Thursday, December 28, 2006

switched

ok, well i've finally moved over to the new version of blogger, so if something doesn't work, or look right, that's the reason!!

well it's been a busy time lately, and i've completely forgotten to update the blog! useless i know:)

work is dead.. literally, no students, no lecturers, and no work for me. my colleague and i are getting hacked off with it. it's a waste of time being there. i could literally have not been in the lasy couple of weeks and it wouldn't have made a difference.

that and combined with a new pay framework/scale structure coming out in january, a reorganisation of our faculty, and seemingly new jobs doing the same thing as us it's all a bit up in the air at themoment. tensions were high last week. and more than a few worried people and tears. management communication crap as usual!

christmas was good. just DH and i and the dogs. no stress, no traveling, no binge eating or drinking:)

have been finishing a few scrapping projects, and trying to dedicate some time to another project i need to do for january.
Plans for the crop next year are not going well. I'm not having a good time communicating with the people who book the room. it's all rather silly, and i cannot be doing with the hassle and stress of dealing with childish people. So i guess i've got to find somewhere else to hold it. Don't want to not meet up with the girls each month. we have a nice little group now, and have fun each month, we just need somewhere nice to hold it!!

anyway, off to get a hot drink.. it's freezing here at the moment!

Monday, December 04, 2006

cool beans!

well i've had an exciting couple of weeks!
new project at work is coming together - should be all go on the research project soon, with the chance of being involved in another one a few months later.

had a weekend of cyber crops- i got so much done, and used up so much stash it's crazy!
I've won a set of Autumn leaves stamps from here so big thanks to the very lovely Lou... brilliant shop, fantastic service, and really great items that you don't find everywhere.
can't wait for them to arrive and me to have a play with them.

been working on a calendar as a present for Dh's grandparents. it's coming together really quickly. I'm using the sketches and examples from the projects here, and really enjoying working in 8x8

been buying xmas pressies, and wrapping them this weekend. Still don't feel too xmassy, but am enjoying getting things together, and looking forward to a break.

finally got our holiday to orlando sorted. still searching for hotels or b&b's in chicago.

finally got Peg Peg a winter coat. she seems to love it, and could quite happily sleep in it!
Gratiuitous doggie photo:











on the home front i've made some rather yummy (even if i do say so myself!) beetroot relish. it took forever to thicken, but it's scrummy with cheese!
Decided not to make christmas cake or pudding this year. it's only Dh and me, and it seems to be a waste if i make a huge cake just so that we can stuff ourselves. Might treat ourselves to a nice small one.But none of that fake icing!

went to see Casino Royale, and oh my, Daniel Craig is fantastic. have to say he wasn't on my radar before, but now.. well he's up there with Hugh Jackman on my list of favorite men:)
The girls at work are finding it quite amusing that i have a picture of him on my desktop - it's normally a cute dog or something!

righto, off to write some crimble cards!

Friday, November 17, 2006

bloggin

well i've been so obsessed reading all the other blogs out there that i've totally forgotten to update my own!
Mind you nothing exciting has been happening.. just work.. and the boring tediousness that it is!

going to crop tomorrow in Derby, fingers crossed that the car makes it there this time - looking forward to seeing everyone, but i've really got to get my stuff organised, otherwise i'll end up forgetting something again..

think i might go and look for a new scanner this weekend too. ours gave up the ghost a couple of weeks back and with all the cybercrops coming up i shall need one.. got some argos vouchers still, so might see what they've got.

but first i must just go check out a blog... :)

Friday, November 10, 2006

i went and i shopped

ok, so it started yesterday when i went and spent a voucher in Boots on some essentials, and a few treats for xmas stockings...

then it progressed to Evans where i bought some knee high boots (i've wanted some for sooooo long, and it's on my list of things to do before i'm 30!!) they were half price, and funky:)

then today i went off to hobbycrafts/crafts for christmas at the NEC - yep i did spend some money! and i found lots of other things that i'd like too!

I managed some jewellery findings, tiny acrylic stamps (that i'm going to use to make some altered domino pieces), new crackle glossy accents, some double sided tape ( i know, i know, not exciting but a bargain!) some utee;twinkling h20's; and distressing paper from the lovely people at Once Upon A Stamp, some heidi swapp big blossoms and a mini mask and 5 small box canvases!

and the good thing is i've got lots of projects planned! wooohoooo,

plus i also got to catch up with gorgeous suzanne ( with her fancy new hair that does look great!), and mad Ginger Claire (sans wig), and a couple of other scrappers i hadn't met before.

phew, off to have a play!

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

bored!

but not for long i'm sure.. finished all my stuff at work, so now got to hunt out something else to do until my meeting at 2pm..

been playing about with a LO based on last weeks Pencil Lines sketch for ages.. got a lovelypicture, and some paper to match, but just can't get it to work. I'm not feeling the inspiration for it. maybe i should just do some journalling and get it stuck down. it's a memory after all and i can't make everything outstanding LOL I can always do the picture again if i come up with inspiration.

in other news, the car is running fine now, although i'm not going to think too far ahead.

The dogs are mad.. chloe has been 'talking' quite a lot lately, especially this morning as she was trying to sneak into our bed! and Peg just wants to eat constantly!

we've got a lovely new feather bed from Northern Nights, which was a bargain at the QVC outlet shop. It goes on top of your mattress and is lovely and snuggly, but i suspect not good for those who like a firm mattress:)

been thinking about xmas pressies, Dh and I have agreed to limit our spending to £25 on each other. should make things interesting... and quite fun to try and find things for that amount. But we are going on holiday twice next year, so it'll be worth it.

ooh, the crop was great fun on saturday, i managed to get 2 Lo's done and did some more work on a mini book. the scanner seems to be having a hissy fit so i can't get them scanned in.

oh joy, off to look for some lunch...

Monday, October 30, 2006

shopping

well, i've finally managed to get around to ordering some Soap Nuts to try in the washing machine. looking forward to seeing what they are like, and using something natural in the wash, and then being able to put the used shell in the compost. .
If you're wanting to take a look at more eco-friendly living, i've got some wesbites on my links which are a good starting point, and i've just placed my first order here . they;ve got some lovely looking things in, some ideas for gifts, anda good range of things if you're trying to go for a greener alternative.
not affiliated with them etc etc.. just been recommended to me, so thought i'd pass it on!

Friday, October 27, 2006

wow - quick delivery

my MM scrapbook shimmer kit and stickers arrived today! i only got notified on wednesday morning!!!
I have the Boho shimmer kit, which is lovely, pinks, aqua, brown, plum etc. and lot of different small shapes to use in the stickers. so going to look forward to playing with them tomorrow!

it's our stoke crop tomorrow, and we're going to be a small group as people are sick and on holiday. it does make me sad sometimes that we're only a small group. but on the other hand, they are a lovely bunch of girls, and we have a lovely, friendly, time, with lots of giggles, that i can hardly complain, and i always enjoy myself! i love being able to spend a whole day in a room with other women and try to scrap. having that time away from everything else is fab. that's why i was so upset about missing the HH crop last week when the car broke down.
i get to be myself at crops, not wife, colleague, daughter etc. just me.

cor, that's a bit deep isn't it? eek, best go, QI's on in a minute...

Thursday, October 26, 2006

need a giggle?

then take a look at Stuff On My Cat , a friend showed me this site today, and it is the best!

happy dance

the car is fixed!!!

allegedly! a new fuel filter and valve, i'm not going to hope too much.. but it's back and running and i'll be able to get to crop on saturday (fingers crossed!)
Thanks Suzanne for the offer of a lift btw.. Dh is going to give it a good run out at the weekend and see what happens.. i'm not allowed to go as i get too stressed:)

had another play with soldering this evening.. i need some smaller bits of glass, but i'm getting better with the iron etc. found it v fiddly putting jump rings on, but it's fixed (for now!)
so hopefully will be able to make a few things for pressies for xmas. just need to get some pin backs and chains now.

friday tomorrow... hurrah!!!!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

i won, i won!

a MM shimmer kit here very excited as it's all new, and i hardly ever buy myself something like that, that is totally new.. woohoo.. just imagine what i can play with:)

loving the MM blog at the moment. the MM idol is great, those women are doing great work, and i love the non scrapbook page things they are coming up with. Must scraplift some xmas card ideas from there!

in other news.. the car is still knackered. really hoping it's not going to cost a huge amount, and that it can be fixed this week....i have the Stoke crop this weekend, and it would be a pain if we didn't have the car.. *fingers crossed*

finally got the copper tape i ordered well over a week ago. so, i had fun playing with my soldering iron. think i need wider tape for doing the microscope slide things i was planning on, but it worked, and i've practised. but i could do with a wider tip for my iron.
So now i've got to find some images to use.. hurrah!

Sunday, October 22, 2006

I'm it!

Cath tagged me, so here goes:
5 weird things about me or my pets

1. i have a phobia of baked beans.. *bleearrrch*
2. i often end up sleeping with one eye open
3. Chloe dog loves all kinds of fruit.. yep even grapefruit.
4. Peg Peg uses her tail as an eye shade - she curls it round to cover her eyes from the sun, or from the light in the morning.
5. i love squeezing spots (i know, it's really disgusting!)

Saturday, October 21, 2006

what a fun day....

NOT!

all ready and prepared to go to the HH crop in Derby, got 2/3 of the way there and the car started bunny hopping again, like it did 2 weeks ago. so after a couple of stops, had to come to the conclusion that the garage didn't manage to fix it and there is still lots of air getting into the fuel line. *sigh* so we had to call the AA, and get them to tow us home again.
So, we spent 2 and a half hours in the car and didn't get anywhere, and i missed a day with my friends that i was really looking forward to. :(

Ho hum, well at least i suppose i didn't spend any money.. i came home and blitzed the house. even cleaned the fridge and defrosted the freezer.. that's how mad i was!

at least i had a nice tea, watched Strictly Come Dancing, Robin Hood, and have played about with a few embellies on the Maya road chipboard book i've had on the go for weeks!

small tip

when coming out to give someone a tow home, after they've broken down, and had their day effectively ruined.. do not tell them to "cheer up love" ... it won't win you any points.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

what's happening?

blogs i love closing down all over the place, me not eating chocolate, and then buying a soldering iron.. i mean.. the whole worlds gone crazy:)

can't wait to finally get the copper tape i've ordered so that i can have a go at soldering and making some funky decorations and jewellery. i'm thinking of some xmas deccies using family photos. I love all the victorian style pictures being used in a lot of the altered art, but i'm thinking i have some oldish photos, so what better than making something with a picture of someone i actually know..

anyway, i'm gonna have a play and see what happens.

I've also recently got my bottlecaps out again and have been playing with utee and stuff. no plans, just playing:)

found out that a work colleague is into card making and all things crafty..and even better, she likes buying stash! both planning on going to the NEC in november for some much needed retail therapy!

i have no idea what i'm going to take to the crop on saturday.. haven't been inspired by my photos recently. feel the need to play with some and enlarge them. but never seem to have the time. must have a flick through them and see what takes my fancy.

okey dokey, DH is away tonight, so i'm gonna go starfish on the bed whilst i can!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

eeek

how did that happen? so many days without blogging.. guess i got out of the habit.. or else my life is so boring i can't even ramble on here!

i'm finally over the bug that i had.. DH has had it slightly for a while now. Haven't done any scrapping, but i have played about with Tim holtz embossing powders and some new paperartsy xmas stamps. nothing earth shattering, but fun playing.

Oh and i can finally reveal that I won a pair of flights to the USA with United Airlines:)didn't want to say too much before i had theofficial letter!

after about 16 phone calls to a call centre in India we managed to book a flight. we were going to go to NY, but couldn't make the flights available work with our leave .. so, we're now going to Chicago for 5 nights! woohoo.. so i'll have 2 foreign holidays next year. Ok, so we can't afford it really, but, i'm not going to let free tickets go to waste!

So, for my birthday we're off to orlando (where i aim to eat and shop a lot!)and then for DH's birthday we're off to chicago. ( where i also aim to eat lot, but also sightsee!)

we tried to get it so that we could have met up with friends/family but the choices were limited.

So needless to say, i'm very excited about that, but just sad that other things are taking the edge of the fun.

As for me, well looks like my bad day was just that.. hurrah! so i've learnt to keep talking, and keep hoping that tomorrow will be a better day:)

oh and the car died at the weekend, BUT hopefully it is just a tiny part that won't be too much trouble to fix. hurrah number 2!

3rd hurrah for the day, i managed a day at work with no chocolate or biscuits... a mini triumph!!

Monday, October 02, 2006

one of those days

ever had one of those days that appears normal to begin with and then turns out to be hellish and exhausting?
mm, that was my day today. perhaps it's that time of the month, but i just couldn't seem to keep my emotions in check today. i had a run in with someone first thing, and it then snowballed from there.. yippee.. the day was a total washout..

so, i'm off to vegetate in front of the tv - surely i can't get myself into any trouble there?

Sunday, September 24, 2006

urgh

well i'm still alive.. just.. this bug is awful:(

i did get out of the house yesterday to the crop.. sorry to all those who came.. i wasn't really in a good state.. but it was lovely to see everyone and i did get a page nearly done.

off back to bed in a minute, but thought i'd better see some of the day!!

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

fresher's flu

well, that's it.. the students are back.. and we're all coming down with something!!

they've only been back 2 days.. and already we're feeling woolly and cold, achy and sore... typical!

Some of the darlings you just wanted to give them a hug and tell them it would be alright, others you wanted to slap for being so dense, and others, well, i have severe doubts about whether they will be able to cope living away from home i'm sure they will.. but for the first week or two there will be no proper food:)

can't believe 11 years ago that was me.. blimey i feel so old!

More enrolment to look forward to tomorrow, woohoo!


on a different note, just watched a program by Stephen Fry about Bipolar.. really interesting. at the end of last year my dr referred me to the community mental health team (god that sounds scary!) as she thought i might have 'mild bipolar'.
haven't mentioned it to anyone as it's not exactly got a great reputation! Turns out that although they can't guarantee it, they pretty much think i don't have it.. but there are so many variations of depression, bipolar, and extremes of both, it's so confusing, scary and difficult to tell anything!

I find it so difficult to explain my depression, so just hearing other people talk about their experiences is really interesting, and it really needs talking about more, so people can get help if they need it, and that the myths surrounding the illness can be removed.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

time flies and so will I!

blimey, a week gone by, and no blogging! it's just been one of those mad weeks at work, preparing for all the yummy new freshers to enrol on Monday. it's going to be hectic next week, but will be nice to welcome a whole load of new students in!

i've had some lovely news.. but i am going to wait for proper confirmation before celebrating too much.. don't worry, i'm not going to be bringing any offspring into the world just yet.. but its fun news for me!

tomorrow i have a wedding to go to. so an early start for us. looking forward to it, but lots of driving for DH. feels very odd with the dogs in kennels tonight.. very empty.. i don't like it!

okily dokily, need some sleep before i get dragged out of bed at some unearthly hour!

Friday, September 08, 2006

i can see clearly now...

the new windows are in:)
well, nearly all of them.. final stuff being done on monday.. it's so lovely. it's so quiet with double glazing, and i'm looking forward to it being warmer too. amazing how much they got done today, and what a difference it makes to the house.. yippee!!!

in other news, Dh and i have booked flights to florida for my birthday next year.. looking forward to chilling out, visiting the parks, eating yummy food, and shopping! i'm going to take just a couple of outfits and then just buy a load! just got to decide on where to stay now. can't afford the Crowne Plaza where we stayed for honeymoon, but looks like we could afford a villa. with a pool.. :)

got a few new photos printed, so have got a couple of scrapping projects planned, might make a start on those this weekend,

ok, off to luxuriate under the duvet and admire my new windows:)

Sunday, September 03, 2006

sunday evening again...

Well, there we go another weekend, gone, sunday evening already, looking forward to another fun week at work:(

it;s Dh's and my 2nd anniversary tomorrow.. doesn't time fly! i suspect we won't do much.. but i might suggest going to the cinema.. don't really fancy a meal out or anyhting.

good news on the window front.. they will be here on friday.. hurrah! will believe it when i see it though.. can't wait for it all to be in and finished. then i can finally get the carpet fitted as well. yay!

hada lovely crop on saturday in Derby.. didn't get much done, but i worked on a couple of things and had a good time chatting to everyone, drinking coffee and eating cupcakes!

off to check ebay, see how my stash fund is doing!

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

*bling*

ok, soi'm getting into this whole 'bling' thing with my scrapping.. i blame it totally on suzanne (but then again she is my scrapping scapegoat!!) at the weekend whilst perusing the aisles of the local poundland i found a make-your-own-bling kit.. bargain!!! little diamantes already on sticky strips.. fab:)

my mayaroad paisley mini book needed something, and it turns out that was it! oh and after half a day of painting it.. it looked terrible.. so back to covering it with paper. i have no idea what to put in it, but i'm decorating for art's sake:)

oh and today i realised i have turned into a snobbish scrapper.. i was looking through what will be my last copy of TSBM (letting my sub go) and it took me till the the middle to find a lo i liked. perhaps it was just one of those days, but i'm being really picky! and that's horrible because that it someone's work, someone's family.. *sigh* perhaps like Dh shouted at me yesterday i do have 'an attitude problem'

on other news, the 2nd window man has been round to measure up.. hopefully we will finally have a date of when we can expect them to be round. it's meant to be the end of this week but i'm wondering now.. work is so busy i can't just take a day off at the moment. it took a whole day last week to work out when i could book day!

ok, off to play with some more paper:)

Monday, August 28, 2006

personality test

hmm, not sure about all of this, but it's pretty:)

it's a Bank Holiday so it must be raining!

oh and DH must also decide to suddenly start a DIY project!

so we've now got a new floodlight out the front, i've been going crazy with washing, drying etc etc.. so domesticated!

going to make a bread pudding this afternoon and might also go pick some more blackberries from the new stash i found!

Dh made a lovely lasagne yesterday.. it is one thing he knows how to cook, and does it well.. so i leave him to it.. trouble is, it's so HUGE we'll be eating it all week:D

i've also gone crazy getting birthday presents bought, and wrapped, and also heaven forbid, started thinking about xmas pressies.. i know , i know, but if i have a though, then i might as well right it down so that i'll have it ready for when i need it:)

haven't done any scrapping, but i have sorted out a few bits and pieces and will be putting some more things on ebay later on. i love the feeling of clearing things out. if i haven't used it in a year, i might as well sell it on, or give it to someone else who'll use it!

talking of which, we've been a part of the local Freecycle group for a few months now, and have managed to pass on some stuff that we weren't using any more, and pick up a couple of things for us to use. great stuff, and today we ended up with a Dyson! it will need the head replacing soon, but it works at the moment! (anything that gets Dh excited about vacuuming is ok in my book!)
So, highly recommend looking at your local group and see what you can freecycle!

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

smelly house, smelly house...

yep, well standard day at work - highlight was the ymmy bacon and egg granary baguette i had for lunch:)

then went to a special event day at the local candle store where they have the Yankee candles.. i'm a sucker for these:) so i bought some yummy smelly things! i now have the scent of ginger cookie in my bedroom! it'll either make me so hungry i'll go eat the contents of the fridge, or it'll curb my appetite for sweet things...

then went out to fatty arbuckles for tea.. really enjoyed it. i lurve ribs.. even DH couldn't find anything to complain about! then it's been raining all evening, so pups haven't wanted to go outside, i severely hope we wont get woken at 4am cause the doggies need to spend a penny!

Dh is sorting out getting broadband changed and saving us some money in the process.. fingers crossed for a smooth transition, and me being able to convert all my logins and accounts over to a new email address!

ooh, think i might post a pic of the pups just so that you can adore them.

Monday, August 21, 2006

birthdays, mirrors, and complaints:)

firstly, BIG happy birthday shout out to Anam (kihaku) a fabby lady who is so generous with her time, wisdom, and talents. love you loads, and miss you even more.

second, i've just decorated the 2 bargain mirrors i picked up at sainsburys.. just boring old square pine framed mirrors, but i've put some heidi swapp tape and some blossoms and ribbons on and they look quite sweet now. will take a pic of them in situ tomorrow when DH decides to get the hammer and nails out and put them up:)

third, i've done something i almost never do.. and thats write a letter of complaint:0
was so fed up with the room i hire for the crop, the bad service etc that i actually wrote a letter and sent it off this afternoon. i'm sure they'll think i'm over-reacting etc etc, but for once i thought i needed to say something. In writing that's a hell of a lot easier than in person. cause i know i'd just get frustrated, and when that happens it all comes out as tears! so i look like a gibbering little female, and not an assertive person!

i've also been a right old grumpy cow today, talk about getting up on the wrong side of the bed.. gees, i think i got out the wrong side of the universe today! i can't believe i lasted all day in the office without walking out!
lets hope tomorrow is a better one:)

Sunday, August 20, 2006

speshal dare


here's this week's Everyone is Speshal dare..

did it late last night, don't know what came over me.. obviously i was just inspired!

Saturday, August 19, 2006

ahhh, saturday!

what a nice day today has been.. although it's had it's ups and downs!

crop today, and conferencing are going to get a piece of my mind on monday about the lack of care they have for people booking rooms.. difficult access to toilets and hot water.. but anyway.. i'm calm now and things were sorted, but it's really pissed me off. I'm annoyed, cause if i wasn't an employee, i'd be incredibly unimpressed by their actions.

anyway.. it was good to see the girls. had a lovely chat with suzanne and fran. had a look through everyone's stash and drooled! me and Bev didn't get much done, i don't think the inspiration was there! but we had a raffle, with some prizes generously donated by suzanne. not that Fran fixed it at all for us to both get a prize;-)

came home to a lovely welcome from the pups. they both wanted snuggly cuddles, so i had to oblige:)

watched some tv and have been listening to some cds tonight.. where i got inspiration for this week's speshal dare. I'm really loving the challenges that are about at the moment. I don't seem to have a huge amount of inspiration myself, so these are fab for getting me moving!

ooh, and got my pad cc swop from Sue.. It's a lurvely mini frame, and i've already put a photo in it. will try to upload a pic soon.

well off to print some piccies.. got the parents-in-law visiting tomorrow.... hmmmm

Friday, August 18, 2006

I'm it!

ok, suzanne tagged me so here goes:

1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?

ooh, so many places. if i am allowed to build one house, surely i've got enough money to build a few right?
in the UK, then i would choose Charmouth, in dorset, many happy holidays as a child there.
in Australia, it would be Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. quiet, beautiful, but near enough to a big city:)


2. What's your favourite article of clothing?
hmm, my lovely layered brown skirt from Debenhams. goes with loads of things and makes me feel girly!

3. Favourite physical feature of the opposite sex?
arms. weird i know.but nicely toned arms..

4. What's the last CD that you bought?
honestly can't remember. last CD i downloaded was Jack JOhnson. Love it. makes me feel all summery.

5. Where's your favourite place to be?
well i love snuggling under my duvet when it's all wild and windy outside.
either that or on a beach, but not sunbathing just paddling and walking on the sand:)

6. Where's your least favourite place to be?
the dentist.. work... at the doctors have a cervical smear;-)

7. What's your favourite place to be massaged?

anywhere! i'm not fussy:) but i agree with suzanne about having my hair played with. i love going to the hairdressers simply to have it washed!

8. Strong in mind or strong in body?
urgh.. mind i guess.

9. What time do you wake up in the morning?
6am the alarm goes off.:(

10. What is your favourite Kitchen appliance?
steamer.. seriously! the best wedding present ever!

11. What makes you really angry?
people not listening to me when i'm being serious.

12. If you could play an instrument what would it be?
drums.. i do a good 'air drums' :)

13. Favourite colour?
turquoise

14. Sports car or SUV?
any that come with a driver!

15. Do you believe in an afterlife?
sort of. i don't really know. that's one thing i do sit on the fence about!

16. Favourite children's book?
too many to list.. but 'the magic faraway tree' ranks up there quite highly!

17. What's your favourite season?

autumn.. cooler than summer, plenty of berries and fruit about to make crumbles and pies, and the promise of christmas:)

18. What is your least favourite household chore?
washing up. drives me insane how much 2 people can go through.

19. If you could have one super-power, what would it be?
to be able to speak many languages

20. If you have a tattoo what is it?
nope, none.. but i did have my nose pierced when i was at uni.

21. Can you juggle?
jobs and commitments yes, balls, no!

22. The one person from your past that you wish you could go back and talk to?
my nan.. i never really knew her.

23. What's your favourite day?
thursday. nearly the weekend, and far enough away from monday!

24. What's in the boot of your car?
i don't drive, but in our car there is a first aid kit and some boxes.

25. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger?
i quite like both to be honest.

I shall tag :
cath

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Lost

what a fab tv series.. just been watching some episodes, and had to stop, otherwise i'd have been up till midnight!
it's got so many new twists and plots, anything could happen.. it's great!

sooo, tomorrow i'm on the clearing hotline at work.. never done it before, so should be interesting. Hopeflly i'll be able to help out a few students! i remember hving to go through clearing myself, a scary time, i didn;t know what i was doing, and just remember it all happening like a dream.. but somehow, i got through it, got a place at uni, and it was the best decision ever.
I love this uni, it's been really good to me, and the staff are genuinely friendly. I really hope that everyone getting their results tomorrow does well, but, if it doesn't go as planned, all is not lost. get on that phone and talk to people. and then enjoy the ride!

(can you tell i've had a drink? LOL)

Monday, August 14, 2006

credit due


oops, forgot to say that the LO i posted yesterday was inspired by a class by Ria.

Today's LO is from another class at this weekend's pad crop - this time taught by
jaq (sorry keep trying to put a link on here, but it doesn't seem to like the picture and the link at the same time!!)

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Busy Little Bee

thats me.. :)

cybercropping on the pad this weekend, and i've loved it. .been doing a bit of household type stuff too, but i've got some serious cropping done.. and you know what.. saturday afternoon seemed to never end.. it was great! normally time goes so fast when having fun, but not this time. great feeling.

so, i've finally:
- used my mini sewing machine on paper.. (boy did that take a while ..especially with the instructions being wrong!!),
- used versamark and chalks (why did i wait so long??),
- used basic grey paper and actually really liked it enough to consider getting more,
- make an atc,
- use jump rings

here's one of the layouts



yep, that's me in orlando on our honeymoon, and yes that is a bum bag - well when in Rome...

I've used up a ton of old stash, completely run out of adhesive (oh dear, you mean i have to go shop?) and won a prize! woohooo, yes i've got a surprise box of stash coming next week. thanks to Marja who donated the prize.

hmm, well i can't seem to post more than one picture at a time, so this will just have to do. off to finish a pad cybercrop swap...

Thursday, August 10, 2006

poorly tummy

well, that'll teach me for eating ice cream:) I've been keeping clear of milk etc for a while now as i thought it might be contributing to my IBS type symptoms - had a bowl of yummy ice cream tonight, and well, lets just say my tummy didn't like it very much:(

been trying to keep a food diary to try and see if there's a link between certain foods etc, and this is definately one of them.. i'll have to go see what the dr has to say i suppose.

but on good news, i had an ok day at work helping out in the recruitment office. lots of envelope stuffing but it kept me busy, and Kathy and i had a laugh reminiscing about cheesy 90's pop bands..

Looks like i will be able to do the beginners calligraphy course. got in contact with the chap who runs it, so should be good. been looking at some of the stuff that people do and its fantastic. my dad does calligraphy, but i've never learnt it properly. so that should be something nice to do over the autumn. and hopefully i'll be able to incorporate it into my scrapping.

okey dokey, off to see if the dogs will let me have some of my bed!

last day at work..

well, until next week :D

i've got tomorrow off and i'm soooo looking forward to it. OK, so i'll have to take the dogs out for a walk all by myself (fingers crossed it's not raining like today) and i've got to wait in for the window man, but i get a whole day to myself! woohooo!

got absolutely soaked this morning taking the dogs.. they looked very sorry for themselves when we had to dry them off! hopefully they'll lay in the sunshine and get themselves dry today.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

f'lup!

phew... just been out for a meal ( all desire to make something vanished!) and i'm stuffed. it was lovely, and had some yummy salad as well - my token contribution to healthy eating tonight!

then off to the shops to get a few bits and peices.. nothing exciting, but a flake somehow leapt into the basket so i have a treat for later.. or tomorrow when DH is away visiting his brother before matt flies out to australia.
shame i can't go, but we have the dogs to look after, and also the window man to measure up for DG hopefully. i can't wait to have that done.. it'll be so nice in winter, and hopefully reduce the amount of gas etc we use.

saw a poster advertising a calligraphy course in a nearby church hall. only £14 for 4 sessions, so i might see if i can go to that. would like to learn to write things nicely.

*yawn* i think all that food has made me sleepy.. off for a cup of peppermint tea and a snooze!

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Happy Birthday to Suzanne

just a quick post to say Happy Birthday to one of the most gorgeous people around.. Suzanne.. hope you have a fab day and the postie brings you lots of lovely things.

Monday, August 07, 2006

challenge completed!


Just completed a fab challenge by Anne Hafermann - posted on her blog.

they are from thenew Ali edwards book - the patterned papers one.. (which i am lusting after, but can't have right now.. roll on xmas!)
this was so simple, but so great - i used up cardstock i'd had for ages, some pretty awful photos which i cropped right down, and some very random paper scraps. love it! oh and there's a bit of heidi swapp tape in there too for good measure!

So, in non-scrapping news.. the loft is done.. hurrah! we can now safely fit all our rubbish up there, and we're insulated, so come winter we should all be toasty warm:)

I'm also the bog beast from hell today.. it's hormones i'm afraid, and i know it is, but i just can't stop being narky! everything is annoying me today.. work was absolute pants, i was so bored i can't tell you.. so i'm afraid i just wallowed in my awfulness and felt bored, pathetic and unfulfilled..

hopefully tomorrow will be a better day;-)

Sunday, August 06, 2006

ewwww

well i'm sat here amidst a whole heap of dust, dirt, power tools and bits of wood.. Dh and FIL are up insulating and boarding the loft.. it's going to be so nice when it's all insulated - lower bills, toasty warm in winter - but also nice to be able to putthings up in the loft without worrying it's going to fall through the ceiling, or get covered in dust and dirt.
I'm telling you, there must have been 50 years worth of industrial town soot and dirt up there. I've got one hell of a cleaning job to do when they finish!

but it's also been good cause we've had to go through all our old stuff and chuck things out.. why on earth i kept half the stuff i did, i've got no idea!
I'm also having to go through all my craft stuff and sell a lot of it. What with all the things that went wrong on the car recently, the holiday and now doing up theloft, things are a bit tight financially.
Well they say it's good to declutter..

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

friends old and new

well, over the weekend i found a bunch of emails and letters from a LOOOONG time ago, and realised that i had lost touch with a few friends. So, i thought about trying to get in contact with them all again, and guess what? one of the email addresses worked after 6 years! so i've got in contact with a friend again which is really nice. going to get a few more emails written now.
It was really odd reading the old emails again, things i'd totally forgotten about came flooding back. and interesting to see what was soooo important all that time ago!

oh and i've started putting links to friends blogs and a few of my fave websites. hope you all don't mind if i've linked to you?

right, off to have a think about this week's pad challenge.

Monday, July 31, 2006

woohoo.

yeah look at that.. i did it.. my own banner.. ok, so it's not exactly stunning, but i made it! (with a little help from my friends of course!)

teaching an old dog new tricks

ok, well so i'm trying to create a banner for this blog.. hmm, which means i've got to learn how to use paint shop pro - so cue me going through tutorials and then playing in PSP.. . my next task is to try and get the code in the right place so that i end up with it as a banner, and not ruining the whole thing!!

Sunday, July 30, 2006

self portrait


well here it is, the LO i did yesterday - it's a MM class kit from this years Bonanza, but i haven't done it exactly as suggested.

oh and the photo was taken after inspiration from Anam's photos and the instructions on elsie flannagan's blog. so thanks to them, i managed to take a weird photo and transform it in paint shop pro and then do a layout.. hurrah for adventurousness!

DIY SOS - not us!

well, what an unusual day.. picked some apples whilst taking the dogs for a walk.. haven't tried them yet, but hopefully they will be nice cookers and i can pick some blackberries to go with them!
then spent the rest of the day clearing out the loft in preparation for next weekend. oh the crap i kept up there. i've filled countless boxes of rubbish. plenty of stuff for ebay and freecycle and the charity shop will be filled with our stuff as well!

then we went to b&q where i bought some beetroot seeds (on suzanne's authority that they are really easy to grow!) and we bought the chipboard for covering the loft. so between dh and i we actually managed to board the roof of the loft space in an afternoon. now we have to take up the old insulation ( which is absolutely hideous, i cannot describe it!) and put down new stuff and board the floor. it'll be so nice when it's done, but boy did we get sweaty and dirty up there! ( and not in a good way!)

must go scan my layout i did yesterday so the whole world can see:)

Saturday, July 29, 2006

good day/bad day

good day = a day full of scrapping with likeminded, funny women.

bad day = coming home, eating the most massive portion of chips ( where is my will power?) and then having an argument with DH about closing the fridge door of all things!

but concentrating on the good - did a page and finished off a mini album that i'm going to give as a present to DH's brother who's disappearing off to australia shortly. thought he could use it as a travel planner type thing. he probably won't 'get it' and it'll end up being lost somewhere, but hey.. the thought was there.

made a lovely chocolate cake - bargain cake mix from lidl or Aldi, can't remember which. but very yum:)

have been sorting out the loft ready for next week when FIL comes up to help board and insulate it. so lots of mess (again) but it needs doing, will help energy conservationand it's a good excuse to go through all the crap up there and get rid of a load of it.

so i now have a big pile of things for ebay, freecycle, the charity shop, recycling, and not much for simple binning. the dogs may even benefit as i may give them the old sleeping bags and get rid of some of their blankets. the sleeping bags are a whole lot easier to clean. but we;'ll see.

ok, off to try some of the framboise liquer i brought back from france and haven't opened yet.

night!

Thursday, July 27, 2006

cooler

well, it seems a bit cooler today, thank god! it's just been so crazy hot that i haven't had the brain capacity to post on here. it takes everything i've got simply to get through the work day!

talking of which, i do actually have work to do this week - amazing i know, don't know how long it will last as all the academics are on leave at the moment, and until resit period kicks in there wont be anything from that side of things. ah well.. i know some people would enjoy not having anything to do, but for me, it's more stressful. i hate having to eek things out to fill the day. I'd rather just go home and get on with stuff there.

last night i actually started a mini book as a birthday present for a friend. don't know how it's going to turn out, but it's fun playing with new stash.

keeping my fingers crossed for a bit of rain later.. not only to help me, but help the garden too:)

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

back again

well, why is it that holidays always go really quickly?

we're back to the heat, although it was incredibly hot in France too.. just a shame we missed out on the rain over here.. i love a good thunderstorm.

the veggies i've got growing in the back garden seem to have survived. lost a few lettuces, but the courgettes, swedes, and leeks have all gone bonkers. We dug up my first ever lot of potatoes at the weekend.. lovely!! all they needed was a quick rinse with water, and ready to be cooked.
got a few more pots of those to come so that should keep us going!

been playing with the stash that arrived before we went away. i really did buy a lot..! but some of it is for presents.. honest!

been playing with some more photos again, and have printed some out to scrap. This week's pad's challenge - i've finally come up with something.. took a while to think about, but i know what i'm aiming for now, just got to choose papers and then get playing.

Last day of holidays today.. back to work tomorrow:( and it looks like the weather is going to continue to be hot - that's ok if you're at home, not having to do anything, but at work - urgh!

Monday, July 17, 2006

crazy day

well its the day before we go on hols.. and so of course all hell breaks loose:)

the car, which DH has said has been making funny noises, is taken to the garage, and it needs a new catalytic converter.. unfortunately i don;t really know what one of these does, and if it's vital to the running of the car.. turns out it is, and the garage will have to order one in specially. it'll arrive at 4pm! ok, so the fact that we have to get up v early ( say 4am) we're pushing this!

i try not to panic, but look up train times, car hire things etc.. whilst also trying to get things finished off at work.. i've had nothing to do for days, and then all of a sudden loads of crap lands on my desk.. hurrah! - NOT

so eventually, after, i peel myself away from the sauna of an office, i start to walk home. phone DH, who says he's about to go check on the car.. a few minutes later, he's driving right next to me!
But, wait, not good news, but LUCKY news... the company sent the wrong make of part (duh!) but the nice mechanic stripped it all downand did some fancy welding, so we can still go on hols!

fingers crossed the welding lasts till we get to the airport!!

Stash News: big box of goodies just arrived from the states... mmm, looks like i've turned into a Heidi swapp junkie.. bit late on the uptake, but loving the bargains i got:)
so, might dig out some stuff to take with me to show Mum on hols, but otherwise they'll hav eto wait till i get back. then i've got some major scrapping to get done.
Another 2 challenge layouts from the pad - one based on St Elmos Fire or the Breakfast Club, and another on Wham! - how very retro!
no idea what i'll do for them yet, but hoping to plan them whilst away.

Just given the plants in the garden a good soaking, and moved some of my lettuces inside. I bet most of them will just be baked alive, but I've got some just germinating, so if not, it wont be long until i get some more. courgettes are looking MASSIVE.. not to mention the swedes (first time growing them) must remember to get some winter cabbage in, otherwise i'll have nothing growing in winter.
Fingers crossed i come back to a bumper crop of veg, and not a load of crispy leaves etc:)

Sunday, July 16, 2006


ok, here's one of the pics i took earlier, now i've been playing around with it.. still don't look like a supermodel but hey....

it's a bit arty:)

no idea what the speckles are, but that's life...

learnt something new

well, thanks to a link from a friend's blog, i've now learnt how to play with layers etc in Paintshop pro! i know, it doesn't sound very exciting, but it means i can enhance my photos - and when you're not great at taking photos in the first place, this is great stuff!

So, i feel quite chuffed with myself. - ok, so i should be packing for my hols, tidying up, and doing one of my pre-crop challenges (deadline is midnight!) but i've just had so much fun playing with photos:)

ok, so off to do a quick layout, and then perhaps print out some new photos....

Saturday, July 15, 2006

ok, here we go

Well, i think i've finally lost it, for some reason i've started this blog.. why? I've honestly no idea.. they made it far too simple, 3 buttons to click on and here's the end result!

Don't be expecting too much, but hopefully, this will be a nice way to keep a record of the very boring events and thoughts that make up my life!! Who knows i might even learn something!!