Title of today's LO.
Made for a sketch challenge...a little bit brighter than my usual work but the papers seemed to fit the photo. DS Nick and Vicky at Glastonbury (and no, we don't know who the man in blue is but there's been a whole thread on FB!).
Not content with Glasto and then Serbia, the pair of them are off to the Isle of Wight for Bestival next weekend.
Which has left us with a problem..they were supposed to be here, looking after Max! My SIL (DH's sister) can't (or won't) have him...the hotel does accept pets so I'll have to contact them...guess he's coming to Snowdonia with us..that was not the plan.
Was going to do the "i" word today but rain stopped play.
Watched the football last night and ended up with tears streaming down my face..it wasn't that bad but the second half was so boring I decided to finish the book I was reading...bad move as it was a real tearjerker, although I did feel better for having a good cry.
Plan for this evening...red wine and another LO..I'm trying to get ahead on the Sept. challenges as I'll lose next weekend.
And how's this for service?
I ordered some stamps from Chocolate Baroque on Thursday afternoon and had them in my little paws by lunchtime yesterday..and it was free p&p.
Right, off to see how many points Durham got today.
OK...it's Friday again..very, very early Friday but I can't sleep... and I'm going to have to dig deep this week....
It's not been the best of weeks as I've been almost permanently in pain. It's all right the hospital saying that fibromyalgia treatment is a question of "mind over matter"....but if they don't teach me how and refuse to prescribe drugs (some sufferers are on morphine ..thankfully I'm not that bad) I'm going to take it into my own hands.... halo totally smashed.. this week I've had chocolate (bliss), red wine (even more bliss) and cream cakes...yummy!!
No alternative therapies on offer this Wednesday, sadly, so I spent most of the day lying down and reading.....
This week's books are totally to blame on Joanna...yes, I've been reading about cowboys..Yee ha!! Modern cowboys, 19th century cowboys...who cares? ..they're all hot...at least they are in the books I've been reading. :)
Puppies are my next grateful...pay attention as this may get complicated..amongst my Facebook friends I have two with exactly the same name. One is my SIL (brother's second wife) and one is someone I came across via the Andrex puppy (how sad is it that one of my FB friends is the Andrex puppy?) both of them bear my maiden name (and yes, that does complicate things when I'm amongst family). The one who's not my SIL has two dogs - Clyde, a lab/collie cross, and Chloe, a golden retriever. They've just had puppies...10 of them...and they all take after their dad....they're black with the odd white marking. They're now nearly three weeks old and absolutely gorgeous. I want a mini Max!!
Pause here whilst I unwrap a bar of Lindt Creation Hazelnut deluxe...it was on offer at Waitrose and I couldn't resist..mmmmm..dark chocolate and nuts...heaven.
So what else springs to mind?
The football on Sunday - I took no great pleasure in the result (Man Utd 8 - Arsenal 2) as it was embarrassingly easy and I felt for the boy. Spoke to him before the match to say, "May the best team win" and his reply was, "You're going to win. Frankly I'd be happy if we kept all 11 players on the pitch.." ..they didn't..I must be feeling sorry for him, I've just ordered all his course books for the year through my Amazon account.
Cricket.. my boys made the semi-finals of the 40 over competition (no advertising here..well, I can't actually remember the name of the sponsor) and England won the T20 match v. India...exciting final over..still can't forgive them for the way they've treated Collingwood but Durham are benefitting.
Music this week is stuck in the 80's. For some reason I'm singing ..."up where we belong.." with eagles flying etc etc...
I have managed one LO which I'll share:
The boy and Vicky - they've seen it on FB and like it. All papers,ribbons,stamps and embellies - Little Yellow Bicycle "Love Letters" and can you see that I've just bought a heart punch??
Website of the week "Chocolate Baroque" as featured (with a discount code) in Craft Stamper - I had to buy..honest (it would have been rude not to).. Steampunk Christmas here we come!!
My friend Audrey deserves a mention as
she's going to look after Max while we're at the funeral on Tuesday and then doing "whatever"on Weds. I suppose I'll just have to shop....
Can't think of anything else so I'll leave you with some gratuitous eye candy:
Hugs xx
Yep, that's me (it says so on my trainer socks so it must be true). Although to the rest of the family I'm "little miss bossy" and I have the keyring to prove it.
Finally have a date for the funeral - 6th September. Gives me time to get my hair sorted and make arrangements for Max. It's not until the afternoon, so DH wants us to stay in a hotel overnight as he has sites to visit in Colchester and Ipswich. Saves him a journey or two. I will have to find myself something to do....craft shops anyone? I like Colchester but wasn't impressed with Ipswich on my one and only visit......since that was well over 20 years ago, it may have changed..hopefully.
I promised you a double LO and here it is:
Photos of my maternal grandfather during WW1. Papers by K&CO "Life's Journey". The postcards (HMS Calypso and the island of Malta) are in cellophane and can be flipped to read the messages (both written to his father). Cellophane is sealed with paper cut on a TH die.
You probably can't see but the football team and the photo with the mascot are from when he was on HMS Ark Royal. I know he went to Odessa to help the White Russians during the revolution but not much more sadly.
This a LO I made last night for week 3 of Deal or No Deal? I had to use either naked (or nekkid*) chipboard or Kraft paper on my LO:
Photo of DS aged about 11 with my parents. The papers are called "Kraft Obsession" and are by Sultane (a French company).
I'm planning to do more scrapping over the long weekend. I have some photos of DS Nick and Vicky (from over the summer) to play with. :)
Sportswise...Button is currently running 3rd in the GP; it's only an hour and a quarter until the football (I cannot believe that L******l are top of the league); Indy car at 9:30 tonight.
Will I still be "Little Miss Sunshine" this evening?
*"nekkid" - southern USA pronunciation. I really am reading too many American novels.
And I leave you with another little gem from Pinterest:
Before I start on the gratefuls...some answers to questions posed and a request....
Since you asked sooooo nicely Joanna..here are close ups of the double LO..
Virginia, I tried to get a picture of a mandolin but the only ones I could find were the really expensive, flash ones that have safety features so that you don't slice your fingers......obviously not like mine.
A few weeks ago you also asked about the "red herrings". In English I had a knack/gift/penchant ?? for asking questions that on the surface appeared perfectly reasonable. Five to ten minutes into his answer the teacher would discover that we were in fact way off topic. What can I say, it's just the way my mind works and it'
s still annoying people today....
We still have no word on when my MIL's funeral will be - I'm guessing sometime next week.
So, onto the gratefuls..
A*****l for reaching the Champions League...hopefully this will have put a smile on the boy's face...he was threatening to stop watching football altogether.
Man Utd for the second half of Monday's match - awesome (forget the first half).
"Un Village Francais" - three episodes of this saw me clear the "i" word...one of the reasons my halo is sparkling again. :) Only have one episode left now and I'm wondering how many series they're going to make - this was the second and we haven't reached the end of 1941 yet.
Wednesday...which most of you know is a lost day for me usually. This week I had the best Weds. for over four years. Normally no-one contacts me, just leaves me be. This week was different..a flurry of emails, texts and phone calls, some suggesting "alternative therapies", quite took my mind off the nausea and I actually felt human by lunchtime. Max was the beneficiary as he had an extra long walk. Thank you to those concerned. :)
Other reasons for the sparkling halo - no chocolate or red wine has been consumed*, I totally resisted buying anything from the QVC Christmas Craft day and I didn't moan/flounce out of the room when DH made me switch over from the cricket. Probably a bit late to be asking this..but how did I manage to marry someone with zero interest in sport apart from motor racing?
* some white wine has been consumed..well, I had to taste it before using it in my bolognese sauce.
Only one kitchen incident this week and that was today when I smashed the handle off a mug. Fortunately just an everyday one and not "Drama Queen" or "I'm having trouble dealing with the fact that Edward Cullen is a fictional character".
And, I have finally decided what I want to be when I grow up. Since the choice of belly dancer was cruelly taken away from me in my 20's, I've decided I want to be a femme fatale. Not too sure of the full job description but I think I could do it.
I have finished another double LO but I'll save the photos for my next post.
Hugs xx
This a much happier post as I've come to terms with my MIL's death and have tried to stop thinking about the anniversary coming up (one of them at least...I'm still dropping "pearl" hints about the other one...sadly, I think the hints are falling on deaf ears).
Sunday afternoon was wonderful. It was ever so quiet and I was able to spread all my stuff out...I'm not the tidiest of scrappers. It was also lovely to see my friend Jan and have a chat and a laugh.
I managed to finish one double LO, a single LO and almost complete a second double. All were for the monthly challenges on WeScrap. I can show you two of them - the other still needs a title adding.
This was for a "recipe" challenge and I managed to use up all my primary school photos.
A companion piece "Growing Old...Disgracefully" is to follow.
This one was for a "Keep It Simple" challenge. Photos of my uncle during WW2 - journalling to be added by either my aunt or my cousin.
So what else has been happening here?
Some excellent sports results in both cricket and football (3 - 0 and, with my immaculate timing, I completely missed the first goal).
A prediction that West Brom will win this weekend - I've put Stoke to win in the Sky Sports competition that I take part in. After only two weeks I'm joint 6th with -3 points....b****y Arsenal have let me down both weeks. Actually, bearing in mind what happened during the World Cup, I jinxed them.
Kitchen incidents of a harmful nature - 1.
Accidental stabbing of hand with fork (preparing jacket potatoes). No blood spilt.
Parcels to get excited about - 3.
All arrived at once yesterday...my Man Utd membership pack and some clothes from the sales @M&S online.
What does it mean when the thing that excites you about your new pj's is not the lovely colour (red), nor the lovely price (£5) but the fact that they have a gorgeous, broad cream bow and ribbon round them?
Burning questions:
Why do egg yolks always break when you need them whole (frying and poaching) but stubbornly remain intact when scrambling or making omelette?
Dare I take my Kindle into the bath with me? I'm a bit wary after the paperback incident last year (answer to question posed then - 3 days).
If Oprah says something is it true?
I ask because Carmen (who has disappeared again!) did the quiz I linked into last Friday's post and Oprah said she's "an Artist".
She also said that I'm "intellectual and nurturing....."
We both think that ,if Oprah says it, it must be true. :)
Today I really, really must tackle the "i" word. I've run out of excuses and displacement activities. Although..... I do need to make a sympathy card....mmm.......nah, that won't take all afternoon....
Today's post was supposed to be a happy one about my afternoon spent cropping and with photos of the the LOs I did.
Sadly, my step- SIL phoned this evening to let us know that David's stepmother (my MIL) died at lunchtime. She'd been ill for a while but it was still a shock.
I had to phone DS Nick and tell him. He was quite shaken as she was the last of his grandparents (he only ever had three as D's father died before he was born).
It's also brought my Dad's death back to the forefront of my mind. I'm not in a happy place right now and don't know when I'll feel up to posting again.
Hugs xx
Another rocking Friday means another week has slipped by in the blink of an eye.
So what are my gratefuls for this week?
I had the house to myself (apart from Max) yesterday!! Woohoo! Time to do all the things I can't do when DH is working from home...like hoovering (bleugh!) and other more pleasant things..like have MTV playing all day..and other naughty stuff..
DS Nick is high on the list for the laughs and hugs.
Conversation between him and me whilst MTV was showing Beyonce's "Wedding" video:
Me: I want a new body for Christmas
N: yeeeees...?
Me: Yes, I was thinking of JLO but now I think I'd like Beyonce instead.
N: (whilst looking me up and down) Be realistic Mother.
It was the "mother" that got me. He very, very rarely calls me that. The last time was when I took Vicky to the card class and he told me a. to look after her and b. to behave myself. He knows me too well....though I'm hard pressed as to how he thought I could misbehave at a craft class. :)
The house is still quiet since he and Vicky went back to Bristol but I'm getting
used to it now (and secretly enjoying it).
I'll need to use his room on Monday evening for the football (Man Utd. v Spurs).
Max is next for the way he joined in a game of frisbee with two total strangers yesterday. He's been used to a stream of boys through the house while N. was growing up and thinks that he knows all the older teenagers/20 year olds we come across - this can lead to inappropriate behaviour. Not the leg humping sort as he's been "seen to" (and guess who took him to the vet's for that...the boys refused for some reason) but more the "ooh, a ball/frisbee..I'll just run off with this and get them to chase me" sort..
Jamie Oliver for his Punchy Pork Chilli recipe (which we love and hadn't had for a while) - I made it yesterday. Don't think you're meant to have naan bread with it but that was what was in the fridge. I forgot to get the garlic bread out of the freezer, which is in the garage and it was raining..
Speaking of which...I was going to do the "i" word yesterday (had got the film choice down to "Mamma Mia" or "Dirty Dancing") when the rain stopped and the sun appeared. Good time to walk Max thinks I.....hah! Half way through, the heavens opened and two drowned rats came home. Such a good look and perfume..eau de chien trempe. Much too late to do the "i" word then.....
Other people's blogs have entertained me this week. I found this link on Sue Sykes's blog and did the quiz: Who Am I Meant to Be?
Apparently, I'm intellectual and a nurturer and teacher was one of the jobs I should do - there's a surprise!
Question of the week:
Why do batteries run out at the most inopportune moments?
Realisation of the week:
I should not be allowed anywhere near sharp objects (as people do not like blood in their cheesy potatoes). I sliced my thumb while using a mandolin to slice the potatoes. N. kindly took over (for the reason in the brackets above).
Music of the week:
David Guetta's "Little Bad Girl" for the video
Emeli Sande's "Heaven" for this line..."Oh, heaven I wake with good intentions, but the day it always lasts too long.." So me.
Things to look forward to:
Cropping on Sunday
Football on Saturday & Monday - yes, I'll watch A*****l v. L*******l.
May watch the cricket, but it's a dead rubber really.
I'll be reading real books this week as I've exceeded my (self imposed) monthly limit on Kindle. So back to murder and mayhem instead or erotic romance. DH will start worrying again...he thinks I'm planning the perfect murder as that's normally all I read.
Have been busy on Pinterest this week and found this little gem:
And on that note I'll leave you and log in with Virginia, the Queen of the Rockettes...
Nearly forgot....welcome back Carmen!!!
