The good and the not so good

This week has been an emotional one. Mainly tears of joy with some tears of frustration. Thank you again for your comments and the emails I received. Kind words really do lift the spirits. I have a brilliant circle of friends and supportive family which has helped tremendously this week. Please, I don't want to worry you all.... I am not ill. I have been struggling with a painful hip for the past year and eventually last week I had surgery. It was unsuccessful and I know that more surgery lies ahead.....eventually a full hip replacement, in the meantime I need to focus on all the recovery time I will have for scrapping and let  the boys look after me. 

Talking of the boys.

 They have had their end of season rugby presentations this weekend and I have shed a few tears. 

H with Ed Slater who started playing rugby at our club.

 Harry was presented with Coaches Player of the year. A unanimous decision they said. H has come on so much this season but in a squad of fantastic boys with some phonominal players I was over the moon for him to have received this award. He plays Flanker Blindside usually, but when one of his team mates injured his knee, he finished the season in Number 8. That was before he broke his thumb in the middle of a game and carried on through till the end. This boy never complains and takes everything in his stride....he is my good boy and my do I love him so.

Stan with the legend Jason Robinson (photo taken by a member of the club)

Then today Stan received the Players Player award for his age group. Again another complete surprise especially in his squad of 25 boys. It is great to know that the other players appreciate him. This season has been his first full contact season and he has enjoyed it immensely, obtaining the knickname of tank! Every week he throws himself into his training/games always always smiling, he is such a character and my handsome man, I love him to bits.  

Although Jack didn't receive any special award this year, he is a star, and  has given his brothers a chance to catch up with him this year. He is one of the smaller boys on his team who has yet to find or be given a permanent position so he puts himself forward and try's them all. Seeing this gorgeous determined little man in a scrum makes my heart melt...love him. 

 

 Some weeks it can be hard standing at the sidelines in the most treacherous conditions, we've had so much rain wind and snow. Seeing their happy faces this weekend makes it all worth while. Here's to next season ........  and to meeting more big gorgeous rugby players. We're building up quiet the portfolio

 here :) Lisa-Jane I thought of you when I heard Ed Slater was making an appearance. 

Happy Sunday.

Simply a moment

On the 15th of the month alexa asks us to share a simply moment in time. So far this year these simple moments have been quiet significant ones for me. Today's moment included.

15 May 2013

It's 6.50am, the door is closed and the ward is in darkness. I look at the few people lining the corridor and wonder what lies ahead for them today. At 7am sharp the doors open, the lights come on and we are all urged to enter the ward. Nurses appear and guide us to our assigned bed. I sit down, Col moves a chair to sit with me and before long a steady flow of doctors introduce themselves and ask a long list of questions. Mid morning I was told, the nurse starts to carry out her checks when she is interrupted. There is an air of urgency and I am told that I am now first for surgery and wanted in theatre in ten minutes! 

Never before have I been so grateful to wake up and enjoy a pot of tea.

The most significant moment for me was when the surgeon spoke to me as I came around in recovery and told me the operation was unsuccessful!! This I am still trying to come to terms with.

I want to thank you all for your kind words in texts and emails. I am a little more with it now and intend to spend my recovery catching up on all my blog reading.

Onwards and Upwards & Giveaway

Welcome to Jennifer Grace Creates Big Blog event Onwards and Upwards.   

Hello to you and thank you for stopping by. If you have reached me via  Meghann's Little Corner then I hope you are enjoying the hop so far. If not you may wish to hop over to Jennifer, to start at the beginning. 

With this hop is this fabulous giveaway. If you comment on all the blogs in the hop, finishing at  Jennifer's let her know you've been all the way around, then you'll be in with a chance to win a prize pack of cheerful Glitz Designs Color Me Happy and Simple Stories 24/7, worth over £25! All entries must be received by Monday the 13th of May at 10.59pm BST.

An invitation to be part of Jennifer's blog hop is a fantastic way to start the weekend. When I first saw the theme my thoughts turned to my holiday album and the hot air balloons that were waiting there to be scrapped.

This was our first morning in Florida. We were awake bright and early...suffering from a little time adjustment me thinks. The boys were already in the pool and there was me.....braving the alligator zone (I stepped outside the netted pool area into what looked like Alligator land!) to take some photos.

Not long after I took this photo the television was turned on to warnings of Hurricane Sandy! It was our first day and already there was so much to take in.....and all this before we even reached a theme park!!

Thank you very much Jennifer for allowing me to be apart of your hop - I can only imagine all the hard work and creative time required to put a blogging weekend like this together.......for us all to enjoy. 
Over at Jennifer's there will be posts every daytime hour from now until 10pm Sunday. Have fun.

Now for your next stop along the hop is the lovely Lisa-Jane ...I'll see you there.

Family x 2 Blog Hop

Last month I joined Margie for her family photo blog hop and I've joined in again this month.

As the weather has been so lousy and with my hip pain we haven't ventured too far. H's friend snapped this iphoto for us, as were on our way to get something to eat. It was so so bitterly cold and windy....and we'd already stood out in it all morning, watching the boys play rugby. We were all shivering soooo much, so it was the quickest posed photo ever. 

It's not a great photo by any means and I did think twice about sharing it. Everytime I look at it though it makes me laugh out loud.....
....C looks like he's about to explode (that's the face of someone so cold)
..... J couldn't stop shaking....what is it with boys and their coats, why do they never want to wear them!
..... S stopped dancing around and acting like a clown for all of 30 seconds

..... and I dare say H was thinking mum do we really have to do this.

 This one has the ability to make us all laugh. Even when we shouldn't!

These family photos bring me onto the BO Bunny Family Collection.

 Have you got/seen them? 

I was so surprised, they are such bright fun funky papers and perfect for a mad crazy family. I have an idea for my family photos, I just hope I can pull it off over the next month or so. 

If you'd like to continue on and see more family photos, your next stop is Diana.

Thank you for stopping by and would you believe I will have another blop hop post up later today, for  Jennifer's amazing Onwards and Upwards blog weekend. 

P.S. No alcohol was used in the making of the shot glass jelly pyramid in my April's MIN's lol!

April's Red Hot Numbers

For a while I  haven't kept track of my month in numbers.....and I really should have, as I love this way of recording. Previously I completed a layout each month and in the end I lost the will. 

Seeing Julie's numbers this month inspired me to use numbers to record my son's birthday. For me this is the best way to remember all the little things that I would otherwise forget.

23. the date of H's birthday, shared with St. George and Shakespeare. Not a bad day to have a birthday!

14. the number of candles on his birthday cake. Your eyes are not deceiving you, there are only 10 candles on the cake. I thought I had candles, it turned out I did....10 of them.  Silly mum!!

2.5. the number of packets of chocolate fingers used to wrap around his cake.

 1. very apt birthday card. Someone knows him well!

5. pm. the time our table was booked at Red Hot. H's choice, we'd not been there before. It was a most enjoyable evening, the food was lovely and it was good fun for the boys.

Dishes were tasted from 9 different countries. We tried Chinese, American, Thai, Indian, Mexican, Italian, Japanese,  Mongolian and British (Jack had to have a roast dinner!). 

6. people who enjoyed 7  small courses each or thereabouts.

21. the number of shot glass jellies recorded... This was round two. The first batch of glasses were cleared away by the waiters.

20+.  marshmellows, soaked in chocolate after been whizzed under the fountain. 

10. ice-creams eaten. My favourite was mango, all the boys loved the bubble gum flavour.

4. pints of coke (if that's how many a pitcher holds...I'm not sure) and 2 pints of water ordered to wash it all down with.

 

 This is how we all felt at the end of our dinner. 20 minutes after this photo Jack got a second wind and returned to the buffet tables, this time for Melon.

Thank you Julie for reminding me that it's the little things that I want to record.

P.S. *yay* today H's plaster comes off....at least I am hoping it will.  Those things really do get dirty...and smelly!!   He has managed so well, no moaning or whingeing. He had SATS tests this week too so the school has arranged for him to have extra time and a lap top. He has done so well. I am not sure I would have coped so well.

Suess Landing

Cat in the Hat and The Grinch...these I know well. 

Green eggs and Ham.... I couldn't place him at first.

 As usual the boys knew exactly who these characters were and were keen to be photographed with them.

This layout didn't come together too well. I started off with my white bazzill, photos and misted lines on Friday evening. After pushing bits of paper around I left it and went to bed. 

Saturday came and National Scrapbook Day. When I was blog hopping that evening I noticed Shimelle's NSD challenges. Eyelets and Brads.......I don't think I've used any for a while. Last night this layout came together.

I think on every page I've made so far with this album I refer to their smiles. Big Big ones! 

Such a wonderful holiday.

Story Telling Sunday - Pick your Precious

On the first Sunday of the month Sian from From High in the Sky hosts Pick Your Precious. 

A time for sharing.

I am a little late to the party, mainly as we've been enjoying this lovely Bank Holiday and partly because I wasn't sure what to share. I have a few things that are precious to me yet today didn't feel like the day to share them. 

This morning I was drinking a cuppa on the patio in the early morning sun (these are the best mornings) looking around the garden and thinking that the Camila needed tidying. 

This plant always reminds me of my lovely lovely father-in-law who we lost twelve years ago. He brought us this plant for our very first garden, 19-20 years ago now.  On the two occasions we have moved house the plant has come with us. I am surprised it has lasted this long I have to say. The flower is beautiful, it definitely brightens up our garden. Very precious indeed.

Thank you Sian for reminding me of all things precious.

SJ Crafts Sketch Challenge

Today SJ Crafts has launched a sketch challenge to get you all in the spirit for National Scrapbook Day tomorrow.

If you would like to win a £10 voucher to spend in SJ Crafts shop then please pop across to SJ Crafts blog to find out what you have to do. Before you go though you might want to scroll down a little further to see the layout I created using the sketch. The challenge is open until the end of May so there's no rush.

What do you think about sketch's? You can use them as they are, rotate them, add to them, adjust them. For me using a sketch doesn't always mean that the finished layout looks like the sketch and that's what I like about them, they are open to interpretation.

You'll see what I mean with the layout I created below. Instead of the layering as shown in the sketch I placed papers/embellishments where the layers should have been.

You may have noticed that I spelt a word incorrectly. Don't you just hate it when that happens? I do, especially when one of the boys points it out to me *laugh* Spelling  never was my forte. It's not the first time and I dare say it won't be the last! How about you? good speller or bad speller?.

What do you think? Will you find some time to join in with SJ Crafts sketch challenge. 

 Whatever your plans are, over this glorious weekend we will have, I hope you find some time for crafting.

 Happy Holidays x

Fantastic Ribbons

Good Evening to you all. On this fine fresh Spring day the Fantastic Ribbons Design Team will be bringing to you the theme of Flowers this month. 

For the project I had in mind I wanted some light and fluffy flowers and decided to use 

Rhapsodic lace.

A running stitch was placed along one edge of the lace. The stitch was then pulled together to create the scrunched flower. I made two a few (I got a little carried away...) and used them to decorate an over-sized, layered, shaker tag to accompany a thank you pressie. The flowers are just enough to add texture and dimension.

I haven't used lace to make a scrunchie flower before neither have I tried making shaker tags. A friend showed me how and the effect is really lovely.

The twine, lace and button are all from Fantastic Ribbons. 

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you all feel the need to add some ribbon or lace flowers to your projects this month. 

More Super Hero's

I'm still working on my super hero's (and Villians). I finished this 4x6 page to sit beside Captain America. A little stitching and a photo of the Spiderman Ride. I had to take the boys on this ride because of the HP Simulator situation. There was no queue so I took a deep breath and urged the boys in front of me before I really had time to think about it.

These rides are pretty amazing - I had to keep reminding myself that my feet were firmly on the floor - sort of and I wasn't flying over New York City (at least I think it was NYC I had my eyes closed!!).

The boys loved Wolverine and his photo poses!

If you'd like a change from super hero's then Jennifer is hosting one of her blog weekends next month.

Just look at her sneak peaks. Will you be checking in for her blog weekend?  I know I will be.

Captain America

I wanted to say a big thank you for all your well wishes for my sons thumb. He was back at the hospital on Thursday only to be told that his thumb is broken not fractured. The chipped bone has broken right across the bottom of his thumb! ouch! His hand is plastered now to keep his thumb secure while it mends. He's left handed too so he's struggled with school this week and worried as he has his year 9 SATS in two weeks (love him). More importantly he won't be able to play in the last Rugby game of the season...funny enough he wasn't worried that he's going to struggle to wash though!! Boys eh! Thanks again.

Captain America is my hero of the day. Funny how he was never one of my Super Hero's until last year. After seeing the film and then meeting the "real" Captain America I think he's now made it onto my list. He sits nicely behind Iron Man!

This has to be one of my most favourite holiday snaps. The younger two are in the zone, the oldest is thinking "this isn't cool"! In the true spirit of things and knowing his mum wanted a photo...he was a good sport.

 

There is a glassine envelope under the layers (I do adore these) - you might just be able to make it out. Inside the envelope is a journaling card.

The papers are a mix of scraps really. The title is from the Echo Park Freedom Range with cameras and arrows from SC Snippets range.

So who is your Super Hero please do share.

Simply a Moment

After a break from school and work it's hard to get back into the swing of things...isn't it?
 Especially when on the eve of returning to school/work you have to spend hours in A&E with your eldest son. So on my return to work the following day my mind was once again drifting away from work. It so happens that it was the 15th of the month and on this day each month Alexa encourages us to record a moment in time.  

Monday 15 April 2013.

It's three thirty and I reach for my mobile phone. I dial H's number to see how his day was at school. All day he has been on my mind. Has he been in pain? Did his teachers get my email, sent late last night. Will he be given help and consideration for the next few weeks or so while his hand heals.

Are his friends helping him?  How did he manage to eat his lunch? How did his art work turn out? I smile, recalling our conversation last night when he said it couldn't turn out any worse than when his hand didn't hurt. All these thoughts and worries.... come on H answer your phone, tell me everything was alright. 

 

After eventually speaking to him he had taken it all in his stride and everything was indeed alright!

My poor man fractured and chipped a bone at the base of his thumb during a game of Rugby when he was away on Tour at the weekend. He can't remember exactly what happened only that at the end of the game his hand hurt. The swelling told us it was a little more than a sprain. 

Thank you Alexa