it's in the air...

Christmas is in the air... along with 500 million viruses, bugs, and bacteria....

The petrie dish where I work has once again triumphed and brought my entire house down with some vile flu bug, which I personally, cannot shake off.

I am sick to death of feeling ill - this has been a week now and i've had enough.. to quote Hugh Grant: My face is in the butter...

I just don't wanna play anymore.

I should be having a wonderful time...shopping and planning and organising... and I was! Until this kicked in, and it's just not fair. I feel robbed and cheated, and bloody well knackered. I also feel a bit scared because I can't breathe well today and have a pain in my chest, and as I already have asthma and have had pnuemonia before, I really don't want it to get any worse. Especially as my chances of seeing a doctor for antibiotics at this time of year is probably way way less than zero... Carl told me I should go days ago... but would I listen?

I've managed to do some of the housework I wanted to do. Carl helped me bless him, and I was grateful for that. But now i'm exhausted and can do no more. At least until I've had a rest. I wanted to go shopping but can't face it. Bad enough I have to go out tomorrow.. today I'm staying in, in the warm.

Maybe i'll have a little play with my scraps, but my creativity seems to be as weak as my poor tired bod, as I don't think I did a very great job on this LO yesterday, which was for last night's mojo holder. Shame, coz it's a nice pic, and the CS and papers are delish... I just didn't have any oomph about me, and it shows... Ah well, they can't all be fantastic, can they...

Be nice if the odd one was occasionally..... but there you go. A world class scrapper I aint ;-D



Hoping you are all feeling better than me... hugs
jk xx

back on the road

Well, the car's fixed, and what a blessed relief it is to have wheels again :-)
Obviously I know I need it for work, but I had no idea how much I'd miss not being able to just jump in and go... I would have gone to Hemel and done shopping this weekend so it's put me slightly behind, but I think I'll still be ok, and can always go into town after work if I find I need to. And there's always asda.... bless asda, where would we be without it?

Went out today for a pre-Christmas lunch with one of my ladies and her family, and had a smashing time. I wasn't really looking forward to it as i'm just so busy, but once I'd resigned myself that I would go, I decided to relax and enjoy it. Gorgeous Hotel in Aspley Guise and a perfectly lovely meal. The only downside being that I have since developed a stinking cold and though I enjoyed my lunch I now feel rotten and think the only thing is to go to bed and try and get some sleep. Hopefully, I'll feel a bit better tomorrow. I don't fancy this lingering on until Christmas!

A couple of BOY layouts, above and below... much as this fella drives me crazy - he's still my fave scrapping material... ;-)

surprisingly upbeat

Not sure why, but I'm feeling very mellow. Normally a broken car or something equally catastrophic would give me all kinds of kinds of the collywobbles, but somehow I just don't seem to be too worried. Sure, the cost is a bugger, especially right now... but even that's not enough to dampen my mood, which to be honest, is surprisingly upbeat as I write.

Thoroughly enjoyed the kid's Nativity last night, which saw Solomon taking a lead role - something we'd never have dreamed of when he started school. Even the head commented on how well he did - unbelievable for a boy who normally bursts into tears if he finds himself attracting too much attention. I was so proud of him, and me and his other Nannie almost clapped our hands off when he took a bow at the end. Isabelle was - of course - a star, playing her own part, and the part of another little girl who took sick.... :-) But then, there couldn't be enough attention in the world for that one!! Lol!

I do have photo's, but some are a little blurry, and others have stray children in so won't post them on here. Don't want to find myself in hot water for pasting up other people's kids without permission now do I?

A couple of layouts to share:

Last night's Mojoholder scraplift (emnol)



The boy looking delish as as usual, posing in a cute beanie hat :-) Loved the original, but not sure I really like my layout all that much, as I'm not mad on plain card backgrounds tbh. still, they're cute photos, if a little out of focus. (I was not the photographer... but I'm no better, so not sure why i'm even mentioning that lol!)

And a quickie I whipped up yesterday as it's so long since I scrapped I thought I might have forgotten how to do it and needed to get going again with something!

mixed bag...

What do you want... the good news... or the bad news..?

Ok, we'll start with the bad news first.

The car is broken.
Broken, busted, and bloody well knackered, which is an awful pain as I really... really, don't want to be paying out on it right now. Less than a fortnight before Christmas, and less than a week since our little jaunt to the West Country, and our splurge on fun and frolics with the fam.

!!*Bugger Bum and Willies*!!

Clutch cables really pick their times, you know?

So, the car is stuck at work - which is ten miles from me, and I had to beg a lift home, and hopefully, a friend is arranging recovery tomorrow, and then, if he can he'll fix it over the weekend sometime. Assuming it is only the clutch cable, of course.....

So that's the bad news. Broken vehicles, and money for repairs.... I'd much rather be spending my dosh on something nice and pretty and patterned and papery ;-)

But such is life.

The good news is, we had a lovely time with the family last week, and I got some great fun photos, so now I've got over them leaving and going home until who knows when, I'm looking forward to scrapping my pics and sharing them on here.

We had a couple of days out shopping which they love, as Lanza just doesn't have all the shops and markets like we have here. I don't actually know how the plane took off with all their excess baggage but they got home alright, so it did somehow :-)

We ate loads of scrummy nosh, caught up on all our news, and on Thursday morning, took off for Cornwall to spend a few days with my sister in Truro.

On the Friday, we did a Murder Mystery Night, which was a scream. We'd had our characters for weeks, and they were so apt it was hysterical. Erkin, my son in law, who is a manager at Arrecife Airport, was Willie Crash, a pilot;

and Carlo (big Ju Jitsu man) was Marshall Hartz, owner of a Karate club :-)

I was Ginny Tonic - a writer and attractive barfly...... and I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions as to why I landed that role ;-)
While Vin was Dwayne Pokem - a guitar strummin country singer...

Jazz became Delores Delgatto - a waitress... The first job she had when she went to live in Lanza several years ago! Daave was Phil Muggs, the dodgy barman,

and my sis was Marlena, a mystery woman with a secret.... tho it looks like Jazz is the one hiding the secret here...

How Sanna found a box with such relevent characters in, is beyond me, but we had a total blast playing the game and everyone got right into their role, which made it all the more fun. It was set in a bar in Chigago, and nobody guessed the real murderer... who turned out to be ME!!!! Lol!!!

Next day we had 'Christmas Dinner' complete with pressies for all, where Sanna was assisted by her little helper - who even wore the T shirt to prove he was the boy for the job.


And it was just such a wonderful weekend, and over too soon, but we'll do it again for def, because it's far too much fun not to.

I'll leave you with some piccie's and hopefully I'll manage some layouts before Christmas.

I just cannot leave these baby's unscrapped!




Til next time!! Enjoy the season!! Take care!!

jake xx

Just a quick catch up post today ;-) Scrapping Goodies Dec kit is now up on the site - lots of luscious lovelies in there. I've been playing with the contents of my 1st box of DT stash... mmmm... anyone treating themselves to this kit will definitely not be disappointed!

Here's what you get:

I did a couple of chrimbly layouts

and a card I love the snowflake paper so much.. wish we got more snow here. I'm forever buying snowflake stuff...papers and embellies...stamps... can't resist any of it, but I rarely get the chance to use it as the weather just doesn't oblige that often... lol.

There were some other lovely papers and bits, so I did a couple of everyday layouts too. I was absolutely cacking it about going back to the smaller size format, but why haven't I done it before? I used to love scrapping in this size and have several ring binders full of ancient layouts... too old and erm... embarrasing... to show, but i'd forgotten how quick and easy - and fun - they are to make. I'm hooked again now, so some good has come of it anyway :-)

Everyday layouts

Don't imagine I'll get much done for a few days now as the family arrive late tonight - Guess it's time to make a few memories instead of scrapping them.

And I'll sign off with a Christmas layout I made using a very special photograph... Remember I posted about some problems I was having recently? Well, it was all because of a rather unpleasant blast from the past... but as they say - every cloud has a silver lining... and you know, I think that may be true. As a direct result of this bad situation, I was last week reunited with some very precious old photographs... pictures I thought I'd never see again, and one in particular; which took my breath away.

DD One, my firstborn... Just Priceless... :-)

Hope everyone's enjoying the run up to Christmas!! Keep busy! Keep smilin! Be happy!

Jk x

Still running.....

Still running about like a mad thing. Got so much to do and no time to do it. Still, you know what they say... Busy hands are happy hands.... hmm....ok. I'll just have to take their word for it... :-)

2 layouts here.
This one was done for Mojoholder this week, and is a scraplift of an Anita Mundt page.

My 2 fella's, in a huge tent where we dived for cover out of the sweltering heat of the hippy market in Ibiza.

And this one is my take on the AAE hindsight theme. Quite serious, but genuinely done from the heart. The truth is, I live with regret every day after losing my sister and my Mum within six months of each other. It was a very very hard time for me and deeply shocking. Not something I'm ever going to fully recover from but something I've sort of learned to live with over time. I'm not tortutred everyday any more.. but still have so many unanswered questions, and unresolved feelings, and I don't think that will ever change now. But I cope. Most of the time, anyway.



Obviously in retrospect, given the chance, there are many things I'd change...Too bad we don't have the benefit of hindsight when it matters.

Really matters.

Eh?

How long since I posted....? Too long.

I've had a bit of bother in my life. Not something I want to go into on here but something which made me wonder if I should be on here at all...

But then I reasoned that if I spend my life worrying and fretting, then i'm not living life as I should be. And that's a waste of the time given me here on earth.

Soooo... with my philosophical hat on i'll just say what will be will be.
And get back to posting again.

Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love Truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you Smile.

YES!!!!

There is a God...!

Sorry about Scotland.... but... :-)We have a chance.

*breathes out...*

If I went anywhere this week... I was running - forrest style!

So busy making plans and getting things sorted. Once again my week has run away with me, but i've managed to get slightly ahead on the scrapping front which is good, and makes me feel a little calmer lol! Jazz and Erk and the kids will be visiting soon, and I've loads of stuff to get sorted with the girls re january.. shhh... very secret squirrel stuff going on ;-)

A couple of bits I can post now.

This is a layout I did, just because. The photo is totally blurry and out of focus, but it's a picture I've always loved. Vin was running round the top of the garden like a wild thing, completely excited by the many falling, swirling , leaves and I tried to snap him but the movement created the blur I guess. It was years ago when he was still very small. Those days he was ill a lot, and wasn't often well enough to run about outside, so the fact that he was out there and having so much fun made it a good day. Anyways, poor as it is, I'm happy it's scrapped. I wasn't at all sure about the BG cut out's when I got them in a kit, but I think they look ok on the page. Whether any more will make it onto a layout is anyone's guess... but at least I used some of them :-)

And this one is my mojoholder submission from last night. Dear lil Minnie moo moo (Meemee) scoffing the remains of my ice cream in Matagorda. Funny little dog then got brain freeze, and went crazy... cracking us all up. I swear that mutt would eat anything offered her!

But...oh... look at her sweet face!!

And lastly, my All About Eve layout from last Monday.

This challenge wasLove your Body - not something i'm actually very good at!

Well, what woman is? Under the constant media bombardment of beautiful, slim, young, airbrushed models and actresses, it's easy to feel self conscious and inadequate, and besides - most of us cringe from the idea of blowing our own trumpet and drawing attention to ourselves. I know I do anyway, and many of my friends tell me they feel the same. So when this challenge came up I wasn't keen, but being the trooper I am, I got on with it , and decided to scrap about my height - or lack of it. Even my youngest kid is taller than me now, and while I used to hate being so little, these days I just don't mind that much anymore. In fact I actually quite LIKE being small... and as my darling old Mum used to say... all the best things come in little packages.

Well, she would - she was even smaller than me!!!! Lol!!!

(Journalling reads: So the kids are all taller than me. Tower over me in fact. What do I care? You know what they say... all the best things come in little packages. I love being small.)

(NEARLY!!!) All sold out...whoops!

The american crafts kit from Scrapping Goodies is all ALMOST sold out! But the good news is if you have one coming your way the posting date on site is 17th Nov... so you have something to look forward to this week :-)


Don't forget to check out the massive bargains to be had on 'recycled kits'

Hope to be back later with some scrapped stuff :-) Off to play now.

EDITED TO ADD!


Rach tells me she's got just two of these scrummy kits left in store!! So, if you're very quick you may still be able to grab one before they really are all gone :-)

Also check out the site for some exciting news!

And just to say... well done the boys. Well done Stevie G, and great return, Torres. fabbo work, and we're dead happy to be back in 4th place again :-)

Be happier still when we rise - which we will. Watch this space.

wonderful surprise...

I got the most wonderful surprise today... Someone knocked on our door, and Vinnie answered. I was in the kitchen making hot chocolate, but I faintly heard a female voice asking if Mum was home...

Now, this voice was no ordinary voice. It was a distinctive voice, and the voice of only one person in the world.... I flew up the hall.... and yes! It was my long lost friend Eunice, who I haven't seen for four or five years since we lost contact... I don't know how... just like you do sometimes when life is busy and stuff is going on.

I threw my arms around her and Carlo came running - he'd heard me scream her name, and couldn't believe his ears... we love this girl SO much! She's more than a friend.. she's like a sister to me, and we have such history. It was like a lotto win. Just wonderful.

My God..!! mad group hugs in the hallway, and then she said she had a few hours and we just pulled her in... I can't tell you how happy this has made me. I'm actually choked to bits here writing it out, now that she's gone. I'm so so happy to have found her again it's not real.

I actually went to school with Eunie's younger brother; and tho she was initially friends with my Mum who worked with her, the real reason we are so close is that Eunice and Jen, my sister, became best friends. Those two were inseperable - incredibly close, and I was always with them, like a younger sister to them both, and I loved them dearly.

Eunice married a US Airforce man, and when they were stationed in Germany on the base, Jen and I would travel out there all the time to see them. We used to have some wild times, and oh, the memories I've got... just hysterical. Clarence took me to Trier, Cologne, Rudisheim, and so many other beautiful places, and taught me so much, but drove so many times over the border into Luxembourg where we should meet our train (which we always missed due to us girls being drunk and disorderly) that he got fined eventually for running a red light and refused to ever drive us anywhere again...

After her and Clarence divorced, (something I mourn to this day), Eunice once again settled in England, and we just carried on - our gang - Eunice, Queen Wah (JenJen)Mosh, Gilly, Di, me, Spam-pauline, et al... and we had some fantastic times, just being young and mad, and if I'm honest, probably quite naughty. But it was when we lost Jen that it all fell apart.

Me and Eunie stayed friends of course, but she'd moved to Ireland, and we wrote, but never phoned much coz she lived in the sticks... and stuff. Her girlie - who was my babysitter, grew up, and so did my kids...and though we made all these promises... still we lost touch.

But today, she came back. And I swear, I will never lose her again.

I know that tonight I'll dream of all the mad, fun old days, the holidays... parties, trips to Europe on coaches, ... the dancing, and carrying on, and singing... amazing that tomorrow's Poppy day, and one of our fave drunken sing-a-long songs was always the green Fields of France; The late night talking shit and telling lies - as Simone always put it... The times we tied people's feet to the door, nights in the Mean Fiddler, the 'Ferier' in the days we played hard in Funkyrola, and the dreaded Rotunda; and all the nights here, with a carry out and the kids... Ah....rare old times.

I never expected today to be a good day... but finding my mate made it so. We laughed til we cried today and I can't wait to see her again. We're going out to Ireland in the Spring, and she's coming here soon after.

If you've a mate you haven't heard from for a while, get on that phone... don't be me. Don't ever risk losing someone you love. It can happen in the blink of an eye. Not everyone gets the chnce to find them again.


MOJOHOLDER this week:
Entitled Hat Trick, as she's the 3rd baby in the family Lol!

A lift from Nura Kief... such a talented girlie!

Ok... think I'm gonna re-take up knitting..... so with that in mind, I was bargain hunting...

Now that's what I CALL a BALL of wool!! Lol!
And here we have it with a normal sized ball, for comparison.... see why I snapped it up for 50p, eh?
And while bargain hunting with Vin - he does love 'thrift' shops coz that's where Kurt shopped... ;-) I found this lil beaut for the princely sum of 99p!

And after a quick play... Viola!! My new button tin lol!

I've been trying to post this for hours... but X factor is on... me and jazz were laughing today - I have finally become one of those people I used to laugh at... someone I would have talked about in mocking terms... Someone who watches X factor, and KNOWS thier NAMES! And you know what? It's great fun - I LOVE the X Factor! Lol Lol Lol!

Er..... 8 - nil????

Tonight's footie - UEFA Champions League - Group A - Liverpool v Besiktas - Anfield - 8 - nil...


Yeah.. you heard me right...

8 - nil!!

Oh....WHOOPS....! I can't seem to stop saying it..... :-D :-D :-D

Hey - hat-trick boy!!!! And go Stevie G, and old Crouchy too! And Babel I guess.. Aw...why not... Go all the boys!
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Can't imagine emine being very happy with me tho....... ;-)

better late than not at all...

2 quickie layouts from the weekend:

Sollo and Izzy last year on Halloween.
The 4th of Nov is a bit late for halloween layouts maybe, but at least these sweet pic's are scrapped now.




And Mattie flashing a grin and showing of those two cute lil front teeth and just look at the Luscious Laffs :-)



I want them!

Crikey - tagged again!!

This time from Sandie - thanks hon :-)

1. I am stickles mad and own dozens of different colours (own, but not necessarily use, you understand..)
2. I was once a very good darts player and have met many world champions. John Lowe was my fave.
3. I can't bear to put my head under water in the pool or sea. I'm probably the only person in the world who swims almost upright lol!
4. I'm a junk shop junkie - just love rummaging!
5. I love olives and pickles with breadsticks - any kind will do!
6. My ex bought me two woolly mice for my 19th birthday. (live animals, not knitted ones !)
7. I love the Sea.

{Not gonna tag anyone else as everyone I know's done this one already :-) but if you fancy a go - you're tagged! }

Some people have asked where all the baby pictures are, so here are a few I took one day in the late afternoon, with the sun just falling through the window. I'm no photographer as anyone will tell you, but these were actually taken by me with the camera in my right hand, while she's sleeping in my left arm!!

And considering that I couldn't see a thing - I think they turned out pretty well... lol :-)

They're just as they came out of the camera btw - no lighting or touching up, so I might get some improvement if I have a play in PSE.

Me and her Mum are chuffed with them as they are, anyway. See what you think?

Last weeks mojo...

I missed mojo last night. Not like me, but couldn't be helped this week. I was simply too busy, what with being away in Spain, and having to cope with the halloween party at work on my first day back... Then I've been training the new girl all week, and got called in yesterday as the manager and deputy had to go out on assessments and needed me there to hold the fort. Blimey, i'm shattered, and had no time to scrap at all.

This is last weeks tho:

I had a bit of fun with that...

And some silliness from work on Wednesday night:


These were taken with the cruddy works camera coz i forgot mine.... It was on charge after downloading all my holiday pics and i walked out the door without it Der!!