Friday 31 March 2017

Tips for Planning a Stag or Hen Do!

Planning a stag or hen do? Ahhh I remember mine and my husbands, we had such good fun, from what I can remember........

Most of ours were organised by our immediate wedding party with a little bit of input from ourselves but with many added surprises thrown in. I've also organised a couple myself and it does take a bit of planning, that's for sure.

I thought it would be good to share a few tips with you on organising a stag/hen do.




  • Be organised. This is key. Keep a spreadsheet of who is going, monies that have been paid and what is due. 

  • Choose a destination, Liverpool I have heard is supposed to be a blast I've heard!

  • Plan some fun activities, my friend has been telling me about these beer goggles you can get, they sound hilarious. I've always found it good to arrange some good ice breakers to get everyone chatting and making friends and obviously once the booze gets flowing it does make things a bit easier! 

  • Get everyone organised, organising a do like this is always a mission so getting extra hands on board is always going to be a good thing. You can split things that need organising and allocate jobs. 

  • Make sure you take into account the stag or hens requests, if they really don't want to do something don't do it, there is no point upsetting the bride or groom to be. 

  • Most of all.......have fun!!! After it is a stag and a hen do, it's supposed to be a little raucous!! 

* Collaborative Post. 

House Hunting Tips.

Moving house, it can be a stressful time that's for sure. It's not a simple process and can take a very long time to actually finding your dream home to then owning it. We have been in our house for over a year now, when we first started looking at moving it was a bit of a daunting prospect so I thought that I would share a few tips that could make house hunting that little bit simpler. 



  • Make sure you know your personal affordability. If you want to be really organised you could arrange to get a mortgage in principal through an  reputable mortgage broker.

  • Research the area that you want to move to. Check out the schools, local amenities, conveniences, parks, crime reports and doctors surgeries. 

  • Make sure you view several properties, it's so easy to fall in love with the first property you like the look of but it's so important to get a feel for what houses are for sale and if they match your requirements. 

  • Be realistic about your expectations. Unless you are building your own property it's unlikely that a house will tick every single box, you may have to compromise over a double garage, or a bigger garden or a study. 

  • Try to see past decor and what the house looks like with the current owners in it, imagine it as a blank canvas that you can put your own stamp on it. 


  • Ask the current owners questions about the area, also the estate agents should also know the area pretty well too so make sure you interrogate them too. 

  • Remember to find out council tax rates, that's always handy to know so it doesn't come as a shock if you do decide to move into this certain property and you end up being on a top end council tax rate. 

  • Enjoy it! You don't get to house hunt that often and if you're like me it's really interesting seeing other people's interior design choices and looking around properties!
* Collaborative post. 



Wednesday 29 March 2017

Best and Worst Linky #90



Beautiful Things


Run, Jump, Scrap!

Hello and a big welcome to this weeks best and worst linky. I do have to confess that I haven't read all of last weeks linky yet. If you follow me over on Facebook and Instagram you will have seen my fairly dramatic fire pictures. I am currently writing a blog post on this but I am pleased to see we are all safe, although our study is a gonner. So I have been quite lapse with the blogging etc over the last few days. This week is going quickly and here we are again, Wednesday and linky day.

Sarah and I hope that the linky continues to go from strength to strength and perhaps 0ver the next few months we might implement some small changes but these are still being discussed. In the meantime let me welcome you, as always to the best and worst linky run by my lovely friend Sarah who blogs over at Run Jump Scrap and co-hosted by myself. If you're new to the linky we're delighted for you to join in, please do have a read of the rules. If you're a regular then thanks as always for the support. Sarah and I split the commenting now, it is working well doing it like that. You should have received a comment from one of us so if you are missing one please do drop us a tweet or email. We've had some great posts over the last few months and we're looking forward to reading some more fabulous posts!

So what is best and worst all about? This is the linky where you can tell us about the best or worst things that have happened in the last week or even the last year, this could in the form of a blog post, a photo or even a video. It can be an old post or a new post, we don't mind we just want you to share it with us. We want you to share your babies firsts, the crappy day at work you've had or a makeup disaster basically the good, the bad or the downright ugly! We want to share your excitement and tears, highs and lows no matter what it is.

What we are going to introduce is more of an emphasis on our #bestandworst hashtag. We would love to see more of you over on Instagram and Twitter sharing your pictures and posts with myself @helsy_1983 and Sarah @runjumpscrap this can be throughout the whole week not just when our linky runs and we will then aim to feature some depending on who uses the hashtag. As this is still a fairly new thing for us it might take a few weeks before people start using the hashtag more.

So as always, on with the linky........please have a little read of the rules and we look forward to reading this weeks posts.

We are going to be keeping a close eye on the commenting in the coming weeks, it's not fair to link and run so please take some time to visit some other blogs and comment, linkys  only work if people spend time to read other blogs and comment on them.


* Please  note Sarah and I are taking a well earned break ready for Easter so this will be the last best and worst for a couple of weeks, we'll be back very soon!*



Rules
  • The linky will open at 5.30am on a Wednesday and close at 23.55pm on a Friday
  • You can link up one or two posts each week
  • Please comment on the 2 posts before yours and have a nosey at the host's too. We've noticed that some people have just been link dropping and not commenting on the 2 in front, please do return the favour so everyone gets some comments and linky love, thankyou.
  • ***Please add the badge to the bottom of your page so everyone knows where you have linked up***
  • Tweet your hosts @helsy_1983 and @RunJumpScrap once linked up so we can retweet you. When tweeting and commenting use the hashtag #bestandworst so everyone knows where you have come from and remember to hashtag us over on Instagram too
Best of Worst




    

Monday 27 March 2017

Magic Bean Pot - *Review*

We have a little fairy in our house. She sits quietly on the windowsill watching over us, just checking on what we're doing and taking it all in. Her name is Hope and she's in charge of her little flowerpot where she grows her cute magic beans.


The magic beanpot comes beautifully packaged in a colourful little box. Inside you get a small flower pot, a mini spade, a fairy, a robin and a couple of beans to plant. The actual beans themselves are so sweet with the word 'hope' and a star imprinted on them. The only thing you have to provide is the compost to plant your bean in, water to make it grow and a little bit of love. 


So we planted our little bean and we wished and waited and hoped it grew. We wished and waited some more, and some more but our little bean did not grow. Sadly, because the weather was a little on the cold side when we planted it, the little bean did not germinate. We remain hopeful for the next one though. Ironic that our fairy was called Hope really!



These really are the sweetest products, it would make a lovely gift and retailing at £7.99 it's an affordable price. You can choose between Hope or Joy, both lovely choices and I'm sure any budding gardener would love to have a go planting and taking care of a magic bean.


I love all the 'my fairy garden' items, you can have a nose at them by clicking here, they are so whimsical and fairytale it's hard not to be drawn to them. There are also lots of fun games and activities available on the website........go see what fairy you are,  I got Belle! I also spent a fair bit of time doing the jigsaws, very therapeutic! So if you're looking for a unique gift I would definitely recommend checking out the fairy items available. 

* Please not we were kindly sent a magic bean pot for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wednesday 22 March 2017

Best and Worst Linky #89

Beautiful Things


Run, Jump, Scrap!

Hello and a big welcome to this weeks best and worst linky. I do have to confess that I haven't read all of last weeks linky yet. If you follow me over on Facebook and Instagram you will have seen my fairly dramatic fire pictures. I am currently writing a blog post on this but I am pleased to see we are all safe, although our study is a gonner. So I have been quite lapse with the blogging etc over the last few days. This week is going quickly and here we are again, Wednesday and linky day.

Sarah and I hope that the linky continues to go from strength to strength and perhaps 0ver the next few months we might implement some small changes but these are still being discussed. In the meantime let me welcome you, as always to the best and worst linky run by my lovely friend Sarah who blogs over at Run Jump Scrap and co-hosted by myself. If you're new to the linky we're delighted for you to join in, please do have a read of the rules. If you're a regular then thanks as always for the support. Sarah and I split the commenting now, it is working well doing it like that. You should have received a comment from one of us so if you are missing one please do drop us a tweet or email. We've had some great posts over the last few months and we're looking forward to reading some more fabulous posts!

So what is best and worst all about? This is the linky where you can tell us about the best or worst things that have happened in the last week or even the last year, this could in the form of a blog post, a photo or even a video. It can be an old post or a new post, we don't mind we just want you to share it with us. We want you to share your babies firsts, the crappy day at work you've had or a makeup disaster basically the good, the bad or the downright ugly! We want to share your excitement and tears, highs and lows no matter what it is.

What we are going to introduce is more of an emphasis on our #bestandworst hashtag. We would love to see more of you over on Instagram and Twitter sharing your pictures and posts with myself @helsy_1983 and Sarah @runjumpscrap this can be throughout the whole week not just when our linky runs and we will then aim to feature some depending on who uses the hashtag. As this is still a fairly new thing for us it might take a few weeks before people start using the hashtag more.

So as always, on with the linky........please have a little read of the rules and we look forward to reading this weeks posts.

We are going to be keeping a close eye on the commenting in the coming weeks, it's not fair to link and run so please take some time to visit some other blogs and comment, linkys  only work if people spend time to read other blogs and comment on them.

My featured post from last week is from the rather lovely Laurie who blogs at Vanity and Me, I think you'll agree she looks absolutely gorgeous and the green dress is stunning on her! Go have a nosey.

Sarah's featured post is from the fab Autumn's Mummy with this brilliant 90's tag.....I might just have to take part in this one, such fun! Go have a read.

Rules
        • The linky will open at 5.30am on a Wednesday and close at 23.55pm on a Friday
        • You can link up one or two posts each week
        • Please comment on the 2 posts before yours and have a nosey at the host's too. We've noticed that some people have just been link dropping and not commenting on the 2 in front, please do return the favour so everyone gets some comments and linky love, thankyou.
        • ***Please add the badge to the bottom of your page so everyone knows where you have linked up***
        • Tweet your hosts @helsy_1983 and @RunJumpScrap once linked up so we can retweet you. When tweeting and commenting use the hashtag #bestandworst so everyone knows where you have come from and remember to hashtag us over on Instagram too


        Best of Worst

        
        
        
        
            

        Monday 20 March 2017

        Brilliant Bunchems ! *Review*

        If you haven't heard of Bunchems! Where have you been? These crazy, sticky (except they're not sticky), squashy, colourful things have been causing a stir for quite some time now and it's easy to see why. 



        Bunchems. They really are unlike any toy that we have and we have alot of toys. These brightly coloured little balls cleverly stick to each other with a little squeeze and allow the child to use their imagination and let their creativity flow. 





        We were kindly sent 2 packs to test out and both surpassed my expectations. Both boxes were filled to the brim with these curious little, crazy balls, they look so inviting to the curious, creative child and as soon as Alfie saw inside the box he couldn't wait to start creating. Both boxes feature a mix of colours and accessories to make a variety of critters.




        I have to admit, it wasn't just Alfie that got involved. Myself and my husband got right in there having a little go and seeing what we could create. These things are addictive and quite relaxing, I kid you not. There is something about them that draws you in wanting to stick them together and create crazy, 3d creatures and models. Alfie was obsessed with making a scrunch......his idea of a monster I think! He was very proud of his scrunch that's for sure. 


        The concept is so simple it's a winning formula. Similar to sticklebricks in that they magically fix together and stay it's easy for children and their little hands to be creative. The possibilities are literally endless with what you can make.

        Bumchems are recommended for age 4 + and I would have to agree with this. We let Elarna play with them fully supervised but they are a choking risk and it wouldn't be a smart move to let any child younger than 4 play with them alone, as mentioned they do look rather inviting to the younger child so make sure you store well out of their reach. 



        We had a go at making several things that the instruction book suggests. Alfie loved the bumble bee that Daddy helped him make, pretty cute isn't it! We also spent quite alot of time trying to make the biggest snake that we could out of then Bunchems.......sadly I didn't get a chance to take a picture of this as Alfie was quite protective over it!



        So what did we like?


        • They are fun and engaging
        • Encourage fine motor skills and imagination
        • They are bright and interesting
        • Reasonable price for what is included
        • Unique and original 
        • Kept the kids entertained for a decent amount of time. 

        What weren't we so keen on? 


        • The cardboard box wasn't ideal to store them in once opened
        • They are quite small so the age range is fairly restricted
        • They get everywhere!! I keep finding them in a variety of places.


        Overall,  I was very impressed with them. It went above my expectations, engaged the kids far more than I anticipated and they are a welcome addition to our toy collection. We will definitely be taking several away on holiday with us as they did occupy them for quite some time and as they come in a fairly slim box they don't take up much space at all. 

        Have you ever tried Bunchems? What did you think of them? 

        * Please note I was kindly sent the items free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.

        Sunday 19 March 2017

        Mothers Day Wishlist!

        With Mothers Day just around the corner I thought it would be a nice idea to put together a little gift guide/wish list. After all who doesn't like a little bit of spoiling on the day that's supposed to be an appreciation of Mums, Grandparents etc. Who am I kidding though, for me it'll probably be like pretty much every other day except that I'll be seeing my Mum!


        I know what I would really like this year (apart from some lovely flowers), there is a new spa opening near us and I would love some vouchers treat myself, but failing that a bluetooth speaker from HMV so I can blast some tunes out in the garden over Summer  and on holiday would be marvellous! Music really cheers me up so being able to play plenty with a bluetooth speaker would be great.

        Extreme WallRide Artist Edition Bluetooth Speaker (Image 1)

        As I said above, flowers are always appreciated. I love having some fresh and pretty blooms in the house, I find it cheers the place up and makes the house seem like a happy place. My personal favourites and tulips and lillies, but anything bright and colourful is a winner in my eyes. I got these beautiful rainbow lillies from my best friend the other week and they are still going strong, they are stunning. 


        I'm also a huge lover of jewellery so how about some beautiful jewels? What Mother wouldn't want to receive a gorgeous necklace or bracelet, made especially more sentimental if the child has chosen it or even designed it! There are so many options available these days, my kids know that I love pink and anything sparkly, I'm fairly easily pleased haha.


        It's also so lovely to receive hand made gifts from the kids, I love getting cards and little keepsake gifts that they make in nursery and school....... it's just so sweet and it's something to keep for years to come, I love that they've made them and put some thought into it. I've got a right collection of things that have been made for me in the last few years, sadly I did lose a couple of things in our fire but mostly they are all ok. I love looking back on them, so if buying gifts isn't really an option it's a lovely thing to do and make something. It also keeps the kids entertained while making something!



        Of course there are lots of options to buy gifts, the shops are full of pretty things but most of all enjoy spending time with your Mum and have a relaxing day!

        * Collaborative Post.

        Wednesday 15 March 2017

        Best and Worst Linky #88



        Beautiful Things


        Run, Jump, Scrap!

        Hello and a big welcome to this weeks best and worst linky. I do have to confess that I haven't read all of last weeks linky yet. If you follow me over on Facebook and Instagram you will have seen my fairly dramatic fire pictures. I am currently writing a blog post on this but I am pleased to see we are all safe, although our study is a gonner. So I have been quite lapse with the blogging etc over the last few days. This week is going quickly and here we are again, Wednesday and linky day.

        Sarah and I hope that the linky continues to go from strength to strength and perhaps 0ver the next few months we might implement some small changes but these are still being discussed. In the meantime let me welcome you, as always to the best and worst linky run by my lovely friend Sarah who blogs over at Run Jump Scrap and co-hosted by myself. If you're new to the linky we're delighted for you to join in, please do have a read of the rules. If you're a regular then thanks as always for the support. Sarah and I split the commenting now, it is working well doing it like that. You should have received a comment from one of us so if you are missing one please do drop us a tweet or email. We've had some great posts over the last few months and we're looking forward to reading some more fabulous posts!

        So what is best and worst all about? This is the linky where you can tell us about the best or worst things that have happened in the last week or even the last year, this could in the form of a blog post, a photo or even a video. It can be an old post or a new post, we don't mind we just want you to share it with us. We want you to share your babies firsts, the crappy day at work you've had or a makeup disaster basically the good, the bad or the downright ugly! We want to share your excitement and tears, highs and lows no matter what it is.

        What we are going to introduce is more of an emphasis on our #bestandworst hashtag. We would love to see more of you over on Instagram and Twitter sharing your pictures and posts with myself @helsy_1983 and Sarah @runjumpscrap this can be throughout the whole week not just when our linky runs and we will then aim to feature some depending on who uses the hashtag. As this is still a fairly new thing for us it might take a few weeks before people start using the hashtag more.

        So as always, on with the linky........please have a little read of the rules and we look forward to reading this weeks posts.

        We are going to be keeping a close eye on the commenting in the coming weeks, it's not fair to link and run so please take some time to visit some other blogs and comment, linkys  only work if people spend time to read other blogs and comment on them.

        Rules



              • The linky will open at 5.30am on a Wednesday and close at 23.55pm on a Friday
              • You can link up one or two posts each week
              • Please comment on the 2 posts before yours and have a nosey at the host's too. We've noticed that some people have just been link dropping and not commenting on the 2 in front, please do return the favour so everyone gets some comments and linky love, thankyou.
              • ***Please add the badge to the bottom of your page so everyone knows where you have linked up***
              • Tweet your hosts @helsy_1983 and @RunJumpScrap once linked up so we can retweet you. When tweeting and commenting use the hashtag #bestandworst so everyone knows where you have come from and remember to hashtag us over on Instagram too



              Best of Worst

              
              
              
              
                  

              Monday 13 March 2017

              Smoke and Fire.

              It's funny how things happen. I've always said that I'm a strong believer in fate and what will be will be. Every night I go to bed and hope that we all wake in the morning, we continue to be happy and healthy and get through the day. A couple of weeks ago I was reminded to love life and be grateful for everything. It sounds a cliche but it did make me wake up and smell the coffee.


              It was a very normal day on Thursday 2nd March 2017. Nothing remarkable or anything outstanding, a normal day. My husband was working in London. It was world book day at school for Alfie.  He was going as 'The Smartest Giant in Town' and I'd typically left things until last minute and wasn't very organised. Elarna was, well just being Elarna. The  food shopping was booked for delivery later in the day and I was feeling quite relaxed as I'd done alot of cleaning the day before and the house was looking pretty tidy and clean. I didn't have much planned and was looking forward to that prospect. It was going to be a quiet and fairly mundane day. How wrong was I..........






              I've been missing some paperwork since starting my new job and it's been bugging me as I knew I'd seen it before Christmas, I was sure it was in the study. I'd been putting off trying to find it as the study was a complete and utter tip. It's fair to say my husband isn't the tidiest, although according to him it's organised mess but in my eyes it was like a tornado had happened. Anyway, on a whim I decided that I should probably try and find this bloody paperwork so thought I'd have a look through the study to see if I could track it down. Guess what......I didn't find it. While in the study,  for some reason I thought it would be a great idea to hoover the floor as it was grim. It's ironic really that usually I just tend to shut the door and forget about the mess.  Like I said, it's my husbands domain and on principal I very rarely go in there but good god it did need a tidy. I decided to whip the hoover around quickly while I had some time, after all it would only take a few minutes. Elarna had been pottering around the room with me and while I was hoovering she found a couple of toys to keep herself entertained. I finished in the room and shut the door, seeing as I was upstairs I thought I may as well vacuum the rest of the rooms........perhaps I should have just not hoovered at all. 


              This happened. 



              The smoke alarm went off. It's pretty loud and I heard it over the hoover. Weird I thought, why the hell is the damn smoke alarm going off. Shit......I could see smoke, but where from? I turn the smoke alarm off, quickly open the windows but yet more smoke.......where the hell is it coming from, oh and the smell. The smell is going to stay with me for a long time. Just writing about this is actually making me feel funny, I've kind of pushed it to the back of mind so reliving it isn't fun. The smoke alarm was still going off and yet more smoke. At this point *realisation dawned*....... fire. Shit. I looked towards the study and saw plumes of black smoke coming from the sides of the door. I felt a bit sick. Elarna was now crying alot and the smoke alarm seemed so loud, *beep beep beep beep beep beep* it just kept beeping. Good thing it worked really....... Stupidly, I opened the study door, the handle wasn't hot........ within a split second of opening the door, about 30 centimetres and I saw flames, actual flames. I felt heat. I smelt smoke, again the smell is going to stay with me for quite some time. The flames were about a foot high, red and orange angrily flickering at me, not quite roaring but enough to make my heart pound and slam the door and run. Elarna was still crying and I could feel panic rising, I grabbed Elarna, my phone and legged it as fast I could out the house picking up (rather randomly) my house keys on the way out. I was shaking like a leaf, I remember feeling petrified and trying to dial 999 but I was shaking so much that my fingers wouldn't work. After a couple attempts of trying I took a deep breath and  gave myself a kick up the arse to calm down and breathe and called 999. 




              It's all a bit of a blur, I know I was panicking and the guy on the end of the phone was great and did try and keep me calm but seeing plumes of black smoke coming through the windows really did make me stress. The fire engine seemed to take forever to arrive and I suspect realistically it was less than 10 minutes but it felt like hours. Plus my arm was killing me from where I was carrying Elarna, she' a right lump now! I remember the call handler asking me if I could see flames or smoke, I could only see smoke but it was so black and kept coming, I was thinking this is really bad, f*ck. He kept asking me about if we had any pets, oh god the cats I couldn't remember where I'd seen them last, I was fairly sure that they were out but I couldn't be sure, then there was the hamster but she was downstairs so should be ok........then my neighbour turned up and actually I was relieved to have someone with me while waiting for the firemen. After finishing my call with the guy on the phone I remember ringing Adi and pretty much yelling down the phone that there was a fire and he needed to come home, I rang my parents and my in - laws to come, they were literally down the road. The next few minutes were a blur, 2 fire engines raced around the corner with about 8 firemen on then, all rather nice guys I may add! As soon as they got here they jumped into action and I can't recall much apart from sitting in the back of a fire engine with Elarna shivering and some very friendly fire men chatting to me, asking me what I thought started the fire and if I wanted an ambulance or some oxygen (which I didn't!). 

              I was trying to rack  my brains as to what had happened. It's weird, you go over things again and again and again and try to recall what you did and what it could have been. I thought I knew. My husband has been doing alot or DIY recently, he's been busy doing our en suite up and as such there are a few tools left around. As he's generally the only one that goes into the study he'd left his heat gun in there, I remember seeing it on the floor and thinking why has he left that there and I moved it out the way while hoovering, Elarna was also in that area from what I remember. So what I THINK happened, and I can't be sure and I guess never will be but it's 1 of 2 things. I either caught the on button with the hoover or Elarna switched it on without me noticing. There are valuable lessons to be learned!! 1/ don't leave dangerous items around! 2/ be  more aware of what I'm doing and what my child is doing! 3/ Possibly more important, check your smoke alarms!!!! If I hadn't been alerted to smoke via the alarms things could have been so much worse.  I was also told by the firemen that I had done exactly the right thing by shutting the door and getting out the property, if I hadn't have shut the door things would have been a hell of a lot worse. There is noone to blame or point the finger, just a series of unfortunate events.



              On entering back in the house after the fire had been put out the stench of smoke knocked me for 6. Wow, nothing can prepare you for that, the whole house was literally consumed with this cloying, acrid smell, horrible. It gets to the back of your throat, it makes you feel thirsty, like you've smoked about 50 fags. Disgusting. Then you have to comprehend the damage. The firemen had obviously prepared me for the state of the room and I don't think the photos do it justice. Everything is ruined. It's not necessarily what has been burnt.....it's the smoke damage that's the sod, that and water damage. We were lucky not to have anything more burnt completely, other than a teddy bear (RIP Biggles) and sadly Elarna's 1st sleepsuit, which I'm trying not to dwell on (luckily her little hat was ok and Alfie's was just sooty and I have managed to wash both so they are fine now) but pretty much everything that was in the room has an element of damage and is having to be disposed of. The important things I have managed to safe and I'm so pleased are the kids birth certificates, red books and Alfie's recent school achievements and certificates (phew). 




              It's funny, lots of people have said it's only stuff and it can be replaced. Yes, yes it can but that still doesn't help feeling a little bit of sadness at seeing my beloved books that I've collected over the years being skipped, or family games that come out at Christmas all with warped boxes and coated in a layer of smoke damage. The new printer that we haven't had that long gone, my mint green Ted Baker shopping bag trashed and all my years of uni work stinky and singed. Photos have been salvaged but they will long have the scent of smoke on them, a stark reminder of what's happened. The baby car seat, the baby chair and playmat that were being stored in there, gone. Tons of dvd's and mounds of paperwork.....gone. So yes, it can all be replaced but it's still OUR stuff that we are having to bin. It doesn't feel great.  It's not just a case of dusting it off, the smell remains in the stuff and actually it's really hard to get rid of soot mixed with water. I managed to clean up all the kids certificates but they seem to still have a film over them, yuck.





              Never did like the old owners curtains!


              The room is empty now. It's nearly 2 weeks since it happened and we have had to live with the acrid smell for several days while we've waited for insurance company to do what they've had to do. We've also had a huge dehumidifier going that has been super noisy and also just made the whole house feel really dry and changing the smell  of the smoke, if that makes any sense? Probably not but it felt weird in the house for several days after. We've got no curtains in several areas of the house now as they've been taken to be cleaned and the carpet is filthy from the big, black boots of the firemen as they raced around the house throwing windows open.  There are scuff marks everywhere and none of the upstairs looks great, all the walls need repainting and the carpet needs replacing, the whole study needs washing down and redoing. It's a huge job and I'm hoping it's going to get down fairly quickly. The room was emptied on Friday and everything was written down on an inventory so we can claim for the contents. I'm not going to lie, I'll be pleased to get new curtains, I bloody hated the ones that were in there. We also have to get the electrics in the room looked at and the window which has warped. I'm really hoping once this is done the smell will go and we can move on because at the moment it's all a really unpleasant reminder of what happened and how much worse it could have been.
              Tomorrow is a new day. We are trying not to dwell on it because it's happened and that's life, it sometimes deals you a curveball. It has taught us to be much more aware of things and also check for hazards and dangers!

              So if this post does one thing and one thing only, I implore,  if you have smoke detectors, check them. Check them now and make sure they work because if ours weren't working I dread to think of how much worse it could have been.