Best Day ..... Ever!

Me again - twice in one day is becoming a habit - but don't get used to it, I'm back at work tomorrow!  If you missed my earlier post you can catch up by following this link.

I know it is only halfway through the week for the SIMON SAYS STAMP challenge but I feel as if I am late entering.  Is that daft or what?  I really hate being late for anything yet always struggle to be on time.  Mum reckons it was because I was two weeks late being born, lol

Anyhoo, the challenge is Anything Goes and I have brought out a new stamp and some old favourite papers for this one.

Ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image  Sugar Nellie - Best Day Ever

Medium  Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers  Dovecraft Back To Basics

Sentiment  Personal Impressions

Extras  Gold borders from stash

Thanks for popping over to visit - it is always fabulous to see you.  As always, I am behind with my commenting but doing my squirrelly best to catch up.  I will get to you - I promise!  And welcome to my new Followers who have joined this week, lovely to have you on board.

Hugs, Sxx

Sweet Stampin' Animals

Morning all!  What a chillsome day it is - it was sunshine when we left for Church, but freezy cold, and on the way home it has turned to grey, miserable cloud with that very fine rain that wets you before you know it.

This is a very quick post while the broadband connection lasts so I'll get on with it.  Here is my entry for this week's Sweet Stampin' Challenge with the theme of Animals.

Ingredients for this card

Stamped Image  Lili of the Valley  - I Baked A Cake

Medium  Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers  DCWV Floral (very old pad) and pearlised card from stash

Sentiment Lili of the Valley

Extras  EK Success daisy punches and Papermania gems

Sweet and simple, just like me, lol!

Hugs Sxx

Less Is More - Week 52 - A Sketch

Back again so soon, lol!  As soon as I saw this week's LESS IS MORE challenge I knew I had to play (especially having missed the last couple of weeks) - it's a sketch this time and it is deceptively tricky for such a simple layout.

I've had two go's at it and might well come back for a third later.  Here are the first two anyway.

This one was very quick - a bit of Post-It Note masking, some Distress Ink sponging and simple stamping with those gorgeous Stampendous Agapanthus, finished off with a cute little Hero Arts sentiment.

Equally simple, a strip of Joanna Sheen tartan paper, punched both sides with Martha Stewart heart loop punch, a Magenta stamp lightly coloured with Distress Inks and my new favourite sentiment from Personal Impressions.

My fuzzy little brain is still full of ideas so prepare yourself for some more another time!

Hugs, Sxx

Keeping It Simple

Morning all, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, it's a chilly one!  Did you know (thanks Google) that today is the 125th anniversary of the largest snowflake?  I wonder how big it was ..... and how do they know it was the biggest?  Still, pleased to report that there is no danger of that being repeated today - bright, crisp day, lots of sunshine at the moment, yay!

It's that time of year again when I have a struggle - with my dear sister-in-law's birthday card.  She doesn't do cute!  Arrrgh, how can anyone resist cuteness?  Anyway, this week's challenge at TOTALLY GORJUSS is KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) and that seemed like a good idea, stop overthinking things Squirrel.

Ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image  Gorjuss Girls New Heights

Medium  Come on, you should know by now

Papers   A mixture of First Editions

Sentiment  Lili of the Valley

Extras  Martha Stewart punch and gems from stash

Now I will own up to this being the second attempt at this card.  If you want the biggest belly laugh ever just keep going - on my travels around blogland I had been admiring how some very clever people have been using Prismas on Kraft and the lunatic side of my brain said "let's have a go" - yeah, well, the result below is now in the shredder!

The only part of this that was vaguely acceptable was her hair!  And then the Sansador made it go all splodgy.  Lesson learned - stick to what you know Squirrel.  Me and my inks will not be parted - not even for a floosie pencil that briefly turned my head!

Hugs, Sxx

The Fourth Bear

Morning all, hope this finds you well.  Today's card is my entry for the ABC CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE and it is the letter B this time.  The theme is Bears with one or more of bunting, banners, brads, bling, buttons, bows and blooms!

I've gone for several bears and only two of the list, banner and buttons

Ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image  Lili of the Valley Snow Bears

Medium  Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers  Magazine freebies

Sentiment  Woodware Banner set

Extras  Papermania buttons and Sizzix photocorners

And the reference to The Fourth Bear?  It's a Jasper Fforde novel, in his Nursery Crimes series.  Totally brilliant, the man is a genius with words.

Hugs, Sxx

Birthday Boy

Oh I am so loving this - crafting in daylight without Toad watching my every move, lol!!  Back with a second post for today, this one for a couple of challenges:

Cards For Men - Boys And Their Toys

Lili's Little Fairies - Oh Boy

Somewhere between card, photo and computer, some of the colours on this have got lost in translation - the green is really greener and the red doesn't really poke your eyes out!

Ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image  Lili Of The Valley Sailing Boat

Medium Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers  Basic Grey, Papermania, Little Sizzlets

Sentiment  Woodware Banners

Extras  Pebbles Inc Candy Dots and Martha Stewart punch

The bunting is hand cut (you can tell can't you!)

Right, I must be a good little Squirrel now and either start some DT work (which I could do tomorrow) or some clearing up in the kitchen - oh the decisions I have to make ......

And speaking of kitchens - some wonderful news - it looks like it will happen after all!  Our project manager (hi Andy) is working his socks off to get me this kitchen.  Who knows, I might be baking cakes in a nice, new, shiny oven before too long.  

Hugs, Sxx

Back By Popular Demand

Afternoon all!  Thanks for your good wishes for the doctor visit this morning - apart from getting stuck in a traffic jam on the way there all went well.  I do like our Health Care Assistant - she gets the blood first time, every time, so no poking and prodding with needles.  And the doctor was lovely - she agreed that after three weeks of earache (having it, not giving it) I really needed some antibiotics to clear up the sinus infection (must be all that cat fur I keep breathing in).

Anyhoo, by popular demand - oh, ok, Vince tells me that it was only the one of you - Christy Beans - who asked for another Strawberry Kisses card.  So this one is for you hunny!

Ingredients for this card

Stamped Image  Crafters Companion - Strawberry Kisses: Party Animal

Medium  Part Distress Ink painted, part paper pieced

Papers  Joanna Sheen tartan, Making Memories (ancient)

Extras Hunkydory Diamond Sparkle gems, rainbow holographic borders

Hugs, Sxx

WOYWW with Julia

Hi All, I didn't expect to be here tonight, especially this early, so I know it will have taken you by surprise too!  Sorry about that.  I had to go with my boss to see some clients this afternoon to witness some documents and as we were coming back past the house she very kindly dropped me off, rather than making me go back into town to catch the bus back out again!

Anyhoo, as I am here I thought I might share with you a little something for WOYWW this week:

Let me introduce you to Sidney, the other tuxedo cat in my life.  Sidney came to me from New York, via a very sweet mate who saw him whilst on a shopping trip.  He is my inspiration cat - seriously, he came with instructions promising that with him around I would never be stuck for crafting inspiration!  Now, I think he is still suffering a little bit from jet-lag, three years later, as he doesn't always live up to the promise, but he does sit on the window-ledge above my desk and I do talk to him, quite a lot.  Toad has often caught me have a chat with the Sidster!


While I'm here I would like to give a quick toot to my mate Lynda who has this very week taken her first steps into blogland with her site at Zippy's Zone - it would be wonderful if you could spare the time to pop over and welcome her to this mad and addictive world!

And I am now officially on my weekend, yaaay, as I am using two days of my 2011 carried over holiday.  And I plan to have a crafty day tomorrow once I get back from the blood tests and the doc so I shall see you all tomorrow with a creation or two.

Hugs Sxx

You've Had The Kitty ....

.... now here is the Puppy!  Just a quickie chaps to share this little Penny Black card with you tonight, and I still have time to sneak it into the Penny Black And More January challenge that is the theme of Love and Hearts .......

Ingredients for this little chap are:

Stamped Image:  Penny Black (sorry forgot to check his name before I ran upstairs)

Medium: Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers: Dovercraft Sugar & Spice (goes well with puppy dog tails)

Cardstock: DCWV

And while I am here I would like to say a big warm furry welcome to all my new Followers!  I hadn't noticed how that number was sneaking up until last night. 

That's All Folks ....... be back on Thursday.

Hugs, Sxx

Strawberry Kisses - Little Miss

I waited, and I waited ..... and I waited some more..... and then finally they arrived - my Strawberry Kisses stamps by Crafters Companion.  And today had been my first chance to play.

Yeah, I know these were designed with minimal colouring in mind, but you know me and a paintbrush - just don't know when to stop, lol!

Ingredients for this card:

Stamped Image: Crafters Companion Strawberry Kisses - Little Miss

Medium: Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers/Cardstock: Papermania Pastels, DCWV Neutral Stack

Sentiment: Hero Arts

Extra: Martha Stewart border punch

Two other things for you to have a look at if you have missed them from earlier today

Challenge Card:  Lili's Little Fairies - Lavender & Lace

New Page:   Toad's Origami

Hugs, Sxx

Lavender & Lace - Lili's Little Fairies 3

Yawwwwwwwwwwwwwn!  I'll admit it, I've just had the most delicious nap in the armchair.  Vince was sound asleep on my lap, Toad was quietly folding little pieces of paper, radio on in the background and it was warm and comfortable.  Bliss.

Anyhoo, what I popped on for was to enter this week's LILI'S LITTLE FAIRIES CHALLENGE with their theme of Lavender and Lace.

Didn't I say yesterday that some challenges come along at just the right time?  Well this is another one.  One of my work mates asked me to make a card for her sister's wedding in a couple of weeks time and her colour scheme is Cadburys purple with touches of lime green and cream.  Oh yes it is.  I tried the purple but it was simply too strong so I went with lavender instead, I'm sure she will understand!

Ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image: Lili of the Valley - Mr & Mrs

Medium: Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers/Cardstock: 8x8 white base card, Bazzil Basics (lavender card), 

Dovecraft Back To Basics (green spotty)

Sentiment: Lili of the Valley

Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts

Extras: Woodware lace, gems from stash, Martha Stewart punches

Welcome (Totally Gorjuss)

There are occasions when a challenge could not be timed better, and this morning is one of those occasions.  I discovered the other night that our neighbours' baby has arrived a little earlier than expected - and the challenge over at TOTALLY GORJUSS is Welcome.  Perfect!

Ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image: Lili Of The Valley - Special Delivery

Medium: Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers: Papermania Pastels (very old)

Welcome Sentiment: Scrabble Letters Stamps

Extras: Gems from stash

And I have been brave this morning.  I was getting so totally fed up with blog pages freezing on me so I could neither scroll up nor down, I was just getting the header.  Someone kindly suggested changing from Internet Explorer to Google Chrome - which I did earlier.  So far so good but it will take some getting used to!

Hugs Sxx

Winter Wonderland (DT) An Easel Card

WINTER WONDERLAND has a new look!  Check out the fabulous blog design created by the amazingly talented Angie

Doesn't this just look TOTALLY BRILLIANT?!!  And while you are over there drooling over the new page, why not join us for this week's fun challenge?

This week, we would love you to create AN EASEL CARD for us.  That's it.  An easel card, and at the moment it doesn't even have to be Christmas (although we would love it if it was).

Our sponsor for this week is LILI OF THE VALLEY who are offering the lucky winner a £10 voucher to spend in their on-line store (you jammy things).

As always, there is some fab inspiration from the Design Team - don't forget to show them some love.  Here is my card for you:

and the arty shot

Ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image:  LOTV Bunny Cupcakes

Medium: Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Sentiment: Hero Arts

Papers: First Editions Up & Away

Extras: Wild Orchid Crafts flowers and leaves, and Papermania gems

So?  What's keeping you?  Looking forward to seeing your easel cards during the week.  You have until 5.00pm next Thursday to enter.

Hugs, Sxx

It's A Nellie, Not A Lili, you Nellie

Remember the missing stamp last week?  The one I turned my craft room upside down looking for only to realise later that it wasn't what I thought it was?  A few of you had asked to see the culprit so here she is!

Ingredients for this card

Stamped Image: Sugar Nellie - Peek A Boo

Medium: Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers: K & Co and DCWV

Sentiment: Personal Impressions

Extras: Papermania Dew Drops

Now can you see why I was confused?  Compare this little mite with LOTV's Milly Hello and you will understand my muddle!

Hugs, Sxx

I Nearly Remembered

Morning all.  How are we today?  I have to say, it was actually warmer standing at the bus stop than it was sat on the bus.  I didn't know it was possible to be that cold inside a vehicle.

Anyhoo, I digress, I actually popped in to show you this little belated birthday card: 

Ingredients are:

Stamped Image: High Hopes

Medium: TH Distress Inks

Sentiment: Personal Impressions

Paper: Dovecraft Sugar n Spice

Challenge entered

The Squirrel And The Fox - Challenge 9 - Critters

The way my brain is working at the moment, I fear I may be making more of these this year!

Hugs, Sxx

Love and Hearts

Morning all.  Hope you are ok.  I've just polished off a really yummy brunch of bacon, toast, scrambled egg and halumi cheese.  Feel a bit piggy now, lol!

This months challenge from PENNY BLACK AND MORE AT ALLSORTS is Love and Hearts - a great challenge to get ahead with the ol' Valentine Cards.

Ingredients for this card

Stamped Image: Penny Black Frightful Flight (but I masked off the pumpkin balloon)

and free heart stamp with Craft Stamper magazine

Medium:  Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Sentiment: Hero Arts

Cardstock: DCWV

Extra: Martha Stewart Heart Loop border punch

Hugs, Sxx

Chirpy-Chirpy-Cheep-Cheep

Now, I truthfully do not remember this pesky song when it first came out, but I have to say it really is an earworm.  As soon as I chose the stamp I was using for this little card, the tune started going around in my head and now I can't shift it!

Challenges

Less Is More - Week 50 - One Layer Card - Birds

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Anything Goes

Ingredients

Penny Black Spring Parade (parts of stamp)

Penny Black Bunches sentiment

Distress Inks and White Cardstock

I'll be honest, I wanted to do something "more" for the Penny Black challenge, but I am loving these one layer cards.  I may have to come back tomorrow with another PB entry.

Hugs, Sxx

Lili's Little Fairies Challenge - 2 Favourite LOTV Stamp

Evenin' all.  It's the weekend at last, yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay, happy dance!  Well, it would be a happy dance, more of a shuffle at the moment, lol.

When I saw this week's challenge from LILI'S LITTLE FAIRIES was Your Favourite LOTV Stamp I could have cried.  Don't they know that they are all my favourites?!  So I cheated a bit - I just stuck my hand in the "animal" box (as they are my favourite favourites) and did a lucky dip.

Don't you just adore this little Umbrella Bunny stamp?  So gorgeous, and so much fun to paint.  And can be used for so many occasions.  In my usual simple style, I have turned him into a simple birthday card!

Ingredients

Stamped Image Lili of the Valley Umbrella Bunny

Medium  Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers  Magazine freebie

Cardstock DCWV Bright Stack

Sentiment  Personal Impressions

That's it, short and sweet.  Be back with you tomorrow, hopefully with a Penny Black for a change.

Hugs, Sxx

How Sweet You Are

Fanfare please!  It's Friday at last which means in eleven hours it will be the start of the weekend, whooohoo!  How is it possible to be this tired after only two weeks back at work?  Never mind, nothing much planned for the weekend so I can go into vegetable mode.

Here is another one of my thank you cards to show you. 

Ingredients for this card:

Stamped Image:  Sarah Kay - How Sweet You Are

Medium - Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Sentiment - Hero Arts

Papers - Basic Grey Indie Bloom, and the cloud paper was a magazine freebie

Extras - Papermania gems, EK Success retro flower punch, Card Candi

Hugs, Sxx

Some Meeces For You

Well, look at this, another post midweek from me!  Are you all in shock?  I wanted to share this card with you as I finally got to use one of my new stamps received for Christmas for this card and broke into a new pad of papers too.

The stamps had been in the house a long time before Christmas but they were taken away from me and hidden!

Ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image  Lili of the Valley - Chocolate Factory

Medium  Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers  All First Editions Summer Breeze (I think)

Sentiment  Personal Impressions Keep Calm set

Extras  Martha Stewart border punch and gems from stash

Hugs, Sxx

How Much Does The Tooth Fairy Leave?

Evening all!  Surprised?  I am, it's not often I get to blog on a Tuesday, lol.  Anyhoo, my room mate at work has the most adorable five year old daughter who has just gone through the traumatic experience of losing her first tooth.

Any excuse to make a card!  I knew I wanted to use this little fairy but I could not believe that amongst all my sentiment stamps I do not have one that simply says "Make A Wish" - any idea where I can get my paws on one?  I had to improvise ......

It's not really squint - it's my rubbish photography!

Ingredients for this simple little card:

Stamped Image  Buzzcraft Fairy Doodles

Medium  Go on, guess, I dare you

Papers  Dovecraft Sugar n Spice

Sentiment  Personal Impressions - from the Keep Calm set

Extras  Sprinkling of Glamour Dust and gems from stash

Hugs, Sxx

Gone To The Dogs

How is it possibly Monday again?  I mean, didn't we have one last week?  Back to a proper routine now with a full week at work and less time to play.  What a bummer!

Anyhoo, I'm still making thank you cards and here is a little one I made yesterday afternoon.  I seem to be lacking lay-out mojo at the moment so I've used that simple style again. 

Ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image  Suger Nellie Dougal

Medium  Tim Holtz Distress Inks ReInkers

Paper  Dovecraft Sugar 'n' Spice

Sentiment  Hero Arts

Hugs, Sxx

Lili's Little Fairies Challenge - 1 New Beginnings

Howdydoody peeps!  Now that sounded brighter than I feel.  Having spent weeks avoided colds and germs I think one might have finally caught up with me.  Sniff.  Keep your fingers crossed that it is only the snuffles and not the full blown lurgy.

This week sees the start of the new challenge that is LILI'S LITTLE FAIRIES and you all know how much I love my Lili stamps so I was thrilled to bits to see this challenge starting.  The theme for the first challenge is New Beginnings.  And with the same theme is this week's CRAFTY CATZ WEEKLY CHALLENGE

And if you think you have seen this layout before, well, yes, you have, I used it yesterday too! 

Ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image  Lili of the Valley Pirate Bear

Medium  Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers)

Papers  My Minds Eye Fly A Kite

Sentiment  Lili of the Valley

Extras  Gems from stash

And how is this a new beginning I hear you ask?  Well, a friend is setting off to Australia soon, initially for a year but with an eye to settling over there.

Hugs, Sxx

Saturday Challenges x 3

I said I would be back again today, and here I am!  For my earlier Dappy Squirrel post, either scroll down or follow the link.

On the subject of squirrels, what do you think of the new blog header then?  I thought it was about time I went a bit more sophisticated.  Lol, sophisticated?  Me?  Haaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahaha.

Anyhoo, three challenges to enter, and these are:

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Let Them Eat Cake

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Spots and Dots

Allsorts Challenge - Paper Piercing

So here is my card for this afternoon:

Ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image  Lili of the Valley Cake Glorious Cake

Medium  Tim Holtz Distress Inks (ReInkers) and paper piecing

Papers  Dovecraft Back to Basics, Dovecraft plain colours, and pink cupcakes found in scraps box

And that is all there is to it as the sentiment comes with the stamp!

Thanks so much for popping over again, your visits truly are treasured.  It won't be too much longer now til I celebrate my third blogoversary (end of March) and, with a bit of luck and a tail wind, this might coincide with reaching 100,000 hits.  I am planning candy for both, but if they should happen at the same time then it will be a mega-candy.  And you guys are the ones who make it happen.  Thank you.

Hugs Sxx

What a dappy Squirrel I am .....

Morning all.  What's that outside?  Good heavens, it's SUNSHINE!  I vaguely remember that, lol!  Still very breezy here but thankfully nothing like the gales we had earlier in the week.  Today is the first time I've seen the garden in daylight since then and we seem to have got away with it lightly, just one broken pane of glass in the greenhouse.  I hope that you are all safe and in one piece. 

Now, some of you will know that it is a totally mystery how my mind works, and here is an example of how totally dappy I can be at times.

Thursday night, while Toad was on the Wii Fit, I thought I would make mum and dad's thank you card and I knew exactly which stamp I wanted to use.  So, out came the LOTV boxes and I started to rummage through the "girls and boys" box.  It wasn't there.  Had a ferret through the "animals" box, in case I had slipped it back in the wrong one.  Not there either.

Having checked the "Christmas" and "still to be EZ mounted" boxes with no success I then started to panic.  I went back to the first box and emptied it right out onto my bench and went through them methodically.  I did this with all four boxes.  No stamp.  I even checked to make sure that I didn't have two stamps in one sleeve.  No stamp.

By now I am in a total fret.  Could it have got caught up with some stuff I'd thrown out?  Toad told me to stop muttering and use something else instead.  INSTEAD??  Anyhoo, as time was getting on, I grabbed a stamp and made a card.  Here it is:

By the time I had finished, Toad had gone upstairs for a bath so I made a start on getting some supper.  He came down, took his tray and toddled off to munch in front of the tv.  I stood in front of the microwave waiting for my bowl of soup to heat up when, suddenly, D'OH!!!  No flipping wonder I couldn't find that stamp in my LOTV boxes ......

...... it's a SUGAR NELLIE!!!  Oh I cannot tell you how STUPID I felt, but so RELIEVED at the same time.  The thought of losing a precious piece of rubber nearly sent me into spirals of hysteria.

So, all is well.  The stamp has been found, mum and dad got a thank you card that they will still love, and Toad has had it confirmed that his missus is a complete nut job.

Right then, off to have a go at some of today's challenges - will be back later.  If I can find the right stamp of course!

Hugs, Sxx

Winter Wonderland (DT) Let's Go Shopping

Happy New Year everyone and thanks for joining us at WINTER WONDERLAND for our first challenge of 2012.

The theme for this week's challenge is Let's Go Shopping.

We are having a short spell of non-Christmas cards (restarting these in February) but if you want to make one then that is fine with us!

We have a new sponsor joining us this week too and that is

Crafter's Companion will be sponsoring this year's challenges for the first challenge of each month and are offering a £10 voucher - you lucky things!  Wish I could enter for it.

Anyway, here is my DT card for this week:

Ingredients for this card are:

Stamped Image  Lili of the Valley - Emma Shoes

Medium Copics

Papers  DCWV

Sentiment  Lili of the Valley

Extras  Papermania Buttons

I'm not a great fan of shopping (unless it is craft stash of course) so I think my other favourite places to shop would be in a book shop or a handbag shop! 

I hope that you will be able to join us for this week's challenge - looking forward to seeing your entries.

Hugs, Sxx

Fancy A Quick One ...... or Five?

Afternoon all, how goes it?  Feeling a little blue today.  I normally do on Sunday afternoons, knowing that it is back to work tomorrow (except it isn't back to work until Tuesday but no one has told my head that), it's an odd feeling really.  Anyhoo, after Church, a yummy bacon sandwich (thanks Toad) and getting dragged into watching Mousehunt, I thought I would have a bit of a play.

Wasn't really in the mood for anything too fussy or fancy and so you have a parade of quickies.  Are you sitting comfortably?  Then I shall begin (am I showing my age I wonder?).

High Hopes - Joustin Dragon



High Hopes - Monkey Message Banner
with Hero Arts sentiments



First Penny Black Christmas card of 2012!



Woodware - Gnomes

Mo Manning - Spit Happens (made into a coaster for my office desk)

Phew, you made it this far then?!  Hope your first day of January has been a good one (and not too hung over).  We were in bed by 10.45 last night and this morning Toad was complaining bitterly about the loud fireworks that went on for "hours" ...... I confess that I may have heard about five minutes worth!  And Vince, bless his little furry paws, didn't even flicker - nope, he had prime warm spot on the bed (tucked in behind my knees) and he wasn't leaving that for anything!

Hugs, Sxx