What a mixed bag!

The last few days have been soooo goood and soooo bad it's definately been a case of getting the rough and the smooth. All of Thursday night, Emily decided that she was going to join the sick club and managed to puke on two beds and the hallway floor (not to mention all over me, i don't know why i do it but i cup my hands in front of them when they're sick, no logic at all!).

Well this carried on into the morning so needless to say the girls ended up home from nursery, seriously hampering my prep time for leaving to get to Braunton. But eventually i was organised enough to go pick up Sarah and head off with AA route planner in hand and some random scrawled directions that i'd taken from Tracie on Wednesday night...which, on reflecion, probably made about as much sense as Pete's nuclear physics manuals!

So there we were, coming out the other side of Barnstaple after just over an hour and a half (not bad at all considering we went the M5 way, twice as long but far less scary!) and that's where things didn't quite go to plan. Scrawled directions were more like some kind of secret code, AA route planner had lost us from the minute that it told us that Barnstaple was left and not right as you came off the M5 so i just went the way i knew before...and of course ended up at the PUB! Well at least it showed that i knew where i was going!

Well after a few directions from the landlady we made it to Tracies, in time to dump bags and head back to the pub for some delish food, acid burning lager (i really can't drink lager anymore) and lots and lots of chat.

Back at Tracies it was time to bag the kits up for the crop and even though we were probably all three sheets to the wind i think we managed it just about and then left Tracie to finish her layouts out, god that girl is worse than me for staying up. But what a great night. I love the fact that Tracie is so down to earth and honest and even though she is sooooooo talented, she is the least pretentious person i've ever come across.

Getting to see all of her layouts 'in the flesh' was wonderful, such a tactile experience, i really love her work and we even got to see her make a bead for Sarahs troll bracelet, i did resist the temptation to use the burner to try to light my ciggie (yes was smoking this weekend) although i did have to fight it off.

So tired and looking like a pile of poo off i went to Braunton Croppers for National Scrapbooking day. Alisons classes were lovely, Tracie's layout class was lush and made me really think about trying different papers and the Shimelle class for NSD was great although i didn't have time to finish it. What a great group of girls Tracie has there aswell. They all made myself and Sarah feel so welcome and it was nice to catch up with some that we'd met back at the LCC workshop back in December. I really wasn't looking forward to coming home and could've stayed longer, but i had to come home to two puking kids and one worn out husband!

So, Kids seem to finally have gotten over their bug, the fact that i've been back on the tabs mean i have to go cold turkey again today and despite nicotine patch i'm probably going to start getting narky some time in the next hour or so. Will leave you with this layout from Saturday (the only one i've completely finished). This was Tracie's layout class using KI memories papers and ribbons and lots of stamps. I'd never really thought about using many different stamps on one layout before and i'll definately do this again and i loved all those ribbons down the side of the photo which were all tied to a lolly stick. Just feelsorry for Tracie as she lost some of her 'ickle stamps down the sink when washing them out....sending hugs to you!
So thanks soooo much to Tracie for just being Tracie, Sarah for listening to me babble on ALL the way there and put up with me singing Amy Winehoue ALL the way back, Tracie's hub for the best bacon roll i've had in ages, Tracie's gorgeous boys for showing me the joys of the dirty hamster and giving up their beds for the night and everyone at Braunton for making me feel so welcome. CAn;t wait to get up again.