What's Rocking My World Friday

It seems so long since I posted on a Friday (think it must be a month!). Happily I now have my laptop back - I really did miss it!
Before I begin.. people have asked if I know where/how my laptop caught the virus. One word answer - no! David said I needed to be more careful which sites I visited online but the computer techs said it  could have come from a perfectly OK site as apparently these viruses are often wrapped around adverts. One of the reasons the repair took so long was volume of work as lots of people had the same problem (and then the laptop developed a start up problem which meant a complete reinstallation of the operating system).

And so.. onto my gratefuls...

Firstly...of course....having my laptop back. I feel back in touch with the world.
Especially as I've just done my grocery shop online (I've been up since 05:00 - not by choice I might add!).

Secondly..the crafting roll I'm on. I've just completed my 11th LO of the month and have done another two collages this week, double page collages at that.
I'm enjoying getting messy - am I the only one who ends up with more glue on my hands than on the paper?

Next is Royal Mail who, for once, seem to have delivered my mail (Pay it Forward projects) in a timely fashion. A big relief as they have a habit of "losing" things I send.

The usual suspects in the shape of friends,husband and best boy (Max) who have been very supportive this week - I've had a few lows which I think are mainly down to lack of sleep. Hopefully the Nuffield Orthopaedic will get its' act together soon. Don't you just love phone calls that start.."I was expecting to see you this afternoon.." when you've been waiting for a week for a phone call/letter from them.

The people who designed "Bejewelled". Having lost version 2 during the reinstallation I upgraded to version 3 which is so much better - my scores are much higher. Sadly, this is not due to skill on my part but because they've changed the scoring system. But I'll take my gratefuls anywhere I can find them. lol

And finally, the Jury Service who have confirmed that I will be reporting to Oxford Crown Court (as a juror I hasten to add!) on April 18th despite me telling them that I lip read and therefore need to see people's faces. :)

Hope the other Rockettes have also had a good week along with all my lovely blog followers.
Hugs xx

p.s. as the first people to comment have pointed out...today is Thursday...oops! Oh well, I do like to be organised! Blame it on the lack of sleep.

Thoughts on Life Without a Laptop

What a relief it is to be back online after my enforced sabbatical.
The culprit was a rather nasty virus called "System Tools"* - they obviously want you to buy their prog. to "remedy" the situation. Unfortunately, it did such a good job of seizing up my laptop, that had I wanted to purchase their product (I didn't) I couldn't get online to do it.
There are three versions of this virus and apparently mine was the worst the computer techs had seen - I never do things by halves. The operating system had to be reinstalled and then the wifi link had to be enabled....nearly three weeks later my laptop was ready to come home. Yay!

So what thoughts do I have on those three weeks?

Cons:
- no internet grocery shopping - we actually had to go to a supermarket to do a big shop - it was awful! Usually I swan into Waitrose to pick up the couple of things I need and then swan out again.
- no Facebook, so no contact with family and friends.
- no email - I had 317 emails waiting for me.
- no internet stash shopping.
- no internet clothes shopping.
OH is very  pleased about these last two but not the first as he had to come with me. :(
- I realised there is rather more rubbish on TV than I'd thought.
- I missed the March 20th class of my collage course
- I missed the DT call on WeScrap
- I couldn't play Bejewelled

Pros:
- the ironing mountain is no more (a Perry Mason with David Soul saw me through that)
- more crafting time - 10 LOs (including 3 for the DT call that I missed) , 10 ATCs,8 tags,2 collages and my PIF projects all posted.
- used up existing stash and made good progress through old photos (couldn't print any new ones)
- more reading time - 20+ ebooks (though apart from 2 full length novels and a memoir they were short - a couple of hours reading at most), 3 "proper" books.
- my Kindle (it's the 3G version so I could still buy Kindle books through the wifi)
- I had to watch lots of football and cricket (such a hardship!)
- I listened to lots more music (still loving Adele)
- spring cleaning.....hah! got you with that one, I wasn't that desperate!!
- time to try some new recipes in the kitchen
- longer walks with Max
- a happy Sunday spent cropping at A Maze of Memories
- since I lost my version of Bejewelled 2 I replaced it with version 3 which is much flashier and more fun.

And with those thoughts I shall leave you.

* While my computer was away there was an article in the Saturday Times Magazine by one of their journalists (whose laptop had all their security systems) and she too had this virus.

Another LO for The Leave Your Legacy Challenge

The first of this month's challenges was to do a LO of our celebrity crushes.

The journalling is hidden behind the photos on tags.

Ryan Reynolds is in a long list of actors that I've "fancied" over the years from Harrison Ford to Mel Gibson (pre his "ranting" days) to Pierce Brosnan. I like Ryan because of the twinkle in his eye ad the feel good factor of the filma I've seen him in.

Truthfully, I don't know if I like Robert for Robert or because I fell in love with the character of Edward Cullen when I read the Twilight books. Whatever - I'm hooked.

I've a had a "thing" for footballers since my teens ,and George Best, for their  skills as well as their looks. I appreciate David Beckham's skills but want to mother him. Leonardo,a Brazilian, was a wonderful footballer and is now manager of Inter Milan and sometime World Cup pundit on TV (oh, that accent). I'm hoping Utd and Inter both win their quarter final matches so we can play them in the Champion's League semis - cue lots of interviews with Leonardo.

I'm Baaaack!

Hi bloggers!
My laptop has returned home - virus free and with operating system reinstalled.
I'm now busy reinstalling all the progs. I lost.:(
To give you a taste of what I've been up to here's a LO I did for the Page Maps/Webster's Pages Challenge:

I did this last Sunday at AMOM (Pat was working there  so I wentup to crop). The flowers are Prima and I cut the butterflies using an EK Success punch (I think!) The title is K&CO. Lace from stash and other ribbon from the shop.The "shape" is a butterfly cut using a Crafter's Workshop Template.

I'll do a longer blog with more news tomorrow.

Just wanted to say it's lovely to be back!!!

Eeeeeeek!

My laptop has crashed so I'm going to be MIA for goodness knows how long.
I can only "borrow" David's pc when he doesn't need it for work.
I'm already suffering withdrawal symptoms.
Not a happy bunny. :(

Midweek Update

Thought I'd check in using this list that I've seen on other blogs - sorry to whoever started it that I can't credit you - a brilliant idea. TFS. :)

So today I am:

listening - to Adele (not one bad track on "21" her album)
eating - Walkers ready salted crisps (have the "munchies")
drinking - a Black Russian cocktail - don't know if I have the ratio right but it tastes wonderful!
wearing - a black sweater,black jeans,black/multi-coloured socks ( the socks are "tres importantes"!)
feeling - somewhat depressed, don't know why.
weather - sunny but cold
wanting - to be anywhere but here
needing - cuddles and hugs
thinking - what is the point? Have even lost my faith in football. :(
enjoying - Adele and her voice
wondering - if this really is "it", if that's all there is?

50 Not Out and Signs of Spring

No, that's not my age (I wish!) but the title of the LO I did at Scrap Club at A Maze of Memories yesterday.
We'd been told the LO would be suitable for baby or love/romance photos and normally I go fully prepared. Not this time.
I've already commented on the fact that I don't have many photos of David and I together, and certainly no recent ones, as one or other of us is always behind the camera. I've pretty much exhausted my supply of DS's baby photos (I know he was a cute baby but I've filled two albums already and he's now embarrassed being used as a subject for LOs!)so I decided to simply take along the folder of family photos I brought back from Dad's.

And this was the result - not a very good photo but the only one I know of that shows my parent's Golden Wedding in 2001.

We used papers by Making Memories and punched borders and hearts; we used Perfect Pearls (the stamped image on the large heart at the bottom left)and buttons. The gold paper actually shimmers but that doesn't show too well in the photo.
The journalling is hidden on a tag behind the photo. It details how the family presented Mum and Dad with a certificate (made by me) promising them a trip of their choice. Sadly, they never took the trip as two months later Mum was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and nine months later she died,two weeks after her 71st birthday.
The title is ,of course, a cricketing term as Dad was a keen cricketer up until his 40's.

The first Scrap Club challenge for March was to use a Prima Paintables sheet.
As TV was so rubbish yesterday (apart from my date with Let's Dance for Comic Relief) and Max had had a lovely long walk in a local Nature Reserve, I spent yesterday evening "playing" whilst listening to Adele (that album just gets better and better).
This is the result:

Photos from the garden, sketch by "Sketchy Thursdays" (I'm entering it in their challenge for this week). I coloured the acetate with Promarkers but not all the colours show up well. Random alphas from stash, including some felt ones that I "found" in my alpha box (cough, can't remember buying these, think they were from QVC). Overlay is joined to the LO with brads and a Marie Curie daffodil. The little birdie and branch are by Eyelet Outlet.

I'm not sure about this LO and I'll be lucky if the colours survive until next Scrap Club as I forgot to turn the overlay (doh!) so the coloured side is on top and not protected.

It was a lovely morning and I actually completed the top LO before the end of the session...despite chatting, looking at other people's LOs and random trips to the Farm Shop.

Now I'm trying to decide whether I'm going to watch the Liverpool v Man Utd. match or Sky+ it and ask David whether I want to see it when it's finished - he won't watch it but he can find out the result for me and drop hints without revealing the score. I don't like us playing Liverpool at the best of times but after Tuesday night that feeling is even worse.

Thanks for dropping in.

Rocking My World Friday

Yes, it is still Friday (just) but I have good reason to be late posting.

So what's been rocking my world this week?

A Maze of Memories has to be first - I did manage to go last Friday (after a soak in the bath my joints felt a little better so I thought "S*d it! I need to get out of the house", doped myself with pain killers and wore my wrist support - such a glamorous look!). With a little help I managed the LO although I didn't do a Christmas LO, even though it was a Christmas class (just have to be different). I made mine using Cosmo Cricket "Circa 1934" papers - not finished yet as I'm still scanning and enlarging (for other LOs) the small photos I intend to use. And yes, you've guessed it...these small photos are indeed from c. 1934.
I shall be back at AMOM tomorrow morning for Scrap Club.
I think I've already shared the rest of this week's creations apart from a birthday card which I can't show yet as the recipient reads my blog.

Still on crafting I received a lovely surprise package, full of crafty goodness, from Val in Germany this morning. Thank you Val it quite made my day. Do visit her blog - she's a very talented crafter and produces the most amazing tags and altered items.

Reading has been good this week too. I'm now reading "The Postmistress", one of Judy & Richard's Book Club selections. This was passed on to me by my friend Pat and I'm enjoying it..although I wish she'd told me before I started it that it was the first book she read on holiday and she needed something "light and cheerful" to read after it. Methinks it's not going to end well...tissues at the ready.

My next grateful is TALF, Thame Art & Literature Festival. This year's event will take place in Oct. but they're organising some run up events.Tonight (and this is the reason for the late posting) four of us went along to "An Audience with Joanna Trollope", the first of these events. She was wonderful and she signed my copy of her new book. A very interesting hour was spent in her company and we even had a glass of decent wine.

Other gratefuls?
Music. This week I have been listening to Adele, specifically her new album "21". A gorgeous voice and heartfelt songs. Just right for crafting to.

Comfort food - steak and ale pie (homemade) and Chiang Mai Thai mince. I have to thank my brother for the last one - he cooked it for my SIL last Sunday and she raved about it. Realised they'd bought me the Ainsley Harriot recipe book it was from some years ago so I made it on Tuesday. Very nice..the heartburn afterwards was from fuming at the ref. of our match against Chelsea and had nothing to do with the food.
Needless to say sport is not in my list of gratefuls this week. :(

And finally the two of my boys who are at home. David has been on holiday this week and it's been lovely to have chilling time together - the weather wasn't nice enough to do much else.
And Max for being his usual lovely, cuddly self. I'll even forgive him for waking me up this morning by licking my mouth (eew!).

Hope all my fellow Rockettes have had equally good weeks.
Hugs xx

Chance to Win Some Fabulous kits!

http://wescrapkits.blogspot.com/2011/03/march-kit-win-years-worth-of-kits.html#comment-form

Use the link above to visit the WeScrap Kits Blog and have the chance to win a year's supply of kits.

Don't believe how great they are?

I made this LO using the Feb. kit "Hot Chocolate".
I just added some extra flowers and ribbons.
Sketch by RitaS .
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