Happy New Year everyone

I decided that i had better do one last post for 2006. Can you believe we are heading off into 2007? I remember when everyone was panicking about the new year 2000! Boy have we come a long way since then......lol

I managed to do my first paper layout in a while today. I have done any scrapping since i finished my grans album so today when i sat down to get busy i really really enjoyed it. This layout is one that i have been thinking about doing for a week or two now. It is a very personal one for me and i am so pleased with how it has come out.

Now let me just tell you about this layout.....boy did it not want to be completed....lol. First of all the pink paper that i wanted to use i had accidentally cut short of a 12inch page, then the transparency at the bottom managed to get bent in half - leaving a lovely fold line right down the middle of it. Then my safety pin made a huge tear in my paper while i was trying to close it, my cats then jumped up onto the table with their WET, DIRTY little feet and very nicely walked all over my photo and paper. I managed to erase the dirt off the paper but could do nothing with the photo. So i decided to add the little L - lovely, it covered the dirt and added a little dimension.Well, what should happen next but Stuart comes along and puts the ruler on the page to measure the distance from the photo to the end of the page and scratches a hole in my photo - i have to reprint another one! Arghh, the story goes on and on but you get the picture. So finally when i had it all finished i literally photographed it and stuck it straight in its album......fingers crossed it will be safe in there!

Here are the words to my Journaling: Change is something that is very real to me at the moment. It is something that I need to grab a hold of and do for no one else other than me. On this last day of 2006, I have realized that if I don’t want to be in the same place or even some place worse than where I am today, then I need to start making some choices and in turn start making some changes. Changes about my weight and how I relate to both food and towards myself. Changes about the amount of worth I place on myself as a child of God, as a woman and as a partner. Changes as to what I can expect from my life and dreams and changes as to what I need to do and create in order for me to find my true happiness again. I need to find passion. Passion about who I am, passion about my life and just as importantly, passion about my future. No longer do I want each and every day to simply go by with nothing exciting and meaningful taking place. I don’t want to miss out on what exciting things God has planned for me and my life. I don’t want to waste another minute of everything that lies ahead of me. I know that this process that I feel I need to take is not going to be an easy one. I know that it is going to require a lot from me. I need to learn to be honest both to myself and to those around me. I need to stop lying to myself about those situations that I am in and about what control I realistically have over them. I am going to need to learn to stand up for myself and to see myself as being important. I need to start to put into practice those things which I know, but that for one reason or another, I find too difficult to actually do. I feel as if I have managed to somehow lose who I really am but I know that somewhere deep down inside of me, I am still there, still waiting to see what life has to offer, still excited about what I can do! I found this verse through a friend’s blog and this verse is what I plan to live by and to remember….
“My purpose shall stand, and I will fulfill my intention.”—Isaiah 46:10

Well, i am off.....I hope that everyone has a lovely New Years and i wish all the best for everyone in 2007. See you all next year!

Catch up

Hi everyone, how are you all doing? Did you all have a good Christmas?

We had a lovely Christmas....having a lay in in the morning, then off to my parents for a fantastic Christmas lunch and off to Stu's family for a night of cards. Boxing day we went shopping and on Wednesday Stu was back at work.

I on the other hand may not have been at work but boy have i worked! I have sorted and cleaned out the house over the past 48 hours. From top to bottom - literally. All that i have left to do is one bookshelf in the lounge and then the laundry. Wow, what a fantastic feeling to have it all done and sorted. The house looks completely different and i am starting to feel more at ease and relaxed. I don't do well living in mess and clutter.

Today i am off for some mother daughter time at Borders and then i am off to do some grocery shopping. When i get back this afternoon I am planning to finally sit down and get some scrapping done. I haven't done any since i finished my grans album and i cant wait to get back into things.

I have two more things to show you for today. The first being my new handbag that Stu bought for me. Actually.... i saw it, picked it and he just paid for it. Anyway, i love it. Take a look.

And the second things is, if you are looking for a good book to read, why not look at reading a book called Redemption by Karen Kingsbury. I started reading it a week ago and i am almost finished it. Its one of those cant put it down, need to know what happens book. It is the first in 5 books but i think each book has its own ending so you wont be left dangling in the middle of know where.

Well, i am off to begin my day. I hope that all of you have a lovely day and a fantastic New Year. Keep yourselves safe and have a wonderful time.

PS. I just want to also thank everyone who left me comments on my album. Its fantastic to hear what you think.

A week before Christmas

Boy did this weekend just fly by! So how are you all doing?

My weekend has been a very busy one. Friday night my mom and dad walked in the door just after i had. They stayed for a cup of tea and a little chat and then went home. We ordered Indian food and pretty much went to bed early.

Saturday morning i was up by 7:30! What was i thinking...lol. Actually,my back has been giving me problems again so i am battling to spend more than about 6 hours in bed. I got up, put a load of laundry in, made a cup of tea and then sat down to finish my grans album. Six pages, five hours and a whole lot of mess later i had finally managed to complete it. I so love how it has turned out. My parents have some friends from SA visiting here on holiday for a few days so i have asked them if they wont take the album back for me and send it door to door services from back home.

Here is my album.......

Saturday afternoon i spent photographing it, and sorting out all the packaging. We then took it round to my mom and dad's so they could have a look at it first, before i complete wrapped it up. My mom was in tears which i guess is a good sign.

After that we went to Jessops to have a look at what extras we could buy for my camera. Stu had bought my a filter adaptor off of ebay for about a quarter of the price and when it arrived on Saturday morning i decided i had to have some filters to go with it. I ended up coming home with two filters. A soft diffuser and a radial zoom. I didn't get much time to play with them but these are some photos i took while trying them out....
The diffuser makes the image look very soft - its going to be great for portrait photos next year

And then the radical zoom is a lot of fun to play with. I'm not 100% sure what i am going to use it for yet but i have some ideas knocking around in my head.

Sunday i had a great lay in. I woke about 9am.....much better than Saturday, then i spent some time reading my new book and then we watched 1 episode of star trek series five that we haven't seen yet. Now I'm not a Trekkie or anything but i did enjoy it.....lol

Once again i have a busy week ahead. Hope everyone has a great day.

My Santa Surprise

Just a quick update on my Santa surprises......

On day fifteen Santa got me this

On day sixteen Santa got me this....

And on the seventeenth Santa got me....


Once again Thank you Santa. Well this weekend has just flown by. I managed to get my grans album complete so will show you photos of that tomorrow. I have also made a start on reorganising the house so am very proud of myself and also very tired. I'm off to jump in the bath and then am sitting down with a cup of tea to watch Greys Anatomy.... Good night everyone.

Yet more scrapping

Before i begin today's post I'm just going to apologise. I dont know whats going on with me but I'm feeling very emotional and very deep....lol Maybe its this time of the year, maybe its down to me spending so much time doing my grans album and looking through all the old photos and old memories. Maybe its just me being silly!

Anyways, here are another two pages that i did last night. This one i was going to title "Love through the ages" as its photos of my mom and dad from early on in their relationship up until now. I couldn't quite get the title to work correctly on the page so decided to just leave it off. So what do you think?

Then this page is is actually of my dad's brother. He lives on a farm that we used to visit often as children and has recently, probably within the last 8 years, turned his farm into a holiday resort type of place. It is set in the heart of the mountains and is such a beautiful place. I don't have any recent photos of him so found this old photo of John and then got some photos of his resort off of his Internet site. I like how it has turned out.




Just look at what my lovely secret Santa got me for today's present. An altered Journal. This is just so beautiful. For some reason the photo is not showing the proper richness of these colours. I love the ribbon, the fibers and the bookmark made with the little sea shell. What a lovely, personal thought. Thank you.

Right, I'm just going to leave it at this today. Hope everyone has a great Thursday. We have our Christmas party tonight with work so i will be shooting off to that tonight after work. Will let you know how it goes.

Its one LONG post ladies

What on earth is going on here.....lol. Lately i haven't had all that much to say but these past two days i just keep having thoughts and feelings which seem to be very important to me....lol. Maybe it's just all this festive madness that has finally driven me crazy!

Anyway, these are some of the thoughts that have been going through my head and heart lately.
While doing some blog surfing over the weekend I came across a fantastic blog but for the life of me i cant remember which one it was so i am very sorry for not being able to give proper credit. Anyway,one of the entries on this blog was about a pre Christmas 12 week challenge. I sat there reading through all this and realised what a great idea this is. I obviously cant do a pre Christmas challenge but a 12 weeks challenge is a great idea. 12 weeks. 3 months. This length of time is great for goal setting. Its practical, realistic and most importantly its doable....lol if that's a real word. So instead of setting the normal New Years resolutions I am going to set four 12 week goals to work on over the next year.

This is how i am going to do it.
1) Decide on a goal and describe the benefits of accomplishing your goal.
My first goal of the year is to get my house de cluttered and organized. Get rid of all the junk,
all the unused items and just having a massive clear out. I am hoping that by doing this i will
feel happier and more relaxed at home. I like things to be neat and i like things to have there
own little home.
2) Make sure your goal is measurable (three times a week, four hours a day, eight pages a month, fits on a bookshelf, etc.)
Lets see......we have 8 different "area's" in our house that would need cleaning and sorting so i
will spend four hours a week on each area of the house and then the once all the areas are
done i will spend the rest of the time sorting out the odd things.
3) Set a deadline.
23 Dec 06 - The bathroom organized and sorted ( we'll do an easy one first....lol)
30 Dec 06 - The main bedroom
06 Jan 07 - The stairs
13 Jan 07 - The hallway
20 Jan 07 - The lounge
27 Jan 07 - The computer room
03 Feb 07 - The kitchen
10 Feb 07 - My Scrapbook room
Rest to follow......
4) Post your goal here and then, check in from time to time and let me know how you're doing.

I'm hoping that this is going to be a simple and practical way to get some change into my life. To work on the things that i want to change and to reach some goals that i have.

Here is today's gift from my secret Santa. Glitter Glue. Thanks Santa - i needed some of these. My glitter glue pens that i bought yonks ago are all dry and really need throwing away......this falls into my week 8 of goal 1 job.....lol Such lovely colours!


Last night we went to go watch a musical at De Montford Hall. Starlight Express. It was such a good evening. Stuart won tickets for this show last week on Leicester Sound so we got to go for free........which added that little more fun to the evening. Below is a photo of one of the tickets...the radio station sent out two tickets but they were two seats completely apart from each other....lol. An Omen?? Anyway, we managed to swap seats so that was good. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take our cameras in so i googled some images from the show which some other people have very nicely put on the web, which you can see below.












The entire show was on roller skates and it was fab. Great music, great story line, great acrobatics, great dance moves. These people are fab and i have no idea how they manage to do all that they do and don't fall flat on their faces....lol i know i would if i had to give it a try!

Well, that's the end of today's post. Thank you for sticking it through to the end....lol

Im Dancer, Im Dancer

How cute is this? I just had to share.

So which reindeer are you? Link is at the bottom of this post.....

You Are Dancer

Carefree and fun, you always find reasons to do a happy dance. Why You're Naughty: That dark stint you had as Santa's private dancer. Why You're Nice: You're friendly. Very friendly.

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

I LOVE the naughty comment!! Happy Tuesday!

Santa has struck again.....

Things are hectic here today so this wont be a long post everyone.

Santa has managed to strike again with some fantastic gifts. Day eleven saw this beautiful collection of beads. Before i unwrapped it i was feeling it and prodding it and i just couldn't figure out what it was..... no wonder i was having trouble.....lol


And day twelve was some very much needed foam pads and double sided tape. These are both essentials for my scrapbooking needs so thank you very much Santa.
We are off tonight to go watch Starlight Express which i am hoping will be a good time.
Have a great day everyone

Thank You

Look what arrived at my house this morning! A Maya Road album, Heidi swap frame pack, Fuzzy Iron On transfers and a mask. This my friends is all from one fantastic lady, www.trinilove.typepad.com. Toya, thank you so much for all this stuff. It has truly made my day! Your kind heart has really touched me all the way over here on the other side of the world......Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Have a good Monday everyone and don't forget to come back to see how i use these lovely items!

Weekend Fun

What a very busy weekend we have had. I know, I know, its because of the season but boy has it been hectic on all fronts lately. Can you believe its only two weeks till Christmas? I still have some last minute pressie buying to do but i do know what I'm getting everyone so i guess that's half the work done. This week we have my dad coming for dinner on Wednesday night as my mom is having her Christmas due and the poor man cant fend for himself....lol. Then Thursday our company is having their Christmas due and Friday is work as normal! Another busy week ahead. Oh yeah, and in a passing comment my manager said he needs us to collect 4million pounds by Christmas! Sure.....no problem!! *cough, cough*

I thought i would update you all on my secret Santa gifts so far. Day Nine, which was Saturday i got this lovely travels word. I already know what i am going to use it for....lol

And day ten i got this gorgeous Christmas candle! It is currently sitting downstairs on my coffee table for all to see and admire. Its lovely.....Thank you again Santa!

Saturday morning, after i did some chores around the house of course, i sat down to do some more scrapping for my grans album. But, before i get started with that i just couldn't resist but to pull these lovely babies out. Yum, Yum. I haven't had these in years!

We went out to dinner on Saturday night with my mom and dad and while chatting my mom very calmly tells me that the friends who are going to take my album back home for my gran are now arriving six days earlier.....which means i now only have five days left to finish the album...Eeeek! Must get a move on. So here are another two pages i did Saturday morning...

and this

That's it really from my weekend. My back is getting better what feels like very slowly but i guess a little improvement is better than none. At least i am managing to sleep through the night now.

13 more days and counting.....

Ok, so i have been planning and thinking about my grans album for the last three or four months and after looking at the calender last night i realised that i only have 13 more days to complete it. Everything needs to be done. I have done a few pages so far but it only half fills the lunch tin album. I still have a lot more work to do to get it finished so last night i sat down and did two more pages. This one below is only a part picture of the page as i was too tired to get my camera to work properly....lo

and this is the second page that i managed to finish. This cutie in the photo below is me!! Yup, riding on my tricycle although its been cropped out of the photo. I loved that little thing! I know this page is rather plane but i am so pleased with how it has turned out.

Well, i am hoping to get more pages done this weekend but the weekend is looking a little busy so we will have to see.

Then a little update on my Christmas swap. On day seven i got some lovely Bright Flower rubons.....

and this morning i got this lovely lavender ink pad. Thanks Santa - what fantastic pressies!


I have so much more to say and do but I'm running out to time right now. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

On the mend

Well today i am feeling better than i have been for the past few days. Yesterday evening i got myself an appointment at the doctors who informed that i have spasmed back muscles that could take up to 6 weeks to totally heal! He sent me home with some anti-inflammatory tablets, some strict instructions for hot baths and back massages and of course some back exercises to try to stretch and strengthen my muscles.

Taken tablets - check

Had hot bath - check

Got back massage - check

Back exercises - hmmmmm......ok, so they really really hurt at the moment. I know, i know...i do have to do them but OMG do they hurt!

My secret Santa has been very good to

me and has gotten me some very nice

pressies these past two days. Day five Santa got me some Maybelline nail polish and on day six Santa got me a Create - A - Calendar. I have so many ideas running through my head for this calendar. Thanks Santa, i cant wait to see what i have tomorrow.

I am very pleased to say that at least eighty percent of my Christmas shopping is now done! We still have to get a few more pressies here and there but for the most part it is all bought and some of them.....ok two of them....are wrapped! Bought some Christmas cards yesterday - i know i know - *gasp* buying cards when I'm a scrapper! I'm just running out of time - that's the bottom line. I still have my grans album to finish and there is so much more i want to do.

Well, i am off for my second hot bath for the day (doctors orders) so i will catch up with you all tomorrow.

Have a good evening

I'm ever so poorly

Well, not in the flu sort of sense but most definately in the achy back sort of sense. I woke up in the early hours of this morning and i could hardly move. My back has been so sore today. I feel like im 80 years old today! I can hardly walk, it takes me five minutes to sit down and ten minutes to stand back up again and dont even ask me to bend down to pick something up off the floor!! Oh for the love of a healthy, happy back. Im hoping to go home, make dinner and relax in a very hot bubble bath.

On the fourth day of chrismtas my santa gave to me.....some very lovely kitty kat buttons. Take a look - i fell in love with them the minute i opened the wraping! They have got such character, such personality - just like my cats.

I havent done a lot of 12 x 12 layouts lately and i am really missing them. Im hoping to have my grans album finished by next monday but i still have an awful lot of stuff to do to it. Oh well, i know she is going to love it so it is well worth all this work.

I am off to climb into that bath i was on about and i will see everyone tomorrow. Have a good night

Slowing Down to Enjoy your Life

This time of year things are just so busy that it tends to make a lot of people feel rushed, stressed and often depressed! I know that i have been finding things rushed, stressed and depressed. The tight squeeze on my finances this time of year is tough, stress at work and home make things more difficult and the list goes on and on. But you know what......this morning i got up early, sat down with this months copy of the Joyce Meyers magazine and spent a little time reading. One of her articles really stood out to me. It's title "Slow Down and Enjoy Your Life - God is not in a Hurry" was so appropriate. She speaks about several ways to manage stress, impatience and the ever growing normal speeding pace of everyday life. One of the things that she mentions though really stuck out to me. I believe in the power of words and the power of God so when Joyce said; " God has a better way for us to live and it starts with developing a daily habit of saying what you want to have, not what you currently have"- I immediately felt as if that was said just for me. She then goes on to encourage us to take a step of faith and begin declaring what you want to have, not just what you have right now.

So this is what i am doing. Instead of worrying about things that i can not control, instead of speaking about all the things that i see in my life that are wrong and difficult - I will be speaking out about that things in my life that i want to have happen, about the situations that i want to be in.

I know that this is not every ones cup of tea but that is OK. I'm just keeping it real and saying whats on my heart at the moment so i hope that you will still hang around......lol

On to Day three of the Secret Santa advent swap. And this morning i woke up to some very lovely Papermania Dome Alphabet stickers. I love alphabets and these colours are so summery and nice - once again Thank You Santa!

Well that's all from me tonight everyone, i will see you here tomorrow.

Santa is comming to town.....

Yahooo.....my secret santa items arrived this morning and look oh look what i got! Each day your supposed to open one pressie but as mine arrived today i got to open two! Im ever such a lucky little scrapper.

So just wanted to say a BIG thank you to my secret santa.

Here are some pictures for all to see.....
Firstly all my pressies - had to be really good as to not poke and touch each one.....lol


Then, once i found pressie for day one, i opened this.....

Arent these just the cutest!! I think i have said this once or twice but THANK YOU Santa.

Then pressie number two.....

Chalks. Would you belive that i do not own one chalk in all my scrapbooking stash?? Nope not me. I am so looking forward to getting these babies out and having a play. If anyone has any suggestions or tips for me leave me a line and let me know.

Im so excited Im acting like a kid.....lol

So i am going to love you and leave you and bounce from my scrapping room, all the way down the stairs and into the lounge.

Have a great weekend everyone and dont forget to come back tomorrow for pressie number 3!