This morning is was a moody morning sky with the sun struggling to break through. - doubt we would have noticed it if we had taken our usual route by car.
Friday, 30 September 2011
LSNED - Day 29
Today I learnt that when we cycle to school in the mornings (Callum is busy doing his Bikeability - what was the old Cycling Proficiency Test of you are over 40 like me!) you have more time to see what is going on around you.
This morning is was a moody morning sky with the sun struggling to break through. - doubt we would have noticed it if we had taken our usual route by car.
This morning is was a moody morning sky with the sun struggling to break through. - doubt we would have noticed it if we had taken our usual route by car.
Skywatch Friday
Series 5, Episode 12.
Last week it was sunflowers in my garden and this week it is honeysuckle. Whist the rest of the country appears to have a heatwave here is Scotland it is jusr warm - not that I am complaining - just look at those blue skies.
Thursday, 29 September 2011
SOTW - 21st September
This is my take on last weeks Sketch Of The Week (SOTW) from Shimelle - I finished this a few days ago but forgot to upload it to her blog in time - oops!
Here is the original sketch:
And here is my take on it:
The photos are of Callum taken at The Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville - we couldn't persuade him to burst into song though. The papers are Good Day Sunshine by My Minds Eye which I bought while I was in the States - the guitar paper was perfect for these photos. The badge is by Flair which I also picked up in a discount store over there.
Here is the original sketch:
And here is my take on it:
The photos are of Callum taken at The Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville - we couldn't persuade him to burst into song though. The papers are Good Day Sunshine by My Minds Eye which I bought while I was in the States - the guitar paper was perfect for these photos. The badge is by Flair which I also picked up in a discount store over there.
LSNED - Day 28
Today I learnt that maybe - just maybe - we might be in for an Indian summer. I know it isn't as hot as it is down South - but for up here it is roasty toasty today!
LSNED - Day 27
Today I learnt what my new monthly pay will be after changing my hours - and it is good to see some extra in there. Makes those few extra hours per week seem worth it.
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Red Ribbons September Fun Weekend
Challenge six was to scrap a LO in under an hour. Now I am the worlds worst faffer and can leave a page on my desk for days and every time I look at it I will move something or add something until I am happy with it.
For this page I went back to one of Shimelles Scrapbook starting points - you can see it here. One 6x6 Basic Grey Offbeat paper pad and a few punches and the page was complete. I love these papers but I think I now only have scraps left - I wonder if I will be able to find any 12x12 sheets of them anywhere.........
Photos taken of the boys at Culloden Battlefield last month when Gramps was staying with us.
For this page I went back to one of Shimelles Scrapbook starting points - you can see it here. One 6x6 Basic Grey Offbeat paper pad and a few punches and the page was complete. I love these papers but I think I now only have scraps left - I wonder if I will be able to find any 12x12 sheets of them anywhere.........
Photos taken of the boys at Culloden Battlefield last month when Gramps was staying with us.
WOYWW 28th September
My desk has been quite busy of late - and that is thanks to Shimelle and her sketches and starting points challenges mainly. And to our house cyber crop which is running this week.
Today I am speed scrapping - the crop challenge was to create a page in under an hour. I picked one of Shimelles starting points for my page (there's a surprise) and I'm hoping to get it done in under an hour.
I also have papers and photos waiting for this weeks starting point challenge - another page for my holiday album.
And a couple of new library books waiting to be read.
Pop over and see Julia to see what everyone else is busy doing today.
Today I am speed scrapping - the crop challenge was to create a page in under an hour. I picked one of Shimelles starting points for my page (there's a surprise) and I'm hoping to get it done in under an hour.
I also have papers and photos waiting for this weeks starting point challenge - another page for my holiday album.
And a couple of new library books waiting to be read.
Pop over and see Julia to see what everyone else is busy doing today.
Monday, 26 September 2011
LSNED - Day 26
Can't believe I am up to date with this project (not started filling my album yet but that's another story!) and I did get a little confuddled over the days........
But today I learnt that fudge flavoured porridge is surprisingly good - and it kept me feeling full for ages! So easy to make with these little sachets - tip the oats into the bowl and then fill the same sachet with milk and tip that in too - stir and 2 minutes in the microwave (and 5 minutes to cool down enough so it doesn't take the skin off the roof of your mouth) and hey presto!!
But today I learnt that fudge flavoured porridge is surprisingly good - and it kept me feeling full for ages! So easy to make with these little sachets - tip the oats into the bowl and then fill the same sachet with milk and tip that in too - stir and 2 minutes in the microwave (and 5 minutes to cool down enough so it doesn't take the skin off the roof of your mouth) and hey presto!!
LSNED - Day 25
Today I was trying to learn how to use my new camera lens - I know it is fantastic for portrait photos but I wanted to see what it could or couldn't do on a walk. So whilst Callum played rugby down at Morriston playing fields I had a walk around the riverside path.
Some of the photos are OK but some were completely rubbish - more work required I think!
Some of the photos are OK but some were completely rubbish - more work required I think!
LSNED - Day 24
Today I learnt a little more about the game of football. Now I don't mind the game itself it is just everything that surrounds professional football that I cannot stand - and I don't understand the rules.
But that maybe about to change as Callum has started playing at school on a Saturday morning and was picked for the first match against another local school team. The all seemed to enjoy it - but lost 9-1!
Callum in action:
But that maybe about to change as Callum has started playing at school on a Saturday morning and was picked for the first match against another local school team. The all seemed to enjoy it - but lost 9-1!
Callum in action:
It's Monday. What Are You Reading?
Hello and welcome to another fun addition of It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
For me this week it is an old James Patterson - Honeymoon - which he wrote with Howard Roughan. JP writes quite a few books with other authors - some are more successful than others but I have to admit that I prefer his older title to the more recent ones. Not sure what it is - but maybe he just churns out too many these days and they really aren't of the standard of his earlier books.
Anyone who has missed good suspense novels should put Honeymoon on their list straight away. James Patterson has always been fascinated by serial killers, yet he has tended in the past to stick with the boys; in Nora Sinclair, he and Howard Roughan create a classic Black Widow, who kills her suitors and husbands for their wealth. John O'Hara knows most of the truth about Nora, but until his investigations get close to her, he has no idea of just how much charisma and appeal she brings to the job of murder. And Nora, thinking him just an insurance agent, is surprised by how much she thinks about him, and not necessarily as a future victim. There is a quirky romance here, full of lies and deceit and also genuine feeling and a sense of menacing jeopardy for both viewpoint characters. The story-telling is Patterson's usual fast-paced staccato narration, but it has time for some interesting side-bar issues--there are things in both Nora and John's pasts and presents which only gradually come to our attention.
Enjoying Honeymoon so far - it is his usual fast paced read with short chapters - this one won't take long to read.
Sunday, 25 September 2011
♥D♥ Thirsty Thursday/Red Ribbons September Fun Weekend
I am combining two challenges with this page.
Over on the A Trip Down Memory Lane we are up to letter D in the alphabet. My inspiration came from this photo of my Dad taken when he came up to visit last month. We went to Culloden and the reason he is wearing headphones is that when you get out onto the battlefield you get a commentary as you walk around - along with sound effects. I have to admit it does make the place come alive and you do get a sense of what it must have been like back in 1745. The papers I have used are ones that I have had for a long long time - Remember The Moments by Dream Street Papers. I used them on both this and the previous page and now only have a few scraps left - wonder if I can use them up on another page?
This page is also my take on the 2nd challenge set by the Red Ribbons house as part of their fun weekend. Shimelle gave us our very own starting point challenge - and I love these challenges so had to play along.
Over on the A Trip Down Memory Lane we are up to letter D in the alphabet. My inspiration came from this photo of my Dad taken when he came up to visit last month. We went to Culloden and the reason he is wearing headphones is that when you get out onto the battlefield you get a commentary as you walk around - along with sound effects. I have to admit it does make the place come alive and you do get a sense of what it must have been like back in 1745. The papers I have used are ones that I have had for a long long time - Remember The Moments by Dream Street Papers. I used them on both this and the previous page and now only have a few scraps left - wonder if I can use them up on another page?
This page is also my take on the 2nd challenge set by the Red Ribbons house as part of their fun weekend. Shimelle gave us our very own starting point challenge - and I love these challenges so had to play along.
Red Ribbons September Fun Weekend
Over on UK Scrappers my house (the Red Ribbons) have organised a weekend full of crafty challenges - these include scrap lifts, art journalling, blind scrap lifting and Shimelle even gave us our very own starting point challenge.
I am doing the challenges in no particular order as we have all week to complete and upload them. This is my take on challenge five which was to take a page from our favourites gallery on the site and scrap lift it.
I chose A Mother's Love by Rachel Elliot. If you haven't seen her work before then you really need to pop over and have a look at her blog - it is stunning.
Here is her original:
And here is my take on it:
I already had these papers out on my desk after finishing another page (more about that later) and chose a rare photo of the boys together on a trip to Culloden Battlefield earlier in the year - the blues in the papers matched the unusual stone wall perfectly. The flower is a EK Success punched and I punched a black button with a Martha Stewart button punch and topped it off with an orange button, and finished it off with leaves made with a sizzix die.
I am doing the challenges in no particular order as we have all week to complete and upload them. This is my take on challenge five which was to take a page from our favourites gallery on the site and scrap lift it.
I chose A Mother's Love by Rachel Elliot. If you haven't seen her work before then you really need to pop over and have a look at her blog - it is stunning.
Here is her original:
And here is my take on it:
I already had these papers out on my desk after finishing another page (more about that later) and chose a rare photo of the boys together on a trip to Culloden Battlefield earlier in the year - the blues in the papers matched the unusual stone wall perfectly. The flower is a EK Success punched and I punched a black button with a Martha Stewart button punch and topped it off with an orange button, and finished it off with leaves made with a sizzix die.
Saturday, 24 September 2011
Friday, 23 September 2011
Chick Lit Reading Challenge # 23
Another older chick lit title that is now stocked by local library - A Minor Indiscretion by Carole Matthews - with a brand new shiny copy.
Happily married with three children, Ali Kingston can't believe that a quick cappuccino in a Covent Garden café will turn her life upside down. But then it isn’t every day that a gorgeous street artist, fifteen years her junior, falls at her feet. When Ali's husband, Ed, finds out that she's spent time with another man, he's sure there's more to it than meets the eye. And what started as a minor indiscretion soon turns into something major...
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - loved the characters and all the twists and turns in the plot. Yes the story line was a little unbelievable - but who doesn't enjoy a little bit of escapism? This book made me laugh - especially the bits about the youngest son - he has some cracking on liners!
I now have another Carole Matthews lined up in my to be read pile.
Happily married with three children, Ali Kingston can't believe that a quick cappuccino in a Covent Garden café will turn her life upside down. But then it isn’t every day that a gorgeous street artist, fifteen years her junior, falls at her feet. When Ali's husband, Ed, finds out that she's spent time with another man, he's sure there's more to it than meets the eye. And what started as a minor indiscretion soon turns into something major...
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - loved the characters and all the twists and turns in the plot. Yes the story line was a little unbelievable - but who doesn't enjoy a little bit of escapism? This book made me laugh - especially the bits about the youngest son - he has some cracking on liners!
I now have another Carole Matthews lined up in my to be read pile.
Scrapbook Starting Point
Here is Shimelle's latest starting point challenge - with a twist.
Oooh, hello there Saturday. You’re looking rather lovely indeed! And just because, I have a little twist for this week’s starting point.
Recently I noticed I love striped papers when I’m shopping and I often use them in small pieces but I still have a sizeable stack of full sheets and I wondered if maybe I should use them as backgrounds more often. Trouble is, a full sheet of 12×2 stripes is quite a statement – either you can go with that or find something to give it a bit of balance – and lately I’m loving the idea of layering a 10×10 box of something more subtle over a boldly striped 12×12 background. So much so that I’ve actually made two layouts from the same starting point this week.
Here is her starting point and her finished page:
And here is my page:
I'm not convinced about it to be honest - but I think that is because to me the whole page looks way too busy - I am a fan of plenty of white space on my pages.
The papers were unearthed from one of my RUBs that I very rarely venture into - these papers are by Gin X and are called Find Your Identity. I even found I had the chipboard circles to match - I'm not sure if this company is even still in existence - that's how old they are. But another page for my holiday album completed.
Oooh, hello there Saturday. You’re looking rather lovely indeed! And just because, I have a little twist for this week’s starting point.
Recently I noticed I love striped papers when I’m shopping and I often use them in small pieces but I still have a sizeable stack of full sheets and I wondered if maybe I should use them as backgrounds more often. Trouble is, a full sheet of 12×2 stripes is quite a statement – either you can go with that or find something to give it a bit of balance – and lately I’m loving the idea of layering a 10×10 box of something more subtle over a boldly striped 12×12 background. So much so that I’ve actually made two layouts from the same starting point this week.
Here is her starting point and her finished page:
And here is my page:
I'm not convinced about it to be honest - but I think that is because to me the whole page looks way too busy - I am a fan of plenty of white space on my pages.
The papers were unearthed from one of my RUBs that I very rarely venture into - these papers are by Gin X and are called Find Your Identity. I even found I had the chipboard circles to match - I'm not sure if this company is even still in existence - that's how old they are. But another page for my holiday album completed.
Thursday, 22 September 2011
LSNED - Day 22
Today myself and Callum learnt that cycling home from school into a headwind is very hard work - and we were very glad to get home!!
LSNED - Day 21
Today I learnt that even a little bump in the car can be quite frightening.
Whilst trundling along in very slow moving traffic the muppet in the car behind obviously wasn't concentrating and drove into the back of my car (I had only been in possession of the car slightly over 24 hours since it's week long stay in car hospital!!)
I'm afraid I wasn't very ladylike and really gave him a piece of my mind an long with a few expletives! But the upshot of it all was absolutely no damage to my car thanks to the whacking great tow bar (a removable one for putting a bike rack on which luckily hadn't been removed since it was last needed.) Unfortunately for the other dozy driver the very same tow bar cracked his front bumper - serves him right for not looking where he was going.
But I have to admit my legs were shaking when I drove away.
Whilst trundling along in very slow moving traffic the muppet in the car behind obviously wasn't concentrating and drove into the back of my car (I had only been in possession of the car slightly over 24 hours since it's week long stay in car hospital!!)
I'm afraid I wasn't very ladylike and really gave him a piece of my mind an long with a few expletives! But the upshot of it all was absolutely no damage to my car thanks to the whacking great tow bar (a removable one for putting a bike rack on which luckily hadn't been removed since it was last needed.) Unfortunately for the other dozy driver the very same tow bar cracked his front bumper - serves him right for not looking where he was going.
But I have to admit my legs were shaking when I drove away.
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Birthday Boy
Today Callum turned 11.
The obligatory pre school birthday photo.
We had to pop into Tesco on the way home from school and he chose a sticky pink doughnut - so I just had to stick some candles on it!
Gramps and Wendy bought him his first camera - and he is now taking snaps of everything that moves (and an awful lots of things that don't!)
Blowing out the candles - and a typical shot of Callum larking about!
That's my boy.
The obligatory pre school birthday photo.
We had to pop into Tesco on the way home from school and he chose a sticky pink doughnut - so I just had to stick some candles on it!
Gramps and Wendy bought him his first camera - and he is now taking snaps of everything that moves (and an awful lots of things that don't!)
Blowing out the candles - and a typical shot of Callum larking about!
That's my boy.
LSNED - Day 20
Today I learnt that the phrase "like father, like son" also applies to mothers and their sons. Here is Callum with his birthday present - the next David Bailey??? Definitely a chip off the old block!"
LSNED - Day 19
Today I learnt that WH Smiths are now selling Creative Keepsakes magazine. I used to buy this magazine when I spotted it in my nearest Borders store but since they went bust I haven't seen a copy. Hopefully it will be a regular thing.
LSNED - Day 18
Today I learnt that mince pies in all their different forms are back in the shops.
Whats you favourite?
Mine are the ones with icing on the top - nom nom!!
Whats you favourite?
Mine are the ones with icing on the top - nom nom!!
Monday, 19 September 2011
It's Monday. What Are You Reading?
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
Another older book from me this week - Good At Games by Jill Mansell. My local library has had a whole heap of brand new copies of some older books - and I can never resist a new book!
With undertones of a Shakespearean love-romp, love's true course gets a distinctly bumpy ride in this, oddly named, fifth novel from Jill Mansell. While the action centres around the court (Bristol-based mansion) of ex-rock star and former alcoholic, Jaz Dreyfuss, his ex-wives, current bubble-head and a selection of their relatives and friends, the lead role and heroine of our tale is taken by feisty, wise-cracking, ex-wife number two, estate agent extraordinaire, Suzy. Suzy's mother, recently departed for designer-heaven (as in the sky, not Bond Street), has left Suzy and her siblings to discover a skeleton (with skin and blood still attached) leaping out of the family cupboard.
This book got off to a cracking start and it hasn't stopped - this is Jill Mansell at her best - I have a feeling that I need to read all of her back catalogue. Now the nights are drawing in this is the perfect book to curl up with.
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