PIF, farm visit, trouser mishap and awards.

Firstly something I've been putting off, but I am thinking if I offer it, then I'll have to crack on with it!! I have won twice on PIF, one from Twiggypeasticks and one from Josie at Sykesillysite. I have blogged about them before. Thanks again ladies!
So for my...

Pay it forward giveaway!

Please leave a comment on this post, and the three that are picked out from a hat (by one of the kids) will win a PIF prize. All I ask is that if you win, you will consider paying it forward yourself to some other people and keep this going. (Obviously you really don't have too even if you win, and please, if you feel you don't want to receive some tat off me, or you don't have time to put together a PIF, then just mention it in your comment, I won't be offended. Otherwise I will automatically enter you ;) )

The competition is limited to one entry per person. I will end the competition at 8.30pm on Friday 2nd May.
This is a sneaky peak at something I have been making... whether this will be my PIF I'm not sure.Nice and blurry.. don't want to give too much away now!

********************

On Wednesday J's girlfriends parents picked us up and took us to their farm a short distance away. Unfortunately for some reason, my eye became swollen and closed up half an hour before we actually left! Ohhh this was ominous, a farm of animals, and my eye swells up in an allergic reaction before I even step out of my door! So we picked up L from school, and off we went.
It was a gorgeous farmhouse and the tea was fantastic (home-made chicken lasagna). Her parents are very nice and we had a lovely time... however, it never ceases to amaze me, with all my fabulous reading of 'Country living' and 'Country home and interiors' and dreaming of living in the country... just how much of a Town mouse I really am. I don't consider myself to be a townie, but I am. It was glaringly obvious on Wednesday as I trekked along the fields in wellies. I did love to see the animals though, and the Aga, and the roaring fire after we had eaten was so wonderful I didn't want to leave. But when I got home, I was quite glad to be back in my little town house with it's badly in need of decorating walls, and its fabulous utility, and it's shops around the corner. I guess I shall always be a town mouse inside.
The day before yesterday the very nice fireman who lives up our street asked me if I would take up the hem of two pairs of trousers for him (could insert lots of jokes in here but won't, will leave that to you). I explained that I was rubbish at any kind of dressmaking skills but he looked quite woeful so I said I would have a go. It was two pairs of cargo type trousers. They were thick material and would have broken my sewing machine needle so I decided to hand sew them up half an inch. The first pair was a nightmare to sew, it took me hours. My poor fingers ache today because the material was so tough, I had to push a pin through before I pushed the needle through, and I do such tiny stitches it takes forever. Anyway, I finally finished that pair yesterday morning, and went to move onto the next pair. I spied some pink/red marks near the pocket on one side and horrified, thought it might be the lipstick Ellie had left laying around without the top on (like kids tend to do). So in my infinite wisdom, I decided to sponge it off. After sponging it off I decided to give them a quick wash.... has anyone seen the Mr Bean movie where he has a mishap with 'Whistlers mother' and no matter what he does it just gets worse and worse? Well that was me. What did I discover when reading the washing instructions... these trousers fade with every wash. So the patches I had rubbed to get off the marks, are now lovely white faded patches. Imagine my horror. I ran backwards and forwards like a headless chicken to the washing line thinking 'oh it's not too bad' then 'oh nooo look what I've done!! I'll have to offer to pay for them'. So I pretty much chewed myself up all afternoon about the whole thing. My mum came to have a look at them and she said 'oh they are not so bad that's how they wear them these days'. J looked at them and he said 'Well they are probably work trousers, they'll get dirty anyway' (Good J, always calm in a crisis). Anyway the fireman came home and I saw his car and with a big gulp I took the trousers up to explain what had happened.... Of course he was very nice (as I said) and lovely and said to me 'well you know, you'll see me wearing them with paint all over them next week so you really shouldn't have worried' Phew!
I am going to pass on two awards I have been given now. I am hastily passing them on because I am late in doing so. Thank You Jackie at Mothers Pride, you always think of me when you are handing out awards and it makes me very happy indeed that you are my blogger friend!! I am passing these onto all of my regular readers, because you make this blogging experience so much more than just writing down stuff, you have made me feel very good and cared for when I have been feeling down with my last bout of illness. Thank you! (And if you have only read my blog once or twice, well we'll call that regular as well ;))