Tuesday 24 August 2010

Hollie's Exam Results - Am so Proud

Just got off the phone with Hollie and had to share Hollies Amazing Exam results with you all.  She went to the school this morning to collect her GCSE results

Science - 2 A Stars

                2 A's

Health and Social Care - 4 A's and a Distinction over all

English B

Business and Communication B

Humanity B

Maths C

Art C



This is so amazing Hollie.  You have done so very very well and I am really proud of you as I know everyone will be.



This year Hollie will be taking A levels before going to Hadlow next year to start her vetinary training.  I am also pleased to say that Hollie has decided to take a photography A level which will give her the creative outlet to balance all the academic studying.







Well done Hollie!!!! xxxxxxxx

Still not back to work

I am still not back to work!! Nitemare.  I had hoped for Monday and then Wednesday but this morning I had to face the reality this is going to take a lot longer to heal than I had planned for.  I have rung the GPs and asked for a sick certificate for another week.  I can't remember the last time I had a sick certificate.  I am hardly ever off sick and then only for one or two days.

I can't even do much paperwork as it is hard to type flat on your back and the pain killers make me a bit drowsy.  I have had a bit of fun playing with a friend's blog.  I would be lying if I said I hadn't enjoyed having a bit of "me" time to do creative stuff on the computer and it has opened my eyes to "services" I could provide.

Funny I do miss work alot but it actually makes me think more and more about what I wan't to do in a few years time.  This job is amazing.  I love selling medical equipment to the NHS and offering patients solutions to improve their quality of life but equally it is extremely hard work and alot of pressure.  I am constantly juggling one thing to do another and to be fair have been extremely successful to date.  I also work for an amazing company and my boss is great too.  However it is hard physical work.  I spend alot of time humping boxes in and out of the car and carrying stuff all the way from the car parks.  I am not sure I want to be doing that when I am 50!  I've often dreamed of retiring at 50 but with the way things keep changing who knows when I'll be able to retire!  Still worry not, I've still got 12 years until I'm 50 , although today it feels an awful lot closer.  In fact I feel more like 60!!!

Oh well lets hope tomorrow is alot better than today!

Sunday 22 August 2010

Still sore

Well for a little up date.  I am still very very sore but getting about a little more today.  Yesterday was awful and I was very disappointed I didn't feel a little better but today whilst still very painful has been bareable with pain killers from the doctor. 

Hollie came round this morning which was lovely and I spent the majority of the morning upstairs with the kids.  It is a bit hard to get the twins to stop bouncing though... at 4 they see a big bed and it is instinct just to do it!!

A couple of the neighbours have popped in today and I have managed to get downstairs for a bit.  I even managed to sit at the table and eat my dinner but I wouldn't wan't to stay there too long.  Sitting is still a bit of a problem.

I have received some wonderful news from my friend Joyce who is branching into designing digital scrapbooking kits.  She is amazingly talented and I know she will do very well.  I am sure you will see many of her products highlighted here as she gets herself established with a blog.  Its always great getting news of her and her family in the US.

I am missing Kayleigh who is staying at my Mums for a couple of weeks but I spoke with her yesterday and she is having a great time.  Emma has been running around like a headless chicken the last couple of days trying to manage it all.  It is really hard with the twins off school and me unable to do anything.  Nitemare!!  I had hoped to be going back to work tomorrow but I now know it is not going to happen.  Especially as I can't even pull my own trousers up without help.  I am hoping that Wednesday may be a little more realistic but again I am not sure will just have to see how each day comes.





In the meantime I have done a bit of internet browsing and come across this fantastic site with great photography tutorials.  I would recommend anyone give it a look if you are interested.  I have bookmarked it and will definately be going back there more.








iheartfaces







Friday 20 August 2010

Ouch update

I have spent the majority of the day laying on my bed.  Emma collected some stronger painkillers from the doctors earlier and they are taking the edge off the pain.  In order to stem the boredom I have been scanning in some of my mum's old photos.  Trying to do it laying on one side without moving too much has been tricky at times but I got there in the end.

It has been quite nice spending time doing this as there is never enough time in a day for doing things I enjoy. Just wis h I didnt need to be in this much pain first!

Here are a couple of the amazing photos I have scanned today.

My brother Kristen when he was at Raynehurst School


This is me!!! Oh my look at those ginger locks... didn't think they could get anyworse but I was wrong!


Very 1990's.  Think this was my new romantic look! LMAO


It amazes me how much my girls look like me.  This photo is the image of Kayleigh at about this age.


One of my favourite photos.  This is my Mum when she was about 8 or 9 with her pet hamster.

Ouch!!!

I am laying here as I write this, flat on the bed.  I can only lay in one position.  Moving one inch means awful pain shooting through my back.

It all started yesterday morning.  I was doing my usual mad dash out the front door before one or both of the twins escape out into the front garden.  no.... they are not toddlers they are 4 and starting school in september! So why be worried then? let me tell you it can take the powers of a top level negitiator to get them to freely go back in straight away.  So then starts the game of "distraction".  i read it in one of many parenting articles or maybe it was on the "taming toddlers show?"... Anyway the theory is having told them to go in 20 times you try to distract them in that direction with "Oh I think Dora is on tele now" or "shall we go play xxx". The actual truth is it ends up being a game of bribary and that doesnt even always work! Then comes angry Mum face followed by fine stay out there the bad man can have you.  Top level negotiators could learn alot by studying my two little men.  Infact I might even rent them out to the united nations!



Anyway anxious to avoid this I rush out the door trying to get out before anyone notices. Having got out and shut the door I then got to the bottom step.  I totally forgot that my dad had been round the previous evening and repaired the crumbling bottom step.  The cement hadn't set properly and I slipped.  It was agony and I felt really rough.  I knew I had hurt myself and after a visit to casualty it was confirmed I have fractured my coccyx.  The bottom vertebrae of my back.  Fortunately my ankle was not broken but badly sprained.  I am hoping to get back to work Monday but right now I am not totally convinced.  I spoke with my GP on the phone this mornin and he is doing me a prescription for some stronger pain killers so hopefully I will feel better after that but right now I can only lay on my left side and type with one finger.  (Apologies for any typing errors in this post it is more difficult to do than I had imagined!)

Wednesday 18 August 2010

Recent Layouts

This blog is definately looking too bare for my liking so I thought I would share some recent layouts.  I have recently joined the Sweet Shoppe Community and they have a wonderful set of challenges every month.  The different challenges have different points that can be earned.  Earn 10 pts in a month get 20% off a purchase.  Earn 20 pts get 30% off and 30 pts gets 40% off their store.  The discount is great for buying new goodies for your stash but for me its spurred on my creativity and got me to create layouts that are a little different to the norm.  Every month one lucky scrapper gets 25 dollars to get their portfolio published by Shutterfly... Really can't be bad!



Here are some layouts I have done for August's portfolio.

supplies
Lliella Happy Camper
Heather Roselli Chubby Bunny
Alphas KCroninBarrowMullens The Reason Why
JBillingsley Smart Chic
Font - DBaldwin Maggie Boone
All available at Sweetshoppe.com


Supplies
Kristin Cronin - Barrow
Happy go Lucky
Weatherman
Seaside
All available at sweetshoppe.com
Supplies
Kristen Cronin-Barrow
Splendid
The reason why
Darcy Baldwin - Journal Bits font.


A mini album for Emma - Which I gave her on the Boys fourth Birthday just to say thanks for being a wonderful Mum!



Supplies
Kristin Cronin-Barrow
The reason Why
Brotherly Love
Tropical hideaway
Cato Baldwin Write More Stuff
DJBaldwin Constance Font
DJBaldwin Journal Bits Font


Tuesday 17 August 2010

Good intentions

This is becoming a bit of a repetative post.... sorry I am a bad blogger.  The last entry back in April said exactly that but I have had requests from friends and family to start updating it on a regular basis as it is a great way to stay in touch etc.  I thought I would share some photos I took the weekend of Hollie.  I really enjoyed the photoshoot as did she.  I have been thinking alot lately about the composition of my photos and I think it is really starting to pay off.  For the first time I can see a glimpse of what potentially I could be.  With some more training and a huge load more practice I might even turn it into my career one day and retire from the exhausting pace of the business world for a more leisurely creative one.  Wouldn't that just be divine!.