Found!!!

It is amazing how quickly a mojo can return when you are faced with 32 blank end of year reports that need to be filled in:)To be fair, I have completed TWO!!! so I don't feel too bad....haha..at this rate the children might get their Reception reports when they take their A levels. But am I worried?..nah...I have scrapped and really really had loads of fun!! I am trawling through my huge pile of photos that are already been printed and making myself ignore the new photos on my computer...and I am using some of the beautiful papers that have been sitting in my box for weeks...recklessly cutting them and using the matching letter stickers...wowee!!!
The new Elsie range is totally fabulous...you can make a really busy page that looks like you have taken hours in minutes...she has done all the hard work for you.
And I really love these Fancy Pants papers and chipboard flowers...yum!!

All quiet...

Nice and quiet in the Evans house this last week-just how I like it-well, not all the time, but I have enjoyed the normality of this week compared to the mad rush of last week! Nanna is back to feeling well again and that makes my life is whole lot smoother as I know Will is cared for every afternoon. We have been so so lucky having my mum as our childminder these past 9 years-I know that I would not have been able to hold down a full time job if it wasn't for this and for this I am so grateful:)
School is winding down and becoming frantic at the same time...SEN/classroom support was worked out last week and once again there was absolutely no provision for Reception-this is becoming a bad joke in our school!!! When I taught Year 1/2, most of the classroom support was down in the early years, with just a skeleton support further up. Now I am in Reception, it has reversed and the support is placed in Year1/2!!! I think it is a case of flog a willing horse, but I have made my opinions quite clear this week (and with a little bit of sulking), I have managed to persuade the powers that be to agree to one morning a week support!!!! As Rob pointed out it wasn't much to celebrate, but I was thrilled!!!! And with Jo (otherwise known as the best NNEB in the whole wide world!!!) taking on three extra mornings in the Nursery, next year can only be much better for all of us:)
June's gallery is up at "A Trip Down Memory Lane".This month we used the elegant black and white Luxe papers-adding various different colour cardstock totally changed these papers. And the rub ons are the best I have ever used-they went on really easily:) The little quote book combines two of the projects that we taught at the New Inn crop over the last few months. We made the little maze book in April and this time it worked so well with the Luxe paper. Last month we made a Cosmo Cricket quote book using the journalling cards in that range, so I used some of the spare quote sheets to complete this little book.
Off to put the kids in the bath and then battle the bedtime hour(!!!)-I cannot wait for the dark nights to draw in!!!!!
Dawnx

Going, going...

Gone...managed to fit in a long overdue trip to the hairdressers last night and went for a much shorter cut than usual...ready for the warm days ahead in June and July!!! I will probably regret it when I try to straighten it myself next week and I end up looking like a big frizz bomb, but for now it feels so light and shiny!!!
Busy busy in school as the end of this year draws closer at a scary speed-we even had the meeting for new Reception parents this week-looks like it is going to be a good year as around 22 out of a possible 27 parents turned up-this is a huge number compared to our usual 15 or so. It is going to be a real boy heavy class, but with no where near the challenges that I have faced with my class this year-in fact, this has probably been the hardest year for me so far, but also probably one of the most satisfying and enjoyable years too:)
No time at all for scrapping, but I have finished the 12 squares I have been working on as part of a friendship quilt project. The idea behind this is that 12 people each choose an up lifting quote or word and then creates 12- 4" x4" squares representing the quote.Everyone then receives one of everybody else's squares that can be pieced together to create a wall hanging or little book. I was a little daunted by the size when I cut the card-I love the space of a 12 x 12 -but then really enjoyed working on this scale.
Back off to bed for a few hours-even though the dawn is breaking:)
Dawnx

Lucky me!!!!

Here are my beautiful flowers, Maria-I know you will be so impressed with my arranging!!!And Phoebe and I have just devoured the chocolate discs...yummy...but you really shouldn't have...but they are gorgeous:)Thank you very very much!!!
Another busy day here...now the garden has been planted up for the summer-I admit it is nothing to do with me, but my fabulous daddy, who spends hours in his THREE greenhouses, growing trays and trays of flowers which are very gratefully received in the Evans garden. Now the challenge is for us to keep them alive through the next few months! William started off a willing helper until he got distracted by looking for bugs and beasties.
And after a good few hours of planting, dad then had to build Will's new bunk beds which arrived this afternoon in three tiny boxes-there must have been 500 pieces of tubing to put together-3 hours later, I thought the children were going to burst with excitement when they could finally climb the ladder!!! William has been upstairs all evening-waiting for bed time!!!!
Dawnx

Shhh...

Scared to say anything...but I am feeling so much better after only a few days holiday...we have had a few lie-ins and real lazy, hang around the house days-and I have loved every minute. It has rained buckets...but again this suits me...I much prefer wet and windy weather to any hot, sweaty bright days...odd for a Leo!!!
I have been busy though, in fact Rob is convinced that an alien has taken over my body...I look the same, but I have cleaned and tidied everything in sight!!!My pine dresser is now polished and decluttered-the bric a brac stall has gone.Now, my gorgeous Bridgewater is shown to all its glory...without having to battle the pile of bills, old films, bobbles, foreign coins, birthday cards, etc that have built up over time.In fact, there is room for more china now...hint, hint,Robbie!!! And the spare room is now a bedroom, not a chuck it in and quickly close the door room!!!And I have made 50 Christmas cards
Rob is packed and ready for the off in the morning on his annual pilgrimage to the Isle of Man for the TT races...I say packed but this just means clean pants and an extra t-shirt!!! And this means loads and loads of scrapping time over the weekend:)
Dawnx

And now....Owwww!!!

I don't know what happens to me at this time of year:( Now I have the most excruciating pain in my neck -around the back-it is so painful-my head feels like it is too heavy for my neck to support it!!! I missed Al's crop yesterday-my monthly escape-as I literally slept 20 out of 24 hours-I could have cried every time I turned over...but at least my tummy has settled back down following last week!!! Hopefully that is my dose of lurgies for the next few months ...I don't even have the energy to scrap or even think about it.So I have returned to my first love and bought some new books for the holiday week-I have started with Gordon Ramsay's autobiography...already i know it is going to be one of those un-put-downables that come along every now and again.The last book like this for me was "Memoirs of a Geisha"-in the days before I discovered scrapping!!! I read it through in almost one sitting and immediately started it again.
That's it for this time-neck cannot take any more!!!
Happy half term!!!
Dawnx

Bleurghhh....

One of the hazards of teaching Reception children is the inevitability that I will pick up all the nasty lurgies that they carry around on their unwashed hands and coughed in my face germs!!! And this week I have picked up a real good one. On Monday as I opened the door at 9 o clock, I was greeted by at least 8 parents telling me that their children had had a sickness and diarrhea bug over the weekend...I lasted until 2:45 p.m and then I started and I can honestly say that I have lost the last 36 hours of my life down the toilet(Too much information!!!) At one point I was writhing in such a delirious state that i don't think I knew my name. Not such a good way to lose weight, but my PJ's are decidedly looser!!!
And we had had such a great weekend-it was our 1st Birthday crop on Saturday-we started last year with 16 scrappers and now we are bursting at the seams-there were 34 of us there-if we had any more tables we would be even bigger:)I took along my camera, but only managed to snap some photos of the girls playing reverse bingo...last one standing wins the prize!! The funniest thing about these photos is the dedication-even when they are standing up, the scrappers are still cutting out!!There is a real mix of people at the crop-mostly our own family and friends,and friends of friends-but also some people that we would never have met if it were not for this wonderful hobby. We have lots of ideas and plans for the next year-but we really do need to decide upon a name!!1
Dawnx

So sad.

The search for little Maddy is still on going, but it has been 10 long days now since that poppet disappeared. Whatever your opinion is about the responsibilities of her parents, there is still a missing 4 year old who should have been safe in her own bed.I have hugged my own 4 year old so tight these last few days as I try to imagine how you would ever cope with the nightmare that those poor people are going through-I hope with all my heart that there is a breakthrough soon and that Maddy is found safe and well...
Work is pretty challenging at the moment-it is that time of year for Performance management observations and interviews-my turn on Tuesday-roll on 11 o'clock when it will all be over for another year!
This month's gallery is up at ATDML-gorgeous 7 gypsies again this month-Mel has totally converted me to these papers-I love the muted colours and patterns, which really are much better in real life:) The colours on "Perfect" are absolutely awful on the scan-they coordinate IRL, honestly they do!!!!
Dawnx

Hello Thumper!!

Here is the latest addition to the Evans household!! Phoebe has been saving for weeks for a rabbit and had managed to reach £40 by the beginning of this week.Then, she brought home a letter from school to say that she had been elected a "Best Buddy" by her classmates-which involves being part of an anti-bullying team!!! She has had her "training" and is now ready to play her part!! I am so proud of my little girl...she is so shy and quiet that this is a big step for her. Her job involves looking out for classmates at playtime and being the person that all the children know they can go and talk to about anything that is worrying them!A very responsible role for an 8 year old!!! So, I talked Robbie into putting some money towards her savings so we could get a hutch etc and reward her achievement this week:)
Only one problem...the pet shop had run out of rabbits and all we could get was a fab new empty hutch!! They had a new delivery tonight, so we went and chose this beautiful rabbit that Maddie and Phoebe decided would be called Thumper.William preferred Dotty , but the girls out voted him!!!
Dawn

Busy, as ever!!!

Whew, where did that weekend go? Our crop on Saturday was packed out-we had pulled extra trestles out from under the staging (thanks to Jo braving the spiders!!), there were crop trollies everywhere, but there was still such a friendly atmosphere in the hall. It is our birthday crop next month and we are busy planning party bags and games!!
William has had a new bike helmet this weekend and so Rob tried him again on the tag-a- long on the back of his bike. We bought it last year and Will was just that much too little and wobbly for it...but this year he is off...I'll try to attach a photo later of his great big beaming smile.
Phoebe had a sleepover at Maddie's house last night.She has come home trying to convince me to have another baby as she has decided that she does not want a brother any more and would like to have a sister instead. I hope that I have persuaded her that Mads could be an honorary sister.She was in her element when Carl and Emma called round this afternoon with little six week old Charlie...Phoebe nursed him on the sofa for an hour!
Had a fabulous delivery from ATDML this week-the new Crate Papers-tried to choose just one or two of the new releases as we are supposed to be saving(!!!!), but could not-so spent all of my stash budget this month on them-and I am so glad I did!They are out of this world-although they do have that strange Crate Paper smell!!! Just need to find some energy and time to actually use them-until that wondrous moment I think I shall just take them out of their packets and drool!!
Off to decide whether or not to order the Birkenstocks I have sitting in my shopping cart at QVC-cannot decide whether to go for the toe posts with the gorgeous pattern that will probably rub, or the one straps that are not so pretty, but will be more comfy, but more flappy (IYKWIM!!)
Dawnx

Back to it!!!

Should be planning for next week really, but cannot shake off the holiday mood!!!It has been a beautiful weekend-really warm but not too hot that I am moaning-I could really live in this temperature all year round:)
Not done too much scrapping, but have had the sewing machine out to make tents for school-I have a plan to attach them to the new wooden posts and the wooden fence that goes around my outdoor play area-not sure if it will work-but it looks good in my head!!!Just need to persuade Terry the caretaker to drill lots of holes for me now-hope he is in a good mood tomorrow.
Had the in-laws up for lunch today-a perfect excuse to get the chocolate fountain out of its box again-discovered mini doughnuts in Galaxy today-who needs strawberries and bananas???
This months gallery over at ATDML was using the new A2Zpapers-they are totally stunning, but very heavily patterned and very scary!!! Everyone used them in such different ways-the gallery is really spectacular this month.I found this giant peg down at Hobbycraft-it makes a perfect photo holder!!!
Rob is off on a car hunt again-he has had the Audi for 6 months now and is bored already...he has an urge for a Mini-so we will be going from a huge boat of a car to the smallest car in the world!!!!
Must think about planning something now, but at least I am ahead of the ironing for a few days!!!
Dawnx

Glorious days!!

What fantastic weather for a holiday-we have managed to fit in almost everything that we has planned to do this break. Rob took the kids to see Mr Bean yesterday-all on his own-I am so proud of him!!!At the same time, I took Mum to Ikea...what an experience-I had the devil's own time trying to convince her that she did not need to buy everything in the shop! I did get another shelf for my scrapping room and then spent a fab few hours last night sorting through the clutter that has built up in the last few months...just wish I had some time to scrap in it now!
We set off to the Roman Museum in Caerleon this morning to make a start on Phoebe's latest school project. It is a really difficult concept for eight year olds to understand, so hopefully visiting the barrack rooms and amphitheatre will make it a little easier-although I must admit, Phoebe was only really interested in the gift shop!!!
Dawnx

No more chocolate...please!!!

The world's biggest chocoholic is giving in...my mouth is still too sore to even enjoy one of the many, many eggs we have in this house:( I have lived on a diet of cake since last Tuesday; anything harder to eat makes my jaw and ear throb;I have convinced myself that not all the tooth has come out, but Rob has had one of his back teeth removed and he is sure that this is a normal feeling!!Hope it starts to feel better soon...probably just as the Easter holiday ends, knowing my luck!!!
Had a funny old first week off..finally had my hair cut and coloured after waiting since February for an appointment...I think I go the only part time hair salon in Wales...Jackie only opens every other Saturday, closes every Monday and does one late night every fortnight...and when you work full time this makes it pretty much impossible to fit in a three hour colour unless you book 6 months in advance!!! So now I am short, straight and golden for a few days at least. Rob was off on Friday and we braved a walk at Roath Park,along with everybody else!! It was the busiest I have ever seen it...poor old Phoebe had no chance to ride her bike without stopping every few yards to let the crowds pass. William moaned all the way around...he is just like me...walking holds absolutely no appeal to us at all..by the time we got back to car, he had had 3 paddys, refused to walk any further 4 times,slipped and fallen backwards in a stream and asked to go home at least 10 times!!!Happy days!!
It was mum's birthday today and Rob cooked a fabulous lunch with frisbee Yorkshire puddings(!!) and then we filled the chocolate fountain with bars of galaxy for an Easter treat. The challenge of the day was to fully coat a piece of madeira cake with chocolate and then try to swallow it...without needing a glass of water!!!
Photos today from our walk in the park and mum and dad in the garden...yes, William is dressed in his very favourite dressing up outfit...a blue Cinderella dress and matching make up...I am hoping that he gets this all out of his system before he reaches 5!!!!
Dawnx

Ouch

Whoops there goes another one... a tooth that is!!! After debating the decision of extraction or root canal treatment for the last few weeks, I bravely went to the dentist today, having decided upon a go at tolerating a root filling!!! But the dentist was much more concerned about one of my back teeth that was slowly crumbling away. So, we decided to leave the temporary filling in place and tackle that back tooth before it started to give me any jip!!! BUT..I may have weak crumbly teeth, but those roots are firmly in there!! Nisha ended up drilling and cutting my gum to get the tooth out-and the dental nurse had to hold my head to stop me moving away. I had cramp in my hands from gripping the chair and then the blood would not stop. 30 minutes later, I was just about able to walk to the car!!! No wonder I hate going to the dentist!!!
Rob has been down to the BUPA hospital in Cardiff this afternoon for some minor out patient surgery-he had a blood vessel trying to escape from his shoulder!!!That was cut away, along with a cyst on his back...lots of big plasters and painkillers needed when the anesthetic wore off this evening:(
Had a great start to the holiday...a whole scrapping day yesterday...although I only made 3 layouts, I had time to get the sewing machine out, so stitched everything in sight!! Love the new Cosmo Cricket papers-think I might try Dutch Girl tomorrow!!!!

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...