She did it

Well, she chose a good day to do it. Our 7th Wedding Anniversary

My little bundle of gorgeousness took her first unaided steps today:) ok so we had to make her stand up and almost forcibly remove our hands from hers, but she balanced and she walked a few teetering steps.

Then of course like proper parents we stood her back up and made her do it again and again. and then again so we could catch it on video.

Who knew I could be so proud of such a basic skill?

The tantrums she's also beginning to have I could do without, but just right now, she is such a pleasure to spend time with.

I was getting quite stressed about it because she's just not that interested in walking, (she was never that interested in crawling and was months behind her contemporary's on that too) and all the other babies are. But now at least I know she can do it. She looked so proud of herself when she did it, and thankfully it looks like i've not messed this stage of her development up either. phew..

So, what do I begin to stress over next? talking, potty training, tantrums or eating with cutlery?

Happy 4th

Well, hope the 4th of July was a happy holiday for those who celebrate. I participated (totally coincidentally) by making a blueberry cobbler from the Pioneer Woman's cook book. Lets just say it was very enjoyable and the enormous amount of cream on top may have been a step too far.


haven't done much crafting since the cyber crop. but i've got a few bits planned, and i did treat myself to some more MME papers which i really love.
I'm back crocheting a baby blanket, and have played with crocheting some bracelets after a link someone posted on facebook. dead simple and look sweet. will experiment with some beads too.

Alanna is now walking with her walker that Aunty Wendy bought her for xmas. She still can't sit down, but is obsessed by getting up and over things. Nursery tell me she'd climbed up onto a chair today and was just about to stand up on the chair when she was spotted. I bet she wasn't happy being brought down:) So i bet we'll have a properly walking baby soon. Well, i won't be able to call her a baby anymore. she'll be a proper toddler.. eeek!

got lots of weekends planned visiting friends and family. This week i'm off to a conference, and so dh is looking after Alanna for a couple of days.  (is it wrong for me to hope he's as exhausted as i am after a few days looking after her on my own?!) I'm really looking forward to getting away and also doing something work related. Not to mention visiting Oxford - never been before, i hope I don't get lost around the campuses!

better late than never

Well I finally finished the ATDML challenge no 5 last night. It was to do a LO that included lots of journalling. I therefore thought about using some paper that did most of the work for me.

I had a fab time last weekend dedicating time to getting crafty again. It's so nice to feel like i've finally scrapped some pictures, saved some stories, and used up some stash!

going to try and do some more LO's soon, just during the busy weeks it seems easier to get cards done.. they dont take up so much space on the desk!

In other news: Alanna has finally learnt how to pull herself up to standing! hurrah!! except now of course she's obsessed by climing over things and finding stairs! she spent yesterday afternoon climbing in and out of the dog bed!

ATDML challenge 3

This challenge was entitled 'share the love' - share a project that used stash bought from ATDML.

I only realised afterwards that I was allowed to put a previously completed project up, but I've just completed this layout. I had the stuff out, and a grid already measured, and I was inspired by Karen's layout for challenge number 5.

ATDML challenge 4

This was the midnight challenge - to use the sketch to do a LO or a card. But i've got it done first thing this morning whilst trying to convince Alanna to have a nap - not usually difficult, but this morning she's not settling easily.

Anyway, here's my page.

ATDML class 7

last upload from me today. It's been a lovely day getting things done. Hopefully this will spur me on to other things. Fingers crossed.

This class was to make some cards based on a Crate Paper design. The originals are beautiful, but as I didn't have the same papers, I raided my stash and happened upon a bag of leftovers from the last ATDML retreat i went on.. Christmas papers:)
So yes, i've started already.. I made 2 christmas cards:)

ATDML Class 3

Class 3 this morning was a beautiful layout from Ann, and whilst i didn't have the same papers, i knew which photo i wanted to use.

ATDML challenge 2

Challenge 2 was to include fabric/material in an item. I've been meaning to do some kind of bunting for Alanna's room. Finally managed it, using fabric flowers and some odd bits and pieces.

ATDML Challenge 1

Well the first challenge over at the ATDML cyber crop last night was to make a LO or card with a tag. As I was falling asleep on the keyboard, I thought I'd wait for this morning to attempt it, and i've managed to do it in less than an hour. and that included a bit of accidental tidying half way through looking for some stash!

ATDML class 1

Well, it's only taken me 2 and a bit hours, but i've finally finished my first LO. I'm not exactly blown away by my end result, but it's done, i've used up some old papers and i've warmed up for the rest of the weekend:)

Now, the light is awful, so it's not  a good picture. but you'll get the idea!

*cough, cough*

hello blog world.. well there was another lapse in my blogging. i have the best of intentions, and whoops, there goes another few months!

but here I am back again, rejuvenating the old blog, with a little update from us:

Alanna turned 1 a couple of weeks ago.. seriously.

how fast did that year go?  

We had a little party for her with all the mummy friends i've made. it's been difficult to catch up with everyone lately because most of us have gone back to work, all doing various hours, and so the nice little routine we got ourselves into has disappeared, and we're having to make more of an effort to meet up and catch up.

Anyway., it was an exhausting, but fun day. Alanna was thoroughly spoilt and i even managed to make a cake:) 

My mum and sister were able to make the long journey up to see us, and they did a fabulous job of making the party-goers welcome and making sure they all had something to eat and drink, and thank goodness Wendy was on hand to take some pictures, as I didn't go near a camera most of the day!

The other reason I've dusted off the old blog, is that this weekend there is a cyber crop being hosted by A Trip Down Memory Lane, and i'm aiming to get some more baby pics scrapped and into Alanna's album. I've not had the mojo or the time to sit and just scrap, so i'm hoping that this will be the push I need to get something done.

So, fingers crossed I will be uploading some projects over the weekend.

a rambling about books

Since having Alanna, in fact since moving to Stafford i've re-aquainted myself with the library. I've enjoyed ordering books and devouring them regularly:) 

Whilst my consumption of books has slowed in the last 9 months, my love of reading and books hasn't disappeared, and in fact i've probably got my 'fix' through borrowing books for Alanna. The library was a major feature of our new-mum social life. Bounce and Rhyme on a wednesday morning was just a part of it. I love finding new books for us to share, and for Daddy to enjoy reading to her.

 Whilst looking at all the new books it's been great fun to see all the books that i remember reading when i was little, are still popular too. It's brought back some fabulous memories. I'm lucky that in our family books were always about. They were fun, they were treasured.

 My sister and I shared them, we probably fought over them sometimes. I have vivid memories of books i read, library trips we made etc. Of course this was all before the internet was even possible.  Wendy ran her own little library, complete with tickets and cards, and when we moved house and couldn't take all the books we had with us, i remember being quite upset that they would be given to two boys who probably wouldn't look after them in the same way. 

The complete geek that I am, i can even remember where i was when i realised i could read to myself. without speaking out loud. LOL oh dear.. 

At christmas i asked my sister if she could remember a book we'd had.. i couldn't remember the title or the author, just that it was about a little girl and her teddy ans the publisher something to do with Golden. Being that much older she remembered more about it, and within seconds of googling on her iphone, there it was.. 'My Teddy Bear' by Little Golden Books. I read that book countless times and spent hours looking at the pictures (my favourite is the one with the little girl in the bath, for some reason the shape of the soap particularly pleased me!).

I hadn't realised until now, why I was so upset that the Booktrust funding had been cancelled. After all, i know that Alanna will always have books available to her.  But if i have such warm, happy memories of a very simple book from 30 years before, (not to mention all the books and associated hours spent reading and re-reading later on) then i'm sure that there must be other little boys and girls who would feel the same when they get their books from this scheme, and the thought of someone missing out on that is really rather sad. 

The {Joy of Love} Day 6

(ok, i know i'm likely to be going in the incorrect order, or missing a few days, but that's life!)

Who They Love

well currently, Alanna is loving the Zebra in particular from the FisherPrice set that Nanna & Pops bought her for Christmas. why the Zebra? Probably because it's black and white. She does seem to have a thing for Zebras:) she had a zebra on a baby gym that used to make her laugh constantly. ah the old days when i could plonk her under a baby gym:)

Flowers

I was lucky enough to be a winner in an instant win on the Fru website a week or so ago, and on Monday I received a fabulous bunch of roses from PurelyRoses.co.uk. This meant I still got some lovely flowers on Valentine's day, but that dh didn't have to splash any cash. 

Even better, was that the prize was for a bouquet for me, and a bouquet for a friend. So another one winged it's way to a friend of the family who is currently battling a rather nasty illness.
So, here's a couple of pics of the said flowers, and me playing with the macro setting!

Joy of Love: 3

bit late, but better late than never:)

here is a pic of Alanna when she was born, and from a couple of days ago. Even managed to get quite a close up:)

bwahahahah

well so much for a daily blog post in december.. i lasted all of 5 days!

ho hum!

but i'm back and trying again to meet a challenge "Show and Tell: The {joy of love}" basically a photo a day challenge, and hopefully i'll learn something about taking better pictures.
for today's challenge it was about taking a picture of what your subject 'does'. well Alanna plays, and grins a lot at the moment, so here she is: