Unbelievably Tired!

Today was a really nice day! Sandie and the kids came for the day and I got alot of scrapbooking done! I was pretty tired and hadn't slept the night before so I was pretty grumpy but Sandie was an excellent sport and we ignored the rowdiness and mess and just scrapped away! It was really nice!

I missed the crop again :(

Well I missed the crop yet again! Brandon had somewhere to be for work and I spent all my "pin money" for the month so I couldn't go..:( I did however scrap the whole time of the crop and got two layouts done! That is what the goal was for the night! I used my new scrummy yummy Kewl kit that came in from the Prima site! Check em out!

Busy few days

So I have been busy scrapping this weekend! The rain has been miserable and so we stayed home all weekend...Firstly I finished my CJ...I am not at all happy with it but it needed posted today and so off it went...
Cover

Info page

The Rules


I also did a couple of pages...

Having A Ball (Phoenix at the Jolly Roger)

Inspired by Sandie I scraplifted one of her pages and tried my hand at a self portrait page!

Chillin

What a lovely day of scrapping today was! Sandie and her children came over for the day and we had the most wonderful day! Brandon made us his special chicken, we had mountain dew and candy and just chatted the day away! Part of the time we had a total of eight children in the house but Brandon took the older four out to the base for a good part of the afternoon leaving a semi peaceful house for Sandie and I! Chelsea was a great help with running interference and helping with the younger ones. I finished one page and when I hit total brain dump Sandie did a sketch for me to follow for a total of two..not an amazing number but considering the amount of chatting we were doing I think it was excellent progress!


Sandie Scrapping

Phoenix, Hannah and Gryphen enjoying Zebra Cakes.

Chapped

Chillin- the sketch Sandie made for me put to life!

JUNE

Well I am itching for new and exciting things to do and inspiration, so crazy me I signed up for a Circle Journal and two different groups in the same swap! It's a calendar swap and the idea is that we will end up with a completed 6x6 calendar..I chose June in group two and October in Group three. June is to be Turquoise based and this is what I came up with..not very exciting but I don't hate them! I hope the people who get them will be pleased!
Twelve Junes

Up close...the beads are actually clear..they look white in the pic but in life they look rather like little crystals!

Dollars, Pounds and Lacock.

Today I finally got to go to a proper British Scrapbook store. I had so much fun touching the products and matching things up etc. I bought brads and flowers and papers and rings and jewels and so much stuff. It was so fun and I have had a great time going through them tonight. But then Stupid me I priced the same items online back home and realized I paid twice, maybe even three times as much as I would have if I had ordered them and that is a very depressing thought, I love to go into a store and pick out my stash..but when your paid in dollars and the pound is worth SOOOOO much it really makes it hard to do. I am sure I will get used to ordering things and waiting a week or more for my goodies but today it has made me a little sad.

On the up side I made these two pages with my new stash, they are both from our trip to Lacock and were taken at random places around the village. I am doing my first 11x8.5 album using the Lacock pictures and all the goodies I bought today!


Phoenix in front of a lovely cottage of no real consequence.

Gryphen riding a ceramic pig...no explanation available!

Brandon _ Love

Today was such an amazing day! We went to Lydiard Park with Jamie and her family and had a picnic..the weather was phenomenal! And the kids all got along without a single fight to mar the day! It was a definite reminder of all I love about living in England.



When I got home tonight I felt motivated to make a page about Brandon. We have had such a hard time these past few years with losing my mom and then losing my Liam and we have moved so many times. I wonder sometimes if he knows how much he means to me and how much I love him. Anyways..so I did this page and wanted to share it..it's not perfect but I like it.
It is also my first ever 11x8.5 layout!

Decisions Made

I just did the math and our utility allowance actually covers our phone and cable etc..which I don't think we get on base..and the housing allowance does seem to change with the exchange rate..so we make more living off base..I don't really miss having an American Washer and Dryer and I only miss a garden when the boys are home and driving me nuts..but most of the year they couldn't even use it because of rain and it getting dark etc. And I don't think it is fair to make the younger boys change schools..the only thing that is a true problem is the parking...if we could figure out something to do to fix the parking...that's all we need...I don't think I can face moving again and uprooting the little kids...I might regret it with time but I am not going to even look at the base house. I am happy where I am and we will get settled in and used to things before long, plus I will have to get a job either way so I might as well live in the house I love!

Journey

For my sisters birthday I made her this mini book, I couldn't find alot of family pictures so It is smaller than I intended but I figure she can add pictures to it and I can always send her more pages. It is the first time I have made a book completely from scratch. It was a little emotional to do as it made me really miss my mom, and the days when my family was intact..now most of the family no longer talks! Anyway, I think it turned out alright and wanted to share it before I sent it off!

I really just layered papers with this one, then distressed it with a file and some aging powders. I layered blood red and light yellow flowers. The letters were naked chipboard that I put cream and chalk on to give them depth.

Again I aged this one and layered pictures...the caption is Precious moments, this was taken the Sunday my sister Melissa was brought home from the hospital in 1980.

This is my least favorite page...it just looks rather cheesy! But anyways, it was the first Christmas after Melissa was born..the dress she is wearing was made by my mom, it was a beautiful green velvet.

I really like this page..I just like the dimension...It is nothing but scraps cut in squares and inked with red walnut ink but I like the results.

This picture was taken when Chelsea was only a few weeks old, It was at Arabian Knights which is a fantastic dinner show in Orlando, I worked there as a princess and photographer so we got to go for free all the time! Melissa would have been about 12 I think.

This was our last family trip..we went Camping in Georgia for Easter the year we moved to England the first time, we visited the town that the film "Fried Green Tomatoes" was filmed. It was a really nice trip but I wish we had the chance to take another trip.

This picture is the last full family picture taken, It was Thanksgiving right after we had come home from England when my mom was sick. We were lucky enough to have Christmas with my mom as well but my grandparents and aunt and uncle didn't come so this was the last time we were all together before my mom left us.

Extremely Frustrated!

Ok, so does anyone doubt I love my house? The town we live in? The schools my kids are in? Ok so here is the issue...the dollar has hit an all time low which means it takes upwards of $2.05 to purchase 1 pound!!! For our rent this past month we paid $2.09 to the pound...which made our rent well above the housing allowance we are paid! I have friends on base who spent the last week going to Belgium or various castles and festivals and I am skint to the bone! It's very frustrating! Now today we were offered a five bedroom house on base...ok so this is an ultra modern house with a big back yard and separate laundry room with full American Size washers and dryers..all of our bills are paid so we never have to worry about our bills going over what were paid! And on top of that we can actually have both of our cars where we live, I mean right now our second car is having to be parked at the base which is about 15 minutes away! And Brandon doesn't want to sell it so we are paying for a car we can't even use! But my house is amazing..and I love it here! The boys love their schools and I love walking to everything...I wish we had never been offered the house on base...I don't know what to do or what will make us the happiest in the long run!

My Kits

I have always wanted to sign up for a scrapbook kit but never seemed to get around to it....so now I have joined three!

The first one I joined was from Memory Works...this kit is HUGE and comes with so much stash! This month has everything to make an altered clock! I am excited! I haven't made any altered projects before! Look at all the beautiful papers and scrumptious goodies!!!



I also signed up for the UK kit Scrapping Angels..I bought the July Kit and signed up for three additional months, to give me a chance to see how I like it! YAY



Third I didn't actually join, not because I didn't want to but because I am waiting for a spot to open up, I did however buy this months kit and will join as soon as a spot opens! It is the Prima of the month club! Tons and Tons of Prima's to my box every month!!!!!!



So I am very very excited for the mail to come this month!!! I also have joined my first Circle Journal! I don't know the rules yet so can't start putting the album together..I have a few ideas though.

1. Favourite UK Travel Destinations
2. Pirates and Princesses
   
3. Old Time Family Recipes
4. Fears
5. Popular Slang of my youth
6. Favourite Scrap Secrets
7. My Favourite Spot
8. My Scrapbook Style
9. Meaningful quotes and scriptures
10. Regency England (Jane Austen)
11. Time
    

Not sure what to go with but I am so excited to get started!