Barack Obama

I am not really very interested in world affairs or politics. But as today is the inauguration of Barack Obama, America's first black president, I thought I would have a picture of him here. He is under tremendous pressure! He is a very popular choice all around the world, and there are some very tricky world affirs for him to deal with, the Israeli/Palestinian recent fighting in the Gaza strip, Afghanistan (where we seem to lose another British soldier each week)and not least the current economic problems! Wow I do hope he can live up to expectations.

Good Luck Barack Obama. ( PS - what a funny name, Barack?)

PPS and isn't he insanely good looking?

Chocolate

Am I a chocolate lover? Not really. Well I do like it and if it's there it gets eaten, but I don't buy it very often.

Last night we finished up all (well most) of the chocolate we had over Christmas. Mum bought us a tin of Quality Street (mmm love the purple and green ones best!) Maurice bought me 3 (yes 3! I thought perhpas it was 3 for the price of 2 whhen I opened them) for Christmas! Maurice's dad alwasy used to buy me some at Christmas, and I was feeling nostaglic for them! I love the nutty bit around the outside, and the soft bit inside, all of it really! And then I always think that the container will be useful for something - but I have yet to find that something LOL. Maurice still has a half finshed box of liquers, I am not so keen on them.

We also finished off the Christmas cake. I made 2 this year, because I followed a Waitrose recipe, and there was too much mixture for 1 tin! It was the best cake I have ever made! I didn't ice it until the weekend after New Year, and guess what, between us 3 (me, Lucy and Maurice) we have eaten both already!!!

Now I need to work hard to loose the half a stone or so I seem to have put on over Christmas. Think I will go and make a veggie soup for lunch!

How cold?

Here are some photos I have been taking over the past week. It has been cold for quite a while now, below freezing temperatures overnight (one night it was -6!), and only just creeping aboe 0 in the day. But it has been lovely and bright most days!

SIMPLIFY

Some thought on my word for the year.

I intend to look at all areas of my life and try to simplify them.

First thoughts are: How to save time so I can craft more? Simplifying laundry routines and shopping routines will be a good place to start. I will try not to iron so much, taking things out of the tumble drier and folding works well enough, and noone seems to mind if they haven't got perfectly ironed clothes. I will try and get back into the routine of internet food shopping (in fact I ought to do that right now!) I have begun to simplify my craft stash by selling loads of old stuff I won't use anymore (got £25 at B&H crop on Saturday). This will enable me to see the newer stash and start to use it! I have loads of kits that I haven't even opened. I need to cancel the sub to the kit I get, cancel the sub to a card making mag I don't even like! buy less magazines! (Look at websites for inspiration instead)

Maurice has decided his word will be SURVIVE! This includes survive at work (ie not be made redundant) and on his holiday big trip to the Himalayas.

Nicholas has decided on LEARN. He did consider CHALLENGE, but thinks that last year was his challenge year, this year is more about consolidating change.

When we asked Lucy, she said her word would be BUM! Then when we explained more, she said SEX! Oh to be a teenager eh? I think her word should be FUN. And I will try to enable her to have lots of it!

Happy New Year!

Oh here we are tumbling into 2009, no where near ready for another new year! We stayed in last night, just the 3 of us, (Lucy was off partying!!). We watched Narnia with Nicholas. Very enjoyable film. Made me think about betrayal etc, and maybe I should look into an Alpha course this year.

I haven't had time to sit down and think about my goals for 2009. I have decided to have a go at setting myself SMART goals in certain areas of my life. The idea came from Maurice's nephew's partner Angela. I have also picked a WORD for 2009 (see Ali Edward's blog). I have finally settled on SIMPLIFY, after considering FOCUS and JOY. Why SIMPLIFY? I just think that if I simplify things in my life I will be able to think more clearly, and thus get less distracted (hence why I considered FOCUS), and I want to be able to see the JOY in everything, which will be easier if I can see more clearly.

I have already started to simplify, by simplifying the way I use my computer. I still want to read blogs, and I have expanded and updated my list of blogs here. Nicholas has just showed me how to use the RSS feed facility in outlook, so I will use that for a couple of blogs (Robert Peston on the BBC) and see how I get on with it. It sounds great, especially as it just automatically downloads the latest entry, whereas with my links I have to click on them and download the actual blog to see if there is a new entry.

Just off to sort out my huge pile of scrapbooking stuff, and figure out my priorities (PRIORITISE could have been another word for me!) for projects in 2009. I also have a few online classes that I didn't do last year, so I must do them, but using material from the projects I want to do.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!