Hospital Book

Rebecca's little friend is having an operation at Great Ormond Street this week so I made her a mini book to take with her and to fill in with mummy. Pages have spaces for info about the procedure, the doctors, space for nurses to sign, photos of the ward and info on recovery.

In my typical style I thought it was on thirs and it's tomorrow so very very late night for me!!!!

What a Pile of Pants....

Literally! In keeping with my new 2013 rule...to do something declutter-y / thrifty every day ....I cleared out my underwear draw. Now, the unworn (but ill-fitting and therefore not useable) contents have become this patchwork cushion cover!! My first one :) woo hoo. I'm quite proud of it. The cushion is for my bedroom, so no unsuspecting guests will be relaxing on my sofa next to some knickers :). I cut a cardboard template to work from.

The back is made from a Gap jersey vest top which I cut up (it had gone all baggy) and I saved some blue lace from one of the pairs of knickers to trim the overlap fabric.

Jersey and Lycra were difficult fabrics but it seems to have worked!!

Canada Book

Vanessa is off on a family-holiday-of-a-lifetime type excursion and will no doubt be making a fantastic scrapbook of her time away. But I wanted to give her something to take with her, where she could just jot down what they did/ where they ate/ the weather etc each day as a reference for when she started scrapping. Here are a few shots of the mini book. I really, really enjoyed making this and did it ALL from existing stash, printing up free journal tags etc on the computer. I didn't intend to do it as a layered book with posh edges, it just happened (mainly hand cut too oo-er)

Birthday Cake

Here is the result of a lot of eggs, some painting and some patience :)

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Went out for Afternoon tea today with Jan and Ruth for Jan's 60th Birthday. It was fabulous - highly recommended!! A great way to spend an afternoon off work...not often I had a cuppa so it had to be photographed!

I made Jan an exploding box rather than a card with a photo of the three of us inside.

Scrapology January Scraplift Challenge

Here is my LO for the Scrapology January Scraplift Challenge. I loved this sketch and knew exactly which pictures I'd be digging out of the box! I used up my very last adhesive crystal on this and I'm not supposed to buying anything - oh dear....!!!!

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A couple more layouts - I've finished the Doodlebug Birthday kit and moved onto the Sweetheart one :) I'm not sure about the engagement LO - not used to the "white space" so feels like I need to throw something at it!

Mission One Ten Layouts

I have been really good and sticking to the Mission One Ten rules - no buying anything! I have also been stash busting by using kits and opening packets (almost painful!).

Here are a few LO's of Rebecca's 3rd birthday (yes...over a year ago!) they are all pretty simple, but I've enjoyed using the Doodlebug Birthday Girl kit with a few added extras from the stash pile :)

Graduation

Carly graduated today! Tickets only available for her parents, so we went along to meet her outside the town hall and see her in cap and gown. We bought a bead for her PAndora bracelet to say Congratulations (if Rebecca had her way it would have been a kermit the frog or tinkerbell one!). Carly wasn't keen on all the attention!

Song of the Week

A song I'd usually pass over, but this appeared through shuffle tonight and I just had to listen to it. Realised it was from one of Mum's favourite albums when I got home :)

You're not the girl you think you are,
no nothey're not his shoes under your bed,
yeah yeah he'll take you places in his carbthat you won't forget, no
And all the people that you know, yeah will turn their heads as you go by
but you'll be hard to recognize with the top down and the wind blowing, blowing
He won't deceive you but tell you the truth
woman, he'll be no trouble
he won't write you letters
full of excuses
come on, believe you have one in a million
You're not the girl you think you are, yeah
someone's standing in your place
the bathroom mirror makes you look tall
but it's all in your head, in your head

Listen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLYBRIlIWZ4

Song of the Week

Choir are learning a new song this week - Seasons of Love from the musical Rent...I can't get it out of my head!!

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life?
How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Measure in love
Seasons of love.
Seasons of love...

To listen click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8iTeDl_Wug

Song of the Week

Since the major uploading of all CDs onto my iPod, and rediscovering some music, I've been playing lots of old songs and getting to know them again. I quite often get obsessive over a song and it is played repeatedly until I'm sick of it. This week's song of the week is Rainy Night House (Joni Mitchell) from the Ladies of the Canyon album:

It was a rainy night
We took a taxi to your mother's home
She went to Florida and left you
With your father's gun alone
Upon her small white bedI fell into a dream
You sat up all the night and watched me
To see who in the world I might be
I am from the Sunday school
I sing soprano in the upstairs choir
You are a holy man
On the F.M. radio
I sat up all the night and watched thee
To see who in the world you might be
You called me beautiful
You called your mother, she was very tanned
So you packed your tent and you went
To live out in the Arizona sand
You are a refugeeFrom a wealthy family
You gave up all the golden factories
To see who in the world you might be

Click here to listen:

http://jonimitchell.com/music/song.cfm?id=4

Race for Life 2010

Rebecca, Amy and I took part in Race for Life today at the University.

Rebecca took part in as much of the warm up as possible with her plaster cast on :) and was very excited about racing. She told me that she thought she would probably win....

She did run the first 1km, then walked for a bit. Then it rained (!) so Amy and I took turns pushing the buggy around the next 3km, before jogging the last bit. Much more fast-paced than before as I've only ever walked, but it was good fun. The look on Rebecca's face when she got her medal was priceless - "I won, mummy, I won!!"

Graduate Fashion Show

I'm a very proud step-mum as Carly had her graduate fashion show tonight. I had been into see the pieces in her exhibition, but it was much better to see her collection modelled on the catwalk. What a talented girl....

The final photo is of her Carly with a model wearing her key piece. She has sold this design to a high street chain already :)

Photographs are by Jacob Oram

continued...

Inquisition

Tonight at bedtime Rebecca asked me why we have blood. What does it do? Why do peoples have it?

I explained it was to keep our hearts beating, and our brains thinking and our bodies healthy. She wanted to know why blood gets out when we cut ourselves and how we heal up again. We found our pulses and listened to each others hearts beat. I asked Rebecca where her heart was, and she pointed. I asked her where her tummy was and she pointed. Thinking I'd go onto "lungs" I did some exaggerated breathing. "What's this called Rebecca?"

She thought for a moment...."Doing a big poo"

There ended the lesson.

That Cheeky Grin

Rebecca's nursery photo came back today...and here it is, with cheeky grin....

I know everything

Rebecca told us today that she knows everything.

Daddy: "OK then. How hot is the sun?"
Rebecca: "very hot"
Daddy: "OK.....how tall is the tallest mountain?"
Rebecca: "Taller than a giraffe"

So...it seems she does know everything....or just has an answer to everything :)

Going Hoopy

I think there must be something wrong with me. Today I took a photo of the inside of a can of Heinz Spaghetti Hoops. I got very excited about the can. And the photo. I don't think this is normal...

The spaghetti was exactly and perfectly laid all around the inside ring of the tin. Amazing (or so I thought). It almost makes me want to write to them and ask if they are always like that and I'd just never noticed before. I would like to stress the word almost.

The family that eats together...

stays together...

Irene (my magpie buddy) recently quoted this and I love it.

Cooked a roast dinner today for everyone and really enjoyed having all of the "children" around the same table, as is near-on impossible now. Chris came a bit later (in time for crumble, but I had saved him dinner). Rebecca was desperate to sit next to her sisters!

Carly suggested I should go on Come Dine with Me and I secretly took this as a compliment, although there is NO WAY I could do that!