Things That Make You Go Hmmmm…

…& EEEEEK!!!!

Today has had one of each!

I went into work yesterday.  I usually only work on Sundays but had offered to work overtime to cover a colleagues holiday. No problem there, but it did mean that the weeks laundry needed to be put back to today.  So, to get ahead of the game I sorted the dirty laundry into colour piles last evening in readiness for an early start this morning.

So at 7.30am I came down into the kitchen (we don’t have a utility room, sadly), still not fully awake, & proceeded to load the washing machine with a dark load. For a moment I thought I’d dropped a sock…then I realised it was a very large spider….EEEEEK!!

I have been scared of spiders since birth! Although since becoming a Mum I can now deal with the little blighters instead of just screaming the house down! We keep a glass for just such emergencies & I usually employ a long handled spatula & a postcard to complete the eviction. I shudder at the thought of accidentally touching one of those creepy legs…or worse!! That said I’d never harm a spider, but I just don’t want them sharing my home…with my knowledge anyway!!

With that drama out of the way I set about a general tidy up of abandoned shoes, socks etc & this is where the Hmmmm! moment came in!!

On the 27th July we took Nathan shopping for shoes, not school shoes, but shoes to wear for ‘playing’ which for Nathan equals skateboarding, scooter-ing & looking cool! He had announced that he wanted the latest style lace up Vans in red, but at £45.00 I had told him to dream on!! We usually hit ‘T.K.Maxx’ where we can pick up designer trainers/shoes for him at less than half that price.

However, this time there was nothing to fit the bill in any of the sales in Milton Keynes or on the racks of T.K.Maxx. Nathan was beginning to sulk & Lee was losing patience! I suggested that we leave it for that day & plan another shopping trip.  I left them to ‘have a look in Gamestation’ & popped into Debenhams. When I came out however I was
met by a beaming Nathan carrying a shiny new ‘Schuh’ carrier bag containing….you’ve guessed it…the coveted red Vans. Lee had given in to the ‘sulk’…he will never learn!!

Because, here we are not even a full six weeks later & this is what they look like…

 
…worth £45.00? I think not!!! Hmmmm!!

Thanks for stopping by…see you again soon!

The Bard Blooper…

It’s Storytelling Sunday time again over at ‘From High In the Sky’ & Sian suggested a theme of Too Cool For School, to coincide with the start of the Autumn school term.

On the eve of hubby taking up his first teaching post, where he will be teaching a Year 5 class of nine year olds, I’d like to share a short & sweet tale of his early school years as told to me by Mum-In-Law on her recent visit.

The date is April 23rd 1964 & a six year old Lee is being collected after a busy day at primary school.  On the walk home he chatted about his day & told Mum that in assembly they had announced that today was William Shakespeare’s birthday. 

Mum asked him if he knew who that was, to which Lee replied “Well he’s not in my class & I didn’t get an invitation to his party!”

Bless him!

Good Luck with the little darlings tomorrow sweetheart!

Thanks for dropping by & come back soon!

Getting Back To Routine…

Yay!…for September…for a new school term…for things returning to ‘normal’ & new beginnings! As much as I love the summer holidays & the minimal need to clock-watch, there is something very energising about reinstating a routine.

In our household we are having a staggered start to this process, with Lee taking up his new teaching post from the 3rd, Nathan returning to school on the 6th & Alex starting at college on the 10th. 

But for me, the 1st of September is a great place to start getting things back on an even keel! Most things are in place…new school clothes/stationery/lunch bags have been bought…cupboard/freezer stocked with packed lunch items…shoes polished or replaced…both boys (& Lee) haircuts done…we are generally ‘good to go’!!

I’m also up to date with my scrappy commitments & looking forward to (hopefully) completing Shimelle’s ‘Learn Something New Every Day’ project (which I started in 2010!) during the coming month!

So, back to those scrappy commitments! First, Septembers challenge over at ‘From Screen To Scrap’ is to take inspiration from the movie poster for ‘The Last House On The Left’ & to include the following criteria…

1. Use a black background/CS.
2. Feature a house somewhere on
    your LO.
3. One word in the title to be in red.

I must admit that I struggled with this one from the word go! Nothing jumped out at me from the poster that had me running for my scrap supplies! But at last, while searching through old photo’s I found one with a story attached & this LO came about…

 
Not the most technique-rich Lo, but it tells the story of our visit to Lands End in pitch dark, to watch the weekly summer fireworks. There is a house that sits near the cliffs that is signposted ‘The First & Last House’. We explained to Alex why & he became quite panicked that we were close to the edge of the world itself! He asked? “Why would anyone want to live in a house at the edge of the world?”…good question!! We did actually return to Lands End in daylight, to prove that there was sea beyond ‘the edge’ & not just the blackness of the night before!

If something jumps out of that poster to inspire you, why not play along with us over at ‘From Screen To Scrap’ this month, you have a whole month to create your LO & as always there’ll be some great scrappy prizes up for grabs!

Secondly, the final LO for Dawns Chinese Whispers (sigh). I have so enjoyed taking part in this & can’t wait to see how each of the eight participants sketches evolved…I didn’t recognise my own sketch at all in the final LO I received from Jackie yesterday!!

Here is the LO I received from Jackie last month…

…& here is my ‘lift’ from it…

Another confession here…I have had in my stash a set of Glimmer Mists since our trip to Chicago in 2010 & I have never opened them! It is not a technique I have had much success with & dislike how the paper/CS wrinkles when damp!

But I knew I wanted to create a masked effect on this LO, so I bit the bullet, made an Olympic ring mask & broke open the Glimmer Mist! I have to say I’m pleased with the result, even though I did need to iron the CS once it was dry! I chose pink because it was the colour scheme for the Olympic venues & the red, white & blue seemed appropriate & came mostly from the ‘Portobello Rd’ collection.

The sun is shining here in Darkest Bedfordshire & I’m planning to have an afternoon out & about with my camera!  I have several ideas for locations to complete Rinda’s scavenger hunt & I have a major backlog of editing for Suzie’s ‘365+1 in 2012’! But it’s all about regaining control & getting back into routine! Which is where I came in….

Thanks so much for dropping by & I do hope you’re enjoying your weekend! Come back soon!

A Month Of Birthdays…

August is a busy time for me, with my own birthday &, on the same day, Alex’s. I also have four friends, Hilary, Kali, Donna & Sue to celebrate with! I also remember my Mum, sadly no longer with us, but who‘s birthday fell on the 6th.

August this year has also been a very lean creative month for me! I’ve been so involved in projects around the house (I’ll share more on that later!) that my (new) ‘scrap-room’ has stayed pristine!! But I did find time to put together a birthday card for Hilary…

…there are only a handful of people that I make cards for now, those who I know appreciate the time & effort that goes into it! I used to hate the thought of my work ending up in someone else’s recycling bin, which is why scrapbooking appeals, I guess!

Hilary held a get together to celebrate her ‘Diamond’ birthday, but sadly it fell on the day we were at the Olympics, so we just had to get together later on in the week for afternoon tea…as you do!!

   We were joined by the
   lovely Karen & Hilary
   introduced us to a truly
   gorgeous, traditional tea
   shop in Shepreth called
   ‘Teacake’…if you’re in
   the area I would highly
   recommend calling in for
   a cuppa & a slice of home-made cake!! We ended up having a late lunch with sandwiches & cake & copious amounts of tea to wash it all down! It was a perfect summer day & so good to catch up with friends.

On our ‘big’ day Alex turned sixteen…I can’t believe it!! It seems like the blink of an eye since I celebrated my thirty sixth birthday with his arrival!!

He starts at a local college in September & I’m still getting my head around him no longer being at school!! He’s now taller than me & in spite of all of the challenges he has to face daily, he’s growing up into what my Mum would have called ‘a nice young man’!!

   I was well & truly spoiled
   for my birthday with so
   many gorgeous cards &
   thoughtful gifts. Lee
   totally surprised me with
   a Silhouette Cameo…to
   upgrade me from my
   Silhouette original!

The main difference is that it will cut designs up to 12” wide & 10 feet long!! It also cuts thicker materials & has the option to cut fabric too. So, if you know anyone who’s interested in buying a second hand Silhouette & Accessories, send them this way!!

Mum-In-Law Pat was down with us for our birthday week & she & I had some quality ‘girls only’ time with a trip to Burwash Manor near Cambridge, for a spot of retail therapy & …yes you’ve guessed it…more afternoon tea!!

 

Finally, we celebrated Kali’s 40th birthday with a party at her house.  All the usual suspects were there from our ‘Last Friday Of The Month’ girls nights out group!  A surprise announcement was made that she & the children will soon be moving to live 30 miles away so a few tears were shed & then we realised that in spite of not liking change, there was actually no reason why we can’t still get together on a regular basis & the party got going with a swing!!

 
Good Luck with the move Kali & we’ll see you again very soon!

So, that’s it for today, I’m off to try & get my mojo working for a couple of LO’s I need to complete by Saturday!! No pressure then!!

Thanks for stopping by & come back soon!

Goal!

I finally found time to put together an entry for the ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ birthday sketch challenge!

I went with Jenn’s sketch…

 

…& using photographs from Nathan’s 9th Birthday party back in 2008, I put together my LO…

 

It feels good to have used up that pack of football embellies that have been in my stash for the past four years, bought especially to scrap Nathan’s football party, & also the ‘bottle top’ which has been there even longer!!

You still have time to enter the birthday challenge yourself. The deadline is midnight on the 31st August…go on…you know you want to!! ;D

Thanks for stopping by & come back soon!

A Once In A Lifetime Experience….

After four attempts at buying Olympic tickets, Lee finally secured a pair for the Athletics, albeit at an obscene price!! I am not ashamed to admit that I am the least sport-minded person I know…I don’t even get excited about Wimbledon! But…even I could see that the Olympics in London was something special & wanted to experience it first hand.

We set off bright & early, even though our tickets were for the evening. Our journey could not have been simpler & it seemed as if the world & his wife were travelling to the Olympic Park! The ‘Javelin’ train from St Pancras to Stratford took just 7 minutes & then we were THERE!!

It was just as you’ve seen on TV & in the papers! Every volunteer ‘Games Maker’ was cheerful & happy to help. There was a total sense of enjoyment in the air.

  
   Once in the park it was very busy
   but so many people had entered
   into the spirit of things & I really
   loved this father & daughter effort!

   We decided to take in as much as
   we could of the park before deciding
   where to eat our lunch!

 
  

I loved these giant mirror
letters in front of the ‘Copper Box’…it was quite cloudy during our visit & the reflections were wonderful!

  

   The Coca Cola ‘Beat
   Box’…

 

 

…Lee & the Velodrome!

The whole time we were walking around there were roars coming from the various locations. Especially from the main Athletic stadium when Usain Bolt was running in a qualifying race!

There was a noticeable police presence throughout the park, but they all seemed to be enjoying the event as much as we were! The mounted police especially were getting a lot of attention & willingly posed for photographs!

 

 

   Every so often this team
   of performance dancers
   would break into a sport
   themed routine…a bit like a flash mob but without the music!!

And of course it had to be done! Lee striking a ‘Bolt’ pose outside the main stadium!!

 

 

   Sadly we hadn’t been able to get
   tickets for the ‘Orbit’ on the day of
   our visit, but it was still impressive
   from ground level! There was a lift
   to the top where I hear the views
   were amazing, but you had to walk
   back down!!

 
Then it was time to go into the Athletic Stadium! I cannot tell you how excited I was!!  In spite of there being eighty thousand people with tickets, the whole process was very civilised & we were soon inside!

 

  

 

   Our first view of the
   Olympic Cauldron was
   through an entrance &
   we stopped to take
   pictures, thinking we would not get such a good view again!

But once we got to our seats we realised that we were sitting a stones throw away with an uninterrupted view!

The stadium is amazing, no pillars, no columns…nothing to obscure your view wherever you sit!

 

 

   There was gentleman sat
   right in front of us who
   offered to take some
   photo’s of us together!

As you can see, I was overwhelmed by the cauldron…it really is breath-taking to see close up…

The position of our seats meant that we had a great view of the finishing line for all the track races & could clearly see all of the other events taking place too. We watched the volunteers setting up the hurdles with military precision…

 

 

 

 

…& then cheered as the race was run!

   This was the man we had
   been waiting to see…

   …Grabarz, Team GB!

   In Sixth Form College Lee
   had been County High
   Jump Champion, so this
   was the final he really
wanted to see. Grabarz had a good chance of winning Gold!

He did well, but was beaten to the Gold by a very impressive performance from a Russian Jumper.

He did however get to do his lap of honour for winning the Bronze…

We also got to see three separate Award Ceremonies…some of those National Anthems are very long!!

  
   Then it was all over &
   time to leave the stadium
   To avoid the crush we
   popped into McDonalds
   for a bite of supper
   before heading off in the
   rain for home!

And that, you may think, is that! A once in a lifetime experience…but was it?!!

Well, Lee had very kindly bought me an official Olympic scarf from Next, to wear & wave during our visit.

 

 

 

 

 

What he didn’t tell me was that he had posted a photo of me wearing it at the stadium on the Next Olympic Competition website….& guess what? He won a pair of tickets for the Paralympic Closing Ceremony on September 9th! So we get to do it all, all over again!! How cool is that?!!

Thanks for stopping by & come back soon!

Time Out….

It wasn’t planned….I didn’t just decide, as the school holidays arrived, to abandon Blog-land! It just worked out that way!!

I think we can all acknowledge that the internet can so easily eat up time & I do make a conscious effort not to log on if I have jobs pending…not always successfully…but this time it wasn’t a conscious effort at all…I just got caught up in the projects at hand & it all went from there!

So forgive me my absence of ONE WHOLE MONTH!!! A whole lot has been achieved & lots more ‘stuff’ has been done! Throw in a horrid eye infection, the Olympics & a couple of birthdays & you will see where the time went!! 

I feel a little guilty that I haven’t fulfilled my DT requirement for ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ on time for August….but I guess it’ll have to be better late than never!

So for today….August is birthday month over at ‘From Screen 2 Scrap’ & there is a choice of challenges to join in with this month. You can either create a LO/project inspired by this birthday themed movie poster, or you can choose one of the DT members sketches for inspiration! Either way there are some fabulous prizes up for grabs & excellent odds if you choose to play along! I do hope to see some familiar names in the entries this month…tell Shazza I sent you!

 

 

  My sketch looks like this…

 

 

 

 

…& my example LO looks like this…

It features Alex on his 15th birthday…so only a year out of date!! I loved that I managed to use so much out of my scraps box to put this LO together!

I should also share my Chinese Whispers LO. We’re nearly at the end of our run with this most enjoyable project, organised by the lovely Dawn! I’ll miss it when it’s over! The LO I received from Jacky for August 1st was this one…

…& here’s my ‘lift’ from it…

This time it’s Nathan, earning some extra pocket money by taking over the role of chief lawn cutter for the summer! Yes, he lives in that ‘Dappy’ hat & hoodie even when it’s hot!! Boys!!

That’s me for now…I’ll be back soon to fill in the gaps of the last month & hopefully get to stopping by to visit with all of you to see what you’ve been up to, too!! Meanwhile, I hope everyone is enjoying some decent summer weather!

Thanks for stopping by & I do hope you’ll come back soon!