Sunday 28 November 2010

Scrappers challenge.

It all began as a mutual laugh when ten or so of our scrapbooking group went to see Calendar Girls at the Hall for Cornwall back in the summer of this year.  Enthusiasm got the better of most of us and we agreed it would be fun to each take on a month and make a scrapbook layout of ourselves 'in the style of Calendar Girls'

Well, it seems to be going quite well, I plumped for September and my initial idea was to do a '50, not out' layout.  But as time went by I thought about what picture I could take and what September meant to me, and my thoughts always returned to back to school.

Well, as is the case with overdue homeworks for most kids (and adults alike) the work is due in next Saturday and I still have all the work to do. Well, I guess the legwork is done, my brain has been on it a good amount and I have picked out some papers I like... oh, and the photos..well several times (after a few glasses of Tesco's cheapest palatable Rose) I thought about getting my dearest JB to take some photos, but I bottled it....

But then, after our holiday, marginally less pale than usual and after seeing so many people baring their all, minus a bit, ...I got brave...Jordan for her part laughed and said she thought maybe her pals at school would ask her what she'd done at the weekend.. and she'd be searching deserately for an answer to how she thought maybe she'd be scarred for life... but hey, all's fair in love, scrapbooking and photography.

So here's a hint...

.. oh and for the months left layoutless I have a cunning plan.. and so many male volunteers you wouldn't imagine! ... Speed scrapping 'something for the ladies!'

Saturday 27 November 2010

Squawky the Parrot.

Way back when ( a term used often in our house to tease me when I start yapping on about the good old days!)... well, way back when Zac was a little boy, must be 16 years ago at least, one of the best toys he had was a Squawky the Parrot. 

Not sure how familiar you are with them, but suffice to say you speak to it and it repeats what you say back to you.  Zac just loved it and really made us laugh so often with this darned parrot talking back at him. I think Colin once went out and bought another one and had to get the last one in the shop taken down from the ceiling.

Well, tonight he's here, drawing and colouring with Lilly and we needed some new things to draw... out came Squawky the Third.  Well we've had everything tonight, from Lilly thinking it is her mum inside it, to making it sing Twinkle Star to her really enjoying hearing it repeat 'for God's sake' !

... and not caring if I sound like a doting Granny or not... how did she master whistling??

One last question, how does a 28 month old child know what a Treasure Map is???  Unrolling a piece of paper we had scribbled and drawn on, she said,'it's a map, a Treasure Map' Zac and I just looked at each other.. for once, speechless!

It's Christmas time!

 .. it must be...officially.....as Jordan and I went to town today, bought her a party outfit and then we fell upon the PenSamba group doing their thing and some stalls selling hot food.. and cupcakes! 

Not the usual vanilla sponge with overexaggerated toppings, but all varieties and my Ginger Sticky Toffee one was fab (okay so the toppings ARE overexaggerated, but the cake itself was also FAB!)

Thought I'd take this photo of their Christmas Tree ones just in case I do get around to the old one-a-day picture challenge for December!  (yes, yes, I know, it's not 'officially' December but all the hints are there!)

And all the media is talking about the earliest snowy weather in the UK in 17 years. According to Pirate FM Cornwall was in lockdown on Thursday but somehow Col 'battled the elements' (!!) and managed to get out of the county with no problems!

A splattering of snow arrived in Leedstown this morning and true to form it makes even the 'in-progress' part of the garden look picturesque. 

Wednesday 24 November 2010

Water baby.

 Just proving that Lilly hasn't lost her passion for playing in the sink!

18 months later and she's added painting to her list of favourite messy things to do!

Can't wait..

.. to get the next week over (in more ways than one.. more on that another day) and start the run up to Christmas proper style.  Jordan and I bought some blank cards and may even make our own, we used to do that when the girls were little and I think we'd really enjoy it now we are fully fledged gluer and stickers!

I am toying with the idea of a picture a day, or one of those clever Advent Diaries I read about on other people's blogs, but I think I'm behind already as most suggest having the 24 pages all made well ahead of the days, so you can just enjoy  the picture taking and journalling each day.  Mind you, Linda has said we will be doing photo-less layouts on Dec 4th, so who knows, I may be able to get a mini book going and only have a few catch up days.

We have Col's brother and his new lady/ girlfriend / partner * (*delete as appropriate!) coming to visit at Christmas (and rumour control has it that she's a scrapbooker!)
and ...who knows, the super duper Krupka's may also drop everything and come visit too....wishing them a special Thanksgiving for tomorrow by the way.  I guess they will be spending time with new grandson Nolan, and boy, next year will be even more fun as he'll be mobile and into everything!

Two years ago Will & Michele came to stay and arrived at 5pm on Christmas Day, with Will all dressed up as Santa. Lilly was only 5 months old, but imagine what she would think this year!

I really love this picture of Will down the road getting changed, such a great thing to do for the kids, after travelling all the way from the USA and then London on Christmas morning!

Jordan just gave me one of her hugs and reminded me (as if I needed it) that she will turn 16 in eleven days, so there's another thing to diarise in December.

Monday 22 November 2010

Winter chapstick!

With the advent of the chilly winter season I am always amused when the chap sticks come out. Some of the male members of our family also have to use them in the summer when sun and sea get the better of wet lips.   Watching your husband or teenage son using lip salve and putting it on in a manner much like your two year old grand-daughter playing with Mommy's make-up always brings a smile.

But, as Col says, if you have a husband or son who can put on lip salve in a confident lady-like way then you should think about it! ....(you kind of had to 'be there', but I thought it was funny!)

Tuesday 16 November 2010

Then and now..

A while back I had a plan to make one of Linda's CD Mailer scrapbooks using all the children's school photos. I'm not a fan of school photos when they're all over your kitchen walls, but they are so cute to find in the photo boxes and it's cool to see them all in context. So, that's a plan for next year., but in the meantime look at the difference a decade makes...

Getting there!

Well the pile of washing is just about done and I've cooked my first roast since getting home.. and poor Col has been to Bristol and back today...so I guess the holiday is officially over.. or for holiday read honeymoon: We had such a laugh this week as Pawel our Polish electrician greeted Col yesterday morning with a big smile and the comment '... Good news, new baby..'

Colin & Simon were really pleased for him, shook his hand and said what great news, much back slapping done by all. One of our other welders passed by and Colin told him the news, that Pawel and his wife Aggi were having a new baby... to which Pawel looked quite confused.. 'what, me, us??'   Well that was what they had heard.. and told him so...

Oh no, what Pawel meant was that Col and I must be having a new baby as we had been away on honeymoon and must have been having lots of sex!  He's priceless!

Sunday 14 November 2010

Back to reality...

.... a seaplane trip, a BA flight of ten hours and then a jump down to Newquay, the Gods conspired to leave us without delays and in good spirits, and finally after 24 hours travelling we arrived home late last night.

The plan was to have a cup of tea with real milk and some polite chat with the kids then scoot off to bed, but it was just so good to see them the energy flowed and we yapped away to catch up on all the news, theirs and ours,for at least two hours before bed got the better of us..

Yes, the house is still standing, the kids show no ill effects and Jordan says she has a new found respect for me, running the house, catering and laundering for everyone.. ahhh.  I hinted about whether there had been a party, but they admitted they really couldn't be bothered, and in fact had been so busy with school stuff and all that they hadn't even had the 'night out' they had planned. I'm sure crappy weather adds to that and we'd be more likely to hear of raucous happenings if it was July!

As we travelled away, a celebration for my 50th combined with the never before taken 'honeymoon', there were lots of things I put on a mental list to blog and share, but now it seems a bit 'you had to be there', but maybe over the next few days they'll come to mind and I'll keep you posted. 

It was a great ten days, we lazed and lazed, ate and drank, and most of all we slept as long as we wanted. In some ways we were lucky in that the snorkelling off the beach wasn't 'all that' so we had even less reason to muster ourselves and so even more relaxing got done.  I took 4 or 5 books, it took me a day or two to crack the first, it was okay, but not okay enough to keep so it was left behind on the library shelf in island reception, but then I ploughed through Anita Shrive's brilliant 'Testimony' and then Patrick Gale's 'Notes on an Exhibiton'

I loved both of these, the latter was based around Penzance and had so many observational passages about places I know, it had me smiling broadly (as you can imagine, old nostalgia queen).. anyone who's read it must appreciate the description of the Savoy Cinema in town is.... though not sure the owners would be so amused.  Kate relayed to me when we got home how she lost her purse there one week and found it in the upturned seat at least a week later...a testiment to the cleaning routines eh?

It's been a nce day today, just catching up, few people to see and things to sort, but the wash pile is definitely a job for another day. I can't quite face putting on proper shoes just yet, and made the most of my slight tan and got JB to take my pic for our Scrapbook Girls Calendar (don't ask, but suffice to say she says she is scarred for life.. but smiling.. especially if her school mates ask her what she did at the weekend..!!)

Monday 1 November 2010

Speed scrapping!

Like the Lost Gardens, here's a layout I did so quickly I'd almost forgotten it!  The babe was about 13 months when she discovered the fun of bathing and playing with water in Nan's sink!

It was a bit of a speed scrap and the images fell easily into the patchwork layout, and the rub-on turquoise stitch effect worked nicely with the distressed (though chavvy) letters Linda loves to hate!

Hope you like it.. off to fold Col's shirts and do all other outstanding chores (which remain nameless but involve all manner of lady chores!) before we flit away tomorrow....