What a weekend

We've been visited y the inlaws this weekend and have had a brilliant time. We went off to Frensham Great Pond - having no idea what it was like - and it turned out to be brilliant! It was like an inland beach with sand, people picnicking and swimming in the lake! Great fun!

Then today we went to the swimming baths. We dunked baby underwater for the first time, very nervewracking! She was absolutely fine but I wouldn't say she loved it.

H is for HELP!

Over the next few days I'm actually going to get some help! I love looking after DD, and, as you know, struggled to leave her when I went back to work. But since then I've discovered that she's become really wary of strangers (3 months early). She screams and cries if anyone other than me or her daddy try and hold her.

I think its because basically she is ALWAYS with me. We have no family nearby so she hasn't even spent time with her grandparents without me. So my new plan is to get her used to some other people. This weekend her grandparents are coming down so I'm going to try and take a back seat and let her get used to them without me.

Also, on Monday, we've got a babysitter coming! Its our 2nd wedding anniversary and we're going to go out for drinks and a meal - the first time alone together since little one was born. I'm really excited about it!

This week I am ...

Reading ... The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Still! I'm over half way through and there have been some really exciting developments!

Listening to ... Taking the Long Way by the Dixie Chicks
Loving this album! A friend at work introduced me to this band as she knew I liked Country and I can't get enough - particularly loving "Lullaby"

Making ... The LAST PAGE in baby's first album
Three months old and I've completed my first scrapbook of her. If I stick to this I'm going to have to dedicate a whole room just to scrapbooks of her!

G is for Good Times

I've had a really good day today. I took baby into town and we joined the library! Well, I was already a member, so she joined the library I should say. We sat together and looked at four books. We then went off to Next (got to love the Next Sale!) and I bought her some clothes for 9-12months ready for next spring - prepared or what?! I also managed to buy myself a blue linen skirt, exactly what I had been looking for.

We went to the book shop to buy daddy "Phantom" by Terry Goodkind - his favourite author ever - and then back home.

I know it doesn't sound particulalry riveting but it was just a really good day, the two of us. Probably more so because I had 2 days at work last week. It's made me appreciate my time with her even more.

F is for Friday Feeling

OH. MY.

How glad am I that it is finally Saturday?! I didn't get that "Friday Feeling" yesterday but at least I have it today!

I started back at work on Thursday. Although I was a bit worried about it, in my heart of hearts I thought that once I got there I'd be ok.

I was wrong.

I don't really want to go off on a rant here at the moment - maybe I'll save you all that joy for later! - but my friends at work totally rallied round for me yesterday when they realsied hw down I was on Thursday. So thank you very much all you guys!

I am so glad that now I have the 6 week summer holiday and I don't have to face work again until 31st August. Right, now I'm going to forget all about that and concentrate on the important things - my baby. Oh and of course scrapping :o)

E is for Exceptional heat!

This year, about 6 weeks ago, we decided to buy an air con unit. It has been THE best purchase imaginable! It is meant to get up to 37 degrees today and without it I think me and baby would be really struggling. Yesterday was 34. We left the house once to walk to the shop. I put on suncream, a hat, a Tshirt, sunglasses ... baby was covered up with a parasol. I still got sunburnt. (Only a small bit, but still)

Today I am refusing to leave the house so we shall just play, listen to songs, read stories and while she is asleep I'll read some more of my book. It is so exciting at the moment! It's making me want to visit Istanbul and Budapest. They both seem like such faraway places even though they are in Europe. I think its because they are so so different to Western Europe.

Anyway, leaving it there for now.

D is for "Do these things" and Disneyland

Inspired by a post I saw on twopeas about a car advert in America (still with me guys?) I've started to create a list of things I want to do with DD. And now this is turning into a whole scrapbook.

I've started the first page -
Which is basically two pockets to keep lots of tags in - so far I've only made about half of the tags I need!

Here's a close up of some of the tags -
They're not finished yet, I want to tie lots of different ribbons to the tops of the tags still.

The twopeas challenge for the day is Which is your favourite ride at Disneyland?

What a perfect challenge for me! I love love love Disneyland! I've only been to Disneyland Paris but I've been there twice - once around Christmas time adn once for my honeymoon! :o) I must say my favourite has to be Big Thunder Mountain and - when its hot - Pirates of the Caribbean. I love the fact that the Blue Lagoon restaurant is right inside that ride. We had a fantastic meal there. Going to Disneyland is listed on one of the tags.

This week I am ...

Reading "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova

It is a modern take on Dracula (which I obviously love, because of the Whitby connection!) adn is a real page turner. I'm about half way through so far and DH is reading it at the same time - it's great to discuss all the twists and cliffhangers (of which there are many) that we have reached.


Listening to "Big Yellow Taxi" - the Counting Crows version

Making - a "holiday box" and a template ready for teaching on Thursday.

C is for creating

I've really really enjoyed this weekend! We actually managed to get the printer working today - I've been printerless for about a year I think - so I got overexcited and did a scrapbooking page involving lots of printed text! No picture of it yet though, so sorry I can't share. I've not made any new ATCs today but I was chuffed to bits this weekend as three of my ATCs have been asked for by people. That positive feedback has really cheered my soul! I also made an anniversary card foor DH this weekend, so it really has been a crafty old time!

I went swimming today with baby for the very first time - I was worried she would hate it but we actually really enjoyed ourselves. The swimming pooll we visited is very good; we went during a 'family morning' so it was a bit cheaper, plus they have huge family changing rooms which obviously helps with a little one.

B is for Blogger

I've not been able to post because for some weird reason our modem needs restarting in order to connect to blogger. It's fine with other sites, just not this one! Typical!

Well over the last few days I've been busy crafting. Here's a couple of ATCs I've made:



I'm really pleased with the Chinese ones, they're made with some metal bookmarks bought back from China by my godmother.

I've also been scrapbooking and (naughty naughty) buying new scrapbooking things - rubons and a paper stack from Die Cuts With A View; Philadelphia foam alphabet stamps from Making Memories. Lovely lovely stuff! I resisted some basic Grey from ebay. I love Basic Grey to look at buut actually really struggle to make pages from it, so I suppose buying it would have been a bad idea.

This question is from two peas Currently, whats a CD (or artist) that you just can't get enough of?
Well, bizarrely at the minute it's "Walt Disney Children's Favourite Songs Vol 2"!!!!! Guess why?!?! Lily just can't get enough of it at the minute, especially if you help her clap her hands. Obviously this isn't my normal listening routine!

**2Peas Blog challenge** TV shows

What canceled or 'retired' TV show do you wish they would bring back? What did you love about it?
I love love love Green Wing and I've heard there will be no third series! I discovered the joys of Green Wing when I was 1 week away from giving birth and DH had gone out for the night in London with an old uni friend. He wasn't due back til late so I watched channel 4 all night. What a laugh! Its just the fact that it is SO surreal. British humour at its best!

Then when DD was awake from 8.30 til 4.30 one night, at 3.00 we watched an episodde that we had recorded. It was the only thing that kept us same that night I think. After that we bought the whole of series 1 (seeing as we'd missed it) on DVD to cope with all those middle of the night feeds.

Bring it back!

A is for Anxious

A beautiful sunny day, the weekend starts tomorrow night ... but ...

I start back at work this time next week. Yes, its only for two days and yes, it is the summer holidays after that so no more work til September ...

People don't seem to understand why I'm worried. Its the fact that I have no idea what I'm going to be doing on those two days. It seems so long since I was at work. What if I can't remember how to do my job? What if noone listens to me? So many concerns, so little time!

Starting here...

My daughter has a blog, my neice has a blog ... I felt I ought to jump on board and have a blog! I'm not sure how exciting this is going to be seeing as most of my time is spent at home, being a SAHM but we'll see won't we?