Lots & Lots Of LO's

Now that's a lot of L's!  I have scheduled this post for over the weekend as I will be away.  Here are the rest of the LO's I have completed this week.  On Thursday I went to Bromsgrove crop and completed the October pages for Document 2010:

And on Friday, you know when I was having my cup of tea and cake and not wanting to be lazy?  I did these:

Really happy as with these 4 LO's I finished up the May Scrapagogo kit.  One kit down, just another 17 to go!

A Cup Of Tea & A Slice Of A Passion Cake

Yesterday before I started on the housework I had a cup of tea and slice of cake.  As you all know it is very lazy just to sit and drink tea and eat cake.  Not wanting to be lazy I did a bit of scrapping whilst having my tea and cake.  I just have to say the cake was delish!  I'd got the recipe off the internet for a carrot cake last year (sorry don't know where).  That word 'carrot' cannot be uttered in this house as for sure the kids would go running to the hills, so I renamed it passion cake and the fact there are carrots in are never ever mentioned!  Being a sharing sort of person, I thought I would share such yumminess with you all.

As it is a healthy cake - got fruit, veg, nuts and fibre - I can't possibly cook it with the kids in the house, so with much sadness I had to leave the ironing yesterday afternoon in order to bake some cakes.

(Healthy) Ingredients

8oz wholemeal self raising flour (fibre)

5oz soft brown sugar

1/4 pint sunflower oil 

2 eggs 

4oz walnuts (nuts)

4oz sultanas (fruit)

2 ripe bananas (fruit)

1 carrot (vegetable)

2 tea spoon baking powder

1/2 tea spoon ground cinnamon

If you don't like nuts or sultanas they can be left out.  As you can see I didn't add walnuts, as I didn't have any.

This recipe makes a 1lb loaf and 3 muffins or 2 x 7" round cakes or 12 muffins.

Method

Heat oven to 160

Grate carrot.

chop/mash bananas

Place everything in a bowl and mix.  

That simple!

Cook for 45 mins to 1 hour for loaf/cake.  

Muffins 25 to 30 mins

Leave to cool

Yummy Frosting

(the not so healthy bit)

6oz full fat soft cheese 

2oz softened butter

4oz icing sugar

couple of drops of vanilla essence

Place all of the ingredients in a bowl & mix.

Spread over the cooled cake

If you like it can be decorated with walnut halves or marzipan carrots (at this point I'd got some walnuts!)

Slice & enjoy with a lovely cup of tea (at this point you can think about doing some housework but it is really NOT recommended)

I Like Fridays.....

During term time Fridays are mine.  All mine.  I work Monday to Thursday and I have kids under my feet Saturday & Sunday but Fridays are different, they are all mine, to do as I wish.  Well that was the theory!  Since the kids went back to school in September not one Friday has come and gone when I haven't had appointments to go to, extra day at work or sick kids.  Well today, Friday is all mine again!

I am sitting here thinking I really should tackle that ironing pile, perhaps do some housework or even continue with the decorating of my scrap space.  But all I can think about is doing nothing apart from a little scrapping.  A girl can dream right?

But sadly there is that ironing starring at me with evil eyes, the cobwebs are waiting to attack and as for the fluff on the floor....why I just can't say what that wants to do to me.  My scrap space *needs* completing urgently, I have to move my desk from the lounge for Christmas lunch, unless my guests want to eat in my half finished scrap space......now that's an idea.

So off I go to start the never ending & unthinkable task that is housework.....but before I do, a nice cup of tea and slice of cake won't go a miss......and I might as well be sociable and pop the tv on to keep me company while I scrap as I couldn't possibly just sit & drink tea and eat cake now could I?

 ;0)

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday?

Here we are again and its Wednesday.  Didn't join in last week and I can honestly say it doesn't feel like two weeks since I was last showing blogland what was on my desk.  Wasn't at work yesterday and fancied a little scrapping to pass the time.  But what do I do?  Do I use up some of the 8 scrap kits I have already started or open one of the untouched 9 kits I have?  Hhhhhmmmmm, lets open a new one!  So here you can see some of the Scrapagogo August kit along with usual junk on my desk:

And this is what I made:

That now leaves 38 LO's to make over the next 18 days if I am to complete 50 LO's in 50 days!

As usual if you want to join in and have a look at lots of other craft desks around blogland (including international blogland I'll have you know) visit head WOYWWer Julia.

Thanks for looking and hope you all have a great chilly Wednesday.  Remember wrap up warm and be good as Santa won't come!

The Crafty Book Cover I Forgot

Forgot to show you this yesterday:

The cover to my Journal Your Christmas mini book.  All prepared and waiting for the 1st December!

Its not too late to sign up with Shimelle for the annual workshop.  Anyone else taking part?

Twelve Days

It has been twelve days since my last post and so much has gone on and the time has just flown by.  There has been a big change in my life lately and I may be tempting fate but......things may finally be on the up.  Really don't want to tempt fate so can't really say exactly what yet but it is for the good and things are going really well.  I'm happy and the kids are happy.  Anyway enough said but if you are friends on facebook you probably know what I'm talking about.

Having a relaxing hour this morning on my own.  To be honest I really should be tackling the ever increasing mound of ironing but blogging is much much more fun.  As I am off to the hospital for an MRI in an hour I think I deserve a little bit of 'nice' time.

Not really had much time for scrapping apart from over the weekend when I completed 6, yes 6 LO's.  All Halloween based:

All made with American Crafts Boo papers which I brought then promptly went & found some Halloween papers in my stash!  Just typical but they will be put to use as I have some 'Witches School' photos to scrap from Shugborough Hall.

I also went to the NEC Hobby Crafts the beginning of the month.  Very disappinted with what I saw.  Went for pretty paper & thickers and to be honest apart from some Echo Park (Christmas Papers) and older ones there was nothing there at all.  Very short on thickers.  To be honest it was aimed at card makers more than scrappers, but I should have known better than to expect pretty paper.  Lots and lots of spell binders, buttons, ribbons, glittery 'stuff' and punches.  None of which I wanted or needed.  So I came home empty handed; didn't buy a thing!  


However........I did attend a brilliant workshop with Shimelle where we made this:

My garland is still in pieces as I need to finish a couple of the tags off and I am gong to add some more so I can make it longer.  It really was a fun packed couple of hours with new techniques and lovely easy fabric flowers that are so effective, yet so simple (Freya came home and made one on her own, they are so easy!).

The entire class was done with Freya sat on my lap as the budding 'scrapper' had to have a go!

Would love to say thank you to the lovely Fiskerettes for organising this class and to Shimelle for the experience - well worth it.

May struggle to complete my current scrap busting challenge - I now have 40 LO's to complete in 20 days - 2 a day?????  Two LO's every day is a challenge at the best of times especially during the week and the fact I am trying to squeeze extra hours in at work to enable me to have time off over Christmas is not going to help.  I am going to try my best and I must try to get in front by the end of this weekend as I am at some point in the next couple of weeks dismantling my craft unit to move back upstairs where it belongs - something that needs to be done before Christmas.  Nearly at the stage now of lining paper going up in my scrap space and then paint.  Can't afford the flooring this side of Christmas so it will have to wait but in order to seat all the guests; a definite 10, possible 13 for Christmas the expedit & desk needs to go out of my lounge.  To be honest I am going to miss having it in the lounge as I have been able to just sit, scrap and watch tv/kids which has resulted in more scrapping time.  If I have to shut myself away upstairs I know my scrapping time will be reduced and be limited to when the kids have gone to bed; sadly they are still at the age where all hell breaks loose if they are not constantly watched.  But as they, say needs must.

Enjoy your day, be it a chilly one and I hope not to be absent for so long next time.

WOYWW & Opening Up The Christmas Stash Box

Wednesday is here again and time really is flying by & before we know Santa will be coming down that chimney!  Here is my desk this week:

No crafting has been done this week by me.  Freya has been using her promarkers.  Not always at the desk as the colouring of the sofa shows.  Any idea if you can get promarkers out of fabric?  Anybody want any promarkers if it doesn't come out?  One is not amused!

Well back to the desk.  See that big box in the middle?  

The one that usually sits up here:

Sits on top of my expedit with this lot:

Don't usually get to see that mess on top do you lol.  From the left, the box of paints, the pile of LO's waiting to go in albums, the pile of unopened stash kits (yes, not even touched!), couple of albums and some more stash.  September Studio Calico has been opened but the October one hasn't.  I digress, this box opens up to reveal Christmas stash:

Inside we have:

Bo Bunny - look its been cut in to (rare as you will see)

More Bo Bunny

Imaginisce:

October Afternoon:

Fancy Pants:

Around the Block:

Anna Griffin:

Smirk:

Pack of mix manufacturers than has been cut into (Apart from the first Bo Bunny above none other the others have been touched):

A scrapbook stack kit:

And finally the Dovecraft which I am using for Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas:

In the above picture the papers at the back are 8 x 8 and the ones to the front are 6 x 6.  You can't tell from the photo but the 6 x 6 papers are about 1" thick.  In fact in all of the ranges there are at least 2 of each design and where they are double sided there are usually 4 of each design.  I love a few of the new Christmas ranges this year - Cosmo Cricket & Echo Park are favourites  - but with all this stash that has such a limited use I really can't justify the expense of anything new.  Having said that, I'm off to the NEC on Saturday!!!!!!

This is just the extent of my Christmas stash, non Christmas is much much more plentiful!  This is why I need to use a lot of it before I can justify buying anymore.  It will quite literally take over the house soon.

Must go now as I need to get ready for work.  If you want to join in visit head WOYWW Julia for all the details.

If you have managed to stick with me to here well done and thanks for visiting.  May open up a few more boxes in a couple of weeks time.

Enjoy your day and Happy WOYWW x

Fun Packed Half Term Part 2

Morning all, back to work later today after 10 days off and you can tell, very sleepy but just can't sleep so here I am at silly o'clock updating my blog and ordering photos!

As promised this is what we did last Tuesday:

We owned a horse for the day.  It something I have been wanting the kids to do for so so long.  I always rode as a child and to be honest would still do now if it wasn't for the problems with my back.  Tuesday morning came and off we went.  Liam was a little apprehensive to begin with and said he would only go if I stayed.  Reluctantly agreed to stay the day with them in order to make sure Liam was alright, the decision you see had nothing to do with wanting to document every minute on my camera so I could scrap it.

First they learnt about feeding the horses and then help muck out a stable.  From the start this was a big no no for Liam but come the actual time to do it he stuck in with great enthusiasm.  Sadly the pictures are not of great quality due to speedy moments and lack of light in the stable.  Next was leading the horses out, tacking up and a ride on Billy:

Then came lunch followed by another ride, this time on Blue:

Not quite sure how but after we had walked over the very wet & very very cold field Freya managed to wangle a ride back on Ryan:

If they are not looking that happy in some of these photos it really is not because they didn't enjoy themselves .  To say it was cold believe me is an understatement.  There was drizzle and a bitter cold wind all day.  In fact they enjoyed it that much we went back yesterday for a riding lesson, this time the weather was more on our side:

Check out the new riding jodhpurs (the expense is starting already!):

Really must try & see if I can get some sleep now.  Will try to blog the final part of our fun packed half term tomorrow night.  If not I may just do a combined WOYWW post where I will open up some of those stash boxes for you to see.