2 birthdays, 2 weekends away, Steam Engines and lots of sunshine!

I can't believe that it has been well over a month since I blogged. During that time we've had two birthdays in the family, 2 weekends away, been to the Steam and Country Fair and now we're enjoying the best weather we've had for ages - wall to wall sunshine! I love summer and can never get enough of the sunshine.

Back in April we celebrate both the boys birthdays. Steven chose to celebrate his with a sleepover for some of his friends whilst Christopher chose to take some of his friends paint balling. Both events were fun - in their own way, and the boys enjoyed themselves which is the main thing.

Towards the end of April I went away on a girly weekend with a great group of fellow scrappers. We scrapped almost solidly from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon stopping only to eat, chat, eat, laugh, eat, drink ........ oh and eat some more. It was a wonderful weekend and I'm hoping that next year we'll be able to get together and do the same. I created 9 LOs during the weekend and when I get around to scanning them I'll post them on here.

The weekend before last the whole family went to Suffolk for the weekend. Apart from holidays when I was a child and day trips since. I've not really been to Suffolk much. We stayed at Dunwich and really enjoyed it. We'd heard so many people say how nice Southwold and Aldeburgh were that we made sure we visited those places and sure enough they lived up to expectations. We also went to Framlingham Castle where a pageant was being held. There were lots of photo opportunities and inspiration for LOs.

And now, we are basking in sunshine. The weather has been so hot for the last week, the paddling pool is out and we managed our first BBQ of the summer last weekend after a day spent at the Stotfold Steam and Country Fair - yes more photos were taken. LOL

Apart from the scrapping during my weekend away, I have managed to do some LOs for Mojo Holder too although on a couple of weeks I had to pass. Challenge #58 was from the the fantastic Kim Musgrove. I was not at all happy with my LO that week though!

I was actually quite pleased with my LO for Challenge #59. A scrap lift of a LO by Lauren Rhodes.

I had to miss challenge #60 which was a lift of an awesome LO by Ngaire Bartlam but managed to join in with challenge #61 from Sande Krieger.

I missed challenge #62 which was a lift of LO by Anam Stubbington but was able to join in last week with challenge #63 from Roz James.

Please do pop along to Mojo Holder to see everyone elses work - mine may not be up to scratch sometimes but the rest of the teams Los are awesome. Also, do check out the blogs of some of the girls whose LOs we have lifted (hopefully I've provided all the links) - there is some great inspiration there.

We had snow!!!!!

Yes, we finally had our first snow of the year - yippee - on Easter Sunday! It had been trying to snow for several days and eventually on Easter Sunday we woke up to a light covering. Not enough for a snowman but plenty for a snowball fight or two. I had begun to think that I had missed all photo opportunities during the last few months . We were all ill at sometime or other over Christmas so only got a handful of photos then. We had no snow during January or February (when if we going to get snow we usually would) so no photos then. And, I didn't have my camera with me when Steven got a certificate in his school end of term assembly or when Lara did her Chinese Dragon dance at her Easter assembly So this snow at Easter was a bonus. By the time we got around to our Easter Egg hunt the snow had all but gone and I guess we won't see anymore until next Winter.

Mojo #55 went live on 14th March. We lifted a LO by Jaimie Emmerton. Jamie's original LO was such a sweet Lo of her wee dog ..... Awwwww. My LO featured Steven in a thoughtful pose.

Unfortunately I didn't manage Mojo #56 which went live on Good Friday. The power supply unit of our PC decided to call it a day with a very spectacular spark and puff of smoke which left me with a half finished LO which I needed my Craft Robo to finish and even if I had finished it I had no scanner or photo software to upload it. It was a shame because the LO we were lifting was by a scrapper called Kelli Crowe whose work is gorgeous and the rest of the team came up with lovely LOs.

With the PC all mended, i was able to complete challenge #57 last Friday evening. It was a LO by Kelly Mccaleb. Here are the two LOs.

I know I keep saying it but please do pop along to Mojo Holder. We have some great scrap lift ideas coming up in the next month or so. You really wouldn't want to miss them.

Overdue update

Gosh it's been a long time since I updated my blog! I think the reason why I've not updated it is because (a) nothing very exciting has happened for me to tell you about although (b) I've been quite busy with mundane routine stuff.

Since I last blogged there have been 4 (yes 4!) new challenges on Mojo Holder.

Challenge #51 was to lift a LO by Becky Fleck. I'm a big fan of Becky's Pagemaps (I'm eagerly waiting to get my hands on a copy of her new book!) so was looking forward to doing this scraplift, but have to admit that I really struggled with it. Anyway here is Becky's LO, and here is mine featuring a swan from the Swannery at Abbotsbury, Dorset.

Challenge #52 was a lift of a LO by UK scrapper Hebe. I loved doing this LO despite all the 'white space' which really isn't my thing. Here's the two LOs - I used a photo of Lara that I took last summer and have been itching to use.

Mojo Challenge #53 saw us lifting another ukscrapper called Nattieg. Her LO was gorgeous. I used a photo of Steven taken enjoying a chocolate egg at Easter.

And finally Mojo challenge #54 was to lift a LO by famous scrapper, Ali Edwards. Ali's LO was great but has to be the hardest LO I have had to try and scraplift so far. The LO was very simple but boy did I struggle with my version! I used photos of Lara's 5th birthday.

Please do pop along to the Mojo Holder site if you have a moment. We've had a few new girls join the team in recent months and as well as seeing everyone's LO on the site you can also see a sketch of each LO to help you if you want to have a go yourself . There are also prizes from time to time for LOs posted in our readers gallery. We love to see what you've done.

FORGOT TO MENTION

We went to Audley End House last weekend to their snowdrop walk. If anyone lives in that area it's worth a trip. Audley End is closed during the winter months, but opens the first three weekends in February for the Snowdrops. We will certainly go back again in the summer when the house is open. Here's a couple of photos from our visit.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Happy Valentines Day! Hope that your loved ones have treated you well. DH sent me a lovely bouquet of flowers that were delivered earlier. I'll try and take a photo later. Last year he sent me a gorgeous bouquet of red roses and they were my inspiration for a LO I created for this weeks challenge on UKScrappers. The challenge was to create a LO incorporating a love and/or hate theme, the colour red or pink, a heart, an arrow or and a romantic quote or a love song title . This was my LO. I finally used some of the Queen & Co felt ribbon that I have been hoarding.

The next LO I did for last weeks weekly challenge. We had to use a Beatles song title, bright summery colours, 7 of something, no blossoms and were supposed to use paint. Paint and I don't really work well together so there was no paint on my LO. I used photos of Lara on her first bus ride. We took her on the Park n Ride at Dorchester last summer just for the experience of going on a bus. She was thrilled. The little bus ticket on the LO was created at http://www.says-it.com/ . It's a nifty site which lets you create your own concert tickets, record labels, etc. Well worth book marking.

It's school half term holiday here this week. It's been a week where 'Mum's Taxi Service' has been very busy! We've been to the dentist and the opticians and are having hair cuts today. Chris needed taking to and from school on two days because he went in to work on an electric car he and some other pupils have designed and are building with a view to racing under the Greenpower F24 rules. Then there was a sleep over too which he needed to go to and from. I thought school hols were supposed to be relaxing!

Since I last posted Mojo Holder challenge #50 went live. We lifted a LO by a UK Scrapper called cloclo. Here is cloclo's LO and mine.

I'm starting to get excited about a weekend I'm going on in April. I'm getting together with a group of friends I've meet through scrapping for a couple of days of scrapping, chatting, eating and laughing - there will be plenty of laughing I'm sure. I need to be prepared though with page kits to keep me occupied, so really need to start thinking about them soon or I shall be so disorganised.

Don't forget to look out for this weeks Mojo Holder challenge on Friday.

Sorry, it's been a few weeks since I last blogged. Nothing much has been happening so I've not had anything to blog about.

Mojo Holder challenges #48 and #49 went live. Challenge #48 was a lift of a LO by Aussie scrapper Michelle Grant. Here is Michelle's very stylist LO and my version using a photo of Steven. I played about with the colours in the photo a bit to try and bring out the blue in his eyes - he really does have lovely eyes.

Challenge #49 was to lift a LO by nath aka na ch on 2 peas. Here is nath's LO and my LO. I used photos of Lara at Cricket St Thomas in Somerset and BasicGrey Two Scoops papers - they are so lush!

I also managed to complete two of the weekly challenges on UKScrappers. I was really pleased how both of them turned out and they have both been accepted into the BasicGrey online gallery.

Mojo Holder Challenge #47 went live last night. We scraplifted a page by the talented Lynz from UKS. I loved Lynz' page but think my scrapping has become rather stale and so wasn't 100% happy with my LO and certainly didn't do Lynz LO justice. I love some of the LOs I see online and in magazines that use recent trends like using mainly card stock and doodling but it doesn't work for me. I'm a 100% patterned paper girl and very rarely use much cardstock apart from matting (says she whose mojo LO last week was all cardstock!) which I guess is quite old hat. Anyway, here are the two LOs.

I also had a go at the weekly challenge on UKS which was 'Wizard of Oz' themed - Use a Wizard of Oz theme, use at least 2 of the the colours red, green or yellow, use red bling for the shiny Ruby Slippers and use metal for the Tin Man. Here's my LO of the village Scarecrow Festival held in the summer.

Bug Free !!!!!

Yippee, at long last we seem to be germ free (touch wood!). The children are all back at school and have been all week, and Wayne and I are feeling much better too.

It's been a busy week with the children going to their various clubs in the evenings. Lara started Rainbows last night. She thoroughly enjoyed it and is already asking 'how many sleeps until I go again?' That means Wednesday nights are now really busy with karate, scouts and now rainbows although Steven is actually talking about giving up karate. It's a shame - he's been training for four years and now has his purple and white belt, but if he's not enjoying it then I'm not going to make him go. He seems in a real quandary though and reluctant to make the decision. Bless him.

One of my New Years resolutions was to declutter (again!!!) and hopefully make a bit of money in the process. I've started by sorting out my craft cupboard. There is so much in there that I will never, ever, ever use so I've been listing it on eBay. Last night a box of bits and pieces sold for the princely sum of £16! Not bad for a box of stuff that's just been sitting there for a couple of years. I've got some more auctions ending next week and already three of them have bids on them. I'm beginning to see pound signs in front of my eyes. LOL

Last weeks Mojo challenge was to lift a LO by Lee Woodside a very talented Aussie scrapper. I used photos from our annual trip to Norfolk last October. Here are the LOs (Lee's first, mine after)






Don't forget if you join in with the Mojo challenges and submit your LO you could have the chance of winning one of the prizes up for grabs. Go on have a go! Tomorrow we lift a LO from a member of UKScrappers.

When will these bugs go away?????

Christmas came - and Christmas went - and we were all at sometime or other over the festive season ill. Lara was ill a couple of days after she broke up from school but recovered pretty quickly despite still having an awful cough. The boys were both ill on Christmas Day with this horrible sicky flu bug that's going around, and have been up and down ever since. I have had the mother of all colds which I've still not shaken off and am fed up of being permanently snuffly, and then Wayne came down with a cold too. WHEN WILL THESE BUGS GO AWAY?

Beacuse I was ill I had to miss the Mojo challenge on 28th December but I did managed to get last weeks completed. We lifted a LO by *shanah* from 2peas. Here are the LOs (mine is obviously the second one)

Another challenge goes live on Mojo tomorrow so do check it out. We are lifting a LO by an Aussie scrapper this week.

Two more sleeps

I can't believe there are only 2 sleeps until Christmas Day. I think everything is ready. Cards written and sent, presents bought and wrapped, holiday food all bought and reindeer food all ready for scattering on the lawn. Going to hopefully make mince pies tomorrow with the children (as has become the tradition on Christmas Eve), track Santa on NORAD and of course leave the customary mince pie and drink (sometimes milk, sometimes beer and sometimes wine) for the big man.

Only thing spoiling the season is that we have poorly people in the house again. Wayne & I stayed up Friday night to watch The Thomas Crown Affair on TV which didn't finish until 1.20am. Half an hour before it finished Lara woke up and started being sick and did so until 4am. Needless to say none of us slept. Steven has a sore throat and is definitely not 100% but is soldiering on and Christopher woke up this morning with a sore throat and feels sick. I've got another sore throat too! We were supposed to be going out to look at the lights in a nearby town tonight and then to KFC for tea but that has had to be cancelled. Really hope everyone is better by Tuesday.

Friday was Mojo Challenge night. We got to lift the mega talented Keisha Campbell a Garden Girl for Two Peas as well as a DT member for Making Memories. We decided to give our LOs a Christmas twist. Here's Keisha's LO and here's mine - Lara as usual. (New Year Resolution : Scrap more photos of the boys)

Oh nearly forgot to say, Lara's party was a huge success and here's a few of photos from the big day.

Amazing What Some Buttercream And Betty Crocker Ready Made Fudge Topping Can Do

Well, after yesterdays trauma of baking the cake I have now spent the morning decorating it! After piping copious amounts of butter cream and Betty Crocker's ready made fudge topping on it and adding details with ready-to-roll regal icing it now looks fab (If I do say so myself)! I am actually really pleased with it - although I dread to think what it will taste like.

The decorating wasn't without problems though! It took ages to get the butter cream to the right consistency, I used the wrong size nozzle to start with and then my piping bag decided to split! Luckily my Mum came to the rescue with some Lakeland Disposable Icing Bags. They were great and did the job. So here's the finished cake all ready for the party. (Must make mental note next year to get Mr Tesco to make the cake)

Last night's scraplift on Mojo Holder was a lift of a LO by Jane aka Emnol . I used photos of Lara with her Halloween Pumpkin. Here's Jane and my LO

So very busy

Sorry, I've been so very busy recently that I've not had chance to update my blog since the beginning of the month. It's Lara's birthday on Sunday and what with organising her party and getting ready for Christmas I just don't know which way I'm turning.

This afternoon I've been baking the birthday cake. I have never baked a birthday cake for the children before preferring instead to buy one. Anyway, I had a mad-brain idea a few weeks to make the cake this year and bought off of Ebay one of those pre-formed cake tins in the shape of a dog.

So I set about making the cake this afternoon. Firstly I should say that the cake tin called for 1kg of cake mixture! 1kg!?! My little electric mixer really worked hard, so much so that it overheated. Anyway, cake mixture got mixed, eventually, cake mixture was put in cake tin and tin was put in the oven. Well after the stated 25 mins it still wasn't cooked. After 30 mins it still wasn't cooked. After 35 mins it appeared cooked only to be put back into the over for another ten minutes when I discovered the middle wasn't cooked! Finally it was cooked right through but when I went to get it out of the tin it had stuck in several places and has had to be pieced together. I'm sure when I've covered it in butter cream tomorrow it will look fab. Although what it will taste like I don't know! Christopher walked into house, sniffed the air and said " Ewww what's that smell? Smells like burnt toast!" Aghhhhhhhhhh, having convinced myself it would be OK I'm now having doubts, but can't face making another one so it will have to do. I'm sure the teeny tiny party guest won't complain. But the words 'Never again' spring to mind.

Despite being so busy I have managed to keep on top of my Mojo Holder LOs and did one last night which goes on the web site tomorrow. Last week we scraplifted Julia (hippo2go). Here's Julias and my LO. I loved Julia's LO. I'm not sure if the patterned background is fabric but if I had had suitable fabric I would have tried to incorporate a fabric background in my LO, but I didn't, so I couldn't. My LO was of the gorgeous trees and grounds at Wrest Park. I have so many photos from our afternoons spent there.

My LO on Mojo Holder tonight is called 'My Nosey Pumpkin'. That's all I'm saying so you'll have to pop over to Mojo Holder later to have a look.