Day 60 - Friday 29th February

"Yesterday is HISTORY, Tomorrow is a MYSTERY, Today is a GIFT. That's why it's called the 'PRESENT' " - Unknown

Today is a gift, an extra day to be loved, to give love, how did you spend your GIFT?

Well I have been at work today so not really spend the day as a gift. However as I have already mentioned I like to have fun at work and so I have been winding up one of my colleagues today. Traditionally a woman can ask a man to marry her on 29th February. We have been winding Gavin up for weeks about his girlfriend Vicky proposing to him.
When I saw him this morning the first thing I asked was “When is the big day?”. He told me to go away politely. I kept joking about weddings and rings and stuff. He likes to joke about my height (or lack of it) and so I thought it was time for some revenge.
I e-mailed his girlfriend and asked her to wind him up with me. So she phoned him at lunchtime and said that before they go out tonight she had something to ask him. Unfortunately I think he saw through the wind up and tried to get his own back on me. His girlfriend, Vicky, came into work this afternoon and they came to my desk and he tried to make out that I had caused a big row between them because of my joke. Trouble is Vicky is rubbish at keeping a straight face and she gave it away. So I suppose that makes us quits.
Until the next time... ... and revenge will be mine, all mine. Ha ha ha ha!!!!!

Day 59 - Thursday 28th February

"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all." - Laura Ingalls Wilder

What simple thing in your life made your day just perfect?

I have had a busy week doing everyone else’s work so they can fit in their holiday before the end of the holiday year and to top it all off James has been on call all week and has not been home before 9 pm each night. This has meant that I have had to do everything at home in the evenings such as cook tea, make sandwiches, wash up, sterilise bottles, get everything ready for morning and bath and get Zoë ready for bed.
Tonight Zoë has been especially tired and grouchy and so everything has been twice as hard and James has been called out. I was late home as Zoë had a parent’s evening at nursery so was already behind time. The evening from hell started out with a tantrum in Asdas as she wanted a CBeebies magazine which I bought for her and then after I had paid for it she decided she wanted a different one. She had an enormous tantrum and screamed and cried. I had to drag her out of the supermarket with her kicking and screaming. When I got home, she didn’t want her tea and had another tantrum. I convinced her to eat some dinner and then it was time for bath. I had to eat my tea standing up whilst Zoë was in the bath and then battled with her to dry her, to brush her hair, to clean her teeth. Our neighbours downstairs must have thought I was killing her.
Anyway now she is bed and I have made myself a nice cup of tea and got some chocolate biscuits. A simple cup of tea always makes everything ok.

Day 58 - Wednesday 28th February

“Look at what you've got and make the best of it. It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” - Proverb

Take time today to focus on what YOU have and not what you don't have.

I do realise that I am a very lucky girl. I do try to concentrate on how fortunate I am rather than what I would like to have. I think I am a “half full glass” type of person rather than a “half empty glass” type.
I know I have a good life with a caring husband and lovely daughter. I have a nice place to live, which could be bigger, but it is ours and that can be quite an achievement nowadays with the house prices as they are. I have a good job which I really enjoy. I hardly ever wake up in the morning dreading having to go to work and I know how rare that can be. I wouldn’t say we were rich but we have a pretty comfortable lifestyle.
Zoë is healthy and growing into a well adjusted little girl – sometimes! I know she is in a good nursery where she is safe and well cared for. I would like another child but there is time for that yet.
I still have my cough and have been to the doctors today as I have coughed so much, I have hurt my back. But all in all, I think I am pretty lucky and have everything in life that I need.
When I picked Zoë up from nursery today, she had made me a Mother’s Day card and so that is my photo for today.

Day 57 - Tuesday 26th February

"Joy enters the room. It settles on the windowsill, waiting to see whether it will be welcome here." - Kim Chernin

Is it me or are these prompts getting harder and harder?
Well I think I can safely say that I embrace joy whenever I can and I am the type of person who likes to be happy and having fun whenever I can. Contrary to what my husband would tell you, I am not the type of person who is glum or moody or who goes into a sulk over silly things. Life is short and I believe you should grasp it with both hands and enjoy it as much as you can. What is the point of being grumpy and sullen when you could be laughing and joking about something instead?
I have got into trouble at work in the past for having too much fun but I think as long I am getting my work done and I am not affecting other people then where is the harm? We have recently had a change of managing director and we get on really well and he likes to laugh and joke as much as I do. He shares my philosophy about being at work for a long time and you should be able to enjoy your time there.
So joy come and sit on my windowsill and I will lift you down and give you a great big hug and cuddle and you will never want to leave!

365 Challenge - Week 8 Layout

I have rebelled on this layout. Anna wanted us to use the picture from day 53 but I didn't want to scrap a picture of our loft so I have used the picture from Day 54 instead. This is the only photo I have of my dad, my brother and me, so it precious to me. The paper used for the circles is something I made ages ago using my Starburst Stains.

A-Z Challenge D Layout

This is the D layout. I have used a picture of Zoe and her Daddy on my Dad's farm on the quad bike. Zoe really is a Daddy's Girl!

Day 56 - Monday 25th February

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you" - Dr Seuss

Funny that this prompt is the complete opposite for me today, in fact for the whole week.

It is the last week of the holiday year at work and so lots of people in the office are on holiday and so I seem to be doing their work as well as my own. On a Monday morning one of my colleagues does an audit on the sales, refunds and general systems use for the previous week and in her absence I get to do it. It takes about 3 hours to complete and then you know no one bothers to reads it – very frustrating. There are other various tedious jobs that she has to do and I have got to do them too!!! No wonder she needs a holiday!!!

Also we have a weekly communications document that goes out to all the garden centres. Another one of my colleagues does this and in her absence, old muggings here, gets to do it.

Nobody seems to realise that I am busy too and that it is the first day of the new financial year and so I have stacks of work to do of my own. I should have taken my remaining holiday last week but due to Matt leaving and work load, I didn’t get to take it and am having it paid instead. Can you tell I am feeling sorry for myself?

Day 55 - Sunday 24th February

"Adopt the peace of nature" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Well I have woken up this morning early. James has stayed overnight at Joe’s helping him move house and is due back this morning. When I opened the curtains it was so quiet out there and there were a couple of black birds pecking around in the garden. Without even seeing the prompt yet I thought how lovely nature is. I think my new camera has definitely made me appreciate my surroundings more and see things in a different way.
Well we have had a busy day. We have been into Bournemouth to do a bit of shopping. We always park in the Town Hall car park and as we were walking to the shops we found some beautiful purple and yellow crocuses so I whipped my little point and shoot camera out and took some pictures.
After shopping we went to a new soft play area called Monkey Bizzness. It is in a dis-used night club where I have spent many a night dancing and drinking the night away. Zoë had great fun and was so tired when we got home, she fell asleep drinking her milky which she very rarely does nowadays.

365 Challenge - Week 7 Layout

This week's layout had to be done on Valentines. Well not much really happened for us on Valentine's Day so I thought I would scrap one of our wedding photos. This is one of my favourite photos

Day 54 - Saturday 23rd February

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” - Audrey Hepburn

Again this a deep quote and I am not sure that I am interpreting it correctly but here is my take on it.
I think I am a good person or at least I do try to be. I try to help others when they need it and even sometimes when they don’t need it. I could be perceived as a bit naive as I always believe in the best of people and this has turned out to be a problem sometimes as I have shared my troubles with people only to find out that they have then used that against me.
I can’t play mind games or the political games that often get played in the workplace. I am what you see and I like to think other people are the same but more often than not, they aren’t. This has caught me out on a couple of occasions. However as someone once said to me “If you stand on the river bank long enough you will soon see your enemies float past”. This could not be more true in relation to my job over the past few years.
I like to be treated as I would treat others. Why can’t everyone be kind and caring, open and honest and not have to play games? There are so many troubles and wars in the world that are borne out of greed and hunger for control. I say “Live and let live”.
I know I am not alone. I have a lovely caring husband, a beautiful daughter, kind parent in laws and although I don’t see much of my Mum as she seems to be reliving her teenage years (long story – don’t ask!!!) I know that she will always be there for me. And now my Dad is there for me too after a long absence. This photo was taken at Zoë’s naming ceremony in September 2006 and was the first time my Mum and Dad had been in the same room for 30 years. This is James, my brother, me and Zoë and my Dad.

Day 53 - Friday 22nd February

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful" - William Morris

Due to the fact that we live in a flat we are always cramped for space but luckily as we are on the first floor, we get to have a loft. James is quite a hoarder and he hates to throw things out just in case we will need them again. I think he thinks it is wasteful to throw stuff out. I am beginning to become like this too as I know he will moan if I throw something out. A good example of this is the ironing board. The cover was torn and when I bought a new cover it didn’t properly so I bought a new ironing board. Now we have 2 ironing boards – 1 is useless as it doesn’t have a cover, so why do we still have it?
Firstly the stuff gets put into the 2nd bedroom onto the spare bed which is actually Zoë’s room and then when that gets too cluttered it gets moved to the loft which is basically just a dumping ground for stuff – which he continuously moans about.
Zoë is still in her cot so it hasn’t really mattered that her room gets a bit cluttered but we are planning on changing her cot to be a bed and want to decorate the room nicely for her. I don’t think we can fit anything else into the loft so that definitely needs clearing out. I think a good rule to follow is “Have we needed it in the last year?” and if the answer is no then it can be chucked out.
James is away this weekend and I need to get something out of the loft so I may use this an excuse to get up there tonight and have a sort out of my stuff that is up there and then take it to the dump tomorrow. That will earn me some Brownie Points. God knows I could do with some!!!

Day 52 - Thursday 21st February

"Fashions fade, style is eternal" - Yves Saint Laurent

What is your style?

This prompt could be interpreted in so many ways and there are many styles that I could journal about. These are the most obvious:
Dress Style – I don’t think I conform to a particular style or look. I tend to wear suits to work with a jumper or a blouse. At home I wear jeans or combats with various surfing branded t-shirts or hoodies. I like to shop in Next for most of my work clothes and Animal for my casual clothes. I do struggle to find trousers as I am short so I always have to have petite ones which then means that I have a limited range to buy from.
Management Style – I don’t think I am a particularly good manager as I am not overly good at delegation as I am such a control freak and like to do most things myself. I don’t like to confront people about difficult situations either. However there are other things which I think make me a good manager such as I like to be flexible with my staff and as long as they give extra then I will always give that bit extra back. I like to have fun at work as long as timescales are adhered to.
Parenting Style – I know my style has changed to how I had planned throughout my pregnancy. James and I had such strict views but we have definitely relented on a few things. If we were ever to watch parents with their children, we were always quick to criticise how they treated their children but since becoming parents we do see things differently and Zoë gets away with things that I never thought we would let her do – mostly relating to her eating unfortunately as she is so picky.
I don’t think anything about me makes me stand out in a crowd – which I kind of like!!!

Day 51 - Wednesday 20th February

“Be the change that you want to see in the world” – Mohandas Ghandi

A great reminder of why we are doing this.

This is a very deep and meaningful prompt – probably a bit too deep for me. The reason I chose to do this was challenge was to be able to earn points from doing the layouts for my new team on UKS. You don’t earn points for making cards so I needed to start scrap booking and I needed help with prompts of what to do . I have to admit to not really liking scrapbooking, but I am really enjoying the journaling and photography aspects of this challenge. I had bought a new digital SLR camera in the January sales so it was also a good reason to make the most of the expensive equipment I had bought.
The prompts do make you think of things in a different way. Sometimes they are hard, such as today, and other times they are easy.
I have been thinking for the last few weeks that I would really love to have another baby soon. Zoë is 2 now and I am 35 and I am conscious that I don’t really have time on my side. There are some financial constraints that would make having another baby difficult. We live in a 2 bedroom flat so we would really need to move but then our mortgage would be sky high as opposed to the small amount we currently are paying. I already pay exorbitant nursery fees for Zoë – last months was £850 although it was a 5 week month and it included my extra days. When she turns 3, we do get some sessions paid for so it would come down a bit but having to pay for 2 children in nursery would be still be expensive. I know I couldn’t give up work totally as it would drive me mad. I could wait until Zoe is say 4 and then she would be starting school by the time I would be returning to work but then I would 2 years older too and I worry about the risks of pregnancy then.
Then again we had lots of worries about having Zoë in the first place but you just get on with it, don’t you?

Zoe is 2 days old in this photo

Day 50 - Tuesday 19th February

“For happiness is anyone and anything at all that's loved by you” - Charlie Brown; Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz

We are 50 days into our project, let’s just think about our happiness today

I am in a very silly mood today.
When I get overtired, I either get very grumpy or very silly and almost hyper. Today the silliness has won out. I have been singing in the office and just generally playing the fool. I was asked by a colleague whether I was on drugs – as if!!!!
I can’t believe we are on Day 50. Where has that time gone? It makes me think of the end of the year and what I will do next year without this challenge to do. I have made some really good friends on the UK Scrappers website and I will really miss them when this is finished. I think we should all get together at the end of the year and have a big party.
I would be totally happy today if it wasn’t for my blinking cough which seems to be hanging around and not responding to the antibiotics.

Day 49 - Monday 18th February

"The Sound of Music"

We all listen to music everyday. Whether it be on the radio, IPod, CD Player, the TV or sounds of birds singing, children laughing. Find the music in your day.

I thought things were going too well with the film prompts but no! I haven’t seen this film either, but I don’t think that it matters.
I love music and will always have a radio on at home or in the car. I am not very good at silence. I really like proper bands that actually play their own instruments. I can’t stand manufactured pop stars or bands such as Girls Aloud. My favourite bands are Razorlight, The Foo Fighters, Kaiser Chiefs , Red Hot Chilli Peppers. I would love to go to one of festivals such as Glastonbury but I think I am just too old now and am not overly good in big crowds of people and I know I would hate all that mud. So I will make do with the telly and watching it from the comfort of my sofa.
I have two IPods. One that I got a couple of years ago and then James bought me an IPhone when they first came out, which has replaced the IPod. I have quite an eclectic taste in music and if you were to go through the music on my IPhone you would see just how varied it is – all of the above bands, Macy Gray, Robbie Williams, The Kooks, Prince, Jamiroquai, Mika, Corrine Bailey Rae, Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Squeeze, Meat Loaf, Guns and Rose, Green Day, Kelis, The Beautiful South, Mark Ronson, Beverley Knight – need I list anymore?

365 Challenge - Week 6 Layout

Select a photo from Day 40, one of your five, or maybe all five, and journal why the photo/photos you chose mean so much to you

Here is my layout for week 6. One of the things from Day 40 was sun and as my journaling said, I didn't know how to photograph the sun, so I took a photo of the daffodils in the garden. It is such a beautiful day here, that I thought that I would take some more photos and use them for the layout. Look at the blue of that sky - it looks almost unreal doesn't it?

Daffodils are one of my favourite flowers and they signal the end of Winter and the start of Spring - hence my layout title.

Day 48 - Sunday 17th February

"Edward Scissor Hands"


I am guessing we all have scissors in our hands at one point in the day, whether you are a crafter, a seamstress, a hairdresser! Edward was an artist, so are you.


At long last I film I have seen, albeit a long time ago. Lots of girls have a real thing for Johnny Depp but I can’t see it myself.
My take on this prompt will quite literally be about hair. Zoë’s hair is a real mess. She has only ever had it cut once by my husband’s hairdresser and this was back in September 2007. It is in desperate need of a cut now and due to other commitments we won’t be able to get it cut for ages yet. Her hair never really seems to have grown at the sides so she has a bit of a mullet going on and then it has these strange waves and curls which just make it look untidy. When it is brushed out after a bath, it is really quite long.
My husband has such lovely dark, almost black hair that I hoped Zoë would inherit, but she has my mousy brown hair. I always thought she could have a lovely straight shiny bob, but I don’t think this will ever be possible.
I do try to put it up into a pony tail but it is so soft and fine it is really difficult to get into a hairband and because she moves so much it looks quite untidy once I have managed to do it. Of course then she pulls it all out after a couple of minutes.
If I was brave enough, I would attempt to cut at least her fringe myself – but I am not. I will try a hair grip to keep this out of her eyes – but I know what will happen, she will just pull it straight out.
Zoe with her hair up:

Zoe not happy with her hair up:

Zoe with hair down scoffing her favourite treat - a banana (see the mullet!!!)

Day 47 - Saturday 16th February

"Chocolate"

Think of chocolate, baking, love. Which one will inspire you today?

You know I haven’t seen a single one of the films from all the prompts this week., but luckily I think I know what chocolate is.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t like chocolate but there are definitely other foods that I would pick first over chocolate – like my beloved Rainbow Drops and sometimes I prefer savoury things such as some yummy Pringles. Having said that if someone were to offer me a Bounty, I would always take it. I do tend to eat my choccie bars in a strange way. For Bountys, I always eat all the chocolate off first and then eat the coconut last. For Twixs, I eat the chocolate from the sides first, then I eat the caramel off the top and then eat the biscuit last.
Zoë has spied the bag of the Milky Way Magic Stars that I used in the photo and has whinged for them. She has already eaten her breakfast so I have relented and let her have some. She has been very good and shared them with Daddy and I without asking. So perhaps something from yesterday’s prompt is working.
It is Daddy that is the chocoholic. He can easily eat a big”to share” bar of chocolate in one go by himself. The crème eggs in the photo are his. I wonder they will last?

Day 46 - Friday 15th February

"Wonderful Life"

My all time favourite film. So much to take from this film, need I say more

Guess what – again I haven’t seen this film either. I have Googled it and this is what I got:
“An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would had been like if he never existed”

I can’t begin to pretend that I would have touched so many people as in the film but I would like to think that I have made some impact somewhere.
In work terms, I am an IT Manager and so am helping my users all day long. I never get a phone call to say that everything is fine, I only ever get calls to tell me that someone has a problem. I like resolving the issue and getting the user working again as quickly as possible.
In my home life, I know my every action has an impact on how Zoë will turn out as a person and so James and I try to be good parents. This doesn’t always work out and I know I rant at her too much at probably pretty inconsequential things. I think it is important for her to share things, to be kind and considerate to others, to be polite and well mannered, to eat nicely and be nice to her parents. Perhaps she is too young at 2 for some of this, but I think if I start it early enough it will just be second nature to her.
Maybe there is a bit more work to be done on the eating nicely...

Day 45 - Thursday 14th February

"Love Story"

Hey its Valentines Day! Journal about your love story , past , present, future!

I got together with James 10 years ago on March 6th 1998. I was living with someone else at the time and we were engaged – although not to be married! My ex-partner was 13 years older than me, had 4 kids from 2 different marriages – a real catch!!! I had such little self respect and self esteem that I thought it was better to be with someone, anyone, rather than no-one.
James was an electrician where I worked and I needed some sockets putting into the telephone room and he was given the job to come and put them in for me. He came to see me and I showed him what needed doing. It wasn’t until later that I found out, that he came back to ask me out but when he saw that I was wearing an engagement ring and he didn’t bother.
A few weeks later, the husband of my friend who worked in the office with me, started working with James. James came and did a bit more work for me. One day I mentioned to my friend that I had had a dream about James and that I quite liked him. He was just my type – dark haired and big brown eyes – he looked a bit like David Baddiel. Anyway she went back to her husband and told him and he said that James liked me too. So between the two of them, they arranged a night out for us. I know this was naughty as I was with someone else but I knew I didn’t love this man and that I could do better and that I was worth much, much more!!
So we went out as a foursome into Wimborne. We had a great evening and I had a little sneaky snog that night. We arranged to spend the next day together. I picked him up in the morning and we spent the day at a friend’s house in Swanage. I knew there and then that he was the man for me and that I found my true love.
So that night when I got home, I left my partner taking very little with me other than my clothes and my beautiful little dog. I moved back home with my Mum – which was very hard having had a home of my own for the last 5 years.
James was in the process of buying a flat at the time and he moved into it 6 months later. I was so determined to do things the right way, that although I would stay at the flat at weekends, I didn’t move in with James for 3 years. We got engaged about 3 years later and then got married on July 10th 2004. It was such a beautiful day. We got married in church with all the traditional trimmings. It was the last thing that I ever expected would happen to me. It was the best day of my life – other than the day when our beautiful baby was born 18 months later.
We have our hard times, as I am sure lots of couples have, but we also have plenty of good times. I know that this is forever and that he is the love of my life. He is a very generous and kind husband and an excellent father to Zoë. I wake up every morning and realise that I am very lucky.

Day 44 - Wednesday 13th February

"Hairspray"

So love this movie at the moment. Full of BIG hair, lots of singing and lots of dancing!

Guess what – I haven’t seen this film either. I have Googled it and this is what I got:

“the film follows a "pleasantly-plump" teen named Tracy Turnblad as she simultaneously pursues stardom as a dancer on a local TV show and rallies against racial segregation.”

Well I am quite quite plump (was 10st 6.25lb this morning when I weighed myself - so a bit of progress on one of my 10 goals!!!). I am pretty hopeless at dancing and know that I would never make it onto the TV and racial segregation is a thing of the past - I hope!!! So that doesn't leave me much to go on does it?

I really didn't want to do this journaling entry on hair, but I just cannot think of what else to do, so here it is. My hair has a complete mind of it's own and has some weird wave thing going on - which Zoe has inherited. I try to only wash it every other day, so in the mornings on the "non-wash" day, when I wake up it is pretty mad. The quickest way to tame it is to get my faithful GHDs out. I live for my hair straighteners!!! You know when you get asked what 10 things would you have on a deserted island, one of them would have to be my GHDs - mind you not sure how they would work with no electricity.

Day 43 - Tuesday 12th February

"Breakfast at Tiffany's"

Inspiration could come from the beautiful Miss Audrey Hepburn; her fashion, poise and elegance. Try looking at the title; breakfast. Maybe the famous scenes of Audrey window shopping at Tiffanys will inspire your photograph today.

Well I have never seen the film and so I had to ask around at work for some inspiration but nobody could really give me anything. The only thing I do know about the film is that famous picture of Audrey Hepburn look ever so chic. Well that is me out then.
In the photo she has her hair all swept up in a very elegant chignon, has a string of pearls round her neck and is holding a cigarette in a holder. My hair will never stay up and I don’t smoke so that only leaves me with the string of pearls.
A couple of years ago James and I went shopping in Bath just before Christmas. I love shopping in a new town at Christmas because everything looks so exciting and the lights make everything appear almost magical. Whilst we were wondering around the little alleys of shops, we stumbled upon a jewellery shop and I found a really gorgeous freshwater pearl necklace that I just fell in love with.
James is so good to me that he bought it for me. I don’t wear it very often but I do really love it and whenever I see it, I always remember the Bath shopping trip and the magical feeling that I felt that day.
It is several strings of all multicoloured pearls and wound together.

Day 42 - Monday 11th February

"Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some, and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some" - Robert Fulghum

I think I lead a quite well balanced life. Although I work, currently full time, I make sure I have plenty of time for play with Zoë and for myself – well perhaps not quite as much time as I would like for myself, but I think that is right when you are a mother. Zoë comes first.
I do feel guilty about working and sending Zoë to nursery. However, she loves going to nursery and she gets much more stimulation than I could ever give her. Financially and mentally I need to work. I have worked hard to get where I am career-wise and I couldn’t just give that up.
I like to learn new things and my camera is a good example of this. I am really enjoying learning how to use it and to come up with different pictures to depict these prompts. I like time to myself to think too – but not too much time!!! My crafting is my drawing and painting – which I actually can’t do either of so making cards is my creative release and is also my play. I can’t sing or dance but I do like to listen to music, especially before going to bed. Dancing is something that I would love to be able to do and who knows perhaps sometime in the future I will take lessons and learn how to it properly!

My photo represents the balance between work - my phone and a calculator (laptop wouldn't fit on the scales) and play - Zoë's toy Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy

C for A - Z Book of Zoe

I have managed to do a double layout for the C prompt for the A-Z Challenge. I have done C for Cousins. Last week my gorgeous nephew came down. He will be 4 in July and it is so lovely to see him and Zoe playing together. They get on really well.

Day 41 - Sunday 10th February

"Beauty does not exist to be ignored, rather it is a reflection of the soul that invites our participation" - Linda Saccoccio

Lets have fun with reflections today

I don’t really feel like having any fun today. I had a cold a couple of weeks ago and now I have a sore throat and a really annoying dry tickly cough that just bubbles up and then I can’t stop coughing. I have had a bad night’s sleep as this cough kept waking me up. My throat is so sore, it really hurts to talk and I feel sort of out of breath.
I have managed to do the food shop this morning and a double layout for the A-Z challenge but that has used up all my energy and so now I am sat on the sofa watching the rugby. I suppose I ought to go and get some reflection photos.
James is cleaning his new van and so hopefully it will be very shiny and I might be able to get my reflection in it. If not it will have to be the mirror.
Update:
Although James’ van is very shiny, because it is silver it is hard to get a good reflection, however, our neighbour’s car gave me a good one. And I even managed to get a picture of him too.

Day 40 - Saturday 9th February

"We really need only five things on this earth. Some food, some sun, some work, some fun and someone" - Beatrice Nolan

Try and photograph all five things today – I took all these photos yesterday

Food - Here is my lunch. One Dairylea and Ham sandwich, one Babybel, one Dairylea dunker thingy and a Rhubarb yoghurt (the only yoghurt I like!)

Sun – not sure on how to photograph the sun so here are some beautiful daffodils that are the colour of the sun.
Work – this is my desk at work. What a mess!!!

Fun - we were sent these red pants to work sometime ago as a marketing ploy by a computer company. I have been joking ever since that I will make a cape and they will become our IT uniform. Matt looks horrified everytime I mention them. I have asked him to model them on numerous occasions but he won’t. So I had to - they were a bit tight!!

Someone – And here is Matt trying to avoid the camera – there is no escaping me!!!

Day 39 - Friday 8th February

"Never frown, because you never know when someone is falling in love with your smile" - Carol O'Leary

I love to smile but hate being photographed smiling as I hate my teeth. I think my teeth are really crooked and so when I have my photo taken, I normally try to smile without showing my teeth and then I look like I am breaking wind or something and the photo looks even worse than if I were to show my teeth.
I dreaded having our wedding photos taken, but somehow the photographer made me look good in all the photos – I think I was so happy that I just forgot about my teeth and was just being natural in front of the camera.
My husband has a beautiful smile as he has cute dimples which come out when he smiles. His smile and his gorgeous brown eyes are what made me fall for him in the first place, so this prompt is definitely true in our case.
I wasn’t sure what photo to take so I made 2 faces out of my favourite Friday night treat – Rainbow Drops.

Day 38 - Thursday 7th February

"We can do more than imagine, we can create" - Dan Zadra

Create something today, be it a memory, or art.

Well I am going to cheat for this prompt and do something that I created last night as I am going out tonight and won’t have time to create anything.
I am having a girlie night out tonight with some old work colleagues. We are going for Pizza and to the Cinema to watch PS I Love You. I read the book of this film a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it, so I am hoping that the film doesn’t disappoint. It will be lovely to catch up with everyone and have a good old girlie gossip. I will leave Zoë in charge of James for the evening!!!
It is my fiend Vanessa’s birthday next week (on Valentine’s day) and so I made her a card last night so that I could take it with me tonight. She is just getting into crafting so I bought her a goody bag from Hobbycraft as a present.
The card is A5 sized and I have mat and layered black card onto white. I have put Queen and Co black felt onto the bottom of the white card and put cerise coloured gems at the end of various swirls. I then used a black Bazzill bloom with pink and white paper flowers all attached together with a cerise pink gem brad. I then just used a simple black rub on birthday greeting.
I hope she likes it. She is very artistic and can turn her hand to crafting things really easily and anything she makes looks fantastic. If she wasn’t such a good friend, I would hate her!!!!

Day 37 - Wednesday 6th February

"The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful" - E.E. Cummings

What a fun quote!!

What a shame this quote wasn’t yesterday.
When I picked Zoë up from nursery yesterday she was dressed in spare clothes because she had been jumping in puddles when she had been outside playing. One of the nursery assistants had been letting all the kids jump in the puddles. However she got a bit carried away with one of her little friends and fell over straight into the mud and was covered in it. Nursery had to wash her clothes and her coat before I picked her up.
I like that nursery encourage them to do lots of messy play but I know now that whenever she sees a puddle she will want to jump in it. Probably just when she is on her best clothes and we are about to go out!!!
The car park for our flats is one great big puddle. Perhaps more of a lake than a puddle at the moment!!! Last night the entrance to the car park was so flooded that I struggled to get to the flat from the car and I had to skirt around the edge of it but I was still walking in the puddle.
We pay a yearly maintenance to a company to look after the garage blocks and this drain has been blocked for about 3 or 4 years and when it rains, it just floods. They have tried to fix it but to no avail. I ring constantly about it but nothing seems to get done. I hope Zoë doesn’t decide to jump in the puddle as she would probably disappear up to her middle – like Dr Foster!!!!

And she came home tonight in another change of clothes from more puddle playing at nursery.

Here is my week 5 layout. We had to use the picture from Day 32 and were challenged to use paint on the layout. I didn't like my picture for Day 32 so did some painting with Zoe and this is the layout.

Day 36 - Tuesday 5th February

"The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work" Oprah Winfrey

Concentrate on this prompt more for the journalling. Go back to your goal list, how are you getting on? Take a self portrait

Lose some weight - am 10st 9lb – eek!!!
Not sure about this one as I only ever weigh myself at the beginning of the day, so this will have to wait until tomorrow

Get into my photography

I have definitely achieved with this 365 challenge. I am really enjoying using my camera but I still have lots to learn and am hoping to do some photography courses this year.

Try new crafting techniques

I have made a little progress on this as I have never done any scrap booking until I started this challenge and I am also doing an A-Z of Zoë. I have tried using acrylic paints but not had much success and still haven’t even opened my Bind It All.

Be a better mother

Not sure about this. Zoë has managed to fall down the stairs in the last month and I feel like I am forever shouting at her to do or not to do stuff. We had great fun yesterday hand painting. I probably think I have done ok on this but there is probably room for improvement.

Be a better wife, friend and lover to my husband

Probably failed on all of these!!!

Have more confidence in myself

I think I have done ok with this one. I think I am more confident and will speak to anyone about any subject

Keep in contact with distant friends

Failed

Be more motivated at work

Since Matt resigned, I have definitely improved in this area. I think this links into the confidence goal too

GROW UP!!!!

Failed but then I wanted too!!!

And laugh more

Have had a pretty rubbish month but I think I do laugh more!

This photo was taken at the weekend and I have just taken a big mouth of ice cream and it was very cold!!!

Zoe gets crafty

The layout for Week 5 of the 365 challenge is to use the photo from Day 32 which was the red photo. I wasn't overly happy with my picture and didn't want to do it on a layout so sneaked off from work early and came home and did some hand painting with Zoe.

And then she got fed up with red and so switched to blue!!

Day 35 - Monday 4th February

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all" - Harriet van Horne

I love to cook – probably comes from my love of eating!!! I am not particularly good at cooking – except for my Chilli!!!! I find my problem is finding the time to do it. I work 4 days a week and by the time I get home it is after 6pm and so too late to start cooking from scratch. On a weekend, we tend to have lunch out somewhere, normally Costas and so we tend not to have to eat in the evenings.
I try to plan the week’s meals in advance but it seems that we eat the same old things week in, week out. I struggle to think of new things to cook. Supermarkets make everything so easy for the customer nowadays, that I ashamed to admit that I even buy ready prepared vegetables and I buy ready made mashed potato that just needs whacking into the microwave.
Tonight’s dinner is ready prepared potato slices that just go into the oven, ready made chicken Kievs (also go into the oven) with carrot batons that have already been washed, peeled and cut by some kind person for Tesco and so can just go straight into the pan. Quick and easy and whilst it is cooking I can get on with making the sandwiches etc. The rest of the meals for the week are bangers and mash (already made), lamb and mint pie (already made) with mash (bought 2 packs!!!), sweet and sour chicken with the sauce out of a jar – just add chicken. What a bad person I am!
Zoë then makes everything even harder as she seems to refuse to eat anything I cook. So tonight she will eat the carrots, with some pasta and some chicken dipper things. The rest of the week will be ready made things too. I worry about what she eats and the salt content etc but I just don’t have time to cook everything from scratch for her, then for her not to eat it and for me to throw it away. Yet she will go to Grandma’s and eat everything put in front of her!!

Little monkey!!!

I Love U - My Hubby's Valentine Card

This card is for my darling husband for Valentines Day. I subscribe to the Scrap a Go Go Greetings card kit and Monica who is a DT member for them challenged us to make card by Sunday. I made this late last night.

Everything on the card except for 2 brads is from the kit. Scrummy!!!! You seem to get so much for £11.99

Day 34 - Sunday 3rd February

“You don't stop playing because you are old; you grow old because you stop playing" – Unknown

Well what a disaster today has been. I always dial into work in the morning, to make sure that everything is ok in terms of sales polling to Head Office and that the garden centres are ok. I couldn’t dial into two of the garden centres and so got dressed and went into work expecting just to have to reboot routers. Three hours later I was still sat there trying to get to the bottom of the problem. It was the worst time for it to happen as the two centres that I couldn’t access are doing their year end stock takes today and so they need access to the Head Office systems. Aaargh!!!
Anyway all was resolved in the end, but not before it screwed my Sunday up. By the time I got home, hungry as I hadn’t had any breakfast and it was now lunchtime, I didn’t much feel like playing. We went off to do the weekly food shop – another job I hate! The good thing was that I managed to convince James that we should have a MacDonalds for lunch. Very bad I know but quick and easy and Zoë loves it.
The best thing was that, in the Happy Meal, they are giving away MB board games and this week’s one is Twister!!! We haven’t played it yet as Zoë is in bed asleep and James is out in the garden still trying the tree roots out. The last time I played Twister was about 5-6 years ago when I was on business trip with some colleagues and after a heavy night in the bar, we all went back to my room and played Twister until the very early hours!!! Ah those were the days!
We are going to a family get together this afternoon for James’s cousin’s 21st birthday so all the jobs that I normally do in the evening need to be done this afternoon – so there won’t be much time to play today at all!!!