Kids, Housework, Miscellaneous

Birthdays

2009-03-09T20:25:00.002Z

Ewan just turned 6 and being animal mad of course he requested a termite mound cake!! - what else would a 6 year old want????
It took much sweating and swearing!! and did end up looking rather rude, but he seemed pleased with it, and it tasted good which is all i care about!

Seepy Sheep

2008-12-05T20:50:00.002Z

I made this little guy for my sister using this pattern

The pattern was really easy to follow, and it only took me 2 evenings to make - i have a feeling it would have been even quicker but for the evil chenille-type yarn i chose to use!! It was almost impossible to see the stitches, and if i pulled it too tight it snapped, so many swear words later i finished him! Now i just hope Laura likes him.

Topsy Turvy

2008-11-23T19:13:00.002Z

I made this doll a little while ago for Evie but have only just got round to adding hair and taking photos.

Here she is wide awake and ready for fun;

Flip her skirt over, and she's fast asleep

I based the face loosely on the clown doll here, but the body and clothes i just sort of winged, which caused much swearing and ripping of seams but Evie likes her and thats all that matters!

Long time no post!

2008-11-15T20:24:00.002Z

Well its been a while......

Still crocheting, my sister just had a little girl yesterday and i finished this little blanket up for her a few weeks ago

Hopefully i'll be able to give it to her in a few days, just waiting to see if the kids have the dreaded chicken pox - there have been a few suspect spots on both of them, but fingers crossed, they haven't got worse so far......

I've also made this little lady for Evie for Christmas

I really can't wait to give it to her, she's in to all things mermaid at the moment so i hope she'll love it.

OMG!!!

2007-05-12T09:51:00.000+01:00

I actually won!!!!
Had the BEST letter this morning; Heinz sent me a letter confirming i had won their 'Mums Own' baby food competition - my Bubble + Squeak is being made into baby food!! and will be on sale from July, just in time for my friend Anna, who had a little boy in April - how cool!
They even sent me an example of the label (which they used the worst picture of me on- ho hum) see;

I cant begin to imagine how much it will freak me out to see my own face on the shelf next time i pop to the supermarket!!!!

Who could resist these eyes...

2007-05-01T20:04:00.000+01:00

..Meet Rah (named by Evie)

He's only a few hours old, i finished him last night!
I think he's bored of having his photo taken now...

I found the pattern for this little fella on crochetville. It was really easy to make and only took me 2 evenings. I used a multi blue DK and love how it looks like little scales all over him. Unfortunately Ewan doesn't approve and wants a 'proper' full size red one! No idea how big a full size one is, buut something tells me that 2 balls of DK won't do it!!!

Amazing what fun they can have with 2 blankets!

2007-04-27T20:49:00.000+01:00

Blankets supplied by my nan!

Introducing.... the snail!

2007-04-27T19:51:00.000+01:00

Only took me 2 evenings! But perhaps you can tell so i shouldnt admit to that!!
He's all worked in a spiral, with Ewan's favourite googly eyes. He must be a hit because Ewan actually took him into school and stood at the front of class to show him off - believe me, for Ewan, that is a BIG thing!

And just in case you wondered, this is what a snails bum looks like.....

Latest Lo

2007-04-26T22:17:00.000+01:00

Just to prove i do do something other than crochet these days!
This is my latest layout for the Scrapions league

The challenge was set by mum and i had to include some heartfelt journaling (which she knows i dont do!) so i hid that behind the picture - which is me and Ewan on the day Evie was born.

I have still been crocheting though! Ewan requested a snail so i found a few patterns online and between them and myself put one together for him. I'll try and get a pic tomorrow and upload it

Yet more crochet!

2007-04-20T21:08:00.000+01:00

Yep i'm on a roll, just finished this little bag,

i've been hdc, bphdc, fphdc - yep its all jibberish, but it took me 4 evenings to do - which is quite quick for me so i'm pleased. Evie loves it so i may have to knock up another one, perhaps with lemon icing.... I'll have to give my poor callousy finger a week or 3 to recover

Phew, just in time....

2007-04-08T19:56:00.000+01:00

finished this little fella just in time for Easter today, he has already been adopted by Evie and christened Ra-ra (and smothered in chocolate kisses already). As you can probably tell, he is the 1st crocheted anything i have made besides granny squares, even so i'm quite pleased with him, in spite of the now rather large callousy lump i have on my finger, perhaps my next project will be a little cushioned crochet finger glove!!!

Ewan and Evie had fun looking for eggs at mums today, they both came home laden with large amounts of chocolate (which i am sure i can help them whittle down!!)

Old bunny, new bunny

2007-04-06T20:39:00.000+01:00

As its easter i thought i'd go all seasonal and post up pics of my bunny creations. Billy, on the right, was made a few months ago after Ewan requested a cuddly bunny. I made the pattern up as i went along but i'm quite happy with how he turned out, perhaps its time he got a new summer wardrobe though....
The 2 blobs on the left are my current WIP - thats right i'm crocheting!! took me a fair while to get it right (read that as HOURS!!!) and i now have a rather sore patch on my left index finger where i push the hook - anyone with any tips for that??? I doubt i'll have him ready in time for Easter but i'm sure copious amounts of chocolate will make up for that

2 Years Old

2007-03-21T21:24:00.000Z

Yep, our little monkey turned 2 today, officially not a baby anymore!
Unfortunately, both her and Ewwy were still ill with the horrid cold that has plagued them for 10 days now, so it was a bit of a non event. They spent the afternoon either clinging to me limpet style or falling asleep in various states of undress (please - dont ask!) on the floor.
Her cake was a hastily knocked up chocolate mascarpone brownie - she will get her 'real' cake at the party on Sunday, fingers crossed they are better by then.

Reliving my youth

2007-03-15T14:38:00.000Z

i was just doing a bit of blog hopping - still ill and still no hot water so nothing better to do! - and rediscovered this song on someones blog - i forgot how much i LOVED this, i think i was about 15/16 when i 1st heard it and listened to it pretty much every night for AGES. I only ever had it on cassette and my collection of those is gathering dust in the garage somewhere! Think i may have to pop along to itunes and download it!

Supermarkets sell allsorts these days...

2007-03-09T23:00:00.000Z

It seems Tesco will sell you anything these days, just look what i managed to pick up with my shopping this week:

Ok, so i added the 2 small carrots for artistic effect, but the big one is all natural!!!

Unfortunately, i couldn't keep it, even if it did make me chuckle every time i opened the fridge - it had to go for the chop....

but it did make a lovely carrot soup!

I also managed to scrap today. It's a piccy i took of Evie earlier today posing in David's hat. The layout is for the Scrapions league over at Scrapitude, hope its good enough to earn me some points!

Party time!

2007-03-04T10:39:00.000Z

We had Ewwy's 4th birthday party yesterday, for some reason, he didn't like us singing 'happy birthday' to him - didnt think our singing was that bad!

but he did like his cake:

a choc-o-nana monkey cake!

Evie had a great time helping herself to all the goodies on offer:

and posing in silly hats:

But at least Ewan liked his presents:

especially his new (1st!) bike.

4 years ago today...

2007-02-28T19:59:00.000Z

...I became a mummy

I never realised it could be so hard but so rewarding. Ewan is such a gorgeous little man (i know, i'm biased) he's a real little charmer and over the last 4 years it has been a real joy to see him develop into a little person - funny, quiet, animal loving, clever, stubborn but always gorgeous!

Happy Birthday Ewan - love you!

(ps - please excuse the filthy table - i have 2 small children - enough said!)

Billy Elliot eat your heart out!!

2007-02-27T21:20:00.000Z

Never let it be said that i do not pander to my child's every whim...
Yesterday, while watching Cbeebies, Ewan saw a boy dancing and decided that thats what he wanted to do, then by chance at Mother and Toddler group today, one of the mums mentioned a ballet class that she takes her little girl to with Ewans little friend from his old nursery so i decided to take him along and see what he made of it. And - he LOVED it, Miss Linda, his teacher, made him fly like an Eagle (his favourite thing at the moment is pretending to be an animal so he loved that), Miss Linda also told the girls to be butterflies and they all had to fly to their nests, but 'butterflies don't live in nests so you have to tell Miss Linda off mummy' - yes Ewan....
Tomorrow he turns 4, can't believe how fast he is growing up!

Day trip!

2007-02-18T09:42:00.000Z

After being stuck inside for over a week with both Ewan and Evie ill, i decided it would be good for them to get out so tagged along with mum to visit nan in Lowestoft.

When we got there we took them to the park by the Broads, it was a beautiful day, more like spring, i can't believe that just over a week ago it had been snowing!

They both had a great time feeding/chasing squirrels - one particularly tame one was even playing chase around a tree with Evie! - at least - i think he was having fun!!

We didnt get home until almost 5.30pm - and both kids spent the best part of the 2 hour journey home asleep, so getting them to bed was 'interesting'....

Off out for a girlie reunion today - should be fun! Haven't seen some of them in 10 years!

Snow Day!!!

2007-02-08T13:14:00.000Z

It snowed!!! Its such a rare thing for it to actually settle here, in fact, its Evie's 1st time in the snow, and she is nearly 2!

Its already fast melting but we managed to bundle up in time to build a snowman before it all disappeared

In then end it all got a bit too much for Evie, who spent the 2nd night in a row last night throwing up everywhere - nice...

In spite of evidence to the contary, Evie actually loved playing in the snow and building the snowman. (yes i know the hat is far too small, but she has hidden her others)

In all our rush to get out and enjoy the snow, we forgot breakfast, so Ewan, ever resourceful, found a replacement:

She's finished!!!

2007-02-07T20:47:00.000Z

..naked, but finished!

I finally got round to taking pictures today and here she is

Now she just needs clothes, but they will have to wait a while; Ewan and Evie have both developed conjunctivitus - they've only just got over the colds they have had since Christmas and now this! And on top of all that - Evie has been throwing up all day AND David is home from work sick too - as you can tell we are a very healthy household at the moment!!

2007-02-04T22:51:00.000Z

I can't believe how gorgeous the weather was this weekend. We (my mum and sister) took full advantage of it and took the kids to Maldon. The fact they have a wonderful fabric store there was just a lucky coincidence!!
We took a walk by the water and let Ewwy and Evie blow off a few cobwebs in the park and rounded it all off with some yummy chips and a hot chocolate.
I was actually very restrained in the fabric shop and didnt part with any money - i did however, have to take Evie to the shoe shop next door as her shoes were pinching, and i discovered that she is now a size 7. She obviously takes after me, and will never be petite!

On top of all that, i finally finished the dolly i have been working on for far too long now - well, left sitting on a shelf while i tried to decide how to do the face and eyes rather than actually working on.....
Now she just needs some clothes - i'll try and post pics tomorrow, if i get some decent light to take a picture of her.

oops - eta - pics were taken by my mum (with her fuji 9600 - the lucky bean!)

Looky what i made!

2007-01-28T20:09:00.000Z

After seeing the gorgeous dress on Mandas blog here i was totally inspired to try and make a dress for Evie myself. I've never made any item of clothing either with or without a pattern but i was amazed at how easy it was to make a pattern using one of Evies dresses as a guide. The dress itself is reversible,pink gingham one side and floral the other i made it quite plain intentionally - just in case i cocked it up!! Luckily for me, Evie was a willing model so i think i'll be making a few more dresses for her

Phew!

2007-01-28T08:33:00.000Z

I normally work well with a deadline looming over me - but this was cutting it just a bit too close. Thanks to feeling so ill last week, i hadnt started on my cj as early as i would have liked, and had NO idea what i wanted to do with it. This is actually the 2nd version of the cover, the 1st was so awful that i couldnt possibly send it out to all the talented ladies at Scrapitude who will be filling it for me.

I've laminated it so not only should it be relatively safe from the multiple bashings it is sure to receive from Royal Mail, it will keep it safe from splashes in the kitchen (well the cover at least!)

And on the subject of cooking - please keep everything crossed for me - this could soon be the face of Bean + cheesy Bubble and Squeak!!!
I had a rather exciting email from Heinz - not only would they like to use my baby food recipe (that i sent in 2 years ago and forgot all about!!!) BUT - they want to put my face on the jar!!!!! Now i'm not sure i'd like to buy baby food with my ugly mug plastered all over it but i wish they had warned me - i'd have come up with a far more exotic recipe than bubble + squeak to put my face to had i known.

A Productive Evening

2007-01-23T23:31:00.000Z

I have been feeling so ill since the weekend that i really havent had the inclination to scrap AT ALL, however, over on kirstys blog was a tempting little freebie that i couldnt say no to!! I've never digi scrapped before and i doubt i'll ever be a total convert but as i was too ill to get all my real scrap stuff out it was fun to play with
This is what i came up with;

Having a bad day

2007-01-18T13:18:00.000Z

Do you ever have one of those days? Yesterday was my turn...
Fatty and twatty turned up to do what should be a simple job - cut a hole in the back of the kitchen worktop to set cooker back in. Anyway after 1 1/2 hours and 2!!! visits to get more supplies, this is how they left my worktop....

honest to god - i could have done a better job with a craft knife and a nail file.

After seeing the above photo mum came round to give them an ear bashing. They didnt finish till well after the kids teatime and just as they were about to leave the electricians turned up to connect the ignition. I had 6 adults, 2 screaming hungry kids and 1 almighty row all in my tiny kitchen. All that equals 1 huge headache!!

WIP

2007-01-07T10:55:00.001Z

New Years came and went - i stayed up just long enough to let all the chavs let off their fireworks and then had to settle the kids back to sleep then went to bed myself - i never even had a drink!!

Last year, i rediscovered sewing - and found many gorgeous blogs dedicated to sewing, after looking at this one, i started looking for vintage patterns after falling for her little dolly Ruby. After spending far too much on ebay (oops!) i got some wonderful vintage patterns from America - and this is the result:

Obviously, she is still a Work in Progress, but i'm sooooo pleased with her - and she was surprisingly easy to make. Evie already loves her, and i think Ewwy is a little jealous so i may be doing a lot more sewing this year!

2006 in review

2006-12-31T21:01:00.001Z

Well 2007 is nearly here, i haven't thought up any New Year resolutions - i never keep to them anyway!!! I'm spending a rather boring evening in front of the tv/internet, i've got a stinking cold, as has Evie, so no chance of a drink either, just lots of crisps and choccy and rubbish telly.
As for 2006, it was a bit of a boring year for me, no earth shattering happenings in the Young household - Evie turned 1, Ewan turned 3, i got another year older!! I did attempt to return to work, but decided that working more or less full time and still trying to devote time to my family just wasnt happening so i spent a grand total of 3 weeks at work!!!
Anyway - heres to a great 2007!!

Long time no blog!

2006-12-22T11:30:00.000Z

I have been so busy making various bits and pieces that i have not had time to blog! I may come back later and post pics of the proof but hubby is laying on the bed with 'man flu' and i can't photograph down here as the kids will see. All i have to do now is wrap - and there is A LOT of it to do!! I'll probably get it done just in time for it to be ripped off again!

I've also had a bit of good news recently - i *FINALLY* got published in a scrap mag - i've never tried too hard, i think i emailed about 4 layouts ever, but the 1st time i tried Creative Scrapbooking folded so my layout never got published. I was due to be part of the take 5 challenge in Feb issue but that won't happen now either. At least my layout made the readers gallery in January issue. Here it is for anyone who is interested/doesnt want to buy the mag:

In the Christmas mood

2006-12-07T14:58:00.000Z

I've got my christmas shopping well and truly started now and have finished decorating the tree, even the weather is decidedly more wintery.
I got these fantastic pjs for Ewwy for his Christmas Eve present (new pjs for the xmas morning pics!) from Primark believe it or not - and only £3! (Excuse the bad scan, i was trying to do it covertly)

Now, inspired by the likes of Hilary at Wee Wonderfuls, i'm going to atempt to make a matching robot cuddly for him - if i dont run out of time....

Of course, what he would really like, it seems, is a dog.....

...hmmm, not sure if i want a real one, the house is too small for starters, perhaps i'll get him a cuddly nintendogs one.

Working and a work in progress

2006-11-27T18:53:00.000Z

I've been roped in to cover for holiday at my old work place, i was dreading it to be honest but thought what the heck, it'll give us a bit of cash for christmas.... It wasn't too bad today, but i'd much rather be at home, i decided to start a few sewing projects for chrissie presents and its only just dawned on me that i only have 4 weeks to get everything done!!
This is my latest WIP - a felt monkey, i saw a pic of a similar one on Flickr and decided to make my own. He was surprisingly easy to make, now i just have to give him a face!

Christmas Cookies

2006-11-22T14:49:00.000Z

I'm starting to get into the Christmas spirit - had my 1st mince pie today!
I also made some delish christmas cookies yesterday so for anyone who wants it - heres the recipe. I adapted the recipe from a choc and pecan one i found somewhere online. The resulting cookie is nice and moist with a slightly spicy kick - i wanted a subtle taste but if you like it spicy add more ginger - *WARNING* - very addictive and not for anyone on a diet!!!!!

Christmas cookies

1 Cup Sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup mixed chop nuts, fruit and dark chocolate chunks
1 3/4 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 cup butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
Few drops orange essence

Mix together dry ingredients.
Using hands rub in butter, egg, vanilla and orange to form a dough.
Shape into balls the size of walnuts and put on a lined tray 5cm apart.
Bake at 375 F for 10-12mins.
The outside should be set but cookies will still feel soft.

*Makes approx. 30 cookies*

I used walnuts, macadamias, apricot and pineapple pieces in mine (cos thats what was in the cupboard!!!) But i reckon cranberries, apple and macadamias would be great. Enjoy!! And i accept no responsibility for any weight gained as a result for eating these!!!

Take 5

2006-11-21T21:12:00.000Z

Have spent the weekend struggling with a take 5 kit from Creative Scrapbooking Magazine, the papers were lovely but they just wouldn't 'speak' to me - but i've finally come up with something - here is a sneaky peek!!

I have also knocked out a batch of yummy cookies - spicy chocolate fruit and nut cookies - very addictive, had 2 1/2 already tonight - oops!! (diet - what diet...)

Cookies!!

2006-11-16T10:36:00.000Z

This is 1 of the pics i took in Old Leigh yesterday - and what a difference a day makes! Today is grey, windy and WET!
Nevermind, it gives me an excuse to stay in and cook with Ewwy + Evie. I have decided cookies are the new cupcakes! Cupcakes are nice and everything but a bit more labour intensive to cook and given that Ewwy has often got bored by the time i have to sift flour in and all Evie wants to do is lick the spoon, cookies are more cooking with children friendly.
We have always loved the huge chewy cookies with sweets in that you get in supermarkets, but looking at the ingredients on the back is a bit worrying! Plus the results can be a bit hit and miss depending on who is in the bakery i guess, sometimes they are hard and crunchy and sometimes they taste too eggy. So i'm going to cook my own. I have also discovered a blog dedicated to all things cookie - its in the links on the left somewhere if you want to take a peek --->

2006-11-15T20:25:00.000Z

Tonight i had a parents evening at Ewan's Nursery {can you believe he is only 3 1/2 and already i get to go to parents evening for him!!!!} His teacher confirmed what we already knew - he is very bright but very quiet - she said she has never heard him talk above a whisper! Now i know he is more than capable of voicing his opinions, especially when Evie is annoying him!! but i am a little worried he will turn in to the quiet kid at school who gets overlooked for everything ~ time to work on some toughening up strategies i think! Maybe i'll sign him up for rugby lessons ~ yes this school even has after school classes for the 3 year olds! I remember when i was at playschool we just got chucked in an old church hall with loads of toys and were left to get on with it!

Had a nice trip to Old Leigh today, testing out the capabilities of mum's new Fuji s9600 ~ will upload some of the piccies i took with my old s5600 when i can be bothered to upload them from the other computer!

1Down....

2006-11-09T06:54:00.000Z

Meet Munch:

He is the 1st Christmas present i have made - finished!!! Still got loads more to do but i'm sure 6 weeks will be long enough.....

I've already bought quite a lot of the pressies - especially for the little ones, they are much easier to buy for! As usual i'm struggling for ideas for the blokes i know but i'll think of something eventually!

I might even get a chance to catch up on a few challenges now - the pencil lines blog has been looking great but i've only managed the 1st sketch so far, i think i have 4 more to do already!

Sunday, Sunday

2006-11-05T11:27:00.000Z

Been AWOL for a while and this time it wasn't Bloggers fault!
I am well and truly into the Xmas production line! (that does not mean i will be putting decs up just yet though!!)- in my wisdon i decided to make at least 1 present each for Ewan + Evie. For Ewan i found a great book called 'Munch' by Emma McCann, which is a great book if any of you happen to know any 2-5 year olds, so now i'm busy making a story sack to go with it, including making my own munch! (pics will follow when he is sewn together). Now i just need to decide what to make Evie - and find the time to do it!!!
I'll finish with a recent pic of Ewwy, as i havent uploaded one for a while!

Ah Blogger you beat me again!

2006-10-30T11:08:00.000Z

Well another weekend of being unable to post - partly because of blogger and partly due to the in laws coming over yesterday!
Nevermind - not much to report anyway - i havent had a chance to scrap since the cybercrop over at Scrapitude although i do have a few things i am working on....
I did manage to get Evie to let me style her hair for the 1st time - its now just long enough to put in bunches and she looks so grown up - can't believe she is 19 months already!!!

The pic is a bit grainy cos the lighting was terrible when i took the pics but i had to do it quick before she pulled them out!!

A Productive Weekend...

2006-10-23T15:26:00.000+01:00

... Thanks to the amazing girls at Scrapitude . This weekend was their cyber crop - and i have never scrapped so much, or had so much fun doing it!! I even won the cyber bingo!

The 1st pic is the story of Ewwy, the scan and his 'vinky', the 2nd is me, about 25 years ago!, the 3rd is a lo of my hates for my BOM. The 'fries' box and beer mat frame were both a doddle to make but so cute that i think everyone i know will be getting coaster frames in a fries box for Chrimbo!!!

The gallery was so full of inspiring layouts that i couldnt help feeling inspired myself, its well worth a look if you havent already

Bad Blogger!!

2006-10-18T16:15:00.000+01:00

I have been trying for several days to leave a post but it won't let me! So, so i can catch up - here is my past week in a nutshell
1. Lost 1lb - woohoo!
2. Dyed my hair - still waiting for it to tone down a bit before i'm brave enough to take a piccy for here though!!
3. Visited a local rare breeds farm - Ewwy liked it so much we went twice in a week! (only £2.50 entry for the whole family so bargain!!) - pics will follow if blogger allows
4. Rediscovered my mojo - pics will also follow if blogger lets me!
5. And.. my little baby boy has just started writing - he decided one day to write his name all by himself - obviously gets his brains from me!

ETA *Damn blogger will not let me do photos!! - check my slide bar down the side if you want to see any of my new piccies!!

Me to a 'T'

2006-10-03T13:16:00.000+01:00

I've never thought of myself as a green person - i dont think i own 1 piece of green clothing, in fact i've always held on to the superstition that it is unlucky but it got my personality right - perhaps i should dress head to toe in green and see if i get rich and famous!

Your Power Color is Green

You feel most at home in a world of ideas.
You're curious and logical - and enjoy a good intellectual challenge.
You're super cool, calm, and collected. Very little tries your patience.
Your only fear? People not realizing how smart and able you are!

What's Your Power Color?

PET HATES

2006-10-01T09:50:00.000+01:00

The Sunday Bloggers prompt on uks today is;

PET HATES..

if you had to list the top 5 pet hates.. the things that physically make you go "UGH"
what would they be? what peeves you? What can make you leave a room!? Have a think and show us all your top five!

5. Minced beef cooking - i am vegetarian but i will cook meat for David, i'll even chop raw chicken but something about the smell of minced beef makes me want to puke.

4. Spitting in the street - it is disgusting, there is no need to do it and it makes me feel ill - so STOP!

3. Being called 'a nag' - It is not nagging if i am simply asking you to do something again..and again..and AGAIN because you failed to do it at the 1st time of asking!!! - If you want me to stop David - DO IT 1ST TIME!

2. Flying insects - even butterflies - i do not like anything flying at/near me, especially unpredictable little things, come to think of it - i don't like birds either - they are all fine from a distance but once they get near me they make my skin crawl.

1. My worst thing is perhaps a bit sad and yes perhaps i should just let it go, i am sure there are far worse things going on daily but for me it is confirmation that the society we live in is very selfish and the majority of people are out for themselves....
Anyway.. it's people who use Parent and child parking when they have no need. I didnt think about it until i had occassion to use them myself - and with small children they are very useful - wide bays so you can open the door fully and get them in and out easily and usually near a path so you dont have to walk along a busy carpark. Unfortunately, i rarely find an empty space - the worst offenders seem to be middle aged people and i have even come across people who get a child seat out of the boot and put it in the car so they dont get told off! Really for all that hassle just park in another bay!!! These people seem to have some morals as they rarely take disabled spaces, so apparently depriving children of a space that is also much needed is a far less offence - makes you wonder about people doesnt it.....
Sorry rant over!

whoops!

2006-09-29T21:16:00.000+01:00

Oops!
well after promising to
a) diet
and
b) post my porgress of said diet on here i have done neither!!
To be fair everything is a bit up in the air at the minute. David has been off work so access to the computer has been limited, so even if i had any progress to report i couldnt!
My baby food recipe is being polled on the tinytums website - at the moment - thanks mainly to my brother!- it is in the lead so hopefully i might get some good news!!!
Have also managed to do a fair bit of scrapping, i'll update with pics later as they are for the ScrappyFairy design team and i dont want to ruin any surprises.

woohoo!

2006-09-19T21:27:00.000+01:00

Had an email today totally out of the blue! About a year ago i entered a competition through heinz to make a baby food recipe - i entered one of Ewans faves from when he was small - bubble + squeak with beans and cheese, and today i got an email saying i had made it through the taste tests and into the nutritional ones!! I've got no idea how many have made it through to this stage but its quite exciting! - perhaps i should get out more!!

Todays the day!

2006-09-18T12:38:00.000+01:00

Well i weighed in this morning at 10st 7 lbs :( . I want to get down to at least 10st but hopefully 9 1/2st if i can get there.
Actually managed to scrap last night, this is the 1st of paula's top 5 challenges, i think i'm only 5 behind but better late than never!!.

Diets... :(

2006-09-16T12:31:00.000+01:00

Somehow, over the last few weeks, i have managed to put 1/2 stone back on - of course it could be something to do with all the Cornish cream teas and clotted cream ice cream.....
Anyway - on Monday i will start in my quest to get back to 10 stone - until then i will be eating these as a goodbye to chocolate ~

I fancied a change from the full on chocolate cupcakes i have baked recently so these are mochaccino cupcakes. I added cocoa powder and some instant coffee to a basic cupcake recipe and topped it with some yummy milk frosting - it tastes just like Dream Topping - Yummy!!! Finally finished it off with some grated chocolate.
Anyway, wish me luck with the diet - i shall post my progress on here to (hopefully) keep me on track!!

Back to Normal

2006-09-13T14:21:00.000+01:00

Ewan is starting a new nursery tomorrow, so things should start getting back to normal! And with perfect timing SJ sent me the new ScrappyFairy DT kit - so i should have plenty of time to play! - lots of lovely little bits in there and i seem to have rediscovered my mojo so hopefully i'll create a few bits she likes - thats if photobox *ever* let me upload my holiday pics - i have been trying for literally days and i've still only managed 1/4 of them. At this rate i'll be better off putting them on disc and going into town to get them printed!

Anyway, if Blogger will allow me, i'll upload another pic from the holiday so you can see how gorgeous Cornwall can be - as opposed to the dreary grey place we drove to 10 days ago!

We're back!!

2006-09-10T11:26:00.000+01:00

And it's good to be home!
The weather was miserable when we got to Cornwall and i was worried the whole week would be wet but by Monday the rain stopped and we even saw some sun before the end of the week!!
Ewan and Evie had fun anyway, we took them to the zoo at Newquay, a cider farm, the beach (of course!) and did a lovely walk around Trevanno gardens which Ewan loved - almost as much as the chocolate cake he had at the restaurant afterwards! Evie spent the whole time on the beach trying to get covered in as much sand as she could - as you can see from the picture below!

Got lots of washing to catch up on now - and Ewan starts his new playgroup next week so i have a home visit to prepare for. At least when he goes back i should get some time to myself to get some scrapping done!

Cornwall here we come!!

2006-08-30T15:18:00.000+01:00

Can't believe it is only 3 days till we go on holiday! This summer has flown by and i've hardly had time to scrap - at least i should come back armed with hundreds of pictures to scrap i suppose. Loads still to do, so i doubt i'll get any scrapping done before i go now, i am working on Paula's Top 5 challenges, i've started both lo's but am waiting for inspiration to strike before i can finish them!!!

Essence of me....part 2

2006-08-28T13:58:00.000+01:00

I've thought long and hard - believe me! So far i have come up with
1. Birth certificates for Ewan + Evie ~ to show i am a mother
2. My wedding ring ~ to show i am a wife
3. Camera ~ i am a keen amateur photographer, maybe not very good, but my camera goes most places with me
4. MP3 player ~ i love music and listen to it every day
5. Wooden spoon ~ i love scrapping but i have always enjoyed cooking - from a very young age and i can't imagine me ever not cooking
So there you have it - the essence of me! Finally!!

Cupcakes, Pancakes and Goodbyes

2006-08-28T12:38:00.000+01:00

Well its been a l-o-n-g long weekend and its not over yet!
We are going away for a week next weekend and there is an awful lot of stuff to get ready when you have 2 little ones tagging along!
Haven't been able to get much scrapping done this week, but i did make some yummy cupcakes! Decided i was a bit fed up with chocolate frosting so went in search of something new! Came across a recipe for milk frosting so i decided to make some milk and cookie cupcakes - they were delish, the frosting tasted pretty similar to dream topping.

On Sunday we had a gathering to wave off Davids Mum who is moving to Wales next week, bit manic getting everyone up there but we got there in the end - even the ever elusive Paddy turned up!

Pancake Sunday had to be put off to Monday due to going out yesterday, but i decided to experiment a bit and made some American style cinnamon ones - Ewwy loved them and gobbled up 6!! Anyway, here is a pic to tempt you with!

Still deciding what to put in my chest for the 'essence of me' prompt - probably a camera and kids id bracelets from the hospital but still working on the other 3!

Essence of me??

2006-08-25T21:43:00.000+01:00

Apart from sounding like a dodgy perfume, essence of me is also the basis for -
The UKS blog prompt;

Treasure chest: you have a small chest and you’re going to place things in it that symbolise who you are, important milestones, etc. so that someone years after you’re gone will look at it and see the essence of you. For example, you might place a stethoscope if you’re a doctor or medical student, a Bible if your faith is important to you, etc. Which five items would you choose and why? No photographs (though you could use a camera if you're a photographer)...just symbolic items.

This one is going to take some thinking!! Will have to update later i think....

Paula has set a new Friday challenge for 5 things that make me laugh - i really like the idea of these simple lists, i've already done my list of 5 favourite music tracks - still to do the layout though!! Hopefully they'll give me a headstart with my BOM and make it insightful without getting too deep (i don't really do that + the idea of a WHOLE book dedicated to me scares me a bit!!!) I'll hopefully get some layouts done this weekend and upload them later.

I've been Tagged...

2006-08-24T20:17:00.000+01:00

... by Jenga

Four jobs I have had in my life:
Fish shed asst (yak!!)
Tesco till dolly
Pharmacy technician
Pharmacy Supervisor

Four movies I would watch over and over:
Connie + Carla
Benny + Joon
Velvet Goldmine
Dr Zhivago

Four places I have lived:
Basildon
Eastwood
Westcliff
Leigh (i dont move around much!)

Four TV shows I love to watch:
My name is Earl
America/Britain/Australia's Next top Model
Hollyoaks - its so bad its good!
Top Gear

Four places I've been on vacation:
Suffolk
Tenerife
Dorset
Cornwall

Four websites I visit regularly:
UKS
David Devant fan site
AOL news
Bank

Four of my favourite foods:
Pasta
Chocolate
Chocolate
and er... chocolate

Four places I'd rather be right now:
in bed...
..in cornwall...
...near the sea...
... covered in chocolate!!!!!

Four things that make me smile:
My children
My name is Earl
chocolate
David Devant music

Traditions

2006-08-24T14:35:00.000+01:00

The prompt today on UKS was;

What were some traditions from your childhood? What traditions do you hold fast to now (new or old)? Are there any traditions you would like to maintain but don’t? If you have children or plan to have children, are there traditions you would like to pass on to them?

I've been thinking about this all morning and i'm struggling to recall any from my childhood, except for Christmas and the goodnight rhyme my dad would say every night to us ~ i have carried this on with Ewan and even did a lo of it;

Ewan likes to try and string this routine out for as long as possible; after i say 'i love' he says the same, then we carry on saying 1 line at a time. When we get to the end, if he is trying to get out of going to sleep he'll keep asking 'what else do we say?' so we keep going round in circles!

Our newest family tradition is pancake Sunday - every Sunday we have a treat of pancakes for breakfast, smothered in maple syrup ~ although Ewan likes his plain, as always! Sometimes Ewan helps to cook but mostly he just likes to watch me toss the pancakes as high as possible!
No picture of pancakes i'm afraid, but i will leave you with a picture of the yummy apple cake i baked today. Maybe that'll be another family tradition - home baked cakes every week!

When i grow up.....

2006-08-23T20:57:00.000+01:00

The blog prompt from UKS today was;
When you were a child, what did you want to be/do when you 'grew up'? Why? Did it happen? If not, why not? Is it too late? Were there other unfulfilled goals?

I don't remember being particularly ambitious as a kid, i toyed with the idea of teaching, i did my work experience at a school, i even got as far as starting uni but as David was still doing his nurse training funds were too tight for us both to be students so i had to stop. I have recently been looking at an Early Years Education Degree at the local Uni so i may still get round to it yet!

UKS Monday Blog Prompt ~ My Name

2006-08-21T12:28:00.000+01:00

Look up the meaning of your name: Does it fit? Did you want to change it when you were growing up? Do you like it now? If not, what name would you like to have? What is your nickname? How do you feel about it?

I got the following definition of my name (KATIE), from this website, i had always thought my name meant 'Pure' so i'll stick with that! although the Greek definition 'Each of the two' probably fits well with my Gemini personality and my husband would probably agree with the 'torture' version!!

KATHERINE
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KATH-u-rin, KATH-rin [key]
From the Greek name Αικατερινη (Aikaterine). The etymology is debated: it could derive from the earlier Greek name ‘Εκατερινη (Hekaterine), which came from ‘εκατερος (Hekateros) "each of the two"; it could derive from the name of the goddess HECATE; it could be related to Greek αικια (aikia) "torture"; or it could be from a Coptic name meaning "my consecration of your name". The Romans associated it with Greek καθαρος (katharos) "pure" and changed their spelling from Katerina to Katharina to reflect this. The name belonged to a 4th-century saint and martyr from Alexandria who was tortured on the famous Catherine wheel. Another saint by this name was Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century mystic. This name was also borne by two empresses of Russia, including Catherine the Great, and by three of Henry VIII's wives.

I hated my name growing up, it was quite common ~ by the time i got to grammar school, there were 3 others in my class! I used to call myself Kay to set myself apart a bit, and my nickname was KitKat, which i actually quite liked!
I'm quite happy with it now, and i certainly understand how hard it is to choose a name for somebody else now i have had to do it twice! We spent months deciding on a name for Ewan, although with Evie we found the name quite quickly we never truly settled on it till she was born. I hope they both grow up to love their names, we chose names specifically that weren't 'wierd' so they'd have to spell it out all the time or too common so they'd be 1 of many in a class.

Top 5

2006-08-19T19:32:00.000+01:00

Just discovered a new challenge on Paula's blog about Top 5's - this weeks is songs - i'm finding it hard to narrow down to just 5 though! May have to rifle through my cd collection and update later!

***ETA***
Ok, i have thought long and hard ~ i'm sure it shouldn't be this difficult!!! But here goes:

1. David Devant (of course!!) although my favourite song changes daily at the moment its 'This is for Real'
2. The Divine Comedy (this man's voice is gorgeous!) 'National Express'
3.The Black Crowes 'Remedy'
4.Mott the Hoople 'All the Young Dudes'
5.Erm... can see this turning into a top 20 list..... probably Queen 'Melancholy Blues'

Scrappy Day

2006-08-19T19:17:00.000+01:00

Managed to convince David to look after Ewwy today so i only had Evie to get in the way of a whole days scrapping with Mum and Tracey. Once we solved the problem of stopping her escaping up the stairs, i did actually get some scrapping done - not much but some! Did have fun playing with shrink plastic though - and ate lots of cake!! So all in all a good day, came home to find David and Ewwy in a good mood (doesn't happen often - especially when they've been left alone together!), so it was a good end to the day.
The world is conspiring against me getting a haircut though - at least, the local hairdressers are - could not get booked in one, and all the others seem to be closed so i can't phone for an appointment! My hair is driving me mad at the moment, and if i cant get professional help soon i will take the scissors to it myself!!

Advice to me

2006-08-18T15:42:00.000+01:00

A great thread has been started on UKS to encourage us to blog more - todays prompt is 'If you could go back to about the age of 14, when you're just entering your teenage years, what 3-5 pieces of advice would you give yourself? (Remember, this could/would have changed your life )'

My 1st peice would have to ~ Listen to the advice people give you ~ I was a gobby little so + so as a teenager and really thought i knew everything (not much has changed!) but i know realise that even though not all the advice i was given was good it was all given with good intentions and i rarely listened to any of it.

2nd piece of advice would be ~ Being in the in crowd at school is not important ~ I went to an all girls school which was very bitchy and heaven help you if you didnt have the right clothes. I was never one to follow fashions, so my 'strange hippy' clothes and 'wierd' taste in music set me apart and i never made it in to the 'in' crowd. I did however make some good friends who didnt care what i wore or listened to and some are still with me now. The 'in' crowd however are nowhere to be seen (and i happen to know some got very fat - ha!)

3rd piece would be ~ Do at least some of your coursework!!! ~ Again, stemming from the fact i was sooo cocky, i thought i could coast through my exams, as it was i was lucky and managed to get pretty respectable grades but i am still pissed at myself as i know i could have got better if i had done a bit more work.

Guilty Pleasures

2006-08-18T14:11:00.000+01:00

Today Ewwy and i did some cooking. It started off fun enough but Ewwy soon got bored - and scared of the electric mixer!- so left me to it. We were cooking my new favourite cakes ~ these are seriously the SEXIEST cakes you could ever eat! Peanut Butter filled Chocolate Cupcakes, i got the recipe from http://cupcakeblog.com/. Anyway, the guilty pleasure isnt so much the cakes themselves, but the recipe asks you to scoop out the middle ~ there i was left with all these middles and a pile of left over chocolate ganache ~ whats a girl to do?? I'm not totally mean, i did let Ewwy sample some but then i was left with a pile of cake middles and yummy chocolate topping all to myself, am now sitting here too stuffed to move! I totally recommend you make these cakes, they are gorgeous!! Heres a pic to tempt you ~ i know my presentation isnt up to much, but i didnt have time to make them look all pretty so went for taste over looks!!

Hello

2006-08-17T13:52:00.000+01:00

Welcome to my blog! Thought i may as well bite the bullet and join the world of blogging - at least i can keep all the rellies updated on the kiddies in 1 swoop then!
I may even upload some of my scrapbooking layouts if i get any done.