Crazy kids

Can't stop

busy finishing last TMA of my course and preparing for a 3 hour exam. Normal service will resume in 5 weeks. Of course Birthday Party photos will be posted on the 21st Sept.

love you all

That's all, you can go now.

no honestly go! I'm too busy!!
:)

sleepy blues

Back from holiday, had a 4 our lecture today and I'm still tired.
Brief Summary - holiday good, lots of alcohol, lots of food, less sleep than normal, wet. Met chickens and pigs, visited a wildlife park, saw a pengiun poop. Laughed, walked, shopped.

Photos here!

Ah yes and the silliest thing we heard was at the wildlife park. In a thick manchester accent "I wonder if there are any vegetarian tigers."

And on the 7th day God (She) made Cakes

and they were good!

Oh and yeah God (he aka the Dude) laid a lawn and we had grass

Someone stole my grass

Friday saw my garden being rotovated. I came home after a nice but damp day out with Tosha and the kids at the Milton Maize Maze to find my garden was now brown.

Some random naughtiness
Phone in one hand and mobile in the other,
More blue butterfly cakes
and a Victoria Sponge

Ice Cream Heaven

Yes it tasted good - but very creamy so I may try to make it again but with alot less cream. Though Phoebe though it was great!

Today Phoebe and I went to the cinema to see Wall-E . Wall-E (short for Waste Allocation Lift Loader, Earth-Class) is the only one of his kind of robot left on earth after a botched attempt at trying to clean the earth that has been overrun with garbage.

Ok get the message of the film? Then why the hell do idiots still litter the cinema with their popcorn, sweet wrappers and coke cups? feh sometimes the human race I despair of you.

Pressies!

At long last I am now the proud owner of a food processor! I spent my much long saved for Nectar points and just decided last week to spend them on a food processor. A much needed piece of equipment for my itsy bitsy kitchen. Yep I know the dude moaned "where are you going to put it" but I've made space in the tiniest room in the house (aka The Kitchen) and it now sits under the worktop next to the pots and pans - which I also need more of!

In fact I just need a bigger kitchen - NOW!



So here it is... ok it's not the much loved Magimix I was after but it was free and it's also got a juicer and some other extra attachments which means Phoebe can make her own smoothies.

At the moment we are testing out our abilities to make some chocolate cookie and vanilla ice cream - let you know if 3 hours if it tastes nice!

x

Odd Dreams

I had an odd dream last night that I had a miscarriage that looked like a runny egg. Sadly as it turned out this morning it looks like I actually did have a miscarriage. For those of you not in the know I found out I was pregnant last Thursday. Today I woke up and found some blood and in the proceeding hours I had some cramping, not unlike one of those nasty periods I rarely get. So I did another pregnancy test only to find the positive line so much fainter than the first one.

It looks like my little "poppy" aint staying.

Yep I'm bummed but I also know that my body is doing what it needs to do right now for what ever reason it has to. People who know me know I have been through far far worse and so this is just a little set back in our plans to create another beautiful child to cherish and love.

I've already spoken to lots of people today about it and I'm fine really - though I do appreciate peoples concern I think I'm done talking about it.

Some highlights for the week though - I managed to get a staggering 97% for my last TMA - yee haw! I'm amazed - though I think my tutor marked it too high :) I'm such a swot!

Just randomness today

I've been in a better mood today.
Moodiness levels reached an all time low yesterday. It was Wednesday and I was
pissed off severely.
Really didn't want to be in the office at all - nope not one bit!
Everything was just peeing me off big time, only thing that cheered me up was a
giant burger which Chris and I popped out and down the road for.
Now it's not often I get a hankering for something but boy the burger, salad
and relish really hit the spot.
Nice nice nice very nice indeed.
Tehehehehe xxx

ooh Cakes Glorious Cakes

I was told about this fantasic baking accessory shop in St Neots, called Sugar Daddy's, and I think I've discovered heaven! I went in last week and spent a small fortune buying some quality regal icing in red, blue, pink and green, along with some powdery stuff that I had to work into the icing to make it more pliable to mould into shapes. A butterfly cutter and some professional food colouring.

Tonight I used a Nigella fairy cake recipe and I had a go at making some butterfly shapes and wow I'm impressed at how nice these look. But I will be making several other attempts before Emily's birthday as I'd like to use butter icing and some of the food colouring just to see what they could look like.


So yummy looking !

Mighty Mouse Hunter!

Now Elvis I suspected for some time had been keeping the level of mouse activity in our garden to a minimum over the last 2 years, but he surprised us yesterday by appearing through the cat flap with a freshly caught (and thankfully dead or sleepy as Emily liked to call the mouse). I know this was a present and I rewarded him with lots of cuddles and much praising, but I did have to take the poor sleepy mouse outside so Elvis could erm play with it somemore and hopefully dispose of it without us having to watch him.

Pen washes off doesn't it?

Emily in the park having some juice whilst feeding the ducks

For my Children

I had 3 silver rings made to celebrate my children.

Top Kid Top Marks

Phoebe came home with her sats report this week. I still can't get my head around what all the numbers mean but apparantly most kids are at level 4 and she's at level5 (thinks she could be at level 6 but they dont teach that far at the school). So I'm pretty chuffed that she's come out at the top grading. I'm hoping her move to Longsands will give her the educational stimulation I think she really needs. I'm happy the existing classes will be split and I look forward to Phoebe making new friends and flourishing in a different environment.

Other things we are (or not as the case may be) is that I'm going to put a hold on Tae Kwon Do lessons. I feel bad about giving it up but for just now my studies are taking a lot of my free time and I really can't devote what time I really need to dedicate to the sport that it really deserves. I don't give up things easily and I tend not to do things in short measures either, if I want do do something I want to do it well! So this will be our last month. As for the studying (and I know some people are going to scream "Geek" at the top of their voices), but well I am enjoying learning about Object Oriented Programming with Java. Ok I do find it tough and once every 6 weeks I have to complete the dreaded TMA (Tutor Marked Assignment) but I do feel pretty chuffed when my code works and I can either make the damned frogs dance or split Maps into Sets. I can just hear those words slipping from your lips "Nerd!" - I say Ha!

It's been pushing the limits of my patience but it's also been stretching my brain which is a good thing a I haven't done this in a while. And I'm really focussed on getting an Open Degree, I can later attempt more coures to get a named Degree, and then if I feel like pushing that boundary some more then maybe a post-grad course.

What else is new - well about £106 pounds worth of school uniform for one! Yep I popped up to Longsands and spent what seems to be more money in one sitting than I probably spend on clothes for myself in one year. Phoebe now has 5 lovely Longsands polo shorts, 2 fleeces, some shorts, 2 sets of lovely red socks, and 2 red polo shirts. Oh darn and now I've realised that come the end of the summer hols I will have to take her shopping for school trousers, shoes, stationary and pens/pencils along with a calculator and some maths equipment - yikes!

Right I'm going to get back to my TMA and try to figure out how to return the values of a Map depending on the top value in the set.

Ciao

Another one!

so I spent 30 mins this morning typing a blog when Emily came along pressed one button and deleted the whole freaking lot - Sheesh! I'm already in a bad mood.

Hoorah for Canada

On Sunday we were invited to Lisa, Paul, Jack and Mia's BBQ to celebrate Canada Day. We had a lovely time, but I think the kids had a blast - check this lot out...

Emily giving us a big "watz up"(either that or she is auditioning for Kiss)

A very serious Lois, maybe this wasn't the car for her
Naomi smacking the beaver

Phoebe with beaver butt on her head (what can I say she's wacky!)

Beaver about to get a beating

I think the beaver has seen better days

We all had a thoroughly good time, and Martha oops sorry Lisa made some seriously good cakes! must get those recipes from you some time?

The Wedding - The full story

I've caught up on some sleep - not all though!
We left very early Saturday morning and got our flight to Pisa. Arriving at Pisa at about 11:30, we had to wait an hour before we could get our luggage from the plane in a hot and stuffy no-air-conditioned baggage area. Finally after getting luggage and meeting fellow friends also attending the wedding we jumped on a train to Firenze (Florence). It's amazing that for a 90 minute journey it only cost us about £3! Though hot and we must have stopped at every small village along the way we got to see some of the countryside.
Jumping into a taxi we stopped off at another hotel and had some beer and snacks before Drew and I jumped into another taxi and headed to the Villa Poggio. (our bedroom is room 4). Had a quick shower in the large bathroom, and then headed for some dinner with the other wedding party guests. Feasting on fresh local food we drank champagne and laughed, drank some more and then the Groom went off to bed. Most people slunk off to bed to leave us (Amber, Olli, Drew, Dani and I) to slope off to the pool for some skinny dipping! I'm glad to say we were well behaved and managed to get to bed for 11pm.

In the morning we had some lovely and much needed cappuccinos, freshly made bread and scrambled eggs. We then had another dip in the pool and then headed down to a local restaurant with the other male guests (ladies were off to get hair and nails done). We then headed back to the villa and we all started to get ready for the big event itself.

After getting ready and meeting up with the other guests, we sat in the heat and humidity and watched as Danni and Matt made their vows, exchanged rings and walked down the aisle as husband and wife.

The wedding meal was lovely too, 4 courses followed by the wedding cake that was made there and then in front of the guests! Amazing to see this cake being slowly made - first a large biscuit wafer was placed on a table and then cream was piped around the edge and then the chef filled in the middle with more cream, topped with strawberries and another layer of biscuit. The chef then placed some white rose flowers on top of the cake, covered it with icing sugar and sprinkled more flower petals around the cake. Looked good and tasted heavenly!

Dancing and more drinking we partied the night away till about 2 am.

This had been one of the most beautiful outdoor weddings in one of the most beautiful locations I've seen.

The Wedding of the Year!

Matt and Dani's Wedding We've just returned, exhausted and lacking sleep, from what I would have called one of the mose beautiful weddings I've ever been to. We all travelled to Firenze north of Pisa, and stayed at a beautiful old villa that had its own pool. Our rooms were large, cool and comfy. The views were fantasic. Wish I had the energy to tell you all about it, but I'm exhausted and need to catch up on my sleep. So instead click on the link above and enjoy what I've uploaded so far.

Saying it with choclates!

Quick Summary

Sorry still too tired to blog so let me give you a quick summary:
left work at 3pm, arrived at Hollington at 6pm (jams on M1). Drinking, eating, chatting, jacuzzi, gossiping and bed!
Saturday morning, breakfast, Pole Dancing lesson, lunch followed by the jacuzzi again! Glamming up, dressing up and heading into Derby in a white stretch Limo, complete with Canadian driver called Woody who looked after us. Some Pizza/Pasta at Pizza Express, playing silly drinking games followed by a night club and a long limo ride back to the cottage for some much needed tea, toast and bed.
Sunday 7.30 am, up, tea and toast. Pack bags and leave at 8 and home by 9.30am.

more piccies and some video clips are here

Jazzing it up

Was playing around with some a locket my grandmother gave to me a few years ago and decided to add some beads and trinkets to see what it would look like...

Next I'll try to get some photos of the girls for the inside.

Thurleigh Farm

Today I took the girls to Thurleigh Farm, weather was damp but thankfully the rain held off.

Emily being reflective

Boing!

It's a Bunny, called biscuits but that doesn't mean he's edible. Todays favourite toy and word - "Tractor"

But yellow crayons taste nice

Easy come, easy go, easy come

We've been really busy over the last few weeks, we've had some really hot weather so got the paddling pool out, had a car boot sale and didn't sell much and finally worked on the garden, we've still got 3 fence panels to put in, top soil and returf the lawn.
Drew and I spent a day in Dublin this week - as part of some market research for a company I was given tickets to fly with Ryanair in return for filling in a 10 minute questionaire once we had arrived. We spent a chilled out day of walking around dublin, eating some nice food and having a couple of beers.

New this week - Phoebe won £50 on the premium bonds and lost the whole lot within 3 hours!
To make up for that she won a Haribo Competition that I had entered on her bahalf - she now has a brightly coloured Haribo beach towel and a whole box of marshmallows! We also received 4 free cinema tickets and a box of yummy scrummy chocolates from Hotel Chocolate.



And finally what really happens when Mummy is at work!

Oi ! That's my cycling helmet and gloves!

Snap!

Ohhh free stuff!

This week I've been very lucky and have received some freebies from various magazine subscriptions. First to arrive was some very nice nail polish (white, pink, dark plum, along with nail varnish remover, nail and cuticle oil, some polish removing wipes and a nice black bag for it all), next today I received some benefit "but officer" pink lipstick, a lip brush and some shimmering body power with puff. And finally a free packet of Betty Crockers choclate fudge brownie mix (from a market research company!). What an ace way to spend my evening - making brownies and painting my nails, that's just so girly!

I just wonder what will be popping through my door next.

This is me

Okay, this one is different - this is funny. YOU fill in the blanks about ME and send it back to ME. But FIRST send a blank one out to all your friends, including me, so we can return the favour to you. Be honest. They're really SCARY to get back. It only takes a few minutes, so just do it!First send (forward) this survey to everyone you know to see how well he or she knows you.Second, hit 'reply' and fill this survey out about the person who sent it to you and send it back to them.

Where did we meet?

Take a stab at my middle name?

Do I smoke?

Color of my eyes?

What's one of my favorite things to do?

What's my favorite type of music?

Am I shy or outgoing?

Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules?

Any special talents?

How many children do I have?

If you and I were stranded on a desert island,what is one thing that I would bring?

I can't wait to see the answers..

So here are some of the answers I got...

Where did we meet?_________ at Citrix

Take a stab at my middle name?_________ Ummm Ann? I think I know this. Doh.

Do I smoke?______________________ No

Color of my eyes?_____________________ blue

Do I have any siblings?__________________ yes

What's one of my favorite things to do?____ grow things...whether that's children, animals, or things in the garden. :)

What's my favorite type of music?_______good question - I know you like the Foo Fighters!

Am I shy or outgoing?_______at first, but get a few Jack Daniels and Diet Cokes in ya...

Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules?_______________ Rebel when you need to be

Any special talents?___ Altruism and finding amazing bargains! Seriously, it's very impressive. (both talents, that is)

How many children do I have?_________________________ 2...and Drew. Har har har.

If you and I were stranded on a desert island,what is one thing that I would bring?_________________________________ Broadband! LOL

7 days later

I had my 7 day post op check yesterday. Things are going well and I no longer need to take my complicated regime of eye drops and I've not suffered from any dry eyes at all.

I've still got a bit of the vampire "bloody eyes" look about me but it's hardly noticeable.

*signs off to hang upside down for a while*

sleep tight everyone

Sow cool

I sow want want of these http://www.aerogrow.com/


the rose garden one is so lovely too http://www.aerogardenonlinestore.com/promotion/index.php?promoName=catalog&pageName=roses2