Our Christmas Part 2

Our Christmas

I've not managed to scrap any of Journal Your Christmas yet but I have put together some collages to print at 8x6 to use in my book.  Here are the collages I have put together so far:

As we are not that far from 12th night now I am going to wait until the end of the month and print off all my photos in one go then scrap the mini book in January.  Something to pass those cold dark nights away.

Meeting Santa

Can't wait to scrap these!

Merry Christmas x

Only 2 More Sleeps!

Yes it really is only 2 more sleeps and I have so so much still to do, including, I'm very sad to say, more Christmas shopping.  I still have another 10 people to buy for.  I know this is shocking and for those people who know me, you can get up off the floor now.  Never ever have I entered December without all my Christmas shopping being done!  But this year, everything has just gone so so wrong.  Its mainly been down to have one infection after another the past 2 1/2 months.  I have literally gone 2/3 days then back down again with something else.  To be honest I don't think at any point since the beginning of October I haven't felt ill or at best just tired.  


Then the past week this snow really hasn't helped.  This is the view from our house last Saturday:

All very very pretty when freshly fallen and there are no foot prints in the snow.  I like snow if it is here for one day and I don't have to go anywhere.  I am now at the point where I need to get out, I need it to warm up so my washing machine pipe defrosts and I don't have to trek 15 minutes through the snow to the laundrette to wash clothes; this has become part of my daily routine as I can only manage to carry one load at a time and the hour round trip is getting to be a pain.

My Brother & his family (other half, step Son, in-laws) are coming to ours from South Wales for a few days over Christmas and as I type this I still don't know if they will be coming.  I have to go to work for 2 days next week then I am away for the New Year weekend.  Go away snow, you really have lost your appeal now!

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday?

Sadly no papercraft as desk has moved upstairs but has not been put back together again yet.  However I have been keeping myself busy with crochet:

Hope you all have a great Christmas with your loved ones and this snow is not causing too much trouble for you all x

Twenty Christmas Questions

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? 

Wrapping paper but I am terrible at wrapping so do use a few bags here and there!

2. Real tree or Artificial? 

Love real trees but hate the mess and my cats love to climb them so we have fake but I do have a lovely real one planted in the garden.  Brought it about 10 years ago and was about 12" high.  After Christmas we planted it in the garden and when we moved took it with us.  Its now about 4 1/2 ft tall.

3. When do you put up the tree? 

Have always put the tree up the first weekend in December.....until this year :0(  See previous posts for regarding my plumbing work that didn't happen.  Plan is for it to go up this weekend.

4. When do you take the tree down? 

12th night

5. Favourite gift received as a child? 

A pair of roller skates when I was about 9 or 10

6. Hardest person to buy for? 

Struggled with quite a few people this year.

7. Easiest person to buy for? 

My Brother.  And yes you will wear it! 

8. Mail or email Christmas cards? 

Mail for family & close friends.  But I have done some email cards too.

9. Favorite Christmas Movie?

Home Alone was a huge hit in our house last year.  Kids were old enough to get the funny bits and I just loved watching their faces light up.

10. When do you start shopping for Christmas? 

I usually have it all finished by the end of November so my November pay is for parties.  However, all gone pear shapes this year and I still haven't got the kids main present along with presents for 6 other people.  Yes Christmas is a week away!

11. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? 

Only a bottle of red wine I was given and that is because I don't drink red.  But the person who I gave it to knew it was recycled and it wasn't the only present they had, it was an extra. So no guilt there.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? 

Turkey, stuffing, cranberry & apple sandwiches on Christmas night.  Much prefer this to the actual Christmas lunch as I always over eat and end of not enjoying it.

13. Lights on the tree (colored or clear)? 

Clear and lots of them.

14. Favourite Christmas song? 

Just got Now Christmas and loving all of them!

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home? 

Prefer to stay at home and always have apart from last year.  We went to my Brother's in South Wales which is the first Christmas I have not spent at my house or my parents.  Didn't feel right somehow.  But think that was probably down to the fact I have cooked Christmas lunch every year since I was 14 and I LIKE to be in charge!  Just don't walk in my kitchen, I don't NEED ANY HELP!!!!

16. Angel, star or ribbon on top of tree? 

Angel.  As a child we had one of my dolls which I dressed as angel.  When I got to 20 my Mother finally agreed it was time for a new one!

17. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? 

Christmas morning at silly o'clock!  Last year we travelled down to my Brothers Christmas morning (2 hour drive).  At 8 o'clock I ended up waking the kids as I wanted them to have the chance for a little play before we went.  Here I was waking a 6 & 7 year old up on Christmas morning!!!  What is that all about????  I however, hardly had any sleep.  Went to bed about 1 after greeting Santa and couldn't really sleep as I kept thinking any minute now they are going to be up.  This year I'm off to beb at 8 and someone else can entertain Santa, not that there is any chance of him coming to our house this year after the behaviour of 2 little horrors.

18. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?

Fact I always end up ill.  Am actually sat here now with horrible cold and conjunctivitis. 

19. What do you want for Christmas this year?

Let me think.......new roof for my garage, laundrette & downstairs loo (getting a bit annoyed your can't use the loo for 12 hours after it has rained as you get a drip on your head!)  new central heating, lottery win, new washing machine (after weeks of teasing me it has finally dies yesterday) house completely decorated, extension finished, new kitchen.  In fact just bulldoze my house and build me a new one!

20. Traditional colors (red and green) or other colors? 

Our lounge decorations are all pastel; pink, green, blue, lilac & silver.  Would quite like a brown/bronze tree and decorations next year but need to save my pennies for that and to be honest any spare ones need to go on the house next year.

Link up below and share your answers to these 20 Christmas questions.


I've still not managed to do any scrapping but I have done some crocheting.  Mainly crocheted on the train to and from work - I'm not silly you see, a nice warm blanket on your lap while you are sat on a cold train!  As well as present buying I still have so much to do for next week, wrapping, tidying, cooking, food shop.  Totally totally disorganised this year.

Well I'm off now to bathe my sticky eyes and I promise to come back soon with some pictures - not of my eyes but Christmas cheery ones....now where did I put that disk for the camera, still need to load it on the new laptop!

Another week has passed.......

Well I have had what can only be described as a super busy yet achieving nothing week.  As I said in my last post we should have had some plumbing work done last week but everything went wrong and it didn't happen.  Plumber promised me without fail he would be here this Friday to do the work.  As it was just over a week after he should have been here, just put the floor boards and carpets back down and left the furniture where it was.  Too much hassle to move it all back for 10 days.

Friday came and 9.30 went.  At 10 the plumbers office called to say he would be with me at 1pm.  Before I had chance to ask why the phone went down.  

1pm came.  No plumber.  

2pm came.  Still no plumber.  

So I called the office and was told they did not know what was happening.  I asked them to find out.  I felt like I had just asked for the world!

At 2.30pm the plumber called.  He wouldn't be here until 5pm.  Discussed reduced price, he said he had not inconvienced me!!!!!!!  Much laughter from my end.  He would not reduced the price.  Ok I said.

I called the office and told them I wanted a reduced price or I would pay the full price then send my bill for 2 wasted days.  Don't really think they believed I would do that.

5pm came.  No plumber

At 5.15pm I called the office,  He would be with me in 45 minutes.

6pm came.  No plumber

At 6.30pm I called the office again.  They would get the plumber to call me.

At 6.40pm the plumber called.  He would be at least another hour and a half.

Now he thinks I am going to let him come to my house gone 8pm at night and drain my central heating and then do 6 hours work.  He will need access to every room in the house.  I have not gone mad.

Told him he can come at 8am Saturday.  He has another job.  Well cancel it dear plumber, you have annoyed me and put me out enough.  You let me down to earn a quick buck when you took on the emergency job Friday morning.  It is Saturday morning at 8am.  There are no other options before Christmas.

I reminded him about me sending a bill for wasting my time.  I don't think he was listening.

8am Saturday morning.  He has not come.

Dear Mr Plumber, I do not make idle threats.  My bill will be dropping on your doormat.  If you don't pay it I will go to my local County Court and pay £9.50.  But trust me I will be compensated for 2 wasted days, my deposit with interest, the difference between your quote and what I actually pay and compensation for having to wait to get my central heating sorted.  

I will let you decide how to compensate my Children for missing their outing last night. But how you will put a price on two young children missing their visit to Santa I really don't know.

Happy Christmas Mr Plumber x

I Disappeared Again

The past 2 weeks have really flown by and I can't quite believe it has been so long since I posted to my blog.  Well I have been busy as well as ill.  I've had the kids off school from Thursday last week with a very nasty cold virus/bug thing.  They only went back to school on Wednesday and to be honest it has really knocked the stuffing out of them.  Every night this week they have come home and had an early evening nap, just sat down on the sofa and fell asleep.  Anyone who knows my Son will realise this is unheard of let alone the 9 hours sleep each night.

I had a little mild version over the weekend, when I say mild I mean the horrid symptoms apart from the tiredness. Think it helped I was on antibiotics for something else.  I have also come home for the past 3 days and slept.

Then there has been the plumbing work, well the plumbing work that didn't happen!  Long story but the plumber used a part for my job on someone else's heating and can't get a replacement until next week.  In the meantime, I move literally every piece of furniture I own away from radiators (every room in the house) and get carpets up in preparation.  To be honest some of the things haven't gone back due to the trouble encountered in moving them and we then have to move them back again next week so things are utter chaos.

At last my craft desk & unit has moved but sadly the space hasn't been decorated.  As I have had to move things around to get to radiators I have an item of furniture from another room in the exact spot where my scrap desk should go.  Sadly the desk won't be attached to the expedit until after the plumbing at the end of next week so I have no crafty space to scrap at the moment.

All this has not helped with my 50 LO's in 50 days challenge.  Today is the deadline and I have managed to complete the grand total of 21.  Ooops!

Finding this a bit of a pain as I so want to get started with my Journal Your Christmas book and can't.  Will just have to have a mega scrap session next weekend.  Sorry no pictures but I've also had a new laptop (my treat to me for Christmas) and I've not sorted the software out yet to upload the photos.  Truth is with moving all the furniture I can't get to the disk and the cupboard I need to move is a little on the heavy side!

Hope you are not too snowed in and those completing JYC are having fun!