So much to tell you ...... but no time!

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on my last post - I can't believe I got so many and I'm sorry I haven't replied to you all because I really do appreciate each and every one!

But golly this whole "new job" business is a bit stressful!

I actually start TOMORROW (and I only found out for certain yesterday afternoon!) and will be working for two hours on a Wednesday then full time on Thursday and Friday.

The job itself is fine - I'm going to be working part time as a secretary in a local college - it's just the logistics of sorting out the childcare for the three little Lockets that's making me tear my hair out as each day and each child is going to be different {:o/ (that, by the way, is meant to be a picture of me with deep frown lines and a worried looking expression!)

I have so many other lovely things to show you or tell you about - like my wonderful surprise mini-quilt parcel from Kitty and my very exciting meet up with a rather special blogger but they will have to wait until I have time to upload the photos and think up a proper post!

Hopefully I will still have time to sew and time to blog.............................!

Lucy xx

Um..................

Um...........................


Gulp.....................................


I got it!!!!!!!!


And they changed the hours too!!!!

Now, about this job interview....................

I've got my first interview in years (lots of years, more than 11 years in fact) this Friday morning and I'm really delighted to have got this far but unfortunately they've changed the job spec so the hours are now a total disaster :(

I'm going to go to the interview anyway because it will be excellent practice and you never know, they might love me SOOOOOO MUCH that they change everything in my favour (and then they'll pay me double too and pigs will start to fly!)

It just seems so hard to find a job that will fit around looking after the children - which has to stay my top priority.

Do any of you have any magical solutions for me?

Perhaps I'll win the lottery?



Would it help if I actually bought a ticket?

How-much-did-I-do-list

1. wash up if I did it once does it still count? Or do I have to do it EVERY TIME there are dirty dishes????
2. put washing on - I put it in but forgot to set it going - does that count????
3. make toad-in-the-hole batter, peel spuds and find veg for the children's supper- done
4. quickly tidy sitting room (it will take DAYS to make it look decent!!! which was all going well until I had to move the sofa to show Malcolm (see No. 8) the huge hole in the wooden floor which disclosed the layers of toys and grot lurking under the furniture!
5. finish finding homes for the books displaced during the big dining room rearrangement
6. tidy sewing table - can't do that because of all the spewed out contents of the w.a.c.c.b.n.f.o.s.s cupboard
7. empty middle part of the was-a-computer-cupboard-but-now-full-of-sewing-stuff cupboard all over dining table and sewing table
8. try to fix the collapsed shelf in the aforementioned cupboard that gave way under the weight of all my lovely Australian craft magazines - okay, so I lied here - I asked Malcolm, my very clever next door neighbour, to fix it for me so he has taken away the two pieces of splintered wood and is going to bring them back when they are one again!
9. design and cut out a simple doggy softy for my friend's gorgeous little girl - couldn't find the table or fabrics - see 6,7 and 8 above
10. iron a few clothes (I know! It's amazing! Because I never, ever, ever iron clothes - but I've got some nice new ones that would look so much better ironed so I may have to break the habit of a life time!) - had you going for a bit!!!!
11. collect fabric from closing down shop got some nice black velvety fabric
12. post parcel to Jodie and Annie
13. hoover Daisy and Fred's bedroom because we can finally see the floor again!
14. tidy hall and hoover hall and stairs
15. waste hours reading all your lovely blogs instead of tidying now that one was just easy!!!!
16. compulsively check my newly updated blog for comments again losing valuable tidying timehmmmmm, easy again
17. contact the delivery office to get them to send me my parcel again
18. do a sneaky extra layer of papier mache on Dot's model because it looks like it is never going to harden nearly stuck myself to it too!
19. wish I was sewing instead oh yes!
20. work on my CV - that's this evening's job along with a very large glass of very nice red wine!
    
21. Ring up for some job application forms and maybe ring some temping agencies too well I rang them, they just weren't there to talk to today!
22. help the children make some chocolate crispie cakes after school - full of smarties and jelly tots too!
23. swear (silently) a lot because the internet won't connect so I can publish this post flipping computer!

Sorry to subject you all to my to-do-list but it really helped me get more done than I would have otherwise - I love being able to cross things off lists!

Things

I don't know if you've noticed how nice I've been to you all lately?


I haven't subjected you to a Lucy Locket to-do-list for ages!!!!!


But as the chaos in the house is building up to truly embarrassing proportions I reckon it's about time I did something about it - and how better to tackle this humungous task than with an equally humungous list?


My VERY BIG SISTER Ally always says I should break things down into manageable bits like "pick 10 things up and put them away" so I will do a 10 point list for today.

1. wash up
2. put washing on
3. make toad-in-the-hole batter, peel spuds and find veg for the children's supper
4. quickly tidy sitting room (it will take DAYS to make it look decent!!!)
5. finish finding homes for the books displaced during the big dining room rearrangement
6. tidy sewing table
7. empty middle part of the was-a-computer-cupboard-but-now-full-of-sewing-stuff cupboard
   
8. try to fix the collapsed shelf in the aforementioned cupboard that gave way under the weight of all my lovely Australian craft magazines
9. design and cut out a simple doggy softy for my friend's gorgeous little girl
10. iron a few clothes (I know! It's amazing! Because I never, ever, ever iron clothes - but I've got some nice new ones that would look so much better ironed so I may have to break the habit of a life time!)
11. collect fabric from closing down shop
12. post parcel to Jodie and Annie
13. hoover Daisy and Fred's bedroom because we can finally see the floor again!
14. tidy hall and hoover hall and stairs
15. waste hours reading all your lovely blogs instead of tidying
16. compulsively check my newly updated blog for comments again losing valuable tidying time
17. contact the delivery office to get them to send me my parcel again
18. do a sneaky extra layer of papier mache on Dot's model because it looks like it is never going to harden
    
19. wish I was sewing instead
20. work on my CV
    
21. Ring up for some job application forms and maybe ring some temping agencies too
22. help the children make some chocolate crispie cakes after school
23. swear (silently) a lot because the internet won't connect so I can publish this post

Ok, so that's slightly more than 10 - but then think how good it will look if I actually get some of it done!!!


Today's post has been illustrated by Daisy Locket - love her new style!

And before I go I need to show you two presents that arrived in the post recently:

First of all my gorgeous notetaker that I won on Nicolette's recent giveaway by guessing that she was going to make a rainbow hexagon quilt


I put it to use immediately - I just love the fabrics and the pockets are really useful!

I hope you appreciate how I colour co-ordinated the pens to match the fabric! Thanks so much Nicolette - I love it!

And then this arrived from my lovely Lesley-friend


apparently I may at times want to smack the author but there is loads of jolly good common sense in there too! So maybe I will be able to lose 3 stone before the Country Living Fair after all!!!!

But I'll leave you today with this photo of Fred enjoying some corn on the cob fresh from the allotment!


Lucy x

P.S. Wish me luck for my interview.......................!

Far too many photos - but you're getting them anyway!

This is an extremely photo-heavy post and I don't really have that much to say (which will probably make a very pleasant surprise!) but I apologise now for a total lack of cohesion in what I have to show you today.

First of all I am going to have a shameless, last-ditch attempt to win some Geek-by-proxy points in Lesley's competition before it closes.

Young Fred Locket

(pretending to be a chicken at Granny and Grandpa's house in this photo)

was desperate for it to be his turn to make "Halloween Biscuits" at school, so he came up with a plan, and a rather geeky plan it was too (for a 6 year old anyway). He decided he'd make a chart with the days until Halloween across the top and the children in his class down the side. That way he could cross each child off as they had their turn to cook and would be able to see when it was getting closer to his turn! (so cute!)


Amazingly his turn came round far sooner than he expected so he is now just using his chart to count the days until Halloween! But in the meantime he had to ring his Granny Dog and tell her that you use golden syrup in biscuits!?!

Meanwhile Daisy Locket was off school poorly for a few days last week and decided she needed to make the most of her time spent lying on the sofa by sewing some shoes for Beatrix (her mahoosive rag doll).

We used the Heather Bailey Bitty Booties pattern and, with very little help once I'd shown her the stitches, this is what she produced


and here is young Beatrix proudly modelling them


Daisy went back to school today and the little shoes have gone too so she can show them to her teacher and her friends.

In doll related news, Fred's "Adam Friend" doll went through the wash the other day but I was rather shocked to find him like this


and even more concerned when I went back out later to see this

The poor kid! But I bet these cruelties paled into insignificance when I chucked him in the tumble dryer a couple of hours later!

Moving swiftly on to:

a rather depressing shot of the allotment

a very pretty butterfly in mum and dad's garden (have you noticed how much fewer there seem to be this year?)

and finally the real reason for this whole post

Mum and Dad's new puppy Milly!

She's totally adorable! Only 9 weeks old and so good. I wish we could have brought her home with us!

P.S. did you notice Daisy's lovely new socks, just finished by Granny Dog?

Look out London, Watch out World

WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!!!

(image borrowed from here *)

Clear the streets!


Lock your doors!


Hide!!!!!


coz I'm coming down to London again!

My "sewing night" friends and I are planning a trip down to the Country Living Christmas Fair on Friday 14th November and have actually been given 1st class train tickets too!

So if anyone fancies a bloggy meet up over a coffee just let me know!

Alternatively, you now know which day NOT TO GO to the CL fair!!!


I'm so excited!!!!


I am also rather nervous because I did something quite incredible today.................

I actually applied for a proper job for the first time since I had the children - so watch out world!

Unfortunately my CV was completely out of date - in fact I couldn't find one on the computer at all so had total panic stations while I searched through the deeply stratified archives (thank heavens for an archaeologist for a husband) for any previous job information. Maybe it's just me, but there is no way I would have been able to pluck qualification dates and details and former job details out of my memory!

Fortunately I found half a CV from 12 years ago and with the help of a humungous pile of old time-slips, pay-slips, P60s etc was able to cobble together a semi-decent application form (I think)

so please keep your fingers and toes crossed for me! It's "just" a part-time secretarial post - but it's one I think I would really enjoy and it's about time I started earning my keep!!!

*(no offence meant to any of my lovely bloggy pals who have had to cope with this kind of weather in real life)