My A-Z encyclopeadia of an ordinary life is finished!

Today I have just finished my A-Z Encyclopedia of my Ordinary Life and I am very pleased with it.

It has taken me much longer than I thought it would - I had a weeks holiday in February and hoped I would get it done in that week - but it took me that long to work out the sizes of paper and decide on colour scheme, which patterned paper to use and order it.

I used Centre City Designs paper (East Village) and am really pleased with my choices 
- I think it all goes together really well and is restful on the eye. I used blue Bazzill cardstock as the base paper for each page and choose the pink /salmon card stock and the blue to match the colours in the patterned paper

I had so much paper to cut up:- first cut 26 pieces of white card, then Bazzill  pink/salmon cardstock in 2 different sizes and then the patterned paper- 4 different types in 2 different sizes again. This album is based on an idea from Cathy Zeilske,
but her album was 11 x 8.5 cm so took me quite a bit of practice 
to get the sizes right for my 12 x 12 pages.

Then I had to choose which  words to use - 
X & Z were the hardest and just as hard was finding or take photos to go
with those words. 

The journalling was actually this was the easiest part and often I wrote 
more than I could fit in and had to make some quite drastic editing.
You can see how much better I got at journalling as the album went on -
the first few pages were quite lame but further on the journalling became more heartfelt.

Exercise, exercise and more exercise

I really must do more excercise - well actually start doing some at all.

I have lost again!

Another 2lb - so not far away from my 3 stone target now

I love this scrapbooker's style

I have recently discovered Jolenes blogg - when she became a member of  pencil lines design team. I just love her layouts - I can tell her work straight away. I would love to be able to do such frilly work - but mine is much more linear.

Here are some of her super lovely layouts -

in your eyes


bubble fun


playground fun

I have lost again

A fab evening tonight as I lost 5lb at slimming world this week. I am so pleased and was hoping I would have lost as I have been very good this week and  am starting to feel a bit slimmer now - in a relative term that is!!

I could not stop to body image as we wanted to go out for a meal to celebrate their birthdays then driveJessica back to Norwich for her uni resits. I am sure if I could have stopped I would have been slimmer of the week - especially with a 5lb loss, but I did get my 2 1/2 stone loss sticker so I did not leave empty handed.

We had a nice meal at the cottage Indian restaurant - I usually have a huge Byrianni but was very good and had a chicken tika with salad. I also had 1 poppadom with onions. I have not checked how bad these poppadoms are but I have got to live in the real world and have got to learn to live with family occasions. I did not have any birthday cake though.

Had a dreadful journey down to Norwich - it poured with rain all the way and was dark - we did not arrive until midnight and I was knackered. I dropped her off at Uni this morning to hand her essay in ( a resit ) and then she was going to the library to study. I really hope she passes her physiology exam this time as she does love being in Norwich and has no idea what else to do with her life. It is not a forgone conclusion as they dropped 3 girls last year.

Before I left for home I called into The Range and bought her a mirror for her room and so of course had to have a look at their craft stuff and ended up buying some DCWV papers and quote stickers. I bought 12x12 Far east papers and a mat stack in the same papers and 8x8 glitter stack - this is really lovely - i must try and get hold of a 12x12 of this.

Better journey home except a slow bit a Birmingham - but then when isn't it slow at Birmingham! I like driving by myself because I can have my own music own and sing as loud as I want - this time it was Wicked soundtrack.



I love this music and am desperate to go and see the show - I am dropping some subtle hints for a birthday present in November - they don't seem to be working yet

2 more birthdays

it was Jessica's and Liam's birthday today - Jessica was 19 and Liam -15.



Jess wanted a new phone and went for a Samsung D900i in bright pink - as she is a girly girl. As you can see from this huge pile of presents - she also had lots of other presents as well. Lots of baking things as she is such a good cook and as she is moving into her new house with a lovely kitchen - she can keep all the other girls supplied with cakes and biscuits.



Liam did not have as many presents in his pile but just as much money - if not more - was spent on him. He had an external hard drive for the computer - we already have a 500GB one - but he wanted one of his own as he downloads so many films and music etc.  A Bench jacket, trainers and socks, and undies and toiletries.

We ate out a our local Indian restaurant before driving Jessica back to Norwich in the evening - she plans to celebrate her birthday with all her Norwich friends on Thursday night - after her re-sits.

rain, rain & more rain

We were so lucky with the weather on our holiday

I lost weight even on holiday!

Yes I can't believe it but I lost 4 .5lb at slimming last night!

I have now lost 2 stone & 3lb - so got my 2 stone award last night, plus picked up my slimmer of the month certificate, sticker and a nice fridge magnet.

I hope all my holiday pigging out does not haunt me next week - I will have to be particularly good



Now this is not a very flattering photo of me but it does show a typical me outside our beach-hut at Bournemouth - well Boscombe really. I only wear black trousers - come summer & winter - my legs never see the light of the day, but these are starting to look a bit baggy now. The size 18's that I bought from Anne Harvey a few weeks ago, actually fit now but as I only have one pair still have to wear 
the size 20 - as in this photo or even the size 24's when the others are in the wash.

Here is an even worse photo - me in a swimming costume - I am putting them on here to remind me never to get to this size again.


To make up for this not very nice photo here is are a couple of nice ones of me & Jess and me & Steven




My cheeks and chin are still quite chubby - so must continue with the diet as still have got 4 stone & 10lb to go!!!! I think I am aiming for January or February 2008 to reach that target - unless Christmas throws me off track!

Eleanor's birthday

Well today my first born is 23! and she is able to spend her birthday her with us at home. She has some lovely presents - a 250gb external hard disc drive - she already has one of these to back up her PhD work - but she feared she had lost it all last week from a corrupt pen drive, so really needs 2 back ups! she says she will back them both up regularly. She had 4 books, chocolates, body butter and buffing stuff and some socks. I bought her some shorts in Bournemouth but we could not find any jeans for her little short legs so gave her £50 in cash to buy some when she can.

Back from Hols

Well we are back home now from sunny Bournemouth and we were really lucky with the weather - summer arrived at last! We had beautiful blue skies and sunshine for the whole 8 days that we were there. There was only one bit of rain and that was Tuesday afternoon when there was a massive thunder & lightening storm at 16.00 hrs on the Tuesday. I was playing in the sea when it started and saw a massive strike of lightening so thought I had better get out of the water so we took shelter in the beach hut until it was over. 
I spent the rest of the week sheltering in the beach hut from the sun!

Here is a photo of our hotel- it was the first time we had stayed there and it was OK.


Here are a couple of nice snaps of the girls and steven which are nice. Liam was his usual stroppy self so would not allow any photos of him.






I had a lovely letter waiting for me when I got home from Mandy - Slimming Wold consultant to say I was Slimmer of the Month for July !! but obviously I was not there to collect my certificate so can get it on Monday - Not sure if I want to go as my diet in the hotel was rather not red or green days but everything that was going! I had 2 weetabix for breakfast 
followed by a fried breakfast of 2 sausages, bacon, mushrooms, beans and tomatoes!! - I did give my fried bread 
though. Fruit for lunch - bananas, strawberries, nectarines etc and the 3 courses for evening meal - sometimes I had the hotel starter - other times half a grapefruit. Always the main course but then a Muller light yogurt for pudd - even though sometimes I really wanted apple crumble or trifle. Apart from all the hotel food I was very good and did not eat or snack in between meals nor did I have an ice cream at all.I really do not know what to expect tomorrow night - either a big weight gain due to all my scoffing or a weight loss as my trousers feel really loose due to all the exercise I had - walking everywhere and swimming in the sea most days  - just have to wait and see and keep my fingers crossed.

Her space - my space is back!

I have missed these daily photo prompts - but the girls are allowed some time off!

I have cheated a bit and used a photo from yesterday at Telford. The sun makes you do silly things so here is me & Janet trying to climb on the giant climbing frame and not getting very far at all.

No sun today so its a good job I have this pic!



Ohh dear flabby arms alert!

flabby arms - good incentive to keep going with the diet

some pics from day out with janet & peter

I took loads of photos yesterday at Telford and at the barbecue- however I am not really happy with them. It was a beautiful sunny day so should have lots of good shots but to keep everyone from 
squinting turned everyone away from the sun 
- all their faces are now in the shade - should have used the fill flash - completely forgot about that!!!
At least I should not forget that next week on holiday - when it will still hopefully be sunny.

Here are some pics anyway. Liam refuses to have his photo taken now - its not cool at his age! I got one of him but he absolutely refused to smile!






And see how shaddowy Jessica's face is in this shot.

Our 26th wedding anniversary

Well 26 years ago - Steven & I got married.
He was very considerate with my anniversary present this year - 
see below.



What a good boy - no choccies this year! A pineapple is a much better choice.

Had a lovely day yesterday - Janet & Peter were up from Hemel Hempstead so we went out to Telford in the day and then had a family barbecue in the evening.

Something else different happened - Janet made me buy a new top and necklace. I hate clothes shopping and did not really want to buy anything but she made me try on loads & loads so 
in the end I said 'if I buy this one will you stop making me try things on!' -anyway everyone
said how nice the top was and in fact I am quite pleased with it really!



A pic of the old married couple. Steven is not on fire its just the barbecue smoke behind us!