Finished Advent Calender

Well i'm doing better than I expected. I've cleaned the bathroom and I have finished the advent calender. Here it is - its hard to get a good pic as i'm sure you know yourself at the moment with our weather here!

Hope you can see that its all glittery and when the lights hit it, it sparkles and glimmers. The pinks are not as bright as they look here, its all icy and cold looking.

Tomorrow I am going christmas shopping with Jason, not got too much to buy really, done it all online

The Weekend

Mucho fun was had this weekend.

I woke up on Saturday determined that I was going to get my hair chopped off, luckily my hairdressers had a gap and so off I went. I've had it cut like my old profile pic but a bit shorter. Its a jaw length bob and it looks great, so easy to cope with and looks so sleek and classy - am chuffed, I just need to make sure that I don't get lazy and let it grow again.

Sat night was curry and pub with Nicky (Alan once again in London, he goes there for 'the internet' apparently - hes a professional gambler, we've tried to tell him that Bristol actually has 'the internet' too but he won't listen) and Bill who is a curry monster.

Yesterday Jason treated me to lunch in the pub (he wanted to go to the pub and treating me to lunch is a good way of making me agree to it!!), which was lovely as it always is, we got talking to another couple in there that we've seen around lots lately, and much fun was had, although I know she will be waking up this morning saying to her other half "was I embarrasing yesterday?" she wasn't, but she was a bit tipsy. We did had a laugh and its nice to meet new people.

I am shattered today, I have so much to do - done the usual housework, but still to do: Clean Bathroom
Iron lots of clothes
Finish Advent calendar

I just want to sit and play on 'the internet' though.

Advent

I have been drawn in to the Tesco Advent Calendar altering frenzy.

I didn't think I would get one as no one else seems to be able to get hold of them anymore, but last night Jason found one for me in a Tesco. So for a fiver (isn't that a great price?) it was mine!

I set about it today, first job was 2 coats of white emulsion, to cover the hideous colours that Tesco deemed saleworthy.

I decided on a blue icey theme with bits of pink and glitter. Hopefully I can get hold of another calendar this year/next year and do a more traditional one too!

I started this at 9 this morning and its now 4.30pm and I have finished for the day, I am very pleased with it and it is prob 90-95% done. Just want to add some christmas embelishments to it. Here it is at the 'almost there' stage.

Will hopefully have it done by Tuesday, and it will look all christmassy and lovely!

Pink

I am finding it hard to scrap at the moment, I keep sitting down to do it and then just spend an hour pushing paper about. I did manage this yesterday, and it has pink on it - not scrapped in pink since I first started scrapping. Its not quite right, but I am glad to at least have done something!


The cat seems better still, she is now not limping at all and we have opened the cat flap for her, she is going out but only for 5 mins at a time, whatever happened must have shaken her confidence a bit!.


I have a driving lesson today, I am NOT looking forward to it. Its been so stop start that I spend all lesson recapping what I did last time and therefore I'm not progressing. I told Jason I either need to stop altogether or have a regular weekly lesson so that I can get going on it. Its getting embarrasing when people ask how I am getting on, I am competitive and if I had had regular lessons I reckon I would be test standard by now, I hate telling people I am no nearer forward than 2 months ago, they must think I am a terrible learner and I am not!


And in good news - the lovely Jason managed to fix my hairdyer, it just needed a new fuse - hurrah!

Cat update

Well we took the evil one to the vets last night. He agreed that something wasn't right with her foot, he had a good look around and its one of her toes thats causing the prob. He doesn't think its broken as he said she would be crying constantly and not just when he touched it.

So shes had a pain injection and I am told to bring her back either today or tomorrow to see how she is, if no improvement they want to sedate her so they can do a thorough exam.

I am not taking her back - I don't need to pay a consult fee to know shes improved. She is leaping on and off the furniture, only limping now in about 1 in 3 steps and even last night she was trying to get out the cat flap. Her foot looks wierd still but the vet thinks its just swelling and already it looks better and she is holding it better and lying and sitting properly now.

So all in all it was £41 (touch wood, if she still keeps improving)

But now my hairdryer is broken, I've had this hair dryer for about 10 years (could be more!) I am heartbroken. I do not want a new super duper dryer thats too heavy for my little wrists, I want my old Braun that is little and light yet powerful - I bet they don't still make it. Sigh MORE unexpected expense. Off to google it!

Oh Dear!

Today Skittle (our cat) did not turn up for her breakfast, she is a persistant little cat and meows loudly at 8.55am every morning for her food.

I was worried.

Then at 2.55pm I saw her black tail walk past the door and went to see her.... she was limping.

I have looked at her paw and something is not right, so we are taking her to the vets shortly. The vets think its good that she is eating and that she has been up on things, but bad that she is choosing to 'hide' under the bed and have asked us to bring her in. £30 for the consultation, not the end of the world - but with our overspend at the weekend I could do without it. £30 is not what worries me, what worries me is x-rays, medication and maybe even surgery. £30 I can handle, £300 not so much! And I'll admit if its £30 to just be told its a bit of brusing then also that will make me cross, vets fees are extorinate (they once tried to charge me £160 t0 make the dog sick when he had eaten some chocolate - in the end it cost us 50p - the price of some soda crystals which is what they use to induce vomiting in dogs!)

Bloody Bloody Bloody - typically it was literally only 3 days ago that I was thinking that I should insure her as we had been lucky with her so far - the dog is insured why not the cat!!???? Arggggh

Please keep your fingers crossed for me that its just a bit of brusing (yes I know I was whinging about that, but its the best option really!)

Knew I bloody hated that cat!

Here is a nice pic of skittle cuddling Jess - she love her!

lookey what I made

I am getting a notebook edge border punch for Christmas and I have wanted one for ages. Today I thought I would try and design a cutting file for the Craft Robo so I wouldn't have to wait for crimbo.

I've tried before, but I am design challenged and have always ended up cross and frustrated when I have tried. Very naughtily the punch arrived at the weekend and I have a v quick go so that I would know how to design it.

The first pic is from the punch and the second is the cutting file that I have made. Looks good I think! I kept designing it the wrong way around so that the waste was the negative if you see what I mean, but I got my head round it in the end! Nothing major design wise but for me its a

minor miracle!

Wii feet

Jason never spends any money on himself, he says he can never "Justify it" which winds me up as why should you justify it? He works hard and deserves to treat himself from time to time!

He told me in the week thats he wanted a Wii for ages and then did the whole "can't afford it" etc whilst googling the best deals. In the end he talked himself into it and off we went to get it yesterday. We got a package with the console, motion plus, wii sports, wii sports resort and beach sports. I got us the wii fit (You can't have a wii and not have wii fit!)

I do not know how we managed to leave the house last night for the party!!! It is addictive and I think I may have lost Jason to the tennis.

We popped out today to get another controller so we can compete against each other and we've spent a happy afternoon leaping about and getting v competitive! The dog is going nuts with all the activity.

Last night we went out, and it was a laugh. We had to walk home and it takes 10 mins to just get out of the venue we were at, it has a very very long drive. I sensibly decided on boots not shoes, and the bloody things tore my soles to pieces, so we stopped off at nicky's house and she lent me some fluffy socks and trainers, which were great but then tore my heels to shreds. So today I have very soorly feet!

We got home at 1am last night, to find the dog had poohed all over Jessica's room (she has painted floorboards so thats not too bad) and then all over the hall carpet. Its not fun when drunk with torn up feet having to clean up that, added to the fact that Jason flooded the toilet with the tissue and that I am phobic of flooded toilets so almost had a flaming panic attack, the end of the evening was a bit crappy (excuse the pun!!!)

DSi Keynsham

Doing the washing this morning, I stumbled across suicidal cat. She was in there with the door closed, not sure how she managed that! I had such a lot of wet washing in my arms she was lucky I spotted her! Can't you see the love radiating out of that cat? lol - she HATES me!



Got a bit of scrapping done today, yet another with November Scrapagogo and I am still in love with the border stamps. Talking of borders, Jason was given a list of border punches I wanted for christmas but being a bloke and not understanding craft shopping he was having some problems locating them, so last night I picked out 3 punches, put them in my shopping cart and then gave the laptop to Jason for paying! I am v excited about getting these punches. I am going to ask my brother and sister for one each too and then I will have quite the collection. I LOVE borders and they are always on my LO's even if I have to hand cut them!

Christmas shopping wise I only have my brother and sister to buy for now (and maybe a bit more for the twiglets) so I am doing V well and am feeling a bit smug and pleased with myself!

Looking forward to the weekend, we have the kids till 4pm Saturday and then I think we will be going to a 50th organised party, I am in the mood for a bit of a bop and being an organised party it means I might even wear a dress and my HIGH heels. I LOVE high heels and have quite a collection of gorgeous party shoes, not worn them in months, since I put the weight on in fact, but now I am slimmer I think I may brave a pair this weekend!

Give it some Welly

Well the good news is that my camera has decided to stop fart arsing about and has resumed normal (non blue tint) service. This is good as I was in danger of getting a replacement for Christmas. A replacement for something that I already owned does not excite me, so now the money is free for other things yipee!

I am having such good fun with my online crimbo presents. I got both the twiglets mobile phones, which they will be thrilled with and then I asked my mum to get them each a Polaroid Pogo a mini printer that you can bluetooth your mobile photos to. They will be thrilled! Well they'd better be!!!

Jessica is desperate for a mobile and has been nagging me for about a year now, She has been firmly told "no way" So she will be thrilled when she gets it this christmas.

Craft wise my mojo which was smoking has unfortunetly been put out and its not working so well for me now, I did however manage this today, its not the best but its not too bad. The scalloped photo frame is one of the mini border stamps that I had added on to my Scrapagogo kit, they are
FANTASTIC and I love them very much!

Thanks to Fay for this marvellous blog award, I'd just like to thank, my children, my partner for putting up with me, my mum and dad for believeing in me, the dog for his farting inspiration, and of course God! I couldn't have done it without you all *sobs*

And now I have to answer these Q's in one word only! (this is hard for me)

1. Where is your mobile phone? hallway

2. Your hair? brown

3. Your mother? loved

4. Your father? loved

5. Your favorite food? Dhansak

6. Your dream last night? Scrapping

7. Your favorite drink? Tea

8. Your dream/goal? happiness

9. What room are you in? Lounge

10. Your hobby? Scrapbooking

11. Your fear? Fire

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Happy

13. Where were you last night? Home

14. Something that you aren't? Patient

15. Muffins? Yuck

16. Wish list item? Iphone

17. Where did you grow up? Tewkesbury

18. Last thing you did? Mopped

19. What are you wearing? Casual

20. Your TV? Breaking

21. Your Pets? Farting

22. Friends? Social

23. Your life? Nice

24. Your mood? Hungey

25. Missing Someone? no

26. Vehicle? feet

27. Something you’re not wearing? Tie

28. Your favorite store? Primark

29. Your favorite colour? Green

30. When was the last time you laughed? Today

31. Last time you cried? 6th

32. Your best friend? Jason

33. One place that I go to over and over? Saundersfoot

34. Facebook? Crap

35. Favorite place to eat? Ship

And now I will pass this on to some fabulous people (can't do name links ) http://sarahgrantzone.blogspot.com/ (Sarah)
http://organisedmess.blogspot.com/ (Audrey) and finally
http://vickisartisticlicense.blogspot.com/ (Vicki)

Cheers!

camera help

Does anyone have any idea why my point and shoot camera is taking images with a blue tint? I have played around with all the settings etc and nothing seems to resolve the issue, only been doing it for 2 days and before it was working perfectly well! So again this Layout is not really true to its colours (inappropriately given the sunject!) This is another one from the November Scrapagogo kit, which I am loveing so much!

Yesterday I had 2 viennesse whirls, not allowed on my diet but its taken me 6 weeks to lose 3lbs and frankly that is a bit demotivating, so the whirls were consumed and I couldn't care less. Once I have this weight off this time, it is NOT going back on - its taken me almost 12 weeks and I have lost 9-10lbs it is too slow and I can't do it again, not at that pace!

My Pot of Gold

Just after my last blog post, my Scrapagogo Kit arrived. Its perfect for me and I love everything in it.

So much so that I have already made a LO using it! Here it is: (wish I could photograph and crop straight lol)



And thanks Fay for the info regarding the class, I will have a look at that later, sounds interesting!

So cute at 3

So here is what I was mucking about with yesterday. Think my camera may be on its last legs as this keeps photographing blue and not white. Still nothing I can do about it, so its not the best photo in the world. I added the little frog, the triangle border and the stitching today.

I am eagerly awaiting my first ever Scrapagogo kit which should turn up today. The lady across the road has not shut her gate properly and it keeps banging in the wind and I keep thinking its a car door slamming and get all excited that postie is here. Its been banging in the wind all bloody weekend and quite frankly it is doing my nut in! I am incredibly noise sensitive and things like that can drive me mental, its all I can focus on! And chill.

Jason ordered a christmas present for me yesterday online and that is already here! I want my parcels!!

We took Bruno out for a walk during the storms on Saturday, I dont think I have ever been so wet! literally right through to my undies. We bought Bruno a high vis vest to wear and we looked like right nutters walking in the storm with a bright yellow dog!

Gotta Love Ipod

Here is the lo that I made for challenge 23 as Guest Designer at http://www.butterfly-crafts.blogspot.com/ Its not the original one that I made for it that I also loved, but I liked the subject so much I made 2 Layouts and this is the one I chose in the end!

That stitching took forever!

A quiet and uneventful weekend, did a bit of scrapping today but it took me forever to get going and I was just shoveling paper around, did a LO in the end but will have to wait for tomorrow to photograph it as its dark now.

Expecting LOTS of parcels next week, Scrapagogo kit, Scarlet Lime kit and loads of christmas presents that I ordered last week - I have spent a small fortune, but I have got lots done so I am pleased.

Christ what a boring post!

Christmas Diary - on a budget

I really wanted to do Journal your Christmas this year, but looking into it and looking into the way I wanted to do it I couldn't justify the extra cost, so I am going it alone. I have PLENTY of ideas, I think I am going to do it as a daily diary, I already have about 25 ideas for different aspects of Christmas, it all came very quickly to me, and I am sure that a lot of what I have thought of would be within the class anyway, I am just missing a bit of the inspiration and a few of the more off the wall ideas, but I can live with that!

This book I got from the shop WHAT! it cost me £1.19 and will be my diary, the pages inside are black, which will prob cause me a bit of a problem, but I think its workable with. I have also gone through all my stash and pulled out anything remotely christmassy, colours in Green, Red, Pink, Blue and all shades therein. The idea is that I don't buy anthing especially for it and I use what I have (although we are going to The Range shortly and I think I may be tempted!)

When I do projects and mini books I always go for a uniform look with pages that match throughout, I really want to get away from that with this diary and produce a gloriously messy and missmatched look that will be fun to look through, and different on every day!

My first entry will be about Advent (the calendars more specifically) and I really can't wait to get started!

I did the front cover yesterday, this included stickling the title work, I then put it in what I thought would be a good place to dry and then Jason and I toddled off to the pub. Fast forward 2 hours and Jason turns his head, and his cheek was quite liberally glittered, much to the amusement of our friends we proceeded to discuss quite why Jason might have glitter on his face. Apparently it envolved a rebellious packet of Spaghetti leaping out of the cubboard and onto my diary! You can't keep anything nice in my house!

Yesterday

So yesterday was the day I was supposed to be going shopping in Bath with Nicky. Woke up and Joe was complaining of feeling ill, felt his forehead and he felt hot. So after waiting 30 mins he was still moaning and so the shopping was off. Joe got a whole lecture about the fact that he had better be ill as I was looking forward to my day out and didn't want to cancel if he was well enough to go to school, Joe said he was poorly so that was that.

An hour later, and Joe is SAT UP on the sofa, watching Top Gear and laughing very loudly, another feel of his forehead revealed a cool child. To say I was cross was an understatement, Joe was sent upstairs to get into his uniform and straight to school and I rang Nicky to see if we could still go.

We missed the train by about 5 mins, so her partner (I was gonna type boyf there, but he's 64 so that looked a bit silly!) Alan drove us in, which was lovely of him.

The new shopping centre in Bath was CRAPOLA, literally about 6 shops open, and none of them ones that interest me (All Saints, over priced, under coloured poncy clothes, no thanks). So we wandered around the other shops and bought very little, I bought: A birthday Card - see pic (such funny cards, we stood and read them all and giggled a lot), A mini salt dispenser that looked like a rabbit (has those ears that you crack to get out the salt) that is now called Malcolm, bits and bobs for the kids stockings and in the last 5 mins a black and white small polka dotted winter coat. Nicky got a card, and a cheeseboard for herself lol.



We had an awful Jacket Potato in a pub - this Jacket had obviously never even been in the same room as an oven, a nice bottle of wine and then we came back on the train.

Joe came home from school very sheepishly, nothing wrong with him the little bugger!

And finally Jason finished work at 4.30pm last night, it was so nice to have him home a bit early.

Even little monsters

Managed a bit of scrapping this morning, came up with this which I rather like!

Going Christmas shopping tomorrow to Bath, they had a new shopping centre open last week, so I am going with my mate Nicky to check it out. On the train (I hate trains), bit of shopping, spot of lunch and train back to pick up the twiglets from school. Be a bit different to my normal Thursday anyway!

I am a figment of your imagination

According to the woman who created the calendar (which don't get me wrong I love!) to download on the Scrapbook Inspirations website, there is no December 31st, my mum was born on December the 31st so she obviously doesn't exist which means I don't either. This has caused me great distress but I have looked in the mirror and I really do seem to be here.






So I have had to write in the 31st! Anyway here is a collage of the calendar that I finshed today, I just need to punch holes in it and string it together now, not sure whether to gift it or keep it! Some of the pages look a bit wonky, but thats the way I had to crop it, its all perfectly straight(ish) in real life!

An update on the visit to my gran: She didn't really know who we were and was just drifting in and out of sleep, so we sat with her for an hour and a half and I just held her hand. She can't hear anything and got distressed when I talked to her as she couldn't hear (and didn't really know who I was anyway) so I just sat with her. She has to leave her residential home now as she needs too much nursing care. I hope she goes soon, this is no life for her and shes had enough I know.

Things that make you go Oooo

The last issue of Scrapbook Inspirations came through my door this morning, I am so sad that it is finished because being a relatively new scrapper, I still always found stuff in it that interested me and inspired me. 2 things made me go oooo in this issue, one was the ATC spinner version of Journal your Christmas (which I am tempted to join this year) on page 32. And the other was the simple little print and share calendar on page 37. I downloaded the calendar straight away from http://www.scrapbookinspirationsmagazine.co.uk/ (the version without the months on) and got to work on my calendar.





Here is the month of May - don't ask me why May first, it just worked out like that. Quiteish weekend, did a bit of crafting but again can't show it yet, and its another cracking one, I seem to be a bit on a roll at the moment, it will all come crashing down on me i'm sure.

Happy Bonfire Night

We have just been outside to do sparklers. The dog couldn't have been less bothered, we were jumping at the loud bangs, the dog trotted out to the garden to join us and was quite happy watching procedures.

Good firework shot, bad bluring of child!

Jason doing his signature

Arty Farty

Pah!

Did a cracking lo this morning, really really like it, in fact I might be a little bit in love with it and might snog its face off! Why Pah? cos I can't show you it, its for my Guest Designer stint at Butterfly Crafts, and its not up til the 15th. It is however lovely to do something that is 'me' and it came together so well.

No Jason antics today, I have him on a shorter lease and it seems to suit him better and he is much better behaved for it!

I shouldn't be so horrid really, he did take me for another lesson today, I did 2 cracking (cracking is the word of the day) 3 point turns and didn't try to kill us once! Did stall on a juction twice in a row with a whopping big bus behind me though, still trying to get use to the new 'bite' on this car.

Not looking forward to tomorrow, we are going to visit my gran and I think this may be our 'goodbye' visit. She is 94 and has been in and out of hospital all year, my uncle rang me on Sunday and told me it might be an idea to come visit her within the week as she was "Fading fast" since that call she has be re-admitted to hospital again, so that is where we are going tomorrow. I've been warned that she will not be like I remember her and I don't think it will be a nice visit. Last time we visited her in hospital she looked bloody awful and I got no warning that time, can't imagine how she could look much worse than that! I've been expecting this for a couple of years now, and i'm ready for it, poor gran can hardly see or hear and has no real quality of life, she is in fact very bored and she wants to go. In her words "Our bodies aren't designed to go on this long" My gran is not an emotional woman, she never clucked or fussed around me, but she has been increasingly emotional and upset at all my visits this year, so I think it may be quite a harrowing time. To end on a bit of an up note, it will also as always be a bit comical as we will have to shout everything at the top of our lungs to be heard, everyone in the same ward will know our business by lunchtime tomorrow, whether they want to or not!

By Her Side

Been a bit of a busy bee today, first I finished off this Halloween lo from yesterday and then I very quickly whipped up this LO of Jessica when she was poorly in half term. Its a very simple LO but I LOVE it, crap photo as usual though! Wish I had a sewing machine as I fancied a small zig zag border on it really

*Image removed for publication*

Not much else to report really. Last night I slept v well, Jason the wally got up an hour early by mistake today - believe it or not he forgot to change one of his watches back last week, and looked at that this morning and up he got, in his own words "I thought it was a bit dark!" tut.

Love

Its a very good job that I love Jason, because if I didn't it would have been 'bye bye' by now i'm afraid.

He is the worlds MOST impossible man to share a bed with. On Sunday he very kindly offered to sleep downstairs as I was in the grips of insomnia. This was LOVELY but has made me realise how much I would rather sleep alone.

Last night, it started with the fairly standard and frequent jolting in his sleep. Jason cleverly waits till I am just about to drop off before he goes into his enthusiastic interpertation of Riverdance, with his wee little legs going like the clappers at 5 min intervals, thats just enough amount of time between each recital for me to start to doze again, before I am once again snatched from an almost slumber. I let him off this 3 times before he got a swift kick.

Then came the snoring about 30 mins later. Snoring dosen't normally bother me as I wear earplugs, but he was going some last night and so after 10 mins of listening to it, he got another kick.

All was then quiet and just 2.5hrs after going to bed I fell asleep. I had lots of dreams last night, but one was rudely interupted by a Jason letting of a fart that was so loud the space/time continuim was ruptured! I woke with such a start, and a shout of "Christ what was that?" Jason sheepishly said sorry and as I was disturbed I stropped off to the loo. I got back to the bedroom to find that Jason has very librally sprayed AFTERSHAVE all around the room, I know he was only trying to help but christ on a bike, the SMELL! It was so strong that I am afraid I might have lost my temper at this point and the words "You are a f'ing moron" might have been shouted! We have spoken about inappropriate use of aftershave at night before believe it or not!

This is not a bad night for us, its a fairly standard night and I am not joking when I say, that if not seperate bedrooms in the future we may have to go down the seperate bed route, 4.5 years of this now and I don't know how much more I can bear. Its a good job that he is so fantastic when he is awake!

This little Lo I made today, its of a group of online friends that went on a scrapbook retreat, we all subscribe to Scarlet Lime kits and so the pic is of us all holding the LO's we made earlier that day!

*Image removed for publication*

At last something to show!

So today at last I sat down to make. The first LO 'My Guy' I have been fiddling about with all week on and off and today I just added the buttons and the light blue border strip to finnish it off. The second I started a few days ago and gave up on, but I finished it today and really like it! Its such a faff photographing LO's in this weather, anything I take indoors looks crap, so nothing is photographing like it looks IRL, which is frankly peeing me off at the mo!

Also I am the guest designer over at http://butterfly-crafts.blogspot.com/ for November which is very exciting (and its quite an easy one! Phew!)

In other news, I have totally forgotten how to drive, as I haven't had a proper driving lesson in blummin yonks (Jason - take note!)

Today

Today I have woken:

starving hungry
refreshed
raring to go
determined to scrap
happy

So I am off to make a start and hopefully I will have something to share later on!!

3am-5.30am

Thats what I slept last night, yet another episode of insomnia and right after I am getting over a very bad cold. I am quite upset about it, only had 7.5 hrs sleep in 3 day and I feel like a zombie! Its unfortunate as my mum and dad are coming for lunch today, not seen them since late August and I know I am going to struggle, so are the kids as they have been at a sleep over and are normally HORRIBLE the day after a sleepover!

Here are some pics of the kids just before they went to their sleepover last night, Jessica's hair is going to be a nightmare this morning lol - straight in the shower when she gets home! The white bits in her hair is dry shampoo, I use it on my roots inbetween washes and until its brushed in is as grey as anything!

At least I now have some good photos to scrap, thats when I finally get over the cold, sleep and manage to eat properly. I am offically falling apart!