Hunting through the charity shops
I love charity shops, always have and always will.
Here is someone else who likes it when I go to a charity shop. Sorry to anyone that gave away a Monster inc toy thinking it would go to a nice friendly toddler who would give it cuddles at night.:(
There’s only one monster in this house….and that’s ME.
When I got my new job recently rather than spending lots of money on work clothes, ( I don’t get paid much!!) I sourced them all through ebay and the local charity shops, mostly the ones in Chandlers Ford. Yes, I had a few disasters, which either went straight back to the charity shop ( feel good factor) or went online onto ebay. Or they are still hanging on my rails as you never know I may need a red ruffle ankle length dress one day…..
Now days I go the charity shops to see if I can find something cheap and cheerful but a bit different for the house. It doesn’t have to be anything of value just something that sings out to me or something that I know as I head towards the door I’ll regret not buying.
So these are my most recent buys from the local charity shops.
Vintage Italian glass bottle £1.99
Silver plated glass miniature coffee cup £1.99
1920s style jewellery holder £4.99
It will be another couple of weeks before I have time to do another browse but watch this space….!!
Smoked Garlic online
Roast this in tin foil, closed up for an hour and sqeeze over crusty bread!
Since I put up the photo of lunch at the Garlic cafe I’m having a big craving for smoked garlic and have just searched online to see where I can buy it.
None of the supermarkets sell it so start asking them, pretty please.
Smoked garlic is the nicest thing ever to liven up your taste buds, roasted and eaten as it is or spread on crusty bread. Just open up a clove and sniff it…and waft yourself to heaven.
Cheapest place I have found it is on ebay, imported from France. Eagerly now awaiting for my delivery…..
Not crazy about golf, but love my new toaster
I’ve been struggling with my old Spanish toaster for a while now. The main problem with it being that Spanish bread is smaller than English bread…..and so a quarter of your toast in the morning doesn’t get cooked.
Good for calorie counting, good for the birds that get the soggy bit, bad for my mood at 7.30am.
So I decided today would be the day I changed the toaster and it was a big decision. You get the wrong colour toaster and you have to rip out your entire kitchen to co-ordinate with it, that means, cupboards, worktops, kettles, china, tea towels……and even the odd husband if he looks wrong against the new toaster.
Sensibly and because we are in a rented house so ripping out the kitchen is not an option, even though I do lie in bed sometimes dreaming of doing just that, so I opted for a white toaster. White goes with everything right?
Well it does unless it is put next to cream, then the cream looks dirty so I’m afraid my Argos bread bin may have to be upcycled and I’m not really sure about our golden labrador, he’s quite pale. He may have to be fur dipped.
So here it is. My new white toaster which nobody apart from me has used. I cut some bread and when finished it flew into the air so I haven’t only got a toaster I have a toaster to help eye to mouth co-ordination each hungry morning.
I’m not crazy about golf but I love my new toaster……( has a golf ball quality about it…and BLING.)
Marks and Spencer Promotion code March 28th 2013
I just went to the Mark & Spencers website to look at ordering some shoes as I need some without open toes for work in the spring/summer, they are 20% off online.
Before I went to the check out I did a quick search on the internet to see if there were any Marks and Spencer promotion codes for March 2013.
Well there is.
If you spend more than £35 you get £5 off. That saved me the cost of the £3.50 delivery charge and more.
At checkout just enter EASTER35 where is says do you have a promotion code.
Happy shopping and a Happy Easter….
Valentines Presents Ideas for Valentines Day
Just in case you are struggling…..
Valentines Day February 14th….
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=271147273925&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT
Happy Valentines Day!!
My favourite presents for Christmas
not for me…but for friends.
I saw this cute door stop in Primark and he’s just £5.00 and weighs in at well over a kg. Ideal for someone that likes chabby chic. He’s really well made with button eyes, checked fabric body. Just lovely.
Continuing with the shabby chic look, vintage feel which I just love! I ordered this lovely bone china tea cup candle and matching saucer and side plate from a lady from ebay. It arrived in such pretty packaging I almost didn’t want to part with it but it found the ideal home with my friend Fran and now it sits on her kitchen mantlepiece. The candles smell divine too. You can find it on ebay under the name Rosie Tymes.
A book to enjoy for the week-end
I haven’t picked up a book for a while, life gets in the way sometimes doesn’t it?
But yesterday afternoon there was a quiet spell at work, the rain was pouring off the roof, it was dark and gloomy and so I picked up Cecilia Aherns book called “The Time of my Life.”
I really enjoy Cecelia’s books, they always have a happy ending which is an absolute must for me and they also don’t contain any scenes which make you squirm with embarrassment and all can be enjoyed by my teen daughter after I’ve finished with them. They have a whimsical tale to tell and the plots have a touch of magic about them. They transport me away from real life for a few hours and when I return I feel happier than when I left. 
My daughter commented that I was in a good mood yesterday and honestly I’m sure it was because I had taken some proper time out just for me. When did you last do that?
Amazon sent me an email today and I’m so happy as Cecelia Ahern has written another book! It’s a hardbook and Amazon have it for sale at just over £5.00. I’m away this wek-end and plan to finish “The time of my life” so that on Monday morning I can order her new book, “One Hundred Names” and no, isn’t related to baby names in any way!
Hope you have a good book tucked away in a dusty drawer that you can retrieve this week-end and steal yourself an hour to read……enjoy.
Furby the best selling toy this Christmas?
They are back…and oh so cute in a variety of different colours and with razzle dazzle eyes.
If you liked the Furby the first time around wait until you see the new improved version and bets are on that this will be the best selling toy of Christmas 2012. I’ve just ordered the yellow one for my daughter….ok, for me!
Shops such as Amazon and Argos are selling them at just under £60.00 and at the moment they have the full selection of colours/personalities in yellow, white, pink/purple, black and red.
Which one will you choose?
You can buy them here….
How to stop my dog pulling on his lead
Well I’ve discovered a miracle and decided not to rave over it until I’d tried it for a couple of weeks in case the miracle was just a fluke…it isn’t.
No more red welts from wrapping a lead around my wrists, no more nose dives into pavements and no more dog walking rage where I could quite happily have throttled my lovely lab that has been an absolute nightmare with a lead and collar.
It got so bad a few weeks ago that I decided I was either close to killing him with the collar or he was going to kill me with a stroke.
So I bought a harness after reading the rave reviews and thought if it fails I’ll just give it to a dog charity shop or wrap it around Charlie’s neck……
The harness was a nightmare to put on. I had a labrador springing up on all fours excited to go for a walk but not so happy with the idea of something going over his head and then having his paws put through more loops. The job has got easier as I now know how to put the harness on, ( thank you Erika for doing a dog demo for me…) and the dog has become a little calmer……ok, it is still a nightmare.
BUT….the nightmare of walking him is OVER.
His obsession with sniffing and weeing has ended and I swear he looks the part of “guide dog for the blind” 70% of the time. I no longer have red marks, dog rage or a dog that is being choked. He’s happier, I’m happier and I have no idea how this harness works but work it does. So much kinder too than the collar that was choking him.
This is the one I have bought. If your dog pulls on his lead and I mean PULLS as in your arms come out of their sockets and you feel like you are being dragged by a beast…buy one! It will save both your sanity and your sockets.
My New Buys
Best New Buys this week are my ironing board cover reduced to £3.50 in Sainsburys fits most sized ironing boards. Sorry very dull but not as dull as my previous ironing board cover frazzled beyond repair.
Next best buy is my metallic ice prevention car windscreen cover for my mini. I’m thinking ahead of standing outside in the freezing sub zero temperatures scraping ice off the car window and after living in Spain for 10 years when the winter temperatures in the afternoon are often 20 degrees, well….I will do anything I can to avoid standing still with an ice scraper. Bought it on Amazon.
Lastly the latest book by Cecilia Ahern………..