yeah I'm a great aunt again....

Yep, my niece had a baby boy a couple of days ago, so I've now got 2 great nieces in Bristol and 2 great nephews in Portsmouth...

They've called him Orlando, and he weighed in at 9lbs 14oz, (OUCH)...

mum, dad and baby are all doing fine...

We went round for a visit today, and I was lucky enough to get a cuddle... I don't believe in picking a baby up or playing pass the parcel with them, but he was a little ratty in he's crib, so my niece let me have a cuddle, he feel asleep in my arms...

...he's so cute, trouble is they grow up, lol...

now the fun and games start....

YEAH it's the school holidays...

We've got a few things we HAVE to do like the Doctors, the dentist, the opticians and a hospital appointment.....

but that still leave us 42 days to have fun....

Steven's lucky enough be going on the special needs playscheme for a few days each week, which is run for the first 4 weeks of the school holidays.... which means I can get the housework and shopping done in peace, and if I get the time, a quick trip to the gym and a go on the 'power plate' (or 'vibrating plate' as I call it, lol)..... I also hope to meet up with some other mums for a pub lunch.


...but then the fun starts as I've a list of things I hope to do with Steven depending on the weather..... like taking a bus ride to Bognor Regis, hovercraft over to the Isle of Wight, ferry to Gosport, walks, drives and picnics, train ride, bowling, boat trip round the harbour, pub lunches, Marwell zoo and making cookies, cakes and pizza etc....

...I'm looking forward to not clock watching too....

I hope that whatever you are doing over the next 6 weeks, you enjoy it, as I plan too....

some crafting at last...

Hooray......... I've actually done some crafting.... for Steven's main teachers and assistants, OK, they did take me over a week from start to finish, well I did have a busy week with Steven's Prom and just had to see the new Harry Potter film)...



I altered 2 A5 books, bought from Asda at 50p each and made 5 'post-it' books using beer mats (thanks Gina)...

It was a great feeling, as got to use my Bind it All again, dies and some of the many alphabet sets I have, I chose...

Lin - Girls R Weird and Go Slim
Kym - Funky Brush
Kelly - Azure
Jan - Sunset
Michelle - Script
Debbie - Mac'n'Cheese
Avril - Lime Light



The papers I used were from a pad of 6x6 K&Company 'School Days' and for 'Avril' a sheet from my Brenda Pinnick pad.... I inked the edges with some chalk cat eye inks....



The coloured pencils were from a sizzlit die, the apple and books are from a cuttlebug die and the chipboard flower is a Brenda Pinnick one... (the reason the 'Avril' book is decorated different is beacuse it's a thank you for looking after Steven on he's trip to Little Canada, she was he's one to one)...

I'm hoping this will help bring my mojo come back, shame it's nearly the school holidays though, Steven breaks up Wednesday lunch time, and with all the things we have planned for the 6 weeks, probably be too tired to do any crafting after he's in bed, lol...

But you never know, so watch this space...

hush don't tell a soul, but...

It's that red dress again, (the one I bought and wore for Sam's Graduation last week) this time for Steven's Prom, well one of them anyway...

Steven's lucky, he should attend 4 Proms in all....


(think I need to do some sit ups to tone the old tummy up.....)

I hear you asking why 4 and what a lucky young lad he is (lucky parents too, as we get to go to all the Prom's with him)...

Well the school that Steven attends, started doing Proms 3 years ago (for the year 11 and 14, as they were either moving up into the 6th form or on from the school completely)...

So with them starting them then, was just in time for Steven, as he was due to leave year 11 and go up to 6th form, so he got to go to the 1st Prom, he then got invited to attend the other 2 Proms in between the year 11 and 14 as a guest...

All I can say it's a good job he's a man, just think of the expense of a new dress for every Prom, and that would be doubled up, as I need a new dress too...

But as luck would have it, he's not really grown these past 3 years so he's wore the same suit for the 3 Proms, (oh yes and 1 wedding and 1 cruise dinner, lol)...

BUT next year is he's special Prom, when he actually leaves education for good, he will be in year 14, so that causes for a whole new wardrobe for him (and another new dress for me, so had better get going on those sit ups...lol)....

mixed emotions...

Today would have been my dad's 69th birthday..

We had some fun holidays, camping when we were young, then when my kids were small we bought a caravan and used to holiday with mum and dad and my sister and family in their caravans...

Then in 2000, we started holidaying aboard, starting with a big family holiday in Orlando, in 2003 when Sam left school we went for a 3 week holiday to Orlando (swam with dolphins and did a helicopter ride), then we flew onto San Francisco, as I wanted to see and go across the Golden Gate Bridge and hubby and dad wanted to see Alcatraz... from there we flew onto Hawaii, where we we did a few split up's.... while we visited Pearl Harbour, (where Sam wanted to visit), mum and dad looked after Steven as we felt Pearl Harbour was not a place for him.... then another day mum, dad and hubby did the whole Island tour, but we felt it was little too long for the children (it was over 9 hours) so we did a little 4 hour one... Oh yes and saw the beach where Elvis filmed 'Blue Hawaii' one of my favourite films....

As that day was my dad's birthday, we thought we would surprise him with a birthday cake when they got back, but would you believe it, they don't do cakes in Hawaii.... so for a joke we put candles (good job I remember to pack them) in a pineapple as it was one of the places dad had wanted to visit, which he did as the dole pineapple plantation was on the 9 hour tour....

Thought I would share the photo I took of my dad, blowing out the candles, that just wouldn't go out (nearly set off the smoke detector)...



It still brings a big smile to my face remembering him blowing and blowing, and wondering why they just kept relighting, in between fits of laughter, I eventually told him they were trick ones and the only way they would go out was being submerged in water, lol..

oh yes..... and here's a photo of Steven looking at the pineapple afterwards and wondering how you on earth you eat this type of cake, lol...




On the upside, today was Steven's sports day and he was in the yellow team, (just in case you didn't get the hint, as wearing a yellow t/shirt, lol)...

Anyway I'm proud to say he won 1st place in the matching the coloured beanbags to the matching coloured hoops, so well done Steven.....




also I gave my 37th pint of blood today, wasn't going to do it, as I'd forgot to make an appointment the last time I gave it back in March, and as I've said before had always given it with my dad... Which I'm very proud to say had given 109 pints before he had to stop, and that wasn't counting the ones he gave while in the Army at 18, he never missed a donation....

So I thought I had better not either, so I went along to the session after seeing Steven at he's sports day, on the off chance they could fit me in, and they did....

... and this time I remembered to make another appointment, so my 38th is due on the 10th November, so could someone please remind me nearer the time, lol...

Proud mum....

Thought I would share a photo that was taken yesterday at our daughters Graduation....

We are very proud of her and want the world to know that.....



It was nice for her nan to be there in person and Sam's knows grandad was there too, watching over her....

End of an era

Now Steven's turned 18, he has to start leaving children services, and this morning he left he's children respite, he's been going there since he was 9, starting with tea visits, then had sleepovers, he used to have a couple of nights a month, I hated it but Steven loved it, and I knew I had to put my feelings aside and think of what was best for Steven, trying to think of what he would have liked... (spending time with mum or with he's friends, that's a tough one, lol)...

When you think about it, it's just the same as him having a sleepover with he's friends like Sam used to do with her school friends, in fact a lot of Steven's friends stayed there too...
The Beechside staff were lovely and they had to put up with a lot, not only from Steven but from me too.... as when he first went for tea visits, I would never leave him and then I felt Steven would be better off without me, as he was the only child there with their mum, lol...

but even then I hated leaving him, so used to walk round the block peeping through the window to check he was happy, and yes he was, lol... the staff got used to me, as then when I did make it home, used to phone them a few times a stay to check he was OK, and yes he was, lol...

Anyway that has all came to an end today, they gave him a leaving party, made him a banner, baked him a cake and bought him a card and present, the baseball cap, (he wears them if it's sunny as keeps the glare off he's glasses and even in the rain, as again it protect he's glasses from getting wet, as he cannot clean them himself)...



(did wonder if the 'good luck' was for he's mum giving him some space, lol)...

So now we've got to get use to the adult services, starting with the respite, most of he's friends have already moved there, as already 18.....he's starting going to Russets for tea visits, and seems to like it, in fact the last time I took him there, he gave me a kiss on the cheek, held he's key workers hand and pushed me back through the door, so that MUST BE A GOOD SIGN....

just got to work up to the sleepovers now........


so watch this space.....