Dolly's Dreamings

Peaked cap and everything

I have had a new job today ... can you guess....

It involved 5 circles, electricity, nerves of steel and ought to have involved a peaked cap.

I have been a chauffeur today. Nigel had a big job on for an agency and it involved lots of 5 minute jobs where he could not park so I stepped up - or sat down as it happened - and sent the day driving around, dropping him off, loitering with intent, negotiating traffic and some scarily tight spaces.

 

And anyone who knows me knows I do not like driving!

 

It was a full day but job well done and I am shattered and plan a quiet evening.

 

I did return home to find Orinoco in front of the computer ... I think he has been at the catnip personally! He is getting more inventive and even made himself stilts!

 

 

 

I haven't had a chance to make any more journal pages and so am well behind but Shimelle always says that this does not matter and I will catch up later.

 

I do have some new scrapping to share though

 

 

It was made for a challenge on UKS and saw me use a very very precious piece of Bo Bunny paper I had been stroking and cherishing for a LONG time.  I know Nigel says it doesn't matter - I still have the paper it is just in an album instead of a cupboard but I still find it hard! What if I think of a better page I could have used it on ... it's too late now.

 

Today I am thankful for

• being able to help Nigel (not my preferred choice of a day but I am glad it helped him)
• my cough being a  little better and my temperature down

 

 

 

 

An amazing day but too flolloppy

OK - flolloppy is a word - a real genuine word.

Barbara used it in The Good Life and it is good enough for me.

For those unsure ....

Flolloppy (v) Old Leahy English

The act of flollopping; when a person is too tired to move, do anything other than simply 'be'.  Someone who had had a very good day but it now truly pooped.

 

I am too flolloppy!

 

We were up at 5 am which, considering I didn't go to sleep until after 1am thanks to a sore throat and cough, show you how tired I am. We drove up to Watford to the Warner Brothers Studios to take the Harry Potter tour again. We had done the tour back in 2012 but knew they had enhanced it and besides which we wanted to see it for Christmas, all snowy and wonderful.

 

It was amazing, we took loads of pictures but, I am too flolloppy to download them!  I will get to it another day but as we have a stupidly busy week it might not be for a few days.

 

This is just one off my phone which has behaved itself quite well today.

 

 

Orinoco was still able to get up to antics though and this was him kind of thinking he was spiderman and abseiling from the bedroom light at 5 am!

 

 

 

Goodness knows where he got the mask ... I think he has a male accomplice.

 

Today I am thankful for

• an amazing day out
• Incredible authors, amazing film makers, set designers, props makers, special effects experts, actors and visionaries who are able to create other worlds we escape to.
• covonia and fisherman's friend and paracetamol. Off to bed now :(
  
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This weather is wonderful

We have been so lucky with the weather. This Autumn and winter has seen so many glorious days of sunshine and yes, cold, but beautiful.

Today we took Nigel's Mom out and ended eating our sandwiches by Boscombe seafront. Very pleasant.

 

I have been battling with my phone losing battery power stupidly quickly and have tried everything to fix it. I have closed off everything but it was like the battery was not charging right. It would go from 30% - 1% in an instant, would charge from nothing to 100% in less than an hour (tells me it isn't working right and 100% is probably about 20% of capacity and would lose 20% of its power in ten minutes when it was locked and not being used by anything!

 

Done upgrades, done resets, closed off everything so int he end I had to phone and make an appointment with the Apple Genius in store as I fear it is a dead 'un. I was furious that I have to wait almost a week for a slot. You pay over £700 for a phone, only Apple will fix it or replace it, and you have to wait a week for the priviledge. All I can say is they must have a LOT of things go wrong is every 10 minute slot is booked for 7 days!

 

Anyway, fingers crossed, making the appointment seems to have terrified my phone! Scared the living daylights out of it. Terrified it to within an inch of its under-powered life. Since making the appointment it seems to be retaining more power! Mmmm - we will watch and wait. Maybe the threat of 'murder' by an Apple genius has shocked it into working. We will see (and there was me thinking Oh good - I can upgrade!)

 

Orinoco paid the price for yesterday's adventures wrapping the cat in toilet tissue. They got revenge today. I found THIS when I went into the lounge this morning.

 

 

 

I think he may have learned a lesson!

 

This is yesterday's page for the journal now completed

 

 

The journalling is all under the pictures

 

 

Thought you would like to see my tree all decorated.

 

 

OK so not 'MY' tree ... that won't go up for ages. This is the tree (one of 4) in the dolls' house lounge.

 

I have other new scrapping to share today - another for the WOW album and made for a challenge on UKS.

 

It's brighter in real life and is of a very chilled Sunday Morning at a gorgeous hotel with a balcony over the woods and a huge loft in Pacific Grove. Really chilled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• another sunny winter day
• i phone magic - fingers crossed

 

 

 

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A work day

Nigel had to work today - he was doing a  promotion in a store in town and as I felt so guilty I have worked all day.

Masses of new stock for the stall next week and also all of the Christmas cards are written.

We are chilling tomorrow - all day!

 

I woke up this morning to find Orinoco had been very naughty!

 

We have a collection of leather cats and he had wrapped one up in toilet tissue

 

and the others just sat by and watched - no doubt thinking they were glad it wasn't them!

 

 

 

I also completed my page for yesterday detailing how it really did start to look like Christmas with the nativity and the decorations all up

 

 

I have a new page to share that I made yesterday that I am really pleased with. It was for a challenge on UKS to scrap something magical and it was magical for Nigel to be able to do a special behind the scenes stadium tour of Angel stadium - and magical to see him enjoy it.

 

It was access all areas and this was one of my favourite pictures as he was stood where Mike Trout stands in the Angels dugout.

 

 

I bought the baseball paper in the US, I cut the title on the silhouette and printed the embellishment out from a kit by Lindsay Jane.

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a very productive days - jobs well done

 

 

 

 

Christmas proper!

Today Christmas really began .. I went to the school nativity - which was always the start of Christmas - and came home to all the decorations up courtesy if Nigel.

Not the tree.

That won't go up until nearer the day as we have a Fiki and cant stand it for long.

 

I woke this morning to antics from Orinoco who was flying from the lights in the lounge

 

 

 

No page yet - the pages will all be a day behind as I will wait until the end of the day so I know what I want to focus on - but I will share his antics on the right day.

 

It was strange to be back in school but so many parents said so many nice things  and it was lovely to watch the children.

 

I also received an amazing DT bundle from Karen at Charmed Cards and Crafts so I have lovely things to play with

 

And Dawn has a new collection out today

Be Amazing elements and papers

 

 

and this was a very apt page for me to make

 

 

I know who I am now - and I like being me.

 

Today I am thankful for

• Christmas traditions
• a wonderful husband
• not being a head anymore
• a box of DT goodies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy December everyone

So it is finally here - 1st December - and we are so happy.

 

Last year 1st December was a very very bad day for us. Nigel was rushed into hospital with a severe bleed - so severe that even the hospital couldn't stop it. The cathetar kept blocking, he was in utter agony and was transferred by ambulance to the specialist ward. We had another two days of hell to come as they waited to see what to do, watched his blood loss and blood count plummet and finally operated again.

It was a truly awful time and one we will never forget and we will never forget to be truly grateful for the care we had from all of the medical professionals, the outpouring of love from so many firends across the world and the fact God looked on us with love and compassion throughout it all.

 

This 1st of December was so much better.

Nigel sadly had to work this morning - the coldest morning of the year. The frost didn't clear from the heath all day. I confess I stayed in bed snuggled up for another hour watching the new season of Vikings. Oh my have I been waiting for that - I am an addict.

When I braved the cold I found Orinoco - our elf on the shelf - had escaped the confines of his box and was ready to play.

 

 

He was happy to welcome in December by turning over the date on the calendar that sits on our kitchen windowsill. (Yes of course it has cats on it!)

 

Once I had done with the cleaning (well it served to keep me warm) and the weekly shop I set about my intro page and my Day 1 page for my journal.

 

 

The intro page just details how we are looking forward to a fun filled December with Orinoco. He was 'found' at a Hobby Lobby in Oregon so we wanted a name that reflected his heritage and we tried out many names - he answered to none of them until we tried Orinoco and he said Yup - that was him. The Or at the start of his name reflects the state of his 'birth'.

 

 

The first page is simple - I suspect many will be - but the Baby It's cold is on hinges and the heart is the tag to lift it up to reveal a great deal of journalling. It explains how this year has felt very odd for me in the lead up to Christmas. I am used to being in a school where Christmas activities start stupidly early. Decorations go up two weeks before the end of term and this year their term finishes 9th December. So I am usually in Christmassy mode by 1st December. It is different this year, slower, more relaxed, better.

I met my neighbour in Tesco today and she asked how I was coping with retirement now I had had a few months and I was honestly able to say 'like a duck to water'. I love it - I truly truly love it. I don't miss work, I don't miss being in charge (though Nigel says I still behave as if I am) I don't miss the power dressing, the pressure, the e mails, the policies, the difficulties with some staff, the 14 hour days. I do miss the children, but that is all. I love my new life. I really really do. 

 

Anyway, the journalling under the card explains how bad last year was, how grateful we are this December 1st and how different my life is this year.

 

In other news - the annual Stuff Your Stocking promotion is on at Pickleberrypop

 

 

Oh my it's amazing

The Jingle Mingle Mini Kits you can get for free each day are awesome

 

Look at the preview and click HERE to go to the store

 

I worked with several of the kits and will share just one today - it is coming up on 13th December and is by Indigo Designs

 

 

You seriously need to check the promotion out.

 

Today I am thankful for

• a much better 1st December
• God's blessings all year not just at Advent
• Orinoco - we will have fun
• My Christmas lights lit - grand switch on was at 5 today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas 'Journal' preparation

OK so I KNOW it is still November but Journal Your Christmas starts tomorrow and so I wanted to share what I have made for this year's journal and so it seemed right to change the banner and everything.

I LOVE Christmas and we have had a couple of rocky ones int he kast two years so I want to really enjoy this one, God willing.

 

I haven't done journal Your Christmas since 2013 as I had done 2007.2008.2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. 2013 and coming up with new stuff is hard.

2007 - an A-Z 8" x 8" album ... really loved this one

 

 

 

2008 was a hardbacked comb bound book which was 7" x 9.5"

 

 

2009 was digital journal all printed out and bound

 

 

 

2010 was a smaller book with digital pages printed out again

 

 

 

 

2011 was a more unusual book with lots of tags and tabs

 

 

2012 was one of my favourites - again digital pages and printed out (digital was always easier when I was at work)

 

 

and 2013 was one of my favourites  - a little house box which I loved making and loved looking at

 

 

 

 

 

then I had 2 years off and now I am raring to go.

I gavce some thought as to how I could do it differently and then - on holiday - we saw an elf on the shelf. Now I KNOW this is for children really - but I am a just a big kid so we decided we would play elf on the shelf this year and so the journal will be a combination of Elf's mischief and my daily record.

 

So this year I have made a box - a big box. Big enough for a large journal and the elf when it is all over.

 

I used a kit called Elf Magic  by Simple Pleasure Designs

 

 

I printed bits out and then used Christmas papers and this is the box

 

 

 

 

 

It has lots of dimension and bling on it too

 

And this is the cover - all ready to be bound when the book is complete.

 

 

I am so looking forward to this December!

 

I have news about Dawn's sale today - Below Zero kit and overlays and papers and all sorts of lushness - all at 50% off

 

 

and this is my page

 

 

I was at hospital today again for a couple of hours for more tests but all is well that ends well and the good thing about Poole hospital is it is near Poole Park which was icy but totally gorgeous. I loved watching the birds land on the ice and do all sorts of skating!

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• our wonderful NHS. I cannot begin to imagine how much the tests I have had this year and the operation on my nose would all have cost. We truly are very lucky.
• The excitement of impending Christmas

 

 

 

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