wagwaan?

Did you have a happy Easter?

I couldn't believe we woke up to glorious blue sky and sunshine!  Even though we lost an hour due to British Summer Time (Ha! Summer!), I got up bright and early to have breakfast with Claire, who presented me with this:

Oops you can't see the really cool Hello Kitty Pez dispenser she got me. Must take another picture of that tomorrow. First, I prepared the hard boiled eggs with these amazing shrink wrap patterns on them. I love this kit, that I bought at Tiger.

So simple. All you do is prepare some hardboiled eggs. Let them cool down (I ran them under the tap), then slip one of the sleeves over each egg and pop them in boiling water for 3 seconds. The sleeve shrinks to fit the egg and Voilà, you're done. There were also some little stickers in the pack, so I added a few on the top of each egg afterwards. You'll have to take my word for it because I took the pictures first...  

We then had boiled egg and soldiers. I kept the eggs warm with this sweet egg cosy, also from Tiger.

Um, let's just say that I was going for an artistic blur (I wasn't...). And how do you like my two fat birdies? Also from Tiger. Can you sense a theme here?

After breakfast I watched Mass and then Urbi et Orbi, and then in the afternoon on we watched the Boat Race. With a cup of tea. And hot cross buns. I love tradition.

Such a lovely, relaxing Easter Sunday. Hope yours was too.

Here I am!

Why, hello!  Yes, it's me :)  I know I said this blog would get more interesting, but give me a break - life has a way of throwing you curve balls and I have had a huge one thrown my way. No matter, though: I am still here, and still on track to have an amazing 2012.  

First of all, I can't wait to get started with Project Life. I've been in love with this product since I first saw it, probably on Ali Edwards' blog, but it's been impossible to get here. I nearly ordered some through friends in the States but decided to wait a bit longer. Well now it's nearly here, according to the people in the know. Just in time for my birthday next month, I think, so it's going to be my birthday present to myself. And while I wait, I have downloaded some cards by Cathy Zielske and other clever designers, just so I can get started. Watch this space!

I have also been meaning to upload the Christmassy pictures and without further ado here is the one of Claire and the fève she got in our galette des rois. 

So cute!  The packs this year had those little Japanese dolls in them. Claire obviously wasn't feeling up to having her portrait done at that point, so we compromised a little....

Ok, working backwards (because that was on 12th Night), here is a picture of our mantle during the Christmas season. You might remember the NOEL tealight holders from my previous blog header. I have left the picture as it was SOOC because the colour makes it feel warm and cozy:

Over on the right, there, in front of the little Christmas tree, is a children's nativity set that I bought in Tiger. Love it! And the traditional paperchains from East of India are very cute too. 

I also realise I never took any pictures of my presents this year - except this one, that is. Claire bought it for me. Isn't it lovely?  And it goes just as well with the red colour scheme as it does with the pink. Very clever.

I have to be careful with this one, because Lyle thinks it's great fun to attack the buttons when he sees them.

And last but by no means least, this is what our front room looks like in the season. You probably know that we live in a Victorian terrace, and this type of house is usually long and thin... I took this from the dining room looking towards the front. Shame the blinds weren't down properly so you can see the garage's "MOT" sign opposite!  I love our little house. We might not have got around to decorating it, but it's cozy and warm and lovely, especially with twinkly lights and candles.

 That's it for today folks. I will try and get the blog updated more often, I really will. Cheerio for now!

Christmas crafting

It's quite a year for Christmas crafts. I'm not sure if it's the world economic situation but we're all very "make do and mend" these days.  I have already sent my home-made Christmas presents to the family in France via my lovely brother, but I'm still working on stuff. I have made quite a lot of felt hearts, each one unique, and I have had several people ask me to make more. Tonight, though, I thought I'd do something a little different, and as Claire got the cookie cutters out to make snowflake biscuits I thought I'd use a cutter as a template - and this is the result:

 

I love it so much I think I'll make more, BUT I must say that the edging was much more difficult than on the heart shape, due to all those pointy bits. I find it really relaxing and I was lucky enough to get some bits from the Watford Recycling Art Project so the ones I'm making to sell at the Community Centre coffee mornings aren't costing me a thing. I have some other ideas up my sleeve, so I'll be crafting for days yet!

In other news, Claire and I did some shopping at that well-known high street store that is extremely good value.... We bought snuggly blankets and a cushion for the living room. I think Lyle approves (picture by Claire)

 

Gorgeous boy!  (oh and I mustn't forget, the banner pic is also courtesy of Claire. She's been busy).

Well, it's past my bedtime. I'm off to check the Lottery numbers. If I've won, you'll be the first to know. Goodnight!

 

This 'n that

Uh oh, the tiredness has hit back with a vengeance recently. Nearly 18 months post op and I keep thinking I'm fine and then.... If you've been reading for a while you know what I mean, ha ha.  Sorry to be so predictable.

So yesterday I got myself down to the osteopath's in what I thought was plenty of time for my appointment. I was early, so I thought I'd get myself a GP appointment, as it's in the same building, and then, oh yes, please can I have a repeat prescription, Mrs Receptionist?  After I was done I ambled along the corridor to find that the door of Consulting Room no. 1 was ajar.... and the osteopath was waiting for me. Turns out, I had put 12 noon in my calendar instead of 11.30am.  Oops.  And I've never met this particular osteopath so I had grovel. A lot. She was really nice about it but I could have cried. The past couple of weeks have been like that: forgetting things even though they happen every week, leaving taps running, you know, the kind of stuff I haven't done for months and months. All I can think is that my body is telling me I'm trying to run when I should still be walking. Boring and repetitive and oh so frustrating.  When I got home, at around 1pm, I just had to have a lie down. Next thing I knew it was 6pm and the phone was ringing....

On a happier note, I said I'd post about what happened the other day. It was a day when Claire was either not working or starting late, I can't remember which, and I had decided to not rush so I had gone back to bed after breakfast. At 9.15am the doorbell rang, and I went down to get it, shouting out to Claire on the way "have your ordered something online again?". When I got to the door, all dishevelled, hair unkempt and wearing my slinky nighty with tatty PJ bottoms (not my best look), there was my friend Vanessa. She handed me a Cath Kidston bag. "I saw this and thought of you" she said "and I'm a firm believer of getting gifts for people when you find the right one, not just for birthdays or Christmas". And with that she was off to work, leaving me open-mouthed and struggling for something intelligent to say (I did say thank you, though, my brain's not that messed up).

She'd only gone and got me a set of Cath K nesting tins! What a lovely friend she is!  I just don't know what to say, except that I'm glad I moved to this neighbourhood or I'd never have met her. 

Friday

Aargh! The tiredness is making itself felt big time here. I know what it is - I get too enthusiastic and overdo it, because I'm fine now, right? And then I end up dizzy, headachey and pooped.  And then I eat sugar and wonder why I don't feel any better. Sigh.  I've just gone back and read previous posts, and surprise surprise, I've said all this before :D 

Anyway, I must rest today because tomorrow I'm helping in the afternoon on our fundraising stall at the Queens Road Summer Market. We collected loads of bric a brac and books, and I made some cute pencil pots - which I forgot to take a picture of before I handed them in. Oh well, I'll just have to post a pic of the makeup brush pot Claire commissioned me to make instead lol.

 

   

Claire wanted plain on the outside and patterned inside (see the little flowered paper there?),
and I added a lace border from my Costco scrapbooking stash

Talking of Claire, she surprised me yesterday with a gift, totally out of the blue. She knows I've been hankering for new cutlery as ours has seen better days, and she has started my new collection with these forks from Laguiole at John Lewis!  I have been meaning to treat myself, but she got there first. Now I'm looking forward to completing the collection ;)

 

See the little Laguiole bumble bee?

She's a good 'un that girl of mine xoxoxo

Uh oh!

It had to happen, didn't it?  I overdid it again... and have spent a couple of days regretting it.  I will learn, I WILL, just need to remind myself from time to time to slow. the. heck. down. Anyway, because of that I had to miss out on baby cuddles last night, which is a shame. Hopefully Beth will want to go to the cinema again soon and I'll get to babysit some other time.

Otherwise, today is both my brother's and brother-in-law's birthdays, so happy birthday to them!  Thinking of them lots, and they know why xxx

And, in other exciting news, I got a video RSVP to my invitation from my lovely sister SR, who..... is coming over from Paris for my birthday/big fat survival party!  Claire and I were clapping and grinning with glee.  SR came over last year to visit me in hospital on my birthday, totally out of the blue, and she wants to come back to celebrate in better circumstances. And who can blame her?!  I'm so happy - for a non-party girl, this is shaping up to be a fun celebration in the making. 

Oh, pictures: this is interesting - when Claire and I were in Harrow we saw this wonderful Danish shop called Tiger, so we just popped in briefly on our way back to the Tube station.  I tried on some reading glasses but they didn't have the strength I need in the colours I wanted... something like this:

And I nearly caved in and bought this for a whole 4 quid (just the right size for French Fancies) - but didn't.

 

However they did have this lovely 70% chocolate, and I had to buy it... for the packaging. Icelandic chocolate? In Harrow?  Random!

Right, well that's all for today. If the sun comes out I might even go out and play with the camera for a bit....

I'm in love

I think I may have been living under a rock... I've "just" discovered PIP Studio and I'm officially in love. Look at this gorgeousness (all images found on Google):

 

PIP is from The Netherlands and her motto is "Happy Products for Happy People".  All that colour just makes me happy :)