Yes, I know I'm posting...

...quite late in the evening. If I don't do it now while I think about it I'll forget...again!
Chris is raising money for the Papworth Trust.... click here to find out all about it.


Now for some SU blog candy......

Joanne has some great candy up for grabs......ends 31st October

Julie is celebrating her 2 year blogaversary.....ends 1st November

I've been invaded!!!

..by ladybirds (or bugs). The weather started a bit wet and windy this morning but then turned to torrential rain and really gusting winds. The leaves were coming off the trees in bucket fulls. Suddenly the wind stopped.....the rain stopped...and the sun came out. It was glorious. And then it happened....hundreds of ladybirds flying and settling on the walls doors and windows on the south side of the houses. It was amazing! My sons have been laughing at me 'cos I've been all round the house, carefully removing the ones that have come indoors through open windows and vents. I don't know what caused this strange behaviour but it was certainly a sight to watch.

Early Christmas presents.....

...or late birthday presents.....depends which way you look at it. Last week my electric bill was available to view online... (I opt for paperless billing where possible)...and I got a shock. I pay for my electric fortnightly with a budget account....and have received no communication that I might be paying too much. Well I phoned the company and asked for details of the amount. Apparently they have been estimating my bills even though my meter has been read regularly. I was £205 in credit! Well I got it credited to my bank account so I have been on a small spending spree. As I am a Halifax bank customer...(might not be for much longer though..simpler charges?..extortion more like!)... I have paid my small overdraft and I now have a healthier balance. I thought I would treat myself to a die-cutter...so have been trawling the internet looking for good deals on the Bigshot or the Cuttlebug. Had just about decided on the Bigshot when I went on the Docraft site and what did I see?..a die cutter for under £40..and just under £5 for postage. Ordered it Tuesday..it's arrived today! I'm a happy bunny. Only problem at the moment is that I have only got brass stencils to play with.....but I have been playing and I love it! Now I have to decide what to get next for it....I do have a limited budget. Also got another present....this time from son and DIL. A new wrist watch. I've always worn one but mine gave up the ghost and I have felt lost without one. I know I can use my mobile phone but I've never got into the habit with that.
I've been so tired this week and I'm just starting to feel human. Last Saturday I went with son and DIL to visit the river boat lights at Matlock Bath. It was an evening trip, again arranged by their local T.A.R.A., and it was fantastic. There was a fair, so spent a little, and to end the evening a fireworks display. I did get some pictures but not good ones I'm afraid. I spent the night at their house and had Sunday lunch before dragging my very tired self home.
What with postal strikes, bus strikes, fire service strikes..I think it best to stay at home and craft. I will be stopping off at the craft shop next week....well it is on the way to the freezer shop. The prices are a bit higher than on the Internet but the service is fantastic.....(free cuppa while you're browsing).... and they do have a loyalty points scheme.

I needed that....

...a day out in town with Anne. It was great to get away from the house for a while. We spent about 3 hours gossiping over lunch..... a slow meander round a few shops..bought a few things but didn't spend that much (honestly, you can ask Anne..she was with me!) We went for a cold drink and a sit down then off home. I'm shattered but I enjoyed myself. It's not often either of us get out much but it's great when we do. Thank you Anne for your company..and the laughs.

I've got a fairly easy day tomorrow then the dreaded fortnightly shop on Thursday. I can see myself having to resort to Internet grocery shopping again soon, with perhaps a shop with son and DIL once a month. I really am finding shopping harder each time....and I'm dreading the Christmas shop! Never mind..will cross that bridge when I come to it.

I'm going to put on the card that I entered for the Craftsuprint challenge. Entry ends at the end of the month so you've got time if you want to try your luck.

The sheet I've used is one made by Angela...a very talented, regular contributor to the site.

The light has caught the berries on the card. I used a Sakura glitter pen on them. The corner ones are red holly berries and santa is holding mistletoe. I used polar white flower soft on santa's trimmings, and glossy accents on his boots.

Right....I'm off to bed now.

The last few days..

...have been very relaxing for me. I've managed to get into the garden and tidied up a bit. Lots of leaves have been raked and there will be plenty more no doubt. The squirrel has outdone me again and managed to eat most of the fat balls and nuts that I put out for the birds. There are very few birds coming now and at last I've figured out why. Not one squirrel...but three....two young ones and mom. I can understand why farmers consider them pests. The only birds that have not been scared off are the Robins, Blackbirds and Magpies. Got lots of Magpies..they come from the woods just across the road from me. If anyone knows how to encourage the other birds I would be grateful for any tips. I've been doing a bit of crafting as well. A challenge card and two lots of ATCs done. I've updated my ATCs to my Picasa which can be found by following the link in the side bar. A couple of the swaps haven't taken place yet though. I will update as I receive them. I've also entered the challenge on craftuprint site..a really good prize if you win..so go check it out. Mine was on there but I can't find it now..will have to have a good look later on.

Last month's Imag-e-nation challenge called for a card using a sheet from the free printable gallery on the forum. The sheets are made by some very talented people and are given freely. I decided to enter as I wanted to make a card for my BIL on my sister's passing. I chose a sheet made by Jak. It's a lovely soft image and I thought it suitable for what I wanted.

I'm starting to feel....

.....a bit more positive now after the shock of my sister's passing and the behaviour of my siblings. Didn't feel well the Saturday after the funeral but I was expecting that. My friend Anne phoned me and we decided to have a day in town on the following Tuesday. Unfortunately I couldn't make it. I woke up feeling unwell but thought that with some breakfast I would feel better, but no....the vertigo set in. I've spent the last week taking it easy and doing some crafting, ATCs and a challenge card for the Imag-e-nation forum. I was hoping to get out into the garden at the weekend and clear the leaves, but it was so windy it would have been a waste of time. Yesterday, because I was determined to get out there, it rained heavily all day. Shouldn't grumble though as after nearly 3 weeks with no rain the garden certainly needed it. It's dry today so I might be able to make a start tomorrow. Hopefully I will make the next lunch date with Anne next Tuesday.
I've also started to de-clutter. My house is being modernised early next year and some of our belongings will go into storage, so I've been collecting some boxes. These were just being dumped in my bedroom and I couldn't move in there. I started out intending to tidy so that I could store them out of the way. I ended up finding things that were years old and absolutely no use...the things we keep! I'm dreading the thought of clearing the "junk" cupboard. You know the one...that one that we all have that is full of things that we just know will come in useful one day.

Some mega, mega...

..blog candy on offer.

Jak.....this is awsome!

Bev....has some oh so cute! WOJ...and then some!

Caz.....has Squiggle Stamps candy to give away

Nikki...is celebrating over 150,000 hits with a £25 gift voucher for her online store.

I'm downright disgusted.....

..with my so called siblings!!! Today was my older sister's funeral. It was a beautiful service and well attended by relatives, neighbours, care staff from the hospital and past work colleagues of my sister...except that myself, my eldest son and an aunt who I don't remember (my mother was one of 12) were the only relatives from "our side" of the family. A short explanation here. I am the middle one of 5..older brother and sister..younger brother and sister. When I was about 5 we were put into care. I still don't know the exact reasons...but that's another story. Elder brother and sister stayed with my father, gran and grandad. Younger brother and sister were fostered together. I was fostered separately. As young children we all saw each other fairly often. Later we drifted apart but still kept in touch. I haven't spoken to my younger sister for 20 years or so, and my younger brother for about 10 years. (yet again another story!) Anyway when my sister died I got in touch with them both. Brother wasn't interested...but my other sister did get in touch and intimated that she would attend the funeral. Well they didn't come, and they didn't send a card or flowers...nothing!! It didn't go unnoticed by several people. I am so angry with them..not only for my sister but also for her husband and son. Even if they felt that they couldn't attend surely a card or note acknowledging my sisters passing would not have gone amiss. My eldest brother wasn't there either, which surprised me, but perhaps there was an explanation for that. I didn't really like to ask at the time, not wanting to upset them any more than they were. I have been tempted to phone my sister and ask for some kind of explanation..but I've decided against that. I don't want to dignify their behaviour by responding to them.
OK..rant over.

The start was good..

The week started great. On Monday I went with eldest son and DIL to Scarborough for the day with their TARA. (Tenants and Residents Association). Thoroughly enjoyed myself....haven't been to the coast for nearly 20 years....where do the years go?!!
I arrived home to be greeted by my youngest telling me that David had phoned and would I call back. David....which David? My brother, BIL, grandson, other people named David that I know? It turned out to be my brother-in-law and I knew as soon as I saw the number that something was wrong. My sister had died. She went into hospital with a kidney infection and died of pneumonia. I am still a little dazed with the news. She hasn't had good health for a number of years (severe rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis) but no one expected this. She was 57 years old...16 months older than me. I suppose that it is a release for her knowing the pain she was in....but it doesn't make it any easier...at the moment I'm finding it hard to come to terms with it.

I'm still here...

First of all I would like to thank all you lovely people who have contacted me one way or another regarding Theo. Your comments and kind words are very much appreciated.

I've been busy. The weather has been glorious this past week so I have taken the opportunity to tidy up the garden. Cutting plants back and planting and re-planting some bulbs...especially the daffodils which had outgrown their space.

I haven't had much time for crafting.....(or blog reading....will catch up very soon hopefully!).... except a wedding card my friend asked me to make for her...and here it is. Hope you like it Anne...it will be in the post first thing in the morning.(I apologise for the quality of the picture...mirri card is not the best thing to photograph even at the best of times.)

A cream card matted and layered with dark blue, gold mirri card and then cream again. The cream layer has been punched with a Papermania punch, and small pearls added to the centre of the punch-outs. The image and sentiment is Anita's, stamped and embossed with detail gold, matted onto dark blue card and the whole thing finished with dark blue ribbon.

Next are a couple of cards I made for the Imag-e-nation forum challenges. The first one was to make a card for a child up to the age of 12. As my printer wasn't playing nice at the time I had to go with what I had. The image is a digi from Dustin Pike....used foam pads to lift it a little. I know the colouring isn't too hot..but I am practising...and hopefully will get there in the end.

This one was to make a side-step card. I've never done one of these so it was a first for me. It's made from an A4 piece of card.

Decided to go with red and black for this one. The image is a digi from Jak's blog. I didn't have the right colour card, but I did have paper. I blinged it up by spraying it with silver spray and sparkle from crafters companion...I'm loving that stuff at the moment. I didn't have a red flower either....so I used a pink one and coloured with an ink pad. I cut the centre out of black card using a punch and then sprayed the whole thing with....guess what?...yes, my favourite thing of the moment. Matted and layered the image and finished off with some black ribbon. The sentiment was free from a magazine. I didn't figure in either of the challenges but I did enjoy making the cards. Well crafting is better than housework any day. Just got to tidy up my crafting space a bit now...got some ATCs to make.