Friday feelings.

Have a great Friday night everyone.

All found here.
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WHEW!!! GLAD THAT'S OVER

Yesterday was a long day for me.  It started when my realtor called and said that she was going to have to leave for New Orleans a lot earlier than planned and if I still wanted to ride into the city with her I would have to meet her at 1:00 instead of 3:00 at our predetermined location near the interstate.  OK, not a problem.

Got up early, had breakfast, walked the dog, got dressed and left the house 45 minutes before I was to meet her.  Plenty of time to stop for gas and snacks to take along on the trip (I'm hypoglycemic).

Met Beverly and we took off for the city.  She had an appointment to have her car serviced prior to our closing at the title company.  We were in and out of there in no time and went to the nearby Mall and did some shopping.  Then it was time to find the title company office.  No problem.

Walked into a small waiting room that was filled with people.  Found a spot to sit and then realized these people were our buyers.  Yes, there were 5 buyers for my property.  Mom, Dad, 2 sisters, and one husband all pitched in to make this purchase.  The first thing the oldest daughter said to me was, "Bet you thought I was crazy for taking so long and having so much trouble with the banks and title companies in order to buy your property."  I didn't remark to that - just smiled.  Yes, it took almost 6 months for them to get their act together.

The amount of paper work and signatures needed for the closing was a riot to watch.  Five people had to sign documents concerning their mortgage of their property in order to purchase my property.  After about 30 minutes of that, it was my turn and we all had to sign documents for the sale of my property.  Then we had to provide proof of who we were by allowing them to make copies of our driver's license.  Then it was time for the checks to be handed out.  I got mine (minus the 6% realtor fee and the settlement charges including taxes owed for this year), the realtor got hers, and the buyers got theirs from the lender because they borrowed more than the asking price of my property.  Now everyone has some money.  Whew!

All in all it was a pleasant experience.  I handed over the keys to the property and a letter I wrote to the daughter who had the largest interest in the property.  The letter contained information on where all the valves were for the utilities, breaker boxes, etc.  I explained that I would call the utility companies and have my accounts closed without interruption of service and that they should call after this in order to connect in their names.  I wished them well and we left.  Went to a local restaurant and had a nice meal then headed back to Houma. 

Got home around 7:00pm.  My little Shih Tzu was so happy to see me.  I never leave her alone for that long a time and she was making weird sounds like crying and talking at the same time as she wriggled in my arms.  I soothed her and promised I would not leave her again.  Poor little Xi Shi.

So now I'm free to go.  No more excuses as to why I can't take off in my motorhome and go wherever I want to.  It's an exhilarating feeling.

There are so many things I want to buy like a video camera, pet stroller, front basket for my bike, screen porch for the RV, and weather radio.  I also have to get my leaky window fixed.  Called Camping World and they informed me that I have to take it to Dixie RV next door to them in Hammond (a couple of hours from here) for this repair.  I called another RV dealer in New Orleans (one hour away) and they informed me that they can not give me an appointment.  I have to leave the coach with them and they will get to it when they can.  Hummm... I think I will just have to live with that leak a little longer.  I leave for Texas in 31 days.


Called Dixie RV and the service tech informed me that he could take my coach next Wednesday first thing in the morning.  That would mean I have to leave my house while it's still dark.  Can't drive at night.  The tech said I could not stay on their site so I looked into a nearby campground and will probably stay there the night before.  It's only a few miles from the Service Department.

Looks like I'll be going camping sooner than I thought.



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RV HYDRO FLUSH

Received my order from Camping World today.  It is an RV Hydro Flush that cleans the holding tank, pipe, valve and hose.  It allows you to safely flush out your sewer hose and holding tank after dumping by sending a blast of fresh water into the waste tank to remove remaining debris.  Anti-siphon valve installs on fresh water faucet to prevent contamination of fresh water system.  The clear plastic helps you see when tank and hose are flushed clean.  The cost = $19.99.
 
 
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A good day for Crafts! (hand made candle and headband, beads, Cupcake mag & new lilac cotton in my shop!)

Today has been a great day Craft wise. Various parcels have landed on my doormat and brightened up my day no end. First things first, Big Cartel decided to make most of my bracelets out of stock when they're not at all! My apologies if you wanted something and it was showing as out of stock. The little hiccup is sorted now and I even have a new colour of cotton available - lilac. It's a very pretty shade and all of my charms can be supplied on this cotton. 


I had a parcel waiting for me at the Sorting Office so I went to collect that after work. Turns out it was my tin candle from Fiona who writes the delightful Sugar for my Honey. Fiona makes candles in tins and teacups and I purchased one of the small, polka dot blue tins with pink wax. Not only is it really pretty and goes perfectly on our kitchen windowsill but it smells amazing. I don't want to light it and spoil it, but I'm certain I will be back for more very soon. Thanks Fiona!


Whilst browsing the aisles of WH Smith on my lunch break today I spotted a magazine and not only did it catch my eye but it made me drool all over the display. The magazine is called Cupcake Heaven and issue one is out at the moment. It is PACKED full of cupcake recipes, ideas for decoration, and other bits and pieces. It is like a recipe book in magazine form but better because it was only £4.99. That may seem a lot of money for a magazine but honestly, it has so many recipes inside and they all sound amazing.


My friend Rose who I have known for such a long time (about 15 years or so!) has started to make headbands and hair accessories on Etsy and today I got home to a wonderful letter and headband from her. I am going to do another blog post on this very soon and show you some photos but I couldn't let this post go by without mentioning her and her new Etsy shop. Thanks Rose!


And last but not least my bead order from Ebay arrived and I now have plenty to play with over the next few days. Addicted to jewellery making much!?


Do share with me how you're being crafty today :)
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GOODBYE IS A HARD WORD TO SAY SOMETIMES

Went to Grand Isle to clean my camp for the last time.  The closing is this Thursday and I'm feeling such relief that this ordeal is finally ending.

After spending 4 hours cleaning the front yard and the upstairs deck, everything looks good.  The damage from Tropical Storm Lee was worse than I expected.  It brought about a foot of water into the front yard and almost 2 feet of water into the back yard.  Many things floated away and some things floated into my yard.  Mostly the neighbor kids' toys.  There was a layer of sand covering my downstairs floor that I had to sweep and then hose down with water.  That took a couple of hours.

When I was done with the cleaning I went through the house to see if there was anything else I wanted to take.  So I wound up packing a couple of bags full of stuff to take home with me.  Watched a movie and slept for the last time in my bed.

This morning I had breakfast and packed the van and walked the dog and did a last run through in the house.  I stood for awhile in each room and let memories flow of the good times I had painting and decorating and relaxing and sharing with friends.  I sat on my hammock swing on the deck and remembered all the times I enjoyed that swing at night while listening to the roar of the Gulf in the distance.  I remembered the first time I grew flowers and was in awe of their beauty and how well they grew in sand. 







Then I let it all go.  Walked out the back door and grabbed one last item off the wall just before walking out.  It is a sign that says, "Welcome To The Beach."  I think I'll hang it on my coach when I get to the Texas Gulf Coast in November.  I closed the door behind me and thanked the house for everything.

Goodbye is a hard word to say.


I stopped at a friend's house but he wasn't there so we headed out to the Marina near the bridge that takes us to the mainland.  I just had to see the Gulf for at least a few minutes so we parked and took a walk.  When I'm in my coach I stay at the State Park at the very end of the island.  However, the rest of the 7 mile island's beaches are free.  This particular spot has a huge parking area and no one was there.  Took my camera so I could snap a couple of shots of Xi Shi Quan.  She loves the beach.







I was shocked to see the damage done to the beach and the new levee.  In one section, the beach has been swept away.  A large section of the levee is damaged.  It was built using a large tube filled with sand and then buried under more sand about 15 feet high.  The tube is now exposed.  It resembled a huge, dead sea creature that had been washed up on the beach.







We had a nice walk and Xi Shi took a dip in the Gulf and then we went back to the van and continued our trip back to Houma.  Got home about noon.  Unpacked the van and had some lunch.  Feeling good.

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Vivienne Westwood for Melissa shoes.

When I spotted these Vivienne Westwood for Melissa pumps on Sarenza I knew they would be my next choice with my ambassador voucher. They are very me. I love pumps and I have wanted a pair of Vivienne Westwood/Melissa pumps since I spotted some on a girl a few months ago and fell in love with them.



Vivienne Westwood pumps c/o Sarenza

Not only are they the nicest smelling shoes ever (honestly, they smell amazing!) they fit like an absolute dream. They are not uncomfortable in any way which is surprising, as looking at them you would think they would rub due to the material. They fit my feet like a glove! I love them :)

The colour is perfect and goes with pretty much any outfit. I have worn the pumps a couple of times and both times I received lots of compliments on them. I must admit I'm scared of getting scuffs or scratches on them but so far any marks have just wiped right off so hopefully they will stay looking pristine for a while to come.



The Melissa brand is the darling of the design world. Their shoes, which are made entirely of recycled plastic are hypoallergenic and have no odour, have won over the world of fashion, the ecologically minded, and some of the biggest celebrities in the world. The infinitely pliable plastic of Melissa shoes has been remodelled by a crowd of creative visionaries, from Zaha Hadid to Vivienne Westwood, from Karim Rashid to John Paul Gaultier. The Melissa brand celebrated its 30th birthday in 2009, but it is far from ready to rest on its laurels.
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Walking with Lily and Lola.

Jonathan's parents are on holiday at the moment and we've been doing some spot checks on their house to make sure everything is okay. The last time we went we took L&L because Jonathan's parents live in a lovely spot with lots of fields and nice places to walk (not that L&L can walk for very long without getting tired).


It was so cute helping them over the stiles. They really enjoyed themselves and were very well behaved off the lead. Lily got a bit tired walking back up the hill though. She had to stop for a rest, but there was plenty of new sights and smells to keep her occupied. Lola was off like a rocket. She doesn't mess about :)

c8bMv5 on Make A Gif, Animated Gifs
make animated gifs like this at MakeAGif
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Catch up (& my giveaway winner).

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you all had a good week. We have had a great week off work. I hope you have enjoyed the "day off" posts I've been doing (if you missed them you can see them here: one, two, three, four, five, six and seven). Day six at Chatsworth House was my favourite day.

There won't be any more dedicated day off posts as yesterday was a kind of chores day, going to the dentist and such. Not very exciting at all. Last night we stayed in and finished off series 5 of '24', had a mahoosive cantonese takeaway and then snuggled under my Slanket with Lily and Lola.

This morning we popped to Meadowhall as I needed a few bits and pieces, and this afternoon I've got some orders to get together and a letter to write before seeing my friend this evening. Tomorrow I am cooking for Jonathan (should be interesting) and preparing myself to go back to work on Monday!

My giveaway has now closed and a winner has been picked at random..... that winner is Kit-Cat-Kitty-Cat. I will send the ring out to you asap. Thanks so much to everyone who entered. I love holding giveaways so I will definitely have another one very soon.

Other things that have happened this week: we had tea in Chapel Allerton on Wednesday night with my parents to celebrate my Dad turning 60, I received my parcel from my new American penpal, Alexandra, and I literally jumped up and down when I saw it had arrived (receiving parcels is brill!) and we have spent lots of time with Lily and Lola. They have enjoyed having us around more I think.


Baby Ruth chocolate bars are amazing and I always eat my own body weight in them when I go to America on holiday. I am going to get working on my return parcel this weekend and fill it with lots of fab English-y stuff! 

If you can think of anything I must include do let me know in the comments. Thanks!
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OH MY GOSH... OH MY GOSH... OH MY GOSH...

Finally got "the" call from the realtor and a date has been set for the closing on my camp on Grand Isle.  Next Thursday at 4:00 in New Orleans I will be getting rid of the property I have owned for the last 5 years.  It has taken about 6 months for this buyer to get her act together in order to set a closing date.  So now it's going to happen.   YEAH!!!!

I had some good times at that camp during the first few years.  I really enjoyed fixing it up... decorating it and making it my own.  Did a lot of art work, ate a lot of seafood, and enjoyed the beach tremendously.  But the last few years were filled with bad times that I would like to forget.

Now I can see a little clearer the path that I want to take for my future years.  The purchase of my motorhome may have been a bit premature, however, I can now clear up some of my debt and move on with a clean slate.  I don't want to owe anything and now I won't.

My upcoming trip to Texas is on and am looking forward to parking on beaches in the RV and sitting by the water's edge with my little furry kid and staying gone for an extended period of time.  Can't wait.  I have 38 days left before my departure.

Haven't been to Texas in many years and am looking forward to it.  I was born in east Texas but my family moved to Louisiana when I was a baby.  I went back to live there in my 20s for a short period of time.  I plan on visiting all of my old haunts and maybe might find an old friend or two.

If we were allowed to park on the beach here in Louisiana on our coast I probably would never leave.  But that tradition was ended some years back, however, I do have memories of camping out on the water's edge and the joy it gave me to sleep so near the ocean and let the waves lull me to sleep.  Building a fire at night and looking down the beach at all the other fires burning in a row for as far as you could see.  I want that again. 

These are the photos that have inspired me for the last year while waiting for my property to sell.  They were all taken on the Texas Gulf Coast.














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Day off #7 (Yorkshire Wildlife Park).

Yesterday's attraction of choice was the Yorkshire Wildlife Park where we headed in the morning, not long after it opened. It was lovely and quiet but oh my gosh it was cold. And so very windy. I wish I had worn a few more layers. I guess we're just not used to the change in temperature yet.

It only took about 30 minutes to get there which was great, and now that we're seasoned professionals at day trips we were armed with Greggs sandwiches, Jaffa Cakes and bottles of water to avoid over priced and rubbish cafe food! :) The Jaffa Cakes depleted at a fairly rapid rate I must say!

I was as cold as I look!

We managed to catch the Birds of Prey show which was brilliant. The birds were stunning and so clever, and the little Burrowing Owls were adorable. I wanted to pop one in my pocket. It was well worth braving a hard bench and the bitter winds to catch the show and learn about the clever birds.


The lions were fast asleep when we first arrived much to our amusement as they were arranged in all sorts of piles. They reminded me of Lily and Lola when they're asleep, legs all over the place keeping each other warm. We visited the lions again as we were on our way out of the park and this time they were awake and alert, and one even roared and it was truly terrifying but brilliant.

The story of where the lions used to live was very sad, they were in such a bad way and had been treated so poorly, but in the park they looked much healthier and happier which was great to see.


The tigers were absolutely stunning and we spent a while reading the boards of information up and around this area. The amount of tigers left in the World actually makes me want to cry. So very sad. To think they are killed not only for status but for medicinal purposes!? 

We spent ages watching the Meerkats as they are adorable and fascinating. We did have to ask some unaccompanied children not to throw stones at the Meerkats though... tut tut.

All in all an interesting couple of hours and great to see the animals so well looked after and healthy.
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New in!

This post is just a quick update to let you know what's new in my shop. I have added a few things lately plus I'm continuously playing around with new ideas and making new pieces. Christmas is coming up and I am hoping to make lots of handmade presents this year, along with lots of new additions to my shop. Not all of you will follow me on Twitter where I tend to say when I've added something so here goes:

Eiffel Tower charm earrings with a hot pink bead. The shop currently shows these as 'sold out' as I have already sold the ready-made pairs but I can make these to order if you so wish. Just email me:- lilyloveslola at yahoo.com and I will obtain the supplies to make them for you.


Triple wire bracelet with a mix of large and small silver and purple beads. Measures approximately 19cm in length from one end to the other. Very pretty. I can make this style of bracelet to order if you would like a certain colour or style of bead. Just drop me an email!
 

Silver heart charm on your choice of waxed cotton:- red, black, turquoise or pink. Looks particularly nice on red and pink. Just select your colour preference before adding to your basket.


Eiffel Tower charm earrings with a baby pink heart bead. The shop currently shows these as 'sold out' as I have already sold the ready-made pairs but I can make these to order if you so wish. Just email me:- lilyloveslola at yahoo.com and I will obtain the supplies to make them for you.


Elasticated bracelet with a mix of purple and silver beads. Handmade by my lovely friend, Katy. Can be purchased through my store or directly from Katy and again, she can make a variation of her designs if you have something specific in mind.


Triple wire bracelet with a mix of large and small silver and blue beads. Measures approximately 18cm in length from one end to the other. Very pretty. Again I can make this style of bracelet to order if you would like a certain colour or style of bead. 


Silver chain necklace with a mixture of pink and purple beads. Length from the clasp to where the beads start to drop is 32cm so it's nice and long.


Wire hoop earrings with black, cream and turquoise beads. Can be custom made in any size or with any colour or shape of bead. Just drop me a line to discuss.


Thanks for looking! x
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