Some mother's don't have them

I don't like slapstick comedy where everything goes wrong. I think I still have a twitch from being forced to watch Frank Spencer every week as a child. I do try. I bought Black Books as a box set to watch on holiday only to find I can only manage one episode before having to leave the room. So you can imagine that it wasn't my idea to go and watch Johnny English. I wanted Tintin but was outvoted. So how was it? lets put it this way. We all have to score films we watch on DVD or at the cinema (!) JE Reborn got 9.5, 9, 8 and 4 - which i then marked down to 3 when I realised I was still shuddering 10 minutes later. I was glad I had a corner seat so I could cringe with my legs right up. 2 of the points were for Dominic West on his own as well. So if you love seeing silly men doing prat falls then it is the film for you. if not, you have been warned (especially if you do not drool over Dominic West)

But I do like hanging out with my fams so that is all good. Nice day off yesterday - I taught Christmas cards at Imagine That and found some Christmas papers to use at home for my own cards. The day also included a little bit of scrapping following the Shimelle class which i am really enjoying. But then I do love patterned paper!

This page was about using spots and stripes. As the papers were busy I decided that I would paint over a section with black paint. And then hated it so added some white embossed dots and home drawn black and white striped paper.

 I adore this photo. I love the way that I caught the lemur mid leap. we did get a lot of lovely lemur photos so expect to see more.
Details: Papers: Pink Paislee and Fancy Pants; Stamps: Papertrey Ink; Embellishments: Chatterbox

 When I knew that Carys and Phil were going to get airbrushed tattoos I wanted them to take the camera to record the process and may have had a wee tantrum when Phil said he hadn't as he didn't want to intimidate the "artiste". Humph.
Details: Papers: Cosmo Cricket, Basic Grey; stickers: Cosmo Cricket; Dies: Nestabilities; Punches: Fiskars and Martha Stewart; Pearls from Imagine That

I've managed another layout which I hope to share but then on Thursday I will have to pack up the craft room to turn it into a guest room as Phil's mum is coming with her 4 collie dogs!

Sometimes you just have to listen

I took a whole week off from running until the first knee stopped hurting and the one that had come out in sympathy was only twinging. I am redoing week 5 and did 2 8 minute runs without being in agony. Moral of the story is - if your body is crying out then you need to stop and listen.
Hmmm there is a sermon in there.
There is a sermon in most things though I find.
Its called theological reflection. (if you want to be posh) or "What is God saying to us through this" (less posh). (more me)

I had seen that Shimelle is doing a new scrap class and I ummed and aahed because I do not have the time or the energy but it is all about patterned paper and I love patterned paper (strange but true). While I dithered I entered a draw for a free place with the extremely talented SJ and won it. So that answered that one. And what a fab class Pretty Paper Party is. I have even managed to squeeze in time for two layouts in 2 days which is unbeleivable in many ways.

This is for the first prompt. All the papers are Crate Paper via a Gottacraft Kit. I thought that the numbers paper worked well when thinking about the monks prayer life which goes on a 24 hour cycle. The chapel is so plain but that fresh green at the back is the perfect colour. we were only allowed on the balcony which is quite high and opaque so sitting down you can't see the monks at prayer at all, only hear them. There were about 10 children on the balcony who were completely still during the time of prayer - which was a thing of beauty in itself. Still felt a bit odd to be an "observer" though.

Details: Journalling spots Chatterbox and Little Musings; ricrac and flower from stash; Letters Papermania; white dots Ranger Enamel Accents

The other layout I finished is from my Dad's 80th birthday meal

Phil was keeping us entertained as ever (food good, service slow). This is not a truly 12x12 layout as someone cut too much off the bottom along with the manufacturer strip... It uses a sketch from the class with some extra circles
Details: Papers: Cosmo Cricket: Circa 1934 and odds and Ends, Theresa Collins, MME,the black dot paper is a Christmas one that I can't remember; Letters: Websters Pages, Cosmo Cricket, American Crafts; Stickers: Paperchase, Jenni Bowlin; wodden embellishment, buttons and heart from stash; Glimmer Mist: black and gold


I am doing a stint at our contact centre in the morning. It can be quite tough but it is important that children get to see their parents. I am on the way with the service for Sunday so may be able to squeeze in a bit more play time if possible!

The lonely knees of the short distance jogger

Humph. As you will know having been bored to death by my Couch25k updates, I have discovered jog/running. And to my surprise I really enjoy it. I did my first 20 minutes without stopping last week and was working up to the next biggie - 25 this week (It really is an excellent way to get you started). I've lost a little weight, have bags more energy
BUT
my kneeeeeees
they hurt. And they hurt a lot of the time. Not agony so I can't walk but enough to wake me in the night. I have been trying to run through it hoping that it was some kind of novice running thing and part of getting fit. But that is not really working. So I am trying to be sensible and actually leave them a few days until they stop hurting and then try again. it will mean repeating a week or two but I don't actually want to stop all together.
If that doesn't work I will have to go to the doctors and I hate that.
I now have a lot more sympathy for people with athritis of the knee cos it really is a bit pants.
I still reccommend the plan and the going outside and running thing. Its brilliant
(which makes me think of this. Which is brilliant)

Last Monday (ooh has it been so long since I blogged?) I had a lovely day crafting with the most wonderful Sue and started two layouts which I have since finished at home.

This is from Sassy Lil Sketches - a site that is just about to close down sadly. I used Sue's rather lovely Creative Memories circle cutter system which is a lot easier than drawing round a plate! I used some really old stuff on this - Queen and Co felt; a Hambly transparent frame and some chipboard pieces. Paper is from MME and letters are Grungeboard. The grungeboard and the chip stuff all coloured with Distress Inks.

The little wooden Kaisercraft circle was coloured with Tumbled Glass distress ink - perfect match! And then the little paper middle fell out of another craft kit - the September Gottacraft kits and lo - exactly the right colours.
The layout is all about the refurbished old lightboat house in Tenby which featured on Grand Designs

and then one I had to finish at home

This used the aforementioned kit papers - all Crate Paper. I also used a yellow mist on a Studio Calico mask. It looked quite good but even better when I went round the edge with a prodding tool and did some pretend stitching. I really liked the patchwork style paper but some of the patterns were a bit pink and girly. So I replaced some and layered others - there was a Nestability square just the right size. The edges were all pricked and inked too. It took a while but it was worth it I think.

  The butterflies and flowers are Chatterbox and the stickers from Authentique (via the sold out kit).
I love this photo of two of my boys. I caught Emrys actually smiling at the camera. Result.

Any other crafting time (sadly not a lot) has been spent working with the fab new Christmas religious phrase stamps by Imagine That. I have a class almost prepared and might come up with some quick and easy designs for my own cards too. Which I won't start until half term - but that is nearly here already.

I've had a busy week workwise including a 24 retreat with other Ministers where I had to lead two lots of prayers. Its a hard gig leading worship for other professionals but it seemed to have been well received so thank the Lord for that. It was amazing that different themes and readings kept weaving into the various parts of the 24 hours that different people prepared.
I've got a long day tomorrow so am looking forward to a day off on Monday - but no running yet I fear.

So now what?

to go on holiday I loaded a vast number of books onto my Kindle. (ahh I love my Kindle so. Although I still catch myself trying to turn a page every now and then) The thought of being without a book to read leaves me in a cold sweat so it was lovely to know that I would not run out. I was excited to read the Games of Thrones books. And I read and read and read and .... they are all pretty long you know. So today, finally, I finished book 5. And George R. R. Martin is a cruel author - he leaves you (almost literally) on a knife edge with loads more to be resolved. I feel a bit bereft having got to the end. And I suspect it will be years until the next one. They are great books, I reccommend them. It might help to print out a list of who is who so you can reference it - or be prepared to read a few pages of a chapter until you remember who is related to whom as the chapters skip to different countries. And be prepared for characters you love to DIE. Hywel (who managed to read all 5 in 3 weeks) laughed at one point when I wailed outloud at something unexpectedly sad and cruel.
So now I have started "The brightest star in the sky"by Marian Keyes. Which will cheer me up when I am pining for the Seven Kingdoms.

Here is another Tenby holiday layout. we went to an aquarium/vivarium in a former church - which still had a graveyard and looked very much like a church from the outside. It was very well put together though with lots to see including the rather lovely blue frogs. I was less enamoured by the snakes. Mind you I was listening to an Audio Book at the time featuring lots of creepy snakes which didn't help. Look at how blue the sky was - no doctoring happened with the photo. We just had lots of amazingly good weather.

The sketch is a Shimelle one . I played it pretty straight really using some new Studio Calico opaque white mist to start me off and a selection of buttons down the side (sewn in and everything). I felt that the journalling was a little bit too low down so added some white dots at the top to balance things out a little. All the papers are MME and the letters are Doodlebug, Making Memories and Adornit. The ribbon is via Imagine That - Kaisercraft I think. It is fab as it comes in rows that are 3 deep and you can ink them or leave them bare like I did here.
Here are closeups of the words

For some reason I did some cursive writing. I wish we were taught proper cursive in the UK. This is the best I've done so far.

Tomorrow I will be trying to run for 20 minutes straight for the first time which hopefully will inspire the evening service sermon slot - it will be about Euodia and Syntyche - two women who are arguing in Phillipians 4 and ideas abuot how to help them out. I am thinking of writing some letters from them but might also bring in something that I've learned from the pygmies. Hmmm its is not all quite there yet!

Me right now

• I'm noticing more grey hairs (bring it on, I want to be funky grey. If I am rubbish grey then I can have fun trying different colours)
•  I'm on Week 5 run 2 of Couch to 5k tomorrow. Which means one run until they start being really serious. Am surprised how much I enjoy running ("we don't" say my knees)
• I'm trying to dress smarter for work. "Are you going to an interview?" they say. Today I'm wearing a red crepey short dress with black leggings, long cardi and biker boots. I am going to talk to people about confirmation but that is it really. 
• I'm living through a time of uncertainty, waiting for a traffic light to either say green or amber. I don't like it but it will be over fairly soon now
• I'm aware that more of my MA is in my head than on paper and I'm not really looking forward to making it the other way round
• I'm still terribly untidy and wish it were not so, but also aware that when I tidy up is when I lose things
• I'm still being reminded about how much I need God in my life and how I don't have all the answers
• I'm squeezing in a little time for crafting. 3 Tenby holiday layouts done now - here is no. 2

 

This is based on Sketch 268 on Scrapbook Challenges - not very  much like it in the end!

Bazzill was sprayed with yellow glimmer mist. Papers are Echo Park For the Record and Simple Stories - as are the stickers apart from the Making Memories ones. Also added some Prima Gems and Card Candi. Here are some detail close ups

And a quick card - I'm in a kraft phase at present

Papermania card, Cuttlebug emobssing folder, Nestability dies, Waltzing Mouse stamps

And that's all about me right now!