The One About Glee.....

Finally the night we were to see Glee came around!  M bought us tickets as part of my Christmas pressie, and after waiting all this time we got to go!  We both took Wednesday afternoon off so that we would have time to get ready and catch the train.  I twirled my hair - although we didn't really take any photos of us, so I can't show you.  We got to Manchester and had a lovely meal at Pizza Express.  Then because we had some time to spare did a little shopping - I couldn't believe that the shops in Manchester were open past 5:30pm!

Then it was time to go and find our seats with our friends.  We'd been sat there a good ten minutes when this lady and her little son came over to our friends and it looked like they had been sold duplicate tickets, as the seat numbers were the same.  So our friends had to go with the lady to the officials with their tickets to get it all checked out.  All the time we were wondering whether someone else was going to try and claim our seats too as all the seats had been booked at the same time.  Well our friends came back and said her ticket had scanned through fine as it was a legitimate ticket, and the lady's ticket hadn't.  It turned out she had bought two fake tickets from ebay.

Not long after the warm up show came on, who were a dance troop that was a bit like street dancing.  I wasn't completely over awed by it but, there was one guy that stood out who was doing continuous back flips on just one leg - all I thought was wow!  Then we waited for the much anticipated glee club to come on.  And wait, and wait.  We spotted a couple of famous people in the audience from Corrie, Sean the gay one, and Becky - I don't really watch Corrie, but there were loads of people who kept going up for photos and signatures!  Those poor people who just came out for a night out!

Then some cheerleaders and football players came out in the high school colours from Glee, giving out what turned out later to be Barf bags!  It was nearly an hour before Glee actually came on, and just before they did, the guy that must have been the manager of the MEN Arena came on.  He explained that they were having a problem with the lights!  What should have been a simple press the button the computer and all the lights go off, just wasn't happening - so to stop delaying the show any further he's made the decision that they were going to manually turn the lights off one by one by going up high into  the rafters! They got quite a cheer as the lights gradually went down!

The show opened naturally with Don't Stop Believin' with everyone dressed in matching outfits.  There were solo numbers, there was a VT with Mr Shue and coach Sylvestor, Brittany did her Brittany Spears song, and it was just fab!  The photos we took on the phones just didn't come out at all so I have a couple off the internet:

Photo courtesy of eyeprime

Photo courtesy of eyeprime

The One About Knowsley Safari Park...

I can't believe how long it's been since I last blogged!  The reason being, I've felt decidedly under the weather, and just haven't been on the internet at all - literally been getting in from work and falling asleep on the sofa!  I'm still not 100% but I'm getting there, and thought that whilst I was having a better moment I would do some catching up!

So...Last Monday (20th June) was mine and M's anniversary - we've now been together two years!  Keeping with tradition (last year we went to Chester Zoo) we decided to go to Knowsley Safari Park.  As it was a week day it was fairly quiet and we were able to meander round at our own pace, and pull over to have a good look at the animals if we wanted.

We took hundreds of photos but I'll just share a few of my favourites....

In one spot in the lion enclosure there were quite a few little lion cubs, and they were all asleep and looked really cute.  You can't really make them out in the photo, but unfortunately my lens wasn't good enough to get the full benefit

 Further along the road there was a whole gang of lions sitting together and M managed to catch this really good shot of the lion yawning!  All that sleeping and posing must have tired her out!

 At Knowsley Safari Park for those of you that don't know, the public can drive through the baboon enclosure (at their own risk) or drive past but still be able to see them.  Anyway M is braver than I am, and decided we would drive through.  The baboon above almost immediately jumped onto the bonnet and had a ride around the enclosure with us!  One of the other baby ones got on too, but as he was on the roof I couldn't get a photo!  Other cars going round had whole parties of them on their cars!  Their mistake was to stop, whereas we kept on driving round!

 The next enclosure had a mix of camels, rhinos, buffalo and types of deer.  I think we got there just after feeding time because they were all grouped together at the beginning.  Anyway, the rhino above, although walking quite slowly was intent on ploughing into my car.  Luckily the ranger was there in her range rover drove at the rhino to move it on.  I was just a little bit scared it was going to go right into us!

 Towards the end of the park, you can park the car and walk round, to see the elephants, camels and other smaller animals.  Well we were quite entranced by the meercats!  We could have watched them for hours!

And we got to see a sea lion show, which was really fantastic, they were really clever and great at doing all their tricks.  My only concern was that their enclosure that they swim in the rest of the day didn't look very big.  But I'm sure that the people at the Safari Park know what they're doing and care for the animals :)

In other news M is busy putting spot lights in my new craft area.  Yesterday M's dad did a lot of the finishing touches with the painting, so all being well I might be able to put all the scrapbook stash away tomorrow!

Thankfully I've got this whole week off, we're at a wedding in Surrey on Wednesday, so travel down on Tuesday and back on Thursday.  Then on Friday we're going camping for the weekend with our friends, as it is their birthday.  It'll be nice to have the day to myself tomorrow to catch up on things I haven't done over the last few weeks - even if it is only house work!

The One About Document 2011 - January...

A few weeks ago I decided to take up the challenge to scrap life in 2011, as I'd seen so many other people producing fantastic pages.  I'm really far behind, and haven't keep any keepsakes in the first few months, but at least from March onwards I have my blog as a bit of reminder of what went on!  So the first few months will probably only be 1 12x12 page, whereas later months will have a double page spread.

I started January's on Wednesday night after my order came that day in the post - finally!!!  I used one of the monthly kits from December 2010 from Sarah's Cards to do these pages, and finished it up on Friday night, (whilst M was downstairs playing on the x-box!)

In January I went shopping to the Trafford Centre with my best friend, S and her mum, in the sales looking for an outfit to wear for a wedding in February.  S found a dress and matching jacket in the first shop we went in, unfortunately I had to try on numerous dresses until we found something for me.  The tricky thing was it was a winter wedding so I needed something that was going to look good, but keep me warm too!

On the 26th it was M's birthday.  I clubbed together with his dad and my mum to get him an x-box (his other one was making strange whirring noises all the time).  He actually had it a couple of weeks early as we got it in the sale and traded in the old one.  His birthday was on a Wednesday so we combined a curry with our friends with a trip to the cinema to see Unknown, which was a really fab movie!

January was also the time when we decided it was a good idea to sign up for the AAT course, in the hope that it would help me find a new job, as after 6 months in the other one I was constantly stressed, coming up against brick walls at work, and not actually spending many of my days doing things I enjoyed.  So my books came, and I started studying.

On the very last day in January I signed up for a new phone.  The phone that I was using was really only ever meant to be a fill in, it was M's hand me down, and I wanted one that I'd actually chosen.  So after playing with S's i-phone whilst on the hen do, and one of the other girls Nokia phones, I knew it had to be the Nokia.  Simply because it was easier to use, and would still use predictive text.  Since having it I've realised it doesn't do everything that I had hoped, because its on a different operating system to most Smart Phones and so there aren't many apps for it, and probably not many in the making.  But I use the internet easily on it, and the camera is fantastic!

And finally, the last weekend in January I went on my friend's hen do in York, and we had such a wonderful time :)  the maid of honour who had planned it all had put so much effort in, that it was good fun.  The first night we stayed in, with lasagne's, pizza, general nibbly things and wine of course.  E, the maid of honour had put together a Mr & Mrs quiz with the help of the husband to be without the bride ever knowing!  It was hilarious watching the bride trying to guess what answers her groom might give!  There was also a name that child quiz for famous people, which our team won!  And they had also made a pinata that was full of sweets that the bride had to smash.

The next day we were booked in for paintballing, and luckily it was only the low impact version, because it was still very painful when you got hit.  There was a very strict rule that even if you weren't in a game if you were out on the playing area you had to keep your mask on otherwise you risked losing your eye.  Well I was very grateful as I got shot in the back of the neck by a stray paintball from someone else's game, which stung like anything.  Could you imagine if I'd been facing the other way without my mask on???

Saturday night we were going out for a tour round the York dungeons.  So 12 girls had to be staggered using the two bathrooms, in order to get ready.  I'd also decided to curl my hair which made things take so much longer.  After burning myself with them on my first twirl, it was decided safer is S took over!  With minutes to spare we were ready to go.  The dungeons had been divided into different areas where different stories were told, and different things made us all jump.  There was one bit where the bride was put in the dock as though in an olden day court, and another where she was burnt at the stake!  This was followed by a yummy meal, and then dancing at a nightclub till 3am!  I know this isn't all on the scrapbook card, so I've written a large amount of journalling on the back so that I won't forget.  I'm just disappointed that I didn't take any photos at all whilst we were there.  I think I decided for that weekend I was going to enjoy being part of things, rather than an onlooker with a camera!

I've already started on the February pages, which see's my friend C get married, Mum and I go wedding outfit shopping, and the family receiving some very bad news, (which I think I'm going to include as it became such a large part of our lives - let me know if you have ever scrapped bad news or anything sad).

The One About The Hanging Baskets...

Last weekend my mum and I had arranged to do our hanging baskets.  We make them every year, always going back to the local flower grower, because his prices are so much better than the bigger garden centres, and we know the flowers last and last all summer, and beyond.

We'd already decided that before we got started on our gardening that we were going to make a visit to Lady Heyes Craft Centre, which has a scrapbook shop for me (Crab Apple Crafts), and a material/quilting shop for my mum - Sew Simple (she loves quilting at the moment.  She's made us four quilts, two cushions, and a homemade advent calendar!  And she's still going!) I was really good and made a list of what coloured card I needed and the colour of ribbons I needed too, so I didn't go overboard and throw just anything into my basket!

After a lovely little tootle round the two shops we headed back via the plant shop.  We each picked up starter plants for our baskets, then headed home for a well earned lunch.  After a relaxing lunch we headed outside, Mum to make three baskets, including one for a wall, and my two baskets.  I'd bought enought to put six plants in each of my baskets.  This year rather than just randomly putting plants in, I've colour co-ordinated them.  The first basket is reads and pinks, the second basket is whites and purples.  Fingers crossed they'll grow really well over the rest of the summer!  I'm hoping we get some better weather though because all its done recently is rained!

My clematis is also doing really well at the moment.  Mum and I went to the Tatton Flower show last summer and each came home with a new clematis.  They looked really unusual, with pale white/green petals with a swirly purple middle.  It was too late in the year last summer for them to flower so I've been really pleased by how well its doing now.

And finally, I want to wish my little sis Happy Birthday today!

The One About Ten Things I Love Right Now...

So today is the tenth of the month, and Shimelle is running something where everyone blogs about 10 things on the tenth.

So I've chosen to blog about 10 things I love:

1) that my Sarahs Cards order finally arrived!!!
And I was so enthusiastic about using it on wednesday night, that I didn't get any photos!

2) that I can scrap in my new craft area!
I'm still not able to put things away, but its useable!

3) this series of The Apprentice
I'm going for Helen and Thomas in the final...anyone else want to make a guess???

4) that my brother is coming home from uni tomorrow

5) that my brother in law hasn't had any major problems in the last couple of weeks

6) my hanging baskets and clematis plant
I did the hanging baskets last weekend with my mum - pictures to follow in another post

7) spending time with the twins - they're 18 months old now! And so cute :)

8) that I've started on my Document 2011 pages - only on January but its a start!

9) my new job - I'm finding my feet, I'm learning quickly, and I'm actually enjoying it, and not getting stressed so far!

10) and finally... my other half of course!

Make sure you pop over to Shimelles blog to see everyone else's 10 on the 10th!

The One About the Hole in the Road...

Last Friday I was driving home from work as usual, glad that is was Friday and I had two days to do with whatever I wanted (after the weekly shop on the way home that is).  Then as I went up the hill towards the mini round about, I saw a police car parked in the middle of the road on the other side, where I wanted to go.  Traffic was still going down the road, so when it was my turn at the round about I went down my exit.  Well imagine my surprise when I find out the reason for the hole, is a very very large hole in the road.  I had no idea what had caused it, just that it was there!

Image courtesy of the Manchester Evening News

Anyway, the radio on the way home, a bit later on said the road was now closed, diversions were in place(remember this bit for later) but that workmen were on their way, and it would re-open again on the Saturday.  So I thought nothing of it again, except to tell M about it in passing when he got home from the stag do.

So this morning, I was driving along to work as normal, and there is a sign just before my turning saying the road was closed.  I looked for diversion signs and there weren't any.  So I rather than turning right, I had to keep going down the road.  I've only been in the job a month, so don't know that area at all.  So I thought I'll ring M, he knows the area as he works in Bury too.  Could I get my bluetooth thing to work??? No!  Did I have the SatNav with me??? No, because M had it to direct him over the weekend to Bristol.  So I was starting to panic.  I pulled over down a side street, and rang M - all he got out of me was this harassed garbled jumble of words.  Once he got it out of me, he simply said turn round head back the way you came and jump on the motorway.  So simple when you think about it, but I'd never been on the motorway there before so it didn't spring to mind.  So off I went.  As I approached the closed road (on my left now) guess what I saw.... a diversion sign!!!  I was so cross - why on earth would they out a diversion in place if you approach from one direction, and not the other!  Needless to say I followed the diversion and got to work just fine.  But by the time I got there I was fuming!!!!!

The One About Growing Pains...

Growing pains I hear you ask? What are they???  Well this is something that my sister and I grew up knowing, that my mother told us about.  When you are little you get all sorts of aches and pains, and if they were in our legs Mum would say we were growing!  The thing is both M and C's husband had never heard of this before at all!  And the thing is, I still get those same aches and pains, and always believe that they are growing pains.  M will always chime in with how can they be growing pains if you;re not getting any taller???

Well, I have since come up with an explanation (not a proper scientific one I might add!).  We like to watch the programme called 'Inside the Human Body,' and last weeks episode talked about the fact that the only cells that stay with us, and that are never replaced are the heart's pacemaker cells.  So, to me that means that the other cells in our body are continually working to replace the previous ones, and therefore my growing pains, could really be growing pains!

Thought I would share one of the official wedding photographs of Clair & I given that the story is about the two of us!

Not quite sure what we were looking at!

This was brought to you for Sian's Storytelling Sunday, so pop on over to her blog to read the other stories :)

The One About Trying to Design my Own Blog Header...

... and failing miserably.  I was waiting for Shimelle's final email which is supposed to detail what to do.  Unfortunately it hasn't come through yet and I found myself at a loose end tonight, (M is away for a stag weekend) so I thought I would have a bash.  I did a search for some tutorials on the internet.  The first one advised to download a free scrapbook file, so I did that.  But it doesn't then tell you how to manipulate the things you've just downloaded.  All I want to do now is throw the laptop out the window!!!  (Given that it is M's laptop, he wouldn't be best pleased!)

The image that I want to use is this one:

BUT, I want to have the bow on the left, and extend the ribbon across my header.  (I've managed to open a new file in photoshop for the right size for my blog, I think its 1000 x 350 pixels)

Then I thought that I might add some photos to it, and change the font of my title so that it went over all the photos??? I just don't know what I'm doing, and my knowledge of photoshop is poor.

So is there anyone out there who could point me in the right direction?  Is there a really really easy step by step thing I could follow???  I would really appreciate it.  Thank you in advance :)

The One About my First Use of the Craft Area...

Last night I actually got to scrap at my new scrap desk!  It was so much better for my back, I had a TV right there, and I had plenty of space to spread out!  As I said in yesterdays post I can't really put everything away where I want it yet as there is still painting to be done.  Today the ceiling has had a coat of white paint, but it has dried patchy and will need another coat.  So until all that is done I'm not risking my scrap stuff getting paint drops on it!  For now I will have to pack everything up when I have finished!

Last night I finished off the LO I started last weekend, and which I got no where with.  I was inspired by Shimelle's May 4x6 class where she uses 5 photos.  As soon as I saw the layout for this month I thought I could use that for my photos from last weekend.  Although I had 5 photos printed out, they weren't 6x4 they were all slightly different, but I think it still looks ok :)

After realising last weekend that I have a huge amount of brads, I decided to start using them up, and use more than just one or two on a LO!

At the moment when I scrap I'm having issues with my journalling.  I'm trying to put more journalling on my pages at the moment, but struggling with how to do it.  Sometimes I do journalling strips, and other times I write directly on the card, but this doesn't always work if I'm using lots of patterned papers.  If anyone has any ideas for how to do large amounts of journalling on their LO's I would really appreciate it.  Leave a link to any of your own LO's in the comments section if you have any that would help.  I would really appreciate it!

Don't forget that as tomorrow is the first Sunday of the month, then its Storytelling Sunday over on Sian's blog.  I've written my story and it's all ready to go in the morning.  I'm warning you now, you will probably think the story a little weird!  Bit it came about from a conversation with M the other day, and I just thought, that could be my story for this month!  You'll see!!!

Oh and for anyone who is interested, my books for studying arrived today, but still no sign of my stash order.  So I'm getting further behind with my Document 2011 that I wanted to start last weekend!

The One About my Busy Week...

Since last weekend I just haven't stopped!  The weekend itself was a bit of a let down after the no-show of my new stash, (still missing in the post somewhere - not impressed) but it picked up after a trip to Hobbycraft on Monday.  I picked up a little plastic box thats divided into little sections that I thought would be perfect for my brads.  (If I'd had any sense I would have bought one for my buttons too, but I can always go back!)

The reason for buying new storage for my stash.... the construction of the craft area is complete!!!!!  So when I've finished this post I'm gonna head on up and try to create a LO!  There are still some other bits and pieces that are needed to the room, so my stash isn't moving up there quite yet.  For one thing, the ceiling needs painting, and I don't really want my stash underneath it with paint about!  But, I'm trying to get storage sorted and I need to get some curtains too.  At the moment there is only one lamp, so it gets quite dark.  M has promised me that he will put lovely bright spot lights in so fingers crossed that will be done next weekend (he's away on a stag do this weekend).

Tuesday night was my regular aerobics night, and by the time the class had finished, I'd showered, we'd eaten, I was just too shattered to even turn the laptop on :(  This week I've just been so tired, and I don't know why, I'm not getting less sleep than normal, and work hasn't been too taxing.  Hopefully after a rest this weekend I'll perk up again :)

Wednesday night we went to the cinema to see the new X-Men movie First class.  We've watched the first three movies over the last three weeks so I actually had a good idea about the background to the characters and things (I generally forget things, I'm well known for it!  The other night M put on an episode of something from its 6th series.  I haven't even watched the first series yet, so he said by the time I got round to watching the episode in the 6th series, I would have forgotten all about it - which is completely true.  Its why I can re-watch Midsomer Murders!)  The movie was fab, and is well worth a watch.  I'm really enjoying watching the Marvel inspired movies.  And given that M has read the comics since he was young, he can give me the background to all of the characters.  He also collects their models (but thats a completely other post!)

Last night we took a trip to IKEA.  Now that the craft area construction was complete I wanted to get some more storage, starting with glass jars for my ribbons.  I originally wanted the sort with a glass lid, and the clasp that buckels over the other bit.

But I struggled to do them up afterwards, so I've gone for ones with little silver lids instead.

Because we got back so late, I haven't had a chance to wash them out, or sort the ribbons out yet.  Another job for tomorrow!  I also needed some baskets/boxes to out things in the cubby holes.  But everything that we saw was too tall for the cubby holes, and I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do just yet.  So by the time we got home, it was about half eight and again I was tired, and hungry, not having had any dinner yet (if I go too long without being fed I get really cranky!  Combine that with not finding baskets at IKEA, and I was in a foul mood!)  Oh but I soon cheered up after watching The Apprentice!  Is anyone else watching it?? We're having a little bet between ourselves about which two will be in the final, I chose Melody & Leon.  M has gone for Jim (I really don't think him a good choice after this weeks session in the board room!) and Thomas.  So... does anyone else want to join in with a prediction???