Christmas 2005

We had the most fab Christmas ever!

On Christmas Eve, Nicholas was working, but playing his clarinet with Dave, so we went to watch at 3.30pm. They were really good. We were dead impressed, and they had collected over £200 for Chestnut Tree Hospice over the week. For tea, we had a noodle thingy that I made, which was very nice, both children sitting down to the table with us. Everyone helped clear up, but then they both went upstairs, Nicholas on computer, Lucy on MSN. I watched TOTP2, mostly Christmas hits. I so love that programme, I used to watch TOTP avidly as a teenager, so it brings back memories. We sorted out presents and stockings quite early, and went to bed about 10.30pm.

On Christmas Day, we were supposed to get up at 7am, but my clock was set wrong, so we didn't get up until 8am. Mad rush to shower, dress, and then open presents.





















After that, we took Merlin for a quick walk round the park, back home to change out of doggy clothes, and we drove over to Andrew and Lynda's for Christmas breakfast (10am). It was really great! We had bacon, fried eggs, hash browns, sausages, toast, croissants, fruit juice and tea. We then went in the lounge and sat and opened presents. I had made mum and dad an album of their golden anniversary year, and couldn't wait for them to see it! WE also got Mum and Dad car seat covers, mum had a bead bag, and dad had car cleaning stuff.


















We came home about 1pm, and sat around drinking tea etc. until the turkey was cooked. We sat down for dinner at 3pm. Turkey, roast potatoes, boiled potatoes, carrots, sprouts, brocolli, sausages, bacon rolls. Mum and Lucy made prawn cocktail for starters, and we had homemade Christmas pudding which we poured brandy over and lit.

WE took Merlin for another walk round the block and Mum and Dad went home about 7pm. We sat and watched telly, had a turkey sandwich, and went to bed about 11pm.


Boxing Day. WEnt to watch Andrew and Izzy swim in the sea. Freezing !!!!




















Afterwards, we went to see Maurice's mum, not the kids, becasue they are both a bit coldy. She gave me some pearls, andfor us all, a huge box of fruit and biscuits etc. YUM! The rest of the day was quiet, we put all our presnets away.

Me Hairdryer, MP3 player, CD (Burt Bacharach), book (Sharon Osbourne), smellies (Sanctuary, body shop, boots), apron, Chanel no 5 talc

Maurice socks (loads!), dressing gown, razor, whiskey (from Harrods), chocks, digital calendar
Both garden vacuum cleaner

Nicholas Roku soundbridge, cycle helmet, pants, chocs, Narnia computer game, door hanger, CDs (2 x Soul Survivor), James Bond claendar

Lucy Sony walkman MP3 player, chocs, thongs, earrings, hunks calendar, CD (Now62), door hanger,

27th DEc
Nicholas is 17!! We gave him a suitcase and a cheque for some computer stuff. John, Mark and Angela came to lunch. I had already made casseroles and froze them, so I made a chicken one as well this morning. Just as well, cos they all went! Made my satsuma and banana tart for pudding. Nick's friend James came about 2 and he stayed the night.

28th
Nicholas had 4 friends round for a LAN party. Lucy went out with friends, so wew ent to Sainsbury's and went out for lunch to the Coach and Horses on A27. Pub could do with a makeover! went into Worthing, but didn't buy anything, but Maurice got one pair of his glasses. Gary came in the evening which was nice.

29th
Took Lucy to the ballet. Swan Lake. But I didn't feel very well during the performance, so we left a bit early. Got home about 10 to 6 as it was! Went to get Katrina and she stayed overnight becasue Claire and Andy were staying a night in a hotel. Watched TV

30th
Woke up not feeling too well, so Maurice took Merlin for a big long walk over Cissbury after dropping Nicholas at work. It was much warmer, but windy and rainy. I was glad to stay in bed! Felt better as the day went on, so we went to Waitrose to do a bit of shopping, dropping Lucy and Katrina in town to get their nails done. Claire and Andy came about 6pm, and we had a great meal (chicken in port, with oranges and figs) Tehy stayed until 10.30pm

31st
I went for walk round Cissbury with M this morning. It was lovley, sunny, but a bit windy. very muddy though. It felt good to go for a long walk, and even better coming back for coffee and Christmas cake! Lucy went out with friends, we had snadwiches for lunch, and I have been on the computer most of the day! Ordered some lunchtins , one for me, one for Sarh's birthday at the end of the month. Off to Nick and Claire's tonight. We've got turkey curry for tea tonight which Maurice made yesterday!

Christmas journal and Security men's do

Here are my entries in my Christmas Journal for days 14 and 15. I actually completed them both this morning, and I'm really pleased with them. I'm loving doing this journal, real quality time to think about Christmas nad the things I enjoy doing is MAGIC!!! The music one is my favourite entry so far, although todays (15th) is pretty good too. I love the BG Blitzen papers. I ordered the pack from Jillybean's scrapyard on Tuesday, and they arrived on Wednesday. How cool is that? This one is called Poinsettia and I love the colours, especially with the green cardstock.











Security Men's Do
WE were invited to the Security men's do at American Express. Last year it was an excellent night out. The food was fabulous, there were plenty of people there and we palyed roulette with pretend chips. We spoke to quite a few people, and had a really great evening.

This year, the food was very disappointing, it was like going into a canteen. We had beef or chicken casserole served out of those awful metal containers that you get in canteens, with only 2 bowls of salad!!! It was quite tasty, but it didn't seem right to go for seconds. (Actually it did me a favour, becasue it meant I didn't eat too much!!) WE played ahorse racing game, which was OK, but we didn't win, and the 2 blokes running it were a right pair. One was gormless Joe, who lolled back in his chair and kept scratching his balls, the one in charge was a very little fat bloke with very scruffy trainers, and a very Essex accent!

The speeches were dreadful! It's always difficult when you don't work there, but these men made it particularly boring!

Today I have a free diary, but loads to do at home. Bet I waste my day! I've started a list, been for a dog walk, and am catching up on here before I start on it. What shall I do first? Post the Christmas cards (involves long queue in PO for stamps), tidy dining room (where to start?), finish putting decorations up (have to tidy dining room first!). No I shall do yesterday and today's Christmas journal entries!!! (At least I won't have tidied all my scrapping stuff away first, and I should stay in this morning in case any parcels come. (WE have ordered a few things from the internet this Christmas.)

Lucy's birthday

This is Lucy with Lucy G and Bec at Pizza Express on the night of her birthday.
Lucy is 14 today. 14 years since we had that gorgeous little girl. She was not a very easy baby, but I was so thrilled to have a daughter. One of each now, a son and a daughter.

Lucy had a digital camera for her burthday, a Canon coolpix that M bought in Gatwick airport on the way out to Phoenix last week. She also had loads of smellies!, ski gloves and hat, Black-Eyed Peas CD, purple throw for her new double bed, sweets. I can't think of anything else.

I am still loving doing my Christmas journal. I must load up some pictures here. I love getting the prompt from Shimelle, thinking about what I am going to do, doing it, and then looking at what everyone else has done. The emails are much less now, about 20 - 30 each time. I can cope with that.

Nearly finished Mum and Dad's album, will probably take it to my crop tomorrow night and finish it then. Need to think up something to say to janet re her CM offer. I should not and must not appear to be interested in selling it! I really want to get away from CM, it's just that it's the only stash I see in real life at the moment!

Christmas journal 3rd December

I should keep a diary about my Christmas journal. I have done 3 pages. Introduction, which is written on a piece of red card and surrounded by small pieces of BG Blitzen. It made me think about why I want to do the journal. Mainly trying to capture the warm, cosy, magicla feeling of Christmas. Page 2 was a snowflake. I cut it out from light blue paper and stuck it on black card. It looks good. I added some sticker snowflakes, journalled in a spiral in the middle, which I love, and a bit of pink glitter, cos I haven't got any silver. My third page was on cards. Not so pleased with it. I amde a small version of the style of card I'm making this year, and cut up a card from Mum and Dad, cos they are the nicest we get, and a card from Ken and Lily that I particularly liked. But being a light blue background, it doesn't look warm and cosy! I have done lots of journaling though, which I like. Hopefully it will get me into a better way of journalling on my scrapbboking layouts.

Last month

It's nearly a month since I last wrote. I've been busy - joined a team on UKS and that has taken over everything! I love it. It's so nice to know you are chatting to real people out there.

We have been to Paris since I last wrote. Mum and dad, Us 4 and Andrew and Lynda, Michelle and Izzy. WE stayed overnight in a travelinn at Ashford, and then caught the 7.20am eurostar to Paris. It was fab. WE took a sightseeing bus to the Eiffel Tower, which took us past most of the main sights, and then we stayed at the Eiffel Tower for a few hours. Me, mum and Dad stayed at the bottom, Andrew, Nicholas, Michelle and Maurice went up to the second floor on foot. Lynda, Lucy and Izzy went right to the top! Traffic was awful getting back to Le Gare du Nord, and it was a bit of a rush at the last minute, but we caught our return train OK, and we were back home by 9.30pm. Everyone really enjoyed themselves.

The following weekend I went up to London to an AIFHS committee meeting. I stayed with Elaine on the Friday night. We went to Rod's house for the meeting and Daphne, Ruth and Colin joined us online. Rod's wife did us a gorgeous spread afterwards. Elaine and I took a taxi back to her flat. Maurice met me at Victoria on Sat am and we spent the day at the V&A museum and Harrods. Couldn't really find anything we wnated to see at the V&A, I bought M a bottle of whiskey from Harrods for Xmas.

Since then I have been scrapping a lot. I have been to a crop at Janet's house in Hove, and a CM crop at Lancing. Sort of combining the 2 styles now, beginning to find my own way a bit more. Not enjoying looking back at the first LOs!

I am membership secretary now for AIFHS. Just beginning to find my feet, and sort all the paperwork out. Nicholas may help by writing a database for me.

Seeing Angela for coffee tomorrow. HUrrah! Saw Jacqui and Claire for a drink last night. Love my friends.

Feel quite content at the moment.

decorating

Just a quick note because I've not been here much recently. We are decorating the computer room. started last Monday, and moved everything out. Computers are on the dining room table, and room looks a mess! Me and Nicholas have painted ceiling (white from lilac), walls (dark blue and light blue from similar, and stripy), woodwork (white from lilac). M and I glossed yesterday, and today we took out the corner unit, took up the old carpet and moved the lilac unit back in for painting. Lucy and Katrina did the first undercoat. It's going to look really good, but it makes such a mess! Maurice's mum and Robin came to tea on Friday, so we ate in the conservatory which was Ok, but not half as nice as the dining room.

Can't wait to get the dining room back so I can scrap and craft some more.

1st September

Well, it really is September now. Just turned over the Vancouver Island calander and there is a lovely picture of a forest in Autumn. Me and Nick wnat to go there right now!!

Holiday seems ages ago. I did feel relaxed when we got back, so it did me some good. Troulbe is, I've since put on about 3lbs, and have not been excersizing, so am feeling not too fit. I did walk up Highdown quickly this morning, because I saw somweonw I knew and wanted to catch up with him and dog, Barney, the basset hound. Trouble was, I was then out of breath and felt quite embarrassed! Dogs had a good play, and it was great to see my chums again. Talked about agility, obedience etc.

Went shopping to sainsbury's yuk, I hate it! Must get onto ordering from internet, but don't seem to find the time to be preorganised, and order a couple of days before I need it. I would like to order main shopping from the internet, and then shop up the road for bits in between. Lucy has invited Bec and family for a meal on Friday. I'm cooking Indian. They are vegetarian, so it's easy, a few different vegetable curries, and a pizza for the kids. They always stay everso late, so I'm gonna try to get in a sleep before they come so I can last longer.

I am going to Chichester with Mum and Dad this afternoon. We all want to go to Lakeland. They do a lot of scrapbooking stuff now. Also on SB, have emailed some crops nearby(ish), to see if I can join in. Just spent my 5 minute fix on UKS. Will now go and reprtint that file folder.

Lucy has gon

WEdnesday 31st August

The end of the summer holidays. Lucy goes back on Friday, but Nick has got another couple of weeks. The weather is glorious today. Really hot, perfect blue skies, light breeze. Gorgeous! I painted the inside of the front door this morning, so can't go out becasue of wet paint, and open doors. I had planned thatNicholas would be in all day, and I could nip out down the beach for an hour, but he has gone out with James. Lucy has gone into town with her friends who slept over last night. They want a lift back, but will only get it if Nicholas is back - you know, wet paint, open doors etc!

It's quite sad to think it's the endof the hols, and probably the last really hot weather of the year. But we must look forward, and I quite like the idea of cosy winter evenings. It's the last day of August too. Lucy said last week that August is like a Sunday. I know what she means, it's kind of lazy.

My items are selling on ebay, which is quite exciting. I keep checking them, far too much really. Unfortunately, they are all Lucy's so she will pocket the money. Maybe I'll deduct some becasue of the work I've put in.

Got agility later. Don't really want to go, it will be hot. I will go to the end of this 6 week period, I think we have 3 weeks left, but I may well give up after that. I don't like the fact that it's so late in the evening. I like my early bedtimes!

Rang sarah this morning, and had a good chat. Meeting for lunch next week. Where shall we go?

Scrapbooking. In the middle of a lo of weddings of MUm and dad and aunties and uncles. I'm using the paper that Andrew got me form USA. It looks OK, especially with the B&W photos. Of course, it took ages to scan them in and print them! Now I have an idea to use a file folder, and I printed a template from WORD, but it needs to be a little bit bigger. Off to do that now,and will probably have a look at UKS at the same time.

Bank holiday weekend

I competed in my first (and last), dog agility competition on Sunday. Merlin and I were absolutely useless! I have to say Merlin and I, becasue it's probably 80% owner, 20% dog. There is a lot of skill involved, and I haven't got it. And I get so out of breath running after him!!! There is an awful lot of waiting around - we were there for over 4 hours, and did 3 runs of about 2 mins each. I think Merlin was just raring to go each time, so he just went where he wanted, not over the jump he was supposed to. Maurice took some video, which is really funny, especially as he managed to get the best as comparison!

The weather has been lovely this weekend, and Maurice has nearly finished painting the front doors. They look so much better. But, as we spent so long at agility, he had to paint yesterday, (BH Mon) so we couldn't go out for the day. I took Lucy to buy school clothes, not a good thing to do on BH! Ended up going in a really trendy shop for black trousers, but not too expensive, but not terribly good quality - oh I do wish she would have M&S or Next trousers for school!

M, N and L went for a really long bike ride late yesterday afternoon. They were gone 2 hours! I sat and read my book, and did a bit of scrapbooking. We had salmon for tea, and I cut some courgettes from the garden, and roasted them with tomatoes from the garden and peppers. Really tasty.

Today, I am helping at the family centre pirate party!

27th August 2005

We did go out on Thursday. We met Maurice in Brighton, and ate at Donatello's. Lovely spaghetti marinara! M and I went for a walk with Merlin round the block, talking about GCSE results, are exams too easy? Who are these employers who say kids can't read or add up?

Yesterday, I wasted a lot of time. I hate it when I do that. I seem to not be able to get on with anything if I'm waiting for N or L. Took Nick to work (Small computer shop), and went for a walk with Merlin along the fields at Cissbury. Very nice. Took Lucy to Rachel's house, where she is sleeping over tonight. Bit worried about it, becasue she has only just met her, through MSN, via friends from old school. I'll soon see how she got on. Met Linda A and Chris LJ for lunch in Worthing. Really nice chat, Linda's son has just done A levels and is off to uni!! Can't believe it - seems like only yesterday we were going out with the NCT lot, kids aged about 3!!

Went to see mum and dad, got some more photos for my family album scrapbook. Must spend some time scanning them in and printing them. Regarding scrapbooking, still not sure what style I want to do! CM is easy and less creative in a way. Quicker too, but is it what I really want to do. I suppose I am a little influenced by UKS who think CM is old-fashioned, but then, noone needs to see my LOs except me!!!

Nick went to Doug's party in the evening, but came home early because he didn'r know anyone, and they were all getting drunk! I went to sainsbury's and bought us an Indian take away £7.99. Plenty of food there, and very tasty.

This morning I have made a list, and am working through it. Actually, writing this was not on my list, woops! Just cleaned the bathroom, and going to make the beds.

Me, August 2005 

Nick, maurice and Lucy on holiday in Spain, August 2005 

25th August

Just got back from getting my son's GCSE results. I wanted to go into school with him, but decided to sit in the car and wait because I didn't want to be the only parent! Anyway, the results are very good, he is a real clever clogs! Hopefully we'll go out to celebrate tonight!

I got up about 7.45am because I wanted to take our dog, Merlin, for a walk. Went up to Highdown, but didn't see many other people I know. I really enjoy the social side of dog walking, even if it's just a comment on the weather! The weather was gorgeous this morning, clear blue skies, and felling fresh after yesterdays rain. I could just about see the Isle of Wight.

I'm off to Worthing to take Lucy and a friend to the cinema. Nick and I might go as well, and have a celebratory coffee and icecream!