Party of Five

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.

Little Pip has had another cold. The poor little mite has been grumpy for a few days without outward shows of anything at all apart from a tiny little tooth peeping through. 4am wakenings were put down to that. But at the weekend, the snot came. and came. Still coming on Monday. He's lots better now and much more obedient in the sleep department I am gald to say.

Friday held a wonder of delights - the school Quiz Night. I had been before with some friends and had a good time. I laughed loads and argued loads too about obscure questions and probable answers. This time I did much the same except with more alcohol. We came 7th out of 23, as I keep saying to anyone who will listen 'none to shabby' - what a total arse I am.
Sadly the after effects of drinking the alcohol hit me hard on Saturday, throwing into disarray many of the normal Saturday things - me going to footie, me looking after Pip whilst the boys go to tennis, the bigger boys going to Luton footie - I awoke from uneasy slumbers after several attempts at normality at around 12:45. Hubby was downstairs in a maelstrom of disorganised activity trying to plan around my absence, he did brilliantly. After 2 horse pill ibuprofen i started to feel normal, vowing to never let a drop of alcohol touch my lips again.

Sunday saw the crop - lovely to get away from the four walls and look at another four walls, actually got something done and more plans on the way.

no photos, just whitterings today.

I have a flickr account though - user name is toniann, there are lots of photos on there.

take cheesy shots of the kids in the house who have not gone to footie. The light was appalling and everywhere was a mess but the lure of the Xmas booties & hat were too great.

Yup that's a baby on the table
I'm off the learn how to do a Gaussian Blur on the background so I can blur out my pigsty of a house.......

I just thought this was so fab for a little football player - a commemoration of their first year in competitive football and so so cheap (the frame is from Ikea and was £2.50 or so, the prints were 20p each), it will also help with my portraiture under pressure!

And a lovely piece of news is that Marja will be able to use all her pink stash on girly layouts, as she is expecting a little baby girl :)

oh and Sharon may soon have an up and running website for her photography - will keep you posted (all you hundreds of readers ;) )

and so i bought this

in all its French loveliness - it's probably like a Wilkinsons bag for life except I've paid a bunch of cash for it. I'm hoping that the website understood that it was meant to come to good old Blighty - a message pop up stating 'you do realise this is going out of France don't you' or words to that effect never strike a wholly positive note. Thank you for your input ladies :)

In other matters oldest son has scammed a day off school feigning sickness - I even took him to school and stood him outside his class door, but he maintained the sickness bravado so I let him have the benefit of the doubt. He was standing over the toilet this morning complaining of wanting to be sick. Kind of ruined my day though, how inconsiderate of him!! I was going all sorts of places and was also going to gym, have paid for the creche and everything.

Will take a photo of his sick mush later and I'll cast a poll on whether he's a good faker or the real deal ;)

Unknown to her, Marja has unleashed the dormant handbag fetishist in me. I completely love handbags, beyond all comprehension and need. I am loving this one from elisalou what colour combinations would you choose?



I do like the one in the picture, but it's not like I can get it - it's $52 incl shipping,





that's the cost of the TTT Kit












or this darling bag from Lamarelle in France.
What is a girl to do?










I am off to wash floors, hoover, make lists, faff, go to Post Office (Marja!), Iron, maybe go to Dunelm, look at the Donna Downey books a bit more (she's the Queen of Mini Albums)

what was I thinking?

with one happy boy








one a bit sulky boy













a crazy dog and its owners (who I won't post a pic of as I don't have their permission)

had a good time, although I did a lot of shouting which wasn't a good idea as I had a big headache. We got stuck in Bedford on the way back and although I didn't have a clue where I was going I went through a few sidestreets and I found myself back on track (but still in a queue).

Had a major scrapping opportunity tonight but watched old CSI episodes instead. Not feeling creative - I'll feel all creative again when I haven't got any time.

A busy weekend is planned with scrapping on Sunday afternoon (incl our footie team live on Sky) along with Church reading on Sun morning and a halloween party Sun evening. Saturday is sports day with U8's footie in the morning and tennis in the afternoon.

I'll be glad when Monday comes and it all calms down again and I will look forward to seeing my boys at the end of a school day and won't want to strangle them for fighting and shouting.

I am keenly awaiting a new camera mag - out in Nov - Digital SLR - am hoping it will transform my purely mediocre photography into little gems of perfection each and every time. I'm too tired to even write a denigrating comment about my rubbish pics - and if it comes to that time it means I need sleep :)

goodnight and adieu (oh I must rem to post about a totally 'need that' bag I am going to order...)

I've just spent a while gazing again at a newly found blog/shop. I am a big sucker for that folksy, laura ashley faded charm style of things - although with 3 little boys the clutter and eclectism of it doesn't suit our househild at the moment. It is something that I am warming to. A lot.

So the blog is Pozy gets Cozy and her shop is linked into her blog. Her name is Alicia Paulson. Check out her links - a huge list and very wonderful. I am so digging her felted flowers and am currently begging friends for old jumpers as we don't wear them here in Sunny Beds!!

I may get my material down and just start doing stuff - maybe for the Church Xmas market, maybe just for me....

seriously sick pc last night and most of today. My impatient self decided to not wait for a frozen Windows to sort itself out, oh no - that would mean far too much sitting and waiting. Instead I decided on the 'unplug from mains' option - usually the domain of the male impatitents.

Rebooted to find a sick pc with an 'mountable_boot_volume' and big blue screens.

Woke up to find that this remained when booting up (I secretly hoped a night cooling down would fix it - as in 'computer heal thyself'). But no. Panic. Ten thousand photos down the tubes.

Texts, phone calls and general calling in of favours and asking big favours ended up with me having a fixed pc with a few niggly things not working (like internet) but enough for me to start BACKING UP my files. Learn to say 'YES' to backing up.

thanks to Rob & George, may you never find my blog and how stupid I am.

the nice thing about reading scrappers blogs (by which I mean celebrity scrappers blogs like Stacy Juliam CZ, Ali E & Donna D) is that you get a heads up on what new products and trends are out there.
I know there are shops and sites that detail the papers and stuff in great depth, but patterned paper isn't my big thing. Every time I read CS's books again I know I have found my spiritual scrapping home.
So without further ado here are some 'wants' from recent celebrity blogs:-

• photo diary book
• QK storage - I wonder if Ikea do a version of this?
• BearyPatch Add A Patch Gadget - This is what I have been waiting for!! should be at the top of the list really.
• I am liking the new QK Vixen font - perhaps to go on a Xmas list? maybe but not before 2 new camera lenses!

not much I know, but I am beginning to understand my needs in terms of crafting and am not all about the latest trend in paper that I won't use or tons of Prima that just doesn't go with having 3 boys.

Read today in CZ's blog that she is giving blogging up - I only scanned it quickly so I wasn't sure if she was just taking a break or giving it up for good. From the comments section it looks like she is giving up for good. Sad but we can't force her to blog if she doesn't want to. I'll certainly miss her, she's top of my blog list.

i always wonder about kids teeth, especially milk teeth and how on some kids they look like they have loads of dolphin teeth. Other kids when they have a mix of milk teeth & second teeth look funny - kind of symbolic of the whole flux of change (bad grammar as flux is change isn't it?) they go through.

here's an example of gappy dolphin teeth - he's definitely outgrowing these teeth as he is his pants and swim trunks!

although he is freckly - most of the dots on his face is dirt........kind of sums him up really :)

you know I had just got Pip up from his nap, you know the nap where I put him down to nap awake and he fusses a bit and then goes to sleep (officially known as a textbook nap) and I decided to feed him lying in bed. It's a hard life being a mum, putting baby to nap for a few hours, lying in bed feeding baby etc etc (don't worry I do stuff, my day ramps up at 3pm when bedlam ensues and carries on until 8pm).
So there I was happily feeding him and he stops and looks up at me. He really examines my face, I see his eyes looking at my eyes then my nose then my mouth. He reaches out and puts his hand in my mouth and feels my teeth, grins a bit and continues fiddling. Then he has a last look at me and smiles.
I have to say that even though he is the most adorable, precious little jewel in all christendom, when he just looks at me like that with that knowing smile my heart just bursts open.
It makes all the hard stuff worthwhile.
Other stuff that makes me a smug mum:-

• when Munch or Tiddly come and sit next to me on the couch and snuggle into that perfect snug. Where they fit just right but can also see Dr Who too.
• when they tell me they love my dinners (I am no cook let me tell you)
• when you can see what you have tried to teach them is working - whether it is a phrase, moral conduct, hanging things up without asking.
• when you see their real personality shine through and its so different to me or hubby - I always think 'Wow'
• when someone tells me my kids have behaved when I wasn't there (Tids got a special sticker at Beavers last night for his good behaviour on a walk for snow leopards at the local zoo- only 4 of them in total got them)
• when they come out of school smiling 'cos they are happy to see me

You see this is my job, my vocation now and I try really hard to do it right. But I do scream and shout, I do get upset with them, I get cross with them, sometimes I don't understand them. At the end of the day they forgive me my faults and love me back. There's nothing like that feeling, nothing in the world.

baby was put to bed about 15 minutes ago awake, and after some fussing he's now asleep. What a result! No baby of mine has ever done that before. They've cried and cried until they were so distressed they were sick or nearly convulsed. Pippy has broken the mould, bless him.
This should be a time when I do housework and scrap but I had a crap night and feel ill, I have laryngitis (a bonus for many pple now i cannot speak) and every step tires me out. So I think I am going to slob out and go back to bed.

But not before enlightening you and reminding myself about this. I am purposefully editing my pictures (all 10,000 of them) so I can upload onto flickr and hence onto moo.com so I can order 100 of those totally cute photos. Apparently they are 1/3 the size of business cards. Excellent for tags at Xmas and for scrapping.Although it costs about £11 I am a total sucker for this type of thing and I will use them all esp if I can make xmas tags and cards out of them.

and seeing as beta blogger is making it so easy to add pics I am revisiting my archives and adding the odd old pic.

I visit Print & Pattern every day. And every day there is a wonderful new post with the most thrilling things. It's almost as good as being in the shops themselves looking at all the wonderful things. I especially enjoy the stationery being the sad bad paper freak that I am. I would have a hundred million notebooks if I could, all of them different and I would never write in them, just keep them nice for looking at!
I totally loved the sunny style things - the stamps and the felt birds & xmas trees -I went to the site here but as I don't read Japanese all I could do was look.
Basic Grey are producing new lines for Xmas here here. I love BG stuff, the paper quality is outstanding. I still have a lot of last years Xmas line, so am not sure about buying more - maybe I will get the 6x6 pads which will be more useful to me from a scrapping perspective. How interesting you cry!
Scrapbook Answers is ceasing with the Nov issue. It's a shame as I like the mag and it is full of useful tips and tricks. I can't say it beats simple scrapbooks because the style isn't the same, I resubbed in July but have yet to see an issue :(

so here is my tidy room and a desk that even I am no longer ashamed of.... I realise now that I should either have bought a wireless webcam or one with a bigger cable as it doesn't stretch far enough!

i am going to use my webcam, i mean it i do.
i thought i would be using it a bit more than i do - which is not at all - but until i can persuade Sharon to get one and Jackie to use hers i don't have anyone to talk to (& Judi has 14 pc's but no cam).

so i thought i'd do some pics of me & my boys at various points. and occassionally pics of my upstairs (as it's not wireless means it only stretches to upstairs). Here's one from today.....

not sure what Pip is looking at but it must be interesting.

Here's one from a month or so ago.......

this was before his 'king of rolling' phase and eating real food - hence his slim physique (for a baby).

He's on my lap as i clumsily type this one handed, grunting, whining and trying to reach papers on the desk. I'd better go defuse the situation with baby yoghurt. Ever smelt baby yoghurt burps? not pleasant, nearly enough to put you off dairy.......but not quite enough :)

well not a personal, 'you've been tagged', more of a johnny saddo borrowing a tag from Marja to make myself look popular. It's like the Mum mafia in the school playground - sometimes I'll chat and gossip and feel included but whenever I hang back and look all alone I'm pretty much left to my own devices. Not sure how I feel about that, but as our US friends would say - that's a whole other ball of wax (or something like that, not being American permits clumsy American metaphor mixing).
So these are the rules:-
List 5 weird things about yourself or your pets.
Tag 5 friends and list them.
Then, those people need to write on their blogs about 5 weird things, and state the rules, and tag 5 more people.

I'm panicking a bit about tagging 5 friends for the obvious reasons. Do I tag Donna Downey, Cathy Zeilske and Ali Edwards - I consider them friends but really in the stalker kind of way as I've only ever posted on Cathy's blog....once....about Suzannah and Trinny (Yeah I hate them). But hey I've posted on Zach Braff's blog - so he's my friend, therefore tagable.

So here goes...

Weird things
1. My cat is so old she cannot lick all her fur and sometimes the fur she cannot reach on her back goes all skanky and I have to trim it. Easier said than done as she's the worlds most unfriendly cat.
2. I eat peanut butter off of a spoon. Better than everything else that just gets tipped in 'Homer- like' straight from the carton into my gob.
3 I don't like big dogs. Not at all. Their slobbery slobber, that whole doggy aroma, that jumping up and sniffing things. And what is worse than a big dog? a big dog whose owner has not control over them and worse than that? A big dog NEAR MY BABY. I'm not too sure about pets in cages either.
4. I love ribbon, especially fancy schmancy ribbon. I have no use for it and the ribbon I use is usually stuff I put on gifts, so it's a total waste of money, but to have it in my possession for even the shortest time fills me with happiness.
5. I must iron every single thing in the ironing pile, I cannot leave it or it plays on my mind. I cannot wear anything unironed or put my kids in anything unironed. But it takes me days to put it away so I generally have little hillocks of ironed clothes dotted around various bedrooms.

who am i going to tag? well Audrey for sure, perhaps anam if she doesn't mind me tagging her, ummmm I'll have to do 'dream tags' as I don't know anyone else to ask so it's gotta be the wonderful Zach and the inspirational Cathy and finally the amazing Tara.

Totally cheated I know but hey ho.

first day back at the gym today. Pip went in the creche where he spent most of his time puking up or grizzling. I feel a bit guilty because I gave him a bit of a feed before I went and this combined with lying on his tummy probably made him do the old heave ho.

Had a reasonable work out - the gym has changed a lot - not that I didn't know that, it changed before I stopped going. But non of the instructors are the same, nor most of the staff downstairs, so it's a bit daunting. I forgot my headphones too, I think a small stealer child was after them and I put them somewhere safe and forgot where that safe place was. Never mind I got to watch Linda Barker without sound - that's gotta be a bonus.

Did a bit of scrapping last night, I should have been at a PTA meeting at school but could not summon up the effort to shift myself. They caught me today anyway and I've volunteered to help with the school discos in December. Meeting at some lady's house on Monday after school drop off :o before I know it I'll get sucked in and be a Stepford wife.

Yeah and you know the colour puce? that's the colour I was by the time I'd finished my workout (I am now hoping that puce isn't green)

so I thought no-one ever read my blog and therefore any anomalies entered would be glossed over. Not so. Sharon noticed that one Thursday that I blog-glossed over was in fact the day I went to her house and she did a wonderul photoshoot of little Pip.

sorry Sharon and to try and make up for it here is my homage to my best bud:-

I've known Sharon for over 20 years and in that time we've never had an argument, not that I can remember anyway. This says a lot about Sharon, an awful lot. See, she's had to put up with living with me and my foibles (messy everywhere except the kitchen), my habit of being a bit brutal with the truth (she just absorbs it all with a smile), with my inconstantcy (not making her bday party because of a forecast of snow - mind you she does remind me every now and then), me being a rubbish helper(when she photographed a wedding), my copying her creatively (I only took up card making 'cos she started and i only love photography 'cos i saw her pics), my forgetfulness and occassional stupidity and all sorts of other things.
Sharon is brave and does things other people only dream about - she's just packed her whole career in to bring her children up and to develop her passion for photography. With her adorable hubby Darren they designed and got built the most amazing extension to their historic house - she had amazing vision with this project and a lot of guts seeing it through, whenever I talk to other friends about her I always add 'she's built the MOST amazing extension on her house - with a cellar!' - I do Sharon I always do!
I love you to bits Sharon although I might not show it and rest assured that I will be around for at least another 40 years to plague the life out of you and sniffing for free photoshoots.

when Sharon gets her website/blog up and running I'll post a link - she's a fabulous and creative photographer who specialises in family and children.

blogger is not allowing photo uploads at the mo but when it does I'll edit this and put in some of her fabbo pics

Munch started school this week. No namby pamby phasing him in - it's straight to it full time school for the next 13 years (we hope) for him.
He's doing ok - he's a little cranky because of being tired and there have apparently been 'things going on'. I take it to mean that there has been bundles over toys or such like and he has been coming home stating 'xxx doesn't like me any more' etc He came home on Tuesday (his first day) with a big lump on his nose where a kid threw a brick at him. After intensive questionning it transpires that Munch pushed a brick tower over that this kid had built and kid threw brick at Munchers face. Not good. Not a happy Mummy. However, it's the start of term and all these little kids are adjusting. Kid & his parent have been spoken to by teacher and teacher has spoken to me (amazingly Munch was recipient of bad behaviour and not disher outer). I am not going to get in a great big lather over it, not unless Munch really gets hurt (mind you how hurt does he have to be? I'm thinking broken bones or blood).
Having been through this all before with Tiddly and knowing how these things settle down it's best to play the long game here. Also best not to intereact with other parents - too much tittle tattle and gossip.
Have been scrapping mini albums this week. Getting some of that spark back. Kind of getting myself organised so I can scrap in the evening - but not totally there yet, I am still a lazy couch potato at heart and if a good film is on I am there.
Does anyone know of a good way of not 'grazing' - I am grazing like a herd of Texan cows and am now currently the size of one. Not a good look by the way. Oh and I am missing a backbone and willpower - a potent mixture at the best of times.

last week was a good week - full of different things and although hectic it was fun too.

On Monday I reactivated my gym membership and on Tuesday we went swimming, putting little Pip inthe creche. All went well if a little rushed when I realised I had 1 minute in which to get dry, dressed and downstairs to the creche (they don't like lateness) - I was there in 3 minutes - not bad for a tubby lass.

On Wednesday we took Sam to school - his first day in year 3!

Thursday and Friday have completely passed me by but it was probably more taking Sam to school and coming home and trying to tidy up.

Saturday was Sam's first proper football match, and what a stonking game it was. Full of hard tackles, missed chances, passion and committment - all this from a team of 7 year olds !!! Sam didn't play like his normal self - it may be he had a bit of stage fright, but some of them were fabulous. We won 7-2.

In the evening we went to watch Sam swim in his first swim gala - it was actually time trials. Poor little guy I think he was everso nervous - these are big events with a big audience and loads and loads of swimmers. Luckily he had his older cousing looking after him and his Uncle was one of the judges (we think he was a block judge as he spent all his time at the starting end). Sam was only entered into one race - backstroke) and did very well considering he was swimming in the 8's category he was probably the youngest swimming in that category and he didn't come last although he bashed into the lane a few times and slowed up looking for the finish.

Munchers teacher comes on a home visit today, need to scrape some of the muck from various surfaces and pray that Munch doesn't do anything stupid.


oh i wish i were really as slim as that appears!

it was Pip's Christening yesterday and also my birthday.

What a fabulous day we had! The service was lovely even though I was a bit cross at the vicar only telling me it was a joint Christening late the night before. There's not a lot of seating at the Church and we were bringing 45, couple this with 30 from the other party and the congregation I could see a bit of squashing going on. Coupled with me dearly wanting a sole celebration of my special little boy I was fuming a bit (as my friend Judi will tell you).

Anyhoo, it all went well (apart from the other family taking our side of the pews and a lot of our people having to sit on their side). Father Grantley did a memorable service and it was very special for all of us. This was Steve's family Church when he was growing up, a lot of his family are interred in the graveyard and Steve & I are the only ones who continue going regularly to the Church so they are like our extended family - the congragation know us all very well and were so happy to receive Christopher.

The party afterwards was good as well, well it had better had been because it cost a fortune! Food was good, weather was divine and company fantastic.

As a birthday it went quietly, focus was on little Pip afterall, but I got some marvellous and probably undeserved pressies and lots of stash money :)

Marja - where did you hear it's Zach's last season? this has blown my world away!!!!!

new blog to stalk - fabulous photos of the cutest little baby and man this woman is funny, totally baby centric so if you don't 'get' Mums writing funny stuff about their kids then don't click the link stories about us

I am both pleased and proudly smug about the fact I achieved my goals this week, namely:-

• take Munch to tennis and hope he doesn't hurt someone or poke an eye out (his or anyone close by)
• get 2 christening cakes and a birthday cake (1 for Church, 1 for Party and 1 for me and Jackie to scoff)
• get bday pressies for a special 2 year old boy (can't go wrong with Bob the Builder)
• finish the Mt McKinsey ironing pile (I don't own that many clothes am I ironing for the street here?)
• buy me an outfit - millets had a sale on.....
• buy boys an outfit (god bless the next directory)
• finish digi album (ok finished all bar the text)
• rejoin the gym (ok am going to do that tomorrow but have already booked Pip into the creche for a trial)

I'm going to refresh my blog links at the side too as I visit a lot of inspirational ones daily, I almost get upset if they are not updated I find them so funny, stylish and just great - it's like having a hotline to something fabulous, like eating a whole bag of maltesers and not feeling guilty.

Pip has been beaten into submission on the sleep front this week. He'd been sullying his 'I'm THE perfect baby' routine by cruelly waking at 1am, 3am, 5am (any mix of those and you'll get the picture) - I was having enough of feeling like I'd been dragged through the night by wild horses rather than slumbering fitfully on a cloud of feathers. He kind of mentally 'got' the picture this week by sleeping through everynight. Good boy Pip!

Nanni thinks Pip is the best thing since sliced bread - she looked after him today whilst I went and had my Farah Fawcett highlights and cut - yeah I am totally the 70's babe today. Apart from the fact the boys were on their own out the front on their bikes (they were still alive and apparently unscathed so I let that one fly) and baby was on his own crying in the front room all was fine!! I had just come home when she'd left them all for a minute to go pee, afterall a Nanni has to pee too!! Pip was just so good she was worried he never fussed or created!! next time I'll pinch him before I go out and make her work a bit harder.

No scrapping this week - too much panic shopping and tennis watching. Once we get to next week I will have my days free - me and Pip against the world! maybe I can be organised for the first time this century?