The Ups & Downs of Day-to-Day Life!

I had no sooner finished posting about how disappointed I was not to be having my shoulder surgery last Friday, when I heard from the lovely Sandra over at ‘Gotta Craft’ to let me know that I had won the recent Prize Draw for a pack of American Craft ‘Flutterbys!!

it was just what I needed to make me smile!…& not only that, but they arrived in the post the next day!! So I got to play with them straight away!!  Thank You so much Sandra!

I had been working on a ‘Grandma’ LO challenge, set by Jami over at ‘Soul Scrappers’ & had no trouble incorporating them! In fact the whole colour scheme ended up being built around the colours of the bunting!!  What a pleasure the ‘Flutterbys’ are to work with & I’ve barely made a dent in the pack so look out for them in forthcoming LO’s!!! & on the subject of LO’s, this is the one I mentioned earlier…

 
This photo of ‘Nanny’ Pat (MIL) & the boys was taken back in 2002, when they still could be described as Nanny’s little angels!!

Like most parts of the country, we woke to a white world on Sunday morning…


I was glad that I wasn’t expected at work as I detest driving in icy weather conditions. But I couldn’t resist getting out for a walk around the village & even persuaded the ever reluctant Alex to leave the sanctuary that is his tech’ filled bedroom & come with me for a breath of fresh air!

  

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

We were only out for about half an hour but both of us glowed when we returned to the warmth of home!  Nathan, on the other hand, was out all day! Sledging, building snowmen, snowball fighting!! He came home for regular changes of clothes & finally for a hot shower to regain feeling in his fingers! I’m informed that to make the best snowballs, gloves are a no-no!! Boys!!

I had a trip to the cinema & to be frank, I rather wish I hadn’t! We went to see ‘The Descendants’ starring George Clooney. This is the second film I’ve seen with Mr Clooney that has been a real disappointment.

I always think if the cast is good, the film will be too & this film had had rave reviews on everything from it’s storyline to it’s location & was nominated for no less than five Golden Globes! In fact the only negative thing I’d heard was that George didn’t wear a Hawaiian shirt too well!!!

So, forgive me if I say it did not live up to my expectations, it was depressing & just didn’t get off the ground! Yes, it was a sad story, but I was far from moved to tears & I am by nature such a sentimental blubber. All in all, it left me cold! Sorry George!!!

My trip to the nurse on Thursday held good news! My BP had reduced from last week, my Diastolic reading was down from 103 to 93, so almost there!! Apparently, once it’s under 90 & stabilised, she’ll call the hospital so that my Op’ can be rescheduled!  Yay! 

One thing that might amuse you…someone mentioned that Kiwi Fruit contain an anti-oxidant called Lutein, which is supposed to help reduce blood pressure, so I have been eating at least three every day this week!!! I don’t often buy them, but they are quite delicious!!

I’m also on yet another Pain Relief medication & so far, so good!!  I can only take two a day & nothing else (other than the BP meds) so there are ‘gaps’ where I really feel the pain, but it’s amazing what a hot water bottle can do to mask it for a couple of hours!!!

A sad thing happened on Tuesday.  Mr Nibbles, Alex’s Guinea Pig, died.  He seemed fine in the morning, eating & drinking as normal, but by the time we got home from school at 3.30pm, he was dead.

RIP Mr Nibbles!

So we are down to just one piggy, Nathan’s…called Jamie & seen here >

We have brought him indoors as Piggies are social creatures & I didn’t like to think of him all alone in that great big hutch at the bottom of the garden! However well insulated & sheltered it may be!  So he’s in an indoor cage, situated in front of the French Windows in the living room & seems to be enjoying our company…although the cat’s nose is well & truly out of joint!!!

Well, that’s me done for today!  We’re waiting on more snow tonight…& the boys are again hoping there’ll be enough to close school, but I’ve told them not to hold their breath!!  Keep warm, wherever you are!  Thanks for stopping by & do come back soon! :)

Storytelling Sunday…A Tale of Consequences!

I don’t normally get to join in with ‘Storytelling Sunday’ (hosted by the lovely Sian over at ‘From High In The Sky’) as Sunday is the one day of the week when I go out to work! But, as today see’s me resting at home, & as Sian’s prompt of a ‘story about chocolate maybe?’ struck a chord, I thought I would play along today!

Christmas 1996 is where it all starts! Alex is 4 months old & his first Christmas gift to me was a 10lb Toblerone! Yes! you read that right!! I think he had a little help from his Dad, but the boy got it right!! I LOVE Toblerone & was delighted, when I opened the box to see it was actually a solid bar with ten triangles, each weighing 1lb!!

Now, any normal person would think ‘My goodness, this will last me until next Christmas!’ but me? No…with a little help, it was all eaten by January 31st!! Five weeks to eat 10lb of chocolate! Now that is what some would call excessive…& they’d probably be right!!

Moving forward a couple of weeks & it’s the day before Valentines Day & I wake up with a grumbling pain in my abdomen. By 11am I have severe pain & can’t even sit up! The Dr is called & I’m sent to hospital straight away & kept in overnight. The problem? Gallstones!! I wonder why! I guess they’d been there a little while but the excess of all that chocolate in such a short space of time must have been the final straw!!  Believe me, passing a Gallstone is the MOST painful thing EVER!!

My Gall Bladder was removed a few months later & I still have my Gallstones in a little pot to remind me of the consequences of gluttony!!!!

Do I still enjoy Toblerone?  Of course, but just a small one please!!

Thanks for stopping by & I hope you’re all keeping warm & safe in the wintry weather! :)

So Disappointed!

Today I was supposed to be having my shoulder surgery but it has had to be postponed because my blood pressure is currently too high to undergo a General Anaesthetic.

I’m no stranger to moderately high blood pressure, for most of my adult life I’ve been advised to keep an eye on it. My reading is usually around 140 over 85, but at my pre-op assessment the best reading they could get was 167 over 103!! It is so scary because my last BP test was only six months ago, so that raise is very recent & with no symptoms at all!!

I guess that even though I am now losing some weight & have been taking more exercise through January, the last few months, with the car collision, Alex in Hospital & my very painful Christmas have all built up my stress levels to this end!

I am now on medication & I’m feeling a bit woolly headed & ‘top heavy’!! I have stopped drinking coffee & am diligently checking all food labels for salt content! I’ve been told to rest & report back to the nurse on Tuesday for a progress check. As soon as they are happy that it's stable at a more acceptable level, they will reschedule my surgery.

Meanwhile it’s plodding on with the painkillers, following Dr’s orders & wishing I was here…

…on a beach in Turkey, soaking up the sunshine…what better way to relax & de-stress?!!  **Sigh**

Keep everything crossed for me, I would so love to be able to enjoy a pain free & active Summer, but I need that Op first!! I’m off now to chill!!

Thanks for stopping by! :)

A Quick Bit Of Scrappiness….

Here we are…the FIRST of February!! Where did January go? I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the new prompts for ‘Move More Eat Well’ & I’ll share January’s progress as soon as it’s documented!

But for now I can share two projects with you. The first is this months challenge over at ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ where the inspiration comes from the movie poster for ‘Valentines Day’. The added criteria for this one was a) a black background, b) two hearts & c) use at least ten small photo’s.

I wanted a romantic theme to fit in with the film, but what did I have ten photo’s of that fit the bill? Then it it me! The garden party that Karen held to commemorate both the Royal Wedding & her own Silver Wedding Anniversary! What’s more romantic than That?!!

 

So, this is what I put together…

  
…do you know, that really was a truly wonderful day! Thanks again Karen!!

Why not play along with us over at ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ this month, you have until the end of the month to link up your project.  As always there are some great prizes on offer & I’d love to see you there!! :)

Secondly, my LO for the lovely Dawn & her Chinese Whispers!! What a great idea this is! On the first of January, a group of us, organised by Dawn, chose a sketch, created a LO from it & then emailed that LO to the next person on the list. Dawn will keep the original sketches & a copy of each persons LO each month & at the end of the run, put them all together so we can see how each sketch ‘evolved’ with each persons interpretation! I love it!!

 
For this months inspiration I received a LO from Jacky (her interpretation of her chosen sketch) & did a near total ‘lift’ from it!

I particularly liked the two photo’s set off-centre, the wording strip at the bottom, the journaling tag & the bunting, so all of those are included in my ‘lift’.

 

That’s it for today, well I did say it was a quick bit of scrappiness!!

Thanks for stopping by & come back soon! :)

A Daily Round-Up!

This week was one of those that had something on the calendar every day! The only clear day was Monday until my good friend Amanda asked if I could lend a hand die-cutting some shapes for her sons Art homework! So my housework was put on hold while we searched for the right kind of images & Amanda had a ‘quick’ tutorial on how to reassemble the cut pieces!!

On Tuesday I worked all day reorganising my scrap space…Lee had moved my tall bookshelf into Alex’s bedroom in preparation for the arrival of an additional ‘Expedit’ bookcase from Ikea  (they really must have been designed by a scrapper, they’re so perfect for a scrap room!) & moved an unused computer desk from his study into my scrap room too.  The cat supervised as I rearranged books, boxes, gadgets, tools & stash!  But he waited until my waste baskets were back in place before claiming the ‘Rubbish’ one as his chosen place to settle!

Wednesday was a bit of a worry! Alex had a dental appointment & was to have ‘Happy Gas’ (basically good old gas & air) for the first time. Because of his Diabetes & ADHD he’s always had work done with a General Anaesthetic, but his excellent dentist suggested we try this method to administer a local anaesthetic, as the work needed was just a couple of fillings!

He always gets so anxious about anything new, but settled quite happily once he was in the chair & although he was fully awake & kept saying he still felt the same, it was easy to see that his body was getting more & more relaxed!  Before long Helen was able to administer the local anaesthetic & Alex was totally oblivious that any needle had been near him!!!

She managed to get most of the drilling done, but once she started using the vibrating drill…I’m sure you know the one I mean!…Alex began to protest! So the job was completed as best she could & it was decided that he will be needing a ‘G.A.’ for the rest of the work after all! :(

On Thursday I set off to meet a friend for coffee. We have been texting one another for almost twelve months saying ‘let’s get together soon!’ & at last we did!Robynne looked so well & it was so lovely to hear how well her kids are getting on & just to generally catch up on each others news!

I’d even done my homework so that I wouldn’t be tempted ‘off track’ by all the goodies Starbucks have to offer! I chose the ‘Light’ Lemon & poppy seed muffin with my black Americano!!!  Delicious & very ‘affordable’ in Weight Watchers Pro-Points value!!!


On Friday my car had to be left at the garage for a new hose to be fitted to the radiator, so I dropped it off after the school run  & walked home! It took me half an hour & it’s mostly up hill, so I was glowing nicely when I got through the front door!!  One thing I’m enjoying on my daily 30 minute walks is seeing more closely those things seen fleetingly while driving!

Late last summer, a cottage in the village was re-thatched & the Thatcher left his trademark pheasants on the roof.

I’ve admired them ever since, but as it’s a busy stretch of road, never stopped to photograph them. Well, I snapped one on Friday! 

Saturday was blissful!  Off I went to the ‘Merly Impressions’ crop at Renhold from 10am –5pm!

This was my first real crafty day this year & it felt so good! I caught up with the lovely Dawn & Sharon, & although I declined the kit, I managed to complete my LO for the Soul Scrappers ‘Sound of Summer’ challenge!  I went armed with a sketch from ‘Creative Scrappers’ & a pile of stash & just went with the flow!  The criteria to include were… 1. paint… 2. sewing… 3. distressing…4. fussy cutting… 5. tree(s)…6. cloud(s)… 7. strip journaling & 8. Rub-ons! 

I managed to tick all the boxes & here’s my end result…

I went with that lovely sound of honey bee’s buzzing on a lazy, hazy, sunny summer afternoon!! Strange to think that the sound of those little guys working so hard to collect nectar can be so relaxing!!!

Finally I’ll leave you with this weeks cinema visit! We chose to see ‘W.E.’ which is the film co-written & directed by Madonna, about Edward Vii & Wallis Simpson. I had my reservations about it, not sure how Madonna’s style would come through, but all I can say is ‘Way to go Madge!!’

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the story unfold alongside a modern day relationship drama! It cut easily back & forth between the 1930’s & the present day, wasn’t sugar coated in any way & really gave a different perspective on what is often thought of as a fairytale romance. Think again!!

Thanks for stopping by, do check out my ‘365+1in 2012’ collage for the week via the tab at the top, or go to Suzie’s blog via the link above to see everyone’s!  I’m really enjoying my daily prompts & checking out how everyone interprets them so variedly!

Hope you can pop back again soon! :)

Friday the 13th?…Who’d have thought!!

If I’m honest I am a tad on the superstitious side & given the option, don’t arrange to do stuff on Friday the 13th….well there’s no reason to tempt fate is there?!! But last Friday, I had been given an appointment with my Consultant, to discuss my frozen shoulder.

After the debacle of the cortisone injection pre Christmas, I was expecting to be told that it was just a matter of tweaking my pain relief….BUT…joy of joys, he sent me off for an X-ray & declared that he will be performing keyhole surgery to release the joint & ‘needle’ the calcification on February 3rd!!!  I am so pleased I cannot tell you…to think that I may be fully mobile & pain free in time for summer is just amazing!!  So not what I expected on Friday 13th….I left the hospital with a spring in my step & a smile on my face!!!

…& it doesn’t end there!!

When I got home, Lee showed me a text he had received, informing him that he had won a trip to China!! Ever the sceptic, I asked if it was one of those holiday Timeshare scams, but no! It is a bonafide prize
from a draw at University & he HAS won a place on an organised trip to China!! I am so thrilled for him! I’m beginning to like Friday 13th!!!

The rest of the week was pretty good too! On Tuesday I set off to the hairdressers. Because my shoulder & arm has become so painful I’d been finding it impossible to blow-dry or style my hair properly, so off it came!!

I haven’t worn it this short since the boys were babies & I must say I’m loving the fact I can be showered & dried in less than half an hour (yes Karen, you read that right!!). A quick blast with the drier & a bit of spray wax & I’m done….anyone ‘blessed’ with thick hair will understand!!!

On Wednesday I had a lunch date with three lovely ladies…Hilary, Ann & the aforementioned Karen. In the spirit of ‘Move More Eat Well’ I had arranged to meet up with Karen at 11am & we set off on a pre-lunch walk. The weather was glorious & we followed a lovely route into almost open countryside. We walked briskly (to keep up with the energetic Teddy, mostly!) but still managed to chat the whole way, for about an hour! Then we set off to ‘Yuva’ to meet the others!

While we waited we had an impromptu photo shoot & the photo above of my ‘new do’ is one of Karen's works of magic!!

Lunch was such a treat, we all laughed & caught up on each others news. The food was delicious, as always. I chose a sizzling Chicken Tikka with steamed basmati rice & salad…so tasty & quite innocent without the marsala sauce!! LOL!!

As Alex had been in hospital, I had missed the pre-Christmas lunch we had arranged, so I took along the girls Christmas gifts & Karen gave me the most amazing personalised hardback notebook from ‘Paper Coterie’! I am thrilled with it & now have to decide exactly what I will use it for…maybe I’ll just sit & stroke it for a little while longer!!!

 

 
The cold snap we’re having at the moment has put a smile on my face too! Am I mad? I hear you ask!! No…I just love the combination of frost & sunshine…wrapping up warm to walk is the cold is such a pleasure & then coming back into the warm for tea & crumpets!! (BTW crumpets are very low fat if you skip the butter & just have a smidge of jam, so I’m not cheating!!) I took my camera out with me this morning…

 

 

 

The frost looked just like fur on the wooden surfaces & every blade of grass stood out! The ice in the water butt was at least 1/2” thick & hasn’t melted all day!! As long as I don’t have to drive far I’m happy…oh & as long as the sun keeps shining!!!

I’ll leave you with my latest movie experience! Last night we saw ‘Sherlock Holmes –A game of Shadows’…just fabulous!!  Anyone who follows me on Pinterest will know I have a soft spot for Robert Downey Junior & he did not disappoint!!!

As full of action as the first film & featuring some very clever special effects, I was immersed in the plot from start to finish. Of course RD Jr made it all the more enjoyable…gotta love a bit of ‘bad boy’ in my old age!!!

 
Thanks for stopping by, stay warm, & I do hope you’ll come back soon! :)

…& Normal Service Is Resumed!

Never has the ‘same-old same-old’ felt so good!

I cannot believe how good it felt to do the school run, come home to make beds & generally tidy up the place & do laundry, after a week of feeling like a limp lettuce!! How sad am I?!!

The weekend was good too…a leisurely day on Saturday, topped off with a visit to the pantomime at the ‘Gordon Craig’ theatre in Stevenage. This is such a lovely intimate theatre…wherever you sit you can see & feel part of everything. The ‘Dame’ is Paul Laidlaw & he has played that part for the past 25 years in this theatre! He is a true master of timing & the ‘ad-lib’, so had the whole place in total uproar!

This years story was ‘Beauty & The Beast’ & starred Bernie Nolan, but every member of the cast from the headliners down to the smallest chorus girl were on top form & I laughed till I cried, sang along to ‘Wiggly Worm’, shouted ‘Behind You’ & ‘Oh no it isn’t’ ( & Oh yes it is!!), booed & hissed & cheered along with the best of them!!  I even had a tear in my eye when Beauty & the Beast had their romantic dance scene & actually flew!!! (yes I know they were on wires…but it was impressive all the same!).

I returned to work yesterday, straight into the January Clearance Sale, & apart from sounding a little hoarse, it was business as usual!  So nice to catch up with all the Sunday girls & hear all their Christmas stories! Business was quite brisk too, so my sales target was easily achieved & then the lovely Karen called in for an impromptu visit!!  A good day all round!!

Of course, after work it was off to the cinema…to see the new Mission Impossible film ‘Ghost Protocol’…a thoroughly enjoyable film from start to finish….Simon Pegg is totally awesome & I have to say that Tom Cruise is definitely improving with age! He was always too smooth for my liking in his ‘Top Gun’ days, but now he’s getting a bit craggy, I can see the attraction!!!

Fast moving & highly entertaining throughout I’d recommend you see this one…just leave logic & common sense at the door & you’ll really enjoy it!

My guys have all been enjoying their Christmas gadgetry this weekend too! The only sad thing is they all enjoy it in different rooms!

 

Alex simultaneously playing on the X-Box & his laptop in the lounge…talk about multi-tasking!

 

 

 

Nathan, plugged in to X-Box Live & shouting strategic instructions to his on-line team mates…sometimes I think if he just opened the front door he wouldn’t need to be electronically connected…I’m sure he can be heard for miles!!

 

 

…& then there’s Lee at his desk in the study…surrounded by tech & gadgetry!  Funny how he goes in there to ‘do college work’ & yet when I pop in with a coffee the screen shows either Amazon or a game of some description!!!!

 

And I had a new piece of gadgetry for Christmas too!  Lee bought me a Kindle & I’m absolutely thrilled with it!!

It’s already been loaded up with the next three books in the ‘Ice & Fire’ series by George R R Martin! Such a relief as they’re all such fat paperbacks with the most miniscule type ever! Now I can enjoy them all with the font as big as I need & turn over the page at the press of a button!! Perfect for my nightly bedtime reading!

To finish today, I will just mention that, although I am taking part in both the ‘365+1 in 2012’ and ‘Move More & Eat Well’ I won’t be posting too much about them here on the home page, instead my updates can be found HERE & HERE or by clicking the tabs at the top of this page!

Thanks for stopping by & I do hope you’ll pop back soon! :)