She's Home...My Little Princess is Home.....

What a weekend, I had such a fantastic time at the Wyverstone "Thornham" Retreat. Janice and Lorraine were fantastic as usual. They really do make sure that everything they do is well planned and practically perfect in every way.... I got to Janice's house at a little after 1pm on the Friday, we ha a quick drink and chat and then drove the 10 minutes to Thornham where Lorraine, Zoe & Kirsty were waiting, after quick hugs and hellos I started to unpack the clocks...all 27 of them....Thanks to both Zoe & Kirsty for helping. Slowly people started to arrive and the cropping room started to fill up quickly. The Wyverstone ladies are such a loveoly friendly bunch, a real pleasure to spend a weekend with. One of the ladies sitting near to me had a little book of inspiration, where she attached pictures of layouts that she wanted to scraplift. Well imagine my surprise when I noticed that one of the layouts in the book was mine....she didn't know it was me.....such a warm fuzzy glow. The layout she wanted to scraplift was called "Fairy" using the 3 Bugs in a Rug Papers. Anyway Friday evening passed all too quickly, and at 1.30am I just couldn't stay awake any longer, and took the 5 minutes walk in the pitch black back to the cabins.

Saturday arrived all too quickly and with it came another couple of lovely classes and lots more scrapping. I had a mini photo shoot with Stevie...twice...LOL I had the worst headache, no pills, and in all the pictures I looked miserable and in pain. So Ann and Ally offered to be my entertainment, and after dinner we had another go, with much better results. Stevie also took pictures of all the other GoGo Create Design Team members that were there....Debbie, Ifa, Ann, Eileen and obviously Lorraine and Janice. I can't remember ever laughing so much as I did over the course of the weekend...I had tears rolling down my face at one point...Ann & Ally are like a comedy double act....they should come on prescription on the NHS.

Sunday came all too quickly, and before I knew it, it was time to start packing up my stash and getting ready to come home. So the Tom Tom told me it would take me 2 hours and 17 minutes to get home, but I know it usually takes 2 hours...well naughty Miss Speedy did it in 1 hours and 50 minutes on the way home, and got there at 7pm. David had arrived home an hour before, but Georgia wasn't coming home until Monday lunchtime. The house seemed to quiet without her.

So after a good nights sleep I rose at 8am on Monday in anticipation of Georgia coming home...and at a little after 11 am I saw her running up the path with her younger cousins Sean. They banged on the front door before I got a chance to run there....I opened that door as quick as I could and scooped up my precious little princess and spun her around and squeezed her until we could hardly breathe. I missed her so much, more than I ever thought possible. She looked so much more grown up as she came inside...how can they grow up so much in just FOUR days...how is it possible.

Anyway we had some lunch and a quick bounce on the trampoline followed by a walk in the park to feed the swans and ducks. At 6pm Nana, Pops and Sean left, and Georgia and I had more cuddles until she fell asleep in my arms. David finally came home a little after 9pm, and missed out on the chance of cuddles, luckily this morning he managed to go into work about 30 minutes later than usual, and had the chance of some cuddles.....I don't think he will be home in time for more this evening. Anyway I better get a move on as Georgia is off to Gymnastics today and I need to get her there by 9am.
Laters.
Caz
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Off to Wyverstone Weekend Retreat

Well I am just getting my last bits and pieces together and then I will set off on my 2 hours drive to Thornham via Janice's house.

So excited, I am even having a mini photo shoot with Stevie....

Georgia phoned from Nana & Pops last night and it had me in pieces....I sobbed my little heart out. After her being ill in the morning, I was wracked with guilt about sending her off for the weekend. But the good news is that by the time she left she had perked up and by the evening she was fine. She told me that she missed me and that she loved me to 169 million. Today she is off to Legoland, I have armed her with my old digital camera, so hopefully there will be a few cute pictures on there.

Anyway, got to get going. Will try to update over the weekend, but unsure of internet access. So failing that will post on Sunday night with some pictures.
Caz
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Mid Week Mayhem and Momiji...

Well I can't believe we are already halfway through the first week of the school summer holidays. So what have we been up to...well David has been working 7 days a week for 9 weeks now, so I have not had a lot of time to myself, and the house feels like it is a tip. Looks like he will be working 7 days a week for another 2-3 weeks, and then back to normal...yay.

On Saturday Georgia and I went and did a little bit of shopping. First we went to Poundland, we got a few crafty bits including some sticker packs. They included alphabets, epoxy and clear stickers, there were different themes including School, Birthday, Baby Boy, Baby Girl, Girly & Love. We got one of each with the exception of school & birthday. Then onto Dobbies were Georgia & I had lunch in the coffee shop followed by a quick look in their gift section....where I found that they now stock Momiji Dolls. They also stocked mugs, hankies, tissues, cards and stickers all featuring Momiji Dolls. So we chose 3...I know 3, but we couldn't decide so we got 3. Here they are...

I love them so much, they are just so darn cute. I am planning a layout featuring them, so it is fab that I can use the stickers and these little note cards that they sell. The note cards are like little journalling blocks. Will have to take a picture before I go away on Friday so that I can scrap it will I am at Thornham. I think the DCWV Far East range will be a perfect match. So then after Dobbies came Costco where we got some essentials plus a Heidi Swapp kit for my SIL, and the other Scrapping kit that they had in the blue.

So on Sunday we spent the day at home, Georgia did lots of colouring, she played for hours on CBeebies website and then we watched the F1 European Grand Prix. Georgia loves to cheer on Lewis Hamilton...she is a funny little thing. David strolled in at about 6.30pm, and we had a roast dinner....I actually prepared and cooked it....I think I have cooked about a 20 times this year so far...a record for me as David usually does all the cooking.

On Monday we stayed at home, with the exception of a quick trip to the Post Office to send a parcel as I had a stack of work that I need to get done for my clients by the end of July. So that gets us up to yesterday, Georgia will be going to a Gymnastics and Fun Fitness Club with MKSpringers every Tuesday & Wednesday during the summer holidays, so far she is loving it.

Tomorrow Georgia is being collected by her Nana & Pops and they are taking her home with them for the weekend. They are planning on taking her to Legoland on Friday, weather permitting. While she is away I am off to the Wyverstone Weekend Retreat @ Thornham with the ladies of Scrapagogo. I am so excited...even if totally unprepared....I think I am going to have a hectic couple of days.

Anyway, better get back to work, as I am at a Clients....skivving.

Caz
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Last Day in Foundation...

Today is Georgia's last day in foundation at school. I just cannot believe how quickly the year has passed by. Where has my nervous little girl gone...in her place is a more confident child. I have pressies made of the Teachers & TA's...let's hope they all like them, and also cards that say "Thank You for helping me to grow"...Georgia will fill them in a sign them in the morning. So now six weeks of holidays are upon us. Georgia is going to Gymnastics every Tuesday & Wednesday so that I can get some work done during those days. I am away the last weekend of the month at the Thornham Weekend Crop with Janice & Lorraine of ScrapaGoGo..and cannot wait. David has to work, so Georgia is going to stay with her Nana & Pops (David's parents). They are collecting her on Thursday and bringing her back on Monday and have a trip to Legoland planned, so that will be great fun. It will be the longest she has been away from me, and will be very strange, but I have to let go at some time, and now is as good a time as any. I have promised to phone her every night...not sure if that will make me feel better or worse...only time will tell.

I took the colour quiz and I am....

What color are you? Blue You are slightly confused most of the time. You are beautiful and smart, but things move just too fast for you to comprehend most of it Click Here to Take This Quiz

Quizzes and Personality Tests

Not sure what it means...but who cares...lol

Anyway off to bed now as I have a busy day tomorrow.
Caz
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Proud Mummy Moments....

This month has been filled with Proud Mummy Moments. At the beginning of July, Georgia finally managed to recognise all 45 of her Foundation Key Words (she knew them before this, but when tested she tended to panic and forget). Then on Friday we got her School Report. At the beginning of the school year her teacher, Mrs Kirkpatrick, said they she expected the majority of pupils to get at least to 7 on the scale. By Easter Georgia had already achieved that in some areas and was close on sixes for the rest. Well her final report has her on 2 7's, 5 8's and 6 9's, giving her a final mark of 108/130. I am so proud of her, she has started off so well, and is really looking forward to starting Year One in September.

On Saturday we went to the schools Annual Barbeque. The weather gods were smiling down on us and the sun shined all day long. Georgia had such fun, she had her face painted as a pink bunny rabbit...Boy did she look cute. The local Fire Station were supposed to be coming to open the BBQ, but they were called out so didn't show up, then just after 7pm a Fire Engine pulled up at the school. It seems the night shift had come on duty and seen the booking in the diary, and came out instead. The kids were so excited and Mr Upton, the Headmaster, called upon my photography skills. I seem to have become the official unofficial photographer of the school events...what with the Football match the previous week, and my 112 pictures in one hour..LOL. Anyway I was tasked to take pictures, and take them I did. I was standing just behind the fireman in the door, but was having trouble getting a clear shot. The fireman had to stay put because of the health & safety issues of the small kids in the back....it is a long way up. So I cheekily asked if I could sit in the front and take shots of the kids over the seat...and permission was granted, much to the envy of many of the other Mums...hehehe...if you don't ask you don't get! Anyway I took approx 300 pictures on the day, and now I am trying to get them all processed and converted to JPegs ready to hand over to Mr Upton. Georgia had a lovely day and spent the whole day with her friend Hannah and by 9pm she was tired out and ready to go home. Both of us have been bitten to death by gnats, Georgia has 9 bites covering her middle legs and ankles, and I have 2, one on my foot and the other on my elbow.

So the next Proud Mummy Moment came yesterday. Georgia was entered into her first Gymnastics competition. She only started with MKSpringers during the Whitsun holiday, and only does an hour per week. But she continues to improve and her confidence grows. She was so nervous, she told me she was too scared and didn't want to do it. I was reluctant to force her, so just persuaded her to get ready and if she really didn't want to do it, then she didn't have to. So we are in the queue for registration and we see her friend Alice from school. While we were in the registration queue the gymnasts were called to go and warm up, so off they went together. Anyway I could see her warming up, doing her bridge (I always used to call it a crab...lol). Finally it was her turn to go on the first piece of equipment, a beam...they have to run up and then stop, climb on and walk along and do a lovely jump off to the finish position. Here is a picture of her waiting in line for her turn....too cute...
After she had done there, she went over to do her floor routine. All the younger gymnast had to do the same routine. For the first time ever she did it perfectly, the best I had ever seen. At the end they were all lined up for the prize giving. We seriously never expected to win anything she entered for the experience and for fun. So you can imagine the surprise we got when her name was called out...for First Place....she won a GOLD MEDAL.....yippeeeeeee Here she is having just received her medal. Please forgive me on the picture quality, but the venue was a photographic nightmare. Indoors, no natural light, flourescent lights, we were sitting on a big bleacher style seating thing, and it moved when people walked up the stairs...so what with using a zoom lense with no tripod and poor lighting...it really challenged my limited photography skills. Although I did feel better when Alice's parents told me they hadn't managed to even get a single half decent shot. The amount of pictures I had with people blurred heads in was unbelievable...lol

Caz
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Just to Clarify...

Thanks to my anonymous commentor I feel I must pass comment on here. I do appreciate and understand that Cassie has probably been through a great deal, and could well be emotionally damaged by all she has been through. I do not condone what she has done, but by the same token neither am I slamming her. I was merely commenting on events happening in mine and my daughters life, and that I was disappointed in the breakdown of communication from the school, and in the Grandma who obviously made an effort to find out who I was, but to then say nothing.

Anyway, enough on this matter. Sports Day had to be postponed today due to the weather. They are hoping to hold it on Monday, but I am not holding out much hope as the weather is not supposed to be any better then. At least we have the BBQ tomorrow, which should be fun. Georgia tells me she wants to have her face painted as a Puppy...so I will try to get a picture.

Ok, bed is calling....nite nite.
Caz
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{The Spitting Saga and Sports Day}

I meant to post this earlier in the week, but forgot. On Monday while emptying Georgia's book bag, I found a little card. I asked Georgia if she drew it and she said it was from Cassie, I asked her if Cassie was her friend, and she said no. When I looked inside the card Cassie was saying sorry, but I couldn't work out what she was saying sorry for. I asked Georgia why, and she told me that Cassie spat on her. So I then tried to find out details from her, but she has a memory like a goldfish...like all young kids. Anyway I sat there brooding all evening and analysing events from the day before in the school playground. So on Tuesday morning, I pulled one of the teaching assistants aside and asked what happened, she was unsure but promised to get to the bottom of it. So Tuesday afternoon when I collected Georgia from her afterschool French club, Mrs Kirkpatrick came out to see me. She was very apologetic and disappointed that we had been let down so badly, seeing as how they had not told me what had happened. It appears that there was a substitute teacher in that afternoon and was supposed to have talked to me, and didn't. The following morning they thought all was ok because I was fine....well I would be...BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW..... So they explained what happened and that Cassie had been given a yellow card (Georgia tells me she gets them regularly) and that it is being treated seriously. I know the school have dealt with it, but what annoys me most is that Cassie's Grandma asked other parents in the school playground who was Georgia's Mummy, and one of the Mums that I am friendly with said "This is Georgia's Mummy", while I was standing there, and she said nothing....I thought that was strange, but then I didn't know about the spitting incident. Yesterday I talked the Mum who was there and she knew all about it...Cassie's Grandma had told her. She also told me that Cassie lived with her Grandma because if she didn't Cassie would have ended up in care. If I had been in her place and Georgia had done something to another child, I would have made a point of going up to the other parent and talking to them, even apologising.....maybe I am just different.

Why do kids feel the need to spit, maybe they have just seen too many older kids and adults doing it. It is a disgusting habit, and one that seems all too common these days. You walk along the streets seeing young lads spit. Why do I want to see everyones spit on the path...it is vile.

So today is sports afternoon, I have my camera charged and at the ready....lets hope for some great shots. I mean I took 112 at a one hour football match last week, and I was worried about the battery going flat....so who knows how many I will take today...obviously weather permitting...they will cancel if it rains.
Laters
Caz
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{New Products}

I have been blog surfing this evening...I regularly check out Anso's blog and saw a sneak peek of some new Love Elsie lines...Lola & Riley. First 2 pictures are Lola, and the rest are Riley.

They look fab, and according to Elsie's own blog, there are more new lines coming at CHA. I am also pleased that Bam Pop are releasing a Volume 3, very different brighter with pinks and unicorns, robots, ninguins (ninja penguins..lol).

Another CHA sneak peek that has me drooling....Rusty Pickle Princess Pirate. It reminds me very slightly of the CI Caution Girl range...but I still love it.

With so many new products again...where do I spend my hard earned cash...what will I NEED

Caz x

Jimminy Cricut

Yes, I have taken the plunge and ordered myself a Cricut machine. I have borrowed one from a friend and after having it for a couple of months, I have finally used it...and now I have seen what it does I NEED one. So I have ordered one..and fingers crossed I will collect it from the Thornham Retreat with the GoGo Girles later this month. I also ordered this gorgeous little bag to keep it in, but that is coming from the US as I can't find it stocked anywhere in the UK at the moment.How cute does it look? It can carry the Cricut machine and tools plus 12 cartridges. So plenty of space. I decided against the rolling tote as it seems Provocraft are having some production issues and many are being returned, and I can only pull one rolling tote and I already have my XXL.

So for the first time ever I have been tagged....by Monica I have to tell you 7 things about me that you may not know, so here goes...
1. My teachers at school always wrote on my School Report that I was a chatterbox...and nothing has changed.
2. I was Rose Queen Attendant in Infant School, and did maypole dancing.
3. I met my husband David at Sea Scouts where I was a canoeing instructor.
4. I was too scared to have a baby until I was over 30.
5. I have been with my husband longer than I was without him.
6. I love Asda Pineapple and Mexican Lime High Juice.
7. I used to collect Cabbage Patch Dolls...and still have loads, although I am selling them...I just sold 3 and got £400 in total...enough to buy my Cricut and some cartridges and the bag.

Ok, so now I need to find 7 victims...which I am too tired to do tonight...so I will save that for tomorrow.

The rest of the week here will be hectic as I had to rearrange my Clients so that I can go to Georgia's first Sports Day at school on Friday afternoon. Then on Saturday Georgia & I are going to her school BBQ from 4-9pm, and David is working again and I have been volunteered to help serve on the BBQ...as long as they don't make me cook then everone will be safe. On Sunday, Georgia is taking part in her first Gymnastics competition with MKSpringers. She is very excited and today she showed me that she can now do a crab...well that is what I always used to call them as a child. I believe they have a more technical name, but I just can be arsed to remember it...lol

So it is really late and has taken me an hour to type this entry...so off to bed I go.
Caz
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Another hectic weekend

This weekend was much more of the same here. David was working all over the weekend...he hasn't had a day off in six, yes, six weeks. It is not through choice either. The contract he is leading can only be done outside of the Company's regular production shifts. So Georgia and I entertained ourselves on Saturday by watching Live Earth. I enjoyed many of the acts, but some were not to my taste. I thought the RHCP were fab, as were The Foo Fighters and Keane. The Pussy Cat Dolls final song (Don't Cha) was great....so many men were busy taking pics of the stunning girls strutting their stuff up on the stage in front of them...it was so funny. I was disappointed to miss Genesis as I love some of their stuff from the 70's/80's. But the most disappointing for me was Madonna. She walked onto the stage and used foul language. Now don't get me wrong, I swear, but not this word (the MotherF word). And how that woman can advocate we all change our ways when she has a carbon footprint that experts have estimated to be the equivalent of 54 Americans or 102 Brits or 15, 528 Malawayians just beggars belief. Maybe if she flew around less in private jets/commercial jets then that would be a start. She can make more of a difference just by changing her own ways, instead of preaching to us. Again, don't get me wrong, we use energy efficient bulbs, we don't keep the house too hot, we turn off applicances from standby, we recycle and have a compost bin. Plus we don't have huge gas guzzling cars. But I do take offence...ok rant over.

Today we went to visit my Dad, Sister and her family. We had a lovely day, even though they were all a little hungover from the previous nights party. My Sister loved her clock and it was immediately hung up in place of her boring old Next clock.

I have also made another altered clock. I used the Bam Pop papers again (I am loving their quirkiness), this one is for the staff in Reception where Georgia goes to school. Their clock was damaged by one of the children visiting from September's intake. So here it is...

I am giving it to them tomorrow, so fingers crossed they like it as much as I do.

My clock for my Sister is now featured in the Bam Pop Gallery...so take a look... http://www.bampop.com/

Caz x

Toot Toot...{for me}

Well the last few days have been busy as usual. I was a woman on a mission after the crop on Sunday. Monday morning after I dropped Georgia at school I needed to pop to the chemist, so while there I went into InStore to get the clocks for next months crop. So the ladies did look at we strangely when I told them I needed 45 clocks...LOL. So they helped me get them down and put them into a cage for me and wheeled them to my car. So 20 are for the ladies at the MKScrapper Crop in August and 20 are for Lorraine @ ScrapaGoGo, the extras are all mine, all mine I tell ya. I need to go back and get a couple more as I have had a couple of requests from the other girls on the GoGo Create Design Team.

So back to the toot toot bit. Well I emailed Bam Pop and told them about the clock I had altered with their products...and they wanted to see a picture, and they want to add it to their gallery....the exact words of Jen were that she loved it. I am so thrilled as there are so many fabulous pieces of art from many talented ladies in that gallery. The gallery was actually what inspired me to buy the papers in the first place, and then I just needed to find the courage to use them. They are quirky and fun, and exactly what I wanted for the clock for my Sister. I think she will have fiun filling in all the speech and thought bubbles with things that her kids say.

So today looks a little brighter on the weather front...I can actually see some blue sky and sunshine, although I doubt it will last long. David is finishing work early, he has been working weekends for the last 6 weeks without a day off and the chores have gotten behind. I just can't do it all alone. What with working and running around after Georgia, trying to keep the house tidy and anything else that life throws at me...I just don't have enough hours in the day.

I will be back later with some instructions for the clock as a couple of people have asked me to post them here.

Hope everyone is waking up to sunshine today, and that you all have a wonderful day.
Caz
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The Idea Factory...

Today was MKScrappers monthly crop, and I didn't complete a single 12x12 page in the 6 hours I was there...I did however finish my ScrapaGoGo Design Team CJ, and also alter a clock. The new (well new to me) venue was fabulous, loved the light and space. It was such a huge improvement on the old space. We even had a fab little atrium area where would could kit and eat if we wanted. It had a glass ceiling so was flooded with wonderful light.

I also had so many fab ideas today it was unheard of. While doing the CJ lots of the ladies came up to take a quick look. Some had seen the picture I put here yesterday and wanted to see it in the flesh. They loved it so much that we decided to do it as a kit for the December Xmas Crop, which is always a big event with a larger project/kit. Then everyone was watching as I altered the clock, it was then decided that we would do altered clocks for next months class project....I think Lyns now has to go and buy 20...yes 20 clocks from Instore tomorrow afternoon. So now the clock is finished (it was done at the crop but I needed to add 3 final pictures to the top of the clock). This is going to be a New Home gift for my Little Sister who should be moving house during the school holidays. I am really pleased, especially as it has been sitting on the side next to me for the last 10 days begging me to alter it...so now I need to go back to Instore and buy a couple more...as I need one. I have already decided that I want it in the lounge and I will us e BasicGrey Urban Couture papers. So here it is...leave me a comment and let me know what you think. So I used Bam Pop Volume One papers and diecuts, American Craft RootBeer Float Thickers in Black, Heidi Swapp Clock Face and the hand is cut from a Sizzlit die. I have left lots of speech & thought bubbles empty and I am going to ask my Sisters Kids (pictured) what they want in their bubbles.

If you would like some instruction, leave me a comment and and I will post some here.

Anyway back to the ideas...so then I came up with the idea of doing a matchbox book. Not the regular size ones, but the larger box that your Nan used to have in the kitchen to light the stove...well I don't know about the rest of you but mine both did. Then I think Rachael had the idea to do a Beer Coaster kit, so now we have enough ideas for the rest of the years crops...it really makes planning so much easier for both Rachael & Lynsey. My final idea was to bring blue tack to the next crop, and for people to stick their layouts to the walls for everyone to admire, which also makes it easier for Rachael to take pictures to share on the MKScrappers Blog.

So now I cannot wait until next month when I can see what fab creation the ladies come up with...it is always wonderful to see how different they all look.