Dublin Part one...

Last week hubby and I popped over to Dublin for a few days, as Steven was away for the week with school to Butlins...

It rained nearly the whole time we were there, but it was still a nice break, not exactly relaxing, more fun... We stayed in a place called Rathmines, which was north of the River Liffy, I just love the locks, it reminded me of a holiday we did years ago on the Norfolk boards in a narrow boat,....


We did a tour round Dublin and visited the Guinness Storehouse, which we found very interesting, especially the pint of Guinness you get given at the end of the tour...


trouble is after a pint, it goes to my head...


We visited Howth by train, where we had a portion of chips (and a hot cup of coffee, lol) while walking round the sea wall, it was wet and windy, but lovely seeing all the fishing boats... also hubby nearly stood in the footprints of King George IV who was there in 12th August 1821...


oh and we liked the look of the lighthouse so much that we decided to walk round to it...


but the wind started picking up by then so.....

part two to follow....

I can tell the world now...

that my daughter is in engaged....

I got a couple of texts from her while she was away on her cruise with her boyfriend, saying they were fine and having a lovely time (the weather was lush and they had been swimming and were having cocktails by the pool, nothing like rubbing it in, with our weather, lol) but last week hubby and I got a phone call, as she wanted us to be the first to know, she was engaged, lol...

I'm not really surprised, as a mum you know these things (in fact Gina and I were only discussing before they went, would they come home engaged, lol)...

It's been hard not telling people, but she wanted to do that when she got back, OK she did say I could tell my crafty friends, but thinking about it, I couldn't put it on my blog or on do-crafts, as I'm not sure who knows who, and it might have got back to my mum or Matt's family before they got home, and I felt it was for Sam and Matt to make the big announcement...

Hence the rush in getting a card done, as I wanted her to have it upon they're return, but of course we would be away in Dublin then, (we put up a few balloons, banners and left a bottle of bubbly for them before we left)...

Just a shame the house fell through before they went on holiday...
oh well...we'll have to start looking again, I've all the time in the world, what with planning a wedding, house hunting and of course Stevens transition year, lol... (at least it will keep me out of trouble, lol)


The card is Linen card, used the Divine swirl cuttlebug embossing folder, sizzix double heart and think the purl slider was from lakelands and the ribbon and mirror card form my stash... (would have like some crystals or stones in some of the swirls, but would you believe it, I have every colour except clear, lol... looks like I'm going to have to go shopping)...

Well we got back from out little break in Ireland a few hours ago, we're shattered, done lots of walking and come home for a rest and hopefully some dry weather, as it rained the whole time we were there, lol...

Spinner album...

I first saw and heard about this on do-crafts, Jackie had got her hubby to help her make one, and Sue b had made one out of toilet rolls, so with the help of Jackie with the dimensions, I thought I'd have a go...

I cheated as I bought a wooden kitchen roll holder (from Asda for £2.50), well I let hubby off as he's busy painting my chicken shed and bits in the evening, lol...


Then set about cutting loads of card, chipboard and papers (using the K&Co pad I got off QVC)...


I covered the card and chipboard with the paper I cut, they're were either 4" square, or the ones with tabs on, were 4"x4.5".. I also inked the edges with my cats eyes chalk inks....


I cut holes with my BIA, using the spacer bar, so I could put the holes nearer the edge... and joined together using a 1 1/4" wire...


but when putting it together, felt I could put more pages in by not using the chipboard and tab chipboard pages, the card I had used and covered were strong enough, (oh well, you learn by your mistakes)...

I then place the whole book over the kitchen holder to see where I had to cut it down (OK hubby cut it down for me, as me and saws don't go together that well)....


A wooden knob was screwed on top, (bought from Homebase for £2.59 for a pack of 2)...


and there you have it, one spinner album with 70 pages in it, so 140 sides to decorate... think it will take me a time to fill, but plan on using old and up to date photos in it...

What a nice way to end the week...

This morning we had Harvest festival at Steven's school... I had a few phone calls and bills to pay first before picking mum up (which was nice as it was the first time she came to anything at school since dad died)...

Well they were doing a raffle, thinking about it, I never asked what the prize is, but how much they are, so I can see how many I can afford, lol...

The service was lovely, they had 4 really pretty flower arrangements in autumn colours, and some of the donations already on display, we sang/signed songs and pupils from each class took some of their harvest goodies up to add to the display...They did a slide show of where the donations were going to, which were for the local homeless and a special school in Ghana...

The head then announced the prize winners of the 4 flower displays and I was one of the lucky people, lol...so here are my lovely flowers that now look fab on my fire grate



Did offer them to my mum, but she declined as she still has some carnations I bought her last week... also she was catching a bus to see my sister, (I couldn't give her a lift as I had yet another meeting at the school after the harvest festival), but guess what I've got 2 weeks free of appointments, hooray, next week because Steven is off to Butlins at Bognor Regis with the school and the following week is half term...

So bliss..... till he goes back on the 2nd November when they all start again, starting with 3 college visits in that first week with the connexions officer...

My wheelbarrow....

Here's one of the kits I bought when we went to Welshpool, hubby's been working on it for me, I'm not one of those people that everything has to be kept looking new (stop laughing Gina, I will use all my craft kits up, it's just getting the time, honest), lol..

well here it is made up...



and painted...



and finally looking nice and weathered, in fact like the one my dad lent me years ago, lol... (we bought some real rust when we were at the show in Welshpool to make it look that way)...





the chicken shed is coming along slowly, but I'm fighting for hubby's time at the moment, as he's also working on a policeman and horse figure for someone else...I know, I know, he should get he's priorities right... 'ME'

OK maybe I should mention, he's getting paid to do the other figure (we don't actually get the money, the person donates money to our son school fund raising group, which they've done with all the figures my hubby makes for other people, he have raised £148 so far and some of the figures are living in as far away as France)...

Not got my little shed yet, so will adding that to my list tomorrow, a phone call to find out where it is...

yee-hah...

At school yesterday, they did a sponsored walk in aid of their sensory garden, and the 6th form theme was The Wild Wild West.

So nipped out and bought a hat, sheriffs badge and bandanna from a fancy dress shop, and some material to knocked up a waistcoat, my mum gave me one of my dads shirts and hey presto one cowboy outfit.

Throw in a pair of jeans, a handsome young man and you've got a cowboy who wins first prize (again) for he's fancy dress...



Here's Steven with a one of he's friends doing a lap round the school, Steven managed 7 laps in total, I joined him for 3 of those, but left him to have fun with he's friends, as what 18 year old wants their mum hanging around all the time, lol (and I had shopping to do)...



and for those that don't remember what he won first prize wearing last year, click here, lol...

Been awol....

Sorry not been around, been a little busy with it being school holidays, and last week we decided to go away for a few days, just hubby, Steven and me... We went up to Lacock to visit my SIL as we've not visited her there since she moved there last year.. (where Harry Potter was filmed in Lacock Abby and the Christmas special of Cranford in the village, my SIL was pointing out how they changed the red pillar box into a petrol pump and where the jail was placed)...

We then stayed in a hotel at Tenbury Wells and then the next day onto Weshpool for the Weshpool & Llanfair light Railway ...

We had a fab day on the steam trains (photos to follow), and stayed a couple of nights in a Premier Inn in Oswestry, then the next day back to Llanfair for a model railway exhibit, by the way did I tell you that hubby and Steven like trains, lol...

Me, well I'll enjoy them to a certain extent, but think they beat me to loving them...

...my love is for looking and stroking paper, lol...

I didn't look for any craft shops, as not really the time, but did buy at the model railway exhibit, bought a chicken shed and some chickens, as I managed to persuade hubby that one of the train stations tenants looked after chickens for fresh eggs...



Oh and grow he's own veg, so needed a wheelbarrow, roller, trug with tools, flower pots, watering can, garden fork and spade and some rabbits...hehehe



Sorry not brilliant photos, as didn't want to take them out the bags for fear of losing the little pieces, will show you them again when hubby has made then up and painted them for me, lol... well got to keep him out of trouble in the winter evenings...


On Monday of this week, my baby started back at school, trouble is he's in he's final year, cannot believe where the time had gone, when he started school at the age of 4 and half, the thought of him being there till he was 19 seem so far away, but it's nearly here as Steven will be 19 next March, so making this he's last educational year....

He was a little agitated getting on the bus as the council have changed the transport firms, so not only a different colour bus, but different driver, escort and children on the bus, but he seems to get through he's first day OK, but time will tell, with Steven it's probably 'the calm before the storm' lol...

Well, have caught up with the holiday washing as lovely weather for drying, and the housework been done... so am taking tomorrow off, going to nip to the gym first thing, (as not been for a few weeks as Steven around), then going to pick my mum up, probably do some shopping and then we're hoping to meet my daughter for lunch and have a BBQ in the evening, courtesy of hubby, lol...

...and celebrate my daughter getting a permanent contract in her new job, (her 3 months trial was up last week, and her appraisal went well, resulting in a permanent contract)....
also her boyfriend has got another full time job, after being laid off last month, he starts work tomorrow...

So celebrations all round I think...

OH yes and I've ordered a little shed for the station tenant's garden...