Life's Ups & Downs

Have you ever wanted to wave a magic wand to make someone's pain go away??

That's just how I felt last night when I had a visit from a young friend of DS1 whose 20 month old daughter has just had major surgery to remove a tumour from her little tummy.  Brave B has lost a kidney and a small portion of bowel and now has to undergo weeks of intensive chemotherapy but she is one amazing little girl.  As I sat with her dad last night listening to the events of the past few weeks and looking at photos of her pre and post op I was overwhelmed and found it very difficult to sleep last night.  She had 6 pints of fluid drained and a 6lb tumour was removed .... that's the average weight of a new born baby and just doesn't bear thinking about ..... the chemo will also result in her not being able to have children of her own but there she was a week after the op smiling and riding around the hospital playroom in a Little Tikes cosy coupe car.  She is a little fighter and an inspiration and her dad is hoping to start fundraising soon for Cancer Research and the marvellous ward that has looked after her at Addenbrooks and I'll report more on that at a later date.

On to another little lady now who had a lovely birthday yesterday with lots of pressies, visitors and a tea party at nanny's house

This is the card I got for her at the Berkhamsted craft fair last month .... the lady who makes them was sitting knitting these tiny little people and they are so cute ... she doesn't have a website but I do have her e-mail address if anyone is interested.

The noise in the house was too much for  Binks who retired to the garden for some recreation and a nap!

Have you ever had one of those days????

Well I have today. Everything started off fine with a little bit of bargain hunting at the only car boot on round here because it's under cover (it has been piddling down on and off all day)

This is a miniature or toy sewing machine made by a company called Grain in Nottingham who produced them in the 1940s and 50s ... it has a very heavy wooden base and is in the original box with cotton reel, instructions and spare needle ..... it's so sweet and I was going to let my Ellie play with it when she sits with her old nan when she is sewing but I'm having second thoughts now.

On our return from booting the heavens opened and it has been coming down heavy for most of the day ..... when I took the photo it was the one and only bright spot of the day. I then had an argument with number two son which rumbled on but hopefully has been resolved now. Then the oven packed up just as I was baking some bread rolls. Then a good friend popped in to say she has to go for a CT scan on her liver on Tuesday as they have found a nodule growing on it ..... needless to say she is worried sick and has the big C word in mind.

They do say bad things come in 3s so I hope that's my lot for a while.

Some good news is that my new grandson who is due to make his appearance in the next week or two may have decided to swing round in his poor mum's tum from the breech position that he has been in for the past few weeks. I hope so because she doesn't want to have a C-section. It was his big sister's 5th birthday last Thursday and the tea party was held at my house ..... I still don't think I've recovered!!!

I am a registered childminder and our lot finish school this coming Wednesday so I have to get thinking about how to entertain them for the 5 weeks that I will be looking after them all full time (some days there will be six children from 3 years to 9 here so wish me luck).

Don't forget my giveaway for this

the lucky winner will be drawn tomorrow evening. Good luck.