I wonder if anyone is still out there in blog land!! I can't quite believe it's been so long since I last updated my blog, but I have a yearning to start blogging again. Let's see how it goes.

*test post*

...a crafty afternoon!



Whilst I took F to see her great-grampa this afternoon, A and Ed spent a happy couple of hours crafting, and A made this beautiful card creation with bits and pieces that she had for Christmas.



I just love these little hands - they are small, dainty, dextrous, creative - beautiful!



Hope you're all having a good weekend - more tomorrow!

the reluctant dog...

Rudi is getting a big long in the tooth now - she was 12 in December, which makes her some ridiculous age like 84 and a half in dog years! She just can't be bothered with photo shoots and posing these days, witness these shots taken this afternoon:





She's not the most animated of subjects, is she??!!!

Girlies were in full pose mode this afternoon:







I took delivery of a few books bought on eBay today, so I'm going to spend my evening with my head in a book - there's absolutely nothing on the television these days, it seems - unless anyone has any recommendations?!!

Cheerio!

nice and gently back to school...

Ahhh, a nice smooth re-entry for the three of us, back to the world of school this morning. I have been working at the girls' school since September as a SEN teaching assistant, and it is fantastically rewarding, but very time-consuming in terms of all the stuff I do for school in my own time. I'm really enjoying it, though, and my little charges seemed pleased to see me today after their Christmas break.

Will be back tomorrow with some up-to-date photos of my two blondies; my littler blondie has decided that she no longer wishes to play rugby on a Sunday morning - I can't say I blame her, she was the only girl amongst a pack of unruly 6 and 7 year-old boys who made no concession for the fact that she wasn't a bruiser like most of them, and she now wants to do rock ballet with her big sister on a Saturday morning instead! I'm all for it; she seems to be realising that it's OK to have short hair, to like pirates, cars, rockets, not to want to wear pink, and STILL be a girl. Hoorah! She gave the boy thing a go, but I think she's happier in her XX skin.

Night, night!

back to school tomorrow...

For all three of us, and Ed is back to work. I'm feeling fairly ambivalent about the return to work - it is what it is!!! The girls are tucked up in bed for a good night's sleep - their routine hasn't altered much over the holidays, thankfully, although the 7am start tomorrow morning is going to be a bit of a shock to the system. I'm just sitting here making final preparations for my day before trying to have an early night myself. Will upload some photos tomorrow; lack of blogging has meant a bit of a lack of photo taking, too, so I'm going to try and take more photos in 2008, particularly of Ed and I, as we don't feature much in the thousands of photos taken since the girls were born. Here's a warts 'n' all one of me taken this morning (no hair brush, no make-up!!) - I went out into the garden to capture the emerging blossom on a couple of the trees and shrubs. Surely it is too early for blossom yet?

Cheerio!

i've forgotten how to use Blogger!!!

Crikey, has it really been that long?? I'm sure there are few, if any, people out there who still have an active link to this little blog of mine, so I won't expect a slew of visitors, but I'm back and blogging again, though without obligation, and not stressing if days (or months) go by with no posting.

How have you all been??

It's good to be back :)

*early post!*

Just rushing round trying to get my things together for my weekend away here and I thought, "I know, I'll just see whether the prompt is up at her space:my space..." and sure enough, it is!! The word today is 'straight':



If you get a chance, pop over to It's A Creative World, where we're running an interview with Ngaire Bartlam, fabulous Aussie scrapper, and all-round gorgeous woman! And there will be another fantastic giveaway over the weekend.

That's all 'til Sunday, folks! Take care 'til then xxx

*tea/infusion confusion!*

I don't really know what is the difference between a tea and an infusion, and I haven't had time today to look it up, but the prompt at her space:my space is 'tea'. I suspect my fennel-inspired effort possibly doesn't fit the brief, but this is what was to hand, and will have to suffice!!



The postie brought a treat this morning in the form of these beautiful buttons hand-painted by Adrienne; I have coveted these for ages and was finally able to be quick enough off the mark to buy some from her Etsy shop. They're gorgeous. At the time of writing, there are some recently added button packs still available - grab one whilst you have a chance!



There was time for a spot of scootering in the rain this afternoon; only a light rain, so no danger of the girls getting soaked.





I possibly won't get a chance to post again until Sunday, as I'm off for a crafty weekend with some scrapbook/crafting girlies - can't wait! I'll catch up on the her space:my space prompts after the weekend.

*...and then it came to me!!*

I was racking my brains all day, having seen that the prompt at her space:my space this morning was 'press'; an artful shot of a finger on the doorbell? two little hands pressed together? I have resisted the temptation to look at anyone else's shots until this is uploaded, because I'm dying to see whether people have used the same props, and how others have interpreted this.

Here is my contribution:



Caz posted a fab post on knitting at It's A Creative World; some great hints for first-time and novice knitters, and some good links.

That's it from me today; tomorrow I will be running around like a headless chicken, preparing for a weekend away with thirty or so of my crafty, scrapbooking friends - I can't wait!

*'drowned' for a week?*

As the girls were enjoying their tea this evening, and I was pottering in the kitchen, I could hear a conversation going on, that went something along the lines of this:

F: You really shouldn't mess about with your food, A!
A: Why not?
F: Because if you're a naughty girl, mummy will 'drowned' you for a week!
A: What does that mean?
F: It means that mummy will be really cross, and you'll be drowned.
A: What does drowned mean?
F: I don't know, but it's really bad.

At this point, A decided to seek clarification, but because I'd only caught snippets of the conversation, when she asked me what drowned meant, I gave her the literal meaning, i.e. a watery end. It was only when F came in and said that she'd heard of people being drowned for a week when they'd been naughty, that I realised she meant 'grounded'!!! *phew*

The prompt at her space:my space today is 'milk'; rather than re-post the photo I took yesterday, which was distinctly milky, here is my contribution today:



And because we had the milk out, we also had to get some shots of A's milky chops!





Some more swinging around in the garden after school:





Wishing you all a happy Tuesday, what's left of it wherever you are!

*mmmm...can you smell these?*

Freshly baked bread rolls, made by Ed and the girls yesterday afternoon; the smell that pervaded the house as they were cooking was divine, and they were so soft and sniffable upon exiting the oven that I was moved to stand over them for a good couple of minutes just breathing in the delicious, warm bready air! Having dined heartily last night, and after filling Ed's lunchbox and the girls' tea order this evening, they are all gone.



And over at her space:my space today, the prompt is 'drink'; I was a little at a loss as to what to do for this one, and I think my effort is a bit lacking, but anyway, here it is:



If you get a chance, pop over to It's A Creative World where Di has made a fantastic post all about altered alphabets. Well worth a visit!

*happy father's day!*

We've had a lovely day today; F and I got up and made breakfast for everyone. Ed usually eats very healthily, so we pushed the boat out and cooked a full English, (well, my version of a full English!!), including spicy potatoes using potatoes picked from his mum's garden yesterday. It all went down a treat!



The prompt at her space:my space today is 'berry'; Ed was dispatched to the farm shop to buy some strawberries, and here is my contribution:


They are all now long-gone, having been enjoyed after our roast at lunchtime!

Couldn't resist having a little strawberry-inspired photo shoot with A in the garden - she was quite willing to pose with a mouthful of strawberry!!





***last opportunity today to be in with a chance of winning a ScrapaGoGo kit - pop over to It's A Creative World and leave a comment on yesterday's or today's posts, and your name will be entered into the draw***

*a quiet day...*

Spent a quiet day without Ed and the girls - they went to visit grandma and grandad to deliver grandad's Father's Day card - and took the opportunity to do some lovely housework!! I know, that awful word, but it needed to be done, and it's so much easier when there's no-one else here!! Ed had the camera, too, so credit for the photo below for today's prompt at her space:my space goes to him! As soon as the prompt was up at lunchtime, I phoned him to give him his brief - how dedicated is that??!!!



I've just returned from playing with the Wind Band; we were providing some background entertainment at a barbecue at the local church. We just about managed to complete our programme before it started to pour.

We're running another prize draw over at It's A Creative World - leave a comment on today's or tomorrow's posts and be in with a chance of winning a fabulous kit from ScrapaGoGo!

*a very wet Friday!*

My goodness, it poured down this afternoon when the girls and I were walking home from school. Luckily, I had taken umbrellas for the three of us with me, because we would surely have been drenched without them. As it was, we all had pretty wet feet, and it was a case of quick-change all round when we got back in the house.

Before the heavens opened, I was able to get out into the garden to forage for a subject for a photo meeting the brief over at her space:my space today, 'shell' - I thought there would be umpteen willing gastropods lurking in damp corners, just waiting to have their moment in the spotlight, but in fact, all I could find was this empty specimen - not a live one to be had.



A couple of photos from this afternoon; having divested themselves of their wet clothes, the girls decided it was to be 'dress-up Friday', and both raided the dressing-up box for something suitable to wear.







A little sewing project this afternoon; whilst painting a canvas in the garage a couple of weeks ago, I managed to get a good blob of brown emulsion on the leg of some short trousers which, despite my best efforts, has stubbornly refused to come out! I decided that the only thing for it was to cover the blob, and, with the aid of my much-neglected Sizzix, some pretty fabric, the miracle of Bondaweb, a hot iron, and a novice blanket stitch, this is the finished thing:




I'm pretty pleased with the finished result - much better than chucking them in the bin, anyway!

*sneak peeks...*

First things first, and the prompt over at her space:my space today is 'boat'. I suffered for my art today, as the boat I wanted to capture was in a very damp patch in the garden, and I was forced onto my knees to get a decent shot!!



I am making my first post at It's A Creative World tomorrow, and I am already feeling very nervous about it. Silly, I know, but it's inescapable. Anyway, I thought I'd give readers of my blog a little taster of what to expect, without giving too much away, so here are a few sneak peeks.






Do come back tomorrow for a proper look!

*busy bee!*

I have been busy beavering away on my first project for It's A Creative World today, so I don't have much in the way of news, and no photos, other than my her space:my space effort for today. My project goes live on Friday, so keep a look out if you're interested! Here's my photo - the prompt today is 'hand'.


Ed's hand!

*no news Tuesday...*

Not much happening here today! Had a very easy job of it with the prompt at her space:my space, 'tired', as I look after my friend's 10 month-old daughter on Tuesdays, and she always has a good sleep whilst she's here!!


Yes, I probably should have cleaned the Weetabix off her mouth!!

A dug out a game this afternoon, Play Doh Operation, and the girls set about making a heart, intestines and all sorts of other bodily parts for their patient. A made him a good set of "glungs", as she calls them!



They then attempted to scratch a hopscotch board onto the patio slabs, but I think I'm going to have to dig out some chalk, because it was very feint. Didn't deter them from having a go, though.




Lying on the lawn taking photos looking upwards!

We have a beautiful shrub/tree-type thing in our garden, which is covered in blossom at the moment. My mum thinks that, from memory, it's some variety of spirea. If anyone has any other ideas, I'd be pleased to hear them.

*exhausted!!*

I am SO tired; my friend and I managed to get lost coming out of London in the car last night, and ended up on the North Circular, rather than the A40; I think the delay cost us about 3/4 of an hour, and we didn't get home until 1.30. Consequently, I am ready to fall into bed, and as soon as I've done this, that's exactly where I'll be heading! George Michael was fantastic, totally lived up to my expectations, and delivered a superb show. The new Wembley Stadium is great, really well-marshalled, a good police presence, and the provision of trains at Wembley Park after the concert was amazing - hordes of people streamed into the station, and there was no jostling on the platforms or sardine-packed carriages - it was a totally stress-free, enjoyable experience.

On to other things, and I was volunteering at Rainbows tonight to make Father's Day cards with the girls. I had to keep to a very simple design, as it needed to be do-able by 15 five and six year-olds in roughly half an hour. The girls came up trumps, and produced some lovely cards, which I'm sure will be much appreciated and well-received this coming Sunday.



The prompt at her space:my space today is 'me'!! I was waiting for this to come up, and I don't think I photograph particularly well, so it's always a bit of a challenge trying to get a half decent shot!! This is the best I can do with the raw materials available!!!



Night, night, all - I'm off to my bed!

*quite excited...*

An earlier post than usual today, as I am off to see George Michael at the new Wembley Stadium this evening - leaving in about quarter of an hour!! I know he's not everybody's cup of tea, but he's been a fave of mine since I was 10 - only 25 years' worth of devotion!! Anyway, I am really looking forward to it.

Another beautiful day; very hot, (too hot for me, if I'm brutally honest), and a chance for the girls to pose, yet again, for photos in the garden. No chance of a sensible face from A today, but this captures pretty much who she is!!



The prompt at her space:my space today is 'nugget'. I struggled with subject matter for this, until I remembered some glass bead/nugget-type things that mum has in a bowl, so I purloined a couple of those, and am quite pleased with the result:



Right! George is calling, so I'll bid you adieu, and wish you all a peaceful Sunday!