Project 365 - day 243

I totally forgot to take any photos of Sam yesterday with his trophy - so before he set off for another training session this evening he let me take a few.

I know I'm biased - but I'm very proud of my boy.

Project 365 - day 242 - Phoenix Challenge

Team Kaizen travelled to Inverness for the Phoenix Challenge which was held in the very swish New Millburn Academy. It was a much better venue than before - lots more room for those competing and their spectators.

Sam lost out to a third place in points sparring - he says to some dodgy scoring, but managed an excellent second in continous. He was so chuffed with his trophy - as medals just don't do it for him anymore. He has done this competition quite a few times over the past couple of years and its great to see how much he has improved as a fighter - and how quickly he is growing up. My POTD is the one of Sam collecting his tropht.

Sams first points fight - scoring 2 points for a head kick!!





Continuous sparring - this is why you don't mess with my son!!!






Sam getting his silver place trophy from Kayleigh - it was a Kaizen one, two, three.






Some of Team Kaizen - as you can see they were all having a great day.




Having fun with Stewart from Wishaw.






















Any finally - our own boy wonder (and world champion) David Firth showing them how it should be done. He makes it all look so easy - the kids hero worship him!!

Project 365 - day 241

The big car has been off the road for a couple of days as it needed its rear brake pads replacing - hence the rather nasty noises emanating from it when I drove it around town yesterday.

I wouldn't say Andy enjoys tinkering with cars but at least he usually knows what he is doing. Although this time he finally had to bite the bullet and buy a Haynes manual - and we have only had the car 5 years!!

And I am pleased to say the car is now all back in one piece and working perfectly - one garage bill avoided.

Project 365 - day 240

A day late but never mind - but I managed to get my hands on the October issues of Scrapbook Trends and Card Trends. It appears there are some delays with the magazine with copies not expected in some stores till Tuesday next week - so it makes a refreshing change that way up here, in the back of beyond, we get something first!

And as a billy bargain the dozy shop assistant only scanned one mag - so it was a case of BOGOF - a result!

I already have one scraplift in progress.............

Pink Saturday

It's Pink Saturday again over on How Sweet the Sound

My photo is of one of the delicious pink pears I bought from Asda earlier in the week - the only problem is that as I type I don't think there are any left in the fruit bowl! My boys are like locusts so will have eaten them all - along with the apples and bananas.

Off to the shops again for me then!

Project 365 - day 239

A full fruit bowl after my trip to Asda - full of nectarines, plums and pears. And with my two gannets around - it won't stay looking like that for long.

Project 365 - day 238 - plum jam.

One of the mums from school has plum trees in her garden and in her own words is sick of the sight of plums now - so I acquired a big bag full.

Out came Delia Smiths Complete Illustrated Cookery Course book (a wedding present almost 19 years ago and still going strong!)

2lb of plums stoned and halved
1 1/2lb of sugar
8 fl oz water.

Boil up and simmer in the usual way, test for a set and hey presto - delicious plum jam just like my mum used to make.

Weekly Challenge

This week it is the turn of the Chocolate Buttons (which is my team) over on UKS to set the weekly challenge.

We decided to keep it nice and simple:

Happiness/ What makes you happy 10pts
Chocolate (food or colour) 10pts
Buttons 5pts
Stamp 5pts

I used October Afternoon papers, chocolate coloured Bazzill and a heart shaped button. My stamp is a Fontwerks date stamp - which I have just realised hasn't been filled in!

Project 365 - day 237

For the second day running the 3 of us have been out on our bikes (Sam is nursing an injured Achilles tendon so stayed home) - seemed to be a shame to be indoors on such a lovely warm evening. This first photo is my POTD.





The short ride ended up being about 6-7 miles long but along paths that I never knew existed. We cycled through farmland down to the River Lossie and then through the gravel pits and out to Birnie. We saw herons, buzzards and more rabbits than you could shake a stick at!!

Callum rode through every muddy bit he could find - so maybe the white shorts weren't a good idea!
























Found quite a few blackberry bushes so pretty soon I will go back and pick some.

Project 365 - day 236

Came home from work today laden with freshly picked Victoria plums. One of the mums from school has got so many of them she doesn't know what to do with them all. I have got enough to make some jam and hopefully there will be enough left for a crumble.

Project 365 - day 235

A very lazy Sunday here - it consisted of baking, scrapping and reading - perfect!!

We spotted this little fellow making his way across the lawn - not sure what "breed" of moth or butterfly he will turn into but he was rather cute even if he was rather hairy.

And I'm not sure he particularly enjoyed being unceremoniously launched over the garden fence to continue his journey elsewhere!!!

Project 365 - day 234 - more rugby

Callum spent a happy couple of hours today training and playing tag rugby with some of the member of the Scottish Rugby League team who were in Elgin to play again some local teams.

He thoroughly enjoyed himself and was chuffed to bits with the medal and ball they got at the end. Then came another surprise as they announced that the kids that took part were invited to be Scotland team mascots at the Scotland vs Lebanon match down in Glasgow in November!!

Those new boots obviously did the trick!!

My POTD is the team pick at the end.

Pink Saturday

Val had mentioned Pink Saturday a couple of times on her blog so I thought I would see what it was all about on the How Sweet the Sound blog The idea is that on Saturday you take a photo of something that is pink.

I might struggle a bit with this as I am most definitely not a ink girl - to the best of my knowledge apart from the odd pair of knickers I don't possess any pink pieces of clothing and the house in general is a pink free zone.

This is one of the boys GoGos in quite a fetching shade of fuchsia.

Project 365 - day 233

The breakfast of choice for the boys this morning.

Project 365 - day 232

While Callum was playing tag rugby this evening I took a walk (seeing as how the earlier rain had put paid to me going out on my bike) and spotted this little fella hanging onto a stem. Not sure what he is - but he didn't mind having his photo taken!

Project 365 - day 231 - sticky ginger cake

Looking for a different cake to make (and I prefer ones that can be baked in a 2lb loaf tin) I came across one for sticky ginger cake on the internet.

Really pleased with how it turned out - it smells like McVities Jamaica Ginger Cake - and tastes like it too!! If you can bear to leave it for a couple of days it gets really gooey and sticky.





60g butter, cubed
125g golden syrup
100g plain flour
25g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 heaped tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp mixed spice
100g caster sugar
a pinch of salt
125ml milk
1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3. Thoroughly grease a 23 x 12cm loaf tin and line the base with baking paper. Put the butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan. Melt, stirring occasionally, over a low heat, then remove from the heat.

Sift both flours, the soda and the spices into a mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt, then add the milk and egg, and mix until smooth. Gradually add the melted-butter mixture, stirring until well incorporated.

Pour the batter into the loaf tin and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until risen and firm to the touch. A skewer inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool.

Make a syrup by placing 125g sugar, 125ml water and 1 tbsp very finely grated ginger in a small saucepan. Bring it to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Spoon a little syrup over the hot cake and leave to cool.

Project 365 - day 230

It was back to school today - Callum into Primary 5 and Sam heading off to High School.

Callum went back like a duck to water - said he had a great day and enjoyed catching up with all the friends he hadn't seen during the holidays. Although he said it was a bit strange not seeing Sam in the playground at breaktimes.





Sam woke up full of beans and excited about the day in store - although by the time it came to leave the house he looked a wee bit nervous. And doesn't he look small as he walked up the road?

Had to have the obligatory first day back at school photos - Sam wasn't keen on the tie so maybe that will have been dispatched into the bag by the time he reached the top of the road!





I am now sitting here waiting for him to come home and tell us all about his day. Think I was more nervous than he was!

SLYMI - week 33

Scrap a square within a square – take a piece of card stock or paper that is the same shape as you finished layout format but smaller. Scrap your layout onto that and then add it to your normal sized layout. (Or if you scrap 8.5 x 11 or 12 x 6 then scrap a rectangle within a rectangle!

I scrapped in 6x12 this time so my base for the page is a rectangle of patterned paper and two rectangular photos of the boys @ Culbin at Easter. Used October Afternoon papers and Alpha Bubbles Sizzlets for the title.




It also fits the brief of the August week 3 challenge over on UKS:
Space: real or theme 10 - plenty of white space
Prime number 5 - the number one
Outdoor theme 5 - in the forest
Bling/yellow 10 - minimal yellow in the patterned paper

Project 365 - day 229

The boys are back to school tomorrow - Callum back to primary and all his pals and Sam to the great unknown that is High School. He is both excited and nervous which is only to be expected - but think I am more nervous than he is. I'm just trying to work out how I can get two kids to two different schools for the same time......

So today we hit the stationary shops to stock up on provisions.
























This really takes me back to when I was at school - although I think back then the pencil sharpener was metal.