headed to see my mum briefly. Afterwards I headed back to Gainsborough where I needed to get some shopping and managed to waste a few hours around Marshall’s Yard. I did spend the last of my M&S voucher (from my birthday) on some healthy food and that felt very positive. I then went home and had soup for lunch, which also felt very good. I finally got my Ab Roller built too, though I won’t lie and say I used it. I mean I did check it was all working fine – but for maybe 20 roll ups! The girls were staying at my mum’s that night and so in the evening Chris and I just spent time hanging out.
On Friday I got a lie-in! It was so needed. Chris climbed out of bed around 7.10am and although I was aware of him moving downstairs, as soon as he left at 7.25am, I went back to sleep. I woke up at about 9.30am but I didn’t get out of bed until 10am. I potted around the house in my dressing gown and was basically very lazy! I made a few phone calls which I’d been needing to do and I put on more washing, hung it out on the radiators and did the dishwasher etc. I made myself a light lunch and then got to work on my Get Fit Friday post – which is my ongoing series to track my weight loss.
Eventually it was time to leave as I’d told my mum I would call in on her again before picking up the girls. I stopped with her for a cup of tea before heading to school and picking up the kids. We headed home and got some dinner, only to realise our Disney task for the day was to make disney themed food. We didn’t have an awful lot of choice so we just made some cupcakes in the shape of Mickey Mouse – and as it was late, we said we’d decorate them the next day. Once the girls were in bed and Chris was playing on his computer, I sat and watched a movie by myself and just chilled out. When we eventually headed to bed, I couldn’t sleep – so typical since I’d managed a lie-in that morning! It was gone 1am before I actually got to sleep and I can’t tell you how many times I nearly got up and did something “useful”.
On Saturday we didn’t have much planned but Chris did have his first driving lesson booked for 10am. We woke up naturally about 5 minutes before his alarm was set to go off at 9am and dragged ourselves out of bed. While Chris was out on his lesson, the girls and I got cracking with everything we needed to do that day. Sadly the cupcakes got eaten however, rather than decorated. Once Chris was back home, Megan and I went out to buy some ribbon. We were way longer than we had expected to be, coming home with £30 of stuff. After getting some lunch, Megan and I spent the afternoon learning how to make bows. It was a long process but we got there in the end and now we’re making quite nice ones. The girls also painted a peg doll and a plaster figure, which was their Disney task for the day. We then all had dinner and relaxed for the evening. I went for a bath and then afterwards Chris went. While he was having a bath I went upstairs to read and eventually he joined me, bringing me a cup of tea. We lay mostly in silence for an hour – me reading and him playing on his phone. It was really nice and in the end we just headed to bed afterwards.
Sunday morning we got up and Megan wanted to make more bows. We were a lot better at it this time, finding it quicker and easier to accomplish what we were trying to do. Sadly I had a really bad headache that didn’t shift all day so I know my patience wasn’t the best. We had a fairly early lunch as we knew we were heading out to the cinema later. We left about 2pm and drove to my mum’s, swapping cars and traveling with her into Lincoln. When we got to the cinema the queue for the popcorn was huge and so even though we’d planned it, we had to skip food and drink – heading straight into the movie. We watched “Into the Woods” and it was great. It’s been really nice seeing two very current movies (Big Hero 6 last week) just as they’ve come out. Afterwards, since everyone was pretty hungry, mum drove us to Burger King. Chris and I went in to get everyone food but we drove back to mum’s before eating it. After we’d eaten, Chris hung up a picture for mum which she’d asked him to do and then we all headed home. It was Lily’s bedtime and Megan decided to go at the same time and play on her iPad for half an hour. Once they were in bed I sorted out some jewellery stuff ready to photograph the next day, but ultimately found myself restless. In the end I suggested to Chris that we head upstairs to read and relax again, which we did, and I’m pleased to say I only have about another 100 pages of my book left before I’ll reach the end!
So that was my week and while it was tiring, it was also quite good for a first week. Since I want to get some training in at the school office, I went in to sort out the forms for disclosure, but also worked on jewellery and hair bows for adding to my Etsy store. While I’d hoped to get on with making clothes, that sadly didn’t happen. I did however ring the Tax Credits people and sort out my claim which hopefully will get sorted in a few weeks. Finally, while I didn’t start off the week great, I managed to live a fairly healthy lifestyle for the majority of the week. This paid off on Weigh-In day, when I’d lost 2lbs (though this was over the whole Christmas period as well). I’m pleased with how life is going so far and I have high expectations for the future. Hopefully its onwards and upwards!
Disney Countdown – Days 86 – 80
Monday (86) – Jan 5th – Draw or Make Disney
Tuesday (85) – Jan 6th – Read a Disney book
Wednesday (84) – Jan 7th – Watch Tinker Bell & the Pirate Fairy Play Tsum Tsum
Thursday (83) – Jan 8th – Play a Disney Game
Friday (82) – Jan 9th – Make Disney themed food
Saturday (81) – Jan 10th – Paint Cinderella peg doll
Sunday (80) – Jan 11th– Watch a “random” Disney movie
This week has felt very busy and incredibly tiring, due to it being the first week back at school for the kids. Even though I’m not currently working, I’ve still felt just as tired – making me wonder how I even functioned before. Monday was make or draw Disney and Lily opted for making a picture on her computer while Megan sat down to actually sketch. As always, Megan made a beautiful drawing, this time of Mickey Mouse. Tuesday the girls were with their dad after school and it was the first day back at school. Luckily the task was read Disney, meaning when they got home we could all snuggle up in Lily’s bed and read a Bedtime Story. We’re now onto the second Never Girls story and its called “The Space Between”. On Wednesday we were due to watch Tinker Bell & the Pirate Fairy but as we’d watched it recently as a “random” pick, we decided we’d watch Snow White as we’d skipped it last Sunday in favour of Big Hero 6. However in the end we were all exhausted and just wanted to sit and do nothing. Both girls ended up on the sofa, on iPads, playing Tsum Tsum so we classed this as our Disney task for the day.
Ironically the next day’s task was play a Disney game. The girls were ready early for school so Lily got in half an hour of Disney Infinity before school. The girls were both staying at mum’s that night so I dropped off Megan’s iPad there for her and she played Tsum Tsum again after school. I believe she also got my mum sucked into it! When the girls got back from school on Friday we discovered our task was to make Disney themed food. We didn’t have much in and it was very last minute so we settled for making Mickey Mouse shaped cupcakes. Sadly we didn’t have time to decorate them and although we vowed to do so the next day, the temptation to eat them for breakfast got the better of us and they were gone before we got around to it! Saturday the task was to paint the next peg doll, this time it was Cinderella. Since Megan had the blues and yellows out anyway, Lily decided to paint an Elsa figure which we’d bought in a sale, just before Christmas. Finally, Sunday’s task and when we looked it was to watch a “random” Disney movie. Luckily we had tickets booked to watch “Into the Woods” at the cinema, so we used this as our task for the day, since it is a Disney movie.
As always, every day is full of Disney, not just the tasks we’ve set ourselves to do. Megan and I attempted making Disney bows this week and though it was pretty tricky at times, we had a lot of fun!
