Everyday Life of a Suburban SAHM

OLW Blog Hop

2012-02-01T15:30:00.000Z

Good morning/afternoon/evening and welcome to the One Little Word Blog Hop. The hop is hosted by Margie, is international and has a wonderful 46 participants, all waiting and willing to share their One Little Word for 2012 with you. If you've landed here from Junelle's blog, welcome. I'm listed near the end of the hop, but don't worry if you get lost following the links ~ there's a full list of participants at the end of this post. {Regular readers of this blog will have seen this parts of this post before.}
My husband {The Brainy One} chose our word for 2012: ENJOY. Not because he wants us to be frivolous with our lives, but because he wants us to grasp every opportunity, good or bad, that comes our way this year.

You know, the masking on the cover page was entirely ~~by mistake~~ a design feature. I'd used American Craft Thickers for the title, now seen on the intro page, but was too heavy handed with the ink spray (Mister Huey's Colour Mist in Holly Berry) and they could hardly be seen in the resulting blood bath.
The thing about our word is that it is easy to fulfil ...

~ coffee with a friend ~

~ seeing The Boy Child with his friends ~

~ sending out Happy Mail ~

~ receiving Happy Mail of my own ~

~ Going to Zumba ~

~ Observing Sunday morning rituals ~

For us, as a family, our word is about remembering to stop and enjoy the everyday. To notice the small things in life that can often be overlooked. The dictionary definition of enjoy has it as: to joy or delight in; to feel or perceive with pleasure; to possess or use with satisfaction; to have the use of.

John Dryden (1631-1700) wrote in Alexander's Feast (1697), "Think, oh think, it worth enjoying." And that's what we fully intend to do in 2012.

Moving on from me takes you to Becky at Pieces of my Life, where I hope you enjoy what she has to offer. Becky is also a participant in Project Life and Move More, Eat Well.

The full list of participants is below; enjoy!

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com

Sharyn www.lavieenchic.com

Jill http://jillconyers.com

Lynn www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com

Jenn www.studiojenn.blogspot.com

Carmen http://www.carmenpaulsorthner.com

Marilee http://rose-brier.blogspot.com

Kristina http://hrinspirationfromthe403.blogspot.com/

Cindy C http://www.cynthiacrysdale.com

Kelly http://mindingmynest.com

Cheri http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com

Amanda http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com

Cindy http://seriousplay.typepad.com

Brooke www.everysnapshot.com

Naomi www.poeticaperture.com

Melissa http://www.smudgetime.com

Karen http://breathenowsmile.blogspot.com

Melissa S http://blog.mshanhun.com

Devon http://www.youhadmeatneurotic.com

Donna http://holimess.blogspot.com/

Dawn sunshineandcreativity.com

Katrina www.katrinasimeck.com

Sam http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com

Monica http://scrapinspired.com

Kimberlee http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com

Missus W http://mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com/

Kaylea http://www.myscrappylife.com

Nikki Www.inkyart.com.au

Erin http://erinsparkes.typepad.com/optimstic-fascination/

Jo www.curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com

Coley http://coleybelle.blogspot.com/2012/01/focus-word-for-2012.html

Beth www.thesingularlyordinary.blogspot.com

Veronica www.veronicanorris.typepad.com

Jamie http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com/

Monica B http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/

Lisa http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog

Rebekah http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/

Jan http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com

Cate www.lifebehindthepurpledoor.com

Stephanie www.scrapworthylives.com

Orange Gearle http://orangegearle.blogspot.com

Tere http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/

Junelle http://yesandamenblog.blogspot.com/

Ruth http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com {You are here}

Becky www.becky-handforth.blogspot.com

Photo a Day: 1st February

2012-02-01T13:58:00.004Z

Welcome to the world of high fashion, not. In my world, it pays to be practical and to dress accordingly. Hence the first ever appearance of the thermal vest, visible under my t-shirt. In reality, the vest is pale pink, pretty and incredibly soft, not to mention warm, but I do have to confess that at the point of purchase I felt middle aged. However, I'll take warmth over middle age any day of the week. And I think I'll be popping back to M&S to purchase another one or two ...

Photo a Day: 31st January

2012-01-31T16:34:00.004Z

~ Trying to hitch a ride home ~

Month in Numbers ~ January

2012-01-31T11:47:00.001Z

Thanks to Sian {for monthly inspiration} and to Julie {who started the whole month in numbers idea}, I've dipped my toes in counting numbers for January.

50: the number of minutes it took to open a savings account for The Boy Child. Hello, I'm trying to give you money.
5: the number of times I drove our car in January. For trips other than the supermarket, I walk everywhere.
15: the number of visits to Costa Coffee {and where I spent a whopping £44.85}. Some of the trips were with The Boy Child, some were with friends and some were solo visits. Mostly it was just coffee, but some visits included purchasing a yoghurt or a croissant.
217: the combined ages of the six people we know who celebrated a birthday in January.
34: the number of thank-you cards I wrote on The Boy Child's behalf for Christmas and birthday presents. Will be very glad when he can do this himself.
179: the number of 6x4 photos I had processed for free at the store where my camera came from. A very welcome voucher.
60: the number of pounds spent topping up Oyster cards {used for cheaper travel on London transport}.

How about you? Do you count through your month?

Just One Sketch: Parts Four & Five

2012-01-30T17:00:00.000Z

In part four of Just One Sketch, Kirsty wanted us to "look at going monochrome. Monochrome means that the design is in one colour, or shades of one colour. Now, given all the the beautiful colours that are available to us in scrapbooking stash, you might wonder why we'd want to both working in just one. But the effect can be beautiful and, as with anything new, if you give it go, you might find you like it."
I'll be honest. Monochrome layouts fill me with dread. Don't get me wrong, I like the look of them, I just don't feel that I somehow capture monochrome in the best way possible. Is there even such a thing?

This layout shows my nephew's fiancee just after she became a British citizen last week. Their wedding is in late September and we are hopeful that we will be able to go. The venue is about 7,000 miles away.
Part five was about inverting the colour of the layout and I enjoyed this immensely, possibly because I had such a cool photo waiting to be scrapped.

I would never normally scrap with such large blocks of orange and green, mainly because I tend to think that they are not-me-colours. Just because they are not colours I would wear doesn't mean that I should discount them when scrapping.

Photo a Day: 30th January

2012-01-30T12:41:00.002Z

Hasn't food shopping become expensive? I didn't do a particularly large shop this morning, small trolley full as opposed to large trolley and I still managed to spend almost £75. Just think how wealthy we would all be if we didn't have to eat.

Photo a Day: 29th January

2012-01-29T18:33:00.001Z

I don't know about you, but I can't get through cooking a roast dinner without my trusty timer.

Photo a Day: 28th January

2012-01-28T15:14:00.002Z

What's the length of too short a haircut? About 7-10 days, I reckon. I have a lovely hairdresser, but he does like to chat.
Chat, chat, snip, snip, what do you think, snip, snip, did you read about, snip, snip, did you see, snip, snip, did you hear about, snip, snip.
And before you know it, your hair is shorter than you'd planned on having.
There are two options:
1) blast hair from underneath with a hair dryer and slap on styling product.
2) wear a hat.

Photo a Day: 27th January

2012-01-27T16:00:00.000Z

The Brainy One intends to fully comply with our One Little Word for 2012. I had to go to a nearby shopping centre this morning for a few things and The Brainy One decided to accompany me {one of the perks of being your own boss}. Once there, he treated me to lunch in the Deli of the local M&S.
Champagne in the middle of the day, on a school day to boot.
Life's not bad.

Just One Sketch: Part Three

2012-01-27T14:14:00.001Z

The challenge was to create a mirror image of our sketch.
If you remember, my sketch looks like this:

I really, really like the mirror image effect. The photos with The Boy Child looking in to the page work well, although the photo of TBC outside Pizza Express was actually taken as we were heading home. I know that it's not the most exciting thing to scrapbook, per se, but it deserves to be recorded because it was our first outing out for supper as a family. We weren't brave enough to inflict TBC on strangers before now ...

Photo a Day: 26th January

2012-01-26T12:12:00.003Z

The lovely ladies in the salon where I have my eyebrows waxed. They make every visit such fun.

Photo a Day: 25th January

2012-01-25T13:00:00.000Z

Pyjama case masquerading as a dog. When The Brainy One leaves the house without the pooch, he {the pooch} positions himself in front of the door and makes himself as flat as possible. He can stay there for up to an hour or more. Talk about unconditional love.

Just One Sketch: Part Two

2012-01-25T10:39:00.002Z

So, sticking with my beautifully drawn sketch, the idea was to flip it; I went with one turn to the left.

This time, I also added an extra sheet of plain paper, cut to 11x11, the colour being an almost match for The Brainy One's gown. The journaling tells the story of the day The Brain One received his Doctorate.

It's amazing to see just how different this layout looks from the first one.

Photo a Day: 24th January

2012-01-24T16:00:00.000Z

The one day of the week when I drive our car ~ supermarket shopping.

Happy Mail 2012: #2

2012-01-24T13:49:00.002Z

There will be 2 parcels of Happy Mail departing tomorrow. The recipient could be you if you left a comment here.

There's:

An hardback notebook (A5, I think)

Four large postcards with envelopes

Two thank you cards

Four standard postcards

I was going to show you the contents, but it's no fun if you know what might be coming your way, now is it?

One parcel is heading overseas and one parcel is staying within the UK.
If you'd like an chance to be a recipient of the next round of Happy Mail, just send an email with your address to: roo1968ATyahooDOTcoDOTuk with Happy Mail 2012 in the title. No limit to how many rounds of Happy Mail you can enter. It would be nice if you left a comment here as well.
Stalking the Postie, one of my favourite past times!

Just One Sketch: Part One

2012-01-23T17:30:00.000Z

Kirsty began her on-line class about two weeks ago and this is the first I've be able to pay attention to it. First up was to think about the elements you like to see on a sketch and then draw it out.
Here's Kirsty's ...

Here's mine ...

{Did you notice the time and date on it?}

Here's the thing. I love using a sketch. So how come I've never thought about drawing my own? Probably because I am unable to draw a straight line, as you may have noticed ...

Photo a Day: 23rd January

2012-01-23T13:57:00.000Z

The best cuppa of the day is the one I have once home from the school run. It's the best because it's the only one I get to drink when it's piping hot.

Carrie's Crunchy Chicken

2012-01-23T08:30:00.000Z

For supper last night, I tried out a chicken recipe Carrie posted earlier this month.
It's incredibly straight forward:

~ Carrie's photo ~ I forgot to photograph it! ~

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
6 slices of Swiss cheese
1 can of cream of chicken soup (I used Heinz Cream of Chicken, but will try Campbell's next time)
1 box of Stove-Top chicken stuffing (I used Paxo)
1/2 cube butter (melted)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350* F (180* C)
Cut chicken breasts into small pieces and spread evenly across the bottom of a large glass baking dish (I fried the chicken lightly first)
On top of chicken, evenly spread out Swiss cheese slices so that the chicken is covered completely (may take more or less than 6 slices depending on the size pan you use).
On top of that, spread out a can of cream of chicken soup.
On top of that, evenly spread out the box of stuffing.
Drizzle melted butter on top of the stuffing.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until brown on top and chicken is cooked all the way through.

I served it with green salad. The Brainy One enjoyed it, but suggested more seasoning and a stronger flavoured cheese.

Photo a Day: 22nd January

2012-01-22T15:59:00.000Z

Most Sundays see The Boy Child and The Brainy One visiting the park for boys-only-adventures. Some Sundays see them go on to visit Grandad and today I joined them. By joining them, I observed their Sunday ritual: 1st stop is the cafe where The Brainy One has a coffee and The Boy Child has an ice-cream, regardless of the weather. Then they run up and down the slopes, play hide and seek and pretend to be trolls under the bridge.
Some days, The Boy Child just wants the ice cream.
Funny that.

Photo a Day: 21st January

2012-01-21T17:09:00.000Z

When I was small, I loved jigsaws. I remember two in particular that we had at home, probably because they were round ~ Henry VIII and his 6 wives and the naval battles of Horatio Nelson. The Boy Child doesn't really show that much interest in putting jigsaws together, although he likes to play with the pieces and scrutinise the box. What works for him just now is that either Mummy or Daddy puts a jigsaw together and he {The Boy Child} admires the finished image.

Photo a Day: 20th January

2012-01-20T13:30:00.001Z

So which is it? A sign of a mild winter or a sign of an early spring?

Photo a Day: 19th January

2012-01-19T14:01:00.002Z

There are days when I am convinced that I somehow magically do the laundry for another family along with my own. We're a family of three and remember that one of us is still small, so how come we produce so much dirty laundry? I think it multiplies in the basket ..

Photo a Day: 18th January

2012-01-18T13:32:00.003Z

I fully appreciate that I'm lucky enough to be able to scrap during the day. It's a very pleasurable thing.

Photo a Day: 17th January

2012-01-17T14:21:00.002Z

Going out for breakfast doesn't really fit in with what I was talking about yesterday, does it? But then, it's not every day that The Brainy One unexpectedly asks me out for breakfast, is it?

Move More, Eat Well 2012

2012-01-16T18:30:00.000Z

Cathy Zielske regularly writes about her attempts to lose weight and get/stay fit on her blog. I can't emphasise with her first goal, but I can with the second. I'm not a naturally sporty kind of person. The gym doesn't thrill me at all. I'm the sort of person who gets on best in a structured exercise class.
When I saw that CZ (that's said out loud as C Zed, being British, not C Zee) was offering up a class on Moving More and Eating Well in 2012 on BPC, I dithered. Did I really need to sign up for a scrapbooking class in order to get fit and improve my eating habits? Well, no. But I did it anyway. The fitness is down to me, but I know that there will huge support and encouragement from Cathy and the on-line class community throughout the year.
The Statement of Intent:

"Thisisn’t about me going on a diet. I’venever been on a diet in my life. I’vealways been lucky and had the sort of metabolism that burnt off everything Iconsumed fairly easily. These last sixmonths or so have seen me put on about half a stone. I’ve no-one to blame except myself. Too many evenings eating chocolate whilewatching the TV, too many bags of crisps, too many skipped lunches, snacking onrubbish and worry about The Boy Child. The Brainy One very kindly says that he likes me with “abit of extra lard.” That’s becausehe loves me.

But Idon’t want that extra lard, where my jeans feel tight and there’s an obvioustummy on show through my clothes. Ishould care more for myself, both on the inside and the out. And that basically comes down to what sort offuel I am puttingin to my body and how much daily maintenance is going on. I can’t run at constant high level if I’mrefuelling on rubbish. A serious overhaulof my daily eating habits is called for.

Mylevels of fitness have seen peaks and troughs; in 2011 my fitness level wasbelow average, I’d say. Sure, I walkedlots ~ school run twice a day, to the shops and back, round the Common with the pooch. But it wasn’t the right sort of exercise. I flirted with Zumba classes in the ChurchHall in the winter of 2010 and really enjoyed them. Now I can’t remember why I stopped going. And the thing is, once I get going, I reallyenjoy it.

Hello 2012; hello 44 years of living; hello newbeginnings"
Five Things {about me; modesty not allowed}:

1) I can take a fairly decent photograph
2) I can drive a car well (thanks to learning when serving with the RAF)
3) I can scrapbook to a reasonable standard
4) I'm a loyal friend
5) I remember obscure facts easily
My story:

"I’ve never been anaturally sporty person, but I’ve wanted to be. The best I could do at Primary School was the netball team and two 1^stplaces and a 2^nd over three years in the Egg & Spoon race onSports Day. At Middle School I playedoccasional 1^st team netball, usually when someone was ill and Icould just about manage to keep a place on the House team. Running was okay but seemed pointless ~ Ireally didn’t get running laps of the Red Gra for any other reason than Icould. And I so wanted to be like MandyJones who could throw rounders’ balls over arm for what seemed like miles. At Senior School I desperately wanted to begood at hockey (inspired by Malory Towers,no doubt) but I can still see the PE teacher (name long since forgotten)rolling her eyes whenever I managed to hit the ball in the opposite direction towhere she wanted me to. The mid 1980ssaw me become very fit after 16 weeks of regular PE with the Royal Air Force. My best time for the mile and a half was 10minutes 48 seconds. Then it all droppedaway again. The early 1990s saw mediscover aerobics and step and I was hooked ~ 4 times a week, all the kit andthe fittest I have ever been. I don’treally know what happened after that. Structured exercise has been haphazard and irregular. Now that I’m approaching my mid 40s I realizethat only I can be the master of my fate,only I can be the captain of my soul.

Mynew plan for 2012 is Zumba twice a week ~ Wednesday lunchtime and Fridayevening.

I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul. "
One Thing {in January}:

"This month I will commit to eating a proper lunch at the proper time. No more elevenses, no more squares of chocolate, no more snacking on rubbish."
I didn't get far today on not eating elevenses, but, at lunch time, I had just plain yoghurt with blueberries, raspberries and strawberries.
There's space on this page (where the quotation is) to list all my measurements. I don't intend to do that here. I am not on a diet and I have no wish to invite any negative comments from anyone. I've spent my adult life being called skinny and hearing remarks like, "it's alright for you ..."
I am not on a diet.
I am planning on better eating ~ eating well.
I am planning on more structured exercise in the form of Zumba twice a week. And doubling the number of circuits around the park and/or Common with the pooch, which he is more than happy about. Moving more.

Photo a Day: 16th January

2012-01-16T13:42:00.001Z

Mid morning snack ~ blueberry jam on seeded batch. Delicious.

Photo a Day: 15th January

2012-01-15T16:45:00.002Z

Photo a Day: 14th January

2012-01-14T15:44:00.002Z

Photo a Day: 13th January

2012-01-13T18:00:00.000Z

4x6 Photo Love: Twelve

2012-01-13T14:31:00.002Z

To round off the 4x6 Photo Love series, it was a case of getting 12 photos on to a layout. I didn't think I'd like Shimelle's idea of creating a stack, but it turns out I do.

A good way to take care of numerous photos of The Boy Child opening presents. I must share with you what he said when he saw his mountain of parcels early on Christmas morning ~ "I'm a very lucky boy! Is there a bus in my parcels?" All he wanted from Santa was a toy bendy-bus; I'm pleased to say that Santa obliged.
My favourite months of Shimelle's 4x6 Photo Love series was March (three photos) and April (four photos).

Photo a Day: 12th January

2012-01-12T14:54:00.001Z

Photo a Day: 11th January

2012-01-11T14:27:00.002Z

Can't get much more everyday than the dry cleaner's.

Happy Mail 2012: The Opening Gambit

2012-01-11T08:30:00.000Z

I've talked before about Happy Mail, both the giving and the receiving. I also mentioned Happy Mail in my blog review: "An explosion of Happy Mail. I haven't quite worked out how this will work, but the bottom line will be fairly simple ~ send me an email in response to a Happy Mail post and you could receive a wee surprise by Royal Mail."

In order to kick start Happy Mail 2012, I've randomly selected 5 books from the World Book Night 2011 series for posting around the globe. The batch offered up last June allowed you to tell me the title you were interested in, but not this time. The thing about Happy Mail is that it is so much more exciting to receive it if you don't know it's coming.

It's also quite handy if I already have your address ... 3 parcels are bound for the USA, 1 for Australia and 1 for here at home in the UK.
The book titles are:

Killing Floor by Lee Child
The Reluctant Assassin by Moshin Hamid
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Attwood.

All books have been registered with bookcrossing.com. The full list from 2011 can be seen here.
If you'd like an chance to be a recipient of the next round of Happy Mail, just send an email with your address to: roo1968ATyahooDOTcoDOTuk with Happy Mail 2012 in the title. It would be nice if you left a comment as well.
Stalking the Postie, one of my favourite past times!

Photo a Day: 10th January

2012-01-10T14:00:00.000Z

Five

2012-01-10T10:47:00.000Z

The Boy Child turned five yesterday...

Photo a Day: 9th January

2012-01-09T13:15:00.002Z

Photo a Day: 8th January

2012-01-08T17:14:00.002Z

Photo a Day: 7th January

2012-01-07T13:12:00.002Z

Photo a Day: 6th January

2012-01-06T15:06:00.000Z

In the local park where I occasionally walk the pooch, there is a large manor house which currently enjoys life as a museum and wedding venue. In an earlier life, the manor house was the local library and is immortalised in several novels by the author Nevil Shute. In the manor house's glory days, the unmarried daughters of Spencer Perceval, Britain's only Prime Minister to have been assassinated while in office, lived there. The youngest daughter, Frederica, left money in her will to build a church in memory of her father and that church now stands on the site of Spencer Perceval's home. It just so happens that it is also the church at the end of our road.

One Little Word: 2012

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000Z

Creating an album around my One Little Word in 2011 worked well for me. I have 12 pages inspired by prompts from Ali and numerous other pages recording events that truly encompassed my word ~ better.
In 2012, The Brainy One has chosen our word ~ enjoy. Not because he wants us to be frivolous with our lives, but because he wants us to grasp every opportunity, good or bad, that comes our way this year.
The cover page, front and back ...

Introduction to my word and how it sits behind the cover page.

Photo a Day: 5th January

2012-01-05T15:55:00.000Z

The Boy Child and I went to visit my friend's new baby this morning. He is completely gorgeous and so small! His birth weight was 7lbs 15ozs; the Boy Child weighed in at 9lbs 1oz. He's what I might call a training baby! My friend looks amazing and it was lovely to have an hour to catch up.

Photo a Day: 4th January

2012-01-04T14:29:00.001Z

What I'm reading is a theme I plan to continue throughout 2012, probably once a month or so. This wee pile all arrived for me at Christmas or just after. The Brainy One gave me The Pillars of the Earth and A Daughter's Tale. The Diamond Queen came courtesy of a book token from my FIL and it was half price in the post-Christmas sale. Nikon D3100 for Dummies was from The Boy Child; a tome that will be dipped in and out of for the foreseeable future, I should think. The Gentle Art of Quilt Making came from my SIL; she thinks I should add another string to my craft bow.
The Pillars of the Earth was dramatised as a mini-series at the end of 2010 and shown on C4 here in the UK. I thought it was superb. The fact that it starred the delicious Rufus Sewell as Tom Builder is by-the-by. Mary Soames is the youngest child of Winston Churchill who, some of you might know, is my hero.
Plenty of happy reading ahead for me.
What about you? What's holding your interest right now?

Photo a Day: 3rd January

2012-01-03T13:06:00.002Z

Photo a Day: 2nd January

2012-01-02T16:51:00.001Z

Beautiful blue skies and sunshine. Winter has been very kind to us so far; the last couple of years we've had snow on the ground in the New Year.

Storytelling Sunday

2012-01-01T18:28:00.000Z

Have to confess that I nearly missed this one. For the simple reason of not realising today was Sunday. We've had visitors in the house since Christmas Eve, with numbers increasing for New Year and I truly had lost track of the days.
I mentioned Keats for the first time during December Daily.

This is his story.
This is my mum's story. Indeed, she wrote the story down.
This was my dad's story.
This is my story.
And one day it will be The Boy Child's story.
The black toy poodle with a red collar was purchased in C&A's in Krefeld, Germany in 1961. He was my Christmas present that year from your dad. I was at RAF Bawdsey in Suffolk and a large parcel arrived for me on Christmas Eve. Keats had entered my life!
On Christmas morning I went off to work ~ underground! Everyone had to pass through a check point and exchange their ID cards for a permit to enter. I took Keats with me (couldn't leave him alone on Christmas Day) and the policeman jokingly said that he couldn't go underground as he didn't have any ID. I vouched for him and so he was allowed access.
From then onwards, Keats was always to be found in my living space and when I married your dad, he moved with us to the many houses we occupied over the years. He was even packed and shipped off for our tour of Hong Kong.
Sadly over the years Keats has begun to lose his coat and look rather dusty. He was moved from front of house to living on top of a bedroom wardrobe and at one time was even put in a black plastic bag in readiness of being sent to a new home.
Fortunately, he was rescued by Ruth in 1998, given a trendy bandanna and a new lease of life. Now he lives happily with Ruth and her family, sitting comfortably in the corner of their living room and, of course, I see him every time I visit.

Why did I call him Keats? Well, I never much liked the poetry of John Keats, but I came to love this toy poodle and it seemed a good idea at the time and over the years no-one has ever suggested calling him anything else.
So on Christmas Day 2011, I wish Keats a happy 50th birthday and hope that he will be loved and looked after for many more years to come.
And there you have it. Dave the Prof is correct ~ just tell the story. Doesn't matter a jot if it doesn't mean a thing outside of your family. The important thing is to tell it. And then blog it and scrapbook it!

Hop on over to Sian's pad for plenty more stories and a very warm welcome.

Photo a Day: 1st January

2012-01-01T15:57:00.000Z

Welcome, welcome and Happy New Year!
I've jumped back in to the photo-a-day routine after a year off.
Two things are slightly different:

I now have a dSLR camera ~ a Nikon D3100
I will be adding overlays* to the images: a) to keep me on track with where I am in the year ~ seriously ~ and b) enabling me to practice using the PSE9 that is installed on my PC and hardly used for anything other than blanking out a name.

Today's offering is The Boy Child and our 2 young house guests at 7.45 this morning.

* Overlays purchased here.

Blog Review: 2011

2011-12-31T15:30:00.000Z

454 posts this year. 41,268 page views in the life of this blog. 119 followers, plus a handful of others who regularly comment but don't actively follow me. This blog had its ups and downs, but overall, it wasn't a bad blogging year at all.
Successfully completed were:

Yesterday & Today by Ali Edwards for BPC. Totally loved this class.
Design Your Life by Cathy Zielske for BPC
The MotherLOAD by Lain Ehmann for BPC
One Little Word by Ali Edwards for BPC
Project Life began on April 1st and is up-to-date and on-going

The Wit or Wisdom series faded slightly as we moved into Autumn; mainly because I no longer walk past the cafe on a daily basis. 52 Photos in Black & White was a fun series to do.

{ Self-portrait from 31 December 2010 }

In 2012, I have plans for attempting the following:

One Little Word again. Our new word is 'enjoy'; not because we want to be frivolous with our lives, but because we want us to grasp every opportunity, good or bad, that comes our way this year.
Me: The Abridged Version ~ see foundation pages here.
Family History album ~ a 12x12 album, with layouts about particular stories that need recording and divided page protectors for those photos that are neither one thing nor the other, yet still need to have a place in the family archive. This will be a work in progress.
Project Life will continue, but will not be blogged, unless something newsworthy happens.
Classes coming up include: Round Up Your Memories by Katie Nelson for BPC; Miss Smith's Just One Sketch and Ten Tips for Better Type by Cathy Zielske for BPC.
After a year off, I plan to be back with Photo A Day.
An explosion of Happy Mail. I haven't quite worked out how this will work, but the bottom line will be fairly simple ~ send me an email in response to a Happy Mail post and you could receive a wee surprise by Royal Mail.
My Months in Numbers ~ inspired by Sian and originally seen over at Julie's place.

{ Self-portrait from 31 December 2011 }

The boys in the family wish to have new nomenclatures in 2012: DS will now be known as The Boy Child or TBC for short. This may well change again in the future, as The Boy Child gets older. DH will now be known as The Brainy One (he can't be The Doctor because Mel is already using that one).
All that remains is for me to wish you all a very Happy New Year.
2012. Twenty twelve. I'm ready.

52 In Black & White: Week 52

2011-12-30T18:00:00.000Z

Project Life: Week 38

2011-12-30T13:56:00.001Z

The week with holiday homework. The week with a haircut. The week with a 50 miles round trip to collect Grandad. The week we tracked Santa.

The week with a visit to church on Christmas Eve. The week with Christmas Day. The week with a hearing test. There had been a suspicion that DS may have glue ear; I'm pleased to say that this is not the case and everything is as it should be.

That about wraps up 2011: Project Life.

December Daily: The 25th

2011-12-28T15:50:00.001Z

My favourite shot of the day.

And here is what the finished album looks like.

Christmas has come and gone.
As for me, I'd like to do this ...

~ Image originally seen here ~

December Daily: The 24th

2011-12-27T18:43:00.003Z

Christmas Eve. I was ready and organised.
Not much to do except collect the turkey and a few last minute bits. I was so on top of things, I had time to enjoy a coffee in an exceptionally quiet Costa.
Drove a round trip of 50 miles to collect Grandad.

Went to the 4pm Children's Service in the church at the end of our road. Oh, boy, it was so cold!

And Elvis? With Wolfie.

4x6 Photo Love: Eleven

2011-12-26T13:43:00.000Z

A whopping 11 photos to get on to a double page spread this month and the perfect solution for Elvis the Elf on the Shelf.

I use small page protectors a lot in Project Life, but I never seem to think about using them with a double layout. Maybe I should.

Happy Christmas

2011-12-25T08:00:00.000Z

~ From me and mine to you and yours ~

~ Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a fabulous 2012 ~

December Daily: The 23rd

2011-12-24T08:30:00.000Z

The one about the magical refillable wine rack.

And Elvis? In the bowl on the hearth.

December Daily: The 22nd

2011-12-23T09:00:00.000Z

The one where the delivery of a Christmas card from this lovely young lady gave me much cause for thought.

Journaling idea borrowed from Ali.

Thank you, Carrie.
And Elvis? With Santa on top of the TV.

52 In Black & White: Week 51

2011-12-23T08:30:00.000Z

~ DH and his lovely sister ~

December Daily: The 21st

2011-12-22T08:30:00.000Z

It turned out that a second quiet day should have been on the cards. Pity I didn't realise that until after lunch.

But then what do you get when a 4-year-old has had a power nap? One who doesn't want to go to bed and wants to dance around the living room in his PJs to Slade's Merry Christmas Everyone!

I know that the idea is to merely capture a suggestion of motion within the shot, but I love how this looks.
And Elvis? On top of the DVD rack.

Something For January

2011-12-21T21:00:00.000Z

I've just signed up for a brand new class starting in January. I know that a few of you are already ahead of me, but if you aren't, you can check it out here. It's called Just One Sketch, it costs a bargain £5, and the proceeds go to support GirlGuiding UK. See you in class.

Project Life: Week 37

2011-12-21T14:00:00.000Z

The week DH and I managed to have lunch out together. The week DS's favourite bendy-bus was withdrawn from service. The week we went to the school's Christmas Quiz. The week DS perfected the art of becoming a lounge lizard.

The week the trees in our road were pollarded (and our garden wall damaged, a story for another day). The week I went with school to help out at Cinderella. The week our friend came for supper. The week of the Nativity.

December Daily: The 20th

2011-12-21T08:30:00.000Z

I slowed the pace right down today. I took Christmas out of the equation. In that, although DS was involved with Christmas-themed activities, he was involved with them at home. I let the mad rush that is Christmas week pass him by.

Elvis spent the day with Keats.

Keats will be 50 on Christmas Day and I'll be sharing his story at some point after that.

The Spirit of Christmas

2011-12-20T15:00:00.000Z

A little something to lift your heart and give cause to remember the real reason for Christmas.

December Daily: The 19th

2011-12-20T08:30:00.000Z

A day which was both giving and ordinary.
Wherever You Are by the Military Wives was released today ~ I purchased it for a mere £1.49 from iTunes. I then copied it to a CD and found the lyrics online.

The ordinary and the mundane are both still happening here. Today's big task was to clear the ironing mountain. I don't know about you, but I like the ironing basket to be empty over Christmas, even if the laundry basket is full.

Elvis decided to check out the tree.

December Daily: The 18th

2011-12-19T08:30:00.000Z

The day we finally got our Christmas tree ~ a 6' Nordmann pine.

We are definitely beginning to look as though Christmas has reached our house.

Top row: Noel banner made from inchies (and by my sister, of course), wooden nativity picked up in Austria about 12 years ago (can't remember if it was in Innsbruck or Salzburg) and our Christmas basket.
Second row: Christmas wreath on the front door, beautiful card angels.
Third row: DS's first ever bauble in 2007, a gift from my aunt and uncle, a damaged bauble and my sparkly mirror ball.
Bottom row: Santa and carolling reindeer standing on top of the TV, jars of cranberry sauce and Elvis, the Elf on the Shelf.
We heard of the safe arrival of this young man this morning ...

Somehow, a new baby a week before Christmas is extra special.
And talking of Elvis ... he fancied a day sitting in the Christmas basket.

December Daily: The 17th

2011-12-18T08:30:00.000Z

The day where the excitement of the last week of school caught up with DS. Mid afternoon found him asleep on the sofa for an hour and a half.

The reverse side is again borrowed from Ali: shop opening fliers, advertising bumf and a tag from a new school blazer. Yes, that's right, DS has outgrown the one he had new for school in September.

Elvis was found on the kitchen shelf, slightly squashed.

December Daily: The 16th

2011-12-17T20:19:00.000Z

The one where I went to the Ball ~ DH's University Ball at the RCJ. Very Hogwarts (and very cold!).

I used an envelope to hold part of the ticket and additional photos, the journaling and the tag from my dress. I then stitched the envelope to the outside of the page protector.

What's that? You'd like to see my dress? Oh, alright.

And Elvis was in with the craft supplies.

December Daily: The 15th

2011-12-16T09:30:00.000Z

The one with a singing shepherd. Today was the last day of term and DS took part in his first Nativity as a shepherd. He did really well with all the singing of carols and songs about clip-clop donkey. Once the Nativity was over, parents and little people joined the rest of the school for the Carol Service and I was truly astonished at just how many DS knew.
Wonder if he can have singing lessons?

And Elvis? Lurking in the downstairs loo.

52 In Black & White: Week 50

2011-12-16T08:30:00.000Z

~ The singing shepherd ~

December Daily: The 14th

2011-12-15T08:30:00.000Z

The one that was almost perfect.
My mum arrived for her pre-Christmas visit.
Our Chelsea Pensioner friend came over for supper.
DS was in 7th heaven.

As these pages appear back-to-back in my album, there's an extra sheet of card for the journaling tucked in. As yet unprinted, as I am out of white card and waiting for a restock. However, I did write out the journaling in my scrap notebook, so I don't forget what happened.
Elvis today? On top of the a bookshelf with the Christmas cards.

December Daily: The 13th

2011-12-14T08:30:00.000Z

The day Cinderella went to the Ball ... no, not really, that's this Friday. The day I went on my first parent-helper trip to the Chickenshed production of Cinderella. It was all a bit too much right-on for my taste, but I did enjoy the ensemble pieces towards the end. And wouldn't you know it ~ the size of the program was perfect for scanning and using in December Daily.

I blatantly copied Ali's idea for today, although hers looks much better! Stitching is a bit dodgy and I think my red Stazon ink is on its last legs. I suspect that this will be the day I like least in the completed album.

You know what I learnt today? That young NQTs need to be more assertive and to cut out the over-the-top-I'm-going-to-be-sick-myself attitude when attempting to ~~hinder~~ help a senior member of staff in clearing up the full frontal vomit from a six-year-old. Move aside, Miss ...

And Elvis? On the mantelpiece.

December Daily: The 12th

2011-12-13T08:30:00.000Z

I got a wee bit more adventurous with this set of pages and actually used up some of the stuff which came in the kit from Calico Lane.
I cut up a small piece of Hambly overlay to 8.5x3 and added text to it.

I photographed these poinsettias in M&S and managed to resist the urge to buy one. If I did, it would be dead by Christmas.

The highlight of my day was a run to the supermarket early evening. Something I only ever do in December. I hadn't planned it, but it turns out that the rest of this week is going to be different to what I thought.

And Elvis? Sitting on an orchid.

Project Life: Week 36

2011-12-12T18:59:00.001Z

The week with Happy Mail from Carrie in Arizona (she has beautiful handwriting). The week it was dark at school pick-up time. The week DS helped to post our Christmas cards. The week DS's teacher had a nasty fall and broke her shoulder in 2 places.

The week we met Santa. The week we went to the cinema to see Arthur Christmas. The week Santa sent us an adoption certificate for Elvis the Elf. The week DS fell asleep at the dining table and the week DS's drawing was turned in to a Christmas card.

December Daily: The 11th

2011-12-12T08:30:00.000Z

A day involving cranberries ~ sauce and cookies. Seen here and here.

Elvis? On the playroom shelf.

December Daily: The 10th

2011-12-11T14:03:00.001Z

Mulled cider from M&S is delicious! I'll be buying some more this week.
Elvis? Sitting with the pussy willow ...

December Daily: The 9th

2011-12-10T22:03:00.001Z

A bit late in the day for posting, but here it is.

The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed I didn't write in our placings in the Quiz ~ we were 7th out of 10 teams. Not exactly Mastermind, but not embarrassed by being last!
Elvis? On the book shelf.

52 In Black & White: Week 49

2011-12-09T18:30:00.000Z

December Daily: The 8th

2011-12-09T08:30:00.000Z

The one involving red cups and a brown paper bag.

The biggest bonus for DS was as we went into Starbucks, Santa was coming out! The real Santa, red suit, white beard, everything. Amazing! I wasn't quick enough with my camera and Santa wasn't hanging around.

Get me ~ brown paper bags and stitching! And a typo, did you see?
And Elvis?

~ Sitting with Ted on top of the CD rack in the living room ~

December Daily: The 7th

2011-12-08T08:30:00.000Z

The day when Elvis entered the building ...

"Elvis, the Elfon the Shelf came to live with us today. He will stay until Christmas Eve. Elvis is a Scout Elf sent by Santa to report back nightly on thebehaviour of those living under this roof. He cannot be touched because his magical abilities will disappear andeach morning, when he returns from his chat with Santa, he finds a new place tosit and observe for the day."

Cue the opportunity for a hinged flap.

So kind of Santa to find the time to send a note along with Elvis ...

He even included an Elf Adoption Certificate, but I'm including that in Project Life.
I'm planning on including a photo of Elvis in his new observation post with each forthcoming December Daily post. He'll also be the star of this month's 4x6 Photo Love.

December Daily: The 6th

2011-12-07T08:30:00.000Z

The one featuring a 'tree' made of pussy willow ...
I dressed up a vase of pussy willow with decoupage baubles and felt hearts. The baubles came from the supermarket in a box of six. I've actually put 2 aside to use as gifts. The felt hearts have been made over the years by my super talented sister.

The whole page photo was popular yesterday and has been repeated again today. The journaling straight across the middle is ideal for a photo like this.

In case you were wondering, the raffle prize is a tour of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea with our Chelsea Pensioner friend as guide and a copy of his CD.

December Daily: The 5th

2011-12-06T11:45:00.000Z

The day we helped to keep Royal Mail in business. Of the 20 cards I made on Sunday, 7 went abroad ~ 1 to France, 2 to Australia and 4 to the United States.

I was so pleased with the shot I got of DS posting the cards, I decided to go with a full page photo. I really like how this looks so I can see that there'll be a few more full page photos appearing in the album before we get to Christmas Day.

Project Life: Week 35

2011-12-06T10:39:00.001Z

The week DS's class and the year above gave the assembly at school. Their theme was The World We Live In. The week DS thought it was funny to try on my boots and stomp up and down the stairs in them. The week both DH and I caught nasty colds; I'd go so far as to say we had mild flu.

The week DH got an iPad. The week DS's school was shut due to lack of power and he got to go Christmas shopping with me, followed by a play date with some of his new friends. The week DS tried piano lessons at school. The week Ofsted announced a two day inspection at school.

This Moment

2011-12-05T18:15:00.001Z

Location: Kitchen Table
Time: 18.13 hours
Looks as though DS will be eating a warmed-up supper of Pasta in a Pan later. He'll have DH for company at the table; DH won't be home until after 7pm and usually eats his supper as soon as he's changed out of his suit.

December Daily: The 4th

2011-12-05T12:46:00.001Z

A not very particularly Christmassy kind of day ... unless you count the making of Christmas cards. I have since gone back and added a few word sentiments to the front page.

Every year I put myself through the agony that is making cards and all because I know that the elderly relatives in our family will love them. And that's enough for me.

And not a single mini mince pie consumed today.

December Daily: The 3rd

2011-12-04T14:45:00.000Z

The day we met Santa.

Storytelling Sunday

2011-12-04T07:30:00.000Z

The first Sunday of the month means that lovely Sian is hosting Storytelling Sunday. Hop on over to her house for a full list of participants.

My story has few words and five photos ...

~ 2007 ~

~ 2008 ~

~ 2009 ~

~ 2010 ~

~ 2011 ~

"Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe."

Ho, Ho, Ho!

2011-12-03T18:00:00.000Z

~ No prizes for guessing who we went to see today ~

December Daily: The 2nd

2011-12-03T08:15:00.000Z

This is the first year that I've put together a Christmas basket. DS is much more aware of Christmas now and can often be heard singing snippets of carols he's been learning at school. There's quite a mix of things in there ~ scrapbooks (naturally), CDs, DVDs and books. And topped off by a reindeer.

The reverse of this page has a list of the basket's contents, along with more Christmas related activities that happened during the day.

Military Wives' Choir

2011-12-02T20:30:00.000Z

As you know, I'm a huge supporter of the British Armed Forces.
These ladies made me cry.
These ladies made me so very proud.
Of them.
And of their loved ones who put themselves in harm's way to protect the freedoms that we all enjoy.
Someone who is much loved by me and mine is currently serving in a place where dangers lurk at every turn.
The money raised from buying this single goes to the Royal British Legion and SSAFA Forces Help, two military charities who do so much to support our Armed Forces and their families. The charity UK4U will send a Christmas parcel to a serviceman/woman on operations over Christmas on your behalf.
Standing shoulder to shoulder.

December Daily: The 1st

2011-12-02T08:30:00.000Z

The LHS of the photo is the 'front'; a close up of one of the parcels from my It's Time GiveAway, with a few word embellishments. The RHS of the photo, the'back', lists Christmas activities that happened on the 1st.

The two pages side-by-side don't quite fit on to my scanner, which is why the image looks a little cut off at the edges.

It's Time ... For The Winners

2011-12-01T12:41:00.001Z

It's time to announce the two winners of the It's Time GiveAway.

First up on Random.org was:
Cheryl: I love the excitement shown by my OH before midnight as we open our presents then a tradition started by my mother when we were little and carried on by me. He is just like a kid himself.
Closely followed by:
Lynn: I love it when the kids put out their Christmas sacks with the sherry, mince pie and carrot under the tree! A little smattering of snow would add to the atmosphere!
Congratulations! And thank you to all who left a comment sharing their favourite part of the run up to the big day.
Want to see what the actual parcel will contain? Oh, go on then.

Contents include the notebook, Christmas cards x3, assorted gift tags and ribbon and a wooden tree decoration.

Ladies, email me your address ~ roo1968ATyahooDOTcoDOTuk and I'll get them in the post this very week

52 In Black & White: Week 48

2011-12-01T08:30:00.000Z

~ Taster piano lesson ~

Loose Ends

2011-11-30T13:19:00.001Z

With December on the horizon, I've made a concerted effort to tidy up loose ends and finish off Design Your Life, complete missing album pages and catch up with One Little Word.
Week 12 of Design Your Life was disappointing, as I do so hate it when a class ends with a final week of choose your favourite from earlier weeks and re-do. Why not just make the class a week shorter and end with a short recap?
As it happened, my favourite layout was from week 1: use a large photo and minimal design.

The lovely Aussie girls over at SAG are still regularly posting and sharing pages of beautiful simplicity. Amy's latest offering caught my eye and I used it as the basis for a partial scraplift.

One Little Word in October was capturing my word through the camera lens. Under this category of making October better, I have little people in the paddling pool on the 1st, Harvest Festival on the 7th, weekend crop with my BF over 7th-9th, the visit to the V&A on the 13th and much, much more. I added journaling strips to each pocket after the photo was taken.

During November, One Little Word was about indulging in a spot of self-reflection through a number of "I" statements about where I am in my life right now. Most of it is too personal for blogging.

That pretty much brings me up to date, (apart from the journaling in this mini book) and ready for December Daily. My new American friend introduced me to the idea of a pre-Christmas house guest, so do look out for when he/she makes an appearance.

Don't forget to leave a comment here, if you'd like to enter my Christmas GiveAway. It closes at Midnight (GMT) tonight and will be drawn tomorrow.

Unexpected Day

2011-11-29T16:51:00.001Z

The local electricity company forced the closure of DS's school today, as they needed to do some emergency repairs in the road outside. How can you teach and feed children without light, heating and a functioning kitchen? However, school will be open tomorrow ~ no striking teachers for us, thankfully.
Cue an unexpected home day.

~ Christmas shopping with Mummy ~

~ Mode of transport: walk, train, bus, walk ~

~ Playdate ~

~ Mode of transport: walk, bus, bus, walk ~

I think I may have over done it. What do you think?

Don't forget to leave a comment here, if you'd like to enter my Christmas GiveAway. There's still time.

Breaking News: DH Gets An iPad2 ...

2011-11-28T14:11:00.001Z

... in other news, Hell freezes over.

What's with the let's-photograph-Ruth-ironing-and-still-wearing-an-apron-from when-she-stewed-apple-and-blackberry shot?

Don't forget to leave a comment here, if you'd like to enter my Christmas GiveAway.

Project Life: Week 34

2011-11-27T15:17:00.001Z

The week where we had a flying visit from a lovely friend who lives a fair distance away from us. The week when we were able to climb the church tower for amazing views. The week with stark contrasts in the weather in a 24-hour period.

The week where I made a quick visit up to town in order to exchange an evening dress (and found time to check out the Christmas decorations in a famous department store). The week it became obvious that DS is making friends at school. The week with much colder weather, resulting in boots and 60 denier tights. The week with frequent visits to the coffee shop: my new American friend invited me for coffee on Thanksgiving ~ she said she wanted to thank me for being so friendly and helpful to her. Cue embarrassed Brit.

Don't forget to leave a comment here, if you'd like to enter my Christmas GiveAway.

52 In Black & White: Week 47

2011-11-25T11:09:00.001Z

Don't forget to leave a comment here, if you'd like to enter my Christmas GiveAway.

December Daily: The Album

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000Z

The kit I'd ordered from the US arrived safely last Thursday and, overall, I'm very pleased with it. There wasn't a great deal that made me say, "Wow, love that!", but there was plenty that made me say, "Now, I do like that".
Everything from kit, unless stated otherwise.

~ tags: Paperchase ~ stars: Creative Memories punch ~ red brad: from stash ~

~ plenty of room to add extras throughout December ~

~ Christmas Pud decoration and red card (just seen): Paperchase ~ bingo card: Jenni Bowlin ~ robin transparency: from stash ~ pockets (cut down ATC holder: WHSmith ~ templates (just seen): Ali Edwards ~

Don't forget to leave a comment here, if you'd like to enter my Christmas GiveAway.

52 In Black & White: Week 46

2011-11-23T08:00:00.000Z

~ DS and his wee pal P on the front steps at school ~

Don't forget to leave a comment here, if you'd like to enter my Christmas GiveAway.

It's Time ...

2011-11-22T14:36:00.001Z

... for a giveaway. I haven't hosted one for about a year, maybe longer and I'm in the mood to spread a little cheer, as it were. Today, here in London, it is miserably grey and damp; outside looks black and white. Did you guess that November has never been my favourite month?

Talk of Christmas is appearing on blogs, a lot of us are preparing for Journal Your Christmas or December Daily or a combination of both. Our American cousins are preparing for Thanksgiving and the beginning of their Holiday season on Black Friday.

Me? I've ordered our turkey and received my December Daily kit from the US, but that's pretty much it.

I need to make a list or two ...

I have two of these sweet Christmas notebooks to giveaway (and will probably throw in a few more Christmassy things as well) and here's what you need to do, should you wish to win one. Simply leave a comment sharing your favourite thing about the run-up the the big day. Giveaway will close at midnight (UK time) on Wednesday, 30 November and I'll do the draw on Thursday, 1 December.

Design Your Life: Week 11

2011-11-21T09:00:00.000Z

Poor old DFL; it's been badly neglected since the start of the summer holidays. Not that I remember having much of a summer.
Week 11's all about type, font and size. I'm not one for typed titles, as I usually scrap in 12x12 format and my printer can't cope with that size. Nothing to stop me from printing out in 8.5x11 format, though, is there?

I think, in hindsight, that I probably should have trimmed off the white space above the title. Still, you live and learn and it's the first page I've managed to put together in almost three weeks.

The Tall Tall Tower

2011-11-20T07:00:00.000Z

The church at the end of our road opened its tower to the public yesterday.

The stairs were incredibly narrow and steep.

But well worth it in order to try out the big lens.

Look closely and from left you will see: St Paul's Cathedral with Swiss Re building behind it, Canary Wharf, the Shard (currently under construction and looking like a helter-skelter) and the London Eye.
DS couldn't quite manage the steepness of the stairs, although he had a good try and remained at ground level with DH; he (DS) was rewarded later with raspberries from our good friend A.