today is poem day

I have got a couple to share with you today - here we go....

Smiling is infectious - you catch it like the flu
When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too
I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin
When he smiled back, I realised I'd passed it onto him
I thought about this smile and realised its worth
A single smile just like mine could travel around the earth
So if you feel a smile begin - don't leave it undetected
Lets start an epidemic quick and get the world infected

I don't know who wrote this one.

Here's another one.....


I would pick more daisies


If I had to live my life over again
I'd dare to make more mistakes next time
I'd relax
I would limber up
I'd be sillier than I've been on this trip
I would take fewer things seriously
I would take more trips
I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers
I would eat more ice-cream and less beans
I would perhaps have more actual troubles
but I would have fewer imaginary ones
You see I'm one of those people who live seriously and sanely
hour after hour, day by day
I've had my moments and if I had to do it over again
I'd have more of them
In fact I'd try to have nothing else - just moments, one after another
instead of living so many years ahead of each day
I've been one of those people who never goes
anywhere without a thermometer
a hot-water bottle, a raincoat and a parachute
If I had to do it again I would travel lighter than I have
If I had to live my life over I would start
barefoot earlier in the Spring and stay that way later in the Fall
I would go to more dances, I would ride more merry-go-rounds, and
I would pick more daisies

This apparently was written by someone called Nadine Stair aged 85


Thought provoking eh???

Two of my most favourite quotes of all time are

To thine ownself be true and Don't wait for the storm to pass, learn to dance in the rain!

UKS SECRET SANTA

Well I am just the luckiest girl - my Secret Santa on UKS has reallllly read my likes and dislikes posts - everything I have opened so far I have absolutely loved - I think she is terrific

Here is what I have got so far






I have opened so far a Thorntons Alpini Chocolate Bar - my absolute favourite!!! Needless to say its not present in the picture - a set of Studio G Stamps - little journalling ones - they are sooo cute - a sweet little diary, a pack of Bind it all Covers and also a pack of some inners, a Thorntons Chocolate robin on what looks like an alpini log and today I have opened a Tim Holtz embossing powder - I am absolutely thrilled with it all. There was even a pack of chocolate buttons for each of my children and another box for me to open anytime - box of choccies for my hubby and I ..I am 99% certain that my Secret Santa is the lovely lady that I sent to last year - so Claire aka feline - thank you - you are the best!!!! Love ya





We had a busy weekend this time around - the outlaws came and we all went to the Christmas Market in Lincoln. We also put our tree up - look

tick tock - tick tock

My friends Rosie and Dee have got a fantabulous challenge blog - see here - a while ago they set a challenge to alter a clock - well I have finally got my act together and have completed this - not just one but four - I got a bit carried away - what do you think

this one is for my scrap room

heres one for a little mans room...

and this one is really for a princess isnt it

Elaine

This is my card - whats yours?????

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents,
beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home
decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

arty girlz challenge

Well here I am again - today has been a good day - I have had a really good clean up at home - the things I have found underneath my 4 year old daughters' bed you wouldnt believe - she is definitely a hoarder - dont know where she gets that from!!! I even found a Blue Stiki Glue Pen still in its packaging - she just smiles when you ask her about it - and by the way if you are not sure how old she is - you just need to look at her newly altered wallpaper - little madam - in several places has written a lovely set of 4's!! Must take a piccie and scrap it to show her in years to come what a little madam she is now

Anyway once all that was done we went out in the car to collect my Christmas present - one circut expression - one tool kit and 6 cartridges - how fabby is that??? Lee had bought a curry from Morrisons for tonight so no need to wonder what I have been doign this evening. Plaqying with the cricut - eating curry and chatting to Rosie on msn for ages on end - what a giggle we have - especially on the webcam!!

Anyway have managed to do a little card for the arty girlz challenge - here it is

no image challenge

Well I visited Silver Custard blog tonight - thanks Claire - great blog and saw the link through to the challenge blog Poppycrafts http://poppicrafts.blogspot.com/ and wow wow wow wow wow what a website and what a prize they are giving away..so I am doing as I am told and giving it a go - here is my attempt and a no image card in pink white and black - no green sorry but it was said to be optional - quite pleased with how this has turned out.



Haven't done a great deal today as I am stuffed with cold - good job it was this weekend and not when I was on the retreat recently. I have been having a bit of a sort out with my stash instead - and also getting a couple of swaps ready for UKS - dh and the children have been playing on the Wii Fit - I just didnt have the energy to participate this time!

It is his masters birthday tomorrow

so I have been busy doing a digi layout to pop on a card for him with a sparkly happy birthday added to it - cricut cut this weekend - Thanks Marie - glued, sprinkled with doddlebug glitter thanks to Stephs shop and then finished off with stickle - its drying at the mo so cant show that just yet

Anyway heres the layout that has just been stuck to a piece of folded 12 by 12 bazzill - hope he likes it - have got him the Wii fit - he wanted it and have to admit I may have to give it a try too lol!

Righty o off to bed now - nnight

Been busy - see.......

Here are a few layouts that I have been doing recently from our trip to London - boy did we walk and walk and walk - we were rather pooped by the end of it all lol!!!

Challenge Time

Here is a card I have made this evening for the Arty Girlz Challenge http://artygirlzchallengeblog.blogspot.com/ - I have made it for a girl in our department - its a full sheet of bazzill folded in half and then white card stuck inside so that there is enough space for everyone to sign

Then over on http://papertakeweekly.blogspot.com/ there is a sketch challenge and here is my attempt - although it hasn't photographed very well

card challenge

The challenge this week on arty girlz is to make something without using any patterned papers - well I have just taken delivery of my new fancy pants stamps so I have just had a play with them and some inks, watercolours and some buttons - and here is what I came up with

My adopted brother got married

So ok we are not really related - but we kinda adopted each other years ago - best mates and although we have both travelled different paths since then I have always thought of him with such fondness. Well fantastic news - an envelope dropped on our doormat containing a piccie of him and his good lady who I have yet to meet and wow - the cheeky little monkeys have gone and got married without telling anyone and although I am gutted to have missed the official do like a lot of other people I would imagine I am delighted that we are going to the big official do shortly - I can't wait ..it will be fab. Anyway I have just done this for them



Hope you both like it if you are reading

Sports Day with the Aliens watching

I have done a title page with the name of the school and sports day leaning against a pciket fence with aliens peeping out from behind the letters but obviously cant upload this with it having the name on - but wow I have had so much fun playing with all of this tonight - oh dear look at the time its nearly 2am - had better go - hope you enjoy

Hugs

Me xxx

Have been very busy this evening

Straight after work today DD had her friend over to play which was fun - too cold for the pool today so they asked if they could do crafting so I got the camera out and took lots of piccies of them both playing and then uploaded and printed two copies of everything off small size - we then made two minibooks identical and then they stuck their photos and lots of flowers and bits and pieces to them both - think I enjoyed it as much as they did.

After that was craft club and I managed to get 2 12 by 12s done - and then just now I have been playing with digiscrapping again - now for some reason it seems I have been mainly doing digi scraps of my dd but paper layouts of my ds - have no diea why - it has just turned out that why - will have to address the balance in the next scrap session. Anyway here goes the digi one for tonight

there's more

I am having so much fun doing this - wish I had started ages ago - its quick and easy and fun. I think it will run alongside my normal scrapping as nothing beats the texture (as Sally would say) but I have so many piccies to scrap it will help speed things up!!! Anyway gotta run - taxi service to cricket in 10 mins...TTFN!

back to include the last one of the day ....heres someone I used to know

Look at what I have been doing this evening

I have finally ventured into the world of digi scrapping - have been looking at it for a while - but have decided to dip my toe in tonight and this is my first attempt...

This was taken at dd's last sports day at preschool - quite quirky really as when she first started ds was also there and they did their first sports day together - she was so shy he ran with her when it was her turn - bless him. Well this time - the first sports day had been cancelled due to inclement weather so the following thursday my sons school had closed a day early for the summer holidays so he was able to attend her sports day - when we got there - the teachers said that siblings could join in - so we started her at preschool with her big brother and we finished it with her by side too - aint that nice!!!






and second





This is when my baby first went to school for an official visit in June - ready for starting in September - she has been many a time with her big brother but this is the first time as a future pupil - sniff sniff - where's that darned pack of tissues!!!





Then onto my third attempt - hey I am enjoying myself here







This was taken at Grandmas - we were playing out in the garden with a bottle of bubbles and she decided to be a little madam and have a sulky so I told her as we often do when she has a little strop that she must have her crabby pants on today - not impressed - definitely didnt like it - grumped even more for a while until she got over it - lol!!! Bless her!

I couldn't do the above one without balancing it out and showing you her beautiful smile - it melts my heart even on the most haphazard of days.





It has taken me a while to figure out how to upload the piccies of my digital layouts but hey now I have done it - I am thrilled. It is now nearly 1 am - I am gonna be so tired tomorrow - so nighty night all

more challenges

The challenge this week on

http://papertakeweekly.blogspot.com/

was to make a card for a teenager - well it just so happens it is our teenage neices birthday so this was perfect timing

Challenges

Here is the challenge this week on Arty Girls - make something using this gorgeous sketch
isnt it lovely - think I could use this quite a lot...






Anyway this is what I have done with it - birthday card for my young neice - hope she likes it



and the challenge on paper take weekly is create using this sketch

here is what I have done - dont know if I am really happy with it though - didnt quite come out how I expected - iykwim!!


Have just discovered Cute Card Thursday - so have done this for their make a card for a child challenge

Am quite pleased with how this one turned out - I have used dream street paper for the background and then cut a pattern out with the plain green paper and laid it on top - then coloured and cut the cute stamp - made a little table out of bazzill and then finished off with the happy birthday plaque

Their blog is here http://cutecardthursday.blogspot.com/

I have been having a browse around and am amazed by the kindness amongst fellow crafters - look here at the blog candy this lady is giving away
http://franmade.blogspot.com/

and this lady is giving away some gorgeous blog candy - some adorable stamps
http://shary-theothersideofme.blogspot.com/2008/07/exciting-news.html

and look at what Maya is giving away
http://mayas-hobbyblogg.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-candy.html

and heres another blog candy giveaway from a lady called andrea

http://andreabrownjohn.blogspot.com/

Aren't they all amazing!!

Look What we Have Been Doing Today

Days to do are getting few until my princess starts school - I do not know where the time has gone but one thing for sure - every Friday (my day off) we are spending lots of quality time together - last week we got dressed up and went out for lunch in a restaurant in town and then did a spot of girly shopping including nipping into a photo booth for some piccies to be taken - what a giggle. Anyway the weather today is poor to say the last - very very wet - so we decided to stay home and we have baked and baked - first on the agenda was

Smartie Cookies - oh so heavenly - found the recipe online - yummmmmmmmyyyy!!! Had to prise a few almost out of ems hand - ha ha no only joking had to give her a little box of them to keep her happy otherwise she would have been eating the mixture out of the bowl.

I often wonder if Emmie is going to be into photography when she gets older - she is always grabbing my camera and catching me unawares - lol!!!

Heres the end result - can you smell them - oooohey they are lovely - think once the boys get home the only thing that will be left is a plate of crumbs ha ha

and of course what is the best thing about baking at home with Mom - yep - you get to lick the bowl afterwards - I used to love doing that with my Mums baking

then after baking the little cakes - it was time for the fun part - the icing

Here is the final result of all our hard work today - anyone hungry!!

I didnt dare take a photo of the kitchen - although I have got it cleared up now - thank goodness

Chocolate Battenburg - I nearly fainted when I went to get the marzipan which I had forgotten to buy earlier.....£2.89 for one box of marzipan - HOW MUCH!!!! I had no choice but to buy it - I had already made the cake - aaaggghhh!!!

Chocolate Orange Cake - the chocolate we have used is Dairy Milk Chocolate - y'know the one in the purple wrapper - ooohey I am putting on weight just looking at it all

After the amount of money I spent on the marzipan I certainly wasnt going to waste any - so I added some orange extract and covered it in milk chocolate - stuck it in the fridge and voila - a yummy treat for later

We were so busy baking we forgot the time and was almost late going to collect Daniel from school - so a very quick journey up there and an encounter with the cascading rain or should I say bucketing it down - aaagh - anyway once we got dried off - heres my boy enjoying some spoils

Can't be bothered to cook tea now - Lee is picking some thing up from the chippy on the way home lol!!!!