The One About the Race for Life...

This year Mum and I are doing the Race for Life at Arley Hall in July.  We did it last year, at Tatton Park, mainly as a way to get involved in something that makes a difference, and to spend some quality time together.  This year it means so much more to us, because the money we raise will actually go towards helping someone we know, someone close to us, my sister's new husband.

These last couple of months have been tough, on T, on my sister, and on everyone close to them.  There have been some low points, where T's had a headache that turned out to be a blood clot in his brain that was caused by a side effect of the chemotherapy.  Theres been the car accident that they had whilst he was out of hospital, caused by some silly woman not looking where she was going (luckily nothing but the car was damaged).  The hardest thing is that we can't really do much to help.  All I can do is be there when my sister needs to talk.  I'm quite good at distracting her with every day mundane things to help keep her mind off things, even if its only for an hour.

The doctors at Christie's have been really good (not that I've been, my sister has asked that our family don't go to visit at the hospital as it would cause her to crumble), but they're doing their best to give T the treatment that he needs and to keep him pain free from the headaches.  The good news is he came home today after his last week of intensive treatment.  The other good news is that his blood markers are way down (for a healthy male they should be less than 5, when he went into hospital, his was more than 200,000), less than 5 now.  The next step is surgery, and scans to see whether the spread has shrunk, if not more surgery.

So this year when we do the Race for Life, it will be for T, and for my sister.  I have set up a sponsorship page, if anyone feels able to spare a few pennies for this really good cause, we would all really appreciate it xx

The One About Yesterdays Post (All the Studying)....

So there has been a problem with blogger this week, and it would seem anything that was posted in the last couple of days has been removed due to maintenance work.  Fingers crossed it will all be resolved and it won't go down again.

Back to yesterdays post... several people, on a Wednesday share whats on their craft desks that day.  Well my desk hasn't got craft supplies on it, its got books and notes and pens.  I've been studying, all week, for my first two AAT exams which are on the 24th May.  I really want to be prepared, and pass first time, hence going over things again and again.

In other news, I've had my first week at work, and I'm absolutely shattered!  It's such an unsettling thing to change jobs, and put yourself in an unfamiliar situation with unfamiliar people.  And having to concentrate so hard to learn the new job.  I know it was the best decision for me, and it will be worth it in the end.  But at the moment, I have that feeling of not quite fitting in yet.  But I've been through this before and I know that it will get better, I just have to be patient (not one of my strong points, patience!)

The One About All The Studying...

So I've noticed that on Wednesday various bloggers take a photo of their craft space.  Well this week I haven't had time to do any scrapping as I've been concentrating on my studies.  My exams are fast approaching (24th May) and I want to ensure that I'm fully prepared.  So my desk space at the moment (and for the next two weeks or so) can be seen in the following photos:

It's also been the first week of my new job, and do you know what I'm just shattered!  I don't know why as my day is the same as hours as before, but with a shorter journey home, so why is it that I'm so tired???  All I can think of is that I'm concentrating a lot and learning so much that it requires far more energy.  Anyway, so far its going well, I can do the journey now without the sat nav, and the people I'm working with are lovely, and helpful.  Its always unsettling starting something new, and having that 'new girl' feeling.  I'm sure I'll feel like I belong in a short while.

In other news my blind is being delivered tomorrow (fingers crossed), and as M is at the rugby tomorrow night, I'm going to get out my gem's and attempt to decorate it.  Hopefully I'll be back later this weekend with piccies.

The One About Scrapbooking Day...

Those of you who scrapbook will know that National Scrapbooking Day was yesterday, (for the record it's always the first Saturday in May).  Well yesterday I was studying, and then due to not feeling well I spent the afternoon on the sofa, so I wasn't able to participate until today.  But better late than never!  Unfortunately, I realised too late that I had run out of photo paper, (I've always printed my own photos, I find it easier that way to print them at varying sizes.  I know that a lot of people have theirs printed professionally, but don't they always come back 6x4???), so I had to use photos already printed, and wasn't able to do the page about last year's Race for Life (post about this to follow soon).

Yesterday Shimelle posted some challenges on her blog, and this one inspired me to do this page:

The challenge was to scrap a page directly onto some patterned paper.  This page actually came together really quickly, far more quickly than normal.  And I'm wondering whether it was due to starting out with a piece of patterned paper.  So I will try it again sometime soon, and keep you posted!  The page is about a photograph I took some time ago, whilst out with Mum at Dunham Massey Park.  I loved the photo so much I had it blown up onto canvas and now it is displayed on our living room wall!  I have another picture that I took, of the Eiffel Tower when we visited Paris in November 2009 that I also want to put up on the wall.  But I just haven't got round to it yet!

Next up is a page about a PJ Party that we held for our Brownies.  This wasn't for a challenge, just a set of photos I had always meant to scrap!  Due to the pictures being of lots of little Brownies, I don't feel it right to show the whole LO here, so I've tried to take photos of it, whilst not including their faces.

The journalling reads:
'At the end of every term we liked to do something different to mark the end of term.  And Spring 2009 was no different.  I came up with the idea of having a PJ Party, (I think I was more excited than the girls were!), where we would all wear our PJ's to Brownies that night.  We played the chocolate game (you know, the one where you throw a six, put on hat and gloves, then have to cut the chocolate with a knife and fork), we had a story with the girls' teddy bears, and had lots of dancing.  (And what was even better was when Alesha Dixon's song 'Wash Up, Brush Up' came on, the girls grabbed the brooms and started sweeping up!  Less tidying up for us leaders!)'

I was very lucky to have been a Brownie leader for three years, with this unit, and was really sad to say goodbye to them last Summer.  Unfortunately as I moved in with M, it was too far away for me to commute back every Tuesday.  I did try a Brownie unit closer to home, but I didn't agree with the way it was run, so gave it up.  It was run by a lady that must have been in her late 50's, who had obviously been running it her way for years.  After coming from a unit where the eldest leader was 30, where we had a vision of all Brownie meetings being fun, it came as a bit of a shock!  I just didn't agree with the way the Brownies were made to work!  I know it was activities in their Brownie book, but even so, Brownies is meant to be fun!!  I'm sure that I'll go back to being a leader again the future as I got so much out of it, and it never failed to put a smile on my face (and it allowed me to be a big kid, which was a bonus!)  Has anyone else got any thoughts on this?  Or have you ever been a Brownie leader?  Or even a Rainbow or Guides leader?  Do share :)

The One About my Last Day.....

So today was my last day at work.  And this last week has just dragged.  The department in is in the middle of Year End and my boss in particular has been very stressed, and that has made him even more grumpy that normal, so the last few days have been very difficult.

But today has been nice, I spent the day tying things up, tidying my desk, throwing away a lot of paperwork that I seem to have hoarded (I think this is a family trait, my Mum hoards things too!), but most importatnly I got to say my goodbyes to my friends.  And that meant a lot to me.  I'm going to miss so many of the people that I've worked with, and I have got a couple of lunch dates pencilled in so fingers crossed we'll still all keep in touch.

My department all clubbed together a bought me a few things, including these gorgeous gerberas, and they didn't even know that they were my favourite flowers!  But there is a bit of a story about the flowers.  THey were meant to be a surprise.  My friend A, who had co-ordinated the whole thing happened to be coming up the stairs after purchasing the flowers as I was going down to see one of my friends.  So A had to explain that they were for me!  But they were presented by my manager, and I didn't tell him I'd already seen them!

And now I just feel relieved, it feels like such a weight off my shoulders.  And now I'm looking to the future, and my new start :)

The One About my Newly Put Up Photos...

Over the bank holiday I have finally got round to printing and framing some of my favourite photographs and putting them up on the wall.

First up is my display of family and friends on the wall in the living room.  They are on the right hand side of the room as you walk in down the corridor from the front door.  My intention is to continue the haphazardness of the photos all the way along the wall (going to the right), adding to them in the future as the twins get older, and as we start our own family, and of more family occasions.  M doesn't agree.  He thinks that a whole wall of photos would be too much, but a few clumps like the one I have already done would be better.  So I need some input from you all today please, let me know your thoughts!

The second lot of photos was to add some interest to my downstairs loo.  It has a colour scheme of purple (I mentioned previously of the imminent delivery of my purple roman blind), and it was decided rather than putting up four different photos that I had taken, M was going to edit a photo of my gerbra (brought home all the way from Madeira last April) which started out as orange, and put it into various shades of purple.  Now as M was putting them up on the wall for me, I was only half listening to what he was saying (more than likely I was catching up on someones blog and was engrossed) and when he said did I want them in a line, I (very stupidly) said yes.  So when I got up to look at them when they were up and realised M had literally put them up in a line rather than the 2 by 2 square I had envisioned, I was not best pleased (my own fault completely - lesson learnt, always pay attention to what M says!).  I still don't like the current arrangement, but M says I have to live with it for a few days to see if it grows on me (so far it hasn't).  So another question... should I leave them as they are or ask for them to be altered to the 2 by 2 square arrangement?

I hope everyone has had a lovely bank holiday weekend?  I know that I for one am not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow!  But, I only have 4 days left then start my new job next Monday.  So it can't be all bad!

The One About the Different Christmas Dinner ...

Since last months Storytelling Sunday, I decided to have a little nosy on Sian's blog to find out where the original idea for it came from.  Well, because it started with Christmas stories, I've decided to share a Christmas story this month (I know its May, but I can't possibly wait till December to share this story as it has been going round and round in my head all week!).

So... a couple of Christmas's ago, when I still lived at Mum's Christmas lunch was going to be for Mum, my sister C, my brother R, C's partner S (not the one she recently married by the way) and myself.  It was the first time my mother had cooked a turkey, and understandably she was a little nervous about it.  The turkey (which was quite large to feed us all, and to feed us again the day after with some salad) was taken out of the freezer the night before and put in the fridge overnight to defrost.  (Mum had decided to buy a frozen turkey well in advance from the local supermarket rather than having to battle the crowds on Christmas Eve to pick up a fresh one).  On Christmas morning I came down to find Mum mopping the kitchen floor as the defrosting of the turkey had caused the fridge to flood (Mum has always been an early riser, and as I was home for Christmas from Uni, I was still in sleeping in mode - yes even on Christmas Day!).  So the turkey went into the oven slightly later than planned due to the floods.  It didn't matter, it just meant Christmas lunch a little later on, and who minds really, waiting till later for their dinner???

Mrs Beeton's cookbook was consulted and the time the turkey to be in the oven was calculated based on the size of the turkey.  Very sensible I think.  So the rest of the dinner was cooked according to the turkey finishing time.  About quarter of an hour before said turkey was due to be cooked we took it out of the oven to have a look at it.  To cut into it and check the colour of the juices, as you're supposed to do.  The juices, did not run clear.  So we cut a bit deeper into the turkey.  It turned out the middle of it was still properly pink (quite possibly the turkey had not defrosted properly in the oven over night.  Who knows.)  So with the rest of the dinner practically ready a decision had to be made.  Mum has never liked cooking, whereas whilst at Uni I seemed to have developed an enjoyment for it.  Plus that day I was quite level headed and not prone to panic (nowadays I am prone to panic - the other day I got into a complete state because I couldn't find the battery charger for my DSLR), so I took over, (not the whole cooking - I've never actually cooked a roast dinner myself, just the problem with the turkey).  It was decided that we could not eat the turkey with the rest of the dinner because we ran the risk of giving everyone food poisoning, and if we continued to cook it, it would take too long to cook and the rest of the meal ruined.  So I started rooting through the freezer, and luckily Mum is one of those people that buys things on special offer and puts them in the freezer for another day (now that I live with M and am in charge of the meal planning I do it too!)  I found sausages, lots of them.  Enough of them to feed us all.  So using a trick I'd learnt at uni to defrost things quickly, I submerged them all in a bowl of boiling water, they were all still in their freezer bags (I'm sure that plenty of readers would be horrified by this, I know my Mum was, but it works!)  Then I cooked them.  That year was Christmas dinner with a twist, Christmas dinner without the turkey but with sausages instead!  And it's one that I will never forget!!!

For other Stories head over to Sian's blog.