Magnolia rules

Today has been a rather productive day. I finally painted my bedroom (well two coats of emulsion - third coat and the wood to do tomorrow). It was still lovely shades of pink and purple from when the girls were in our room. It is now 'magnolia' very boring I know but the room already looks so much bigger and brighter I love it. Emily even said that she would like her room painted magnolia as well! The pine wardrobe and chest of drawers don't look half as bed either. I was thinking of getting new or painting them but I might not bother. Tomorrow I need to finish the painting and look for some curtains! I'm going to make a little curtain out of muslin for the bottom half of the window for extra privacy. The window in the dining room looks so good with its new curtain and it will make the house look really good as you look from the garden. Ben will hopefully put my new mirror up soon as well!!!!
I've not been at work now for a week and a half and it feels so good. All the washing is up to date and the house, although a little upside down due to all the decorating seems alot more organised. The children are benefiting from it all, we even had time after tea yesterday to play a board game. They have all played really well together, done their homework and gone to bed nicely. I've noticed how over the last two weeks how much I normally rush around and how relaxed we all are with me not working and not having a thousand things going through my head at once.
I definitely chose a good two weeks to have off work as the weather has been glorious and spring has oh so sprung. It has been beautiful blue sky's and sunshine all week. My neighbours are all out in their gardens tidying up and sorting out what to plant this year (which reminds me I have several plants that desperately need to go into a pot or in the ground!! Will get the children to help very soon).
I'm going to try and make up my bed now (if I can find it hehe) and try to sleep amongst the paint pots and piles of 'bedroom things' that are all over the place.....! My aim is to wake early to get lots done as I'm meeting Wendy and Emma at Cowslip tomorrow for a late lunch and I would like the house be as straight as possible before this - I will have earned my treat then xx
So much for an early night! I've just noticed it's gone midnight and already Thursday!

We have a lot of clothes!!!!

I have spent the whole day ironing and sorting out all our clothes! Not a very interesting day but a productive one at least. All our wardrobes are full of things we no longer wear or will never fit into again unfortunately so it was time to fill some bags to go to charity and to pass on to younger cousins xx Tomorrow I will put everything back that we love and at least will know what gaps we have so when the weather warms up I will buy new with a clear mind that we actually need it. Tamsyn's doing rather well as she seems to have acquired alot of Emily's 'hand me down's' - she seems quite pleased. Although there is 5 years between them with Emily being so small and Tamsyn being quite tall for her age it does not get put away for long until it's brought out again and out in her cupboards.
I'm on my second weeks holiday now and the time is flying by! Far quicker than I thought it would. I'm going to be quite sad to go back to work. I would rather like a six month break from it all....... almost worth having another baby for the years maternity leave!!!!! well not really but a sabbatical would be fab! I keep saying that I do not know how mothers that work full time manage it all? They must be very organised or work late into the night at home as I'm sure I would not be able to manage it. I had been interested in doing some extra hours (two days a week) at another hospital but the interviews were this week and in the end I decided not to go! I have decided that although we are a little poorer (Ben is on an overtime ban for the foreseeable future) my time is better spent at home making sure all things run smoothly. Life for us all is easier if the house and the errands are done on time - we can then enjoy our time as a family together rather than chase our tails around trying to fit 10000000 things into a day.
I want to paint my bedroom and the lounge this week I also want to put up some mirrors and paintings that have been sat here for ages (to be honest until the walls were painted I felt it easier to leave it all as I'm not sure where to put everything). I bought at my friends charity coffee morning (in aid of shelter box/Japan) a wonderful shelf unit on Saturday so I intend on painting it white and either putting it up in Samuel's bedroom or maybe in the hallway.


I have bought this really fabulous wall art for the wall in the dining room. I think it would be a wonderful idea to hang pictures or drawings of all our family around it as a 'Lang family tree'. I found it on a website called Cox and Cox (I also bought another tablecloth and a few other bits!!). This along side a quilted wall hanging I bought with a tree with applique leaves on it, I think will make the dining room look really original and fun. I'm all for being a little bit quirky and different.

I must go to bed !! Just noticed the time again....I blame Liz as she only left a little while ago......
Amidst all this house talk and me me me I did do something good today - I gave blood and had a tests taken to be put on the bone marrow donner list. My arm is sore but it's worth it. My good deed for the day

hehe oh what have I done......!

Hehe! I love it when I have a big idea......such as detoxing my house.....like many things in my life I start of all enthusiastic and then all of a sudden feel like I have bitten of more than I can chew. Today I realise that not only have I bitten more than I can chew I have cooked far too much food and have enough to dine on for a really long time!!!!! The upstairs of my house is in chaos and I have gotten myself into a pickle! Samuel's room is half painted and the paint I thought was 'Liverpool red' was orange! I have been back today and bought another red which is darker than I would have liked but will have to do as it's the only other red in the shop. Tomorrow I have so much to complete to make sure I get everything I want done this holiday it's seems unmanagable.
This week has been quite wonderful in many other ways. I had to meet Samuel's teacher on Tuesday and Tamsyn's teacher on Wednesday. Both were really pleased with their efforts and achievments and I came away feeling really pleased and proud of them both. I also feel very pleased with the decision to move them to Lewannick school (not that I needed the proof, but I does feel good to know all the heartache and sleepless nights making the move was the right one).
I got quite excited this morning when I answered the door to the postman :-) My Emma Bridgewater mug arrived. I love it and have drunk far too much tea today just because I needed to use it.Little lovely things make the Lang family very happy. The children were funny when they saw it after school - they got just as excited as I did (neeenus hehe).


Isn't it fabulous..Yes you cry.....



I should be getting an early night but I think I need a 'Grey's Anatomy' fix as I've missed the last two weeks. Then tomorrow I'm going to start again with renewed enthusiasm to continue on the quest for the most beautiful house in sunny Launceston. Well at least a tidy, freshly painted one xx

My dream house!!!!

I started my two weeks annual leave yesterday YEAH. The long list of things to be done in the house has been started.... Yesterday I painted the bathroom ceiling and walls. Ben took the little shelf off the wall for me to paint behind and started scratching off the grout. It looks so fresh and bright. I'm going to make a little curtain using some really lovely fabric I bought at Cowslip a couple of months ago.
Today I had a general clean up throughout the house and made some soup :-) I didn't get as much done in the house as I would have liked but Ben was working late shift so it was just nice to do things at home with him around. Tomorrow I plan to paint Samuel's bedroom! He's chosen a red colour (Liverpool of course) for two walls and then a hint of a tint of white! for the other two. I'm not going to tell him that his room is next so that when he comes home from school it's all done - he will be so pleased, we won't be able to get him out of the room. I have such a long list of things to do I don't want to waste any time!
We got a new 'Notebook' baby laptop computer today. It's so fabulous. I can write this whilst sitting on the sofa watching television and drinking my cup of tea. The children were very excited and I'm having a play with it now as tomorrow I wont get a look in!

A week of unbelievable horror!

We have all spent the last few days watching the horror of Japan's earthquake and tsunami unfold. On Friday last week an earthquake hit just of the coast of Japan which resulted in a tsunami with waves over 10 meters high! It has destoyed the coastline and all in it's path. Thousands of people have died and many thousands of people are missing or have had their whole lives destoyed. It's been horrific watching it on television I cannot imagine how the people of Japan are coping. As if that wasn't enough they have the added situation of the nucular crisis! On the news this morning they said that 50 or so nucular plant workers have stayed on at the plant to try and sort out the 'melt down' problems!!!!! They must be braver than brave and I hope that the japaniese government looks after their family for their 

service to their country.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan xxxxxxxxxxx



Well done Samuel xx

Samuel is the hero of the day xx He won the most coveted hard work trophy today at school and came home feeling very proud xx He was very pleased to have a cup of tea in the new Well Done mug xx See the day didn't turn out badly for everyone.........reasons to make you smile :-)

Oh dear!!

I've not had a good day. The children and I woke a little later than we should have this morning, but never the less we all managed to bundle into the car at our normal time this morning. All in good time to get to work and school. Samuel was strapping himself in and we were saying (quite smugly) how well we had done to get everything done. I reversed to get our of my parking place and CRUNCH!!!!!! Samuel had left his car door open and it crunched into the hedge on the passenger side and had made an almighty mess of the door. The door panel is buckled and the hinge is bent and I was very very sad :-(    Bless poor Samuel he was mortified and was crying - which is never a good start to the day. I too was really upset and had to get Ben down to the car to have a look (and to close the door as I was unable!). What a pain. My Benjamin is a star on the other hand - or he is just used to me messing the car up - as he kept saying as long as you are all alright then its only the car.............I'm sure he wasn't thinking that inside but he didn't show it. I've felt awful all day made better only due to the many texts from Ben checking I was alright !!

I did get to work in Liskeard Hospital todaywhich make a nice change. I haven't seen the lovely Liskeard ladies in ages so it was good to catch up. We have decided to go to London at the end of March on a trip organised by Unison to march and protest about the beak up of the NHS. Sounds like fun and I will have felt like I have contributed to the many efforts of people who are not happy with what is happening. Liz would be a good one to go on the trip she would make sure she was heard hehe.

Its been so very cold in Launceston and Liskeard today so I am very pleased to be back in my lovely home all snug. Tamsyn and Emily and snuggled up on the sofa watching Dispicable Me and Samuel has just come back from playing football and cricket up at the park with Uncle Andi. He's quite cold but will only have to go back out again in a little while to go and play rugby! Poor thing he will be like an ice block later on.

My mugs arrived today YEAH xx They are so fabulous and I love them. I think I will order some more next month when I get paid :-) I can wait to give them to Mum and Benjamin (Mothers day is only in a month's time, but I will have to wait until May for Bens birthday.......I think I may not last that long and give it to him sooner....they are too nice to be hidden away.....!)

Tamsyn is a stripy lady as I speak. My friend Tracy has given her a top and a jumper with pink and white stripes from Boden today and she looks very qute. She is so tired, I think having to go to school is a bit of a shock to the system after our lovely half term. Me thinks tea, a bath and a very early night xxx