New LO

I thought it was about time i scrapped this. If you read my blog you'll have read this a few days ago on the patchwork quilt post. This is done very simply and i quite like it, maybe there's something missing I'm not sure.
This was also done as a speshal dare #20 it's a week late.

Sunday bloggers #4

So many of us rush through our days - Not letting the little things that usually mean so much to us get a look in, we fill our time doing things for other people, and putting so many people before us.

If you could spend a day, doing everything for yourself, with no indulgence spared -

what would you do.... 24 solid self centred beautiful hours!

My perfect dream day would start by waking up in a four poster bed in a really posh hotel by the beach on a tropical island. Breakfast would be served on the balcony that had steps down onto the sand. For breakfast there would be lots of choice, fruit, yogurts, meats, breads, eggs and salmon. The first thing to do would be a shopping trip for new clothes and everything i looked at would fit perfectly. After shopping time for a massage and a hair cut with a top stylist.
For lunch it would be to a penthouse room in a top hotel in New York, lunch would be Lobster served with pasta cooked by a top chef.
In the afternoon it's a scrapbook class in the penthouse with close friends and top celebrity scrappers like Kirsty Wiseman, Jakey, Emily Falconbridge, Elsie Flannigan, Donna Downey and Celine Navarro and a few others. It would just bit a fun get together with no one teaching. There would be lots of chat chocolate, cakes and everything else a scrapper needs to eat when scrapping.
In the evening it would be time to dress up and go for cocktails and then to see a Broadway Show, hopefully an opening night. After the show to a top new york restaurant for dinner. Not sure what the food would be but it would be amazing. To end a wonderful day a carriage ride through Central Park and then to a house in the Hampton's were my son is tucked up fast asleep in bed. I'd kiss him goodnight as he slept and go to my bedroom with a nice mug of coffee and sit on the balcony with a good book. When the coffee is finished I'd get into bed and fall into a blissful peaceful sleep and dream about the day i had just had.

What a day that would be.

Some people make me angry

I did these LO's to remember what happened on that dreadful day. We all saw the images on our televisions. I know that not everyone wants to be reminded of them.
I did these after the London bombings last year to keep it for future generations and for my son as he was too little to remember it.

Today i noticed a nasty comment had been left on my gallery on UKS saying that they were sick. I think that it is out of order to say that. This may not be to alot of peoples taste but you don't have to say anything.
I'm angry about this as i spent so many hours crying out that day and the people who died needlessly.

I am a scrapbooker and i don't scrap just the good things in my life i scrap the bad. I still have some of these pages to do but i will do them.
I will scrap my life and everything that involves no matter what anyone says. I want my son to know me, his children and so on.

I implore you to document the bad as well as the good it makes us the people we are today.

World Trade Centre Film

I know that there is alot of talk about this film at the moment.
A thread was put on UKS today asking if the subject is to sensitive.
A few people have said oh it's too soon for this to be made, it should be kept to a documentary, Hollywood shouldn't be allowed to distort the facts.
Now i know that this is a strong subject and i understand that people can find it very upsetting. I know for a fact that when i see it I'll be in floods of tears.

This film World Trade Centre made by award winning director Oliver Stone will be very powerful.

The fact that it has only been 5 years since it happened makes people talk but how long should they wait? Lots of films have been made about horrific events, but along time after as we didn't know had happened. Look at films about the first world war, second world war and even Titanic. The reason that these were made so long after the events is that they were unable to make the films. There have been films and programmes about Bosnia and the Gulf war in the early 90's. No one batted an eyelid. Is it because it wasn't about westerners dying that we don't care. The programme ER did a storyline about Darfur and what was said about that?

We live in the 21st century where everything is public access, we live in the information age. We have radios, TV and the Internet. We get to hear about all sorts of things now that we wouldn't have done before. Times have changed so much in the last 100 years. If you just look at what we now have compared to what our grandparents had.

At the end of the day this is a film and it's not hurting anyone so what does it matter. Films will be made and people will watch them.

UKS blog prompt

If you were to build a patchwork quilt to represent your life -- one in which each square would represent a milestone or a quality that, when taken as a whole quilt, would capture the essence of who you are for your family and friends when you are gone -- what would it look like, what would you include? Describe a few of the patchwork pieces.

Well my quilt would be at least king size and I'm not yet 30. There are so many things that have happened in my life that make up the person i am.
OK then here are a couple of pieces

1) This piece is about my sister Abi. She was my best friend and worst enemy rolled into one. We fought like cat and dog but we had some great times too. Abi died in 1990 26 days after her 16th birthday. It was a brain tumour that killed her and she was ill for about six months.
Her death was really tough on the whole family and you never get over it. It didn't really hit me until i was 16 and got older than she ever did. It felt wrong to be doing the things that i was doing and alot of the time i felt that it should have been her not me. I miss her so much at times that it hurts. I have learned to live without her and i don't carry the same feelings any more.
This piece would have a shine to it and be black and purple in the style of Madonna in the 80's.

2)Another sad piece. In 1996 i found out that i was pregnant by my then boyfriend Richard who i was living with at the time. I was in two minds as what to do about it. We talked alot and in the end the decision was made to go ahead. We started to tell people our news and we had different reactions mostly good. Then one day i started to bleed so i went to the hospital and within 12 hours i was told that i had suffered a miscarriage. I then had to have a D & C which is the worst thing in the world.
I took this really badly and got very depressed. I was angry that choice i had made had been taken away from me. Why hadn't it happened before i made the choice. Why did i have to chose.
Time is a great healer and things are clearer now, well it hurts less and less all the time but the feelings are still there.
One thing i did do was name the baby, I called it Toni. I don't know if it was a boy or girl.
This piece would be pale yellow with rocking horses on it.

3) This is my son Dominic James. He is my surprise baby and i love him so much. I had a very short pregnancy, well i should say that i knew about. I found out that i was pregnant 4 weeks before he was born.
I had joined weight watchers and was doing well. I had lost 2 stone and was trying to lose more. My periods did stop but i put that down to the fact that i had started to use the contraceptive injection.
One day my mum said that it looked as if i was getting a little plump round the tummy and could i be pregnant. I told her about the injection and the losing weight so we both agreed that it was highly unlikely. Anyway we talked and thought it would be a good idea for me to go and see the Dr in case it could be something else and best to be on the safe side and check. So i made an appointment to see the Dr and got to see one the same day. When i got to see him i asked for a pregnancy test and he started to fill out the form and then ask me to lie on the bed so that he could feel my tummy. He felt it and said well your definitely pregnant so we don't this *ripping up the form*. He said that i was anything between 30 - 38 weeks. Luckily the midwife was in clinic so he managed to grab her and get her to see me straight away. She was really nice and she examined me as well and said 34-38 weeks and listened to the heart beat. I was booked in for a scan the next day. That was brill seeing him for the first time. I had to have consultant appointments every week to see what was happening. Only a couple of weeks after my scan i had to go back for another one. This one reckoned that i was 42 weeks so two weeks overdue. But the girl did say that you can't really date after 28 weeks. My consultant appointment was the next day. I was examined and told that my blood pressure was very high and what with the dates i had to into hospital that day to be induced. That was Wednesday and Dom was born on the Friday after a 6 & 1/2 hours in labour (birth story another time). At 14 hours old he was taken into the baby unit as he was being sick. He was in there for a couple of days and i was told he could be discharged. So one week after i was admitted i went home with my little boy.
This piece would bright lime green with a cartoon Dino on it as this is the first real outfit he ever wore.

That's just part of my quilt. It's not all doom and gloom honest.

Just had to share

Well i just wanted to make you all jealous really. This morning i went to Starbucks and i had a Grande white chocolate mocha with whipped cream and chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon sprinkles. I also went to Thornton's and brought some of their Viennese truffles.
I took these photos for a class that I'm going to on the 30th September. The class will be taught by Emily falconbridge. It's all being organized by Kirsty Wiseman who will also be teaching a class. It's going to be amazing

UKS Blog prompt

I like this one

If you could find out the truth about one thing, what would it be?

There are so many things to choose from like
What was really known before 9/11
What really is going on in Lost

But if it can be anything at all it would have to be a question to my dad. I'd like him to answer this

When did you stop wearing women's clothes?

When i was about 6 or 7 my sister and i found out that our dad had wanted a sex change six years previously.
My parents split when i was a baby as he wanted to become a woman. He even started to dress in the clothes and even come round the house wearing a dress.
On the day we found out my dad had popped to the shop to get something and Abi and i went into his bedroom looking for something. We went through his drawers and found lots of women's clothing like tights and in his wardrobe dresses. When he got back we asked why he had these clothes and the answer was "they belong to a girlfriend".
The next day we were taken home and we told our mum what had happened and she told us the truth.
Our dad had wanted to become a woman and had even started to go through the process.

To this day i don't know what he has to say about it.
It's not that i have a problem with it coz i don't. It doesn't bother me if some one is gay, straight or even changes sex. I have lots of respect for anyone that puts themselves through it as it must be so tough.

Maybe one day I'll get an answer.

Sunday bloggers #3

If you could meet anyone famous or not, dead or alive, and sit down somewhere quiet for a chat.. who would It be and why?What would you say and ask etc

If it could be anyone at all.
Dead or alive.
I wish i could say that I'd pick someone really amazing, someone that everyone would go wow. The person i choose is

River Phoenix.

23rd August 1970 - 31st October 1993

Well in the late 80's and early 90's i had the biggest crush on him and then he sadly died outside a nightclub. I cried buckets when that happened.
I would love to ask him if he has any regrets over the way he lived his live just before he died. If he would do things differently now.
There is so much that I'd love to know but it's hard to put into words.
I would tell him how his death affected his fans and what a waste of a talent and life it was.
Most of all I'd just like to sit across a table from him and look into those lovely eyes.

We miss you River.

Sunday scribblings

I've just found this site by following links and thought it would be fun to have a go at. If you want to take part go to Sunday scribblings

This weeks prompt is Google magic. Research a subject. I choose

Vampires

A vampire is an undead monster from the legends of various cultures and often featured in fiction.

There is so much to read about vampires that i don't know where to start and i don't just want to copy.
Wikipedia has lots of great info on it.

The folklore that i have grown up hearing is that they only drink the blood of virgins by biting the neck. To kill they drained all the blood out of the body. If they wanted you to become one the vampire came back night after night.
In my teens i came across Anne Rice and her way of thinking. This is way i think it really is to some extent.

The things that are most associated with vampires are

Coffins - they sleep in these
Crosses - will deter them
Wooden Stake - will kill them if put through the heart
Garlic - deters them
Holy water - can cause pain
Fire - Kills
Daylight - Kills
Bats - they can turn into them

How much or how little you believe is up to the individual.

There are so many different films and books around see that it would be understandable to get caught up in it all.

I leave it up to you to decide if the information out there is fact of fiction, or even some of both.

Tagged by Jakey

I've been tagged by the wonderful Jakey, thanks lol.

This has really got me thinking

10 things that have terrified me

1) Spiders

2) Dracula films. I'm fine with films and books about vampires but the old black and white ones really get to me.

3) A snake in my home. I used to live in a flat above a reptile shop and on a couple of occasions snakes got lose and came into my home.

4) Hoping that a tarantula won't escape

5) 9/11

6) 7/7

7) Certain people on a certain forum

8) Sharks

9) Rats

10) Really big roller coasters



Now it's myturn to tag and i choose.....................Jo and Kirsty

Really greatful

I am so pleased that i have made some wonderful friends online and i hope to meet each and everyone of you. You all make me laugh even when i feel crap. Thank you so much for your lovely comments, you're the best.

Feelings

I spend a lot of my time online (sometimes too much) on forums. I used to post alot but lately i have just taken to lurking and reading what other people have to say. Lately it seems to me that people aren't being nice. I've seen people changed for the worse and i find it really sad. You can see how someone posts one minute and the next thing you see seems like someone else has posted but they haven't. It's a shame when nice people get dragged down.
When people post nasty things about an individual it makes the whole forum look bad. I have stopped posting on a forum because of this, also because it looked and felt liked no one cared anymore. It felt less like the family i had once known. I hope I'm wrong about it but it doesn't feel like it as it has been like this for ages.
One thing i have seen that really bugs me is people posting about themselves all the time. It's the constant look at me, or i know better than you.
I admit that at times i have felt like jumping up and down saying hey look at me, tell me I'm wonderful. Now i have this blog i really don't feel the need to. This is where i can talk about myself till I'm blue in the face.
I have another thing to admit to and that's i felt bad or should i say a bit miffed that when i put something online the other day no one noticed, or if they have they haven't said anything. I'm not going to point it out coz i don't feel that it's important enough and that i feel fine about it.

I think I've rambled on enough for now

No school

What horrible weather we had last night and this morning. It was so bad that DS's school was closed as it was flooded. School will also be closed again tomorrow. We're not sure if it will re-open on monday, to find out we have to keep an eye on the news. It's all great fun. Will keep an eye out for whats going on.

The mind boggles

As yesterday was the 5 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks in America and the so called war on terror is still going on, it makes you wonder.
What makes someone strap a bomb to themselves or hi-jack a plane to kill innocent people. Why get on a plane that has small children on it (I didn't realise until yesterday that some children were killed and the were the same age as my son)
I can understand the hating of the west and wanting to make them pay, but it's the fact that it's only ever innocent people that die. We suffer at their hands, The terrorist and the politicians. Sometimes i don't know who is worse.

Will my son grow up knowing that no matter what he does or says he could be killed because of where he was born.

In five years we've had
New york
Washington
Deli
Madrid
London

That works out as one a year. Whats next?

Was there really a plot about the planes. I keep feeling as there is so much we don't know and that is being kept from us. We have a right to know.

I don't blame just Blair or Bush, i include the people around them as well. Also i blame us. That's right US, the voting public. We gave them the power, we put our little crosses on the ballot paper. So we gave them the power to make the decisions we can't, won't or shouldn't make.
We sit at home saying he shouldn't have done that, but we don't see what he sees and we don't hear what he hears. If we did would we make a different decision?
If we want to change things we should do it and stop talking about it.

9/11 tribute

Robert C. Miller, age 55.

I'm finding it hard to write this as i don't know you and as hard as i try i can find out very little. I believe that you were a brave and loving man.

This is the only information i could find

Born in East Stroudsburg on the 21st Feb 1946 to parents Robert C and Ethel Miller. Growing one of three boys in Belvidere, N.J.
Robert went to Belvidere High school and then went on to Ohio State University where he graduated receiving a Bachelor of Art Degree in Political Science.
He served in U.S Army Intelligence as a Lieutenant in the Vietnam war and received a Bronze star.
Robert was married to Mitoko and had two children Lisa and Marchi Iwaki.
He worked for Aon Corporation on the 92nd floor of tower two World Trade Center as a Vice President in the Marine department.

This information was found on a Victims site

I will remember you today and your spirit lives on in those you loved and who loved you.


2996

Sunday Prompt #2

Today's prompt is

YOUR FAVOURITE LAYOUTS....

If you have to choose two Layouts - one of your own, and one of someone Else's that inspires you - what would they be? Its a time to boost you're own ego as well as someone Else's!!

Post a link or photo of the layouts on your blog with words of praise to yourself and those you have chosen.

You are worth it!

The LO of my own that i love at the moment is my doodle one. I'm just so pleased with how it turned out and i had fun doing it. At the moment I'm trying to find a style that suits me and i can work comfortably with.
At the moment there are so many LO's that are inspiring that it's hard to choose just one. But there is just one that stands out more than any other at the moment. It is Lousette's Time LO that she did for the Speshal Dare blog. It's a very powerful page and reminds you would scrapbooking is really about. Lou you have inspired me to scrap the painful things as well as the good things

Blog prompt

If you could be given any surprise..........what would it be?

If i could be given anything at all it would have to be my own house. The house would be fully paid for so no morgage or rent would need to be paid for it. It would have enough room so that i had a craft room that was comfy enough to have all the things in there i needed. There would be a playroom for DS as well as his bedroom. We would each have an on suite bathroom and so would the two spare rooms.
There would be a lovely kitchen dinner that would be the heart of the house, it would have a TV corner with a sofa and a big table for homework to be done at.

I can see this house so clearly in my mind. Maybe one day I'll get it but I'm not counting on it. It's a dream house.

Men

Just found this on someones blog and had to share

1. Men are like ...Laxatives ...... They irritate the crap out of
you.
2. Men are like.....Bananas ....... The older they get, the less firm
they are.
3. Men are like ......Weather . Nothing can be done to change them.
4. Men are like .......Blenders ... You need One, but you're not quite
sure why.
5. Men are like .....Chocolate Bars .... Sweet, smooth, & they usually
head right for your hips.
6. Men are like ....Commercials ....... You can't believe a word they
say.
7. Men are like... Department Stores ..... Their clothes are always 1/2
off.
8. Men are like ......Government Bonds .... They take soooooooo long
to mature.
9. Men are like .....Mascara . They usually run at the first sign of
emotion.
10. Men are like ......Popcorn ..... They satisfy you, but only for a
little while.
11. Men are like... Snowstorms .... You never know when they're coming,
how many inches you'll get or how long it will last.
12. Men are like ........Lava Lamps .... Fun to look at, but not very
bright.
13. Men are like... Parking Spots .......... All the good ones are taken,
the rest are handicapped.

Who would have thought it

You Are 52% Independent

Overall, you're a pretty independent woman. You don't follow trends just to fit in. You've got your own cool thing going on, though you sometimes still care too much about what other's think.

How Independent Are You?

You Are 61% Scary

Sorry to break it to you, but you're a pretty scary chick. Men don't know what you'll do or say next, and that freaks them out.

Do You Scare Off Men?

You Are Most Like Charlotte!

You are the ultimate romantic idealist You've been hurt before, but that hasn't caused you to give up on love. If anything, your resolve to fall in love is stronger than ever. And it's this feminine optimism that men find most appealing about you. Romantic prediction: That guy you are seeing (or crushing on)? Could be very serious - if you play your cards right!

Which Sex and the City Vixen Are You?

Wednesday blog prompt

The world is a wondrous place. If family, money and a job were not a factor, where would you most like to live? Why? What are the factors, to you, that make a great place to live? What do you like or not like about where you live currently?

I like having a three bed roomed house for just the two of but I'm not keen on the area at all, but but in my position you can't be too choosy.
To be honest I'm not really sure where I'd like to live for definite. It would be Australia or America. The main reason is that i love the style of the houses and the way they look so homey even when they are totally spotless and it looks like no one lives there. I'd love to live somewhere like San Francisco in the states, there is just something about the place that appeals to me. The other place that appeals to me is Melbourne in Australia. As we see so much of these city's on TV that i can see myself being very happy in either place.
Maybe one day if I'm lucky

Blog prompt

I just posted this prompt on UKS

What are the five signs of you?
When someone walks into your house how do they know without you saying anything that your at home? What things do you do that let people know your around? We all do it without thinking about it. Tell us what are yours.

The things that show that i'm home are
1) My shoes by the front door
2) The TV on
3) The computer on and connected to the internet
4) Bottle of coke with a glass next to it
5) My keys in the lock on the front door (the inside)

That's how you can tell I'm home

Edited to say
Having read a couple of other peoples blogs with this prompt I'll go into detail.

When i come in the front door i lock the door behind me leaving the keys in the lock. I kick my shoes off as i just can't sit comfortably with my shoes on, the TV goes on and so does the computer. I drink alot of coke so there's normally a bottle in every room.
I'm not really a radio person so the TV is on for company even when DS is home. It really doesn't matter if I'm watching it or not. I have now passed this habit on to Dom. As I've had my computer for the last year i really enjoy it and love being on the Internet and spend alot of time on it.
So that's me.

Back to school

Today was the first day back. Dom started in Year 3 which is now junior school. For the first time he has a male teacher, Mr Stallard. He seems really nice and Dom likes him. Hopefully things will fall into place this year and DS will get on better. Here's hoping anyway.

Sunday Bloggers

On UK scrappers a group has been set up for a Sunday blog prompt. Today's is

I want you to Blog your Favourite part of yourself!
We all know we can fill a day describing what we would change - but what wouldn't you change!?!?!?

I don't think i really have a favourite part of myself but i suppose the thing i wouldn't change is my skin. It's always been flawless and I've never really had any spots.

I love Doodles

One thing i have found out is that i just love doodles. So this LO is for my love of them. It has taken me a while to finish it as i kept changing my mind on how i wanted to do it. Now that it's done i love it.

Tag Challenge

As promised here is the LO redone. Still not sure if i'm happy but it's done now.