Ay eck...

....can you guess what it is yet? Of course - its my head board! Converted to B & W -I think it looks better this way.

My hat arrived today - hooray! I'm really pleased with it, thought it was great value for money too! I'll give you a sneak peak, and show you the rest after tomorrow!

A couple of problems though. I have been wondering what else I can do to my mush, in order to become more witch like (save it people, I have already thought that - you dont need to do much Charlene etc etc lol). I have had some great ideas from my fellow DT buddies over at the ILHOTP forum!! So far, Im blackening teeth, warts and wrinkles, and white hair with bonus twigs and leaves!

So thats that problem sorted. However, now I have the problem of my big bushy barnet. The hat wont fit on it! So I may have to blow dry my hair straight. I really will look like a witch then - its been a while since I last did it so it could be frightful! Yay - mission accomplished then lol or at least, thats what I'll tell people!

Behold, the hat........

Love the colour of it!

Another short(ish) one from me - now I have handed in my assignment - I only have to start preparing for another one! How dare they! Swines...oh, and decorate the house ready for our Halloween bash tomorrow, and bake some pumpkin scary fairycakes, and finish this LO for my challenge over on BTYD on Saturday, and remove the brush from my butt after I have finished lol its a good job Im a woman isnt it? Lol - only joking - just in case there are any male readers out there today!

Thanks for stopping by folks and have a happy halloween! I might get chance for a quick post in the afternoon prior to our party, then it'll be thursday or friday before I upload the Halloween pics!

Windows.....

...to my soul - ha! Like I am going to show you my not oft enough cleaned windows with all their decoration!! This is turning into how clean is your bloomin house - and I don't like it lol lol lol

So I went off to Preston today to hunt for my Halloween party outfit, and I am very chuffed with what I got - got it from the vintage oxfam shop in Preston. I'm telling you, that shop is fabulous!! The lady who works in there, is just amazing. The window display is brill - that's what prompted me to go there in the first place when we had a potter out to Preston at weekend to meet my Ma for a brew in the city centre. The stuff she has managed to come up with, with things that just turn up in the shop!! Talented lady. And she was so helpful - it makes a real nice change to be dealt with like that. I am so looking forward to our party on Wednesday! I haven't looked forward to Halloween for ages, since I was a kid, and just before it was 'uncool' to enjoy Halloween.

I'nt 'avin kids brillyant (said in a Paul whitehouse fashion...)? Lol - but it is! Getting excited about Christmas again and little things like that - I look so forward to it all now for our little man. I know I'll still be more excited than he is at this stage, but I cant wait!

Shaun's grandparents are coming dressed up too, so I will most definitely be posting lots and lots of Halloween photos. I'm making a pumpkin soup, and I'm going to try my hand at pumpkin pie, though I don't hold out much hope. My rubbish cooker (never did get round to asking Lloyd about that one) can just about manage making good fairy cakes, but chocolate brownies? Bigger than a fairy cake? TURKEY (the turkey is a sore point with me, as it takes longer than a hundred years to cook, I'm sure, and is never ready on time)??? No. But I'll give it a whirl!!

So now I have to beggar off, and get this assignment handed in. Int'internet brillyant....least I don't have to rush in to Uni like a mad woman, clutching said assignment as though it were the very holy grail, after having just finished it moments earlier. Now I can just upload, and go! Fabulous!

K folks, ta ta for now, and thanks for stopping by!

PS has anyone lost a pair of dark suitcases?? They seem to have left them underneath my eyes. Would you kindly collect them please - they 're getting rather heavy!!

Bleepin blogger.....

I'm typing this, whilst I wait for the blogger to (hopefully) upload my pics again. Somehow - I don't think its going to be happening! I keep getting an error message :(

I'll give it one last try and upload the pics to photobucket if it still doesn't work, failing that I will have to ask for help!! Ah - its done it...

So the above photos were taken on my web cam, as I was suffering from cant-be-arsed-erenteritis, a common complaint I believe - and I therefore had no motivation to fanny about with my SLR - I mean, that would have actually involved going downstairs for it!!! Naaaaa...... anyway, the web cam didn't seem to be working properly. I kept clicking on the darn thing and nothing seemed to be working, until I heard a really loud noise that sounded like a gunshot (almost causing me to fall off my chair) because I had my speakers turned up far too loud. Apparently, the camera had a three second delay on it, and took three photos, one of me normalish, trying to figure out what I was doing wrong, one of me getting more confused, and the final one with me getting near peed off, because I couldn't fathom it out. If only it had took another, when the loud noise had happened - would have loved to have seen my scared mush! And on a brighter note, at least it isn't one of those annoying CHEESE!!!! pics that I usually do for Saturday lol
This next one is of my little man - I love it! He was pulling some really funny faces whilst trying to get the lid off his shampoo. I have a few others of him contorting his face into all sorts of expressions. You could be having the cackiest of days, and you just have to look at him and he'll flash you this gorgeous smile, and nothing seems to matter. Discovered yesterday that he is sensitive to something in tomato ketchup, and it cant be the tomatoes because he eats them like apples! Momos, he calls them. His little face came out in a red rash, so shall have to investigate further - it happens with a few other things too.

We went to see our friend's 8 day old baba yesterday - how cute!! He weighed 6 pounds at birth and was teeny, cute chubby little cheeks and he was sticking his bottom lip out!! I was slightly worried that I would get all broody, as us women often do in the presence of cute cuddly wee ones, but no! I mean, I would love loads of kids, but I still remember those early days, well. The ones where my boobs felt like they were going to drop off with the initial pain of breastfeeding and a very hungry baby, the exhaustion of sleepless nights, the pain of going for a simple wee etc. Mind you, it was a wonderful time and I loved it - NO STOP, no more babies for me just yet! Unfortunately, my Shaun is still in the 'getting to know softly' stage, so when he went to stroke the baby on the head, it ended up being more of a hard pat. He then proceeded to ransack the house, pulling off expensive model cars from a table and other mischievous tricks. What fun!

And this final pic, is some of my little man's artwork! He loves painting, getting it all over his face and hands. He ended up with a little streak of green paint under his eye, which ended up looking like eyeliner, with him resembling a young Russell Brand/Johnny Depp in pirates of the Caribbean, minus the facial hair of course - made me chuckle! Only trouble is now - its one of the first things he goes for in my craft room, shouting PAINT! PAINT! And attempting to squeeze it out of the bottles on the floor. Bless. So now, I better go, but not before mentioning its my turn to post over on Blog Til You Drop today - pop over and have a looksee? I'll be doing it shortly, hope the pic upload starts working soon!

Thanks for stopping by - I will catch up with your pics now, and then post my BTYD stuff! Have a good day folks!

I {heart} chalk and charcoal filter...

You know why I use the chalk and charcoal filter for my self portraits in PSE?? Well, its the same reason its being used here - to hide a multitude of sins lol lol

And before you say - blimmin eck Charli - we know why you need all that slap - I keep my empty bottles because when I have six - I can take em back and get a free lipstick! I love Mac makeup - swear by it. If I use normal 'available at Boots' type makeup - I usually end up looking a nice shade of grey, slightly anaemic or if I am about to croak it - a lot of them just aren't made for my 'yellowy undertones' skin. There I go again with the probably unnecessary quotation marks. This is most definitely my favourite corner of my bathroom as it houses all my precious non-craft type items. Sometimes when I feel and look like hell, a good ol coat (lol lol what am I on about, two or three coats) of makeup does the trick, and 'spruces' me (as my sis would say!).

I was hoping for a kitchen pic today, because I got a cracker of my Shaun eating a chocolate biscuit with his uncle Jack. When I looked at them sat there I thought - this is definitely my most favourite bit about my kitchen today - my bro (and his pal too) and my boy, sat there smiling and laughing - cant ask for more than a happy bunch of kids! I'll post the pic another time.

I am finally getting there with the assignment. Just got the finishing touches and I'm done. I have a LO underway too, just cutting my title for it now. Slightly different to my usual - hooray!!

Right gotta go, would be real nice to finish this LO tonight - feels like ages since I last scrapped proper!!

Thanks for stopping by folks, and have a great weekend!! Oh no! Its SPS tomorrow. I feel a bit of C & C filter coming on....

My inspirations....

A quick upload of one of my favourite things in my 'hallway' lol - laughing because it isnt really a hallway, more like an area of space in my front room that almost qualifies. We got this on a holiday in the Dominican Republic,, where we were ripped off by a few of the friendly locals, until we discovered what they were up to and did a little 'ripping off' of our own lol, nuff said.

This is the holiday on which I nearly drowned (twice - really wish I was a stronger swimmer), but saw some of the most beautiful places (also a few of the most dirty, dingy places, with people living in pretty poor conditions). We went to a place where the locals carved these sculptures and stood there after swanning around the Dominican, sunbathing and generally being lazy and soaking up the place, I was overcome by feelings of guilt! These people worked so hard and carved such beautiful pieces for very little money and I couldnt help feeling like I really shouldnt have been just stood there, watching them working.

Anyway.....

I have been blog stalking a number of people, and have been overwhelmed by the talent of people like Louise (my life most ordinary), and Cloclo (the art of teabag staining), Sharon's Fairy Dust Bag Blog and Looby's (Scrap Happy Lou) blog to name only a few!! They have really inspired me to do something different with my LOs/cards, which are getting a bit samey, and not very adventurous. So I am hoping to create something a bit more inspired! Fingers crossed anyway, I have a few ideas but will just have to see where they end up!

Sp I shall say au revoir, and hopefully I might have some good crafty bits to share with you soon! Have a nice day!

UFOs and exploding brains...

A quick pop on to upload my pic for today! My favourite place in my lounge, the corner bit of the couch. Does everybody have a spot on their couch that just feels 'right'? Out of the whole thing, and its fairly big - this is the one place where I am really comfy! When I was pregnant though - I hated the couch! I had to have help to get me up from the darn thing, what with my humongous bump and the fact that you sink right into it. Up above is some of the gorgeous yarn I bought from The Yarn Yard - I'll be popping a link to them in my favourite shops section. Jaffa Merino, and its plush and bright! So starts my next UFO (unfinished object) - I now have two scarves on the go though because I recently received some yarns from Dragon Yarns - also a fab shop!!

I went to post my CJ on Monday and Shaun snr ended up taking the double buggy in his car, so this meant I had to walk to the shop with one child in a buggy and Shaun Jr on foot. The walking part was lovely!! However, when we got into the shop, Shaun decided to grab a sherbet dip bag, biting off the bottom end, and spilling the contents onto the floor, the proceeding to pull and grab at as many things as he could. At the same time the child safely contained in the buggy pulled off some dog food tins onto the floor - needless to say my blood pressure was higher than it was when I first went in there!! The lady serving in the shop was lovely, but you do get some slightly annoying people who look at you as if to say 'control your child, woman!'. These people obviously must forget what it is actually (I'm doing that 'actually' thing there Bobs, its catching!!) like to have young kids, in to everything and anything the can be.

Anyway, nuff ranting!! Sherman is back! Praise that great car God who deemed him fixable, because I have been lost without him! Trying to get two wriggly kiddies and their car seats in and out of a Celica is not good for the vertebrae, I can tell you.

Gotta go now, and I really really promise, I will get round the blogs tonight. Ive been so busy with this course and my impending assignment I just haven't had chance! My ol' brains are about ready to explode methinks!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day - well, whats left of it anyway!

Pink to make the boys wink?

Now I really dont do pink. There are 2 boys (+ 1 me) = 0 pink in my house. Never been a fan! Im just not a girly girl at all! So this is a layout I did of my brothers and sister from a little while back. I had a 'three little pigs' story sack, and they were very bored, so got out the stuff and posed for this pic for me. I love wolfy's (jack) expression and then little piggy to the right (spencer) who looks really worried!! I got the papers as part of a collection from club scrap - love their stuff!! The papers were also perfect for this 'race for life' layout.

I did this earlier this year, for my mum, who had skin cancer year before last. This was a scary time for all of us - I was scared that not only would I lose my Mum, but my very bestest pal in the whole world. It was a horrible time, but my Mum got through it - I was and am so proud of her, the way she has coped - she really is my inspiration. If ever I feel down or generally cack - she never fails in cheering me up. She's the best! So I dedicated my race for her - I scanned in my back sign from the race and included that on the LO. On my back sign, I put 'I race for my Mum' and put an arrow pointing to her place in the race beside me - I was so lucky to be able to do that because many of the people there had lost their loved ones. Myself included - my Mum raced for her Mum, my Nan, and my cousin who was there raced for my auntie. So stood amongst all those people, I realised how lucky I was.

So one day when I was really proud to wear pink. Hey, maybe pink aint so bad after all.....

PS if you read this Ma, when I was walking down to meet you at the race and saw you standing there, I was so choked up! I tried hard to not cry because I was grateful to have you there and didnt want to make you upset, but I love you so much. You mean the bloomin world to me.

K guys, I shall say TTFN, and thanks for stopping by - I will get round your blogs today or later on tonight - didnt get chance last night - was at another tutorial! Have a fab day!

It's only another stamp CJ!!

So my purple for today, is the front cover of my CJ for the 'another stamp CJ' hosted by Jean, AKA nexjr3 AKA 3DJean of UKS! Crikey that was a mouthful!

But it was purplish, before I grubbed and dirtied and distressed it up a bit. Basically for this CJ, you choose an unmounted stamp, which goes along with your CJ, and what you get back are 10 entries, all using the same stamp somehow, but with 10 very different interpretations of it. How cool is that? Fab idea and really looking forward to getting it back next August. It's a quick one from me today folks because the children are calling, and they'll be swinging from the light fittings if I leave them any longer.

Cheers for stopping by and have a great day!

Oh Ive popped back, thought I might as well show you the innards! Now be gentle with me all you expert altering folk, it is my first bash at this, and by the end of this CJ group I should be on my way to being well versed in the altered world!

Show Off Sunday

Howdi folks! Today I thought I would show off some of my pics from the One Big Weekend in Preston. This was inspired by Bobs' fab pics of Brian May from a couple of weeks back! Now these photos are definitely not technically correct in the least - I had had my DSLR for a few days and was just getting to grips with all the settings, and it was the first time I was actually trying to take photos on it without using the auto setting! And without using flash too - I wanted to try and capture the lighting as it was on the day. I had to crank the ISO settings up to 1600 though and so the pics are quite 'noisy'. I had to hold the camera above my head to take the pics to avoid all the heads in front of us so I was a bit wobbly and there was no way I would be avoiding camera shake!! So the guys above are The Fray - who I love. I liked em before one big weekend but seeing them there live was just amazing. Jo Wiley got on stage with them and played a bit of tambourine which was cool - I think she's a fantastic DJ and listen to her in the week on Radio One.
And above, the mighty Kasabian. Now, we had managed to squeeze and push and wriggle our way to almost the front at this point. But when these guys came on the crowd went slightly crazy, and started pushing in their droves - we nearly ended up on the floor, and with 500 quids worth of camera in my hands I was cacking it a bit, to say the least!! But it was brilliant! Me and my sis (who kindly invited me to go to this fab event when she won tickets - how chuffed was I???) departed at this point, because it was getting a bit much and we were getting trampled on. So we went into the next tent. So glad we did because we saw these guys!!

The Gossip - I am a big fan of theirs and Beth Ditto in partic - I think she has a fab attitude, although I'm not struck on the 'flashing her bits' routine. She didn't do this when we saw her thankfully, although she did nearly spill out of her dress a few times when she was dancing for her life on stage. And the mad woman actually climbed into the crowd - no mean feat for such a short lady. The pic above was her shortly before she 'connected' (her words) with the crowd.And then these guys above -one of my favourite groups of all time - Groove Armada. This pic reminds me so much of waiting there, at the very front of the stage, waiting for them to kick off, the crowd going crazy, and just thinking - wow - I'm so lucky to be here!!
And finally, how can I leave without showing off a picture of my boys? This was taken on a walk at Ingleton Falls. Now we didn't take a carrier for young Shamus, so his Dad carried him most of the way - up hill mostly, about 4.5 miles!! And Shamus is a good solid lad - so it was hard work! And he was fed up and kicking off but who could blame him. His Dad was knackered also - hence the sweaty head lol and bear in mind we hadn't even got a quarter of the way through the walk at this point!! But I still think he looks gorgeous, sweat and all. Poor Shamus is not up for looking at the camera, and is probably eyeing up his escape route.

So I shall say TTFN guys, weekend nearly over now, sob sob, enjoy the rest of it wont you?! Thanks for stopping by!

Chickening out again.

Good evening folks! Well, I am late for posting this pic, was supposed to do it earlier but I was told off for messing about, and told to hurry up and get my butt out of the house, so I had to do as I was told (this once, of course)!! So much for me being brave and baring all after last weeks 'hiding behind the altering' discussion lol

So this is me today, with pores like potholes, and eyes squinting from the sun (and not giving someone evils, as it looks).

Today has been a great day so far, things have just 'gone right'. Dare I put those words in quotation marks, for fear of being added to the blog of unnecessary quotation marks?? Had a peep at that the other day - quite funny!!

I am trying my bestest to be productive in the ol crafting game but it hasnt been easy lately - it seems like no matter how much I do, I never seem to be getting much finished!! Never mind, keep plugging on.

Isn't it funny how your tastes change as you get older? Here comes my weekly Friday Night with Jonathan Ross review lol - Take That last night - love em love em love em all over again! Back in the day, I was a Mark Owen/Jason Orange kinda girl, my sis had a thing for Howard Donald!! I used to take the mick out of her but I think she picked the right guy in the end! Second in line to Gary of course - who I now think is lovely. Dont know what it is about him! But there you go.

So, I shall skidaddle now, and try and get some stuff done! Didnt get round the blogs yesterday - its just been mad busy. But I will do, promise!!

Thanks for reading and have a great rest of the weekend!!

Do you know what??? I nearly forgot! I have been nominated for the you make me smile award, by Hazel and Caroline! I should be nominating people now, so here goes, and in no particular order!!:

1. Suzy B
2. Bobs
3. Sharon
4. Fairycakes
5. Hazel
6. Angela
7. Ninnie
8. Mrs B - Mary ann
9. Louise Sampson
10. Pokettiger

I awarded you guys, some because I love reading your blogs, and they really make me smile and cheer me up on the dull and dreary days, and a few of my team buddies from UKS -who are just a talented, fab and supportive bunch of ladies!!

There are loads more of you who make me smile but I could only have ten! Actually, I was nominated twice, does that mean I get another ten??

I've said it once, and I'll say it again, thank {insert your own word} it's Friday!!

Here are my 'blue' pics for today! The first is Shaun snr. I love his eyes. Well I love all of him lol but I think his eyes are gorgeous, and I was quite blown away by them when I first met him, as I still am today! And bless him, I said, I want to take a pic of your eye. What for, he asks, dubiously. For my blog I says, so he reluctantly agreed. And I stand there, camera at the ready, point and press - and nearly blind him with the flash!! Light aint good round our way at the moment so had to use it!

Second pic is of one of my sons humongous feet, with his cool blue sneakers on that his auntie Melly bought for him! Now Mel, if you read this, I hope you will accept sincerest apologies from your dork sister.

Today peeps, has been a bad day. I have been run ragged by the childer. I was supposed to meet my friend today, for a play date with the kids and her niece. On the way down to Preston on the phone to my Ma, I asked our Mel if she fancied coming to meet us and she said she would. We were going to a Wacky warehouse, get a brew and let them have a good play. But things didn't quite work out, when I got to my friends, her niece hadn't been dropped off.So she made a brew, and I duly started running around trying to prevent the kids from eating her flowers/cable card/carpet/DVDs/remote controls and generally anything else that was lying about. Needless to say, I haven't converted my pal over to the motherhood club. But my sis still went over to the wacky warehouse - and I completely forgot!!! I am a total scatter brain at the moment. Anybody who knows me reading this will probably be thinking - what are you on about Charl - at the moment???

It was really great seeing my pal Tammy today though and cheered me up! We've been friends since we were born I think (is that possible? lol) - we lived next door to each other for a while and then went through all of school together. I am so glad to see her happy and settled - she is a brilliant girl with a heart of gold, and we have been through so much together over the years.

I was greeted by my boys with this gorgeous bunch of flowers, on their return from doing the weekly shop. Another thing that has really made my day today. So although it has been a mad one - it has ended on a good note. And we're on curry tonight - what could be better??!!

Note to self: read through posts on threads and such like more, because sometimes things dont quite sound like you intended them too!! I wrote a post on UKS about Looby's latest challenge LO, but it looked as though I was there, bigging my own LO up and giving myself much praise *shakes head* - its the same with text messages, sometimes you realise too late that it doesnt sound at all like you intended it too! Can get you in trouble lol....

K folks, a rambling post from me, so I shall say au revoir and speak to yall soon!! Thanks for stopping by!

I love green, I do!

Hooray!! Green is good for me today, because I finally finished the scarf I was making (I have a few loose ends I need to sort but as good as!!). I love green; along with black, yellow and red (lol) it's my favourite colour. Above is one of Shaun's bears, looking rather dashing in said scarf lol

Now I have a dilemma though - to embellish or not to embellish?? The pic below has a flower I made, the more I look at it the more I think I need to do a neater one. But what do you think? Should I put one on or leave it as is? Its a bit plain without, but plain is good sometimes!! I'm starting a hat for Shaun snr now these cold days are drawing in - I had my arctic weather coat and boots on this morning - along with the above unfinished scarf. Ive got a couple of LO's on the go and a card for my blog post over on Blog Til You Drop tomorrow, stop by and have a peep if you get chance folks! Right, thats all from me now guys, will be back after lunch to check out your green photos for today! Thanks for stopping by!

The winter blues

Hello there folks! I think this cacky weather has well and truly put a dampener on my mood. I have felt quite rubbish, for the past few days now. I could do to hibernate all through winter but I dont think it's allowed, or considered 'normal' for us human beans, so I shall have to soldier on like everyone else lol

I did take my orange pic yesterday, just couldnt motivate myself top get on here and upload it! It was some veggie soup I made, looks a bit radioactive doesnt it? It tastes really good though! Add a bit of extra hot peri peri sauce and bingo - spicy soup heaven.

And this little fella is Eric. A friend bought him for me years ago - it's the little guy off the Levis advert from a while back - even brought a song out *shakes head, but did buy it*.

I shall depart folks, and hope I have something far more interesting to show and tell tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

Another LO

Another 12 by 12 LO that I made using papers and other bits from the October Club Scrap collection. It's my not so little brother (who went out on his first 'date' on Saturday!! Bless him!) with a then best pal, out on one of the many mammoth walks my ma does. This one is a 16 mile walk - they used to go at weekends, they'd do this walk one day, then go and do another big walk on the other!! Super fit or what!?! But I love the picture - they were both muddy as hell (I know I know, hell probably isnt muddy) and I love the male bonding going on there!

Check out the technique with the photo Sue - your tutorials for photoshop are fantastic - photoshop didnt want to play at first but I got there in the end lol. Sue's blog is here, if ever you want to know how to do something with photoshop, and get some fab effects (along with some fab blogging and cool pictures!), then this is the place you want to be checking out!!

Guilty guilty blogger - two posts in one day!!

Naughty Blogger

Good morning folks! Naughty because I didnt get any photos on yesterday, or any blogging at all - tut tut. See, if they guys over at HS:MS aren't around - I start slacking. Terrible.

A quick pop on to upload my red photos for today, and also a 12x12 LO that I did for KTP's 'its only words' challenge over on Blog Til You Drop from last Saturday. The above is using the quote I mentioned from last Saturday's post. Before joining in with the HS:MS prompts - I very rarely scrapped photos of me. But now I have done two LO's in the past couple of weeks, so my book of me scrapbook is filling up quite nicely!! There is a new sketch challenge up from Saturday just passed by Looby here, and its fab - I'll hopefully be having a go at it later whilst the childer are napping. Dont forget - any non DT entries are eligible for our monthly DT competition (the DT can't enter coz we're judging it, and that wouldnt be very fair now, would it?? lol) - you could win a fabby prize! Pop over and have a look see what Rebecca Nash won for September!

This is the t-shirt I am wearing today. And of course, I never leave home without my big bushy red barnet now, do I? So lots of red. Not forgetting my baba's lovely red head too! He is kicking off, however, so I shall refrain from photo taking for now. He has removed the sky card, and folded it in half, chewed it, and now it works when it wants to!! Ay dear. I did have a bit of an excuse for not getting on yesterday - I felt like hell! Women's troubles - sheesh. They dont normally bother me, but they have been steadily getting more and more painful since I had young Shamus. Dont know what is going on there. BUT I DONT WANT TO GIVE YOU THAT!!!! (said in a Chris Tarrant style)

So I shall say good day! Thanks for stopping by, and I shall be popping over to your blogs in a short while!!

Yikes....

.....its self-portrait Saturday again. Well, I have been less naughty this week and actually posted a clearer pic of me, devoid of weird and wonderful colours, shocking pink skin, wild blue hair and eyebrows, etc.

I know I'm not on my own when I say that I'm still not entirely comfortable with this self-portrait thing; I like to hide behind the freakishness of the over-altering I tend to do, to my pics of me. Why is it that it is so hard to take photos of ourselves? The weekly prompts are a good thing, and a real challenge for us I think!

I have received my next pack of DT stuff, and have to say that I am really really (10 reallys) chuffed with it!! Bev Todd of Crop Til You Drop, asked all the DT members to write a wish list, of stuff they would most like to see in their kits, and I can safely say that I got all things on that list, plus a whole lot more. Really looking forward to getting started with them, and I'm going to have a wee go tonight. We have friends coming over though, so I cant spend too long at it!!

We're having 'a drink', which usually means rather more than one drink, occasionally ending up with us singing for our lives on the 'singstar' game for the playstation. Hang on a minute, I think I have some film of Shaun and Mark singing.....just thought again - you wouldn't be able to hear it for my music on my blog would you? I'll have to root it out and get rid of my annoying music for a day or two. We have pizza, and nibbles, and wine and lager. Oh and most important of all - chocolate!! So I will have to get some pics of our shannanigans, and post tomorrow. I don't think they will be my SOS pics though lol

Ok folks, I shall skaramoosh (or whatever the heck it is that he says), and try and get some of this LO done before our mates arrive! Oh and dont forget to check out the Blog Til You Drop challenge, you'll be eligible for the monthly DT challenge competition!! Last months winner was Rebecca Nash, Rebecca regularly enters our challenges, her entries are fantastic - come on over and have yourself a go! There are fab prizes up for grabs!

Errrr....No, cant think of a title for today!

First off, autumn watch - an update on the rapidly deteriorating leaf on the tree in the garden. I am sure by now the woman across the road thinks that I have completely lost the plot - photographing leaves and other things in the garden. Is she right? Probably! lol
And the first of the tongue pics. Trying to capture a photo of a moving child with his tongue stuck out is a little more difficult than I imagined!! I did take a photo of my own, pierced tongue, but it was awful! So I omitted that from today's offerings.
He looks so cheeky, doesn't he? He was dancing around in circles at this point, bless! What a day yesterday. It was fab! Saw Sherree Murphy - the girl who played Trisha in Emmerdale, wandering around with a cute little baby bump. I have seen John Thompson (cold feet, the fast show et al) in Selfridges there too, with his partner Sam. Would love to hear about who of the rich and famous you have seen whilst out and about!

The kids were a bit hard work yesterday - scrapping (and not of the good, paper type) with each other, inflicting scratches etc on each others faces. Look at his picture up there - you'd think butter wouldnt melt wouldnt you? Ha! Dont be fooled by this cute exterior - he is a mischeif maker of the most mischeivous kind!

I started again with the CJ covers. I havent finished them yet but I have started on my entry, which so far I am pleased with. It's totally different to how I usually work, and I really think this CJ group is going to get me working out of my comfort zone, which is great.

I shall depart now, because I am starting to waffle even more than usual, thanks for stopping by and I will get to everyones blogs after lunch, didnt get chance yesterday, I was pooped after a long day, shopping for my life!

Have a great day!

Brain Draining...

A quick upload today cause we're off out to the Trafford Centre!!

My Nintendo DS Lite - I have the brain training games, and as Im sure you can tell, I havent been using them for a while lol....

Will be back later to check everyone elses out, and to show you what I come back with!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Going...going....

....these could possibly be the best rum truffles in the whole wide universe. You see that one peeping cautiously from underneath the wrapper? It had a right to be cautious, it now ceases to exist - as the rest of the packet will do, in about 5 minutes or so!! Dreadful. Shaun brought them back from Somerfield last night - try em - they're delicious! And they're 2-4-1 - bargain basement!

My pic for today is from my garden, I thought I would show you the before and after. I really like the first one because of the reds and oranges in it, but love the effect that the cutout filter has given it in photoshop. I just played around with the edge effects a little til I was satisfied with the final result.

I am very sad to say, that I have now botched the front of my CJ cover completely, and will now have to start again. Frustrated? Uhhh yeah!

Now, apparently, Lloyd Grossman is in Garstang - a nearby village. He is trying to get into the Guinness Book Of World Records, for making the biggest Hotpot ever. Hmmm. I think I'm going to go and ask him which is better for cooking, electric, or gas. If neither, then why does my Christmas turkey never cook when its supposed to, despite having been in the oven for what seems like a hundred years. If its gas, then what can I do (other than get gas or not have turkey lol) to improve the finished bird. Any tips will be most welcome folks!!

I might have to go and check it out and see if I can get some photos for you to have a look at! Other than that, its some painting, then into Lancaster, then feeding ducks, lunch, then aaaaaaaaaaah a bit o peace for me when they have their afternoon nap. And not a playgroup in sight - YAY!

So I shall say au revoir for now folks, have a good day and thanks for reading - do come again!

Don't you just love it when....

.....you 'get it'?

I am really enjoying life as a 'mature' (lol lol) student. The first time round, when I went to Uni - I was really unsure of myself - not confident at all. I would rarely speak up - unless forced into it by some lecturer - you know the ones who 'pick on' the ones who don't involve themselves!! Thank god for those lecturers. I always hate it when they say - so Charlene, tell us a little bit about yourself, and why you've chosen to do x, y or z. I hate being put in the spotlight like that. Now on here, as I'm sure you're aware, I can babble endlessly, but its so easy without an audience right there in front of you!

So last night was a tutorial for the social science course I'm doing. It was tricky at first - I have a spot of performance anxiety (probably the understatement of the year). But it got much easier as the night went on, and most importantly, I involved myself - a lot - and actually understood everything that was being said - hooray! It was such a great feeling to know that I had grasped everything so far. I think I'll really enjoy this course - I might eat those words later on lol but for now, I'm just going to make the most of it.

We went to playgroup this morning, and what a nightmare. Poor Shamus was busy ransacking the place, getting involved with everything - he's the kind of boy who loves to grab everything. They were making these pizzas for their snacks - and of course he's only 22 months old - I thought he did really well. But he was trying to grab the cheese off the pizzas and pick them up and all sorts. It was a bit hard work, because the little girl who I look after was also into everything - as all good kids should be!! And the playgroup leader said - can you just come and grab Shaun - she's lovely BTW - but I thought - aaaargh! I haven't got enough pairs of hands here, I need at least another five pairs lol, so I was mighty stressed by the time I left. Has anyone got any opinions on how often you should take kids to these things? Twice a week is more than enough for me!! But I'd love to know what people thought. I often feel a bit guilty because I don't get to more - but I do take them out plenty everyday. I think its probably all part of the - 'other mums seem to have it sussed much more than me' syndrome.

Well, I have nearly finished my CJ front cover - but me thinks its looking a bit cack, so I don't know what im going to do about that! I might post it up here when its finished and get some constructive (or any lol) criticism on it.

Sherman is still not well. He is going to be fixed - AGAIN, for the third time in 2 weeks. I miss the old reliable Sherman. This new, unreliable let down Sherman keeps deciding to say 'engine system service - urgent', which can't be good news. It smacks a little too much of expensive repairs to me. Yuk.

I have a painting that I must upload too, when it is dry - my Shamus did it for me today at another group we went to. This is one where I can relax with my friend Crystal, and have a brew and a danish, but still keep a good eye on him and let him have a good run about the place - at a wacky warehouse. It's my favourite of all the play places we visit! Also - they let parents go down the slide with the kids - its fabulous - Ill have to get some pictures of us next week for you to frown and tut at lol

Thanks for reading guys - I shall toddle off and get ready for round five with the kids! Have a nice, relaxing rest of the day!

Tis the season to 'fall' in love with - groan

Top of the morning to ya! Ay up cockers, thought I'd share some of the pics of my leaf ridden garden. Honest - they do get swept up regularly - there's loads of trees in our garden though so no sooner than you have swept the leaves up - its full again! But I quite like it. I love the colours of autumn - they go well with the ol barnet lol

The first and second picture I took of the same leaf, just three days apart, and you can see from the pic that it is more 'autmuny' (?) in the second shot, the green is fading and the yellows and goldy browns are coming through much more. And check out the difference in the sky lol, yup, its here!

So today, I am going to get started on my LO for KTP's challenge over on Blog Til You Drop, posted Saturday. Get yourselves over and have a go - there are prizes up for grabs!! I'm using my SPS pic from Saturday - my OH Shaun thinks its incredibly freaky, which was even more reason to scrap it lol, as a permanent reminder of my freakishness.

Whenever I do that effect on my pics, I always end up with blue hair!! And blue eyebrows, as Chris pointed out!! Never noticed those lol, I'll have to pull the old socks up and do a proper photo next week, warts and all. We went to Beacon Fell yesterday for a wander, and a brew and cake - hmmmm, I had bakewell tart and it was lovely and fresh, not like the cake at Williamson park!

Here is a pic of Shaun, being a boy, and hitting the tree with part of another. He decided he couldnt be bothered walking at one point, and kept coming to me and his Dad to carry him, which is no mean feat - he's a solid lad! We thought we pretend to carry on walking, to see if he thought - 'oh well, I'd better start walking if they're going to leave me!' - but no. He sat there, stubborn as (his mother) a mule.

Well I shall skidaddle - Ive got a few minutes of peace whilst they're asleep, so I'd better get something done, hadn't I?

Thanks for reading guys, and ta ra for now! Have a great day!

Sunday Showoffery...

Good morning! A quick pop on before we disappear out for the day, to share with you my SOS photos for this week. First and foremost, my beautiful boy. I took this in Silloth when we went to see my ma there a little earlier in the year - some other photos from the trip can be seen here, in my 'HSMS - Dog' post. I haven't had to alter this in any way - I thought the colour was great on it and didn't think it needed anything else! I love his expression on this photo - it reminds me of how much he loved playing there on the park with his Nana and grandpa. I have scrapped this pic too, here.The second picture, as you can probably tell, I have altered the saturation in the colours far too much - I am blaming my previous rubbish monitor, but truth be told, I think it's probably just me, getting a bit carried away. Its a common feature of photos from people who are 'new' to digital photography - oversharpening or oversaturation of images. But anyway - I was really pleased with it at first! I love this place - its the Ashton Memorial in Lancaster, within the grounds of Williamson Park. I think the place is beautiful, I really love bringing the kids here and having a potter around it. You can get a brew at the cafe, along with a stale piece of chocolate cake if you're into that sort of thing lol. The Memorial never fails to make me think - wow - whenever I see it.

'The Ashton Memorial was commissioned by Lord Ashton as a tribute to his late wife. Born in Lancaster, Lord Ashton became a millionaire producing oil cloth and linoleum which was exported from the port all over the world. It serves as reminder of the importance of Lancaster as a thriving commercial centre, not only in times past but now in the 21st century.'
taken from the website - linked above

So there you go, that's me for today! I'm going to have a go at this weeks challenge over on Blog Til You Drop a bit later on - have a look see!! I found a quote by Marilyn Monroe that I'm going to use for it - here it is:

'I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I'm out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you cant handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.'

Good day to yall then folks - :( Monday tomorrow. And in the words of Bob Geldof.....

Thanks for reading!

PS I dont know if I mentioned it but I got some pictures of my Dad's brothers and sister who live in London!! I may or may not be popping them up here - just checking out that its OK with them first.

They call me 'Cop Out' Charl...

Ello. Alas, I have opted for a 'in the style of Warhol' type picture, which helps to disguise the fact that I look rough as {insert your own word}. Spots a plenty - bags under't th'eyes and all sorts. So this is me today!!

Hooray!! I'm actually doing OK with my course now - managed to get loads done so am pleased finally!

So today, I'm driving along in Shaun Snr's car (i dint think I need to put the snr bit really do I, like my nearly two year old would have his own set of wheels tut tut) with my little man beside me - Shaun snr (look, I've done it again) was trying to fix Sherman for me as he is a bit poorly, so we ended up in his Celica. Lovely car, but guess what its not? PRACTICAL!!! I hate that word! But anyway, young Shamus and I were singing along to 'Hey there Delilah' by the Plain White T's - love that song! And I thought to myself - what can be better than this? My little man, happy beside me, singing and dancing away, giving me the sweetest smile - what a good boy I thought to myself - just perfect!

But then, something changed. I swear I saw a little glint appear in his eye, and Shamus the Mischievous was back in town. He then proceeded to try and open the car door, whilst we were driving at speed! I made some sound, I think it was a scream or something, and then slowed down as carefully as possible so the door didn't fling wide open and drop off its hinges. Unfortunately, because the car does not seem to be made for kids AT ALL - you cant turn the little thing that cars usually have to put the child lock on. So I proceeded with extra caution down the A6 to my Ma's house. Not content with trying to open the door, he decided to try and pull the car out of gear, and also destroyed some of Daddy's CDs. Whoops.

Is anyone having a do at the Cybercrop this weekend? I opted out this year, after the shananigans of the last one. People got a little crazy about the mystery kits and such, and some people weren't very helpful at all - it was my first one so I had a few questions, and the response I got from a minority was less than helpful, lets say!! Plus, Ive had that much on I couldn't have done it even if I had really really (10 reallys) wanted to. If you are having a crack at it - enjoy!! Some of the classes from the last one were really fab.

Right cockers, I shall depart, and have another look at this course, before going to make our curry for tonight. I wonder who is on Parky tonight? Harry Conick Jr was on last week - I didn't realise that was him!! Its the guy from Will and Grace isn't it? There is something about that man - very nice! And I must confess, I have a bit of a thing for Colin Firth. Don't know what that is all about. Al Murray, pub landlord, however - yak! Do not think he is funny in the slightest! If anyone one else does, I'd love to hear from you, maybe its just me!!

Thanks for reading guys, and TTFN! Have a fab rest of the day!

Thank {insert your own word} it's Friday!!

Ay up! I am so glad it's Friday. A nice relaxing weekend for me (lol yeah right). After the week I have had - I actually put the lottery on on Wednesday, I have cleaned that much you know what up from these childer (you know what they say - muck for luck and all that).

It's my turn to post a project today over at Blog Til You Drop. I have done a layout today, pop over and have a look see!!

We're off into Lancaster in a minute or ten, so it's a short one from me today. I better not say anymore, or I'll be lowering the tone even further! Have a great day folks and thanks for coming over!

Blimey, Ive only been tagged again!

Ay up, Ive been tagged again by Rach of Uniquards!

Here are the rules which you must abide by if you are tagged.

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

1. I really don't like pink. I was a tomboy, growing up, and hated anything girly including things of the pink variety!!

2. I'm a complete and utter nerd when it comes to gadgets and suchlike - love em, cant get enough of em, want more etc etc

3. I'm scared stiff of fairground rides. Think Pepsi Max, think - you must be ******* joking!!

4. We had a really bad house fire when we were kids, and if it wasn't for my marvellous super mum (who broke her thumb, and bent it right back - ewww) rescuing us, in more ways than one, I wouldn't be here typing this right now.

5. I have three brothers and two sisters - all younger than me, no I'm not bitter, jealous etc lol. One of my brothers once asked me 'Charl, when I'm 50, will you be dead?'

6. I am a home bird. I love nothing more than a cosy night in with the Shauns (or my family), glass of wine in one hand and bar of green n Blacks in the other. Boozy nights out and such? You can keep em (see hungover SPS pics and you will see why)!

7. I nearly drowned on holiday in the Dominican, when, some eejit driving the boat attached to the banana boat we were on, decided it was a good idea to turn sharp and tip us off. Shaun did not appreciate me also nearly drowning him, by clinging to him for dear life, forgetting that I was pulling him underneath the water lol but that's what partners are for isn't it?

Consider yourselves tagged guys:
Lou
Alix
Mary B
Fairycakes
Roo
Ruth
Ettey

Cheers Rach - I enjoyed this!

Stage 2 of Grandfather Saga

Ok, first things first - my picture for today's HS:MS prompt. Actually - more important - I better start by apologising for not getting round to your blogs last night!! I got stuck into my Uni work proper, for once. And whilst I was on a roll, I didn't dare stop!! So I will get round everyones tonight, I promise - Scrapzo's honour. The pic above was taken in Gatorland, Florida, during my holiday there a few years back. This was a fantastic holiday, and I loved Gatorland. It wasn't until I got back and had my photos developed that I actually looked at things in a bit of a different way though. I felt sorry for that poor bear - he looks quite sad there, sat on his own. I apologise for this not being a 'today' picture, but as soon as I saw the prompt, I thought of this picture and had to put it up.

K, next step - grandfather saga. These are a few of the photos I sent via email, to Alex Lee - my uncle. It was weird receiving an email back from this man, with whom I share the same surname, same blood, and have never met. But I was so glad!! He goes to Costa Rica to live though, unfortunately for me (not him, the lucky so and so!!), so its not looking like I'll meet him anytime soon :( however, I might get to meet my grandad still, and other siblings of Alex (and my Dad)!! I wonder what they'll think of us?? I wonder if we look like them a bit? Hmmmm...lots of questions.
Above pic is me and my sis, making sandcastles in Looe, Cornwall, slightly drunk. Just looked at the pic again, and we must have been quite drunk - our sandcastles are rubbish!! But we look so proud. Ay dear.
This is my Dad holding me as a wee baba.
And this is my ma with me. Just thought I'd share em with you!!

And finally, I have been tagged today by Hazel! So here goes....

4 places I have worked:

1. Reilor Ltd, Preston - as label designer/customer service 'officer' (wooooooo)

2. Tokyo Joes Nightclub - brief stint as a dancer (not pole or lap I must stress lol)

3. Swansea Terrace Nursing Home - as Snr carer

4. Medium Secure Services, Preston - as a named nurse for patients (RMN)

4 places I have lived:

1. Preston

2. Inskip

3. Scorton

4. Nearly Nottingham lol

4 places I have visited:

1. Ibiza

2. Dominican Republic

3. America

4. Spain

4 favourite foods: (not at the same time lol)

1. Vindaloo (or hotter) curry or anything spicy

2. Chocolate

3. Fish

4. Homemade houmous

4. places I would rather be:

As long as Im with my family - I dont care where I am!

K guys, thanks for reading, and have a grand ol day!!