Lost weekend

Not the best weekend of my life...in fact, it ranks right up there with the worst...the ones you just want to draw a curtain around and forget...so that is what I will do...even though I am the world's worst at moving on!!!But as they say, what does not break us makes us stronger...so now I am ready to carry anything!!!
It was our monthly crop on Saturday, but it passed in a blur...poor Jo had double shift to do! We were bursting at the seams with another three new ladies-that means we are a regular 30 with a possible 40 each month. We had three layouts this month as there was so much paper in the packs, lots to do, but everybody seemed to get through the day without too many accidents!
Haven't done any scrapping this week-it is that time of the term when I really need a holiday-and this is a hard school week with parent consultations and Easter parades:)And I am on junk modelling-my absolute pet hate!!!I have to fight every urge to add bits to make the pile of boxes really look like the robot it is supposed to be!!!Phoebe has that awful temperature thing again-this is the fourth time since last September-Grandad had the same bug over the weekend and hopefully it will go as quickly as it started-she is so lethargic and tearful, I feel so sorry for her:(
I'll add the layout from last weekend-using the gorgeous new Scenic Route papers and arrows. It is William last summer-he totally refused to stay still for any nice family portrait...but this is the real William-as John next door calls him..."Batteries included"
Off to make a boys Easter bonnet for Will-wish me luck!!!
Dawnx

My girl...

My girl and the precious pressies!!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

After a shaky start...it was so windy through the night that both kids ended up in our bed, and four bodies just don't fit in our bed, so mum moved out into Phoebe's bed!!!!...., I have had a really lovely Mother's day. Phoebe made me my breakfast in bed-a huge bowl of Sugar Puffs (to be eaten with a tiny tea spoon!) and then I had my lovely gifts. Phoebe's school had a fund raising bring and buy stall last week so she took in her saved pocket money and came home with an abundance of pressies.The teachers wrap up the gifts that the children choose and add gift tags so they were a real surprise:)I had a mug filled with chocolates, a book(!), a hair brush (not used, thank goodness!)and a bottle of Touch (bought by Rob!!!!). William had made a teapot card in Nursery and was so proud of this!!
We set off early this morning to visit our mums, armed with roses, slippers and moisturizer!!!!Rob is now cooking up a storm in the kitchen-he makes the best roast beef dinner in the world (if he is not distracted by the computer in between!!!!)
I have ironed and prepared for the week ahead...Gabbie is on work experience in our school next week and is staying here for the week...Pheebs and Will are so excited to have their cousin staying for five nights.It is almost as exciting as Christmas, I swear!!!
Think I need to finish the perfect day with a little scrap!!!!
Dawnx

The Big One!!

We love Comic Relief days in our house...Phoebe has clear memories of the last two days, so was full of excitement for the big one this year!!!!She has spent the last week planning which of my tops to wear and finally settled on a delightful floaty purple number!! Trying to get three of us ready with big red hair was a huge task at eight o'clock on a Friday morning, but we got there!!! Phoebe watched some of the live show when she came home from Kate's birthday party and I hope it really made her appreciate how hard life is for so many people in this world. I am always so moved by the films they show through the night, but after two hours of intermittent crying, I have to turn over! School was great fun, every child had made a great effort, we had red nose cakes at break time and a parade in the hall!!!
Dawnx

One year ago today...

we had such a shocking day in school.The parents on the yard were crying in small groups and then the news came to us that the chair woman of our PTA had died in the night. Her husband had taken her to hospital early in the evening and she was gone by 11 o clock! Unbeknown to every one (and I mean everyone...not even her best friends knew)she had been fighting breast cancer that had spread very quickly to her brain. The day before had been a school disco and she had failed to turn up for it...leaving the other parents to moan as she had all the equipment, prizes, snacks, etc. All they knew was that she had a headache!! She was a lady who loved to be in control...loved to tell us our jobs(How many times did she chase me up and down the corridor, asking ridiculous questions!)...loved to know everything that was going on...but most of all she loved her two boys to bits. Her whole existence was to make her boys happy and safe. Alex is in Phoebe's class and he is truly one of the nicest little boys I have ever met...kind, caring, gentle, sensitive, clever...everything you would ever want your child to be. Ben is in Nursery with Will and is turning out to be every bit as gorgeous as his big brother.The boys are such a tribute to their mum and dad, their grandparents and families...It is on a day like this that we should all hug each other tighter than ever before!!!
Debbie...we will never forget you xx
Dawnx

And more...

Two more from this month's gallery...

Spring has sprung!!!

Had an urge today...to tidy the garden and sort out the pots!!!! And Jo was on hand to capture this unheard of event with her camera phone!!! I love it when the garden is all nice and tidy, but I hate taking the risk of meeting bugs and worms. Rob insists they won't hurt me, but I am unwilling to take that risk!!!! We have a teeny tiny garden, that suits us just fine, but the lawn is always water logged due to crap drainage. And covered with leaves from the trees over our fence...so it never looks tidy at any time of the year!!! It was nice to feel the sunshine though:)
Rob set off for Birmingham yesterday to meet up with the lads that he plays on line games with...to spend the afternoon in an internet cafe playing the same old war games!!!! How odd is this???? But as he(and lots of other non-scrapping friends) pointed out-not really that much different to me going off cropping for a day or a weekend!
The mayor is visiting school tomorrow..not a longed for visit, as the current lady mayor threatened members of staff several years ago when we were opposed to the opening of another nursery in our area. We knew that this would seriously affect our numbers and would cost us jobs (which it did!!), but were warned by this councillor (as the mayor was then)that if we did not stop our protests, then we would be shut totally!!!Unfortunately, these comments were made in the school corridor, off the record, so are not minuted!!But we are a group of women with very good memories...and when the Mayor's office phoned to book her visit, our head said "No, thank you" But after her going through solicitors, Directors and council leaders, we have been told we have to let her visit!!! How thick is her skin?????
Gallery is up over at A Trip Down Memory Lane...New Basic Grey...yum, yum, yum!!!!
Dawnx

Always on a Sunday...

I have got two very, very tired children here...Phoebe had a sleepover at Georgia's last night-and we always pay for it when she returns from a night out!!!Trying to persuade her to read has been a challenge...she is not keen on school reading books...she'll read Fairy books, Horrid Henry books and Tiara club books until they are coming out of her ears, but trying to encourage her with scheme books is another battle...and one that I always leave until the last minute!!! William had a sleepover down Nanna's last night too...Nathaniel was staying, so they probably spent hours on the X-box, although he was asleep when I rang granddad at 10 to remind him about the Lunar eclipse.Never mind, they are bathed and fed, ready for an early night(in about five minutes!!!)
I had lots of fun last week, taking part in Kelly's Mojo challenge ...such a simple but fabulous idea-Kelly chooses a layout each week, which she and her team then lift and post every Friday at 11 o'clock. I LOVE scraplifting-someone else has done all the hard work of the page design-leaving me to do my favourite part of scrapping-choosing the papers and titles. It has taken me a few years to realise that these are my favourite parts of scrapping...I could spend hours going through my stash and quite often do!!!! As long as the original is always credited to the designer, this is probably the best way to shake yourself out a rut and try lots of new things...go on give it a go:)The original design of this layout was created by Liane!I have added the link to the left hand side of this page, after trying 10 times to add it to the text, I give up!!!!
Dawnx

Last one

Will and his bestest friend, Emily!!!

More photos

For some reason, Blogger is layering all my photos on top of each other...so I'll try again!

Happy St. David's Day!!!

How different was it to last year...that was our unexpected Snow day when we woke to blizzards. Today was a stunning Spring day,blue skies and warm air, everything was looking beautiful...especially the children in my house and my classroom!!! Every child in my class turned up in some kind of costume...totally unheard of and never achieved before!!! The two hour Eisteddfodd (!!!!) passed by quite quickly-for some unknown reason, we have a tradition of undertaking a formal competitive event in our school-with competitions in singing, recitation, poetry, story writing, painting and on and on...all watched by an audience of anxious parents...and when you think we are an english speaking Infant School, you can imagine what a performance it all turns into. We have practised every day this week, spending hours in the hall...thank goodness for the bribery power of a box of Welsh cakes, I say!!!
It was Will's first experience of the day and he coped really well. He hid behind Emily when it was Nursery's turn to sing, but sat over on the other side of the hall from me and even managed a little smile when they left half way through the morning.Phoebe was not impressed that the new Head of her school wanted all the children to dress up for a parade around the village...she was very reluctant to wear her hat so I had to soften the blow by letting her wear her new sparkly top underneath the shawl!!!! A very glamorous Jemima Nicholas if I say so myself!!!
Here are some photos of my two gorgeous Welsh children!!!
Dawnx