ok, so the flu has gone

almost!

the sore throat lasted 2 weeks and was getting to be hugely annoying. but looks like it may have finally gone, and i'm just left being a bit bunged up.. joy:)

next week will be a change as i'm increasing my hours at work. so i'll be back in on a friday - more money =good, less time for me = bad. but them's the breaks.

finally printed out some recent photos. printer looks like it needs cleaning though, as it's not brilliant quality. but at least i did something, and i can't remember the last time i edited any photos let alone printed them.
still not back into large scrapbook layouts - but the mojo is getting back to full levels. still working on some mini books for the moment,and i've got another couple of projects in the pipeline for peeps who are currently expecting babies.

off to kill some more time before our visitors arrive.

flu'd up

just a quickie post as i'm still not feeling good.. had flu thing all week, and i'm totally fed up.

meanwhile, here's a piccie of the two hair monsters from just now.

ok, so snow interuppted play..

hideous snow whilst we were away at Centreparcs in longleat. very picturesque, but it did mean we didn't get out and about as much as we would have liked, or made the most of the parc - but it was a nice week off, and it was back with a bump last week at work!
(same old, same old, blah blah blah)

we did also visit family whilst we were down that way, and we got to meet the new addition to the family - My nephew Ewan. very sweet - why do they always look like they know so much when they're only a few days old?

managed to get out and visit the local sights for one day - Stonehenge (it was closed - no i jest not!) then from one end of the cultural spectrum to the other - Little Chef!
it was a bit out of our way, but we zoomed up there for lunch - it's the one that Heston Bloomin'eck has done over.
have to say, the food was fantastic, staff brilliant, and the place was very well done ( yes the toilets sing to you and it smelt of marzipan!!) and instead of the lollipop at the end you get a bag of jelly belly beans:)

have been trying to do a few more crafty things - made a start on a 2009 mini album - thought i'd do it month by month if possible, rather than leaving it till the end like normal.
i haven't done any layouts in so long, it's scary trying to go back to them, but i do at least feel i've got some photos and stories i want to portray now. whereas before, i'd become a bit bored with what i had.
So, i'm going to try putting the story together first, and then work it from there. normally i go from the photo first.
but we'll see, i'm the great procrastinator!

tired, tired, tired

urgh, only wednesday and i'm knackered already!

back still playing me up, but there's hope in the form of a special cushion;-) and a new chair at work - hurrah!

still loosing weight gradually, Richard is still beating me on that one

dogs are going through a naughty phase of stealing things from the kitchen worktops - one day it'll be chilli powder and they'll regret it!

had a mammoth session at the allotment on sunday - felt alright at the time, but 2 hours of hard labour ( read shovelling tons of soil and moving full wheelbarrows!) and I have yet to recover

got to see some piccies of the newest addition to the family - little baby Ewan, as expected, very cute, and hopefully i'll get some more pics at the weekend when we go to see them.

we're off on sunday for a week's holidays - we're stopping in with the in-laws and having a family tea on the sunday, and then off up to Centreparcs in longleat for a week - really looking forward to it, and especially the spa;-) hopefully my folks will be able to pop up for a day to visit as well.

been trying to get a few crafty things done, but don't really know what i'm aiming for, so end up just pushing bits of paper around - maybe i can take some small project with me on hols.. that reminds me, i must buy some new yarn to make something for a colleague who is pregnant - she wanted a crocheted bunny or something like it.. not tried that before, so might see what happens!!

Happy B Day Ewan James

I'm officially an Auntie:)
Ewan James born 9pm tonight weighing 8lbs. All doing fine, and hopefully we'll get some more news etc in the morning.
Welcome to the world little one, (and remember if you ever want to do painty/messy/inky crafty stuff, you know the auntie to come to!)

Aunty Kathryn???

Well the news on the family grapevine is that my SIL is in the beginning stages of labour - not bad since due date was yesterday!

I haven't heard anything since this morning, but i've got my fingers crossed for a straightforward, and as pain free as possible time for them all.

(thought i'd put a pic on here of SIL at her wedding with her late nan and grandad)

Very exciting!!!#

ooh update - they've gone to the hospital, so hopefully not too long now:)

So, more ramblings

can't believe another week has whizzed by -
Another busy time at work - still covering everyone else's jobs but my own it seems. Highlight of the week was a hysterically funny 'Health and Wellbeing' presentation. which was not meant to be funny in the slightest - oh well, i'll have to remember how funny it is when we've all been cautioned because our 'Sickness Absence Value' is too high ( seriously, who come up with this rubbish??)

I've actually managed to get a huge amount of work done on my family history stuff - a whole evening of sorting certificates, updating family trees online, and searching the new 1911 census that's just been released.

Also managed to get to the Dr to try and sort something out about my back - v painful coccyx - had it for years, but somethings aggrevated it again, and it makes sitting down incredibly painful.
not good when you work all day in an office!
she was very nice, and has referred me for physio - don't think it'll so a blind bit of difference, but what can you do - just have to do this, and then go back if no better..

also managed to make a few birthday cards - digging out some of my older craft stuff and finally make use of it ( rather than just looking at it!!)

We went up to the community allotment for the first time in ages today. It's a shame, we used to go most weekends, and then we moved, so it was more difficult to get there, espesh when DH is out playing golf during the summer. But we've agreed to help next week as well, and hopefully the exercise, fresh air etc will be good for us.

better check what DH is doing with the roast beef - :)

whizzzzz

that's how fast my weekend has flown by:)
amazing really since we weren't really doing anything!

Yesterday we went to see 'Defiance' at the cinema. good film, if a bit long. still loving Daniel Craig;-)
nearly had a go at 3 young kids who were there on their own to watch it. i'm suprised they were old enough to get in to watch it to be honest, but they were a pain in the neck talking, using their phones, chucking stuff everywhere. obviously bored, so why on earth go watch a film like that?

anyhoo!

today we bimbled up to Bridgemere garden centre - they still had a sale on and we picked up a couple of totally random things that we needed, (and some funky ceramic rabbits that we didn't!) and then i was allowed to go around Hobbycraft - haven't been there in a year or so, and it is still expensive for a lot of things, but i managed to pick up some needles to finish off the crochet baby blanket i've finally gotten around to doing! ( nothing like the threat of a baby arriving early to make me get to work!!) and a mini treat, of some American Crafts rub ons that were on sale.

then, as we are totally cheap at the moment, we'd brought a flask of soup and some rolls, so drove out into the middle of the countryside and had a car - picnic!

tonight it'll be the inevitable sunday evening tidy up and ironing -fest:(

Head in the Shed

yep, it's official, i'm a loony tune!

having a very lathargic evening, just about managed to cook us some tea, and have since flopped in front of the tv, and to be honest, i'm too bored to even watch it. *sigh* i'm thinking of taking my nintendo DS and going to snuggle under the duvet - and i think the hot water bottle may need to be used - sad life:)

i was trying to find a cute photo of one of the dogs - but blogger won't let me upload due to internal errors - poor blogger, that sounds painful!

interesting start to the year

well,
it's flippin' freezing here, it's been snowing a bit on and off this afternoon, and i'm not looking forward to tomorrow morning - first day back to work! urgh:(

nightmare situations with the trains near us due to a plane that crashed next to the train tracks taking out all the electric cables etc. i'm so hoping it's fixed by tomorrow am - i really don't want to be standing around on a freezing cold platform!

went out this morning to shrewsbury for a little pootle about - went the scenic route, and everything was white - felt very odd, like no light was getting through - everything still really frosty - a day suited to sitting in front of a log fire - shame we haven't got one LOL

now it's back to putting washing on, ironing and getting stuff ready for tomorrow - it;s going to be a shock to the system having to get up and out in time to catch the train!

must remember to start looking for jobs again, update my cv just in case, and stick to the diet:)
( i'm starting baby steps - drinking 8 glasses of water, packing my own lunch, etc etc)

right, washing has just finished - off to make the house look like a chinese laundry again!!

2nd Jan= 2nd post

i know. how good huh:)

so exciting things that have happened here - went into town, and spent my Boots voucher and points - all those lovely things at half price, so i've picked up a couple of presents for the present drawer and a treat for me:)

had a lovely Ameretto Latte at one of the coffee shops.. (today's treat)

we got new tyres fitted and the tracking done on the car - fabulously exciting - NOT! (but it makes DH's life easier when driving to work)

ate more leftovers - am I the only one who loves just getting all the meats and cheeses and crackers and stuff out and then making a lunch out of it? not having to worry what to have is great:)

took the xmas deccies down, and moved Bruce the Spruce outside to get used to being a proper tree again ( he's pot grown, so will live on in the garden)

So it's all back to normal now, just a shame there's nothing to hide the dust anymore!

ok, new year, new intentions!

i always seem to forget about this blog, (probably because i know no-one reads it!)
but i figured i would try to be more consistent in using it as a way of recording things and just getting used to communicating stuff.

The prospect of being in 2009 and turning 32 this year is scaring the pants off me.. I'm feeling so far behind everyone else, but i know i've taken a different path through things, dawdled along the way, so it's to be expected LOL

SO, a few things moved forwards last year, and a few more things i know will be changing this year, so i'm aiming to go with the flow, do what i want to do as much as possible and hopefully feel like i'm catching up to where i want to be:)

SO, in this vain, i'm starting to read 'Simple Abundance' again from the top, and i'm going to get involved in the Word for the Year that Ali Edwards does ( see here).
The word that immediately popped into my head was HONESTY - ack i know.. it sounds so flippin mushy and weird. BUT i guess it's what the word means to each person, and to me it means trying to be Honest with myself - not running away from things, Honest with how I feel, Honest with what i do with my life, and Honest in my relationships with other people.

i know saccharine sweet, but i think it needs to be done;-) and i promise it won't mean i'm going to be running around telling everyone exactly what i think of them!

here's looking forward to 2009 - (although January always scares the pants off me - must be that whole going back to school/work thing!!)

viewings

i hate getting the house ready for other people to come and view it. Thank goodness we're part/exing and not having to wait for this to sell before buying another house. That would be far too stressful.

So, this morning i have been cleaning like a demon, throwing cups of hot tea around (accidentally of course!) and trying to be good and eat fruit salad ( i really dont enjoy melon! so why do they put so much of it in the pack??)

I am now rediscovering my love of Twiglets, and trying not to rant too much on online forums:)

also in other boring domestic news - the boiler is having a funny five minutes. hot water is fine, but it wont do the central heating without having more water pumped into the system.. but at least DH showed me how to do that. otherwise i'd be a cold little bunny!

a fab friend sent me some Adirondack metallic dabbers this week - which was a lovely surprise and they are gorgeous. I just wish all my craft stuff wasn't packed away in boxes.. then i could play properly.

ah well. back off to check facebook - i'm currently addicted to Pack Rat , yes yes, i know sad isn't it!

i love the hairdresser!

My hairdresser is super lovely. She remembers everything i've ever said to her, and never complains if i change my mind about how i now want my hair, or as is usually the case, if i have no idea and just let her do what she wants!
it always looks a lot better than when i went in, and i end up being very relaxed too. i could quite happily fall asleep whilst she;s cutting and drying etc.

so that was my afternoon! ooh that and a Starbuck's Chai latte ;-)

urgh

lovely, i've now got a raging cold - who knew the human body could store so much rubbish up your nose! LOL

but i have at least been busy making cards - we had our Stoke crop at the weekend and I seemed to be on a roll - here's some of the ones i made last week.

ok, ok, i know!

i'm a very bad blogger!

So, i'm going to forget about 2007, as I was generally poorly, and nothing exciting happened after we got back from Chicago!

So, the good news is i'm back scrapping and making cards. I'm on a shopping diet though, so i'm not allowed to buy any more yummy goodies. So, i'm making use of all the stuff i've already bought and not used yet.

I've been looking at so many blogs for inspiration recently too. I'll have to place a link for them. I love Andrea Gourley's cards and Di Hickman's card sketch each week is great too.. think i made about 4 or 5 cards at the last sketch:)

In other news, we're going to be moving soon. We've put a deposit on a new house in Stafford, and because we're doing a part exchange it will be really quick.. so cue lots of panicking and packing! But it's going to be a nice start and hopefully lots more room with space for people to come over and stay.. hurrah!

Go Go Go Joseph.....

hooray! after 2 hours of trying we've finally booked tickets to go see the new production of 'Joseph' in the west end.
I dont even want to think about how much it's going to cost us, top price seats, london hotel for the night, dogs in kennels (arrghh 4 nights they are going to have to be because of the drop off and collection limited times!) .
my only bargain was the coach travel down there... £24 return for both of us.. hurrah!
BUT seeing as the tv show ' Any Dream Will Do' was one of the few things to make me laugh and smile over the last couple of weeks I'm really looking forward to it!

Off to look at local theatre and see what's on now:)

I don't like 30!!

Well, i have been absent from blogger for bloody ages.. i can never think of anything to write about when i'm here, but away from the computer i can think of loads!!
But, seeing as i'm deathly bored at work ( and it's meant to be busy) i thought i would try to get back into writing something.. anything!

So, in March we went to Florida, lovely time. It was my birthday and we went to Discovery Cove and swam with Dolphins.. it was lovely.. i ate too much, shopped too much, but saw some sun and it was lovely to get away.

Work is still poo with a capital 'P':) and thats enough about that!!

Went to Chicago in May for Richard's birthday. Great place! we didn't do too many touristy things, just lots of walking, drinking coffee, and taking in all the lovely architecture and local neighbourhoods. Would definately go back.

the only thing that's been a downer has been my health. ever since turning 30 i've had countless colds, throat infections, and a bad tooth.. it's been never ending, and just when i thought i'd got things sorted with my tooth, i've now got another throat infection. *sigh*
SO, i either need shooting, or putting out to pasture like a donkey:)it's getting beyond a joke, and i've had so much time off work, i think they are beginning to think i'm having a laugh.

ho hum..

So, i've now managed to waste a few hours this morning.. lets see how many i can waste this afternoon!!

Long time no blog

urgh, well what a month.

first a new National Pay framework and regs at work.. not fun.. i've been downgraded and there's nothing i can do about it.. that's caused a lot of stress and tension between everyone. Hurrah!
Equal pay for equal work i don think...More like " all animals are equal, just some are more equal than others"

but on the good side work for the researcher post has been finalised.. (although payment hasn't) so i'm getting going with that. feels good.

I've started an evening class - beginners patchwork and quilting.. and managed to find a sewing machine from freecycle.. it works fine and i'm kinda enjoying it all.. though i'm not very accurate!
who knows i might get a quilt out of it!

as of today i've lost 7lbs.. hurrah! but i have got some flu type bug so that's a bit pants.. the whole weekend etc has been wasted..

i haven't done any scrapping for ages. but i might get to a crop this weekend, and then Away with the Fairies retreat is the week after that.
Really looking forward to a weekend of scrapping and shopping and meeting up with people.. not to mention the fabby classes!

finally have found somewhere new for the crop i organise. I got so fed up with hiring a room where i work. They were next to useless at communicating and made it all out to be me being picky!
so, here's to the new scout hall, and fingers crossed we can all make it and perhaps even recruit a few more members.

what else? ah yes an old friend got back in touch, which was a shock, but really pleased to hear he's finally happy, and married.

phew, ok, i've got a temperature again, so gonna go find somewhere to cool down.. i hate being ill!!

ok, how cool..

is this avatar that i made over at blessthischick.com