Wet and Windy...

and apparently it's going to get worse. Thing is the window has just 'gone' on my car and i can't now open it..at least that's better than yesterday when i couldn't shut it (and it was tipping down). So after spending £600 to get it through the MOT last week, i now have to spend another ton to get a new window switch fitted. It never rains..but it pours and i hear it's going to be pouring and pouring the next few days. So i have to drop the car in tomorrow after taking Emily to nursery and walk home.....i can't find the raincover for the pram so i guess we'll be two VERY wet bunnies by the time we get home.


Done todays prompt on HSMS which was soap. Emily actually got two new soaps yesterday which were Little Miss soaps but my favourite are these that Freya bought last year and refuses to use (it's ok she does use other soap...she isn't that stinky!) How many times i've had to explain to Emily that they aren't ice lollies.

And this is the layout i did last night. The colours look a bit washed out but i assure you they aren't in real life. I am loving these papers and i think tonight i may start the mini book that came with the modscraps add on kit, although i haven't really thought of what i'm going to do in it yet....maybe an A-Z which i've wanted to start for a long time. Maybe i'll have something to share with you later. In the mean time, just a week to go until i announce who has won the Scrap It Challenge this month.......we need more entries please.

I got some scrapping done!

....actually i'm still going. I've done 2 layouts this evening, this is the second one, easy to scan as it's A4 but the other is 12x12 so will have to wait til tomorrow (oops it is tomorrow...ok well, when it's lighter) to share that one with you. I'm loving this kit but i'm almost out of rub ons and i need more of these as they're gorgeous, also with the double sided paper i'm itching to use both sides so may have to be buying some additional bits for this. Thanks for looking, going to clear down and toddle off to bed now. X

Write

Banging headache at the moment which hasn't been helped by the fact that since i picked Emily up from my mums this morning (she'd stayed the night after watching the Tweenie stage show last night) she has been in the most obnoxious mood i've seen for ages.

Oh well, couple more hours and they'll all be in bed and i'll be able to cut into my Modscraps kit. Spent last night going through my photobox and picking out which snaps i think will work with the papers. I'm resisting a lot of my new snaps in a bid to get as many old photos scrapped as possible. Wonder how long that will last?

However i did manage to do todays HSMS prompt which was 'write'. Writing ... or rather scribbling is a bit of a mute point in this house at the moment. No matter what i do or where i hide them....Natasha seems to find a crayon or pencil (no felts....learnt from experience and they're now BANNED). Well, if it doesn't move...it gets Natasha'd....playroom floor, walls, door and this photo represents her 'artistic freedom', a little satchel, currently 'decorated' by Natasha....but wait....it's actually sat on their easel....which is BLANK

Straight and Swirly

Well firstly...my second day of doing the HerSpace:MySpace prompts which today is 'straight'. As Pete doesn't have a great talent for DIY work...putting things up straight is a slight issue at the moment so thought i'd think out of the box on this one.

Modscraps kit arrived this morning and it is absolutely gorgeous, so many goodies to play with this afternoon, just LOOK at it all! I'd been warned by someone else that the 'LOVE ELSIE' papers were a bit on the thin side and that is true but they are double sided and gorgeous to boot. I also bought the add on kit, mainly for the funky clear stamps that came with it as i'm really loving skull and crossbones at the moment.

Came with some gorgeous fabric papers but i am in love with the embossed cardstock, it is lovely and i'm definately going to have a go with that later tonight. Emily is off to see the Tweenie stage show and sleeping at my mums, freya is off to her dads, robert isn't over this weekend and Pete is away.....so just me and Natasha tonight then.....should be quiet!

EMMA!

I can't find your address...had a bit of an 'incident' with my email account, could you email me again at terriefarrell@hotmail.co.uk so i can get your goodies out to you please. Cheers! X

No Photographer!

Well, as i now have my DSLR I thought i'd better put it to good use...been over to My Space / Her Space and i'm trying to see what i can do today with the previous prompts, hoping to catch up with them all by the end of next week...remember i am a COMPLETE novice, have appauling light in the house and three kids who will NOT keep still...but hey, i'm going to give it a bash anyway.....So i've done MILK and DRINK

Nothing ventured......

Finally found a decent length of time this afternoon to try and finish a couple of layouts that i'm doing for the Best Of British Newcomer in Scrapbook Inspirations. I'm still not entirely happy with them so i think i'll do some tweaking tonight but thought i'd leave a sneak peek of one that i did with last months Jenni Bowlin kit.

I know i don't really have a chance entering the competition but as they say, 'nothing ventured....'. Still over a week til the closing date of this months challenge. As soon as entries are recieved they'll be put up for all to see on the blog so if you haven't entered yet....give it a go....like i said before...nothing ventured.....

ENTRIES FOR JUNES SCRAP IT CHALLENGE

All entries recieved so far.....still plenty of time to enter....check out the June challenge link on the right hand side!

Happy Fathers Day!

We wished Pete a happy fathers day over the phone this afternoon as he'd already left for Scotland on Friday so then it was the turn of MY dad. We popped round to see him and my step mum Liz this evening. The kids adore their grandad and each of them has a completely different relationship with him. Freya was the only grandchild for quite along time so she has a very strong bond with her grandparents anyway. My dad watched Emily being born which also gives their relationships a bit of a special twist and she really dotes on him. As for Natasha, well she runs (or rather stumbles) towards him whenever he holds his arms out.

It's always very difficult to get a shot with all the girls in it so i was pleased to get them all with my dad tonight, never ever thought they would look in the same direction though...that will NEVER happen!

I took quite a few snaps of the girls whilst i was there, still not understanding quite what i'm doing and without a tripod there were plenty of blurry shots but i did manage to get the one person who CAN sit still (but who HATES posing) do so for lots of photos. She was very reluctant...but now i have my DSLR she'll have to get used to it!

Giveaway!

This is the stash that could be winging it's way to you if you win this months Scrap It Challenge....for details of the challenge click on the link on the right hand side labelled June challenge where you'll find all the details. These 'prep school' papers all come from Paper Salon but you also get the die cut sheet of tags, coordinating cardstock and some Jenni Bowlin felt buttons. Good luck to everyone, all entries will be featured on the blog and the winner announced on the 1st of the month.

Are you playing too?

Big fat ZERO entries in this months scrap it challenge this month which is tempting me to scrap it! (scrap it - geddit!) So come on girls (and guys if you're out there)you could win yourself some stash. All entries will be put on the blog for all to see too. Tell your friends to come and play...the more the merrier.

Still fiddling with the camera, found a great site last night which as a beginner in the world of DSLR i found soooo useful, it's ibecks.com and she's written some great guides which i'm working through. I would say definately have a look at it for how things work. I took this pic yesterday of the (rather battered looking) roses on the trellis outside the front door. Off to the Plymouth crop tonight so will be back on tomorrow with full details of this months prize for the scrap it challenge. Have a great day everyone.

Playing!

Well i ripped open the box this morning knowing what delights were inside and believe me when i say it didn't disappoint! I have my lovely camera, 4 lenses, a converter and several glass things that i have no idea of their identity (but i'm sure someone will tell me eventually). I've taken loads of (god awful) photos and i have no idea what lenses are suitable for what types of photos. I have had a little read of the manual so i know the functions but very little else. Got a feeling this is going to take time! Thought i'd upload this one as i'm not one usually for taking pics like this and i've never done a lot of close up photos.

I still have no idea what apertures are, iso speeds should be and how to change depth of field but hey i'm trying. Caught this lil blighter in the back garden

But fave has to be this one for Freya's 'i don't want to smile cos i have jaw ache' face! Adorable - NOT!
So now i have this lil beaut it's time to find a good book or website for basic idiots like me......get a lil cash and tescos vouchers for the OU course and enrol for October....and try and see if i can do one major catch up with all the playing on my space: her space. Think i'll do that tomorrow when Pete takes Emily to see the Wiggles stage show. Those guys freak me out severely so will be giving it a miss.....i did do both the Dora and Fimble live shows though so should be let off the hook with the weirdo wiggles. Kids seem to love 'em but i just don't see the charm.....give me sportacus anyday!

I have actually done some scrapping this week, a couple of digis etc, but my fave was actually a scraplift. I was umming and ahhing whether to drop last months modscraps kit as K&Co is not a fave of mine but the great newsletter that came with it contained a gorgeous layout done by Giselle Homer and i thought...i want to have a go at that...so here it is.

a>
I also managed a CJ entry for the Winter Warmers (Hi girls)! This has been the first CJ i've been in and i'm really enjoying it. I think we eventually get our own back in September or October.

So i will be at the Plymouth crop tomorrow.....but if i'm still playing cameras tomorrow when dh is wiggling to the wiggles i may be back during the day....have fun whatever you're doing. X

Money, Money, Money

Its a sad fact of life that the world revolves around money and it can really be a pain in the proverbials! After flogging some bits and bobs on ebay to raise some much needed cash for my camera (which the gorgeous Lesley picked up for me today) it seems that money is not a good thing at the moment for us. We knew we would have to take it easy for a while but it seems that everything has turned up in the last two weeks to throw us off track. Firstly we get a £3k quote for the garden (only levelling and lawn and it's only a small garden too!) then it's another two and half thousand for the conservatory blinds (this came down from a quote of £4k!). Then today we take the car for it's MOT and we've just had to spend over £400 on parts and also find the money for labour when it's sorted on Monday. Feel like smashing something but that'll be one less thing to sell!

This makes trying to switch to 'positive thoughts' during the reading of 'The Secret' extremely difficult for me to do. Maybe i'm just too pessimistic and cynical to believe that everything that happens to you happens because of your own thoughts. I do believe that if you are positive you are more happy and if you think positive you will have a healthier and happier life....but sometimes...it's just too damned hard to be positive!

Hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine, boy it's hot and i'm stuck in with no car....doing housework...i do have a lottery ticket for tonight though....don't do it very often but thought i'd give it a go....wish me luck.

Well looks like my hijacked bid had a VERY happy ending after all! Helen, one of my teamies alerted me to someone selling another Canon 300d on eBay but as it was a collection only in Peterborough it wasn't really attracting many bids. Of course, i live nowhere near Peterborough but both Helen and teamie and delighful darling Lesley do, so they offered to go get it for me and post it. Camera paid for so next week i'm hoping it's in my hands ready to click click away.

Got a fabby deal too. Camera, 4 canon lenses, 3 memory cards, tripod, 3 batteries, charger, all the cables software and instructions, converter and case.....£350! Counting my blessings and so grateful to tha last minute bidder now. Have no idea what all these bits are but i'm sure it's going to be a steep learning curve from now on. Anyone who can recommend any good sites with photography info for novice DSLR users let me know cos i need all the help i can get. X

I hate last minute bidders! (AND THIS MONTHS CHALLENGE)

So the whole time i'm bidding on that DSLR on eBay i'm leading the way...carefully checking all the time to make sure i win my first DSLR...one minute to go i go into panic mode...click on the item and press refresh constantly....yes it's mine....37 seconds to go....yes it's mine.....20 seconds to go......oooh i can take some lovely pics at last......15 seconds to go....i can feel the buttons underneath my thumb....10 seconds to go...outbid by £5...OMG quickly bid again.......enter the amount...click on continue...quickly.....SORRY THIS AUCITON IS NOW CLOSED!

I won't swear but i was NOT a happy bunny last night and hacked at my roast pork like a woman possessed, oh well......will see what else comes along. Pete is home, hurray, nice lie in this morning. My copy of 'The Secret' arrived from Amazon on Friday morning although not had a chance to read further than the acknowledgements yet but i gather it's something about the laws of attraction, will have to start practicing thinking positive thoughts but i've never found that the easiest thing to do. Some say i'm a pessimist....i generally say i'm a realist but am willing to give 'The Secret' a go.

Right...for you that have read this far i'm going to tell you this months challenge....as we're talking secrets....WHAT'S YOUR SECRET TO A HAPPY LIFE? There you go, that's the challenge this month, a layout based on the secret to happiness. Details of prizes will be up MIDMONTH for you to drool at and please tell all to come and play with me (obviously not literally). Post a copy of your layout to terriefarrell@hotmail.co.uk ensuring it is less than 1MB. ALL entries will be displayed on the blog for the duration of next month and the winner will be announced on the 1st July. good luck everyone. Will leave you with a gorgeous piccie of my little Natasha after i wrestled her to the ground putting her hair in bunches.....for one of my kids she's possitively bald!

TA DA!

Big Congrats to Emma for winning this months scrap it challenge. The challenge this month was to scraplift one of my layouts which Emma did fantastically. I especially liked
this one because the original was a digital layout i'd done so to see it replicated in touchy feely paper was lovely. The colours are lushious and i love it love it love it. So well done to Emma and if you could email me your addy i will send you those lovely Anna Griffin papers and bits and bobs for you to play with.

It's been a bit manic today, preparing for Pete to come home tomorrow. Silly arse booked a late flight so the kids are looking forward to nanny coming over for the evening as his flight dosn't get into Exeter til around 10.30 tomorrow evening. Took the girls to Jump again today...accompanied by Shannon who seems to have taken me as her adoptive mummy at the moment and never wants to go home! Oh well, she keeps Freya out of mischief and she's really good when she's here (aren't they always when they're at someone else's house?). Got some great pics, by the way when i say great pics i'm talking in the memory sense rather than the accomplished photographer sense as technically my pics are pants! I'm so determined to win this camera on eBay....fingers crossed, that and this photography course may mean that i won't have to delete half my pics anymore because nothing is in focus! Had some really nice ones of Natasha enjoying the lighted bubbly water tube thingys in the dark sensory room but....oh well see for yourself! I so wish i knew how to take these flaming photos! Maybe if i replace my kids with mannequins i'd take better shots!

This last pic of the day has to be one of my faves though.....Shannon and Freya were showing me some dance that they'd made up (oh i remember doing this when i was there age too!) but little Tash got in with it and started doing the pointy finger dance in the middle of them, could hardly take the photo as i was creased up with laughter!

So....if you've read this far you must be wondering what this months challenge is? Well, so am i! Brain is really not in gear at the moment as it's late and i've had little sleep the last few days so will be back on tomorrow (oops it's officially tomorrow now, but you know what i mean) with the details of this months competition....me's thinking that June...should think about summer.....will sleep on it tonight. Hope you all had great days too! X