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Xmas and all it's Glory




Christmas has now come and gone. We await the New Year in these 'limbo' days where things are supposed to get done and there is nothing but old films on the tv.


Christmas was lovely, but we did not seem to have time to enjoy it. Christmas Eve was full of going to Church and helping with the Nativity play, then rushing back to get all the jobs done - we didn't finish til midnight. Christmas Day - Church again as I had to do the reading, then rushing back to get the dinner on and lay the table and tidy up and, and, and... The whole of

Christmas Day was about me and Hubby working hard - we were exhausted by the end of it and rightly so. Kind of takes the gloss off of it really and for the first time ever hubby said that maybe one year we could go where someone would do all that for us. I will cling to that for the future!


Not many piccies taken - the light is so bad and the flash is so harsh. I used my tripod though which I am pleased about. It is very cool, especially as it was so cheap.


Other hot news - not only in the past month (well since 16th Nov actually) has Pip cut a tooth, he's now onto his 4th tooth, he started crawling on the 20th Dec and yesterday at my friends he pulled himself up into prime cruising position. Now he's learnt this new skill he's determined to do it everywhere but mostly in his cot (bad bad bad news) and in the bath (dangerously bad news)

and rather charmingly on his little chair that I should not be letting him use, but probably will til he knocks one of those little toothy pegs out.I very much doubt now that I'll ever do any scrapping again til he reaches 4. Happy Days :)

Marja (such a bad influence) has tempted me into trying knitting - she is knitting the cutest things, so I want to knit too. Despite not having knit since I was about 13 I am going to get this new magazine that is out and try - maybe it will stop me from eating choc? seeing as both my hands will be full????????

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Unbelievably Proud



My little boy is now 8. He was one of the mascots for Luton Town FC on Friday night, a very proud moment for all of us. We had a good night, a good weekend and are now all asleep apart from me (I had a nap in the afternoon). I took about 400 photos - I hope I've got a couple of good ones!!

The tree is now up - we always put it up after Sam's birthday so the two events are separate and he doens't feel like his birthday is mixed up with Xmas.
so, lots of tired people in the house, therefore lots of bad tempers and arguements and not a lot of forgiving, but tomorrow is nearly here and hopefully a good nights sleep will make us all happy again! no doubt i will edit this comment out at some point :)

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reindeers & stuff


don't you just love xmas concerts?
it's all good news... no blatant nose picking this year......forgot to sing but smiled a lot.....only told off a couple of times.

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I got my present early



I really don't need anything else.......

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we have a clear favourite

well Marja likes the B&W one with the red hat (yes I will be doing the other hats too, but it is a right royal pain in the bum to do so wasn't going to do it until it was a confirmed favourite).

Went to the town today, something only to be recommended with armed bodyguards and a get away strategy in place at CTU, ideally having Keifer Sutherland carrying my shopping and giving my feet a massage when I'm done. Totally forgot my stuff to tax my car so am going to try to do it online - here's hoping.

Lots to do, little time to do it in!


I have scrapped believe it or not!

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which one should i choose?

it's xmas card time. Frantic Xmas card making is being deployed, child neglect is high, biscuit eating is high, avoidance strategies are being actioned as we speak.

I handmake most of my xmas cards, i thought it would be a labour of love but always ends up being a mad panic. Still, I wouldn't change a thing. Family cards get the phot treatment, I take a chrismassy pic of the boys and print it out and put it on a card. Bit of a no-brainer really. This year is no exception but I am in a quandry as which to choose. So help me out here, which pic is your favourite?




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oh it's getting busier

not a lot has been going on at home, a few minor catastrophies involving pulled muscles and my general forgetfulness but nothing major (if there was anything major I have forgotten it already or is was so traumatic I have parked it behind that door in my brain that forgets anything more stressful than a fingernail breaking).
I have spent a lot of time putting my better photos into flickr - I am very impressed with this. Most of my pics are private as they feature other children from the football team, but there are some general ones.
I took xmas pics of the boys this morning with their Santa hats on - they were so funny, Sam was horrified that I was letting Pip sit on the dining table. I said 'he's fine, the light is good, let's get on with it'. The pics are cute and will be the basis of my family xmas cards - i will alter them in my adored PS cs and get them printed from either truprint or qoop (an unknown but looks good and you don't have to reupload if you have the pics on your flickr site).
I ordered my new lens, a Canon EFS 28-105mm f3.5-4.5 II USM (or something like that) and as usual despite my prolific research and re-research I doubted myself and my choice as soon as I pressed the confirm button. I basically worry that its zoom won't be long enough, however it will be a good portrait lens. The Tamron 70-300mm lens has gotten good reviews, it's reach will be long enough and it's retailing at £70 which is affordable with xmas present money (money i get not money to spend on kids!) - it will probably be cheaper after xmas too, don't tell husband though - he thinks i am a profligate spender already, but this is the man who wears his clothes for 10 years before he thinks they might be wearing out. Sharon if you are reading this - yes I went to Jessops to try the lens out and no they didn't have it in stock ;)
I wonder sometimes if I overcommit myself - but then there are days when I do nothing at all. This weekend was one of those times when everything happens at once - footie takes all morning, then normally it's tennis but i had to get those sausages cooked for the school party and we were running very late and I had to go help at this KS1 party by 2:30 so we forgot tennis, i was out til 5:30 with the 2 smallest kids helping, then got back to literally 6ft of ironing plus a retype of the Church nativity that i had promised to do last week. Hubby helped with the ironing, although he was reading the paper when I came down after retype saying his back hurt, hmmmmm. I finished the ironing and eventually went to bed. Munch came in our room crying at 1am and a bit later threw up in our bed. Not good. Especially when you have no change of sheets.
This morning was difficult, just so very hard to actually open my eyes (Pip has been up at 5am all week), even though I slept til 8am it's taken til now plus chocolate to get me going. I am far too old for all of this, I love to help it makes me feel useful and like I am not just this paper hungry whore who spends all out spare and not so spare cash on a stupid hobby.
Anyway, rambling is wasting tidying time and my darling hubby is doing the shopping so I'd better find some space in the kitchen for it.