A little interlude

 Hi all.
Hope you have all had a fabulous time over the last few days and have eaten and drunk to your hearts content. Did you get some great crafty pressies?

As I may have mentioned, I was working over Christmas, but don't feel too sorry for me - no new jobs came in so it meant I had to sit in the office and watch TV mainly, oh and eat a few nibbles along the way! No Christmas dinner but a microwave roast dinner for one - mmmm yum!! It was ok. I wasn't sad. I sat and daydreamed about my week in the US for most of it and googled how I could return!

I am working right through the holidays, and to be honest it has just been a normal set of days to me, just a lot quieter. I don't mind. It seems a fitting bookend to close this last year and start the new one with a clean slate and hope for the future?

I am amazed to see that some of you have found time to craft let alone blog over the last few days - that's fantastic! I have so enjoyed your Christmas themed pages and cards and seeing what you all got up to. So I don't neglect my little blog for too long while I try to find some time to craft, here is a card I made for one of the girls at work - we had a baby shower for her mid December, before she went on maternity leave - for once I'm quite pleased with it!

Well my afternoon in the office calls again, have a great New Year and I will see you all the other side.
Enjoy whatever you get up to and be safe!!!
xxx

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my lovely blogland friends....

from Sarah, Harry, Fred and Barney

xxxx

Seven days and a Christmas miracle!

Hello all!
Yes I know it is a lot longer than seven days since I last posted, but things have been so busy and to be honest my feet haven't touched the ground since my last post! I never got to share my exciting news before it happened so sit down with a cuppa and prepare yourself for a long overdue catch-up!

To start with, last Saturday I went here..............

Lille on a weekend Christmas Market tour.

I have to say it was good fun despite the early start, although I can honestly say I have never seen so many people all in one place - not even on Oxford Street!!!

Lille wasn't really my favourite place, too many shops and not enough character for my liking. I didn't really go for the shopping but more to take some cute Christmas photos,

 but sadly I was a bit disappointed here, although the market square had some festive characters in it

The next day, Sunday, I went here...............

cute and chocolate boxy.............

Bruges!

Not somewhere I had ever really thought about going as everyone told me that it was so small you can see it all in a day, but a cute market had to make it ok huh?

Oh my word - I LOVED it!!

 I would happily spend a whole winter weekend here it was so cute and festive and will try to do so next year I think ?

It would be so romantic!
I especially enjoyed the mostly festive music that was played through speakers around the streets, but when Chas n Dave's Rabbit played I actually laughed out loud!!!

The market was cute, the shops divine, and all the quaint streets and buildings were just my style.

 I enjoyed the gluwein and a Belgian waffle (or two) whilst watching the ice skaters

 and felt overwhelmed with Christmas spirit.

Shame we only had a few hours there  :(

No sooner had I arrived home on Sunday night then it was a change of suitcase, a few hours sleep and then I set off for Heathrow the following morning.

My BIG exciting news was a week in the USA, courtesy of work (don't ask me how that miracle happened but it did!!)

We stayed in New Jersey - and this is the view from my hotel room, but of course had a trip up to Manhattan to see the sights.

It was cold, really cold, not like here but a pure raw cold that I have never experienced before.

If I wasn't feeling festive before then I certainly was by the time we saw the HUGE tree at Rockefeller Plaza.

We got to meet some famous faces and it was nice to actually be in some photos for a change!

We climbed the Rock which was so very very high, even thought the elevator took moments to ascend!

And the views from the top over Central Park were amazing

The cops we liaised with were super friendly (and v. cute)!

 I have never been met with such hospitality and goodwill and it was awesome! The week went far to quickly so I cried when I left, and then the fun started.

The journey home was a nightmare and took about 36 hours, but compared to some we were lucky to have actually got here as some poor people are still asleep at the airport!
I won't bore you with all the details but it went something like: 4 hour flight delay, plane diverted to Manchester, not allowed off said plane for 5 hours, 3 hour wait for a train to London, 3 hour train ride to London, scary slippy car ride home!

Whew - I'm exhausted, how about you?
Each of these trips is worthy of its own post, but with the Big day less than 5 away it would take me too long to catch up - I also now have far too many pictures to scrap and no time to scrap them!!

I bought some cute decs at the Christmas markets and some great stash in the US, but will share those when I get a chance to photograph them. In the meantime it's back to the day job tomorrow..........boo!
xxx

A moment of calm before the frivolity

Hello all. Hope you had a great weekend?

Are you all getting ready for Christmas or have you been super prepared and have finished all that already??

I planned to put up some decorations this year but have so far only managed two bits of tinsel and a fairy, so not even going to photograph that just yet!!! I did put the office decs up at the weekend so everyone had a nice surprise yesterday morning, and as I will be spending the entire festive season there I wanted it to be cheerful!

Cards have gone out of the window this year apart from the ones I made the other week and now it seems I have NO spare time between now and the big day. I will certainly miss the last posting days if I tried to make more now unless I  decide to get off my butt when I get home from work in the evenings rather than blobbing out in front of the TV!!

It is non-stop here in Ratsville and over the next week I am on a mission to visit as many continents as I possibly can - cue the exciting news........................

............................................no, actually, not just yet, just in case it all goes wrong again tomorrow I will hold fire for now!

I am very excited though as I am off to Lilles and Bruges Christmas markets at the weekend for a little festive photography and the spot of eggnog or mulled wine! It means the boys are off to Grannywen's on Thursday night and will just have to manage for a week without me - not that Harry is talking to me at the mo - I trod on him accidentally yesterday and he STILL has the hump with me!! To make it worse he couldn't even go and sulk in his house as I was cleaning it at the time - oops!

My lips are sealed!

Greetings all. Hope this short post finds you well?
Have been out today to my works Christmas do - yes - we have to have it early to be ready to cope with everyone else's in the run up to Christmas!!!
It was great fun - fancy dress, lots of wine and entertainment and I was still home in time to watch I'm a celeb!!! Brilliant!  Will find some pics and post my outfit as soon as I can!
In the meantime my exciting news has been postponed for a week which I am very sad about but with the current weather situation it's probably just as well -  and it means I get to cuddle my boys for a bit longer too!
Sadly it means that you will have to wait a bit longer too!!!

Sorry................................xx