It’s almost 9pm and I’m so tired!  It’s been another day where it’s gone by busily but nothing seems to have got done.  The laundry basket is full again, the younger ones are tucked up fast asleep, Steph is in her room and Ben is at a party. 

This morning Ben, Steph and I went out shopping for toiletries for Ben’s school trip to Spain next week.  Ben also wanted to buy himself some clothes and I managed to pick up quite a few bargains for the children too in the Next mid-season sale which I was quite pleased about.  Several Spiderman shirts, some smart shirts for church and tank top and t-shirt sets in varying sizes for the boys and a few other bits and bobs soon added up.  And this was only what I’d managed to get in-store, with a few more online bargains waiting to be delivered.  Still, I love the sales as it’s a great way of stocking up especially for the next size up clothes.  It’s great having several children within a certain age range as I can search the sales racks for any boys clothes between the ages of 7 (even though Harry is 5 he’s quite a big lad, and anyway, he’ll soon grow!), down to a year old and they’ll fit “someone”!  I also bought a couple of pairs of snow boots ready for next winter, again with the notion that “someone” will get to wear them!  I think I have to get around to sorting out the boys drawers at some point very soon… tomorrow hopefully.

I was also saying only this week that we needed more storage in the kitchen.  Michael had been talking about making me a present at work but wouldn’t let on what it was.  While I was out with the older two, Michael and the younger boys (Caitlin was out with her friend for the day) drove down to his work in the minibus to pick up the present.  When we got home some of the furniture in the kitchen was all over the place, so I walked in to find the bottom of a kitchen dresser that Michael had been making that I’d been after for a while!  It’s not yet finished but fits in the corner of the kitchen perfectly.  Once it’s all done I’ll get some pictures up.  Now I want to get some Kilner jars to go on the shelves along with the old jam jars I’ve been collecting for weeks.  I’ll have somewhere to put all the jars of mincemeat, jams and marmalades at last, as well as more storage!  Is it really that sad to be so excited about storage?

 Today also marked four weeks since we collected our hens.  They’re still alive and clucking away.  They love shiny things, food, bugs, worms and stealing tissues out of my pocket when I crouch down to pet another hen.  They also queue up at the front of their run by the door from 4.30pm, waiting for Mike to get back from work in the next 20 minutes to give them their corn.  Well, all queuing apart from Dolly, the smaller Bovan Goldline, who just paces back and forth and back and forth and back and forth…. At least it makes Mike feel popular I suppose.  We still haven’t had an egg though looking at them their combs on a couple of them are getting redder so I’m hoping it won’t be too much longer before they come into lay.  We bought four dozen eggs last week and I’ve two left.  We really need them to start laying!