Hurrah!!!

I have joined the 'Holidays in Hand' freebie that Jessica Sprague is running. It has inspired me to take up blogging again, which has been a very long time coming!
The first prompt is to consider your family holiday values. Here goes;

Remembering the real story-
Okay so I know that some people will say that it all originates from a Pagan festival, but the true story of Christmas will always be the Nativity. I am not a church goer, but it is important to me that my children know that it isn't just about Father Christmas and the presents.
So; -
We always have a traditional Nativity scene advent calendar (no chocolate in this house).

We go to church on Christmas Eve for the Children's Service.

We have a Nativity scene alight every evening over the Christmas period.


Being Grateful

Remebering that there are less fortunate people in the world than us.

Spending time with Family.
This is really the only time of the year that we are guaranteed to 'all' get together. I am a real family orientated person and it is hugely important for me to spend lots of quality time with my immediate family at Christmas.

Will I keep this up? Who knows! I hope so!

My god....nine months later

No not a baby...can't believe that I have not blogged for this long. Where does the time keep going to?
I have been doing so much since I last blogged - not much of it crafty tbh.

I feel like a blogger virgin!

It is sooooo long since I have last posted. I do have some excuses, study, life etc.
So much has happened since I last posted, some good some bad.
The biggest life changing thing was the death of my grandad at the grand age of 85. My Nan and Grandad are the kind of Grandparents that everyone wishes that they had. Never any recriminations about absense of visits, just the odd call to check that you are well.
Testiment to the fact that they were so loved and so wonderful is that when Grandad was admitted to hospital before Xmas, he was having so many visitors that they had to give him a side room so as not to upset the other patients. In fact just before he died he said to my Nan that he was so proud that all of his children and grandchildren had visited him nearly every day that he was in there.
We will miss him so much.

Despite this, Xmas was surprisingly jolly. Nan told us he would have wanted us to get on with things, she was right, so we tried.
The kids top present was the Wii which I managed to flukily buy following a stock tip off on UKS of all places. Much fun and aching muscles enused and are still regularly ensuing lol.

New Year was pretty tame, I did manage to catch Take That on NYE, the same gig that we went to see in December (boy they are amazing)

Tegan - my baby - turned 5 on January 10th, and the new term saw her start school full time. She is loving it!

Vicki and I took ourselves off to see the Spice Girls last week, they were good and I enjoyed it but didn't love it.

So will I keep up the blogging? I hope so. I have been with Nan today - Happy 80th Nan! - and her tales of life in Italy during the war, marrying Grandad and moving to England have inspired me to try and document the little things.

You don't check your Blog for a few days.....

and when you come back you have been TAGGED... 3 TIMES! Thanks Kelly,Soo and Nicola

Here are the rules which you must abide by if you are tagged.
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs


Okay 7 random facts

1. I am the most appalling worrier that you could ever meet, I worry about anything and everything.

2. I love to knit, but very rarely do

3. I am blood group O rhesus neg

4. I am not a hoarder, I recycle or chuck everything and then wish I hadn't later.

5. I have a handbag and shoe obsession.

6. The thought of eating the kids leftovers makes me gag.

7. I collect friends and can very rarely leave any behind.


Now to find seven peeps that haven't already been tagged lol


Nics
Clare
Dibby
The chicks
Mel
Stashy scrapper gals
Annie

fIRST POST IN AGES!!

and a timely change to pink. If you want to know why pink then check this out

Loads going on here good and bad, hence the lack of posts.

Crabbing!!

We have had the most fantabulous day:)
We decided at the last minute to head to the coast with Lyndon and Debs, off we set to Walberswick, nets and buckets packed ready for a major assault on the unsuspecting crabs.
Now I am not a sandcastle, rock pool loving kinda gal, but boy did I LOVE crabbing.
After telling the kids that it wasn't a competition to see who caught the most, I became incredibly, hypocritically competitive. I was a gal on a mission and with Lucas on my team we managed to catch 16 to Lyndon and Caitlin's 9.










"Ahhhh it's attacking me!"









Can't resist adding in this cute pic of Teggy trying her luck with the net - those crabs were lucky to get away with their legs intact with her around!

A lovely busy....

Week. Although I was not thinking that yesterday morning, as really it was a HELL and I mean Hell of a week with sickness, moody daughters, arguing and sleepless nights. BUT it is incredible what the company of friends can do to make you feel a million times better. Soooo thanks Kim, Hannah and Shirley for cheering me up with drinks out on Thursday night,you really did make my day Kim and Hannah with tales of your escapades in Portugal. Thanks Suzie for the most amazing supper I have had in ages and thanks Janice, Shirley, Helen, Lucy and Shirley for being great crop mates on Saturday.

Today has been great, the sun has been out and so have thousands of people at our annual village open gardens weekend..... Walsham Le Willows was the original open gardens event and is still going string 26 years later, with folks travelling from as far as Yorkshire. I was roped into doing till duty in the tea rooms, which I moan like hell about before hand but love on the day as it gives me the chance to catch up with friends not seen since school broke up for the summer(?)

Mojo went live on Friday night, this week we had the immense pleasure of lifting one of my favourite scrappers work.......Elsie Flannigan.

Here is my version but be sure to check out the work from the other fab Mojo gals
Oh and while I think about it, over at Mojo we are introducing weekly challenges and classes. The first is by the very talented Kylie Tout