Watch this space

*in her very very very bestest Arnie voice*

I'll be baaaaaaack.

Soon.

After the Gloucester 3 retreat is over (1-3 Nov)

I am not dead. I was just...quiet.

Volkswagen Night Driving Golf Ad

Two posts in one day?! What the...?

But I was blog trawling and saw a You Tube thing on someone's blog and it reminded me that I just HAD to get THIS ad on mine. Because the first time I heard it, the language of the narration just slooshed and trickled all around my brain and I thought, "Damn, that's beautiful!" And then of course I found out it was written by one of my favourite writers ever, Dylan Thomas. Who was born not a few miles from my very house.

Isn't it just fab?

I am still alive...and I'm scrapping!

I've been missing in Tescos. Someone found me with my legs waving out of the frozen peas trying to reach the last packet of Aunt Bessie's Yorkshire puds...but now I'm back home, safe and sound.

True story.

Been scrapping today...my class for this Saturday's South Wales Crop (12 hours and everyfink). I was having a big tidy the other day (I tidy ALL the time and yet my house always looks catastrophic...why IS that?) and came across these lovely photos that my mate Julia (on the Scrappers Unlimited team) took a couple of summers ago (05) when she and her children were playing at my house. It doesn't seem that long ago...but in the life of a child it's a huge amount of time, and I can't believe how wee Celyn looks in these. Her hair is so short...and she even has a nappy on! Mad. She's stood with Julia's son Aneurin. So when I started to create this layout this morning straight after the school run, I immediately thought of these piccies sitting on my office desk. Awwww.

Anyway...do come to the crop on Saturday if you're free. There's a fish and chip run at supper time and a challenge where you could win a free place at the Swansea Retreat at the end of July.

Talking of which...

I've just opened and HUGE (and quite pricey) box of scrapping papers, brads (lucious metal brads...my my my!), ribbons, die cuts (rub them all over your body and kiss them with pash, they're so gorgeous), chipboard letters and rub ons. Oh my heavens above, there's some lush stuff in there. And it's miiiiiiiine all miiiiiiiine. Well...until it all goes in kits for classes that is *snort*

Right. Off to try the freezer cabinet at Asdas now. See you again in a month. Ha! Or perhaps sooner...

Guess Who?

My mum and I are weak with laughter.

Celyn asked to play a game of Guess Who? If you are familiar with this game, you'll know that you have 24 faces on flip-up cards. You also choose a yellow card with a person's face on. You then have to find out who your opponent's yellow card person is (before they finds out yours) by asking a series of questions. For example, "Does your person have a beard?" If they answer "No" then you flip down all the people with beards because they have been elminated. "Does your person have blond hair?" "Yes". You flip down all the people except those with blond hair. Etc. etc. etc.

Simple.

You'd think.

My FOUR year old Celyn can play this, with ease. I know, because I've just played a game with her.

But then I said, "Oh play with Nana now Celyn, because I have to do some work" and this is where the hysterics started. My mother can't work out the rules of this game for love nor money. I've explained it and explained it, but she just gets confused.

Now, I know my mum is 84 but that has nothing to do with it (because she's as bright as a button). She just doesn't do logical problems! Celyn (my FOUR year old, I would reiterate) is saying "Right Nana, my person DOESN'T have blond hair...so you need to put down all the people with blond hair" and my mum says "No no...we're not playing this right" or "What are you talking about?"

And so I started laughing at her. And then she started laughing. And now we're sitting here completely weak with laughter.

Bless.

I am so hooooooooooot!!!!

Close, humid, restless night's sleep, awakening to 22 degrees at 9am. Man alive. I am so HOT (and not in a good way)! On top of which, a neighbour's car alarm kept going off. FOUR times. There's only so much a sweaty girl can take.

Which reminded me of Sunday in the Park with George which is probably my favourite musical theatre ever. Little known fact about Chrissie...I studied theatre at university in America and used to go to plays and shows galore (GALORE) there and in London. For example, I saw the original cast of Les Mis before anybody outside of 'really into theatre' knew what it was. Them were the days.

This show is about the painter, Georges Seurat (him what painted with dots). Bernadette Peters (singing here) and Mandy Patinkin (who plays Seurat) are quite stunning in their parts (how great is her voice?!) and the music and lyrics touch my whole soul.

I am soooooo hoooooooooooot!

Of Doughnuts and Nests and Racism (Random Post!)

It's not quite 7.30 in the morning, the promise of a beeeeeeeautiful summer's day, birds are twittering outside the open window, the family is still asleep, and I'm blogging while I have some peace. But now that I start, I feel I don't have anything exciting to say *Oooooh...she's in one of THOSE moods*

But seriously. I read blogs all the time where people create a new scrapbook page or book or altered trumpet or *whatever* every single day almost, and I think 'Where in the HECK do you find the time?!!!' I seem to spend every day wishing I could calmly sit and create lovely things (and believe me, I have enough products around my house to keep any scrapper happy for a year), but life seems to be an endless round of sorting out mon enfant, venues, kits and teachers for future events, trapsing round Tesco for food, making meals and tidying the bottomless untidy house pit.

Anyway *hffff, pffff*...my bits of excitement this week. I finished part one of an article for ScrapBook Inspirations magazine. The picture above is a clue to the subject of the article (and anyone who's attended one of my classes where they've eaten doughnuts will know what that is all about!). It will be appearing in the issue due out end of August and another article on the same subject will be in the following month's issue too *shiny me*

House Martins have built a nest in the eves of our house. Awwwwwww! I've heard neighbours moaning about bird poo and the noise (honestly...moaning about bird noise!!??) but I think it's GREAT! Celyn and I have really enjoyed watching Mr or Mrs Martin swooping out of their marital abode to go and get dinner for the chickies (sounds like my life - LOL!). At least, I presume there are chicks...maybe just eggs at the moment. Not being a house martin expert or nuffink. But it's all cool and they have so far kindly refrained from crapping on my car. Bless.

I have started walking. Now OBviously I don't mean that I've finally figured out how to walk after all these years. I mean my good mate Anne has decided I need more exercise (which, to be fair, is damn true) and so she comes over every evening and we walk around the delights that are Pontarddulais for about 45 minutes and either covet or criticise all the properties we pass, as you do. Mostly covet (there are some nice houses around here). Isn't she a lovely soul, to come and walk with me? I moan (in my head) every evening when I know she's due, but then I really enjoy it. So perhaps I should stop moaning and just get on with it! What say you?

I have also started watching Big Brother and of course there was the whole Emily Parr 'thing' this week. As a scrapbooker of course I know the Parrs as her mum owns a scrapping business not a million miles from here, but I don't think either of us would say we were the best of friends by a long chalk. However, having considered the situation all week (and watching the incident in context before making a proper judgement), I have to say that I'm not entirely sure she should have been kicked off the show. I feel that the term she used was said with the motivation of trying to be 'street' and hip, and not because she is racist. But Emily simply isn't street...she's white, middle-class and incredibly naive. You simply can't use that term on national TV, even if it's bandied around between blacks themselves in real life, and even then, only some blacks. Personally I've NEVER heard any of my friends use it and I wouldn't dreeeeeeeeeeam of using it ever (it's just not a word in my vocabulary), let alone around my friends...but I'm assured that it definitely is used as a 'buddy' term these days. I can remember a friend of mine going completely ballistic at a guy who was over his apartment one day who said that same term...it was completely unacceptable then (nearly 20 years ago) and although it's crept into slang these days, you have to remember that not everyone watching TV is 18! There are 40+ year olds who would be horrified by that word and who would neither understand nor hear its slang use.

I also think Channel 4's reaction by taking Emily out of the house was definitely in light of the Shilpa Shetty stuff last year which was a trillion times worse and WAS racially motivated. And I also think Big Brother has double standards. They say that housemates mustn't do anything which can offend each other or the viewing public, but then they use language every day that offends me (certain blaspheming being the main sticking point with me (makes me cringe), or the constant use of the F word). Now...no one is remotely reprimanded for that, and even by complaining now I bet someone reading this will think "Well if you don't like it, turn it off then!" So what if you also said that to people offended by Emily's choice of word? It's a double standard, whichever way you look at it. I would be very interested to see if anything was said, let alone done, about English-Welsh put-downs if they occurred between Laura and another housemate. Where do you draw the line?

I'm not justifying her actions though...absolutely not at all. It's an ugly word and she definitely should have been reprimanded in a serious way. But, when push comes to shove, her motivation and attitude were not racist. She was just a very silly girl.

But, on a lighter note...the two housemates that entered last night. I took an instant dislike to that Seany. Eeeuch. Nasty piece of work. The Greek guy is as camp as chicory coffee, and is just making me laugh. And Ziggy's face was a complete picture and had me howling. Awww bless him. He only wants a friend he can chat about football and women with. Love him.

Right. I have a ton of things to do today (tidying the bottomless pit of untidyness being one of them). And the famblee are arousing their bods from their beds now. Back on the gerbil wheel...

Ta ra!

You've been framed

Just had to show you all these lovely bits of work my team and fellow S Wales scrappers have been creating for Frame Your Scrapbook! (a Cardiff based company who make 12x12 and 8x8 frames to put your special pieces of work on the wall. They send the frames to any part of the UK by the way).

The thing with these frames (which are made completely free from acid and all that anti-scrapbooky stuff) is that you can use much more 3D elements on your page, because they aren't going to be squished flat in an album. And (unlike a canvas), the page is protected under glass. We're loving them!!! We're even going to be having a class on how to create a layout with a frame as part of the deal at our Swansea Retreat soon.

The top picture here is Love by Amber (she of the Basque Book kit fame!). She stamped all over the frame, which had been painted a lovely gold. Apologies for the naffi-naff-naff quality of the photos. It's terribly hard to get a good shot of glass which has the damn habit of reflecting everyfink.


Then Penny's used metal flowers to scrap very much in 3D inside the frame, with a few hanging around on the corners too.








Katie-Jane has scrapped one of the owners of Frame Your Scrapbook's little girl, using a subtle paint stamping effect on the frame. Pretty eh?

And finally (for now), Fi created this simply stunning page and frame around a fab photo of her daughter dancing outside the Millennium Centre a couple of Christmasses ago.

With thanks to lovely Gil who waited so patiently and held the frames while I photographed them after the South Wales Crop today :D Where (by the way) it was gloriously sunny and back here in Swansea it was cold, cloudy and pants. HA!

Off to bed. Night night.

Just an update

Remiss of me. I was just looking at my blog and realised I hadn't said how well I'd done in my BAFTA predictions. Or not. Mostly not.

I got both the Actor and Actress categories completely wrong.
I also got Comedy Performance wrong. However I was quite pleased Ricky got it though (Reading boy that he is)
Also got Drama Series wrong (boo on their winner, boo boo boo)
Also, Casualty won best Soap, oh sorry...Continuing Drama. Surprise.
I was irritated that Ross Kemp on Gangs won best Factual Series. Stephen Fry should DEFINITELY have won that. In fact he got a loud cheer when the noms were being read out.
And I was also stunned that Planet Earth won nothing at all. WHAT THE...?!
Furthermore I also got the Sport and International wrong wrong wrong.
And the Comedy Programme. Yes, I was a bit bovvered actually.

But what I got right (which of course is FAR more important, being RIGHT and all):

Jonathan Ross was best Entertainment Performer. The fact that I split my vote between 3 of the 4 nominees is neither here nor there *superior raise of eyebrows*
I also got the Interactivity programme right (Hogfather)
And best Entertainment Programme (X Factor)
But my favourite two wins of the night...best Sit Com was indeed The Royle Family: Queen of Sheba (MUST get that on DVD), and Life on Mars won the Audience Award. Woo hoo! See...the British public know what they're talking about! Oh yes they do.

In other news...

Celyn had her MMR this week. I had been a bit antsy about her having this controversial injection so had left it alone for a few years, but I knew the time was right now to get it done as I was more concerned about her getting measles than any possible side-effects, which I no longer thought she would get, being much older now and all. I told Celyn all about the injection and what it was for and was highly amused after the event to hear her telling my Mum, "I've had an operation so I won't get the measles, the mumps and the bellas. Mummy's had the bellas, but they didn't hurt" [I had them when I was 19, or rather I had RUbella! LOL!!!]

Well, all done now. She wasn't impressed with the needle, although she didn't really cry...just looked at me with wide, slightly teary eyes, in a "You lying wench...you told me this wouldn't hurt" manner *guilt, guilt, guilt* She has had a bit of a temperature since Wednesday night, but seems back to her old self this morning. Which is a good job, seeing as she's eaten next to nothing for 36 hours.

Right, need to go as the post office closes in 3 hours and 10 minutes, and I have some more kits to post out, and then Celyn and I are braving the delights of Swansea town centre on a Saturday. Joy.

Sack the Continuity Bod

I love this ad...made me laugh like mad the first time I saw it. Not only because he's hilarious, but also her understated "Oh...oookay" at the end. Bwaahaahaaa. BUT. I spotted a continuity error on it the other day.

Look at the mum's laundry basket. There are 2 pairs of stripy underpants in there. He puts one on his head, and the other (blue and red stripes) is clearly on the top of the basket. HOWEVER, in the very last shot they are GONE. Gonnety-gone.

HA! I love it when I spot these mistakes *superior glow*

Torn

So...anyone who knows me knows I love an awards ceremony, and this Sunday is the BAFTA TV awards, and some of my very favourites this past year are up for getting a gold masky face. However, one of the awards is voted for by the public HERE and I am so so so torn. One of the programmes up for the prize is the fantastic fabulous edgy, nostaligic, terribly un-PC (and therefore hilariously funny) and damn well written Life On Mars. I only discovered it about a third of the way through the second (and last) series, so I recently bought myself the box set of DVDs of the first series and am enjoying these no end. I've always loved stories around time travel. It has such brilliant one-liners (Gene saying to some children playing in the street "Oi kids...nothing happens to this motor or I'll come round and stamp on your toys" - bwaahaaahaa!) The acting is utterly spot on (travesty that Philip Glenister hasn't been nominated actually), and the stories are gripping.

However.

It is up against the most wonderful wonderful wonderful Queen of Sheba, which was the very last ever Royle Family episode (the one with nana... you know... I shall say no more in case it's a spoiler for you). Well I laughed my head off, I cried buckets, and then I laughed some more. It was absolutely truly BRILLIANT. Who can forget Denise's immortal "Muuuuum. Can you look after Baby David on Friday for meeeee" "Of course Denise. When will you be coming to get him?" *Denise, completely seriously and nonchalantly* "Oh...Sunday." *Barbara looks a tad perplexed but totally submissive* "Oh...okaaay." Priceless.

So who would you vote for? One of those? Both of those? Or perhaps another of the noms?

And as for all the other noms, this is what I hope will win:

Actor: John Simm (Life on Mars)

Actress: Ruth Wilson (Jane Eyre)

Entertainment Performance: (toughie this one) Either Ant & Dec (Takeaway), Stephen Fry (QI) or Jonathan Ross (Friday Night With...)

Comedy Performance: Liz Smith (Queen of Sheba - The Royle Family)

Single Drama: Didn't watch any of them

Drama Series: Life on Mars ALL THE WAY

Drama Serial: Again, didn't watch any of them

Continuing Drama: Mmm...don't watch soaps very much but I'd go for Eastenders there (I've always preferred it)

Factual Series: Stephen Fry - The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive (fascinating stuff, and I love Stephen!)

Specialist Factual: Planet Earth

Single Documentary: Didn't watch any of them

Features: Didn't watch them

Sport: Winter Olympics

News: Who knows!

Interactivity: Hogfather (definitely)

International: House

Entertainment: X Factor

Sit Com: The Royle Family - Queen of Sheba

Comedy: Catherine Tate Show (Am I bovvered?)

And as for the Audience Award I (probably a bit unethically) voted for them both!! LOL

Roll up, roll up, git yer basque kit 'ere!

This Basque Book of Sensual Loveliness was taught by the one and only Amber Lewis at our recent Brecons 2 Time Out. And falling over themselves to take the class they were too, despite the fact that it was a four hour jobby.


Since then, several people have contacted me to ask if they can get their hands on a kit and so Scrappers Unlimited are going to be offering various kits from previous retreats and seminars for sale. This is our first...which (as you can see) is a bit lush...and basque like. Ooo err missus.


If you would like to get hold of one, then I will be happy to send you the complete kit, including full instructions, for £13 per kit. Please leave me a message on here or email me at Chrissie@ScrappersUnlimited.co.uk and I will contact you for your address and details of how to pay.

What I SHOULD be doing...

...is putting the dinner on.

Let 'em starve, that's what I say! *snort*

I just wanted to share with you all our fabulicious (I made that up (can you tell?)...and am kinda not liking it...I sound like I'm 13) guest teacher at our upcoming Gloucester 3 Time Out for Scrapbookers. All our retreaters have known about this for a week or so now, so I feel like it's time to jump up and down on the roof of my house, swinging my pants round and round my head and whooping in an excited (and somewhat scary) fashion, to announce to the world that I need putting in the mental home. No, no...what I MEANT to say there was...announce to the world that Prisca Jockovic is coming to our retreat.

This is the blurb I wrote about her on the announcement to our retreatees (retreatesses?):

34 year old Prisca Jockovic lives with her husband and children in the small town of Morestel, near Lyon, France and is a super talented, published scrapbooker. From childhood she always had a passion for being creative and making things with her hands. She has tried painting, minatures and embroidery, but when she finally found scrapbooking she was hooked! She is passionate about her craft and has scrapbooked daily for almost four years!

Prisca enjoys combining different techniques in all her layouts, and her favourite theme is her 5 1/2 year old twin daughters, Elisa and Milla. She also loves photography and believes that a beautiful photo is 50% of what makes a great layout.

Prisca works with Sandra Charbonnel teaching workshops throughout France called 'Variations Créatives'. She is the author of two successful books, 'Scrap Embellissements' (Scrap Embellishments) and 'Scrap Couture' (Scrap Fashion), and her third book will be published in September this year.

Prisca has also had layouts and articles published in the French 'Scrapbook Inspirations' and 'Création Scrapbooking' magazines. She has also been published in 'Memory Makers' magazine and was a finalist in their Master contest 2006. British and German magazines have also printed her lovely layouts.

Prisca will be teaching two projects at Gloucester 3, with the help of two translators (one of whom is me!! Eeek!) We are honoured* (read "peeing our pants") to have her at our Time Out, as this is the first time she has EVER taught in the UK.

So here's the thing. If you fancy having Prisca teach you too, let me know...as we may be able to get some workshops going on over here too.

Take a further look at her work on her blog, Côté Scrap

My daughter's chewing her leg off and threatening to eat Gingernut. And I don't mean the biscuit. Better go make dinner :D

Gingernut is in the building!

No time to write any more just now as I've got to nip out. But he's here...last seen falling asleep on my mum's shoulder. Awwww!

Earley, Reading Seminar - 28 April 07

M'enfin!

Which means, "At blummin' last you big ol' procrastinator!" in French. Yes it does. True story.

So off Julia and I went to Reading a week ago last Friday for our Shape Up for Design seminar there. I picked up my mate Simon in Cardiff on the way (as we have mutual friends there (The Smiths) AND they live right behind (literally RIGHT behind) our other friends' house where Ju and I were staying. AND Celyn was playing with said Smith children on the Saturday. Small world, ain't it.

We arrived and then I had heart failure for we all became aware that one parcel that I'd ordered to arrive at my friends' house had duly been delivered, but *hyperventilate* the other, full of Bazzill cardstock and buttons, had been delivered and then TAKEN AWAY AGAIN *reaches for paper bag* by the dimwits that are DHL. Never mind...Shaun and Judith introduced Julia and me to the delights of Buzz to take our minds off of it. Blummin' marvellous game and I shall be purchasing our own family copy in the not too distant future. Julia already has! LOL We had such a laugh playing it. I highly recommend it.

I awoke at 5.40am on Saturday in a bit of a stress about the Bazzill that we DEFINITELY needed for the kits that day (yeah, yeah...so I should have ordered it further beforehand... give the girl a break... I had just organised a retreat too ya know!). I decided that since I was up I should make good use of my morning and zipped off to Savacentre (all Reading people will know where I mean by that!) and was wandering around picking up juice and cakes (for the seminar) and flowers (for my friends) and hair bobbles and a school pinafore dress (for Zoe and Celyn) before the clock had struck 7! Best time of day to shop...there was hardly a soul in there! And I was back before anyone in the Pine house was awake still. We always stay at the Pine's house when we do seminars up there and (amusing side story) Julia walked out of her (downstairs) bedroom, walked straight over to the appropriate cereal cupboard, opened it and as she stood there staring at the boxes on offer, said, "I think I've stayed here too many times. I know where they keep their cereals!"

Well we laughed anyway.

On the very stroke of 9am I was hopping from one foot to the other outside the DHL office (I think I (obnoxiously) rang the doorbell 3 times on the very stroke of the hour). I reeeeeeally needed to pick up 'that' parcel and be back at the seminar hall by 9.15! First problem was that it was addressed to The Pines and not me, so I had to convince the Gestapo-esque woman behind the desk that the parcel was in fact MINE. And then she wanted me to produce some sort of ID with my name and address on. I just looked at her (how I kept myself from raising my voice even slightly is beyond me) and said, "I don't usually carry my gas bill with me around the country. I don't live here. I live in Swansea" *said through teeth that were starting to grit* and then *smiling as sweetly as I could muster* "But here are several debit cards...see!" *thrust* She did relent, not without a headmistress type telling off which included the immortal "...just this once...but NEXT time..." but I had legged it out of the office with my package of Bazzill before she could change her mind.

And after that the day went swimmingly. Our hall was fabulous...airy, spacious, full of light...and we had a room full of lovely scrappers from all over the South/South-East. We gave spot prizes for our favourite versions of each of the class layouts. Here's one little group of winners (although Erica of The ScrapCafe looks like she's been on the sherry during lunch. Sssh. Don't tell. Hic!).

It was a thoroughly good day and everyone has said how much they enjoyed it. Also big shout out for La Baguettes in Blagrave Street who delivered our lunch for us. In NAMED BAGS. Oh how much time and faffing they did save us. AND they were delicious baguettes (etc.) too.

After the seminar we went back to pick up Celyn and Simon who (separately) had also had a lovely time all day. One had slobbed on the sofa watching football with mate Andy (I'll let you guess whether that was Si or Celyn...) and the other had played merrily with the Smith children and Zoe Pine (who is just lushety lush...Celyn adores her). Rachel Smith (who was born just a few weeks after Celyn...Christina Smith and I were pregnant together and used to waddle into the central swimming pool once a week to blob about in the water together) cried buckets when Celyn left. Must go back again soon for her to have another play date with them. Before we headed back up the M4, I grabbed some shots of the kids in the Smith's back garden

Will 'Fresh Prince' Smith, Zoe, Celyn and Rachel - such fab kids!

As we left Reading I once again pulled into Savacentre for petrol and some food and realised that I was actually completely hanging...I HAD been awake since 5.40am remember. So Simon drove home. Which was exceedingly exciting at first, as his car (a little Suzuki) is, like, run on rubber bands, and my Renault is a 1.8. Va Va Voooom is right! He got the hang of it by the time we got to...ooo...Swindon. *And breathe*

We stayed at Si's brother and SIL's house (Rob & Katie-Jane's) that night in East Wales (which meant I didn't have to drive so far home in one go). I was so tired by the time we got there I parked about 5 feet away from the kerb and Rob was so embarrassed he had to go out and move it "in case my neighbours think I've got a patient from the mental home staying here." LOL

Anyway...sorry to burble on. My blog is also my diary of sorts, so you get all the bits inbetween as well as the scrapping! Church the next day was in Caerphilly ward which is held in the Ysgol Cymraeg (Welsh School) in Caerphilly. And, did you know (for I saw it on a display) that bananas don't grow on trees? They grow on HERB BUSHES. I never knew that! And Celyn learnt stuff too. This is our conversation on the drive home later that Sunday (which my LDS friends will find more amusing perhaps):

Celyn: *suddenly says out of the blue* Angels don't have wings.

Me: No they don't. Did you talk about that in Primary today?

Celyn: Yes. They just appear and disappear.

Me: Did you talk about the Angel Moroni [from The Book of Mormon]

Celyn: Yes

Me: Oh cool. What did he do then?

Celyn: *adamantly* Nothing!! He just appeared and disappeared.

So, it was a great few days, even if I was tireder than the last sausage roll at a party.

I shall blog some more tomorrow, about our upcoming Scrappers Unlimited events. I'm off to sleep on my new bed now :D M'enfin!

Is the glass half full?

LOL! I was wandering around blog land and saw this. Oh, this is so me.

I shall post again in just a mo. I've got loads of piccies of our lovely seminar in Reading to share wich'all.

Tag I'm It

• 
• The lovely and ever-so talented and damn funny Helen has been and gone and tagged me. Because I've got nothing better to do - phnaar. Oh well, in for a penny, in for a million squid...
  
  The rules are to list 7 random facts/habits about yourself. Then choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names (don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog and they need to write the rules in their answer too). So...7 random facts/habits:
  
  
• I've got a funny thing about textures in food. For example, love cake. Love nuts. But can't stand cake with nuts on/in. Hard bits in a soft cake...bleeeuch. It would be the same if there were peas in my mash or nuts in my ice-cream. Or smoothies with lumps of fruit in (love fruit juce, love fruit...but together they're just wrong). Cack.
  
  
• I like to sleep with the gap between my big toe and the toe next to it (does that toe even HAVE a name?) straddling the back of my ankle on the other foot. Feels safe and secure and comfortable!

• I'm petrified of butterflies. Evil wing-ed creatures that can FLAP IN YOUR FACE. Banish them, I say.


• I can't stand cupboard doors being left ajar...makes me twitch. I have to go and shut them in an OCD type manner.


• I have a habit of leaving the bathroom door open *in a Will Smith voice* when I do my toilet ting, if you know what I mean there. Not at friends' houses...and not if the local minister's over my house on a visit you know...but around my family that door's as wide open as the Mersey Tunnel.


• I was mortally embarrassed about periods until I was well into my 20s. I couldn't even SAY the word period (even in the context of classes at school for example...I would never say "We've got double French for first period"...ho no!). In my diary I would write PS and PE to mark when my Period Started and Ended (not from a shorthand point of view, but a 'if anyone ever reads this they'll never know that I even have periods how mortally embarrassing would that be' point of view). Now I'm completely the other way and couldn't give a monkey's bottom!


• My favourite film ever is When Harry Met Sally and I could quote you nearly every line from it. I've watched it more times than I could possibly say.

There you go. A peek into my strange little world. I hereby tag:

Debbie, Gems, Amber, Tina, Anna, Toni, and The Scrapbook Widower

Off to Reading tomorrow for the scrapping seminar. Still talking a LOT about packing kits and have got things in piles on the floor in the living room. But haven't done it yet. Ho hum. Have to, have to. *sigh*

It's all good

I must admit to reeling a little. After having a few days "off" (as I work from home, I can hardly say I didn't "go" to work! LOL) following the busy-ness that was the Brecons retreat, I sent the Swansea Summer Time Out and Gloucester 3 retreats live on the Scrappers Unlimited website yesterday, late morning.

Gloucester 3 was full by 10 o'clock this morning (although I have since begged the hotel for another two more rooms...but then that is definitely it, it, it), and the Swansea retreat is 65% full (get me with the percentages - heh!). Wow!!! Brecons 2 sold out in less than 24 hours but I'm amazed it's happened again!

It's all very pleasing to know that people enjoy the Scrappers Unlimited retreats so much, and that word of mouth is selling these for us with hardly any advertising. I have a great team who do wonderful classes and people really enjoy being with them as people too. Kudos to them. Anyway...if you fancy bagging one of those final spaces then go here and get clicking.

I'm trying to sort something special for Gloucester 3 too...hush hush (I haven't even told my team about it We'll see if it happens first!)

Off to Reading on Friday for the Shape Up for Design Seminar with Julia (on Saturday), so I've got to get my derriere into gear packing up the kits

*Chrissie exudes a noise not unlike a cat choking on a fur ball*

I hate packing kits. Never mind. It'll be lovely to see our delegates, some of whom we're becoming quite good friends with now. And I also get to see some of my close friends as I lived in Reading nearly all my life. YEY!

It's my dad's birthday on the Sunday so I thought I would visit the memorial garden where he was...scattered (is that the word? LOL), seeing as I'm there that weekend (although we're coming home Saturday night). He died in June 1983 when I was very young really, and I can honestly say in all that time there hasn't been one day go by that I haven't thought of him.

So. Kits are calling. Tra la bleuch. I shall leave you with some lovely pictures of my girly-girl on the patio last Saturday (when the weather was still sunny and warm... *sigh*). Did I mention I got patio furniture? Oh the fun of spending money! AND *smug grin* a friend from church here who likes gardening like I like scrapbooking (imagine that!?!...she's nuts!) has said that she's happy to come to my house once a week and sort out my gardens, front and back.

I, my dears, have a gardener. Now all I need is a cleaner and I'll have a full set.

So soon we'll be able to sit on my lovely patio, on my lovely patio furniture, admiring my lovely garden. It's all good! And...as I finished typing this blog entry, I glanced through the window and noticed that the rain has stopped, and the sun is shining brightly again. It IS all good!

I'm crackered...

...of the cream variety, so I'm just off to bed. But...couldn't go without uploading these cwtshy photos of Gingernut who is now 3 weeks old and getting bigger and stronger! We had a little visit with him/her today (we can't tell at the moment whether we have a boy or a girl! LOL. It's harder than you might think!)

Celyn is trying so hard to learn how to hold her kitten and how best to stroke him/her. Look at the concentration on her face. She's just in raptures about it all...but I was having palpitations the other evening that she would end up 'giving him a bath' or some other terrible accident would befall him. However she suggested (with absolutely no input from me) that we should "go to the library and find a book on how to look after kittens...and then we'd know how to do that." What a clever kid!

I actually actually did it...

After saying I would, I did. Go me! At the retreat this past weekend I actually scrapbooked two whole pages for me, me, me.

Well.

Technically, I created one page and finished one that had been floating around in my unfinished pile since December. But still...schaaaaa-wiiiing. Two new pages. Heh!


'Munch Bunch' has photos of Celyn's friends at her birthday party last September. The girl's name has been rubbed out for obvious reasons (so... what I'm trying to say is... it doesn't have a big white line through it on the original one. Honest to goodness). I just love those photos though...she's fab she is.



And 'My Star' is Celyn age 3, Christmas 2005, wearing the hat she made in nursery school that year. There once was a girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead.... Big 'momentes speciales' (joke from the retreat) to Helen who said "ribbon...rouche and staple, rouche and staple" when I had stared at this half-finished layout for a good half hour without any inspiration at all. I'm like a little wind up toy...just set me off in the right direction and I'll toddle off by myself. Anyway...very happy with the rouche and staple, thanks very much Helen. AND (on t'other layout) I used some Pebbles Inc shaker doo-dads that I've had since Noah was a yoof, which work a treat with that yum-bum American Crafts papers (loves them I do). It's all good.

My patio got laid while I was away at the retreat too *joyous balletic type movements around the room, flapping floaty scarves and pirouetting a bit* Shame I haven't got any patio furniture ain't it? And the garden looks like some scrub land at the back of the local tip. Ho hum...I expect I'll have to sort THAT out now. Chuh. Seriously happy to have a patio at long last though and I intend to sit on it a-blummin-lot this summer.

Right. Off to do housework *yawn*

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip 'Thou Shalt Always Kill'

Sometimes he makes a very good point...and other times he's just HILARIOUS. Love this!