Frank and Josie's House

Making sure those important letters get there.  Well it's just one week to go. Are you ready? It's one of those annoying facts of growing up which means Christmas becomes more about the organisation than the magic but that's part of the trick isn't it: keeping the magic alive for the children and (more than a little bit) for myself. I love Christmas but organising ourselves to make sure we have everything in order to spend Christmas 500 miles way from our now home is a bit of a military operation. I've single-handedly  kept Amazon in business for another year and made sure things get to the right addresses. I normally like to check Amazon packages in advance of gifting  but I'm having to trust this year. Anything that's not right is just too bad (there's always the return button). My dad told me the guest double bed at their house is covered in packages. (I'm always a bit dubious with the amount of packing that Amazon use as I think it's more th

Firstly I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who sent me messages or left comments after my last post. Having that little extra support really helps. I'm learning as I go but am determined that endometriosis will not stop me living. Although I am also learning to allow myself to be ill. Today my hubby is working from home so I don't have to chase a toddler as I'm feeling particularly rubbish, but I thought talking to you lot and distracting myself with yarntales (yes, I made that word up) would cheer me up. So today I am talking about this: [caption id="attachment_1591" align="aligncenter" width="540"] different sized balls![/caption] Bernat blanket yarn is what I am using (or trying to use) to make the giant octopus pictured below. It's been more than a little tricky to get hold off or to be precise, to get hold of in the quantity and colour I want it. Now if you follow my blog you'll know that using the recommended yarn fro

Firstly a quick catch up. You may recall (if you've come across my blog before) that I've been having abdominal issues. When we were still in the U.K. it was still undiagnosed despite a laparoscopy and many tests and scans. Well the short version is that I have endometriosis. I've basically diagnosed myself by putting together all the facts. I know diagnosing oneself when there is no medical training can be dangerous but let me reassure you that I have had this listed as a possibility. After my laparoscopy I was told I had some endometriosis but not enough to cause the pain I was having. Having looked at a few websites I pieced the puzzle together to discover this has been an issue for 16 years and been missed time and again. The best explanation of what this disease is is this: "Endometriosis can be a distressing disease affecting women's health. It can cause the most excruciating pain and in some women it appears to trigger fertility or infertility problems or as