Week 25

This weeks challenge has been done by Tara Whitney ( my photographing hero!) as Emily has moved and is without internet.

I knew straight away which photo I would use.I've already scrapped it but it still means so much to me.This photo was taken a couple of days before we were involved in a car crash in which our car was written off.Although we escaped with minor injuries, it brought to the surface a whole lot of personal issues, secrets that were being kept....basically it was a turning point in my life.And this photo will forever remind me of that time and how precious my family are.

Lucky lucky me :)

Oooh, I am having a good day today!
I took a trip to Dunelm Mills after finishing work today.Managed to pick up some lovely new bed linen (keep reading, my day did get better than this!) Also picked up some more scissors (black & white spotty this time:) ), glittery pink felt...and a cupcake sugar bowl! They had a whole tea service range in a cupcake theme :) I am so tempted to clear out my cupboards (because they are full of unused stuff!) and get the two tier cake stand.It so reminds of my Nan who had one.She would always declare that she 'didn't have much in' when we visited and then would bring this cake stand out laden with various cakes and biscuits!
When I arrived home from shopping the postie had been with my stamps that Anna ordered from the US for me :) Let's just say..I have been after the KI stamps for ages, but they've always been out of stock or far too expensive(until now!)
After a quick half hour at home at walked into town to meet Caz .
We had the most lovely lunch of macaroni cheese and chips which I think we both definitely needed! But even better than that...she gave me this gorgeous pink felted bag, made with her own fair hands! It is the perfect size for my camera , keys and mobile.Thank you so much hun! (And as predicted the kids are eyeing it up!!) We also had a good gossip and discussed the joys of having children /teens around the house!;)
I then went onto the school to watch Holly's Spanish assembly! Despite telling me she didn't know what she was supposed to be doing she did so well!
And that is my day so far!

So today was finally the day of Holly's trip to Gullivers Land.She was awake at about 5.30am singing Supercalifragilistic...(I can't spell the rest!!) They had a fab day and came back happy and tired.Well, Holly was happy until she told me of her 'arrangements' to go there again on saturday with her friend and Daddy was going to take her.Let's just say she was not impressed when I told her it wasn't going to happen! Hence she stomped all the way home about 6 feet behind me !Photo today is of her getting on the coach (yes, I am the only parent that does this every time...!)

I seem to be coming down with a cold and sore throat :( Having spent 30 mins on the phone to Anna this evening it feels even worse! Have to also give her a little toot for the fab scrappy stuff that is happening for her at the moment - remember me when you are famous!;)

Tomorrow I am working for a couple of hours and then taking a trip to Dunelm Mills in search of a couple of things :)

Then I am off to meet a friend who sent me a very intriguing text today which has me very curious!

This will be followed by going into school to watch Holly's Spanish speaking assembly.And on that note..... buenos nochas!!

Yikes....

...I haven't been here for ages - whoops!!

So what's been going on...hmmm, well Friday and Saturday I felt grumpy...no idea why, just in a mood! Friday itself was a good day though :) We went out for lunch to celebrate Geoff's birthday.We were considering either Fatty Arbuckles or Frankie & Benny's...the decision was made for us when we got to Fatty's and discovered it closed!!This was probably a blessing in disguise though as F & B's was fab! We have never eaten there before (I know...where have we been?!) but I'm already planning my meal for our next visit! I had the most yumptious pudding I've had in a long while, a cinnamon waffle with ice cream and tofee sauce:)I must admit that I nearly always get sucked in by any brownie on a menu but I'm so glad I broke with tradition on this occasion!

On Saturday night the new Pencil Lines DT members were announced.A huge thank you to everyone who entered, I honestly hated having to pick just a few faves when there was so many amzing layouts to choose from.Huge congratulation sto our new members!


I had resigned myself to not getting my Pencil Lines LO done this week due to the bad mood and lack of mojo.But ..I am almost too scared to miss one incase I never scrap again!So I got my scrapping butt into gear and scrapped! I used

Scenic Route Laurel papers

Heidi Swapp & Cherry Arte chipboard letters & heart

Doodlebug paper frills

Angel Kiss flowers

May Arts ribbon.



It does look much brighter IRL! I love the bottom photo so much (look at those lashes!) that I think I'll be scrapping it on it's own too :)

Didn't make it to the monthly crop yesterday and am jealous of the stories about cake! However I will be definitely be back next month :)*waves to Ali, Louise & Kerry!*

Tomorrow Holly has her school year trip to Gullivers Land.She is so excited and I am just hoping the rain holds off for them :)


I leave you with a photo of one of my yellow lillies (which has now been snapped off...grrrr) taken on Saturday.

Anna took delivery today of some stamps that I have been longing for for a loooong time so I'll be stalking the postie from Wednesday!

Yawn......

So, I didn't blog last night or Tuesday...because really, I have nothing to share...!! But I can't sleep...so here I am :) Hate it when this happens, I know I'm going to be sooo tired in the morning and I have a horrible habit of munching when I can't sleep!

I have no photos to share...well, I could but I'm sure Lyzzy and Caz would never forgive me for them ;) Though I think they look fine , I'm the one with hideous wind blown hair!

More work today then home to doing exactly the same around my own house.Ah well...at least I now itr's clean!

Friday is Geoff's birthday.So what do you buy a man who doesn't want anything?! Well if you're like me...nothing! Well, the kids will be giving him some tiny bits he wanted to go with his phone (not all of them as one hasn't turned up...grrr)and I guess I'll just hand over the contents of my wage packet on Friday! We are at least going out for lunch anyway , which will be nice!

Right, I am starting to send myself here (hopefully!) so I'm off for now!

Oh, I may as well add this pic of Geoff & Holly as it's resized and ready to go!

Wow!

Well, last night was the closing date for entries in our search for a new Pencil Lines DT member.

166 entries....oh my word!!How amazing is that?! It is not an easy job believe me, my eyes are aching from searcing through them all...and I still can't choose my faves from soooo many.Thanks you so much to everyone who took the time to enter, we really do appreciate it.It's at times like this that it hits home what a huge thing I am involved in - another scary thought!!


Here's my Pencil Lines layout for this week :) Love how Anna changed this photo to 'true' black & white for me...it was a wishy washy grey & white when I did it! And yep, those diamantes were all stuck on individually..gotta love Ki Gloo and cocktail sticks....!!

I used

Creative Imaginations narratives cardstock

Diamantes from WH Smiths (really!)

Heidi Swapp mask

Autumn Leaves journalling panel

Autumn Leaves stamps

MM stamps

Doodlebug paper frills

Angel kiss flowers



First day at work today and I think it went well :) As I've said before, it's not rocket science, but it is easy and stress free, fits in around the kids...so what more could I ask for really?!

I am off as I have promisd myself an early night for the last four nights and not managed it!!

Nice weather...for ducks....

Hmmm..if we have a hose pipe ban later in the year I will wonder what they've done with all the rain from today alone!! It has chucked it down on and off all day...and I mean all day! Not good on school summer fete day...but then I think they've been pretty lucky over the last few years.Actually, maybe today was the last five years rain all in one go?!
Holly was at a cinema birthday party all morning so missed out on the numerous soakings! Em had her nails painted as well as going on the inflatable jungle run and the electric mini cars.

Once back home I put the finishing touches to my Pencil Lines layout for tomorrow ,thanks to a postie delivery from Anna this morning - thanks hun! :) The Galaxy was much appreciated too;) Then I supervised the girls making Fathers day cards for tomorrow...I always get worried when they get their hands on my inks!! Many muckyfingers later , both cards were signed and sealed and I could breathe easy again:)
So pictures for today are a sneaky of my layout for tomorrow and Em driving very sensibly round the netball court at school!

Right now....

Emily's prompt this week was 'Right Now...' so I managed to squidge in doing this card yesterday.Had I done it today it would probably just have been totally different as my moods keep changing!

I covered the card with Junkitz paper and sanded the edges.I then stamped the egdes with Autumn Leaves stamps, journalled and added a Heidi Swapp ghost star & heart which I decorated with permanent pen.

Anyway, yesterday 'right now' was the fact that as from next week I will be working again.This means that rather than just managing, we will be able to put some money away each month towards taking the kids over to Disney Land in Florida. Probably won't be next year , but we can dream of winning the lottery!

Have Em at home again today so my list of to-do's is growing longer each day.....Need a huge kick up the bum (or maybe just chocolate would help?!) to get myself going!

POTD!

Well, I was going to try and upload this photo of Holly to SIS Tv as my photo of the day.But having not uploaded anything there yet...I can't work out how to!! So I'm afraid I'm doing it here and linking and tomorrow I will ask Anna how to do it properly!

Took this photo this evening when Holly decided to go out on the trampoline, complete with Cinderella dress on:) Most of the photos were really blurry or dark, but this one is her doing her favourite pose of the moment!

I also picked the sweet peas today, here is the proof! There are loads more buds on them so I should have a load more soon! I don't have any small vases though so a drinking glass had to suffice!

Today I also got myself a part time job :) It's not rocket science, but it does fit in around the kids and also means more money coming in,fingers crossed it all works out okay!

Geoff is away tonight in Leeds so I've amused myself by reeling in horror at the huge amount of card-making stuff I still have and playing on the Wii! Finally got my tennis score up to professional level!

Em stayed home again today so I'm all out of synch with stuff that I need to do.Hopefully she will be fine tonorrow and I can play catch up!

Green fingers?!

Well, it'd be a first as I generally manage to kill any indoor plants we have! But so far, the flowers in the garden seem to be doing pretty well :) I remembered to go out and take photos of the first few flowers this morning.I love the deep pink one especially.Now I know I've been told I have to pick these as they will flower even more..but I'm reluctant to pick them and leave the plants bare! But I will go and pick them all in the morning and eagerly await the new flowers!

No scrapping/crafting done here today hence the floral pics! I kept Em off school today as she was feeling a bit under the weather.She kept herself amused reading and making things with her Hama beads and should be back at school tomorrow.
Upon getting home from school Holly promptly declared that she didn't want to go to Rainbows and burst into tears.My heart sank at the prospect of her deciding she no longer enjoyed it but within five minutes she's changed her mind and was raring to go! Sadly, she wasn't so happy when I picked her up , having fallen over and banged her knee hard on the wooden floor :( She seems to have made a full recovery though, despite the wobbly legged walk she insisted on doing around the garden!
Important-ish things happening tomorrow so I am away to my bed!

Juicy Junkitz!

Oh yes, we were sponsored by Junkitz this week over at Pencil Lines! We were treated to papers from the Salsa Celebration range along with some super embellishments too :) These papers are absolutely gorgeous, so bright and zingy, only trouble is I wanted to use both sides of all of them! Think I may have to invest in some more ;)

Here's my layout in full! All Junkitz except for the chipboard bookplate which is by Heidi Swapp,the journalling tag which is by Autumn Leaves and the epoxy letters which are Creative Imaginations.Photos are of Holly and Izzy taken during half term .

It's been yet another scorcher here today.Em had a dance exam this afternoon , disco freestyle this time.She has been practising for weeks so fingers crossed she gets the grades she's hoping for.Other than that, we've just had a lazy day in the garden and Holly had a splash in the small paddling pool.

This evening the girls excitedly picked the first ripe strawberry of our crop! Here's to a few more soon!A lot of the veggies don't semm to coming to much whilst the potastoes are taking over the veggie patches!The first of my sweet peas are starting to flower in the gardn too which I am very proud of! Must remember to take some photos as proof!

Lots to do around the house this week...I have something 'going on' (don't want to jinx it!) on Tuesday which could lead to not so much time at home so I need to get a few things sorted first :)Geoff is working away Tuesday night so no doubt I will end up sitting up really late!

Hot in the City...

...well it's hot in Welwyn Garden City anyway:)When will the weather make up it's mind which season we're in?! It was so cold yesterday morning I sent the girls to school in their winter uniforms yet today it's boiling!
Quiet day here, Em went out for lunch with my Mum & Dad and Holly had a party to go to this afternoon.She came back with a huge pirate ship picture and a dolphin made out of clay (it was an ArtSkool party!)And also a grumpy temperament...!
Two photos today...the first being of the ripe strawberry on our plant in the garden! Doesn't it look fab? I think I will be cutting it in two for the girls to share tomorrow! I'm still surprised nothings eaten it considering the way all the lettuces disappeared!
And the other is a sneaky of my Pencil Lines layout for tomorrow night.Much as I love the end result, it wasn't easy!
Fingers crossed for the sunshine again tomorrow so we can spend the day out in the garden :)

Week 22, I want to learn...

....well, there are lots of things I want to learn...like how to drive,how to use Photoshop,how to use a sewing machine properly ,but the main one right now is how to use my camera properly! I've had it over a year now, ...and I need to be braver than just using auto or 'shaky person' settings! Am trying to keep up with these prompts again now as I seem to be back on track with them.There are still a few I have to go back and do though! I stamped the back of my card using a Rhonna Farrer swirl stamp and Stazon, then attatched a Hambly overlay over black card,using a Sakura Soffle pen for the journalling.

Seem to be all out of synch this week for some reason, can't believe it is Thursday tomorrow already! I'm hoping to sort some of my scrapping stuff out tomorrow, we're back to the point where it all falls out on top of me and I can't find what I'm looking for! Need to start my Pencil Lines layout too ,we have a fab sponsor on board this week and the products we have to use are gorgeous!

Spashing time & full view!

We arrived home from Widnes this afternoon after a couple of fun packed days for the girls :) On Saturday the girls headed straight for the pool at their Nan & Grandy's house and stayed there for a good three hours! They had a fab time just lazing around enjoying themselves. Come Sunday morning, it was definitely much cooler but they still insisted on going back in, making the most of the peace & quiet before everyone else turned up for the family gathering in the afternoon! We also took the Wii with us...let's just say, I'm surprised there is any life left in the batteries as it was in use non stop almost the whole weekend!

This afternoon I met up with Caz & Lyzzy in town.We must do it more often, I have not laughed so much in ages!!

Here's my Pencil Lines sketch in full for this week :)

I used

Tinkering Ink papers from the forthcoming Scrapping Angels kit

Doodlebug paper frills

Hedi Swapp butterfly mask

Heidi Swapp chipboard letters

Cherry Arte chipboard letters

Doodlebug rub on letters

Week 35 sneaky....

Just popping back on to share a sneak of my Pencil Lines layout for this week :) We are away over the weekend so I won't be able to share it in full untill Monday.I think it's a little bit different for me.... I also finished the canvas today so will take photos and share that too!
We've had day of glorious sunshine here so the girls have been out in the garden all day, lots of washing has been done , beds changed, ironing tackled and scrapping done ! Not bad!
Anyway, enjoy your weekend whatever you're doing and don't forget to check out Pencil Lines on sunday!

Emily week 21

...this weeks prompt was redeeming qualities or qualities you aspire to. Not an easy one to cram on a tiny card, and I made the mistake of using a thick pen so I got even less writing on it!So...one of my 'redeeming' qualities I guess would be that I try and be a good friend..., be there for them, listen , through the good & the bad things.I try and see both sides of an argument to the point that I have endless arguments in my head with people before daring to venture into a 'real' one!
I painted the card brown with paint left over from the canvas I was doing.Then I wrote on it with a white Sharpie pen, added a paper heart, Doodlebug paper frill and some Maya Road ribbon.I'm not sure about it, but it will do for now!