Pink Candy by Caroline

Ooooh, Mrs Scrooge....

Went to see Cam in his Christmas school play this morning.  They usually perform in December but I think they are trying to spread events out this year, which is a good idea as the school seems to have so much to fit into one month with the Christmas disco, parties and plays.

They performed an adaptation of Scrooge.  Miss Scrooge was a mean teacher forced to face her past, present and future.  Cam played Mrs Scrooge, Miss Scrooge's Mum!!  Bless his heart, he was fantastic!  Cam was dressed in one of Abi's old dresses, an apron, long pink socks and some high-heeled sandals.  He came clopping onto stage holding a mixed bowl filled with paper which was thrown via the mixing spoon onto the nearby audience.  He also wore a black curly wig, and lipstick and eyeshadow and he looked and played the part soooo well.  I was well impressed.  Cam is quiet and quite shy but he was loud, clear and a real star.  The whole performance was wonderful and has started off the Christmasness for me.......

I managed to grab some photos of him after the performance - have a look.........

I tried to get him to pose with hand on hip and lips pursed together like a kiss, but he wouldn't.  Well he managed to hand on hip but the lippy thing was a push too far, hehe....

and I partic like his shoes - he said they were quite comfy *eek*, lol !!

What a star.........

I had to do my first Design Team project for Fidgeons last week and whilst I can't show you the full pic until its released in brochure format in Jan, I can give you a sneaky peek......

This was actually fun to do!  I really enjoyed received surprise bits and then being given a little brief on what was required and putting something together.

The scary bit is not knowing whether its good enough, but I was pleased with the end result and even Darren commented on it, lol !

I look forward to being able to show it to you all.

Oooooh, should be getting my car back soon.  Not sure if its going to be tomorrow, Sat or Mon now but I have quite enjoyed driving around in a Seat Ibiza.  Its a lovely dark grey and a very smooth ride.  Its a bit different to my little Mazda - it feels so high up for a start!  But its a comfy ride, and a fab family car, but not quite the same as my ickle baby, which will be coming back to mamma soon...... :-)

By the way this is not the actual car I am driving round in at the mo, but its like this....only pewter greyish......

We detest maths........

I am hoping to get my car back at the end of the week.  I have been driving a Seat Ibiza which is very nice and new but just a bit, well, ordinary.  So I am expecting a car that looks just like it did two weeks ago - or even a little better and a bit newer on the one side, lol !

We had our first CyberCrop on Bubbly Funk Forum at the weekend and it was such fun!  Hard work and a tiring day but a laugh and we had a lot of new people join us too which was great. 

I have to go to Abi and Jake's school this morning as its Pupil/Tutor Review Day, where they go in at an alloted time to chat with their tutor along with the parent.  Should be interesting chatting to Jake's tutor, say no more, but I do have a query about Abi's report which we got at the end of last week.  Abi has been consistently good throughout school, top sets for everything except Maths where she is second from top.  This is good though as Abi is like me and hates maths.  She always does her best though and despite a lack of confidence in the subject she is in the second group out of about eight groups.

This school term she has had a new maths teacher who is very good and has given Abi more confidence in herself about the subject and made her try even harder to get her head around it all.  She studies hard and spends hours, and I mean hours, going through her maths exercise book and plodding through the questions.  She has been dedicated in a way I have not seen her before, spesh with a subject she doesn't like.  Thats the thing about Abi, she tried her best in everything she does and I love her for that.

Their reports are graded 1-4, one being unsatisfactory, 2=satisfactory, 3=good and 4=excellent for three areas - Progress, Homework and Behaviour.  Abi strives and maintains a report of 3's and 4's and was expecting nothing less that this for this last report.  Imagine her horror and upset when she is graded as a 2 for effort in maths.  Any other subject I don't think she would have minded too much, but her exceptional drive to get better in maths this term has surprised me and I would have expected that to be reflected in her mark.  She had a 3 for Progress and Homework and a 2 for Effort. 

She was that upset she cried.

For some students this can make or break.  You can either be knocked down to a point where you can no longer be bothered if the effort isn't recognised or it can make you work even harder.  I've tried to make Abi think the latter way, but time will tell.  I do worry she will give up as it is a subject that holds no interest for her - I mean Maths, bleurgh, who likes Maths!  lol (I know there are some of you out there, but really...?!)

Soooooo, I am going to ask for an explanation of this mark.  Watch this space.  Not a big problem I know, but Abi is studying for GCSE's now and I want her to be encouraged not put down and this made her feel as though all the effort she had put wasn't worth it.  I hope I managed to bring her back up though.

Blimey, I wrote quite a bit about that, didn't I.  Must be bothering me more than I thought.  I was upset for her though and I will fight her corner as any Mum would do........:)

Right, off to get my baby boy Cam up and ready for school.  He will hate having to go when the other two are home, lol.......

Catch-up........

Met up with the Bubblies at the NEC on the 9th Nov.  DiW picked Beth up and then came to get me and we arrived in Brum at about 5ish where we met the rest of the gang.  It was really nice to see Rosie Di and Di again and fab to meet Karen, Tracey and Beth.  A lovely gang of Bubblies.........

I shared a room with Rosie and have to say it was the worse nights sleep of my life, as the bed felt like it was on a tilt and was rock hard.  Premier Inn's guarantee is that you have a great nights sleep.  So I told them I had a terrible night and asked for my money back.  So they duly obliged - Rosie and I got our money back.  Extra spending money.........

We went round the Craft Show at the NEC on the Saturday and within quite a short space of time I had spent too much money, lol !  But I bought some lovely stuff - lovely stamps, a glitter and flock kit, some fabbo decorative scissors which were £1 each and I later saw in another store at £4 each !!  Had to get some Sizzix dies and I've got some Glossy Accents but thought I would try the Matt Accent, so will see how that looks.  Oh, so much lovely stuff and so little time ;-)

I have been busy getting the November Monthly Kit and the Guest Designer Kit out last week.  That took virtually all week to do but they have been very popular so that makes it worthwhile!  I did think Thursday might come to a standstill when Darren had a wee accident in my car.

He was taking Cam to school and managed to get bumped by a motorcyclist.  The way it happened I think the motorcylist is to blame although it may come out as 50-50.  We shall see.  The insurance company is coming on Tuesday to see my car and decide what needs to be done.  It looks as though the front wing and bumper need to be replaced.  Luckily no-one was hurt but once the initial shock wore off I spent part the day fuming about the fact that it was MY car.  We had only just got it back from the garage who had replaced the clutch.    *sigh* accidents happen........

Did a bit more Christmas shopping yesterday!!  I don't think I have many more to get now so I am on target to get them done by 1st December, except for the kids.  So I am pleased about that.  Abi came with me and managed to get some clothes and boots out of me.  I don't know how it happens, honestly.  I told her I was Christmas shopping not clothes shopping.  To be honest though she rarely comes into town with me now as her Saturdays are usually socially filled with her friends, so I was really pleased to be able to grab her for some shopping before her mates did!  She is a pleasure to be around, truly.  And an extra pair of hands to carry bags is always a good thing........

I was pleased that this little beauty was in stock in Argos as I have tried before and always been out of stock.  So I got two.  One for all my ink pads and another for mixed bits like stapler, dst, glue stick, glossy accents, etc.  I love them.  They are baby pink cake stands and as they are tall they take up less room on my desk - fab!!

I have some crafty bits to do today although Darren is home from work as he's not very well.  Lets hope he's not a typically bad male patient, eh?!  I have too much to do, lol !  Cam still has his friend round too as it developed into a double sleepover, that is two nights.  They are sleeping still and catching up on the night before I think! 

Yep, my baby is ten years old tomorrow.  Where has the time gone????  I still see him as my baby though and he quite likes that - for now.  I'll make the most of babying him as I'm sure it won't last much longer, aaawwww.......  Abi is making plans with mates to share flats when they are at Uni or working, bless her.  I will hate that though, I can't imagine them grown up and gone.  So I'll just make the most of it while I have them around...........

Oooh, Jake has just sauntered in.  'do me a cuppa mate', I say. 'I love your cups of tea' (flattery gets you everywhere :-) 'OK' he says.........

Told you I would make the most of it while they were around........ hehe

Remember, remember.........

Well, Bonfire Night has come and gone although no doubt we will still hear fireworks going off for a few more days yet.  Once 5th November is gone that symbolises a real start to Christmas preparation for me.  I have already done quite a bit but I want most of it done by 1st December so I can have the main Christmas month to do all the nice bits.

A real leap of faith for me on Saturday Night.  Abi asked if she could go out with friends to see a firework display in town.  Obviously at night so this meant her wondering around with her girly friends in the dark and in the centre of town where people go drinking.  The only stipulation I put on her evening was to phone me every 45 minutes.  I know she is 15 but I can remember being 15 and can also remember going out with mates also meant eyeing up the boys.  Which is fine, but you know what I mean.  Its a worry.

She was as good as gold.  Phoned me on the dot every 45 minutes.  So I won't worry so much the next time she wants to do it.  Who am I kidding?  Course I will worry.  But at least she is considerate and I can't ask much more than that.

Anyway, the weekend saw me crafting away.  Now the kids are that little bit older I can have some time to myself and because Darren works most weekends I have designated every Saturday as a 'look after yourself' day.  Which means the kids have to sort out their own food at lunchtime and then we usually have chips from the chippie for tea.  This means I can craft the day away without seeing to the kids as well.  Works fine.  They are getting some cooking, or at least food preparing, skills and I am getting a virtually uninterrupted day.  Abi, especially, is getting a good cook in the kitchen.  She does a mean omlette.  The boys can manage sandwiches or opening a tin of soup for lunch, but its all good....... :)

I finished an entry in the Retailers CJ I am in on UKS and this one was chocolate.  So I did lots of chocolatey quotes - in a tree.  Don't ask me why, I just fancied doing a tree.......hehe

I've had to resize and rejig this one to fit it all together instead of two separate pics, so please excuse the quality, best I could do quickly.

    

I did some layered flowers too, and added a bit of bling.

Used some gold acrylic paint under the oval plaque, which I then stamped a swirly design - Fancy Pants stamps I think it was - and then scuffed it a bit to take away the 'newness' of it.  Chipboard plaque which says about the choccie I like.

Boo!  I desperately need a decent white pen.  I have several but none of them are good enough for writing with.  I do quite like this one though, a Uni Paint Marker, that I used to frame the ATC.  Gives a paint effect and you could get high of the fumes I'm sure.  A very smelly pen! 

Isn't the spider stamp cute too.  Part of the October Kit on Bubbly Funk - I had to have me one of those!

I also managed to get another CJ layout done.  Very pleased that I managed to get three projects finished in a weekend.......

This is one for the Bubbly Funk CJ.  This was Linda's theme and called 'A Night at the Movies'.  I had to do Meet Joe Black, only one of the bestest films EVA!!

We had to use the star template as part of the layout with a piccie of ourselves on it.
There is a tag that pulls out of the top of the film pic which gives a bit of info avout the film.

All put together with plenty of stitching and bling........

So, I am up to date - well, almost -  just have my recipe cards to do........

Tagged

I've been tagged by Karen - thank you....... :-)

Seven random facts about myself.......

1.  I have blonde highlights in my hair and even though everyone thinks they are put there intentionally, they are in fact 100% completely natural.  Even the hairdresser didn't realise they were natural until I said and then he had a closer look and could see there were no dark roots, hehe.

2.  I have a 'thing' for shoes and really believe they can make or break a complete outfit.  I don't mind what I spend on a good pair of shoes.

3.  I love quiet.  My hubbie prefers some noise.  Hhhmmmm - a bone of contention sometimes.

4.  I sometimes snore and have even heard myself, lol !!   Although, I hasten to add, its usually when I have had a cold or similar thing.  Don't snore normally......I don't think.......

5.  I have to have chocolate every day.  I mean I really have to have some chocolate.  Usually at the end of the day and with my last drink of the day.  Otherwise the day is spoilt.

6.  I would much rather sit curled up watching a good film and with a hot milky coffee, than go out on the town and drink alcohol.  Getting old see.

7.  I can't drink wine anymore.  Its gives me a bad head the following day.  Probably hence the No.6 option above!  I am quite partial to a neat brandy though - purely medicinal you understand.........

I will tag DiO, Rosie, DiW, Kaz, Beth, Kathy, Joanne and Janice for this.  Ooops sorry, thats eight.  Hey ho.