The disney force

Hello :) What day are we on now? Sunday, Ok then lol. Feels weird because I did a car boot yesterday and usually that's a Sunday activity.
Was lucky though, we just packed up and the rain started and a CRAZY thunder storm began! Seriously the house was shaking with the thunder, poor Cait was scared and Scamp was going nuts!
Much nicer today though, so plan to carry on sorting the garage now Ive got rid of all the car boot bits. The aim is to get electric installed in there in the new year so we can put a chest freezer out there. That has been the aim since we moved in 7 years ago though so lets wait and see ;)
I did say id share a recent layout today, but I'm going to have to wait on that one again. Weather was dreadful yesterday so no point even trying to get photos, I can share a bargain I bought on Friday though.
Look what I found in TK maxx! £3, sugar paper punches! Never even heard of these, was just browsing the baking section for cookie cutters and spotted them. Cut paper perfectly so I was thrilled!

So not an up to date layout but still a layout to share. I took these photos in Disneyland a few years ago, I love the one of caitlin as it looks like Stitch is actually trying to grab her.

Journaling reads:
We told you both you could pick a toy at the end of our week at Disneyland. On day two though you saw these Stitch soft toys and that was it. they went everywhere with you for the rest of the holiday.

They still have these teddies :) Even though they're older they both love their soft toys. I still have a couple I got before they were born though so I can't say anything about it! :)

You are the light of my life

Seems like ages since I shared something up to date I did, I've actually done 15 layouts so far this week but this is still one I made back in May. Maybe share a new one tomorrow ;)
This photo was taken last year in Mablethorpe. We go on a couple of The Sun £6.50 holidays a year as its cheap, we love it and Scamp can come too!

We're actually going to the same place next month so quite excited about that.

Spent today getting all of the winter clothes down from the loft. Watch a heatwave begin now. lol.

Make today amazing

Wow its been a long time since I blogged. Looking at past years though August is always a quiet blogging time as obviously there's lot of activities with the kids and day trips.
On top of that Camerons been really difficuilt lately. Not in a misbehaving way, but he's been having so many meltdowns we all feel like we're walking on eggshells. Even my Mum who I think always thought I was making up his moodswings has said shes seen a difference. I don't know if its the lack of routine or what but I can usually see a meltdown before it starts and head it off with some quiet time but these are coming out of nowhere. He got it into his head the other day the house was going to burn down, so we took him around and showed him the smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, gas safety shut off etc to calm him down. Then it was someone breaking in, showed him locks on doors/windows, high fences etc. Then on Wednesday was a major meltdown because he was worried Mark and I would get a divorce because we had been fighting so much! This really confused me as I can't remember the last time we had a fight but when Cam explained we realised when Mark and I teased each other he thought we were fighting.
Thing is, Im as sarcastic as hell and so is Mark. The 'fight' that set Cameron off was earlier in the car where I was singing, mark said I sounded like a dying cat and I said I had a great voice he was just a deaf old man. That was it. We were laughing and none of it was said in an aggressive tone or anything so I didn't think anything of it. In retrospect Caitlin was laughing too and agreeing with her dad (I am a dreadful singer) but Cameron was quiet. I just assumed he was playing Pokemon go on my phone and none of us exsisted.
We had a talk to him and we're trying to be more careful what we say but told him if he's not sure then to ask us if we're fighting or just kidding around. Since then he's been asking all the time, I could be having a normal conversation about what to have for dinner and Cam will ask if I'm ok because I sound stressed, I'll ask Mark to do something and he'll say 'ok in a minute' and Cam will ask if I'm mad at him. It sounds horrible but I'm scared to do or say anything now in case I accidently worry him. We have another meeting with the autism/adhd team at the start of October but thinking I'm going to have to see them before then.
It's not all been bad don't get me wrong, we've had some great day trips and some lovely family time just sitting about watching TV, going out for picnics and dinners etc.
I've also managed a lot of scrapping :) 14 layouts in a week! They're not my best as I've done them with my scraps and 'overflow' embellishment box which never look quite as cohesive and together as my 'kit' ones. My scraps box was overflowing though so needed done!
This is an old one I did with on of my fave Like for ever kits. I loved the papers and wanted to show all sides of them so this layout I saw on pinterest was perfect!

The photo is from a couple of Christmas' ago. We used to have an 'event' calender as well as a chocolate calender, things like making a gingerbread house, going to see the lights turning on in town, going for breakfast etc. The kids are a bit old for the crafty things but they still love the meals out and day trips!
One of our faves is the buffet breakfast at the beefeater near our house. Its really laid back and I can chill out with a coffee while the kids play their ds and eat (their fave past times!) This day was even better as we had just finished our food when I think half the kids class turned up. Not long behind them was Santa!
All the kids were playing in a small room near the tables, talking to santa and getting gifts while the Mums and Dads chatted.

Fueled up with a big breakfast, I spent the rest of the day shopping :) Brilliant day all round!

one confused dog

Today was the big annual garage sale at Burton latimer. We love this sale and always pick up lots of bargains :)
Usually theres a lady selling off some craft stuff but she wasn't there this time :( Still got some good bits though :)
One lady was selling a load of books for 25p. We seemed to have the exact same taste as many of them were on my 'to read' list. I could have bought lots more but I couldn't remember which ones I had already read.

I also bought this bag. It has lots of little pockets and removable inserts so will be perfect for embellishment on crops etc. It's supposed to be for make up I think but I can easily adapt it. Bargain at £1 brand new as I later found it online for £38!

Cameron got a couple of new games, Caitlin some drawing things and I grabbed a few little bits I can put away for Christmas so well worth the trip!
Scamp had a great time too, long walk and lots of people fussing over him. Perfect day in Scamps mind :)
Much better than Caitlins birthday last year lol, he was very confused by the whole thing, though he did enjoy playing with the wrapping paper.

Loved these little frames from last months LFE kit, and the little 'meh' went perfectly with Scamps face!

He'd got the hang of the whole 'gift' situation by Christmas and there were a few parcels for him under the tree ;)

Tis the season

OK I know it's August but I'm starting my Christmas planning :)
It's nothing big, just started making an Amazon list of bits and bobs the kids would like so I can keep an eye on if the prices drop enough for it to be a bargain. Also been planing some bits for our Christmas party so yey on that too :)
Other than that today its been housework and a bit of scrapping, very relaxing :)
This wasn't one of the ones I did today but being in a Christmas mood I thought I'd share a Christmas themed layout I did a while ago. I LOVED this Like for ever kit and used every bit I could of it, which took a while as I added quite a lot to it so it was a huge kit!
This layout is one of the kids opening their stockings on our bed. It's tradition that they come and open their stockings first while I go get some coffee and check that santa has been, gives the grown ups time to wake up too ;)

Love these little bows and sequins :) Can't wait to see what kit we get at Christmas this year!

Happy mail

Today was an up and down day, though thankfully more ups than downs :)
Kids were very quiet this morning and both played with their games when they got up. As a result the grown ups managed to sleep in which was a lovely start to the day. Got to love snuggles with my fur baby in the morning.

Mark had a hospital appointment with the brain injury clinic in Wellingbrough. It was a long appointment so the kids took their ds and book to entertain them. Wish I was clever enough to do that as I had nothing to do!
Managed to keep myself entertained looking at Pinterest, thank goodness for smartphones :)

The appointment was pretty much as expected. Marks ability to process information is getting worse so he's been referred to the young persons dementia team. Looking on the bright side I suppose that means we can get some help and I'm not going crazy thinking there's something wrong when there isn't lol.
Coming home I was feeling a bit down so I was so pleased to get this happy mail from a friend. I had bought some add ons for this months LFE kit and split it with another member. She had not only sent me the bits I bought but included these goodies too.

Honestly I'm so lucky to have the online friends that I do. :) I feel very lucky.

Scavenger hunt catch up

I'm still taking part in the Summer scavenger hunt over at Gallo Organico I've just been dreadful keeping my blog up to date! So here's an update of what I managed to get over the holidays so far.

9. Someone playing with, in, or around water.
Easy to get when we were in Spain! Had lots of photos to pick from but I love this one of me and the kids.

12. A window
I kept an eye out for a pretty window, stained glass or something, but then I took this picture of the kids messing about on the balcony at our hotel. I've no idea what Cameron was saying but Caitlin was cracking up!
Unless I find a pretty window somewhere I love this photo for 'window' despite the best bit being on the other side of it iykwim.

13. The moon
I took a picture of the moon out of the window of the plane, but it ended up really looking bright like the sun rather than the moon :\
I was lazing at the pool one morning and saw the moon over the mountains and thought it made a pretty picture so choose that instead.

15. A team logo
OK I admit I've no idea who this team are! Around the lake at our hotel where stalls where you could buy the usual holiday stuff. One of which were keyrings you could have your name or something stuck into and they had this as an option.

20. Someone laughing
I was going to use the photo of Caitlin for this but then I saw this photo my Mum took at the airport. I've NO idea what was making me laugh so much. I had had a couple of drinks by this point as I'm a nervous flyer and based on Marks face I think I was being a bit loud! Hehe.

21. A photograph of you with a newspaper or calendar page from the time period covered in the Hunt. Note: you may not
use a substitute for this item.
I did try and get a paper with a nice headline but I don't think those exist! This was near the end of the holiday so I'm wearing Marks t-shirt as my back was burnt to a crisp. Ouch!

alternative 2: a baby (human or animal)
I took this photo when we got home. It was my niece Evies birthday so I went up to help set up her gift (xbox 360) and took this shot of my nephew Rylie sitting in his bouncy chair. Made me laugh as my sister was there, saw me take it, but later rung my Mum asking why I'd took a picture as I was being sneaky! Don't think she trusts me ;p

Girls day

Its august! I think it's a sign of getting older when the months just seem to be on fast forward. Last month was super busy including our annual holiday to Spain. Now while we got back at the end of July, I think my brain got left behind, but more on that later!
So the 7th means another challenge over at Challenge YOUrself. This month is an inspiration challenge.

Now I admit I struggle with these ones. I tend to work with a kit each month so if the kit I have out doesn't work with the challenge it's difficuilt. That said that's what these challenges are for!
This painting said 'Autumn' to me, so I pulled out a photo of Scamp at the farm the first Autumn we had him. I took the reds and blues from the painting and dug out a kit to match, and made this layout.

Remember how I said my brain got left behind? Do you see the problem with this layout for a Challenge YOUrself challenge?! Yep, I'm not in it!! Well technically that is my foot Scamp is leaning on but I don't think that counts. *sigh*
So challenge attempt take two. I used a kit I've been trying to kill and I knew had some watercolour effect embellishments in similar to the effect in the painting. So I did this layout.

Look, there I am there, in the blue top, hiiiiiiiii.
So please join in with our challenge this month, using a photo of YOU (key thing there I've learned) and the picture as inspiration. I can't wait to see what you make! :)

'Payday'

Today has been a busy day. Was our 'payday' so all the bills ect and shopping needed to be done.
First though I took the kids to the cinema :)

Our local was showing 'Angry birds' cheap so was a cheap morning out. Caitlins friend Paige slept over last night and as the weather was dreadful it was the best way to get them out of the house and out of Marks hair! lol.
Was a better film than I expected to be honest, Cameron loved it but with a bird that farted fireballs I'm not really surprised.
Once home I spent most of the rest of the day on the computer. To save cash I do as much of my shopping online as I can do so that kept me busy. I did have some company though :)

Tomorrow we're off to the Robin hood festival in Nottingham. Mark and I went before way before the kids were born so looking forward to going again. Supposed to be really hot so making the most of it and taking a picnic too!

Spain

So I've been missing in action again, but this time I have a good excuse :) I got back from Spain a few days ago and this is the first time I've actually had a chance to sit down and blog.
It was a brilliant holiday. Very hot, so lots of time in and around the pool lol. The excursions were so expencive so we only went on two. One to a theme park, the highlight of which was a trip to Costa for me, and one where we went to a ranch and rode horses.
It was a great holiday, and meant all the more as I think it will be the last one we will be having. Money is getting tighter for everyone so we made sure it was special. :)

Money became even more of an issue when we got home and the washing machine broke on the first day back!
Got to laugh :p
Turned out to be a blessing though as when we went to the Argos warehouse to get a new one, not only was there one £150 cheaper than we thought but I found the bed Cam wanted for £30!!!!! Bargain!

Week in review

So been a while since I blogged. To be honest I think I'm being a bit tough on myself with this, I want to blog, then I sit down at night and I'm just so wiped I can't think of anything interesting to say, then I feel bad I haven't blogged in ages.
Why I don't know as lets face it nobody is sitting crying because I haven't blogged lol. Would be worse to look back on posts where I've just blogged for the sake of it and not saying anything on consequence I think.
So this week has been another busy one. Lots of appointments and blood tests etc and also had Caitlins bed delivered. Yey! When we started redecorating she asked me for a reading nook. She loves to read which I love to encorage so I started looking around for some kind of play tent or canopy I could hang from the ceiling.
Thing was everything was either really flimsy looking or cost just under £100. So I decided to make one myself :)
This could have been a pinstrosity but I think it turned out great!!

Its a bed sheet, hula hoop and some bunting from her old bed. I also cut some flowers for the outside and stuck lots of glow in the dark stars inside. She was thrilled and I admit I was super proud of myself :)
Saturday was the Next sale. It started at 5 so Mum and I went 2 hours early as usual at 3, we were the first ones there!!!!
Might have bought a few bits ;)

As usual a lot going back though lol, I'm not keeping all £600 worth!
Today the weather was beautiful so we went to a nearby village which was having a garage sale. It was SO hot! We found a nearby spring and I lifted Scamp so he could get a drink, he decided to jump in and cool down that way. Fair enough :)

Beautiful views.

Got some bargains. Kids got some books and Mark a couple of games. I found one stall where a woman was selling off a lot of card making stuff so got these bits :) Bargain of the day though was the 'wreck this book' journal. I've wanted to get one for Mollie for a while so was pleased to see this one, brand new, for 50p. I couldn't believe it when she suddenly appeared behind me and shouted 'Oh I really want one of those!' Shows how well I know her but kind of ruined the surprise!!

Well I'm hoping to get some crafting done tomorrow as I'm guessing Mark will be spending the day in bed, so will at least have that to blog!

Happy birthday to me :)

Ok so I'm a day late but I was wiped out yesterday, it was my birthday!
We had planned to do the car boot, again, but again the weather was dreadful so Mum and I decided to go shopping instead. We go on holiday next month and half the fun is buying pretty new things to wear while away :P
I'd asked everyone for some money to buy myself some new bits so I was very excited to get things for myself as most of our money goes on the kids. Quite rightly of course but nice to spoil myself a bit too.
We drove to peterbrough and hit the shops! Managed to find a bikini in the first shop I went into which to be honest was amazing, its a nightmare to find swimsuits to fit me and that don't cost a fortune. Few other shops hit and it was time for a coffee.
Birthday treat to myself, Costa double chocolate cookie mocha. Dread to think of the calories but omg it was yum!

As well as clothes and stuff I needed, I bought the best pjs ever with a voucher my niece got me. How cool are these!!

and they even came with cute little tags that can be used on a scrapbooking page. Bonus!

I had an amazing day :) So many birthday wishes from my friends and family. I feel so spoiled and loved. :)
I'm a typical mum so my life revolves around my kids and Mark so was lovely to spend a day with my Mum thinking about myself. Not that I didn't buy a few bits for them too, old habits die hard ;)
So thats the shopping for Summer sorted, will be Christmas shopping soon, yey! I love Christmas :)
Speaking of heres another Christmas layout I did a while ago. We went to a Christmas party with my work and Caitlin had her face painted as an angel.

This was one of the last layouts I did with this kit so its a bit sparce but I still love it. I loved these papers and they are perfect with these older photos, paler colours than I usually like for Christmas but loved these.
Very different from this months bright and sunny kit. Perfect if we ever get some sunshine!

Butter wouldnt melt

Its July, it's July! We're over halfway through the year already!?
Honestly this year is just on fast forward, I think it feels odd as well that its July and I had my heating on the other day lol. Don't think anybody told nature its supposed to be summer!
So the start of a new month brings another challenge over at Challenge YOUrself. This month is also extra special as we're saying goodbye to some wonderfully talented ladies (We will miss you Tracey, Katherine and Jessie!) but we get to welcome some equally talented and wonderful ladies to join us :)

So like I said, it's July, so this months challenge is to use the following sketch and a summer theme. If your area ia anything like mine you may need to dig out old photos to get a Summer feel rather than a Winter one ;)

I love sketch challenges, and this one was perfect as it was simple enough to give a good jumping off point and could be altered to fit the individual. Unlike me I actually stuck quite close to the sketch and I love the result.

I used this months Like for ever kit called 'carefree' I love the bright colours and patterns, and the ephemera is perfect for clusters. I added some blue texture paste through a heart stencil and did my journaling on the other side.

The photo is from last year. We're really lucky to live near a lot of woodland parks and play areas, one of which offers a free 'Play day' ever Summer holidays with lots of simple things such as cardboard boxes to build with, bats and balls and craft areas for the kids. At this one they all loved playing on the bales of hay dotted about.
Journaling reads 'You all look so sweet and cute, you wouldn't guess you were all ganging up on me to push me off seconds before! Evil children.'

Very merry

So I'm bored, and my choices are ironing, or blog. Not exactly a hard choice!
So today they came to fit Caitlins flooring (yey!) so I was able to put all her stuff back and finally get my room back to normal (double yey!) Caitlins excited too, but I think shes more excited about her new bed next week.
Annoyingly it should have been delivered yesterday but they've pushed it back to next Tuesday. So currently shes sleeping on a blow up bed and piles of sleeping bags and blankets. If I'm honest I think she likes it better than her old bed, hehe.
Her new floor is beautiful. I forgot to get a picture but will tomorrow. It was even better when the fitters told us there was a problem with it lol.
No I'm not nuts, but whoever cut the vinal off the roll put a giant pen scribble in one spot. Luckily its exactly where her unit goes so I wasn't bothered. However when the fitters told the manager we got £30 refunded. Bonus!
While there I took Caitlin into Dreams to see if there were any headboards she liked. I spotted a bedset I loved last time we were there reduced from £40 down to £10!! Good day for me! :D
So with me being in such a good mood it seems fitting to share this 'very merry' layout I did.
During scrapbooking day one of the challenges was to make your own background. We had just been given a HUGE roll of zigzag shaped washi in a kit so I put strips of this on cardstock, misted it and then pulled it off.
Just to make things difficuilt for myself I wanted to make a frame in the middle with no mist so put a bit of card over it and then did sharpie lines around to make it stand out.

I quite like it, but do wish I'd used a ruler for the lines lol.

Remember this

SO today was our monthly family day :) Cameron picked this time and he picked a trip to the cinema.
You'd think we'd get bored of the cinema going nearly every week but nope not yet!

Usually granted it a free showing of a film thats been out for a while, this time it was to see a new release.

Kids have been wanting to see it for a while and I admit Mark and I were quite looking forward to it too. :) Was quite a good film. Not as good as Despicable me but I wasn't sitting wishing for it to end lol.
Kids loved it, though was a bit sad at points. Think if you didn't have pets though it wouldn't be as funny as a lot of funny bits were thinking 'Scamp does that' lol.
Film finished Cameron typically picked going to Pizza hut. He's not really that bothered about the pizza but they have a machine there were you can make your own drinks. You pick coke, 7 up, fanta etc, then you can add a flavoured syrup like cherry or vannila. Cameron LOVES it and has great fun making all the different drinks whenever we go.
Got to laugh, he goes pizza hut for the juice. Only my kid.
Only my kid could come out with this comment too. He goes to the toilet and comes out saying:

'I don't trust urinals, I don't know where they go!'

What?! :\

So another layout :) This one is pretty recent with the photo taken in March at a retreat with my friends. The paper was from Studio Calico and was so pretty I didn't want to do too much to take focus from it.

I did add some buttefly rub ons though. I was amazed that they worked so well considering they are about 6 years old! Maya road make the best rub ons it seems!

I love you

So we had planned to do a car boot sale today but with the weather yesterday being horrible we decided to do it next week.....then the weather today was lovely! Typical.
So as the kids were happy chilling out today I decided to clear out the garage a bit. WHY I do these things, I don't know. The bins are now overflowing and my back is killing me but the garage is looking a bit neater ;)
Scamp decided he wanted to help so managed to get himself covered in spiderwebs and dust.
Bath time!
Right after bath he wanted to lie on my bed. Fine but he was still damp so I lay a towel out for him. I leave the room....

and come back to find out hes pushed the towel aside and lay on my dressing gown! He's lucky he's cute.

Tomorrow is our monthly family day which I am very excited about :) Cinema then pizza hut! Camerons choice this time :)
This layout took me sooooo much longer than I thought it would have. Worth it though.

I loved this cut file a friend sent to me. I had some papers left over from a Like for ever kit that I loved so wanted to use every scrap I could. These cuts make it easy to create a beautiful layout with very few papers.
The photo is from Spain which is the same hotel we're going to this year. Hoping to take another one in the same place then do a layout showing 2 years difference. Good excuse for a holiday I think ;)

June recap

So I've had a busy and productive week :) After the drama of pulling up Caits flooring and the many drs appointments I've got stuck into redecorating this week. We've ordered her new floor and her new bed. Few accessories to do but think I'll start on those once everything is in and I can see what space I have etc, but you know me, planning it now.
Its amazing how much stuff was in Caitlins room, and is now in our room, the hallway and even the bathroom lol. I'm aiming to finish painting tomorrow and getting the stuff BACK in so I can reach my craft desk again!
So tomorrow starts July. How that happened I don't know but time for another recap :)

Pounds lost - 2. Not great but I've been stressed, and when I'm stressed I eat, and when I find out the shop near us has Ben and Jerrys for £1 a tub......well you can see the problem.
8/23

Games to complete
- Professor layton, The lost future
- Silent hill origins
- Yoshis wooly world (very almost done!)
- Uncharted
- Silent hill the room
- Pikmin 2


Layouts done - 10, lost my mojo early on in the month.
105/365

Cross stitch done - none. *hangs head*

Books read:
- Between Friends, Debbie Macomber
- Ill take new york, Miranda Dickinson
17/52

Usually I can look at my recap and say 'Ah so thats what I've been doing this month' but since I haven't put drs appointments or cleaning on this list it looks like I've not done much lol. FX I have more to add next month!

*Sigh

Yesterday was unexpectedly fun :) The kids brought home a leaflet from school offering free tickets to see Wall-e at our local cinema. The kids love that film so of course I booked tickets. However I didn't read closely enough and turned out it was a bike-a-thon! The projector was powered by dynamos so you had to pedal to watch the film.
Of course you COULD just sit and watch, as many did, but my bike mad daughter dragged me up to take part lol. So proud of her though, she was the youngest who took part and lasted the longest, even got a round of applause from everyone when she finished :)

Even Cameron got up and gave it a go!

After doing a quick bit of shopping we were home for a shower and chilling out. My legs and arms felt like jelly so imagine my reaction when Caitlin came down and asked if we could go on a bike ride!!
Today was a nice chilled out PJ day. Did a bit of cleaning and a bit of scrapping :D Can't share it yet though as its for the Challenge YOUrself team so wait for that one. :)
This one however I can share. I love this photo from Spain a few years ago. We went and saw a pirate themed gymnastics show (which was AMAZING) and my Mum took this lovely photo of the 4 of us :)

Journaling reads:
I love your face here Cameron. You and Granddad are known for ruining family photos. You either pull a face, close your eyes or god knows what else!
In your defense it was a pirate show, but one nice photo? Too much to ask? I love you. *Sigh