A-Z Challenge G Layout

My Grumpy Fairy

This is my G for the A-Z of Zoe. This picture was taken when Zoe had been playing on her tractor and then Daddy put it away and she had a mega strop. I have been playing with digitally enhancing photos and thought it would be a fantastic one to add fairy wings and sparkles too. The wings are from http://www.brushes.obsidiandawn.com/ and I made them coloured with a swirly pink design (not sure how I did this now).

The layout is on white textured cardstock with a pink Bazzill scalloped card on top. I have then cut out the letters to spell out "GRUMPY". The fairy word is used stickers. I have then put various sized gems from Lakelands to go around the scalloped edges.

Day 91 - Monday 31st March

"The greatest gift that you give yourself is a little bit of your own attention" - Anthony J. D'Angelo

Do something for you today

Well I have had a busy day and I didn’t even get to have a proper lunch time. I wolfed my sandwich down whilst having a 5 minute catch up on UK Scrappers. So it was a lovely to get home and James had been home for sometime and got the dinner on, had washed up and made the sandwiches.
It is now 6.45pm and all the jobs are done, dinner has been eaten and I am sat on the sofa in my favourite position, with my feet up, with the laptop on my lap and a nice bit of chocolate. I will catch up with this journal and then catch up on the gossip on the 365 thread and then do some scrapping.
After the day I have had today, this is sheer bliss.

Day 90 - Sunday 30th March

"Spread your love everywhere you go"- Mother Teresa

How did you spread your love today?

Today we have had a lovely family day. Luckily Zoë didn’t wake up too early with the clocks going forward, so we had a leisurely start to the day. Then we decided that we would go swimming. We used to take Zoë swimming every Sunday but the pool got very cold in the winter and we stopped going. When we went on holiday in September to Jersey, we took Zoë swimming again but the pool was absolutely freezing and she cried the whole time and we haven't taken her since.
However today the pool was warm and although she was a bit unsure at first, once she got used to it she really enjoyed herself. I am not very good at swimming but James is very good and he really got her confidence up.
After swimming we went for a Chinese buffet lunch and now I am so full up, I don’t want to do anything. Zoë is really over tired and no matter how much I ask her for a hug and a cuddle to try and settle her, she refuses. She is just crying and grumpy.

Zoe as a sparkly butterfly

I have been playing a bit more. I managed to colour the wings differently and have added them to an old photo of Zoe. This photo is of her just after she started walking and has plenty of room around it to add wings and sparkles.

Day 89 - Saturday 29th March

"Right now is a good time" - Tote Yamada

Right now is a good time, to start something new, to hug someone in need, to take time to relax. What will you do right now!

Well not right now, but in 50 minutes I will be sat in the hairdressers having my hair dyed. I have a girl that comes to the house to cut it but I go to a salon to have it dyed. For at least 15 years I dyed my hair at home over the bath at the cost of £5, but in September of last year we had a new bath suite put in and now I am forbid from dyeing my hair in it, so I have to go to the hairdressers and pay around £80.
However this means that I can have something a little more adventurous and it will always look nice. Naturally my hair is mousy brown and I have always dyed it a richer chestnut warm brown colour. The salon touch up my roots for me and then put in some lighter streaks. I love having this done as it gives me a bit of time away from the family just to sit and totally relax. It is blissful just to sit in a chair and quietly take in what is going on around me without Zoë hanging off my arm demanding something or James wanting to be busy, busy.
So although it is expensive, I love the me time that I get and plus I get a fabulous hair style which makes me feel really good about myself.

Day 88 - Friday 28th March

"Creativity is a natural extension of our enthusiasm” - Earl Nightingale entrepreneur, motivational author

Show creativity in your space today

I love getting all creative and crafty. I have lots of things to do or try today or this weekend if I run out of time to get it all done today – which is very likely.
Today as part of this 365 challenge, we have been given a photography prompt as well to explain how shutter speeds work on the camera. I need to photograph running water on an upturned cup. The faster the shutter speed, the more clarity the water drops should have in the photo.

Shutter speed 1/80

My camera would only allow me to go up to 1/200 with the flash on. I could get 1/1000 but the picture was almost black. (I will try the photo again in the morning with better lighting)

I also want to play with Photoshop Elements to try and put some fairy wings on a photo of Zoë. This involves using brushes and layers and other various clever things that I have never done before.

It hasn't come out brilliantly but once you know what you are doing it is quite easy to do. I definitely need some practice.

I also need to make a start on making some sample wedding stationery for my oldest friend as I have offered to do all the stationery for her wedding. All I have to go on is that the colour scheme may have some burgundy in it. I want to use some hearts and some Cuttlebug embossing folders but keep it as simple as possible. I think I have a design in my head.
So that should keep me being creative for a while!

Day 87 - Thursday 27th March

“A habit cannot be tossed out the window; it must be coaxed down the stairs a step at a time” - Mark Twain - humorist, lecturer, author

Let’s look at our habits, the good and the bad!

When someone mentions the word habits, I automatically think of the bad habits rather than the good ones. I am not sure that I have too many bad habits – certainly not the conventional ones. I don’t bite my nails (I am proud of my hand and nails), I don’t smoke (tried it but didn’t like it) and I don’t really drink (don’t get a chance to go out since I had Zoë and don’t like to drink at home). I know I could eat better and exercise more don’t seem to get the chance to do either.
I think my worst habit is thinking I need something, going out and buying it impulsively and then not using it – at least for a while. A prime example of this is my Bind It All machine. I was on UK Scrappers and was reading a thread about it. From this I decided that I definitely NEEDED one and so went straight out and bought one even though I couldn’t really afford it!!!. However it sat in it’s box unopened for at least a month and even now I have only used it once and not to make a mini book or anything but just to punch some holes in some card to make it look like a photographic negative.
Even though I know I do this, I can’t seem to stop it. I have numerous impulse buys that rarely get used and the majority of them are craft related.

Day 86 - Wednesday 26th March

“Any necessary work that pays an honest wage carries its own honour and dignity” - W. Kelly Griffith

What is your job, your day to day job, your working life?

I am an IT Manager for Haskins Garden Centre which is a chain of four garden centres all based in the south of England. I have worked there for 9 years. I took nine months off when I had Zoë and have been back at work since September 2006. I work 4 days a week and have a Friday off which makes a nice long weekend.
We are a small team so I get involved in all sorts of things. We look after a variety of computer systems, over 50 tills, and over 100 computers and laptops. I always joke that if it has a plug on it, then it is the responsibility of the IT department to fix it. I love the satisfaction of being able to help a user with their computer problems. The only downside is that no one ever phones just to tell you that everything is working ok. They only ever phone with problems and are normally quite unhappy. It is a great feeling to fix the problem and make them happy again.
My favourite part of my job is writing Access reports on our EPOS system. I love digging about and coming up with really useful information to help the Buying Department and Managers make informed decisions.
I am in a very lucky position where I am really happy in my job and look forward to getting up in the morning to see what lies ahead for me that day.

All Occasions Card Swap on UKS

These are the cards that I made for a card swap hosted by the fantastic Monica.

Day 85 - Tuesday 24th March

“Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard” - Anne Sexton - poet, writer
Take time out today to listen to your heart, listen to your family and loved ones

I wasn’t sure what to do for today’s prompt but having read some of my fellow 365’ers entries I have decided to base it around Zoë.
I have always been a bit concerned about Zoë’s speech as she pronounces her words quite badly. I have noticed a real change in her speaking lately and it is really coming on now and I can understand about 90% of what she says. However it is very easy to ignore her as she waffles on about nonsense most of the time. She can be very persistent when she wants your attention and she just repeats herself over and over until you respond to her.
She loves to sing and as soon as you get in the car she will start to sing various nursery rhymes. She never gets the right words and so will just repeat the bits that she knows. After about 10 minutes of hearing “Come back Peter, Come back Paul” over and over, I am ready to turn the radio up a bit louder to drown her out.
I know this is wrong as this time is very precious and I shouldn’t waste any of it!!! Tonight I will listen to everything she tells me.

365 Challenge - Week 12 Layout

The prompt for the layout this week was to use the rainbow colours. I have tried to incorporate this by weaving the 7 colours using strips of card. I then outlined the 12x12 page with green card. I have used all the photos from the week and put various flowers and buttons over the layout. The lettering is glittery and outlined in Sakura glitter pen.

Day 84 - Monday 24th March

"Red and yellow and pink and green, Purple and orange and blue, I can sing a rainbow,Sing a rainbow, Sing a rainbow too!" - Artist Delta Goodrum

Have fun summing up your week of colours with a Rainbow!

I have really enjoyed this week of prompts. I have been playing with software to manipulate my photos and have done a week of black and white photos with just certain bits showing the colour through. It has really made me think about the photos and what I could photograph for each colour. I think my favourite one of the week was the blue one. The bracelet from Zoë is very special to me and I love the way the delicate of the blue shone through.
I think the photo to finish the week will have to be our new red car. We are going in today to drop all the paperwork in for our old car so that they can organise getting the private plate transferred over. We hope to pick it up next week as the insurance on our existing car runs out on Saturday night.

Day 83 - Sunday 23rd March

"Pink- its my new obsession, Pink its not even a question, Pink, on the lips of your lover, cause, Pink is the love you discover" - Aerosmith

Well today is Easter Sunday and I managed to surprise James with an Easter Egg. Zoë sat in bed tucking into her Buttons Easter egg and got herself covered in chocolate. She was very excited. We don’t really give her much chocolate. In fact it was only yesterday that she finished off her Christmas chocolate – just in time for Easter.
She has an egg from us and a Marks and Spencers chocolate goose. Her godmother is coming over today so that will be more chocolate and I know my brother has got her an egg. Then this afternoon we are going to Grandma’s for an Easter tea so that will be more. She will still be eating Easter chocolate in December.
Pink is my favourite colour and I have lots of pink things. I have a lovely big warm fluffy dressing gown in two tones of pink. When it is cold or if I am not feeling great I love to wrap myself up in it and snuggle on the sofa.

Day 82 - Saturday 22nd March

"Gold Always believe in your soul You’ve got the power to know You’re indestructible Always believe in, because you are Gold" - Spandau Ballet

What a day! We have just bought a new car. It is a Mazda 6 2.5 Sport. Not brand new but an ex-demonstrator with just under 3000 miles on the clock and is only 2 months old. We have really ummed and aahed over buying the car but decided to go for it in the end. We both work hard and don’t have an extravagant lifestyle. We don’t go out much, we don’t drink, we don’t smoke, we don’t spend lots of money on clothes or expensive holidays so why not? Hopefully we will pick it up next weekend but we have to have my private plate transferred over which will take a few days and with the Bank Holiday it may take longer.


Right for today's prompt. When I look around the only gold I can see are the golden daffodils in the garden. They are going over a bit but still look so spectacular and a real promise of Spring.

Day 81 - Friday 21st March

The Emerald City - (Located in the center of the Land of Oz, the Emerald City is the end of the famous yellow brick road, which starts in Munchkin Land.)


Today has been a really cold and windy day but beautifully blue and sunny. We decided to drive down to Sandbanks to watch the windsurfers and kite surfers. I took my camera with me and the zoom lens to try and capture some good shots. James and Zoë stayed in the car as it was so cold and I braved the elements to get some shots. Unfortunately they were all just too far away even with the zoom lens and it was so windy that it was making my camera shake quite a bit.
There were lots of windsurfers down there all lined up in their VW vans. There were some really good surfers out on the sea. They get some good air. I was hoping for some green kites or wind surf sails and I was not disappointed.

Day 80 - Thursday 20th March

"She wore blue velvet,
Bluer than velvet was the night
Softer than satin was the light
From the stars
She wore blue velvet
Bluer than velvet were her eyes
Warmer than May her tender sighs"
Bernie Wayne/Lee Morris

My favourite stone is Blue Topaz and for my first Mother’s Day, I was given a beautiful white gold and blue topaz bracelet. I never take it off regardless of what colour clothes I am wearing that day. It is a very precious gift from Zoë and signifies to me my responsibilities as a mother to her.

Day 79 - Wednesday 19th March

"Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony, Side by side on my piano keyboard, oh lord, why don’t we? We all know that people are the same where ever we go, There is good and bad in everyone, We learn to live, we learn to give, Each other what we need to survive together alive." - Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder

This was not quite the quote I was expecting today and I could make it very deep about racism and how we should live and let live and live alongside one another happily.
However, I really want to keep this week’s journaling light hearted. In fact today isn’t really journaling at all. I have staged a photo using many different colour Bazzill Bling flowers. I have laid black and white flowers on top of loads of other colour flowers and then I have used my new found skill of layering a photo and rubbing out to make it colour. In this case I only want to colour the black and white flowers.
The photos below show the photo before and after.

Day 78 - Tuesday 18th March

Look at the stars, Look how they shine for you, And everything you do, Yeah they were all YELLOW" – ColdPlay

A week of colour prompts.

Last week’s prompts were all a bit heavy and hard going so this week I am going to ensure that all the prompts are lighthearted. Zoë’s favourite colour at the moment is yellow and her new medicine is yellow and she loves it!!!! Better than the bright pink egg smelling stuff from yesterday.
The other ladies on UK Scrappers have taken some fantastic photo with the use clever software techniques to colour them. This has made me want to have a go at doing this. I have downloaded a free trial version of Photoshop Elements and I have taken a photo of the fruit bowl with apples, grapes and bananas in it. I plan on making the picture black and white and then colour the banana in yellow.
The technique for this is:
Duplicate the photo into another layer and turned the top layer black and white. Then use the eraser in the top layer to rub over the required part so the underneath coloured layer shows through.

365 Challenge - Week 11 Layout

This has to be a first - doing the layout on the day of the launch. I had very few photos taken of me whilst pregnant and this is one of my favourites. Was it a boy or a girl? I was so convinced I was having a boy.

F Prompt for A-Z of Zoe Challenge

This is my double layout for the F prompt for the A-Z challenge (and only 3 days after it was launched!!!)

I have done a mini Family tree for the prompt - only up to Grandparents but I thought it would be nice keepsake for Zoe when she is older.

Obviously they should be sat next to each other.

Day 77 - Monday 17th March

"When you try your best, but you don't succeed, When you get what you want but not what you need, When you feel so tired but you can't sleep, Stuck in reverse?When the tears come streaming down your face, When you lose something you can't replace, When you love someone but it goes to waste, Could it be worse?Lights will guide you home, And ignite your bones, And I will try to fix you” - Fix You - Cold Play
These lyrics really make me think about what I have in life.

Today I have a poorly Zoë. She wasn’t right yesterday afternoon after we took her to Monkey Bizzness. When she got home she was very clingy band cuddly. She had her bath but fell asleep drinking her milky. This morning she woke up and didn’t look right and quite a temperature. We gave her some Calpol which seemed to perk her up. I did take her to nursery but I knew she wasn't right - very cuddly and wimpy. Also over the weekend we found some spots under her armpit which I wondered whether they might be the dreaded chicken pox. Anyway I risked taking her in and I went to work. But when I was chatting to a colleague about her, she reminded me that Zoe had had these spots before and it was impetigo. So I phoned nursery and they asked me to come and get her. I have phoned the doctors and they asked me to make an appointment later in the week as they are so busy. When I said what I thought was wrong, they asked me to phone back after 2pm today. RUBBISH!!!! I can't take her back to nursery until she has started medication. She is cuddled up next to me watching CBeebies.
I hate it when she is poorly as I feel so helpless. I would give or do anything to take her aches and pains away. I would gladly take her place. It is hard being a working mother as you want to be there for your child but you have deadlines at work and you don’t want to let your employer down. How do you know what to do for the best? I think Zoë wins over every time.

Day 76 - Sunday 16th March

"I like what I see when I'm looking at me, when I'm walking pass the mirror" - Mary J Blige

You are that person in the mirror, start loving that person!

I like myself as a person in terms of personality and characteristics but I am not very happy with the physical person I see in the mirror. I have never been a thin person and have always been on the plump side. When I met James 10 years ago I was a size 18 and after about 3 or 4 years went down to a size 14 whilst I was having some family problems. I have managed to stay at this size but my weight still yo yos up and down. I am probably the heaviest I have been for a while and it really it gets me down but at the same time I feel that I don’t want to stop eating yummy food. So how can I win?
Every time I put something naughty in my mouth I get the lovely rush of sugars and then the instant guilt of why have I eaten that? Then I haven’t even enjoyed it as I know I didn’t need to eat it. I look in the mirror and just see how large I look. When I am out I look at other women to see how big I look against others. I know I am not enormous but my body has changed so much since I have had Zoë. I am dreading having to wear a swimsuit on holiday. James thinks I will be wearing a bikini. Not!!!
This is a photo of me at my largest but I was 6 days off giving birth. I just loved being pregnant.

Day 75 - Saturday 15th March

“Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)

Responsibility in all our lives is important. Our scrapbooking is a responsibility to preserve our memories for future generations. What responsibility in your life is most important?

The obvious answer to this is Zoë. We bought her into this world and it is our responsibility to ensure that she is safe at all times, that she is cared for and loved 100%, that she grows up to be kind, caring and polite and that she receives a good education so she is ready to go out into the big wide world as well prepared as she can be.
Although she is only 2 she loves to read books with you. Her favourite books are puzzle books. She has a number of books that have jigsaw puzzles in. This morning as I was wondering what to write about and what photo to take, I came into the lounge and Zoë and Daddy were sat on the floor doing a puzzle book. She hasn’t looked at this book in ages. It has numbers and pictures in. We take all the pieces out and scatter them on the floor and she puts them all back in again.
I know all mothers think that their child is the cleverest in the world but I think that Zoë is a bright child. She can pick out her name amongst all the other children’s names at nursery. She knows all her colours and is starting to count. Must take after her mum!!!! I think nursery has really helped her to develop and although I feel guilty about her going there, I am sure she gets much more interaction than I could give her.

365 Challenge - Week 10 Layout

This week's layout prompt was to pick our favourite word from last week but I chose my favourite photos to scrap. This little Chaffinch can be found everyday in our car park at work attacking the cars. He pecks away at the wing mirrors and windows at his own reflection. Our car is covered in bird poo and little scratches. He is really manic. He must be exhausted by the end of the morning. I worry that he is so busy defending his territory that he will forget to find himself a mate.
Unfortunately the flash of the camera has reflected by him.
I have my BIA to make the negative look on the black card.

Day 74 - Friday 14th March

"The highlight of my childhood was making my brother laugh so hard that food came out his nose" - Garrison Keillor

What makes you laugh so hard? What are some of your fondest childhood memories? Journal these memories

In the mornings, I listen to Chris Moyles on Radio 1. He is hilarious. When I am driving, I am often laughing out loud and then I notice other people laughing too so they must be listening to him too. I download his weekly podcast and always listen to it at bedtime. I often wake James up with my giggling and shaking the bed.
I had a very happy childhood although money was always very tight and so there was never any money for fancy trips and treats. My early childhood was spent growing up in a rented house which had lots of land with it and old sheds full of junk. A great place for exploring although I was always too scared to go in the sheds. There was a big old tractor in the garden and I would spend many hours pretending to drive it. My brother and I would camp out in the garden in the summer.
My granddad lived in Weymouth and he would always really spoil us. If we stayed at his house, he would take us to the sea front where I would always be allowed a go on the trampolines on the beach. My favourite one was the one with the Mr Bump drawn on the canvas. Then we would go to the penny arcades. We would always finish the day with an ice cream at Rossi’s. I always remember when he bought us new bikes. Mine was a brown girl’s shopper bike and with holographic stickers on it. I was so proud of that bike. I used to pretend it was a horse and I would ride around pretending I was galloping and whipping myself.

Day 73 - Thursday 13th March

"Beauty, truth, friendship, love, creation---these are the great values of life. We can't prove them, or explain them, yet they are the most stable things in our lives" - Jesse Herman Holmes

What are your great values in life?

I think the greatest value in my life is my husband and daughter. I have a strong belief in family, marriage and motherhood. My mum and dad split up when I was 3 and so I knew that I would not get married unless I knew it would be forever and I certainly would not have had a child unless I knew we could provide a safe and comfortable life for her and that we would not do anything to affect her precious childhood in anyway what so ever.
I never wanted a big white wedding in a church or was particularly interested in having children. However all this changed when I met James. I was so determined to do things right after having wasted 6 and half years with two wasters of boyfriends. I didn’t move in James until after almost 3 years and then after 6 years we got married. The wedding was very traditional and was in a church with me wearing a big white dress – something I never dreamed would happen to me. Then 2 years later we had Zoë – and although I would love another a child, I know how I lucky I am to have such a wonderful family.
Zoë is the BEAUTY in my life, the relationship with my husband is TRUE, my husband and my daughter are my best FRIENDS, I will LOVE them both forever and Zoë is the best thing I have ever CREATED!
This photo was taken on first family holiday in Cornwall April 2006. It is one of the rare occasions where we are in a photo all together.

Day 72 - Wednesday 12th March

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive" - Howard Thurman

What makes you come alive? Is it your work, your family, your hobby or just being here?

I live for my family but I have journalled enough about this and so I am going to journal about me and what I love to do.
I love it when I achieve something - especially if it is something that I have dreaded doing and have been putting off for a while. This happens with scrapbooking quite a bit as it is something that I find quite hard to do and don’t really enjoy doing much. I normally have to psyche myself up to do it. I think this stems from not really knowing what to do but there are plenty of sites on the internet for inspiration which normally get me going. With the last 2 or 3 layouts I have felt such a sense of achievement once I finished them as I have been really pleased with them.
I also feel alive once I have done some exercise and reenergised myself. I don’t really get much time to do any exercise nowadays or do I seem to have the energy. Before we got married , we used to go to the gym three times a week but we don’t go anymore. A good walk along the prom between Sandbanks and Bournemouth on a cold and windy but bright day is always a great way to feel alive. I love to dress up warm and then walk along the seafront. The wind blows all the cob webs away and makes me feel great. It is not so easy to do it with Zoe as she gets frustrated being in her pushchair for too long but it is too far for her to walk. The last time we went, we took her trike which has a handle to push her along with.

E Prompt for A-Z Challenge

This is my E for the A-Z of Zoe that I am doing. She has the most beautiful brown eyes just like her Daddy's. I love the way they always seem to be smiling. She loves to cover up her eyes and ask "Where's Zoe?" and then uncover them and say "Here I am!"

Day 71 - Tuesday 11th March

“First thing every morning before you arise say out loud, 'I believe,' three times” - Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993), author, preacher

What is your "mantra"? Start today, believing in you. Take time to write down your thoughts, and your beliefs. What is important to you? What do you "believe" in?

I think my mantra is to treat people in the same way that I would expect to be treated. I know I have mentioned this before in my journaling but I firmly believe in this statement.
I think it is only right to be kind and fair to people of all ages, all backgrounds, all nationalities and all abilities. I try not to do anything to someone that I would not like to happen to me or ask something of someone that I would not be prepared to do myself. This can be difficult sometimes as it is easy to have misconceptions about people before you get to know them but I like to think everyone on this earth is equal and we should all have the same rights.
I don’t like to inflict my views on other people. I think everyone should make their own minds up about things. My husband and I have very different views on many things such as immigration, less well off people as us, charities etc, but I believe he has lead quite a sheltered life and is uninformed on many matters that he has strong opinions on. He is quite the opposite on me on my mantra.
I like to always believe in the best of people which some may see as me being naive but I like to think everyone is good and kind – I am learning that this is not always the case, but I am beginning to know the signs of people who are not genuine and I tend to give these people a wide berth.

Day 70 - Monday 10th March

"Balance”

When I think of this word of think of life balance and how to get the right balance between work and play. I don’t think I am getting the balance right at the moment but that will change in a couple of week’s time – hopefully!
I have been working now full time for the last 5 or 6 weeks and it hasn’t been too hard other than I just don’t seem to get any time to myself to do the things that I enjoy doing such as my crafting.
I always had a Friday off, which meant that I could get all my housework done and that would leave the weekend free to do family stuff. I would also get some crafting done on a Friday which meant that I never felt guilty about taking some time out for myself. Since working 5 days a week I am in a constant rush to get everything done and my crafting is the last thing in a long list and so invariably gets dropped.
On a weekend, the first to get done is the housework and then we go off and do all the normal weekend things. We normally spend a couple of hours at Zoë’s Grandma’s which is great for Zoë and them but I often sit there thinking that I could be at home having a couple of hours to myself doing some crafting. This makes me feel mean having these thoughts and James would go mad if I were to suggest that I stay at home and have some “ME” time.
At the end of March my hours revert back to 4 days a week and I hope to regain some of my work-life balance.

Day 69 Sunday 9th March

"Comfort”

The first thing that popped into my head for this prompt was fabric softener but I wasn’t sure what I could journal about it so I had to have a re-think. I knew we were going into town to pay the balance on our holiday so I thought I would take my little camera with me. When we go to town we always have a Costas so I thought I would have big Hot Chocolate with cream and marsh mallows as it is a good comfort drink.
Well we went into town and we went to Costas and I got my Hot Chocolate, which I actually don’t enjoy that much, and sat taking photos of it much to the embarrassment of my husband. When I got home, I realised that I have left the camera in the pushchair in the boot of the car which is now locked away in garage and me being the lazy person that I am, cannot be bothered to go and get it out.
So I have had to have another re-think and thought about what things I like to have when I am not feeling well or just generally run down and want a bit of comfort. The thing that sprung to mind is my hot water bottle. I love my hot water bottle and it’s lovely ladybird cover. If I am cold, it warms me up and if I have tummy ache then it always makes me feel better. All in all it is a great comforter.

365 Challenge - Week 9 Layout

This is my layout for week 9. I was going to rebel for a second week and use a different picture but then I thought I ought to behave myself and do as I am told!!

So here it it. Is has taken me all week to summon up the mojo to do it and now it is my favourite layout I have done to date. I have used Stella Ruby paper and letters. Then I have used lots of Daisy Crazy Prima paper flowers and glue various beads into the middles.

Day 68 - Saturday 8th March

"Patience”

I am not a very patient person and with a two year old in the house, you need some patience. I often catch myself shouting at Zoë for something quite minor. I am trying to be more patient but when I am tired and Zoë is pushing me to the edge it is very hard.
Today we got our insurance renewal quote and it is £60 more than last year and we haven’t claimed or anything so I was a little surprised at such a hike in the price. We only have one car now and so we have to take it turns to insure the car so that we do not lose our no claims bonus as they last for two years.
So this means that we have to go through the rig moral of going through all the questions that the insurance companies ask you and the more the quotes you want the more times you have to go through it. This would try the patience of a saint and ofcourse James never does it so it falls to me to do it all. I will do it over the internet but it will probably take a whole evening to do it for several different companies.

Day 67 - Friday 7th March

"Sweet”

I looked at the prompt first thing this morning and my first thought was chocolates or sweeties., but things like that don’t tend to be laying around the house for long so getting a photograph would be hard.
So I had to come up with another idea. I looked across the room at Zoë who was sat on the sofa drinking her morning milky having a cuddle with her Upsy Daisy teddy. She had only been awake for a few minutes and so she looked all sleepy and sweet. She was not very impressed with me trying to get a picture of her and making the flash go off in her eyes.
She needs to really give up having her milky in a bottle but then she won’t be my little baby anymore and that makes me sad!

Day 66 - Thursday 6th March

"Soft”

Oh now this is a hard prompt.
I have been thinking about it all day and have not been able to come with anything other than some of Zoë’s toys.
Last year when we went to Bath we went into the Disney Store and bought Zoë some Winnie the Pooh teddies. They are the softest toys I have ever touched. She has a Tigger and a Pooh but she loves her Eeyore the most. Every morning when she wakes up, she always asks for Eeyore and she likes to cuddle him whilst she has her morning bottle of milky.
She always wants to take Eeyore to nursery but I always say no as I think he is too nice to take in when she could lose him, but this morning I relented and let her take Eeyore to school. He came home safely as the photo shows.

Day 65 - Wednesday 5th March

"Explore”
When I think of the word Explore I think of nature and it made me think of yesterday. When I got to work yesterday there was a small Chaffinch hopping from car to car furiously tapping at car windows because he was looking at his reflection, obviously thinking that it was a rival male Chaffinch challenging him for his territory. I didn’t have my camera but made sure that I bought it to work this morning.
I pulled up in the car park this morning and the little bird was nowhere to be seen. I was very disappointed. As I walked across the car park I still couldn’t see him, but I could hear him. So I hunted him out and quickly put the zoom lens on my camera and took lots of pictures of him.
He was jumping from wing mirror to car door and was just tapping away at his reflection. He was so lovely and so colourful. He was so engrossed in defending his territory that he let me get quite close to him to take the photos. Out of the 30 odd pictures I took these were my favourite: