Rocking My World Friday

I am writing this, feeling rather stressed out -                                                                                               you've probably heard about Game on the news, well Ryan works for Gamestation who Game also own- so contemplation on the positives will hopefully lift my mood.

First off is the lovely surprise I got through the post....

Lizzie makes the most beautiful books in a range of styles. People buy them for weddings albums, guest books, recipe books, I could go on & on. I admired such a book she'd made for her friend, a sketchbook you can find HERE on her blog. She made me an A6 journal with the same materials & sent it to me as a surprise, isnt she a darling! There was also a lovely card in the package and all beautifully wrapped, which always makes anything even nicer (you can send me your toe clippings & as long as you package them nicely I wont yell at you). I love how the lokta paper (is it made by orcs? you've got to be a WoW player to appreciate that lil joke) almost seems to blend into the grey suede spine. Not only made with me in mind it was also personalised with a "K" stamped with a lino stamp Lizzie had made, mine, all mine, see, the letter tells you so. It all made me feel very special and loved, thanks Lizzie xx
You can see better photos, & read more about the book HERE on Lizzies blog, she is very generous with her explanations & tutorials so well worth a look.

Last Friday Kai gave me my Mothers day present & card when he came out of school, he couldnt wait until sunday. He made me a lovely bead bracelet & told me he HAD to put a purple bead on to match my hair, this kid KNOWS to colour coordinate :-D

Sunday I had a lovely Steak dinner on salad, I cooked it to perfection even if I do say so myself. I love steak but havent had it in ages so treated myself, well, it was MY day.

The sun is out & its warm! I actually went to the school today in a light cardi & was still too warm.

Friends on facebook giving me support when I had a much needed rant, and others complementing me on my new fb photo (the same photo is on about me/about lil ol me), a nice lil ego boost.

We're all healthy (ish) , not starving, have heat & light, a roof over our heads, all the things we take for granted. So whats Rocked your world this week? Aa always, come link up at Celtic House.

Rocking My World Friday

Its that time of the week again & the first thing thats rocking my world is that I can write & POST this on my blog! Our internet & cable tv has been rather unreliable this week, seeing that its the week we get paid its been a tad annoying, so I'm rather glad I'm getting to post this now.

Card making course - I have joined a 10 week course, in an area I dont really know & with a group of people I have never met before (though I do know the teacher from the party crafts course Kai & I were doing). The ladies on it are lovely & very welcoming, many of them did the last cardmaking course that was held before, one has even done it every year since about 2001, including one I attended 7 years ago, she even recognised me :-)
I'm gaining lots of new ideas which I shall share with you soon (internet allowing).

Lost another 1.5lbs this week, not too sure how, must be because I've been sooooooooo busy because I've been a bit naughty on the eating front. This included a delicious pudding in the pub, cant remember the name but it was similar to tirumasu, mmmm, delicious. I'm now in size 12 tops, though size 12 bottoms are still a tad tight, at least I can do them up now though I wouldnt dream of going out in them.

Very proud of Kai for limping all the way to the top of the Wrekin & back down again with the rest of his year group, even though he'd bruised his heel & his shoe get putting pressure on it - He really wanted to go up the Wrekin.

Zack attended a rather cool Japanese introduction session at Uni, they got to do Origami, write their names in Japanese, have some Japanese food etc. I think it would be a rather handy language for him to take up in the future if he still wants to break into the games industry.

Some open careers advice from somebody in the profession

Another course started on Wednesday, this time its play with numbers. We're looking at how children learn maths in reception class. Our kids join us in the second hour so we can put what we've learnt into practice. only 3 people on this course who were very nice, tad nervous about next weeks as there will be more people, but if they're as nice as the others I should be fine.

I managed to catch another bus, my idea, to get Mom & myself back to our local shopping centre. Most of the buses stop there so I find it a good start to build my confidence up.

Its been a busy week & for the majority I've really enjoyed it.
So how has you're week been? Fancy joining us over at Celtic House to share your positives?

Rocking My World Friday

Hi guys **enthusiastic wave**

If I ignore myself coughing & causing sleep deprivation this week has been pretty damn good.
Actually, one lovely lady has made my month with her generosity. I shall not mention names as I am always a lil bit paranoid that someone will take it upon themselves to take advantage of these people's generosity but
I'm sure a few of you will guess who I am on about. She kindly offered to send me some embossing folders. I was delighted & thinking I'd receive a couple of little cuttlebug embossing folders, oh no, this lady sent me some of the large ones that I've been drooling over, a few small ones & some thin long ones as well - this was among others & a beautiful handmade tag. I am OVER the moon, & probably a few planets as well with what she has sent me & am planning on using them this long weekend (I'm counting today as the first day of my weekend ;-)  So if you need me you'll find me at my craft table in the kitchen. I have said it before & YES I will say it again, crafters are the loveliest of people
Thank you darlin' xx

I was putting my make up on & Kai says to me "you look pretty now Mommy"
Me: Oh, so I didnt before, gee thanks! (In my humorous, mock sarcasm voice)
Kai: You always look pretty Mommy!
Isnt he sweet!

Another 1.5lbs lost, yay! (weight loss blog is HERE)

Ryan got me an ipod nano so that I can start jogging again when I feel upto it. It was my Non-valentines day present, lol. Neither of us like the commercialism of valentines day but we do see it as a day to set aside time in the evening to have a meal together (HE had homemade battered fish & chips while I had a pitta pizza & salad) and curl up in front of a movie.

I've had a bit of time to get some crafting done, which always helps relax & soothe me.

A lovely day playing with my nieces, and we even had a Maccy Ds :-)

So what positives have been happening in your world this week? Come on over to Celtic House & let us know.

Rocking My World Friday

First off has got to be my barginous new toy

Its second hand but that doesnt matter to me, I have a new toy!!! The Big shot express I mean, not the cat ;-)  I bought it to mainly use nesties & embossing folders in, I've really been wanting to try them out. Well I've bought a set of nesties & am now broke, so if anyone has any unloved, FREE nesties or embossing folders you know where to send them, lol... if you need a reason then I have a birthday in May ;-p

I CAUGHT a BUS!!!! Yes, ladies & gentlemen, this silly pink haired person actually managed to get onto public transport. its the getting off that I have most problems with, or rather knowing when to ring the bell & where to get off so minor panic attacks as we got closer to our destination but everything was ok. I say We as Zacks was with me, kind of, he wasnt going to sit by his weird ol' Mum on the bus so sat on the seat right behind the driver away from me, lol. On the way back I was fine, all the buses end up at the Town Shopping Centre so no need to ring the bell or anything.

We caught the bus to Zacks school for his parents interview, i.e I get to hear how he's getting on. Bloomin' Marvellous, thats how he's getting on, improving nicely in all subjects, joining in, confident (yes, he is actually related to me & not adopted ;-) His tutor (whose also his Maths teacher so she's got to luv himseeing he works at Gcse level already) has given him a nickname "The Dictionary", if she needs a word defining she turns to Zack. He had a bit of a problem with one of the lads but thats been cleared up very quickly since I spoke to his Tutor. I think she's definitely a credit to the school.

Today I have both kiddies at home as we're all poorly :-( This is kind of a positive though as we're in high spirits (Its the start of the holls, yay!!!). When I'm ill I'll do what housework I can & then say "blow it" to the rest & relax or craft (almost 1 & the same). Yesterday I got 2 cards made & today I plan to scrapbook.

We had snow! not last night, just freezing rain last night, but last weekend we did get a small amount & Kai certainly took advantage of it.

There wasnt enough to make a snowman so he filled up his bucket & made a snow castle instead .. but first snow angels were needed :-)

So whats been rocking your world this week, come & join us over at Celtic House

Rocking MY World Friday

Hi everyone, phew, what a week! By the end of Monday I already felt like it should be Thursday.

Monday morning I attended Party Crafts, a family learning course at my local primary school. It caught my eye in the weekly school newsletter purely because it said "crafts" so I though hey ho, push myself forward & go join. Its a 2hour session where we make things for parties, half way through our children (Kai in my case) get to come along and join in. I'll show you what we made this week tomorrow. Its a small group, no more than 14 adults can join due to space, safety etc, who seem nice, though there's a bit of a click at the moment due to some of them attending a different course last term together. There's even a woman who went to school with my brother & kind of remembered me (she initially asked if I'd lived near her as a child as she recognised me). **Its a small world after all** It was lovely to listen to adult chatter, to do something structured with Kai that I hadnt organised, & to feel a warm glow of pride afterwards that I'd managed to push myself into a situation I was certainly not comfortable with & had caused panic attacks the night before.

That afternoon I had a phone call off Zacks school, which started off with "he's ok but we think he needs a trip to A&E". One of his friends passed his bag to him by throwing it, the zip, or similar, had caught his cheek below his eye making a rather deep cut. Though it wasn't pouring with blood it wouldnt fully scab over so was weeping blood. It was also very swollen and a lovely shiner of a bruise developing underneath.
So why is this in my positives? Because my MIL was home & able to give us a lift, as well as offering support & being chatty. Because it only needed a couple of butterfly stitches (4 in total, but 2 were used to hold the initial 2 in place) and wasn't worse. And finally because there were barely anyone in front of us in the queue at A&E meaning we got home within 2 hours, as we were leaving the waiting room was suddenly very busy. I do wonder if this was because it was by then just after the kids had finished school & accidents were occuring on the way home or people were arriving with things that had happened at school that teachers hadnt thought needed an A&E visit but parents thought were.

Boots 75% off sale! woohoo!!! Wednesday morning I checked the boots website as I wasnt going shopping that day but knew the boots 75% off sale was due soon & didnt want to miss it. There was the "75% off instore only" sign, changed from the previous "50% off instore only". With a woop, a surge of adrenaline & excitement I quickly got dressed, & enthusiastically hurried Kai up so he'd be in school on time & at the front of the queue that always forms to get in through the reception class doors.
I bought £240 worth of stuff for £60. All of it presents which will be spread through out the year. It doesnt really alter my present budget, but means I can buy a much bigger present for so much less.

Weightloss - yesterday I was weighed & had lost a further 2lbs, yay! I'm not too impressed that I think this may be from my top half but a loss is a loss and I shall keep on going (excuse the pun ;-)

My blog followers - I get such great support & advice off my followers - you guys are GREAT!!!

Fancy putting fingers to keys & tapping out your weeks positives & then linking up for us to have a read? Then link up with the rest of us rockers over at Celtic House

Rocking MY World Friday

Well hello there! I know, I know, I've been a tad absent this week, phew, its a busy ol' time of year, trying to get everything sorted and back on track after the end of year celebrations etc .... add in the odd stress head aka mind numbing migraines = K staying away from the lappy. But I'm back and better than ever .... well, one can always hope.

So, my positives, my first weigh in! I was weighed on the 5th Jan at 10st 3&1/2lb - lighter than I expected, I thought I would be over 10&1/2 stone. Today I weighed in at 10stone exactly, woohoo!! This was all from adding more fruit & veg into my diet & cutting out more of the carp (please not, that IS carp, NOT a typo for carbs). Next week I'll be adding a bit of Zumba-ing into the mix as well.

Cheap christmas decorations & shopping with my Mom - While putting the Christmas decorations away I'd first sit in the room I was about to de-xmas and see if we need anything added. While taking the decorations down I'd fix anything that needed fixing, and make a note of anything I couldn't fix. While out shopping I've been picking up replacement decorations dirt cheap. And shopping with my Mom means that if there's something a bit too pricey I can go "MmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmoOooooOoom" in that up & down way kiddies get :-) Sometimes, just sometimes it works, like yesterday when I got some stunning metal pressie-outline decorations, I'd need 2 packs but was only willing to pay the price of 1 pack, so my lovely Mom paid for them for me, yay!

Talking of kiddies, mine have settled back into school nicely after the hols ... I however am struggling with the early, fast paced mornings but I'm sure I'll be used it just in time for the next holidays.

Having a good general ingredients stock pile so that when Zack brings me a list of ingredients last night for a recipe he's making at school I have everything needed, woohoo!

Whats made your week that lil bit better? Join us over at Celtic House.

Rocking MY World Friday

Hi all **waves** running a bit behind this week, but I'm here, I'm commited & here we go :-)

First off paracetamol, ibrufen, olbas oil & pepsi are ROCKING my world. I have a touch of the flu (yes I'm ill again, its that flammin' time of year) but I am NOT complaining about it ... welll, not to you guys, to my other half, but not you guys :-) ... its that lil bit frustating kind of flu, the kind that saps your energy, makes your glands ache & swell, & leaves you breathing through your mouth for a few days/weeks. Medication is dealing with it nicely though & the caffeine in pepsi helps keep my energy levels high enough for a short time to do a few jobs - so yay, while medicated I'm feeling pretty good :-)

Halloween is always fab, I love it - so I dont repeat myself to my regular readers if you wanna see what we got upto please check out HERE and HERE

Kids are back to school, yay! I love them being off but I also love them going back, I know I'm fickle. I especially like having time to myself at this time of year as it means I can get on with christmas projects (in theory); Whether that means buying presents, making presents, ornaments, planning activities or just day dreaming, its all good.

Mmmmm, posh cake. I had promised Kai a slice of cake & a drink at druckers after he'd seen me bring one home that my Mom had bought. He was very good while we got the few bits of shopping so we went in there afterwards. I can no longer eat a greggs vanilla/custard slice after having these...

its a Mille Feuille - or a double decker, buttery custard slice to you & me. Ryan was a tad gob smacked at the total price but we could actually only devour the bottom layer of these, so I asked for a box & took them home for pud that night.

A chip off the ol' block. I took Kai to our new 99p store & then went back with him & Ry a few days later. as we walked towards it Kai looks up & says "Look Daddy, theres that lovely 99p store". Shows he's got my liking for these cheap shops, lol.

Treating ourselves to a meal out. With a day child free (well, between school times anyway), Ryan & I decided to treat ourselves to a meal out - we opted for Pizza Hut for their buffet as its fairly reasonably priced, we never leave wanting more & can get away with a light snack in the evening.
It gave us a nice bit of "time out", on Rys day off we're usually either doing jobs or concentrating on our own hobbies so its nice to put time aside for each other.

So whats been Rocking your world this week, do come & join in over at Celtic House

Rocking My World Friday

Its the half term hols, yay! which means I have actually had a few lie ins, always a plus ..... even managed to sleep until 9:00 the one day :-O

 

So what else has been rocking my world this week? A few of you asked what new craft I was taking up, well here it is....

My Mom gave me her knitting machine, I totally suck at knitting with needles so thought this would be a good alternative.

so far I have learnt to do a zigzag hem & a plain hem

...how to do different types of stitches

& patterns with a different colour added. Next lesson is to make a wooly hat & a scarf, hopefully I will build up to making gorgeous long cardi's, & knitted jumper dresses.

While we are on the subject of knitting my MIL has made myself, Kai & Zack gorgeous wooly hats for this winter.

Kai's is the same as mine (as above), & Zacks is a beany style hat.

She also made me a fabulous corset...

Made to my figure, fully boned with metal bones (they keep their shape longer) in absolutely GORGEOUS Alexander Henry material, I want to get some in blue at some point to make a summer dress. Click on it to enlarge & see why I think this material is so great.

 I am really happy that we have a new 99p store in my area. I love poundland & this place is bigger AND a whole penny cheaper!!! I even managed to pick up a 30cm x 40cm canvas there which I turned into this...



 A lil idea I picked up off Pinterest.com.

What else is rocking my world?
Merlin & Misfits

My tigger hot water bottle

Halloween crafts (watch this space)

Olbas oil tissues

So what great things have happened to you this week, even if its a bad week, dig deep & it might make you feel a bit better, jin us over at Celtic House.

Rocking MY World Friday

Its suddenly got cold here this week, so cold that I was sitting in my house yesterday, fully dressed,  with the addition of 2 pairs of socks on (1 of which was a thermal pair), my dressing gowm, & my hat!(hat was quickly taken off before answering the door to postie) & I could still feel the cold. So the heating HAD to be turned on, not for long, but enough to warm the house through. This might sound a bit of a moan but I can assure you it isnt, why? because this cold weather means I can get my loooooong jumpers out, I can get my ironfist fuggs out & (now the heatings on) I can sit all cosily on dark evenings. I LOVE this time of year, the excited build up of both Halloween & Christmas, the dark evenings, & crisp cold sunny mornings.

My lads did my proud on tuesday - I had to got to A&E with a family member who, while passed out, thought it would be the done thing to wash her hair in the ceramic dog bowl but managed to cut her head open on it instead, doh!!! The men in the ambulance were lovely, & the majority of hospital staff we saw were fab. It was a long day, tiring day but when I returned home not only had the shopping that was delivered put away but also almost the entire house had been tidied & cleaned, including the washing up .... I may have to go to A&E more often! Erm, hopefully not.

I am also glad that said family member didnt have more serious injuries than it was - a blood clot (aka big lump) removed so the cut (about 4" wide, yes I did measure it ;-) could be sewn together & glued at the edges was more than enough thank you very much.

Today is the last day of school before the half term hols, hooray! I am soooo looking forward to a slow morning without having to tell Kai to hurray up or he'll be late, or getting cross with him because he'd rather stay in bed/play than get into his uniform, I am soooooo looking forward to trying a new craft out over the hols especially without having to clock watch.

Now I'm off to Celtic House to add my list to the other rockers & rockettes (nearly put rickettes then, eep!), hows about you join in with us.

Rocking MY World Friday

Is it Friday already? Where on earth has the time gone this week, in the blink of an eye its the weekend ... oooo, my first positive on the list :-)

Next I have to say hoorah for being organised! We have bought all of Kai's presents for Christmas and know exactly what we're getting Zack as well as everyone else we have to buy for. We have also planned what pots of money its coming out of as well. We have found a few bargains this week, but I cant really comment on them incase the eldest decides to have a nosey here ;-x It is wonderful that we now have a Toys-r-us within walking distance though.  We've always had very little choice in toys in our area, limited to places such as Asda, Argos & a small entertainer, even Woolies went :-( But within the past year we've had a Smyths & recently a Toys-R-Us open up on the retail park meaning I can compare prices online & then go actually look at the toys to see if they're suitable, what size they are etc, maybe even use a voucher or two!!!!

While out bargain hunting with my Mom today she treated me to this......

...isnt it fab!!! Unfortunately the bats mixed in with the glitter had all landed before I could get a clear photo :-( Its also has a wind up music box with the key below, which plays Ding Dong the Witch is dead. It shall be taking pride of place in the centre of my display cabinet with my lil OOAK witch. She has also pre-ordered/bought me Inheritence, the final of the Eragon books that I've been waiting & waiting to read to finish the supposed trilogy that turned into a quadrology.

I am also very happy that I had no kiddies at home today & ... **goes to touch the wooden bedside table** ...we have finally cleared the house of the tummy bug. As anyone who read last weeks post knows Kai & I had got it, well on Tuesday Zack was sent home from school after being sick as well **holds head in hands** I was emotionally & Physically exhausted, especially after the palava we had to get through to get him home (We havent a car, school didnt want to put him in taxi or a bus, I was on way to get Kai from school, Ry was at work & was in charge of not only his store but all the stores in the district, we didnt want to expose family members who hadnt got the bug to the bug as it is horrendous etc etc etc). We did get him home though thanks to a lovely taxi driver who wasnt particularly well herself. After a few rants about it all my Father in law, sister in law & friend have all said not to be so silly, next time I'm to ring them, they'll pick him up, & not get so stressed out that they/their kids may catch it ... so its fab to know I have them to lean on at such times. np, I was ranting how stressed I was at the school, not about them not being able to pick him up.

So whats brightened your life just that lil bit more this week? Hows about joining in & linking up over at Celtic House with us :-)

Rocking MY World Friday

Lifes been a bit busy lately, which I usually enjoy, so you get two weeks of positives this week as I havent been around :-)

First of all the comments I've been receiving lately on my blog have really rocked me world, they have been so supportive and raise my confidence .... than you all.

The way my lil family pull together when I'm ill - yet again the dreaded tummy bug is lurking in my house, 2nd time since school started, & I'm pretty crook with it. Kai's looked after me most of the day, tucking me in with ALL his blankets (he has a few) while I rest on the sofa. Zack has just popped upto the shops to get me some apples as they have that crisp clean taste that I need at the moment, he's also tried to keep Kai quiet when he came in to find me sound asleep.
& finally Ryan for doing Kai a lunch box so I wouldnt have to go near food while he was at work, for rubbing my back & grabbing warm flannels for me, & checking up on me even though its a jam packed day at work.

I have won 2 prizes this week, a metal borax tin that I already have plans how to alter, and a signed imbetweeners yearbook.

I was taken for my feet to be nibbled by fishes (belated birthday present), its a funny feeling but the fish seem to enjoy it & it left my feet feeling wonderful. Then it was off to the cinema for Rys brithday treat ... mmm, popcorn, coke & sci-fi, who could ask for more!

With the lovely warm weather we've had we had the chance to go to the beach. It was Kai's first time & he loved it. We splashed in the sea, made sandcastles & buried Zack. We had fish & chips on the beach, and collected sea shells. I'm sure you'll be seeing a scrapbook page on it very soon.

I have the crafting bug back and have even been making cards! I think my confidence in card making takes a beating when I look at all the other beautiful cards out there that people make, I just need to get it into my head that that isnt my style, my style is simple & without the "chintz".

So what have been your highlights of the week, how about sharing them with us, popping over to Celtic House to link up so we can come visit :-)

Rocking MY world Friday

So yet again its friday, a day I look forward to every school day as it means the hope of a lie in the next day... or at least a morning not spent rushing around at silly oclock.

This week I have refound my mojo, I have been able to craft as you shall see when I shop you next week, not only craft but enjoy crafting.

I found money in my wallet that I'd forgotten was there :-)

We've managed to get both the kiddies main presents at bargainous prices, woohooooooooo!

I've started jogging again &, though starting for step 1 again I am really enjoying it.

I have that christmassy feeling starting to grow inside, that warm snuggly feeling, that tinge of excitement. The looking forward to early, cold nights with a warm cup of hot chocolate & crafting on my lap, or a good programme on tv, talking about programmes I've discovered some really great ones. I am loving both Haven & Alphas, I'm also catching up on Chuck (I'm 2 seasons behind). Supernatural season 7 starts tonight in america, & the new season of big bang theory has recently started - fab shows to watch while crafting. Can you tell I like my sci-fi?

So what have been your highlights of the week, how about sharing them with us, popping over to Celtic House to link up so we can come visit :-)

Rocking MY World Friday

Pinterest.com for loads of ideas

Carding Mill Valley with my lovely kiddie winkles, niece, nephew & Sister In Law

1/2 price mini sandpit in the sales (£7.50p, bargain!!!)

Finding new appreciation for old toys

Kai's developing artistic skills

My little Ponies

Zacks developing cooking skills (he made us prawn toast the other night, mmmmmm)
Warm Days
FABULOUS support & comments from both my twitter & blog followers, they really do make writing here well worth it.

So whats been rocking your world? Link up at Celtic House

Rocking MY World Friday

So whats been rocking my world this week?

• The Staff at Kai's (now ex) Nursery
  They have been so fab the whole time Kai has been there, & made us feel so welcome. Not only have they created an atmosphere that Kai has always been happy & comfortable to enter from day one, but also one that I could also join in. I dont think they actually realise what a difference the way they act to not only the children but to the parents can make a big impact. The staff dont know I'm agrophobic & have issues with mingling with people but because they are soooooo nice (especially Mrs Kelly & Mrs Walker, purely as they were more involved with Kai I had more to do with them), and made us feel so very very welcome I felt able to go on trips with the nursery, & later on attend fun activities within the nursery. Not only within the nursery but if I didnt feel comfortable with the nursery I'd never have been able to go that bit further to attend the FEAST bus.
  
  They held a lovely Graduation today for those leaving nursery, Kai absolutey refused to sing the goodbye song at the end - I dont think think he wanted it to be goodbye. I hope they all realise what a great job they do, how much we appreciate them & how they shall be missed.
  

• Bargains
  As many of you know I love bargains & there are some really good ones out at the moment. I managed to get 3 trilbys, 2 black leather lookalike medium sized handbags from Claires for .. bom bom boooooooom £10!!! Original price £67
  I've also managed to pick up some goodies for the xmas hampers at great prices so hoping to have nice full hampers this year.
• PROUD MUMMY ALERT
  On monday we recieved a letter from Zacks head of english saying that at the beginning of the school year they tested all kiddies on their reading & spelling skills. Since then he's progressed by a standard of 2 & a 1/2 years!
  But wait, wait, there is more!!!Today he came home with a certificate ... he previously took the "United Kingdom Junior Mathematical Challenge", which is taken by years 7 & 8 out of 3700 schools around the UK (years 8 & 9 in Ireland) - He not only got into the highest 13% score out of the children taking part this year (over 250'000) but also was the highest scoring in his school.  I jokingly told him I'm getting bored  of all these awards & he's going to make me bankrupt with them all, lol
• Back to the Hair
  Zack wasnt too fussed at me attending his school events & being seen with me & my green/blue hair ... which I found a little confusing seeing his previous reaction.
  Turns out that I actually have cool hair! His mates actually like it, to the point where one of them actually wants to dye theirs the same colour, lol.
• In the picture
  Kai's artwork is REALLY coming along, you can now see what a lot of the things he is drawing actually are, he's playing around more with colours & techniques. My latest favourite being...

So its not his finest penmanship but its me on a bus ... can you spot my hair, lol, I found it so funny how it was nearly all done in purple but he changed colour specifically for my curls.

So whats been positive in your lives this week? Join us over at Celtic House

Rocking MY World Friday

Can you believe its friday again! The weeks are busy at the moment & rather fun at times...

• I spent a lovely morning at Kai's nursery last friday morning making a collage.
• Kai makes me giggle at times with his clothes. He's very independent when it comes to choosing what he wants to wear outside of nursery, hes definately defining his own style, & I think may even have a future career in fashion design! It was a rather hot day & he decided it was too hot for his t-shirt so instead he came up with a lovely off the shoulder crop top....

....out of a pair of boxers!!!!!

• We went to Zacks parents conference (we always called it parents evening but suppose they had to change that as its now held in the day) & when it came to what he can improve on his tutor just didnt know what to put, she is so happy with him (as are we). I did come up with a few points I thought he needed to work on which she agreed with but on the whole he is doing amazingly well, to the point that in Maths he's actually working at a GCSE grade C level, for a year 7 I think that is AMAZING.
• Cooking - I am so enjoying cooking again, sometimes I get into a slump where I'm repeating the same meals & really am fed up with cooking anything. With the help of the FEAST bus I have re found my passion. It truely is a shame that this week was my last lesson on it :-( but I have learnt some invaluable tricks.
• Kai went round to a friends house for the first time this week, we both had a lovely, relaxed time
• Finally, being with my partner for 9 years & 1 day (today). Ryan & I are in many ways total opposites but this makes us the perfect team, we complete each other. I think it was the greeks who believed that humans were once creatures with 4 arms, 4 legs, 2 heads etc. To make these creatures so they werent so strong & powerful one of the gods (or maybe even a goddess) ripped them in two, scattering them across the world. These creatures, now human, spent their lives looking for their "other half" because only then could they be completely whole, can they be at their strongest & most powerful. This is how it is with Ryan & myself, together we are whole. I am the calm to his hot temper, he is the confidence to my lack of,  He is the yang to my yin, etc etc etc, we even each other out and become balanced. We've had our ups & downs like all couples but after these 9 years I think we're stronger than ever.

If you wish to join us with our friday postive posts & let us know whats Rocking YOUR world friday then pop on over to Celtic House & link up.

Rocking My World Friday

Its Friday again, woohoo, so what Positive things has this week brought me?

I'm sleeping soundly again, yay!!! I think if I'd gone much longer I'd probably have gone even more loopy than I am now.

I had a day of crafting & it was glorious. I didnt get much done (2 cards, some rice krispie squares (recipe will be up wednesday) & strawberry cupcakes (recipe will be up tuesday)) but it was lovely to sit & play.

Ryan bought me a bouquet of White Lillies (no, I'm not superstitious). Its the first time he's ever BOUGHT me flowers (we've been together near enough 9 years).

Zack received an award at his school this week. For each subject a girl & boy are chosen from each year who have achieved the most in that subject. They also try & work it so theres no duplication either. Zack won his for Science. I am sooooooooo very proud of him and to be honest, happy that it was a subject other than Maths as this is the subject that he really excels in ... its nice for him to get high praise in other subjects as well.

I was yet again on the FEAST bus this week & learnt not only how to make chicken curry from scratch, carrot & oat muffins & strawberry muffins but also how to portion off a raw chicken!!! I'm not squeamish around meat, as long as its been prepared for me (i.e no heads etc, very sorry to any vegetarians out there) then I'm ok to deal with it. We learnt how to remove the legs, wings & breast meat. It felt a real achievement to me, & works out so much cheaper than buying fillets.
More about the FEAST bus on Sunday when I will tell you all about it with a few photos.

As you will be seeing on my blog these coming weeks I've been baking loads of food from scratch & have been thoroughly enjoying it. I enjoy putting the effort into the food when my family show they appreciate it.

So how has your week been? If you want to share or have a look at other peoples weeks pop on over to Celtic House.

Rocking MY world Friday

Its been an up & down week & I have to admit I'm really not in the mood to do anything, feeling rather down & sorry for myself, so its probably the perfect time to reflect on the positives & cheer myself up.

I have a nasty cough, it attacks mainly when my chest & throat are anything but totally vertical ... yes sleeping is virtually impossible & non existent, in the past 72 hours I've had about 8 hours sleep, therefore I am VERY thankful I managed to get about 4 hours kip last night in fits & bursts.

The tiredness is starting to show as I cooked the pasta for Macaroni cheese only to find I hadnt enough Milk or Cheese to complete it, I was too tired & stressed to even think of what else I could use it for. So I am very grateful that not only is Ryan & Zack went to the chippy for me but that I also had enough cash in the house for them to do so.

This morning I had a lovely hour at Kai's Pre-school making chocolate rice krispie cakes with him. I shall miss the staff there when he goes into reception class in September.

I received a letter from Zacks school saying he'd been nominated for a prize at the ceremony evening in celebration of good work/working hard & inviting us too attend (oh, he is soooo going to love me attending with my non-norm hair colour, not! lmao). We're not too sure exact details though I would guess its for Maths work. Me being a mean Mummy folded the letter up so only my name & the letter head showed, when Zack came home I put on a stern face & asked Why on earth was I receiving letters from his school about the quality of his work, what had he been upto!!!!! Looking concerned he stammered he didnt know what it was about, he hadnt done anything wrong. Me keeping up the stern face & gruff tone "Then why on earth have you been nominated for a prize then!!!". Poor kid, lol

I've been after a lace summer hat in Primark for the past couple of months but its always been out of stock & they havent been able to get any in. I saw one in the shop window today but couldnt find any instore so I took a deep breath & asked a shop assistant if she could get the one out the window for me - look at me getting the confidence to request stuff in shops! I thought it was a straight forward request but of course with me it wasnt straight forward at all & the poor girl had to ask quite a few other members of staff to find the key to open the gates to the window. When she took it down it turned out the wire rim had come unstitched, so she let me have it for £1, woohoo, its an easy fix so I'm very happy.

FEAST bus was cancelled this week :-( however it meant I could go get shopping & pay bills without Kai with me. (Next week I plan to take piccies of the FEAST bus and tell you all about it, so all will be explained :-)

Kai visited his reception class for the first time on Wednesday & seemed to settle in nicely.

Pinterest.com is definately rocking my world this week having lost spent many hours, mainly at night getting lots of inspiration, especially for the kids to do in the summer hols.

& finally I have had such an ego boost this week .... I have had sooooo many strangers coming up to me telling me how nice my hair colour is, one even called me beautiful **blush** I have never had strangers come up to me to complement me before, its embarrassing but also very nice. Hooray for blue & green hair.

Life is all about perspective, if you can find the positives in your darkest moments it will go that little way to make your life easier & a much better place to be. To see others doing just like I have pop along to Celtic house, or even join in.

Rocking My World Friday

So I'm running a lil bit late with this but lets pretend I'm on time ;-)

This weeks been rather busy, jam packed, and my calendar is filling fast.

• Though around Fathers day is always rather hard for me. I try & put my thoughts to one side so my children & Other Half  have a fun day. This year Ryan made a Lemon New York Cheesecake which was delicious, & very nice that I didnt have to cook that evening due to him making pub & us having chinese as a treat.
 
• I went on a school trip to Cadermill Valley with Kai's class. Even sitting in pouring rain under a parachute to eat lunch was fun (stingey coach driver wouldnt let us eat on the coach, even though he was :-O It was a jam packed day with lots of lil cuddles, slipping onto my bum, tub boat races & the best bit PADDLING in the streams.
 
• Again, cuddling on the sofa with Ry is definately high on my positives this week, lovely to just chill out together infront of the box together
 
• An even fabber session on the Feast Bus, both cooking & chatting with the ladies on board, only 3 of us this week (plus the *teacher*) & we finished earlier than expected so we sat & had a cuppa
 
• The lovely support I get on here in the comment box **mwahhhhhh** to all my followers (especially those who comment ;-)

So what are your positives of the week? If you fancy joining in link up on Celtic House.

Rocking My World Friday

Life has been rather busy lately, mainly due to illnesses & the half term holidays. I'd like to say things are settling down but with a little one off with a Tummy Bug it hasnt got there yet. Its when times are this busy that I think we can miss out on the little positives that make life so worth while so I am taking a moment out to highlight mine.

• Giggling with a good friend on the phone for hours having not spoken properly in months.

• My youngest being so brave with a tummy bug he's had this week, he didnt cried once yet was quite violently ill at times.
• My eldest for being very sweet to my youngest while he's been so ill including looking after him 1st thing in the morning so they didnt wake me up.
• I started a little cooking course that shows how to cook healthy, nutricious food - its on for 6 weeks. We made pizza totally from scratch with a  tomatoey sauce jam-packed-full of veg that can be used for pizza's, a bolognaise base, a pasta sauce, chilli con carne base etc etc etc. I'll share with you the recipe soon.

• Being able to go to, participate & chat on the course, theres 5 of us attending, & though this isnt a big thing for most people, a lot of you will realise what a step this is for me.
• Not only that but I also went to a picnic at the school today, something I normally avoid due to the large volume of people but it was lovely & sooooooooo shows that my new tablets are working :-)
• Finding time to craft
• Date night!!! My other half & I have very different interests so will frequently spend time in different rooms, or in different "worlds" rather than engaging with each other properly in an evening (though we always chat while I'm cooking tea & before we fall asleep) so we've set aside saturday evenings to have our meal together after the kids go to bed and then cuddle infront of a movie. Its something we both look forward to now.

So there we go, another week almost over, this is probably one of my few quiet weeks left, being the last half term of the school year my diary is filling up fast with quite a few things to look forward to.
If you wish to join in please link up at Celtic House :-)

Rocking My World Friday

Join in at Celtic House.

There was no way I couldnt do a post this week as its been such a fab one.

First of all I have to say a HUGE thank you to my internet based friends that have been supportive of me lately as I strive to tackle my social anxiety & Agoraphobia. They have truely rocked my world this week with their openess, and kind words.

My other half has been off this week & though hasnt helped out round the house (tut tut) he has been very supportive & got me to chill out a bit, its been lovely to have time with him.

Being able to re-use 2 beds has been totally rocking my world, I have been turning them into other things & thoroughly enjoyed it .... not finished yet but I shall be blogging about it when I have, maybe a week long special.

I'm a bit of a lazy bod, well, not lazy as such but I usually much prefer not to exercise, but having started doing coach to 5k while actually in the middle of the jog/walking I am really enjoying it & its giving me a real sense of satisfaction. 

Oh & my Postie has rocked my world (minds out the gutter please!). On the other side of my estate to my home I was on my way to get Kai, my postie saw me while doing her round & said she'd got some parcels for me but I had been out, would someone be in so she could bring them round soon as she'd done the rest of the houses. Ry had just walked home so yep, someone was definately in.
She dropped them off while I was walking Kai back, and gave an enthusiastic wave & a smile as she drove past us. OH was very happy as she called him beautiful, I kept quiet thats one of the things she calls everyone.

Half an hour later, another parcel drops through the door & we see her walking back to her van ... it was very obviously a birthday present as it was covered in "Happy Birthday" (thank you fluffy :-) so she must not have wanted me to miss out. I've got an email addy from the lovely people @RoyalMail on twitter so I can send a compliment email to them saying how nice our postie is .... well most people are quick enough to complain, I like to balance it out with a well done.

Its my birthday today, yay! & I've received some beautiful cards (which I shall blog this weekend) and lovely presents. I have been thoroughly spoilt & have had a lovely day ....

Now wont you all join me for a bit of virtual birthday choccy cake? Its calorie free :-)