A real scrapping blog, living, loving life and scrapping it along the way with ratty adventures thrown in too. Come into the Zone with me and see what the Twins and I are up to today!

Friday 29 January 2010

Hurrah - the weekend! Or is it??

It might be time to sigh with relief for the rest of you but I have reached that time again when I have to work the weekend!
BOOOOOOOOO!!!

Hopefully it will stay cold and wet and horrid and all those silly people will stay indoors and not go out and get up to silliness.
That means I will then be able to sit in my not so nice but warm office and do some dull paperwork rather than have to go out and DEAL with them - much preferable methinks!!!

Have had a hard week this week, really not dealing with people very well - they get on my nerves (some more than others), but luckily have the ratties to come home and snuggle with. Amusingly after cleaning out day on Tuesday I added a mezanine floor to the cage, removed the ramp to the lower floor and added a few little stepping shelves instead. Harry sussed it out immediately - clever boy, but oddly little Wills struggled for a few days and seemed too scared to use the steps. That of course meant that greedy old Harry stashed all the food downstairs each time I refilled their bowl, and I have had a running battle with him this week having to collect it all up and put it back in the bowl on the middle floor so that Wills can eat too. Wills has now worked out the steps and is very happily curled up in a branflake box on the lower floor!!

I've still got the snow falling on the blog,( no Susanne your eyes are not playing up), intending to keep it for a while, appropriate as today got caught in a small hail shower coming out of court - painfully sharp little buggers they were !? Ruined the new doo too!

Have a good weekend, stay warm and keep your fingers crossed for me?
xx

Monday 25 January 2010

You make me smile!

Yes, I do mean you!

All of you!

I have just visited Lisa's Craft Garden and she has written a very lovely post which, as well as including a yummy recipe, has made me grin from ear to ear. She always leaves me such heartwarming comments but this time she has surpassed herself!
Thanks Lisa - you are fab!
And yes, the chums we meet through this fab hobby of ours are priceless!

Anyway, these little lovelies also make me smile - you just can't help it. Look at them - so sweet! Whatever the day has thrown ( or however shitty your ex continues to be ) at me I just have to look at Harry n Wills when they are snuggled up together and I can't help but smile. Their little ears sticking over the top of the bed or their little yawns, even soft little snoring noises. They say its the little things that mean the most - they are right!!

Scrapping went horribly wrong this weekend, managed a few LO's but then my desk lamp broke, and in trying to fix it I knocked the button jar off the shelf and all over the floor, and of course that broke too! Too dark in my little corner to see to scrap then!! Bugger! The floor looked very pretty and colourful for a while, and of course I forgot to photograph it as my picture of the day, but at least there was no lasting shower gel damage, so I could see to pick all the buttons up!!
I bought a new lamp today, £20 down to £10, so a real bargain, and much brighter than the last one but now that I can see in the Zone my mojo has hidden itself under the fridge? (probably along with a button or two?) I have loads of ideas but not the right photos to use with them. Oh well, back to work tomorrow so I won't have a chance to scrap for a while anyhoo!!
xxx


Saturday 23 January 2010

Sneaky peaks


I'm not a big fan of sneaky peaks, usually co's I can't be bothered with all the arty photography required when it is usually hard enough getting some decent light to photograph the whole LO!!
But until I complete some more LO's I am breaking my rule and sharing this.
I am also sharing this because I am soooo chuffed at myself for being ahead of the game for once and I have completed this months GoGo CJ way ahead of time!! Don't want to spoil it for my team mates if you are visiting though!?

So today? Saturday! Should be exciting, no work etc etc but no, the hi-light of my day today was getting my hair cut! It looks very nice but sadly no-one, nowhere to show it off to and the way I feel there won't be for quite a while!! Saturdays have lost their glimmer for a while!

So what does a girl do?
Why get herself into the Zone of course and play with her new GoGo kit, MS punches and dabbers and stickles and smooches - plenty of shimmer there for any girl on a saturday afternoon! That's assuming I can still see, whilst sniffing 2 for 1 shower gels in Sainsburys earlier I inadvertantly squirted some straight in my eye - doh!

Hope you're having a great weekend! Catch you soon
xxx

Wednesday 20 January 2010

Reflective moments!

I have been feeling very reflective over the last few days. Maybe partly as its the beginning of a new year or maybe its due to things that have happened recently, I'm not sure?

I have given myself a good talking too and made some decisions about changing things in my life. Making things better and making things work for me for a change, rather than either sitting back and watching life go by or by letting other people's actions dictate what I do!

All sounds very positive doesn't it?
Now I just need to start 'doing it'!!
Will obviously keep you posted about how I get on.

My LO for today shows Wills in the new slipper that Grannywen bought the boys for Christmas. They instantly loved it, although I am now ashamed to say that already it doesn't look quite so new and padded anymore! After our recent vet trips, Harry decided to chomp all the stuffing out and push it away - much to the amusement of the other clients?? (And another idea for a LO emerges)
Anyway, not sure if Wills is yawning, burping or having a little reflective moment of his own in this pic but he looks oh so sweet!
Bless him!

Was going to lose the snow effect, but as they have forecast some more tonight I might just leave it a while longer. Hope you don't get snowed in again?
xxx

Saturday 16 January 2010

The reality of Miss Jones!

Now that the snow seems to have all but disappeared everywhere I thought I had better share this LO!
Frosty snowy robin photo that I took in Dec whilst staying with my Daniel Cleaver!?

No seriously, I have just watched Bridget Jones again and she really is me!
I am really her!
Bottles of wine, cool London flat, big knickers???
It's so not funny really and sadly I don't have a gorgeous Mark Darcy waiting in the wings to cheer me up and love me either!!!

Actually I have always joked about being Bridget, (hence LO and post three or four ago), but having just watched it again I am quite shocked at how similar parts of the film were to the last month or so of my life with my own Mr Cleaver, but obviously without the happy ending for me!
Oh, and I didn't have to wear a bunny girl outfit or slide down a fireman's pole either - although I probably would have!!!?

If only life was like the movies........................mmmm there's an idea for a LO forming!!!?

Anyway, I did venture out of the city in my little car today, and headed off to the craft and pet shop in the country! There were little signs of snow in hedgerows but not much - it was generally just grey and wet!
I bought myself a little treat in the form of some yummy paper in the craft shop and a new igloo for the boys in the pet shop. They didn't have any potty litter though which was what I actually went for, apparently they don't stock it anymore!! A very mild adventure, but the change of scenery did me a little good!!

Friday 15 January 2010

A load of old baubles!

Ok, so I said there was only going to be one LO depicting Christmas 2009 and maybe I was feeling somewhat melancholy when this page emerged from the Zone, but I liked the photo (you can just see me in the bauble) and there had to be something somewhere that explained the lack of festiveness that year.

There is some hidden (very hidden) journalling that isn't for anyone else to read, so that I can look back when I am 95 and hopefully remember and laugh at something about it???
Can't quite see it at the moment, but hopefully dementia will have set in by then and I won't even remember where I hid the journalling??

Well, the snow has all gone, from these parts anyway. How about you guys? I can't believe we are so happy to see rain - that's just unheard of isn't it? I may even venture further afield tomorrow, central London is becoming very small and claustrophobic at the moment. I feel the need for fields or something more rural to soothe my soul and boost creativity. Probably just a small trip to the pet and craft shop will do for now!!

Wednesday 13 January 2010

It actually snowed again!!


Yesterday the back garden had returned to its normal dull wintery green / greyness, but today I woke up to more of this stuff!!
The weathermen actually got it right?!



There are new little footprints in the snow where foxy has been prowling and drinking from my flower pot - I heard him in the night making his peculiar warbling noise!




It seemed appropriate to share this LO, taken during my Dec trip to WHF in Kent, where we saw the amazing tigers in the snow! There will be more to follow at some point - this is the first one I have scrapped, and they will give me the perfect excuse to try to invent new ways to portray snow on my LO's. My snow writer tube has nearly dried up through lack of use but I managed to squeeze some out for this one with some added stickles glitter. I think I may have some fun with some polar white Flowersoft next?
xxx

p.s I have added this snowy effect to my blog - I think its kinda cute and appropriate for the weather at the moment!!

Also - don't forget Brenda's blog hop - I couldn't manage to add the info to my sidebar so will have to remind you here!!

xxx


Tuesday 12 January 2010

Chilled!


A cheeky little LO today showing Harry on my shoulder, which is a fairly usual place for him to be when he's not exploring the sofa and environs. Wills on the other hand is very content to curl up somewhere in my clothing and fall asleep as depicted in earlier LO's. They have been getting along fine and have both been very snuggly with me the last couple of days - Harry gave my earlobe a thorough washing last night as we watched TV!!! It was very sweet!

Meanwhile the snow has almost gone from the garden, just a pathetic squiggly line of it left under the trees, but it didn't stop Foxy coming for a visit and having a drink from my plant pot? Bless him, he's very sweet too. I think this will be my photo for today for Project 365!
They have forecast more snow tonight, it was certainly cold enough today when I had to sit in and wait for the gas safety man who didn't turn up - sit in without the heating on too!! I was not impressed even if I did manage a couple more LO's! (Difficult when you are wrapped in a blanket!!!) I wonder if we will get any more?

Brenda's blog hop!

[Candy+Logo.jpg]

On the 1st February, our blogging buddy, Brenda, will be giving away some some serious candy in a special one off challenge. She is not saying what it is, just that it's a serious piece of equipment we'd all like to have in our craft rooms, sounds amazing.

She is also having a blog hop and will be giving away lots of prizes so have a nosey at her blog over the next few weeks for some sneaky peeks

She needs your help to spread the word so if you want to get involved here's what you need to do:

1) Give the challenge a plug on your own blog.

2) Add the logo above to your sidebar with a link back to Brenda's blog.

3) Leave Brenda a comment so that she can enter you into her prize draw.

Sounds like we're going to be having a lot of fun so please join in if you can.


Saturday 9 January 2010

Vanilla Extract!!



LO heavy post this one - the only one that will exist for this Christmas, an old one that needed finishing and good old Foxy in the snow. If I get these out of the way then I can start afresh with 2010 ones!!

Have to say though that the mojo is a little snowed under. I made another two LO's yesterday but they were like pulling teeth, and didn't flow out over the page as easily as I would have liked. Typical isn't it, I finally get some time to scrap and I can't - must be my poor tortured soul struggling to be positive about anything at the mo!

As for the vanilla extract?
Well, would you believe it, but after a VERY quick bath which left a floating raisin or ten, a ten minute cling to me for dear life and a rub down with a warm towel and some vanilla extract, my two ratties are harmoniously cohabiting again!
Well sort of. They were meant to huddle together and bond during the traumatic bath, then snuggle and groom each other with the vanilla - it sort of worked apart from the fact that they ran off to groom themselves alone. They have however stopped the manic frenzy of male mating and nipping each other which is good. Haven't managed to get back to the vet though co's I can't get the car out of the drive - oops! Good job Harry's lump has virtually gone. Will have to try next week!

So, are you fed up of the snow yet?
I feel it's all been a bit wasted on me, no snowmen or angels from me this year - no-one to play with!! It's not really that picturesque near me either so I haven't even got any stunning photos to enjoy - it's lucky I have foxy really who has been mooching about in the garden quite a lot.
I don't think ratties in the snow would make a good picture do you, even if I could get their woolly hats to stay on???

xxxx

Wednesday 6 January 2010

Snow day!

Hi just a quick post as I had to share this pic with you - not v good technically speaking but I had to grab it very quickly before Foxy moved!

Am not having a snow day but am off work today for other reasons. Was busy watching Loose Women when I saw him out of the window.
How cute is he???

I am joining in the 365 project for Iphone users, and although I only started it yesterday I think that this will be my photo for today!! Will have to dig up some ratty pics for the first few days of the year.

The ratties are ok, Harry went back to the vet on Monday for another injection. He seems fine in himself and not at all bothered, just seems to be enjoying the extra fuss he is getting!!! The boys are being cleaned today and I am going to attempt to bath them - hopefully they will bond again during it and it will stop them fighting so much so I don't have to keep separating them!
Catch you soon
xxx

Saturday 2 January 2010

Goodbye 2009, welcome back Bridget!!!

Happy New Year to you all!

Am not going to say anything about the passing of 2009, suffice to say that it was a very sad affair, much like the last few weeks of last year!!!

Here we go 2010!
It's gotta bring some good stuff soon?

I start this year wearing my comfortable old friend Bridget again. I don't mind. I quite like her, and am sure that the books were based on me anyway?? Sadly the Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy characters in my world were not nearly as cute or as well off!!? However if anyone knows Hugh Grant, be sure to pass on my phone number as I would love to cheer him up and when we got married I wouldn't even have to change my name!!!

Harry and Wills have been fighting recently so Harry had a trip to the vet this week to get some antibiotics for the pus filled lump where he had been bitten!? I don't blame Wills, it was a defensive bite I think as Harry does seem to try to mate him quite a lot? They have been separated for a couple of days and I have been trying to squirt the medication into Harry's mouth through a small syringe without much success. Today I resorted to hiding it in his mashed potato, it seemed to work? His lump is going down and at least he doesn't seem bothered by it even if it freaked me out??

Work is dull and thankfully not busy despite the time of year, but I am looking forward to my weekend off next weekend co's I am so very tired. Who knows? I may even get some Christmas scrapping done?
xxx