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...

Another week bites the dust..

Well another week of the school holidays gone...

We went bowling, swimming, hospital appointment, picnic, drives in the car, out for pub lunches, to a small music festival and on a long bus ride to Chichester (took my mum on that one)... and to top it all, it was a 'double decker' bus, the first ever that Steven had been on, so we just HAD to go upstairs and sit in the front... (as usually the local buses are just single decker)....

Sitting at the front and being so high was novelty to Steven (and me), as Steven loved looking down on people but and for me it was the not driving, and having time looking at all the lovely houses and gardens and chat to my mum on the way.
It was a number 700 that goes from Portsmouth to Brighton, along the scenic route, (where I usually drive on the main roads for quickness) but we stopped at Chichester, as felt a an hour and half ride each way was enough, lol....

and guess who forgot not only her camera, but her mobile as well, doh....

On the way back we stuck to the downstairs, as not sure Steven would have made it back up the stairs as we had pottered around Chichester just stopping for a jacket potato for lunch, so he was rather tired...

On another day we went for a drive to Southampton as last time I was there I saw a craft shop, so wanted to take my auntie and mum to have a nose... we also popped into Ikea as I wanted to have a look at the 'expedit' units in real life, as thought about getting some for Stevens room when we re-do it...

I was good and didn't buy too much stash, lol...


and we had a picnic in the park....


We had fun at the music festival, but it bought the worse out in hubby... LOL


and they did a quiz, in which we won first prise, it was a team effort, hubby knew the answers, daughter wrote them down and and I collected the prize...
but hubby soon pinched it off me. when he realised what the prize was, lol...


So it all, another busy week, and cannot yet again believe how quickly these summer school holidays are going, BUT as usual, am finding them very tiring, and am looking forward to getting back in a routine though and some energy back too...

Oh yes and we had football yesterday afternoon and came a close 2nd again..... enough said about that, lol....

Pinched from Donna, lol...

Highlight the ones you've done


Thought I'd have a go at doing this!

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Been lost for words when answering a child's question

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a soppy girly film and cried all the way through

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Made snow angels

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelos David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theatre

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favourite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviare

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Been on the television

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Read an entire book in one day

The Lady Maria

Not sure if you remember a few post back we had to name 10 facts that others didn't know about you, well one of the things I said, was I had a steam train named after me, by my hubby...

Well thought as I've not done any crafting since the cards, that I would show share a couple of pictures of The Lady Maria...



It's in the fab colour of 'Pompey' blue of course, and was named on my 43rd Birthday.... hence the number on the name plate too.....



Also not sure if I said, it was in 'G' scale and proudly rides round our garden....

World's apart....

While others we're wondering how they're son and daughters did in their A levels and if they got into uni that they wanted... I was worried about my son, who was going under a general anaesthetic to have a couple of teeth removed..

It seems this time of the year, wherever you look, you read or hear news saying about what people are hoping for so they can get into uni.... and it goes on for days.... but sometimes it's like a knife going through me, as it reminds me, that I have a child with Severe Learning Difficulties, that has never called me 'mum' let alone be able to read or write...

Don't get me wrong, I wish everyone luck and hope they get the results they need, so they can go on, to do what they want, and I know some have had to struggle harder than others, also I remember how I felt waiting for our daughters results a few years back, to see if she could do what she wanted...

but some days when you feel down, it hurts, but I try and look on the bright side of life and remember how lucky I am to have him, and think of all the things my son has achieved in he's 18 years... which I know is world's apart from them attending college and uni... and I know he always will be, but that is what makes him extra special, lol... and I know there are lots of other mum's who have extra special children out there too, that also know how I am feeling....


Oh yes Steven was fine with having he's teeth out, I was very proud of him as he wasn't as distressed as I thought he would be when they put the mask over he's mouth... the next few days will be fun and games making sure he doesn't put thing in he's mouth, which I know he will do even the more once he knows I don't want him doing it, lol...
Thanks to all the emails, text's and sparkles we received, I think they helped me a lot, thanks...

I hope all those waiting for results, have got what they wanted and wish them luck in whatever path they have chosen...

hooray some crafting at last.....

Well a couple of cards and a secret project...

The card below was for my daughters birthday last week...



I used 'diamonds in the rough' cuttlebug embossing folder twice, straight onto the card, sizzix vine die, sizzlit flower die, (the pink ones were doubled up and curled up a bit, and the middles were swapped over to add depth)...the dragonfly and butterfly's were peel off's put onto coloured paper, cut round and stuck on with DST to give it a 3d look... and lollipop upper-case alphabet...

Then the 2nd one was for my hubby for our 24th wedding Anniversary yesterday...



I used the heart cuttlebug embossing folder again straight onto the card... I put a heart peel off onto acetate and coloured in the heart using a red Galaxy Marker, then backed onto gold mirror card, cut round and used 3d foam pads to stick on the card. The wording was printed off the computer, backed onto mirror card and finished off with some red ribbon placed behind, which was stuck on with DST...

and the secret project, well you will just have to wait,..... but can show you a couple of cards Steven made for he's sister's birthday last week, the first was from a Brenda Pinnick kit and the 2nd was made while at play scheme...