Pumpkins...and snow!!(Yes, really)

Bit of a barmy title I know,but that is what today has consisted of!This morning we headed off to Willows to meet up with Anna,Izzy and Lilly.I have never seen it so busy and we had to queue for ages to get in! Admittedly the pumpkin field wasn't as good as last year but that maybe because this year we have gone earlier in the week before everyone else had trampled the greenery down a bit! The girls insisted on choosing pumpkins that were green,so I popped into Tesco's to get a nice orange one on the way home! We did manage to get a few photos of them with various pumpkins though (not that that was the reason we went!) They also had fun feeding the baby goats (Anna's latest thing to put on her 'I want' list ;) ) and Holly was most put out when a cow slobbered over her mitten whilst eating grass off of it! We had a nice picnic out in the cold,Anna brought the practical stuff like lollipops for the kids whilst I brought WW yoghurts (plus spoons!) and Alpen Light bars ;) The girls also went gold panning and had a go on the water cannons

As we arrived home,it was raining and really cold.By 7 o'clock however it was snowing...heavily and has settled!Absolutely mad weather for October,and it's still snowing now!

You can tell

it's half term...the weather has turned rotten again ! That said,there is sunshine forcast for Tuesday,which is when we are off to Willows for Pumpkin week :) The girls have been warned that there will be cameras present as we are meeting Anna,Izzy and Lilly there :)
Today as it's been raining nearly all day we've pretty much stayed indoors apart from a quick walk round the block to grab a bit of fresh air.I've done lots of housework and made a cottage pie whilst the girls have been quite happy either drawing or just playing together.

This week on Pencil Lines we were sponsored by one of my favourite manufacturers,Scenic Route.Sadly,my layout looks pants as I just couldn't get the photo to show the true colours:(
All the papers and stickers used are from the Sonoma range.
It doesn't show up in the photo,but there is journalling about her likes & dislikes around the edge of the red circle.
Geoff is home this week for half term,hence the trip out to get pumpkins!We also need to go swimming as Holly wants to show us what she's learnt in her lessons :)On Friday Holly goes away on her Brownie pack holiday for two nights -yikes!I think I'm more nervous than she is!!I need to remember to get a sleeping bag from Anna on Tuesday or I will be in trouble!On Saturday night we have a pizza and X Factor evening planned with Em and on Sunday I will counting down the hours until we go and pick Holly up!

I am useless...

..at blogging at the moment :( And I can't even pretend that it's because I lead such an action packed life either!
So a catch up on the week just gone...
On Tuesday I went over to see Anna for the day as Karen was down visiting :) Anna's suggestion of a girly trip to Ikea was not well received by Karen (can't imagine why not!!) so we opted for a stay at home girly day instead.We got all Anna's kits packed for her next couple of teaching weekends.Believe me, the kits are fab and jam packed :) We sang our way through a very good film which is now definately one of my faves,before heading out for a lovely lunch.A very nice man in the car park noticed us trying to do the arm outstretched photo thing and offered to take one for us,just a shame he stood so far away!

On the way home I popped into the shops to finally replace my hairdryer which went bang about two months ago,it's so nice to be using a decent one again after so long!(See,I told you my life was exciting!)
Yesterday afternoon I fancied a trip to Stevenage but there werre no trains running so I ended up mooching around the town instead.I ended up treating myself to a cute Cath Kidston button tin to keep my needles and sewing kit in,a Hello Kitty keyring and some christmas tree baubles.Yes, yes I know it's only October and believe me ,I am the first to shout at the Christmas ads on the TV,but I know that by the time our tree is up, the baubles won't be there!
And I also got my glasses -woohoo! Must admit that I love them and have been very good wearing them when I've been reading and scrapping.
Right,I am off to bed as I'll be losing an hours sleep ! Or am I gaining one? I'm confused!

Strange but beautiful

No, not me ;)..but the sky this morning when we got up (which was far too early...the weekends should be made three days long...)

I know the photo with the telegraph pole in is a bit out of focus,but it shows the colour of the sky really well.Holly was most put out when the sun rose fully and the sky went back to normal!

This afternoon we went in to see Holly's teacher to see how she's settling into year 3.It makes us so proud when the first thing the teacher says is that she's a joy to teach :) She has a couple of confidence issues caused by something that is being monitored ,but other than that no real problems :)

Tomorrow I have the interesting stuff to do...like a pile of ironing and a whole load of house work -great...!! Though it's supposed to be sunny so I might go out with my camera and take some nice Autumny photos :)

And before anyone asks,I'm still waiting for my glasses ,but I promise to show you them when I get them...maybe ;)

Party weekend

On Friday Em had five of her friends round for a late birthday 'do'.Luckily at this age they seem to amuse themselves and were happy enough dancing ,eating and singing High School Musical karaoke on the Wii :) All the girls got on really well (they go to several different schools now) and there were a few tears when everyone had gone as she misses one of them in particular so much.She was also missing Holly a bit as she stayed over at my Mum & Dad's for the night.I love how even though they wind each other at times they miss each other when they're apart,even now they're older.Long may it last!
Last night both girls had a sleepover at my mum & dad's as Geoff and I had a very rare night out and went to a neighbours birthday party.Poor Geoff had to stay sober as he was driving whilst I was a bit the worse for wear by the time we came home -oops! The weird thing was though was that by 2am I felt perfectly sober again...so no hangover for me this morning! We even got a lie in as the girls didn't come home til lunch time.
Yesterday afternoon Holly and I went for a walk to the lakes.I think I have put her off throwing leaves in the air for life! I really need to learn how to use my camera properly by next Autumn so that I don't keep missing shots!


My Pencil Lines layout for this week is another Autumn themed one, I'm making the most of the gorgeous weather we've had the last few weekends with the camera!
I used Basic Grey Ambrosia & Mellow papers
Hambly overlay
Basic Grey Mellow letter stickers
Bella Boulevard paper (the cut out trees)
And did lots of distressing & inking!
The smaller picture which isn't very clear is of some tiny toadstools we found in the woods :)
This week we have Holly's teacher consultation,I have a trip over to Anna's on Wednesday and maybe I'll get my new glasses too:) I chose some funky ones in the end,a different pair to those I first tried on.If they make me look intelligent,I may share a photo...don't hold your breath!

It's official....

...I have too much stuff...or maybe the house is just too small?!
Yesterday I decide to try and tackle my full to the brim wardrobe.And no, it's not just full of clothes...it's also stuffed with photo albums ,my record collection from my distant youth,books that have I no bookshelf for,a bag of baby clothes that I just can't part with ...the list goes on.Ten minutes into attempting to sort it out I was at the end of my tether.So I chucked out a few bits of clothing that I've never worn and rummaged around to see if I could find any storage room under the bed.From there I retrieved a winter coat and cardigan that were Em's which now fit Holly perfectly,giving me a valuable space to stuff the bag of stocking filler bits & pieces I have already bought for Christmas.I also found a box with some OPI nail polishes I had forgotten about...yum! So I'm now debating what gorgeous colour to go for when I paint my nails this weekend and for a lunch date next week :)I managed to squeeze all the junk back into the wardrobe anyway,though how long before it all jumps back out at me I'm not sure!
This afternoon I went and had my eyes tested and spent ages trying on frames.I have to admit that I think I look daft in any glasses, but I have to have some so I persevered.Sadly I think the ones I really like ,the expensive Guess designer ones are going to be cast aside in favour of the plainer ,cheaper ones .Well lets face it I don't own designer anything so it seems a bit daft to start with glasses that I'll only be wearing for reading and scrapping!

12 and 2

Today this gorgeous girl is 12 years old...where did those twelve years go?!Funny how I can remember the day/night I had her so clearly,yet there are so many days in between that I have probably totally forgotten... Anyway, she seems to have a good day with lots of nice pressies :) The one drawing a very loud 'Woohoo!' from her was the Miley Cyrus album from Anna! We had a little tea party and birthday cake this afternoon and then she has some friends coming round next Friday evening.Not sure what they'll be doing yet,but the doughnuts on a string game has been requested!
Anyway, it seems like ages since I blogged so I'm just trying to remember what we've been up to! On Tuesday I had a day off and hopped on a train to visit Anna.After a little bit of kit packing we settled down to watch 'How To Lose a guy in 10 Days' as Anna hadn't seen it before.It was such a nice way to spend an afternoon when the weather was pants!I seemed to spend the rest of the week running around from one place to another..
On Friday Em had an Inset day off school so we took her to Thurrock to choose some of her birthday presents, the boring bits like clothes!
Yesterday morning we took the girls to the family cinema showing in town to see Space Chimps...let's just say I'm glad we didn't take them somewhere full price to see it... Holly was mesmerised by the trailer for The Girl and the Fox so that's next on her 'to see' list! In the afternoon Holly and I went for another walk through the woods before going shopping for wrapping paper and birthday cards.The woods were absolutely beautiful,the light was just gorgeous.
It has been so warm again today so this afternoon we all went down to the lakes to feed the ducks,before coming home to decorate Em's cake and get tea ready.
And so on to the 2.....yes, Pencil Lines is 2 years old! This week we have teamed up with the amazing girls from One Little Word,make sure you go and see what they've done!This is my layout,about Geoff and I being married for 15 years this year.
I used MM Animal Crackers paper
BG Mellow paper
Prima swirls
Maya Road flowers
Doodlebug alpha stickers
Prima Journalling page
K&Co ticket
AC Puffy thickers
We also have a new design team member joining us this week, Michelle Filo :)
This week we have Harvest Festival at Hollys school and on Wednesday I am finally getting my eyes tested which I know will result in me buying glassses...

Ermm...

I can't think of a title for this blog post!So it'll have to be 'ermmm'!!
Yesterday Holly and I went out to Ayot and for a walk through the woods back to the town centre.There were lots more conkers on the ground this week,probably due to the fact that it's been so windy the last few days! Walking through the woods was lovely,though very quiet!I really thought we would see more people then we did.I must admit I wasn't quite sure where we going a lot of time,but we made it back to the town after about half an hour so we didn't do too badly.After a quick whizz round the shops,we came home for the first hot chocolate of the season.Well,the kids did, I was very good and didn't have one.
Today the weather has been miserable, rain ,wind and yet more rain :( I'm hoping to pop over and see Anna sometime this week and well as getting stuff ready for Em's birthday next weeekend :)
This is my Pencil Lines LO this week,I used Prima Dude,Basic Grey Mellow & Ambrosia papers
AC Puffy Thickers
and not a lot else!

I wanted to chuck a load more stuff on it,but nothing looked right so I settled for the simpler look!The title was going to be 'raving conkers' but I couldn't do the 'raving' the way I wanted so I left it .And then realised that my PL layout this time two years ago was also called Conkers-oh well,it's seasonal!
Next week is our second birthday at Pencil Lines and we have something fab lined up so don't forget to pop on over and join in the party!

Someone tell me

where this year is going...we're just about in October already! I seem to be really bad at keeping track of stuff going on this week too! I'm blaming it on the fact that the end of this week is over the page on the calender so it's been out of sight out of mind!
Both girls are busy on Friday,Holly has a school trip and Em has a charity fun run/walk.I'd made plans to take trip to The Waffle House for lunch with a friend...but had forgotten it was the same day Geoff is off work and have made (boring) plans with him too! So lunch has been canclled and I get to do exciting stuff like going to Costco to do a bulk shop instead...I also need to pop into The Paper Mill to buy calendars so I can start on Christmas presents....Seems far too early,but if I start now,I may be able to hand some over rather than spending a bomb posting them.

Still haven't sorted out my eye test so I need to do that this week so that I can stop holding things at a distance to get them in focus!I'm hoping it stays dry on Saturday as Holly wants to go for walk in the woods and it's much nicer when it's dry!
And this is the layout I got done on Sunday.I used Basic Grey Eva papers.I am really bad at buying BG papers and then leaving them untouched as I have no idea how to use them so I'm glad I used these within a month of buying them!I think Em is in shock that I've done three LO's of her in two weeks,but she has been happy to have her photo taken recently so I actually have photos of her to use. Which helps!

Blah blah blah...

...yep,sorry but you're going to have to listen to me going on about how much I love Autumn again!It's been gorgeous here again and the leaves are definitely turning crunchy :) This evening when I went to meet Holly there was definitely the smell of bonfires in the air too!Roll on Guy Fawkes and Halloween!
Today has been a day for two tired girls.First was Em who arrived home just before midday,absolutely shattered after getting about an hour and a half's sleep last night!She did go back to bed but couldn't go back to sleep.She's gone out like a light tonight though!Holly's coach arrived back just before 6pm and she was a little the worse for wear too :( She'd got a bit teary about going this morning just before the coach arrived (not like her at all!)and I spent the day hoping she was okay.On the way back she started to feel sick about half an hour away from home and had got upset.Luckily,her Brownie leaders are fab and they took great care of her and she arrived home just a bit shaky.Other than that little hiccup, it sounds like she had a great day and like Em,went off straight away at bedtime.

While I had the house to myself this morning I got my scrapping stash out ,spread it over the floor...and scrapped!I only got one layout done mind you,but I'm really slow when I'm not using a sketch!Actually,I'm not that fast when I do use a sketch either.And it sort of made up for not cropping!
This is my Pencil Lines layout for this week.
I used Doodlebug Flocked cardstock
butterflies from KI lace cardstock
MM alpha stickers
Scenic route letter stickers
KI Lace cardstock
MM glitter corners and label holder
The flocked cardstock is gorgeous in real life,really touchy feely (thanks Anna :) )
I've stuck a circle of bling on it,though it doesn't show up very well in the photo.There's journalling on the paper under the photo about how this time last year Em hated having her photo taken and how that's now changed :)

It's tradition...

Today has been one of those perfect Autumn days :) There was fog everywhere this morning and there was dew hanging on all the cobwebs in the hedges.I love it when that happens ,it reminds me of misty and cold mornings when I was little.Once the fog cleared it was a beautiful sunny day and we made our annual conker hunting trip to Ayot.It is so beautiful there but sadly the conker supplies seem to be getting fewer and fewer each year,and the trees are not looking healthy :( We managed to find quite a few,but there were practically none left on the trees still to come down so it's just as well as we went today.I think we have been there every year now since Em was about three...one day I will have to dig out a photo from each year and compare them!

It seems very strange without Em here this evening.I'm hoping she's okay,we've just realised that is the first sleepover she's been to other than staying with family!Can't see her getting much sleep and she took enough DVD's to last three weeks ,let alone one night!
Tomorrow morning I think I might do some scrapping...then again maybe I'll just get on with the ironing pile that is the result of the last couple of days of gorgeous weather!

Plodding on...

This week I have been doing little bits & pieces around the house,moving my Momiji's,changing photo frames...that sort of thing!I think I am trying to pysch myself up for the huge job that sorting my wardrobe will be! It's not just used for clothes...it's also stuffed full with photo albums, bags ,records...the list is endless! At the moment I can't get any more clothes into it which is not good news!
The whole house looks like it needs a paint job too at the moment so I'm going to start on that soon too.I can probably get the living room done bit by bit myself,the kitchen is the one I'm dreading as I'll need to empty out the free standing cupboards first and they are full too...

This evening Em went back into school to help out with open evening.I can't believe it's a year since we went round there with her.She gets to go in late tomorrow morning so at least she gets a bit of a lie in!
This weekend Em is off to a sleepover..with five other girls..I think she'll be ready to go back to bed again when she comes home!Holly is off to Legoland with Brownies,Geoff is on work so I'll have the place to myself for a few hours on Sunday:) Why does that always feel like such a 'treat' when it's on a day when they should all be here?!
I've done no scrapping this week and the camera's hardly been used either ,other than some photos I took of Holly earlier in the week, just because she looked cute!

Party party party..

..at least it seems like that is all Holly has done this weekend!Yesterday she had Brownie Sports Day for a couple of hours before whizzing off to a friends party and then this afternoon we have been over to Anna's for Izzy's Hannah Montana party :)Holly went wearing her wig,whilst Em went as herself!Geoff and I left the girls at the party and actually went to the nearest pub for a drink,something that doesn't happen very often! Once everyone else had gone home,Peter put Rock Band on for the girls as they were itching to have a go!At that point I went off for a nose in Anna's scrap room for a bit of peace & quiet!And can you believe it...I forgot to bring home my batch of birthday brownies ...sob!!Ah well, more for Peter!
On Friday Anna came over and we we went shopping for Izzy's birthday :)We also found time for lunch at Frankie & Benny's - yum!
This is my Pencil Lines layout for this week.I used a photo of Em on her first day at her new school.
I used
KI Memories La Di Da papers
Bazill brad
Prima Journalling page
Doodlebug alpha stickers
K&Co ticket

Maya Road sheer & rub on

I have decided to make more an effort to do journalling on my layouts,so the kids will know the reasons behind some of the pages I do.Most of the time I do just scrap a photo because I like it but there are others that just feel like they need more details on them.On this weeks I wanted to remember how I felt on Em's first day so I wrote some journalling on the Prima page which is hidden.Em asked if she could read it this morning and at first I said No,as I thought it might make her a bit weepy.Eventually I gave in ...and yes,she ended up having a little sob into a cushion, bless her!
Tomorrow I will be making a start on some tidying and cleaning around the place, I feel seriously behind on everything at the moment! Due the gorgeous weather of the last few days though,I have managed to get all the sofa covers washed (yes, I know they're dry clean only!)and dried,so now it's a bit cleaner and smells lovely too :)Not much else planned for this week other trying to book a haircut and making an appointment for an eye test...

Settling in

So a couple of weeks into term and both the girls seem to be settling in at school okay.I am so pleased that Em seems so happy and is joining in with lots of new stuff.She is taking part in the house drama competition and has aslo started playing hockey too.She came home in her games kit this afternoon (we are just round the corner from the school) and she looked so different and grown up!It's amazing how someone can grow up so much in the space of a couple of weeks :)Holly had her second swimming lesson at school today and was a lot happier than she was after last weeks,which is a good thing!

Geoff came home with one of these for me this evening :)It's so dinky and matches my lovely green jumper (which complete strangers keep commenting on!)It wasn't ,but I'm going to count it as an anniversary pressie as today is our 15th weddding anniversary :)
Just checked my blog from this time last year,and I'm doing exactly the same thing as then...seeing Anna tomorrow to go for lunch and shopping for bits for Izzy's birthday pressies & party!
We have had gorgeous weather here today ,it feels like Autumn is on its way! I'm so tempted to buy loads of the gorgeous Halloween stash that is around this year...but I don't think we'll be going trick or treating this year as Holly will be away on her first Brownie Pack holiday and I'm not sure if Em's that bothered!

Shopping,pressies and cake :)

Happy Birthday to me !
I have had a lovely day (off work-woohoo!)I had momiji's from the girls this morning,shortly folllowed by a phone call from Anna :).Then after taking the girls to school my lovely husband took me to Thurrock for a little retail therapy.It was really supposed to be window shopping,but it's not really that often we go there so we made the most of it! I managed to leave a few bits on the shelves in Primark as well as getting some bargain mary jane style Crocs,DVDs and a cupcake recipe book from the Works :)So apart from nearly bursting into tears in the Dorothy Perkins changing rooms (and no,it wasn't to do with my weight!)it was a good trip.I dined on a Mcdonalds for breakfast (it is too long since I last had a sausage and egg McMuffin!)and a Pizza Hut lunch...I am going to diet hell this week!
Once back home having picked up the girls, my Mum & Dad came round for birthday cake and I had more pressies,including a threading water punch and a new Mackinac Moon tote :)
I'm now looking forward to Friday when I see Anna so I can help her spend some money! As well as going for lunch....!Will pop later with photos (depending on what they are like!)

Secret Superstar...

I was going to blog last night as I usually do on a Sunday evening..but then I knew by doing that it would kind of signal the end of the weekend.And it was one of those weekends that I wanted to last a lot longer.We didn't do anything special,but it was just ...nice! I think the fact that the sun shone had a lot to do with it...life seems so much better with a bit of sunshine! Saturday evening we had a pre-birthday/anniversary meal ,finished off with drinks in the garden by tealight :)

Yesterday afternoon Em was ploughing on with homework so Holly and I went for a walk down to the lakes as she fancied feeding the ducks.We found a couple of fairly friendly swans and Holly fed them... as well as herself !Don't worry, it was decent bread, not mouldy stuff! We sat and watched the local model club racing their boats across the lake,and found out exactly what they were up to from a very friendly man that Holly went over to and quizzed :)

In preparation for Izzy's birthday party next week,Holly bought herself some Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus wigs from Tesco's yesterday morning.Oh...my...word..we had a right giggle trying them on,yes,even Geoff and I had a try! But does anyone have any idea how to stop these things from being so static?!I have to say that the Miley wig makes Holly look like an eccentric old lady who's trying to deny the fact that she 's grey with thinning hair,and Em just looks so different with blonde hair! Roll on next Sunday...maybe Geoff and I should go as Billy Ray Cyrus and Dolly Parton?!(Don't worry...I am joking!) I have kept a load of Hannah Montana packaging from stuff that Holly has ,so look out for some HM layouts soon!

Pencil Lines went live last night with Christine Middlecamp as our guest DT.

I used Basic Grey Euphoria papers & buttons

K&Co ticket

Jenny Bowlin butterfly

Creative cafe trim

Imaginesce flower

Maya Road sheer

MM journalling page

Last night I actually did a 'just for the hell of it' layout,which,too be honest doesn't happen very much these days! I like it though and may pop it up on here later in the week.

Oh well....

..I did say I would probably blog less once the girls were back at school,looks like I was right!I have meant to update the last couple of nights,I just couldn't be bothered though!
Anyway,the week has been so exciting I can't even remember what I've done!High point was Wednesday when Anna came over to deliver a parcel :)Although we didn't go out anywhere,we had a lovely day just 'being',if you see what I mean! We sorted out some sponsorship stuff for Pencil Lines (which is so gorgeous I may just have to get everything else in the range!),went out to the corner shop to buy lunch and then sat on the floor and scrapped!

On Tuesday I decided to start tackling the mess that is my stash...at least I can get to some of it without loads of other stuff falling on me now.I need to get rid of all the cardmaking stuff as I know I will never use it.I'm hoping to take a load of it to Holly's Brownie pack so that they can make cards at christmas.
Planning a quiet weekend as Em is full of cold.The weather is supposed to be good so hopefully we can spend a bit of time in the garden too.
Scrapping wise,I got my mini book from Anna's summer workshop finished earlier in the week,filled with pics from our visit to Formby Point in August.I have to admit that this is probably only about the second mini book I have ever completed!But having done it, I fancy doing a few more of other stuff we've done.I actually have ideas for a few more Lo's in my head too, which makes a change!But I think I'll save them for when I next crop!

Sorry...

..I have no Pencil Lines layout to share this week :( I have no 'oomph' to scrap at the moment and in the end I gave up pushing papers and photos around and accepted that it wasn't going to happen!

Today Holly and I went along with the Bowkis family to Hyde Park to support Anna doing her run.Whilst we weren't blessed with the sunshine of last year and it was decidedly chillier,it didn't actually rain whilst we were there :) Being pro's at this supporters lark ;) Peter and I decided to walk the other way round the lake this year ,and by doing this we managed to see Anna near the finishing line too.I know I said it last year, but I am in awe of her (and anyone else who can run that distance !) and I know how much effort she put in.Although we arrived a bit later than last year, we just about managed to secure a place along the barriers down from the start line,thus guaranteeing a fleeting appearance on the TV coverage this afternoon! Okay, so you can't actually see 'us',but you can't miss the girls orange waterproofs and batons in the crowd! After the run, we sat by the Diana fountain to have our picnic and laugh at those who slipped on the muddy grass (this eventually included both Izzy and Lilly!) I loved being there and we will be back next year,so damn proud of you hun!

Whilst we were in london,Geoff took Em over to Watford,shopping.She had a great time and came home with some very funky new pumps. She seems to have grown up so much in just a week....

Ugh...

...I am sick of the rain,sick of the grey clouds and..I am sick of the slugs!!! The yucky squidgy things seem to be everywhere!
I feel like I have 1001 jobs to get done around the house,a million letters to read from schools and Brownies, and 101 things to pay out for.Okay,so maybe that'a a bit of an exaggeration...but that's what it feels like at the moment.And I don't now where to start!!
Reality has hit Em a bit today as she has loads of homework this weekend :( Other than that though she seems to enjoying it so far.
This weekend we are off to watch anna do her run in Hyde Park.Holly is insistant that we go, even if it's pouring with rain,bless her! Looks very doubtful that we will have the beautiful weather we had last year!
Oh, and a lesson learnt...never trust a friend not to eat the Reeses Pieces they bought you......you know who you are!!

And she's off...

..and just how gorgeous does she look?! I love how the colour of her sweatshirt really brings out the colour of her eyes :) She went off with her friend this morning so much more confident than I had expected,which I know is a good thing. As far as I can make out (why do you have ask so many questions just to get the basic info out of them?!) ,she had a good day and enjoyed herself.Her timetable is now stuck on the front of the freezer,so I guess I'd better start checking out when she needs to have her PE kit with her...

So with the kids back at school, the humdrum of normal life returns and I have very little else to share with you!

I spent the afternoon finshing off the sewing in of the name tape's into Em's uniform and am about halfway through Holly's...my fingers are sore!

One down, one to go!

Holly went back to school today in the worst weather we've ever had on the first day of term! She went in wearing winter uniform which has never happened before on her first day back:( My photos aren't that great this year,maybe she's past the age of smiling sweetly for me!

This morning Em and I went into town with my Mum for a drink at Costas (can't really say we went for a coffee as neither of us drink it!) to 'celebrate' her last day at home.She will up bright and early tomorrow morning as she is meeting up with a group of other girls so that they can all go in together.

So tomorrow afternoon the house will be mine..all mine!!

Not much else happening here really,just drawing up a huge list in my head of the all the jobs that need doing around the house.Of course,most of them won't get done and I'll be drawing up the same list agin when they go back after October's half term! One thing I have to do is sort out my papers and tote as I have stuff stacked up all over the place and nothing's getting used!

September already??

Someone tell me where this year is going!
Today has been spent doing all the last minute school stuff (yes, the stuff that I was saying I was going to do a week ago!)PE kit has been named,homework finished and trousers taken up (okay, so my mum did that bit for me!)
Our main task of the day was to decorate Holly's new pencil case.The school state that she has to have one that her ruler will fit into ,which has to be a 12" one.Of course all the pencil cases that size are plain and boring and not the jazzy HSM ones she wanted.So we bought her a plain red one and promised to 'HSM' it for her...I have trying to work out how since we bought it.This is the finished result! Amazing what you do with a bit of tracing, a permanent marker and a Sharpie poster paint pen! I am really chuffed with it and luckily so is Holly!

Holly has been a bit quiet and down today,she is nervous about going up into juniors ,brought ona bit by knowing em won't be there for her either.So to perk her up we had a little photo shoot in the garden so she could 'model' the gorgeous summer clothes that she has hardly had chance to wear ,before she grows out of them!
Fingers crossed I will get some 'first day' photos tomorrow ,but as heavy rain is forecast I'm not over hopeful :( Then we do it all over again on Wednesday when Em starts -sniff sniff! ) It will feel very weird tomorrow only making one packed lunch!

Sketch 100 and Girls night out!

Make sure you go over and check out Pencil Lines this week,we hit our 100th sketch and the whole gang is there for it!!

Mine does look nicer in real life,all the circles are hand stitched on ,which took me ages to do! I haven't done any sewing for ages so I quite enjoyed it,even if it did take so long! This sketch was perfect for this photo that I took of Holly in a rope tunnel at the local park :)

I used Scenic Route Laurel papers (my fave and most used paper range ever I think!)& chipboard and a mix up of buttons.

Summer returned yesterday...for one day only it seems as it's back to rain again today! We made the most of it,with the girls spending the afternoon in the pool (even Geoff joined them!) and having a BBQ for tea :) Even the badminton net made a re-appearance having been pretty redundant so far this summer!

I finally managed to catch up on some sleep this morning,waking up at almost 10am,which is unheard of for me! I did feel much better for it though and spent the rest of the morning de-labelling and washing all the girls new uniform.I cannot believe the last six weeks have gone so fast :(

This evening Anna and I headed off to the cinema to finally see Mamma Mia...OMG...I want to go again !! We laughed, cried and stuffed our faces with popcorn.If you haven't seen this film yet ,go!!Roll on November when it's out on DVD! We then went to Frankie & Benny's to stuff ourselves a little more - the perfect end to the hols before routine kicks in again!

Grrrr....

So our neighbours have gone away,leaving their oldest son at home...who has had a party this evening.It's now 2am and I am sick of the sound of them stomping up and down the stairs (they have a loft conversion and the stairs are next to our bedroom),not to mention knackered! I seem to have been awake at this time three out of the last four nights...I desperately need some beauty sleep!I am hoping that my sleeping pattern will return to normal next week once we return to the normal routine.That's about the only thing I am looking forward to though...despite the pants weather, I've enjoyed having the kids at home!
I am off to stick my head under the pillow and try and get some sleep!

London calling....

Yesterday we all took a trip into London for the day :)We went on one of the open top bus tours hopping on and off when we wanted.The ticket also included a free boat trip too so we made the most of it!Our first stop off was Hamleys where the girls were in their element!We then hopped back on the bus where we stayed until we reached the Tower of London,which is where we picked up the boat trip back up to the Embankment.I was really surprised at how quiet it was...I expected it to be heaving being August.We then boarded the bus to Buckingham Palace ,the main place that Holly wanted to see :) It was a bit of a trip down memory lane for me as I used to work not far from there and often sat out on the grass outside to eat my lunch!From Buckingham Palace we walked (the longest walk of the day!)through Hyde Park to the Diana Memorial Fountain.Holly really wanted Em to see it even though we will be back there next week for Anna's race.We arrived home tired but having had a fab day.

On Tuesday we went over to Willows Farm,our usual summer hols day out! And it's another place that was really quiet...maybe everyone was out uniform shopping?!Anyway, we spent ages in the Maize Maze ,watched the Daft Duck Trials,went gold panning and held the guinea pigs and the bunny rabbits.The girls were even happy to stroke the new sheep dog puppies they have as well as the older ones :)
This weeekend we will just be chilling and sorting out stuff for school next week.And maybe,as it's supposed to be warm the girls will get one last splash in the pool before the holidays are over!

Baby love...

As I mentioned in a post last week,whilst we were away the girls became acquainted with Baby,their cousins little dog.Neither girls are big dog lovers..this stems manily from when they were younger and dogs bounded up to them in parks and when we were out for pcnics etc.Em has got a lot better recently but Holly is still not keen! So these photos represent a major break through :) Baby is fairly quiet and doesn't yap or bark much (unless he hears a noise like a hairdryer!) which I think went part of the way to calming their fears a bit.

Today we have been out to get the last few school bits & pieces.I also got a couple of storage baskets for when I finally sort out my stash in my cupboards (definately a 'once the kids are back at school' job!) I had hoped to stock up on nice jumpers from Primark too but sadly the Stevenage store is not a patch on the Liverpool one and they didn't have the ones I wanted :( Influenced by Jakey I went off in search of Sharpies in Woolies... the question now is...what do I do with them?!

Superlambananas!!

While we were up visiting the in-laws we went into Liverpool one day and had fun spotting the Superlambananas around the place :) Holly needs to take a photo in to school to go on an 'Extreme Reading' photo wall,as we won't be going anywhere vaguely 'extreme' ,we decided to settle for photos ogf her reading a mag in front of a few of the Superlambananas!

WE arrived home yesterday afternoon after a nice few days away.On Thursday we went to Formby to the National trust land in the hope of seeing some red squirrels.sadly they are suffering from squirrel pox so there were none to be seen :( The weather really brightened up and we spent the afternoon on the beach :) we then drove back via Liverpool to go and show Em our old house where we lived till she was 2 1/2.

Thursday was spent in Liverpool dragging the kids round the shops!We haven't been into the town centre for a while now since Geoff's mum & dad moved from Anfield out to Widnes.There have been lots of changes ,took me a while to find my bearings! Primark though...OMG...absolutely huge !! Had Anna been there too I think we could have spent all day in there !!

Today I was up bright and early to go over and help at Anna's Summer Workshop for the day.My feet are killing me and I am stuffed from eating too much lemon cake! I finally got to meet Karen,I think I've finally found someone who talks faster than me!! We did one class,though I haven't finished it yet (what a surprise!)

Over at Pencil Lines we were sponsored by the gorgeous Jenny Bowlin kits this week :) Everything on my layout is from the kit except for the title which is done with Doodlebug stickers :)

I am heading off to my bed for an early night :)

Checking in...

..from wet Widnes! We are up visiting Geoff's mum & dad for a couple of days and the rain seems to have followed us here :(
Feeling a bit sore today having managed to fall down the stairs at 4.30 this morning!No, I was neither drunk or asleep,not quite sure what happened but I fell the whole way down on my bum and now have a fetching purple bruise coupled with a huge scrape on my elbow -ouch! I was on my way downstairs to get Holly a drink as she was awake at some unearthly hour!
This evening the girls have gone for a sleepover at their auntie's,just a shame we are both too knackered to go out and make the most of it! The girls have fallen in love with my neice's little dog which their antie is looking after at the moment.They are not dog lovers at all but have been won over by Baby, a little yorkie who is almost blind ,bless him! Though apparently they were a little concerned that he might sneak in to their rooms and lick their faces in the morning!
Tomorrow we were planning on going to see the red squirrels in Formby but as the weather is looking dire (yet again!) those plans may have to be cancelled.

The weekend

Yesterday we finally got round to going to see Wall E at the cinema with the girls.Except there was something wrong with it! We were eventually moved to another screen and given free scratch cards from which we won three packs of popcorn and a drink! Luckily it meant that we didn't have to sit through the adverts (they were abandoned as it was running 40 mins late) ,the downside being that we didn't get to see the High Scool Musical Senior Year trailer :( We were tempted to see if we could fit the lifesize display of the characters in the boot of the car though!! Anyway, we loved the film,and as we were so late coming out the girls got a MacDonalds for tea so they were happy! It was then home to watch the X Factor,yep - sucked in already!! The only problem being that I now feel like I'm on a countdown to Christmas!

Pencil Lines is live ...,mine looks absolutely huge when it's actually just a 6 x 12! Totally my fault,I am useless at resizing stuff without it either being too big or small and blurry :( One day I may learn how to do it properly!
Anyway, I used
Pink Paislee papers
American Crafts letter stickers
Doodlebug button
Heidi Swapp bling

Still here!

I seem to be getting a bit confused and losing days at the moment! Yesterday I was convinced it was Friday...!!(It's actually Friday now as I'm writing this but it will probably be very early AM Sat by the the time I finish it)

So, today was a very rare day with no rain,so I got the boring stuff like cutting the garden hedges and cutting the grass done.the girls had (rather severe!) hair cuts first thing before we headed over to stevenage as Em had an urge to buy herself a Hannah Montana pencil case! I came home with 2 new pairs of jeans - now I'm not really short so why is it so bloomin' difficult to buy jeans that aren't about two inches too long and drag in all the pudddles?! I also found a gorgeous jumper which my mum has bought me 'in advance' of September :) I love this time of year when the shops start to get their winter woolies in.Although I love the summer(when the sun actually shines!) ,I hate having my wobbly bits on display and am much happier snuggled up in a baggy jumper or cardy!

Holly had a friend round this afternoon cue much playing on the Wii and bouncing on the trampoline!


Scrapping wise, my mojo seems to have walked off, or maybe it got washed away in the rain?! I seeem to have taken so few photos this summer I don't know what to use!my Pencil Lines layout for next week is all done (we have some fab sponsership!) but I am still struggling with this weeks and may have to admit defeat :(

And finally, a picture of the rainbow,although this is one from yesterday ,not Tuesday!Love this one as you can see the 'reflection' too :)

All finished..

Yep, I think I am all finished on the joy that is uniform shopping.We went out bright and early this morning to go shoe shopping.Half an hour later and we were bankrupt ;)! Having been a trained Clarks shoe fitter in the past I am pretty strict with getting the girls school shoes fitted properly.Being at the age where she wanted some of the cheaper(ie more 'trendy')shoes,even Em agreed that the properly fitted ones were far more comfy:)At the end of the day I'd rather pay more for one decent pair than keep replacing lightweight ones! At least her walk to school is shorter from September .

The weather has been it's usual unpredictable self all day so plans to go for a walk to the lakes for an ice cream were scuppered.And we went to the corner shop for the ice cream instead!Shorter walk so less chance of being soaked!

This evening Holly has gone for a sleepover at my mum & dad's,so Em camped out in front of the tv with a bowl of popcorn and watched the Disney movie Haunted House :)

Poo,I was going to add a pic of one of the (many) rainbows we had today but blogger is playing up :(

Afternoon escape!

So this afternoon Anna and I made a break for freedom and went shopping for the afternoon :) Let's just say I spent considerably less than Anna but then again she did buy lots of stuff that I'm going to borrow!We saw lots of crop ladies too!Having emptied our purses in Stamperama we went for a quick shop in the town before heading home.It was a really nice afternoon,especially as it was arranged last minute:)


Pencil Lines is live, make sure you go and have a look ,the layouts are just fab this week plus we have Janine back too :)
This is my layout,
I used October Afternoon papers and journal tags
KI Lace cardstock
Prima flower
Doodlebug letter stickers
Scenic Route chipboard letters
The photo of Em was taken when she was all dressed up to go to her last school disco:)

Woohoo :)

I'd completely forgotten that there was a Stamperama show due at Stevenage ...it's tomorrow! So feeling just a little fed up with the non-stop rain and the fact that I haven't seen any real live stash in ages (before I buy it online!)I thought I'd see if Anna fancies going....and we are on!Now,my stash kitty is pretty low at the moment,but I'm not actually planning on buying much...I just want to see it! Though having said that I've just realised that a shop will be there that has some chipboard that I have been after for ages...
I got a fab box of gorgeousness this morning too as Anna went shopping at Capture the Magic the other day.I'd asked her to pick me up some buttons,and she padded out the box with some other very lovely velvety and glittery delights *happy sigh* so that brightened my day considerably before it chucked it down rain again for the whole day :(
This morning we went for a walk in the woods as Holly wanted to see how the tadpoles in the pond were doing.We would have walked further (well, Holly and I would have!) but the rain had set in by then.So we headed back into town and went to pick up Em's school polo shirts.I suppose I should start the name labelling soon really...
The Wii has had a lot of use today (and I am still queen of cow racing...say no more!) and Holly also did a couple of layouts this afternoon using a pack of three 3Bugs papers that I passed on to her :)
I am off to bed in the hope of waking up to a dry day tomorrow....

Lesson learnt....

...when going to the cinema,book your tickets in advance :( Say no more!! Anna, are we on for the end of the month?!

This afternoon we went to Standalone Farm with my sis,mum & dad and nieces.We haven't been there for a while now but not much has changed!One of my nieces is a bit of a daredevil and frightened the life out of me several times in the playground! Sadly Em is a bit too old for some of the things there now as the age limit is 8 on the playground and tractors but I think she still enjoyed herself :)Despite lots of loud thunder,it only rained heavily once and the afternooon was finished off with ice creams :)

Yesterday afternoon,they all came round here and the spent the time bouncing on the trampoline (seriously the best money we ever spent!) and chasing bubbles round the garden!

Not sure what we have planned for the weekend yet,we'll see what the weather decides to do!

Is it April?!

because it certainly feels like it with all this flippin' rain!

Today Anna and the girls came over,sadly due to the rubbish weather we were confined to the indoors all day :( Despite a few tears (from Holly!) things worked out okay and we were treated to a fashion show and a Hannah Montana dance off!Fingers crossed next time the sun will shine!

This is the quick layout I did on Sunday,using a very old sheet of KI memories paper that I found when I was trying to sort some of my stuff out!I think I need to do more layouts like this,just to make a dent in my piles of paper and flowers!

Not much else to reprt I'm afraid! We are hoping to do a trip to a farm park on Thursday if the weather holds, so maybe my camera will get a bit of use then!

Where...

...is the time going?!I realised that this morning that the girls still haven't really seen their friends yet this holiday...but they have something else on everyday this week,so I'd better make some phonecalls and arrange something for the next couple of weeks before they disappear!
On Friday morning we went down to the lakes so that the girls could go fishing and paddling in the river :) It's normally packed on a hot day,but as it was a bit cloudy & overcast and we got there early,we had the place to ourselves!Even the playground was deserted so they spent ages in there too.
The pool has been pretty much redundant the last few days with the disappearaance of the sunshine :(
Pencil Lines is live again ,here's mine :)

I used
Basic Grey Sugared and Sultry papers
MM tiny alpha stickers
AC felt thickers
Prima Crystals
I think it's probably obvious the photos weren't taken by me, but by Anna,last weekend! I used the Sunday Scraps prompt from Jen Hall's blog for the title ,as it suited the photos so well :)
Today the weather has been absolutely pants and I've had no fresh air at all..so expect to see me roaming the net,still wide awake in a few hours time!I did do a quick layout while the girls were eating their lunch though,using a few bits that were easy to put my hand to ,as I couldn't be bothered drasgging all my stuff out from everywhere!Holly has has her toe and finger nails painted today.She was most put out that no-one wanted her to theirs,so I remembered that I had some nail forms upstairs so she had fun painting them instead!
This week we have Anna,Izzy and Lilly visiting on Tuesday :),my sister will be staying at my mum & dad's for a couple of days,so we will be seeing her and her two girls.And I should be going to see Mamma Mia on Thursday with my sis...I can't remember the last time I saw a 'grown up' film at the cinema!

Yawn...

I don't know what is up with my sleep pattern at the moment..but it's not good!Having been way too hot the last two nights (I finally fell asleep on the sofa at about 4am Tuesday morning!) I thought being cooler this evening I'd be fine.But no,it's now 1am and I'm still awake.And it's not as if I haven't been busy today (now yesterday!) This morning we walked into town to stock up on paint brushes,clay etc from ELC .

Holly spent most of the afternoon in the pool (apart from a nasty fall during a mad dash for the toilet!),along with Em.So as I had to be in the garden I thought I'd cut the hedges in the back garden.My dad has just given me his old hedge trimmer (to save me borrowing his new one!) and it was so bloomin' heavy I was exhausted by the time I'd finished (bear in mind the hedges are about 7ft high and the garden is long,I wasn't being a wimp!)

I spent this evening sorting out some photos to order online as Holly is desperate to do some scrapping and my ink is running low!

These are a couple of things I made with the last Scrapping Angels kit.Anna seems to have lost her photo of the note book which I did at the crop back in June so I don't think it's in the gallery yet! I made the bookmark by Cropadile-ing an acrylic heart and threading the ribbon through.Em has her beady eye on it!

Right,it's now heading for 1.30am so I am off to attempt to sleep again!

Better late than never!

Pencil Lines has now gone live and this week we were sponsored by Riff Raff designs.I painted and glittered the butterfly and purple heart (very badly I'm afraid, it's not my strong point!) The photos show the results of the face painting marathon that went on on Saturday!

I also used

Fancy Pants paper & rub on

Angel Kiss flowers

Bazzill spotty brads

MM alpha stickers

AC Glitter thickers

Prima crystal swirls

It's still sweltering hot here ,I guess I shouldn't complain! The girls have spent the afternoon in the pool keeping cool.It does mean that I have an excuse to sit in the garden and chill,even if I did have to move into the shade after a while!