Great crop

I went to the Skrapz crop today and managed 3 layouts - not bad for very little preparation.These first 2 are complete scraplifts from someone from UKS. I must look back and find her name so I can acknowledge her - suffice to say the ideas were all hers - I just copied.

This 3rd one - I quite like. As soon as I saw the photos I knew that I had to scrap them. They are of Eleanor in her lab - which is her second home - hence the title - what ever time of day or night, weekend or weekday we ring Eleanor and say 'where are you?' the answer is always the same 'the lab'. She is such a conscientious student and I was so grateful to Jessica for taking these photos of Eleanor when she and Aaron went up to visit her. The lab is such a big part of Eleanor's life and I had nothing to document this stage of it.

catch up..

I finally succumbed to the dreaded flu bug which has laid me low for a few days and knocked off my big headed crown for proudly proclaiming I must have super immunity, as I kept well whilst everyone else was falling ill left, right and centre. Big slice of Humble Pie eaten!

I have been taking my daily photos just not posted them. I have finalised my list of photos to take each month. I have not set a date for any of them - just as long as the list is ticked off by the end of each month. I chose things that I would like to be recorded and am looking forward to a 31 page album - each page showing 12 similar or different, but linked things, at the end of the year.

The list is as follows:-

what am I reading

what am I listening to

what am I watching

a family member

Steven

Liam

a room in the house

a place of interest in town

a shop in town (before they all disappear!)

geocaching

a geocoin

people I have spent time with

the weather

landscape

scrapbook layout

places I have visited

new scrapbook stash

self portrait

what have I bought today

what have I eaten

home baking

what makes me smile

toiletries

its midday - what do I see

post through the letter box

garden

modes of transport

my neighbourhood

sweets

Todays photo will be from the 'what have I bought today' section. I hate buying clothes - but I was down to my last bra so it was a case of necessity.

6th january photo

opps did not manage a photo yesterday - thats not a very good start.

Well todays photo is a geocoin that I picked up from a cache this week.

By the end of the year I will have photgraphed 12 of the nicest coins, which will be nice - as I move them on very quickly that often I do not get chance to appreciate them.

Today I have been out geocaching again. This small little cache drove me mad yesterday as I could not find it - but a kind clue from the owner put me on the right track today.

Then I ventured out to Whixall Marina for a geocache there - lovely walk along a frozen canal

This final cache was the last one in The behind Enemy Lines series set by Bolas Heathens. It is a series of 13 caches spread over Shropshire and I have been doing them over the christmas holidays. They are set in old airfields and todays set was very scary - I don't think I should have been wondering in these woods by myself!

I have booked my self on a Scrapz crop on Saturday in an attempt to get me scrapbooking. So I have printed off the photos for 6 layouts this morning - but because Ross sleeps till the middle of the afternoon I have not been able to get in my craft room /his bedroom to make any paper etc preparations. Off to turf him out of bed now! - otherwise I will have nothing to do on Saturday.

4th january photo

Today's photo is of my walking boots - which is going in the category of 'modes of transport' - Well they transport me to lots of places.

I have more or less got my list of photos to take each month sorted - will try and add it to this post later.

Sorry for such a short post - busy day ahead.

January 3rd photo

An early photo today as we have had a magnificent frost, so had to go out in the garden and take some wintry shots. I shall post 2 photos as I have not quite finalised my list of photos to take each month - so these can either be weather or garden or nature - just giving myself a few options!Our wintry back garden - will be nice to compare this in the summer.
Could not decide which of these cobwebs to use!

what am I reading?

Today's photo shows the book I am reading at the moment - I just love it. I had it as a Christmas present from Steven . I did not realise just how clever Oscar Wilde was - he was a genius really. I must admit that I have not actually read any of his novels - but I am very inspired to do so - so have added a few to my Amazon shopping basket.

oh my poor neglected blog...

Well Christmas preparations got the better of me and I neglected everything else - sorry. Well a new year and a new start - hope to do better. Here are just a few Christmas photos:-

Steven & the girls on Christmas Eve.

Jessica & Eleanor in front of the tree.

here 3 of the children are all snuggled up in bed together - its Christmas eve and they always go to bed together so that they can open their stockings together. Ross will not join in the fun though.

me & jess

Eleanor & Jess in their new matching PJ's

In an effort to keep inspired I am following the 'take a photo a day' project on UKS. The plan is that we take a photo a day throughout the year - I tried this once before - just for a month and could not even manage that - so I am not hopeful- but I like a challenge. Here is today's photo:-

It is taken on Earls Hill today and the trees are all covered with dry snow - so it was gorgeous. Steven and I went geocaching up there today as we had never been there before.

Just a quick update on the kitchen saga - the sink and taps were fitted 3 days before Christmas - so at least we had water. The kitchen man is coming on Monday to finish off the units and work tops and then depending on how much money we have left I can have either a new fridge freezer or extractor fan- I need both really but don't think that the funds will stretch that far. Once everything is back in the kitchen - I am hoping to start scrapbooking again. I feel a little nervous as it has been so long - hope I have not forgotten how to do it.

As it is New Years Day I should really post my resolutions - just one this year - loose weight. This time last year I had lost 5 stone in weight - I have put most of it back on so I have no option but to diet again. I am not starting just yet - need to be able to function in the kitchen first and rid the house of all the junk - so I am hoping in about 2 weeks.